Newlyweds Ranveer and Deepika welcomed in Mumbai, Alia wants to work with SRK, Preity says on the Me Too movement, and other Bollywood updates

MUMBAI: Here are the new and fresh happenings from the world of Bollywood. Read on...  

I never had a career: Shekhar Kapur

Internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur says he never had a career and that life, for him, has always been an adventure.

Kapur was questioned by a troller, who asked him if "anything was left in his career".

To which, the filmmaker replied, "I never had a career. I dropped that word from my life when I was 24 and walked away from a successful ‘career' as a Chartered Accountant in London. Since then life has been, is, and will always be an adventure. On this journey I've done so many things. Including making films."

Kapur is known for his works in Hindi and international cinema. He is known in Bollywood for his recurring role in the TV seriesKhandan in the mid-1980s and his directorial debut in the cult Bollywood film Masoom in 1983 and then Mr. India.

He gained international recognition with the 1994 Bollywood film Bandit Queen, based on Mala Sen's biography of infamous Indian bandit and politician Phoolan Devi, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

The film was also premiered in the Directors Fortnight section of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

In international cinema, his historical biopics on Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and two Academy Awards.

Kapur is the recipient of the Indian National Film Award, the BAFTA Award, the National Board of Review Award and has served as one of the Jury Members (International Competition) at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

Rani Laxmibai was a visionary: Kangana Ranaut

Actress Kangana Ranaut says she values freedom because of Rani Laxmibai.

"I've grown up listening to Rani Laxmibai's legend and folklore like all of us but at the same time I did not know the intensity of her life. Her youth had gone in battling the enemy and preparing the regular people to become warriors," Kangana said to leading publication.

"What was unknown about her life is that she fought for many things that are acceptable today like adoption and women empowerment. She was completely against untouchability and she neither believed in caste system. She was a Brahmin who fought like Kshatriyas. She fought against Bargad Pratha, Parda system, caste system and untouchability. She fought for all these things relentlessly and conquered all those.

"She was a visionary and I value the freedom that we have because of her a lot more," she added.

Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, which captures the life story of Rani Laxmibai, will release on 25 January next year. Kangana will be bringing her life alive on the big screen.

Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios, also said, "It's an honour to be able to salute her through our upcoming film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi."

To this, producer Kamal Jain added, "Manikarnika is a heartfelt tribute to Rani Laxmibai, who gave birth to Indian independence, a hero who inspires generations even now."

When women are strong, countries become stronger: Akshay

Lending his support to gender equality, actor Akshay Kumar said that strong women make stronger countries.

Akshay along with a bevy of Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Vicky Kaushal, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt, gathered on Sunday night to attend the third Lux Golden Rose Awards to extend their support to the United Nations' campaign #HeForShe.

Talking on the subject, Akshay said, "When women are strong, families become strong and countries stronger. I am happy to be a part of a family which has many strong women like my mother, my wife, my sister and my mother-in-law."

The campaign celebrates the contribution of women to society.

Talking about the role of female actors in the industry, Shah Rukh said, "These women have contributed to making me a better human."

Gen-next stars like Taapsee Pannu, Nushrat Bharucha, Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Rakulpreet Singh, Ada Sharma too were present at the event.

Janhvi, daughter of producer Boney Kapoor and late veteran actress Sridevi, bagged the Lux Golden Rose Emerging Beauty Of The Year.

She said the award was "encouraging".

"My parents have always maintained that a good artiste is a reflection of a good and honest person and I hope to prove myself by doing exactly that," she added.

Veteran actress and politician Hema Malini bagged the Lux Golden Rose Iconic Beauty Over The Decades award.

The star-studded evening became much entertaining when Kareena performed on stage on the super hit tracks of her male co-stars like Shah Rukh, Salman Khan and her actor-husband Saif Ali Khan.

Kareena also won the award of Lux Golden Rose Confident Beauty Of The Year alongside Shikha Talsania and Swara Bhasker.

Others who were seen shaking a leg at the gala were Varun Dhawan, who paid a tribute to his co-stars like Taapsee and Alia; and Madhuri, who enthralled the audience by dancing on tracks like Dream girl, Laila main laila and Yeh mera dil.

