News Analysis India

Tag: Bollywood

  • Deepika Padukone Turns Heads In Blue Velvet Gown At Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles | People News

    NEW DELHI: The Academy Museum Gala is the second biggest stage world over post the Oscars which is organized by the same board. On Sunday night, the 2023 Academy Museum Gala was held in Los Angeles, US.

    Actress Deepika Padukone attended the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 3, and stole attention in a velvet blue gown and statement diamond jewellery. The actress is the first Indian actor to be invited for the event.

    Before she headed to the red carpet, Deepika took to Instagram Stories to share a bunch of pictures of her look for the night. Sharing Deepika’s pictures on Twitter, a fan wrote, “Stunning as always.”


    Another said, “She looks so gorgeous in that beautiful gown.”

    A third fan wrote, “My queen flaunting her million dollar smile… thank you for this DP (Deepika Padukone)… just thank you for your existence.”

    Academy Museum Gala

    A host of Hollywood celebrities including singers Selena Gomez and Dua Lipa, and actors Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, Ke Huy Quan and Meryl Streep, among many others were seen at the event. The annual Academy Museum Gala aims to raise funds for the museum’s exhibitions and public programming.

    Deepika Padukone’s Upcoming Projects

    Earlier this year Deepika created history as she stepped on the stage at the Oscars to present the Indian song act.

    Speaking of her last two films, Deepika Padukone has been riding high on the success of ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’, as both films broke lifetime records collecting over Rs 2200 crores worldwide.

    She will be seen soon in the sci-fi action film ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ opposite Prabhas.

    She also has Siddharth Anand’s aerial action film ‘Fighter’ opposite Hrithik Roshan, which will be released in January 2024.

    Deepika will also be seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again. The film also stars Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff and Ranveer Singh, and will release in 2024.

  • OMG! Lord Hanuman gets railway eviction notice

    Express News Service

    RANCHI:  Remember the 2012 Bollywood movie Oh My God! starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar that was inspired by the Australian film The Man Who Sued God? Well, Lord Hanuman wasn’t sued but He recently got an eviction notice from Dhanbad Rail Division assistant engineer Anand Kumar Pandey for squatting in the Bekar Bandh area that belongs to the railways. He was warned of legal action if his temple was not removed within 10 days. The notice pasted on the temple wall had Lord Hanuman’s name as the encroacher.

    Pandey soon realised he had needlessly messed up with the powerful deity as he was transferred shortly thereafter to the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Rail Division in UP. The Dhanbad railway tried to explain it off as a routine transfer, as four other engineers, too, were shifted to other locations at the same time. However, they admitted the eviction notice to the deity was a mistake.

    Pandey had issued eviction notices 27 other households living in makeshift accommodations around the temple as well. Matters came to a head when locals spotted the notice to Hanumanji pasted on the temple wall and launched a protest. Railway officials immediately realised their mistake and removed it. “It was a human error. There was no intention to hurt people’s sentiments. We were only trying to get the land vacated from encroachers,” officials said on condition of anonymity.  

    RANCHI:  Remember the 2012 Bollywood movie Oh My God! starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar that was inspired by the Australian film The Man Who Sued God? Well, Lord Hanuman wasn’t sued but He recently got an eviction notice from Dhanbad Rail Division assistant engineer Anand Kumar Pandey for squatting in the Bekar Bandh area that belongs to the railways. He was warned of legal action if his temple was not removed within 10 days. The notice pasted on the temple wall had Lord Hanuman’s name as the encroacher.

    Pandey soon realised he had needlessly messed up with the powerful deity as he was transferred shortly thereafter to the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Rail Division in UP. The Dhanbad railway tried to explain it off as a routine transfer, as four other engineers, too, were shifted to other locations at the same time. However, they admitted the eviction notice to the deity was a mistake.

    Pandey had issued eviction notices 27 other households living in makeshift accommodations around the temple as well. Matters came to a head when locals spotted the notice to Hanumanji pasted on the temple wall and launched a protest. Railway officials immediately realised their mistake and removed it. “It was a human error. There was no intention to hurt people’s sentiments. We were only trying to get the land vacated from encroachers,” officials said on condition of anonymity. 
     

