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Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

On Monday South actress Trisha Krishnan took to her Instagram handle to share pictures from Ramya Krishnan’s birthday party held a few days ago. On September 15, the Baahubali star celebrated her 51st birthday. Along with Trisha, Ramya’s other friends also attended the party which includes Actors Kushboo, Radikaa Sarathkumar and choreographer Brinda among others. From the photos, the ladies are seen partying hard and having the time of their life.

Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

Trisha shared a number of photos on her stories giving glimpses from the get together.

Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

Trisha has recently completed the shooting for the upcoming fantasy drama, Ponniyin Selvan part 1 which is based on iconic writer Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical fiction novel of the same name. Set in the backdrop of Chola Dynasty, the epic novel has been adapted for the big screen by Ratnam along with writer B. Jeyamohan, who has penned dialogues for the movie. The film is helmed by Mani Ratnam and is being considered as the director‘s most ambitious movie yet. The film also stars Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Lal, Sarath Kumar, Jayaram, Vikram Prabhu, Prabhu, Ashwin Kakumanu, Kishore and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others.

Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

On the work front, after a gap of four years, Ponniyin Selvan will mark Trisha’s first major release. She also has Mohanlal’s Ram, Garjanai, and the Tamil remake of NH10, Sathuranga Vettai 2 and Raagi in her kitty.

Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

Trisha Krishnan shares glimpses from Ramya Krishnan's 51st birthday

3 Years of Manto: “Working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Manto was a live masterclass” - Tahir Raj Bhasin

Bollywood actor Tahir Raj Bhasin is one of the brightest and most versatile young actors in the industry today. After making a sparkling debut in Mardaani, Tahir impressed all with his villainous act in Force 2. In Manto, directed by Nandita Das, Tahir made a bold career move to depart from typical commercial cinema. He was refreshing in the film, India’s selection at the Cannes film festival and Tahir won praises from all quarters.

 “Working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Manto was a live masterclass” - Tahir Raj Bhasin

On the third release anniversary of the critically acclaimed drama on author Saadat Hasan Manto’s life, Tahir says, “Working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Manto was a live masterclass. Shyam Chadha, the 1950’s film star (Tahir’s character in the film), and Manto were a real-life duo who had epic adventures with the backdrop of 50’s Bombay cinema. Translating this friendship on-screen meant doing a range of scenes from a brotherly bond to a drastic conflict and a sudden parting of ways. To explore all of these shades with a co-star like Nawaz was a super treat. His timing, sense of humour, and humility are things that I imbibed while shooting Manto.”

Tahir adds, “Nandita Das is a director with impeccable taste and this shows in the films she creates. She brought out a nuanced performance from me which wouldn’t have been possible were it not for her eye for detail. The film's journey was supersonic. We transitioned from shooting in the villages of Gujarat to the Red Carpet at Cannes within a year. Walking the red carpet, representing India at Cannes, interacting with the international press and the festival jury for Manto was surreal. To experience this with two of Indian cinema’s tycoons Nawaz and Nandita at Cannes, was the icing on the cake.”

Tahir reveals why he chose Manto after acing being a baddie on-screen with Mardaani and Force 2. He says, “Manto for me was the chance to work shoulder to shoulder with Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Like in sport, in acting too your game in a pairing is only as good as your co-star. To work with Nawaz was a great challenge and meant diving into the deep end and exploring the many layers in the friendship between the 50’s film star Shyam Chaddha and Manto.”

Tahir will now be seen in Looop Lapeta as a romantic lead opposite Taapsee Pannu and in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, in which he has been paired with Shweta Tripathi. Tahir also plays the role of Sunil Gavaskar in Kabir Khan’s 83!

ALSO READ: 2 Years Of Chhichhore: “Watching Sushant Singh Rajput work and spending time with him behind the scenes was an absolute joy” – Tahir Raj Bhasin

Amitabh Bachchan praises Navya Naveli; tweets a sweet note and video of her playing piano

Living legend Amitabh Bachchan is a proud father and grandfather. On Monday, Amitabh took to his Twitter to share a video of his granddaughter Navya Naveli playing the piano. The actor also showered Navya with praise.

Amitabh Bachchan praises Navya Naveli; tweets a sweet note and video of her playing piano

Along with soothing video, Bachchan attached a sweet note for Navya. The tweet read, “The admiration & pride of a Grandfather towards his Granddaughter, Navya Naveli… Self-taught, digitally graduated, constructs platforms for deprived women, apprentices on management for Father’s business & sorts out all my mobile computer glitches!! Love you dearest.”