Rajamouli's next film with Jr. NTR, Ram Charan starts rolling

Filmmaker S.S Rajamouli, more than a year after the release of the second part of the Baahubali franchise, on Monday began shooting here for his new yet-untitled Telugu film featuring Jr. NTR and Ram Charan.

The film was officially launched on 11 November and the opening ceremony was presided over by megastar Chiranjeevi, veteran filmmaker K. Raghavendra, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati among others.  

To be made on a budget of Rs. 300 crore, the film is tipped to feature Jr. NTR and Ram Charan as brothers.

In a media interaction earlier this year, producer DVV Danayya confirmed the budget.

"The pre-production work has already begun. The art department has commenced work on erecting sets where crucial portion of the film will be shot. The estimated budget of the film will be Rs. 300 crore," he said, adding the film will be a visual treat.

Apparently, both Jr. NTR and Ram Charan signed the project without listening to the script.

"I believe in Rajamouli. His stories have strong content and are character-driven. I'm yet to listen to the script. Rajamouli promised me he will narrate the script soon," Ram Charan had told reporters while promoting Rangasthalam.

MM Keeravani has been roped in to compose music, while Senthil Kumar will crank the camera.

The technical crew includes national award-winning editor Sreekar Prasad and production designer Sabu Cyril.

Sara is star on 'Koffee With Karan'

Sara Ali Khan's debut film Kedarnath is around the corner. But her debut on Karan Johar's talkshow on Sunday night proved she's already a star.

Poised, articulate, relaxed, witty. And very eager to embrace the camera -- Ladies and Gentleman, a star is born.

Say "Hello to Sara Ali Khan" in the best episode of Karan's show this season so far.

Father, Saif Ali Khan, and daughter looked more like co-stars on the couch that says a lot about how much younger the heroines are getting.

This could also be as Saif made a very bohemian dad on the show. He had quick answers to Karan's unconventional queries about his unconventional relationship with his daughter.

And Sara was equally quick in giving it back to Saif as good as she got.

For once, Karan chose to tread on the sticky side of the road, asking Sara about her relationship with her father's second wife Kareena Kapoor (we can't call her stepmom, as Saif warned us that evening).

Sara didn't mince words. She described her parents as "wild". I would have to go with that. It takes a whole lot of wildness to get where Saif has in life.

To be actually sitting on that couch with his grownup daughter all set to make her debut as a leading lady, and who is just five to six years younger than his wife.

Full marks to Sara for calling a spade a spade. And wild, wild.

Oh yes, there was also a section about what Karan described as the "elephant in the room". We found that to be a strange way to describe little cute Taimur whose pictures break the internet almost every day.

Interestingly, Karan had got video messages on Taimur from a bunch of prominent paparazzi photographers talking on Taimur.

Let's face it. We would like to see Saif with Tamir on Karan's couch soon. He is by far the most successful Khan in Saif's family. Sara seemed refreshingly free of sibling jealousy. Not surprising, considering Taimur is young enough to be her child.

Karan called their family "modern". I would not define this family as modern. Just happy to do their own thing unmindful of the repercussions.

To us the star of Koffee With Karan was Sara Ali Khan who seemed so comfortable with her dad, with her host and with the camera, not particularly in that order though.

But then orderliness is not a big virtue of this spontaneously bohemian family.

Fanboy in me for Big B, SRK will never die: Sidharth Malhotra

Actor Sidharth Malhotra says he can never stop being a fanboy when it comes to Bollywood icons Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan because of the "brilliant" and "inspiring" portfolio of work they have done.

Sidharth, who made his acting debut in Bollywood with Student Of The Year, spoke about it on Saavn's entertainment-based audio show Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev.

Talking about how Shah Rukh inspired him to become an actor, Sidharth said, "Well, it starts from him being from Delhi. All Delhi boys want to be heroes and Shah Rukh Khan is a major reason for that. I used to find him really funny and I still do. I think Shah Rukh is extremely good with comedy in the sense that a hero can do."

At one point, Sidharth also had a hair parting like SRK like a "pure commercial Hindi film fan".

Back then, when he was in awe of Shah Rukh, Sidharth never thought he will become an actor himself someday.

"I didn't know what it takes to go on the other side and be in that screen. But I think there was so much admiration and so much concentration when I used to watch his scenes... I think there is a big impression of Shah Rukh Khan and his cinema on me," added Sidharth, who has featured in movies like Hasee Toh Phasee, Ek Villain and Kapoor & Sons.

Even before he made his acting debut, Sidharth had come face-to-face with Shah Rukh when he worked as an assistant director on the superstar's film My Name Is Khan.

"First thing I said to Shah Rukh was on the sets of My Name is Khan... I was very scared, I was very nervous to even walk upto him and chat. I think the first thing I said was 'Sir, aap biscuit khayenge?'. He was waiting for this shot and we were in Los Angeles and I was the AD with the walkie in my ear waiting for him to tell when to go for that shot.

"We both were waiting and there was an awkward moment, no clue this big star is next to you. I said, 'Sir aap biscuit khayenge?' He looked at me, smiled and said ‘Nahi nahi'. He eventually realised I wanted to be an actor and started talking to me about different things."

Sidharth recounted he was very nervous on first meeting Big B on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati during Student of the Yearpromotions.

"We met him backstage and he was very sweet to me. He shook my hand and patted me on the back. I am still a big Bachchan fan, even when I meet him now and have an immense amount of love for him. That fan boy in me for Shah Rukh or Bachchan will never die. They have done such brilliant work to inspire all of us," he said.

'Increasing digital platforms, intelligent casting a boon for actors'

Imagining the fun-loving Liquid from Pyaar Ka Punchnama holding a gun or the beautiful Safia Manto of Manto entering a mind game and a gunfight in a world predominantly ruled by men, is not a common practice in the world of Bollywood. But the possibility has opened up thanks to the emergence and popularity of digital platforms, say actors of web series Mirzapur.

Whether it is Divyendu Sharma, who played Liquid, or Rasika Dugal, who essayed Safia, or the versatile Pankaj Tripathi -- they are of the opinion that right casting and a receptive audience is opening the doors for performers like them.

"I think the casting of actors is a very important thing for all of us to experiment with our roles and that is why I would like to give a lot of credit to the casting directors these days. It is very important for a casting director to see an actor in a neutral light to cast him or her for any kind of role instead of stereotyping," Divyendu, who is seen as Munna, the son of a gangster in Mirzapur, told the leading publication.

Seconding him, Rasika said, "It is a calculative risk and worth taking a risk to give an actor an opportunity to do something different. We always tend to box an actor, especially once he or she is accepted by the audience in a certain manner. I think more OTT platforms are gaining consumers, as well as audience becoming repetitive towards good stories; opening the doors for us."

"Of course, the audience is maturing and watching good stories in all platforms, which give us the confidence to experiment. It is also true that as a performer we are always on our toes to deliver our best," Divyendu added.

Mirzapur, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is a revenge saga set in Uttar Pradesh, where Kaleen (Pankaj) runs an illegal firearms and drugs business, and how two young men of the city get into the fight with his people, leading to a bloodshed.

Pankaj says the world of the show is similar to his film Gurgaon because both the stories revolve around the crime space.

"That was a challenge for me as an actor because I do not want to make it look similar. Since the world has a resemblance, the comparison is natural. I, therefore, made a conscious effort to create a difference. There is a free flow of performance that happens on digital medium," said the National Award winning actor.

Produced by Excel Media and Entertainment, the show also features Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi and Shriya Pilgaonkar.

Mirzapur was screened at the Jio Mumbai MAMI Film Festival last month.

Asked about the reception at the show's premiere, Pankaj confidently said, "Even when you are making a story, you know in which direction the execution is going. At times, in the shooting only you know that it is not coming out as it was expected at the script level. With Mirzapur, we had confidence from the beginning."

Divyendu added, "At the script level, it was written so well that we were discussing among us that even if we do not add much and perform exactly the way it has been written, we know it will come out well."

How do they look at the growing opportunities due to the influx of digital entertainment?

While Rasika said she is juggling between several projects on various platforms, Pankaj felt nostalgic about theatre.

"This is so far a good year for me with the variety of work and busy schedule. I am trying to grapple with time management... At times people are calling me and saying how these days actors like us are so busy in cinema that we are giving no time to stage and theatre. Honestly, I am not missing stage plays," Rasika said, breaking into a laugh.