T 4036 - the admiration & pride of a Grandfather towards his Granddaughter, Navya Naveli.. self taught, digitally graduated, constructs platforms for deprived women, apprentices on management for Father’s business & sorts out all my mobile computer glitches !! Love you dearest ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oqcmGbrAtr

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) September 20, 2021

Navya Naveli, daughter of Shweta Bachchan, is extremely close to her grandfather Amitabh Bachchan. Every now and then, the grandfather-granddaughter duo shares adorable posts for each other.

 

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A post shared by Navya Naveli Nanda (@navyananda)

On Bachchan’s birthday last year, Navya posted an adorable picture of herself hugging her grandfather while incorporating his very famous dialogue in the caption, Navya wrote, “The line will always start from where you stand. Happy birthday to the greatest of all time but worst charades player ever. I love you, nana.” She also posted a cute photo of the duo twinning in blue and wrote, “Jr. & Sr.”

Also Read: KBC13: Amitabh Bachchan turns delivery boy for contestant Akash Waghmare

Akshay Kumar opens up about the success of Bellbottom

Akshay Kumar is one of the most business-savy actors in Bollywood, however, that wasn’t the priority in case of his recent film Bell Bottom, which had a theatrical release. The actor had a larger reason and that was the revival of cinemas. In a conversation with a tabloid, Akshay said that he was happy as he made the right decision. Last week, Bell Bottom opened to positive reviews on Amazon Prime Video after earning a decent amount at the box office.

Akshay Kumar's opens up about the success of Bell Bottom

Talking about the film, Akshay said that the appreciation it was getting made all the efforts worthwhile. As the theatres were not open everywhere and there was 50 percent occupancy rule, the actor was disheartened a little bit but he believed that every film has its own destiny. He further said that Bell Bottom earned a lot of love and respect from the audiences as well as the industry for fronting the return of cinemas.

For the unversed, Akshay’s film Laxmii released last year on Disney+Hotstar. When asked about the OTT platforms, Akshay said that it’s a win-win situation for both as many films are opting for a direct-to-OTT release, so platforms are getting new films in their catalogue. Moreover, content creators have an avenue to showcase their work, in spite of Covid-19 restrictions.

On being asked about the release of his upcoming film Sooryavanshi, the actor said that he has left the decision to Rohit Shetty and Reliance Entertainment as it is their film as well. He is sure that whatever decision they take, will be in the best interest of the film.

Akshay concluded by saying that he will be keep doing his best because by nature he is someone who can’t sit idle. Meanwhile, he is looking forward for the release of Atrangi Re, Bachchan Pandey and Raksha Bandhan.

Also Read: Revealed: The final and agreed distributor-multiplex revenue share terms for Akshay Kumar starrer Bell Bottom

20 Years Of Ajnabee EXCLUSIVE: Producer Vijay Galani speaks about prankster Akshay Kumar, Kareena-Bipasha’s fight, the film’s RECORD opening and ‘Everything Is Planned’ memes

20 years ago, Bollywood mainstream films rarely used to consist of risqué content. However, Ajnabee, starring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu, proved to be an exception. This Abbas-Mustan suspense thriller touched on the topic wife-swapping, a concept that many were not even aware of. Yet, the gamble paid off. The film was a commercial success and what many are not aware of is that at that point, it was the biggest opener in the history of Hindi cinema!

As Ajnabee completes 20 years, producer Vijay Galani exclusively spoke to Bollywood Hungama about how the film was conceptualized, the casting, its box office run, the ‘Everything is planned’ dialogue and a lot more.

Could you tell how the film was conceptualized and how the casting was locked?
Neeraj Vora narrated the subject to me. It was inspired by an English film (Consenting Adults; 1992). I liked it and I immediately called Abbas-Mustan. I was already planning a film with them. Even they liked the subject and they said that we should develop it further. Woh bound script ka zamana nahi tha. And this was a time when Abbas-Mustan were busy with the mixing of their film Soldier (1998). They told me that “Aap Bobby Deol ko sign kar lo” and I agreed. Then Akshay Kumar also came on board.

We had decided that we’ll go for new actresses. This is because established heroines ki zarurat nahi thi film mein. The shoot of Kareena Kapoor’s debut film Refugee (2000) was going on at that time. We had not even seen her work and neither had the audience. Ajnabee was the second film that she signed. Finally, we got Bipasha Basu on board; this was her first film.