Pankaj instantly smiled in response, and said, "After all she is from film school . We are NSD (National School of Drama) people. Theatre is our first love. No matter what, there is something about stage performance that is always special for people like us."

Adding to that, Divyendu, who was involved with theatre for three years in Delhi before enrolling in a film school, said, "Yes, there is something very romantic about stage theatre  the energy, stage lights, instant audience reactions... am I over-romanticising?"

Pankaj said, "No, it's true that stage ka nasha hi kuch aur hai (the stage gives a different high).”

Sara shares Saif's happiness mantra

Debutante Sara Ali Khan says her father and actor Saif Ali Khan doesn't look for happiness from box office success.

Commenting on Saif's journey at the box office since the past two years, Sara said, "He has never derived his happiness from how he is doing at the box office, ever. I think that being an actor is who he is, being a talented actor is who he is but his life is a little more full than just that.

"You know, whether it's his family or his holidays or his readings or him learning French or learning the guitar, random things, fun things, eclectic things - he's been the kind of person that derives his happiness from a lot of various sources. So, just not doing well at the box office from two years never really brought him down in any way."

Saif appreciated Sara's understanding of the scenario by saying "that was really well put".

Sara, who will be making her debut with Kedarnath, expressed her opinion in an episode of Koffee with Karan season 6. She joined the chat show, aired on Star World, with Saif, read a statement.

Newlyweds Ranveer, Deepika welcomed in Mumbai by sea of fans

Sea of fans, camera flashes and loud cheers welcomed Bollywood's newlywed couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone to Mumbai on Sunday morning after their dreamy wedding at the picturesque Lake Como in Italy. The much-in-love duo, smiling ear-to-ear, waved out at the fans and paparazzi, expressing gratitude with folded hands.

Ranveer and Deepika arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport where several fans waited to catch a glimpse.

Deepika wore a straight-cut beige suit with traditional red Banarasi dupatta, with sindoor on her forehead, henna on her hands and traditional red 'chooda' (bangles) on her wrists. Ranveer sported a matching kurta-pyjama with a pink Nehru jacket.

Ranveer had his protective arm around Deepika throughout the walk from the exit to the car. Both of them opted for round sunglasses to complete their look.

Ranveer is already a protective and doting husband, as he was seen fencing his wife Deepika from eager fans at the airport.

As soon as they came out of the airport, several fans grabbed the opportunity to get a picture clicked with them. Although they looked visibly tired, Deepika and Ranveer obliged their admirers and happily posed for the cameras.

The couple got married twice, in Konkani and North Indian rituals. The Konkani wedding took place on 14 November and the North Indian wedding happened on 15 November.

After their wedding, both stars posted pictures of their wedding on their social media accounts and captioned it with heart emoji.

Ranveer and Deepika will host their wedding reception in Bengaluru on 21 November and in Mumbai on 28 November. In Mumbai, they will have another celebration for the film fraternity on 1 December.

The couple was dating for over six years before they solemnised their relationship earlier this week. While they kept a no-phone policy for the guests in attendance, both Deepika and Ranveer treated fans to the two wedding photographs.

On the work front, Ranveer Singh next will be seen in Rohit Shetty's Simmba and Deepika will play real life character of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal in Meghna Gulzar's directorial venture.

( SOURCE : IANS)

Preity Zinta on Me Too movement

Many Bollywood actresses have expressed their views on #MeToo movement and joining the list is actress Preity Zinta.

Recently, sharing her take on Me Too Movement, Preity said, "I think it's important that this whole Me Too Movement has started, but it is also important that women use it for the right way.”

Alia Bhatt hopes to work with Shah Rukh Khan again

Alia Bhatt made her Bollywood debut with Student of the Year, and in a span of six years, she has worked with the biggest stars including Shah Rukh Khan.

She worked with SRK in Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi which released in 2016. The film dealt with many important issues in a subtle way.

Alia, who has a huge fan following on social media, crossed the 25 million mark on Instagram. To thank her fans, she connected with them via the ‘Ask me Anything’ feature on Instagram. A fan asked Alia, “Can we expect one more movie with Shah Rukh Khan?’ Alia replied, “I hope so”.