In a Bollywood Hungama exclusive interview last year, Bobby Deol revealed that he was initially offered Akshay Kumar’s part…
Yes, Bobby was offered Akshay’s part initially. Discussion mein woh baat aayi thi. Later, Abbas-Mustan decided to give the negative part to Akshay. Both Akshay and Bobby agreed.

The film had as many as 4 writers. Why was that?
Neeraj Vora gave the story idea to us. While working on the script, he said that he needs more writers. I was good friends with Robin Bhatt and I got him involved in the writing. He was working with Sanjeev Duggal then and so Sanjeev also became a part of the writing team. Finally, Shyam Goel was signed to write the dialogues

Ajnabee was extensively shot in Switzerland. How was the experience of the film there and in other countries?
Our first outdoor schedule was in Switzerland and it went on for 40 days. This was one of the rare films which were shot in as many as 7 countries. Additionally, the climax was set on a cruise. Total 8 actors shot in Switzerland. Apart from the 4 main actors, Johny Lever, Narendra Bedi, Amita Nangia and Sheela Sharma also flew to Switzerland. I also told all 4 writers to accompany me to Switzerland for the first schedule. This is because the shooting date was approaching and Abbas-Mustan felt that writers ka thoda sa kaam abhi bhi baaki hai. Actually, climax ko leke thodi clarity nahi aa rahi thi ki kaise karna hai aur kya karna hai. So a debate was going on among us.

Even Saroj Khan was with us for 40 days. We told her “Aap hamare saath 40 days wahan rahogeAur jab bhi humein gaana shoot karna hoga, aap choreograph karoge”. Normally, the dance director travels to an outdoor location for 4-5 days, when the songs are being filmed. However, we asked her to stay throughout the schedule. So we were all together aur hum ne haste-khelte schedule complete kiya.

How many days did the shooting go on?
The shooting lasted for 150 days. It was a very expensive film but I knew the result would be good. Also, mujhe shauk bhi tha. I wanted to make a big film. Before Ajnabee, I had only made 2 films – Suryavanshi (1992), starring Salman Khan and Achanak (1998), starring Govinda. Ajnabee was an interesting experience and I had a lot of fun.

Artists also used to co-operate a lot. There was not a lot of pressure of dates. Dates manage ho jaati thi. Unlike present times, the shoot used to spread out and would not be done in a start-to-finish schedule.

Ajnabee had a very bold subject for that time. Did that make you apprehensive?
Yes, we did discuss and wondered if we are choosing a very risky subject. But Abbas-Mustan and I wanted to do something new and shocking. Also, the film is not entirely on wife-swapping. It serves as the base and it’s due to the wife-swapping element that the story moves forward. Also, in the end, we showed that wife-swapping never actually happened. Nevertheless, it was shocking and ahead of its time. Some actors refused to do the film. I won’t name them but they told me “Yeh kaisi picture bana rahe ho tum? Mat banao.”

Did Akshay Kumar have any qualms about the wife-swapping topic?
Not at all. He even won his first Filmfare Award, for Best Villain, for Ajnabee. We even showed the wife swapping bit in the trailer. Akshay Kumar jo karta hai, ussi se film ko value mili, film ko appreciation mila, film ka business hua aur ussi se film hit hui.”

The music was the film’s strong USP. ‘Mehbooba Mehbooba’ is popular even today. It was Adnan Sami’s first Hindi film song. How did he come on board?
It was Anu Malik who suggested his name. Abbas-Mustan and I felt a bit odd about this suggestion. But Anu insisted that we should get him to sing the song and then told us to take a call. We all loved Adnan’s rendition. I immediately went to meet Akshay. He was shooting at Filmistan. Tab cassette ka zamana tha. So I transferred the song on a cassette and played it for Akshay in his car. He got excited and told me ‘Zabardast gaana hai’!

We had sold the rights of the music to Tips. They were happy with the sales.

There were reports that Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu fought the sets. Was that true?
Vikram Phadnis was the dress designer. We had taken him as well to Switzerland. He was working on the costumes of both Kareena and Bipasha. Ab jab ek hi dress designer ho aur woh dono artists ke kapde pe kaam kar raha ho, toh thodi dekha-dekhi ho jaati hai. It was nothing major but the media made it breaking news. However, it didn’t affect our shoot. Bas kapdo ko leke choti moti baatein hoti thi. Isliye naarazgi hoti thi. But main aur Abbas-Mustan manage kar lete the. Also, unka aapas mein koi (argument) ho jaata tha but hamare saamne mostly nahi aati thi yeh baatein.”

Ajnabee had a comic track, featuring Johny Lever and others and it added to the fun. This was a popular trend then and it has died down totally in today’s times…
The pattern has changed. Nowadays, viewers went very few songs and don’t want a separate comic track. People are not so patient anymore. They are watching content from all over the world on OTT and world cinema films don’t usually have songs. So it’s difficult to make a film that is more than 2 ½ hours and has a comic track. Haan, comedy film ho toh alag baat hai.

Many are not aware that Ajnabee was a record opener. It collected Rs. 1.65 crore on Day 1, and thereby broke the record of highest opening day that was earlier held by Mission Kashmir (2000) that had collected Rs. 1.64 crore on Day 1. It was also the second record opener for Kareena Kapoor after Refugee. By the time 2001 ended, Kareena had 3 record openers in her kitty as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) opened at a huge Rs. 2.38 crore…
Yes, the opening was huge as it was a two-hero film. And Rahul Nanda had designed the promotional material very well. The poster featured a blue background with the four actors posing in sleeveless clothes. It helped in generating hype. The trailer also intrigued viewers. The music had also worked. So the opening was very, very big. Its overall business was also great.

The film was shot on a huge scale and mounted very well. Action directors (Kaushal-Moses) were from India but we also hired one from abroad. This was unlike the trend in those days.

While the audiences loved the film, I believe the critics weren’t happy with the film…
Critics wanted a standard, formula film. Ajnabee was hatke and bold. So maybe the critics would not have appreciated it. But I remember that no critic panned the film. Unke liye bhi film shocking rahi hogi.

The ‘Everything Is Planned’ scene is a subject of a lot of memes, especially how the password is displayed without an asterisk and with space between the three words.
Yeah I know and I guess that’s fine. It was a new thing then – putting your password on a computer and accessing your account. People then didn’t know you can transfer money through the internet. We used to frequently travel abroad and hence, we knew about it.

Did you remember that Ajnabee was completing 20 years?
Yes. In fact, I even remember every single day of the shoot. It was a lot of fun. Bobby aur Akshay ke saath hum log cards khelte the. There was no stress. We were all like one big family working together. So I can recollect the shooting locations, who all were present, the clothes we had got.

It is said that Akshay Kumar is a big prankster. Did he play any pranks on Ajnabee’s sets?
Oh yes, he did. Woh aaj bhi waise hi hai. Unke pranks toh aaj bhi chalte rehte hai!

Are there any plans of making a sequel of Ajnabee?
Not really. I have spoken to Abbas-Mustan but they are not keen. They have told me that whenever they go for a social gathering, a lot of people tell them that Ajnabee 2 should be made. But to get the correct subject is difficult and equally difficult is to make a two-hero film. Also, Abbas-Mustan doesn’t believe in sequels. They have made so many hit films but except for Race 2 (2013), they have never ventured into this territory.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha to star in Mudassar Aziz’s next titled 2XL

Rani Mukerji wraps the Estonia schedule of Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway

Rani Mukerji has completed the first schedule of her next - Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway. After shooting for a month, the makers took to their social media to announce the wrap of the Estonia schedule. Keeping in mind safety protocols, Mukerji and the entire crew shot in a bio bubble with all necessary precautions.

Rani Mukerji wraps the Estonia schedule of Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway

The film revolves around the journey of a mother’s battle against an entire country. The final schedule of the film is expected to begin in India soon. “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway is a story of true human resilience and it is a film that is dedicated to all the mothers out there. It is truly one of the most amazing scripts that I have read in a long time and I immediately decided to do this special film,” Rani had said during the film’s announcement.

Directed by Ashima Chibber, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is produced by Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani & Nikkhil Advani’s Emmay Entertainment, and Zee Studios.

ALSO READ: 7 Years Of Mardaani: “Sharing screen space with Rani Mukerji was a challenge and hugely rewarding” – Tahir Raj Bhasin

Kareena Kapoor Khan's baby boy Jeh Ali Khan's latest photo is too adorable

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is celebrating her 41st birthday today. The actor and her husband Saif Ali Khan have jetted off for a family vacation. The actress was recently wrapped up Laal Singh Chaddha.

Kareena Kapoor Khan's baby boy Jeh Ali Khan's latest photo is too adorable

She has been sharing glimpses from her holiday in the Maldives especially her few months baby boy, Jeh Ali Khan. A photo of the adorable child is going viral. In this one, you can see Jeh's face as he looks adorable.

 

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A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@therealkareenakapoor)

On the work front, Saif Ali Khan was recently seen in the horror-comedy Bhoot Police with Arjun Kapoor, Yami Gautam and Jacqueline Fernandez. Apart from this, Saif also has Adipurush starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon. Kareena Kapoor Khan has wrapped up Laal Singh Chaddha alongside Aamir Khan. She has signed her next and will turn producer with that project.

ALSO READ: Kareena Kapoor beats the Monday Blues as she shares an adorable picture of Jeh Ali Khan from her vacation

Kim Kardashian stuns in all black for a casual appearance

Kim Kardashian is a stunner. Even before she became the big thing, she never stopped being a style queen. We love her OTT style, be it tight fitted corsets or all things Yeezy or cycling shorts- she sets the trends right!

Kim Kardashian was seen dressed in all black for her latest Instagram post. After her Met Gala appearance, it doesn’t come as a surprise. She styles skin tight black pants with a risqué plunge neck top with off the shoulder sleeves. Her makeup was dewy with her hair in a neat high ponytail. And she completed her look with black reflectors.

 

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A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian)

Kim recently spoke about her regrets about Keeping up with the Kardashians, since the show came to an end after 14 long and dramatic seasons. On the show, Kim talks about failing her law exam and her divorce with husband Kanye West. She claims that it was a lonely marriage and she wouldn't want a husband that would always be in a different state than her. On the other hand, Kanye West had subsequently unfollowed the Kardashian and Jenner clan on instagram amidst dating rumours with Irina Shayk. Kanye recently unfollowed Kim on social media. Kim made quite a statement at the red carpet in all black.

Also Read: Rihanna looks scintillating in chocolate brown see-through lingerie ahead of her Savage X Fenty vol. 3 drop

Pratik Sehjpal expresses his wish to stay friends with Karan Nath outside Bigg Boss OTT house

Karan Nath who is popularly known for his vital characters performed on-screen was recently seen in Bigg Boss OTT. Hosted by Karan Johar this year’s Bigg Boss became a huge hit. It is said to be one of the craziest seasons ever.

Pratik Sehjpal expresses his wish to stay friends with Karan Nath outside Bigg Boss OTT house

Karan Nath who was seen making an entry in the show gained a huge fan following for his beautiful gameplay. Everyone in the house loved him because he was always seen as a bigger person in the house. Pratik Sehajpal who is a finalist in the show says, “I would want to be friends with Karan Nath when I go out from this house.” He was also seen talking about how Karan Nath was like an elder brother to him and also protected him without showing it.

While in conversation we spoke with Karan Nath about Pratik Sehajpal’s wish. Karan said, "I would also love to be friends with Pratik. He is a nice guy, he is like a younger brother to me. I was supporting Divya Agarwal as well as Pratik as both truly deserved to win the trophy as both played beautifully in their own way. I would have be equally happy for him".

For the record when Karan got eliminated it was witnessed that each and every single contestant of the show got emotional and did speak about the latter for quite a long time post his elimination too.

ALSO READ: Bigg Boss OTT: Shamita Shetty receives tight hug from Shilpa Shetty as she returns home

Samantha Akkineni snaps at reporter who asked her about divorce rumours with Naga Chaitanya

Actors Samantha Akkineni and Naga Chaitanya's divorce rumours have been doing the rounds for the last few weeks. The couple has so far not spoken about their alleged strained relationship. However, recently Samantha snapped at a reporter for asking her about the status of her marriage.

Samantha Akkineni snaps at reporter who asked her about divorce rumours with Naga Chaitanya

Samantha was recently leaving Tirumala temple when a reporter asked her about her separation from Naga Chaitanya. Visibly angered by the question, Samanth retorted, "I have come to a temple, don’t you have any sense?” while pointing at her head.

The rumours around the couple's divorce first surfaced after Samantha dropped the Akkineni surname from her social media accounts. Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that Samantha and Naga have started living separately. While Naga has shifted residence and has moved in with his father mega-star Nagarjuna and stepmother Amala, reports suggest Samantha plans on moving to Mumbai.

ALSO READ: Amidst Divorce rumours, Naga Chaitanya moves into his father’s residence; Samantha plans to move to Mumbai