  • ‘Our Stupid Reactions’: Indian cinema through the lens of two Americans

    Express News Service

    With too much time and not enough Hollywood trailers to react to in 2019, American actors Rick Segall and Korbin Miles of YouTube’s ‘Our Stupid Reactions’ (OSR) fame decided to turn their keen eye toward Bollywood. 

    They debuted with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’, and the duo’s reaction video to it was an instant hit, setting off an endless flurry of ‘please-react-to-this’ requests from white-people-opinion-loving (and-hating) Indians on YouTube. Today, as their channel with a subscriber base of 1.17 million is expanding, so is their repertoire of films, with the duo taking up not just Bollywood, but also regional cinema from across the country. Rick and Korbin let us in on their journey thus far.

    Excerpts from an interview:

    Q: What drew your interest in Indian films?

    Rick: We had no clue about Indian cinema. When we watched Gully Boy, it reminded us of ‘8 Mile’ and just blew us away. The length of time Bollywood films takes provides space for emotions, which is new for someone like me, who is used to traditional film arcs. We discovered such great cinema in India––we can’t help but keep coming back. OSR is also how I met my wife, Indrani Mukherjee Segall! 

    Rick Segall and Korbin Miles.

    Q: Tell us the reason behind your title ‘Our Stupid Reactions’

    Korbin: Some of our takes on films may be totally off, hence, our tongue-in-cheek title is a defense mechanism against our haters to say, “Hey, we are just dumb White guys, we don’t take ourselves so seriously.”

    Q: Tell us about a film you recently enjoyed.

    Korbin: We really loved ‘RRR’. Now that we are used to seeing characters having superhero-like abilities like picking up a motorcycle by hand, we could appreciate the film without asking questions on logic.

    Rick: ‘RRR’ provided us with a festival-like experience — it confirmed that some movies are made for practical reasons… to be watched on the big screen. 

    Q: What do you think the viewers learn from you?

    Rick: Viewers tell us they learn a lot about films in general from us, particularly our perspectives on technical brilliance. They also say they get to hear about films from other regions through OSR, making them look beyond the films produced in their respective regions.

    Q: What are your opinions on the films produced by the non-Bollywood film industries?

    Rick: Malayalam films are in line with our interests––they have unpredictability and groundedness which is remarkable, like what we saw in ‘Android Kunjappan Version 5.25’. The acting is superb. We love what Fahadh Faasil does. We also closely follow the work of artists like Vijay Sethupathy, Soubin Shahir, and Lijo Jose Pellissery (whom we interviewed). We particularly like Bangla films— they have so much heart. 

    Q: How do you access culturally-rooted films?

    Rick: Mohanlal’s ‘Vanaprastham’, where he plays a Kathakali artiste, had nuances we did not understand. But language and culture aren’t barriers. We absolutely loved the recent Tamil film ‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’ on the life of a farmer––it was a rural set up but the story is human. The films are regional, but also universal.

    Korbin: We were called ‘Bollywood bootleggers’ once, but we are conscious of the diversity today. 

    Q: In your opinion, why do viewers connect with you guys?

    Rick: We are honest about what we like. Also, we can understand and talk about artistry because we are actors ourselves. We truly love India and its art/artistry, and it is sadly so rare for Americans to see India the way Indians do.

  • Wanted to have new experiences, says Ranveer Singh on ‘Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Bollywood star Ranveer Singh on Friday said he was yearning for an opportunity to try his hand at something new in his professional career, a wish that came true with his Netflix special “Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls”.

    In the special, the actor will venture into the depths of the wild to find a rare flower for his lady love in the forests of Serbia with viewers picking the course of his escapades. At the trailer launch event here, the 36-year-old actor said after acting in films for 12 years, he felt it was time for him to attempt newer experiences professionally, besides cinema.

    “I felt my life has become (just the) same, it is a bit of a flat line. I have worked for 12 years and I have survived. Here I did my camera test, gave an audition (in this studio), kept doing movies, and attained success. You need to have new experiences.”

    “I was discussing with my baby (Deepika) that my experiences are flat and as an actor, you need to have different experiences so that you can improve. I was feeling I am getting into my comfort zone and soon enough I got this offer. This is a fresh offering in the adventure reality genre,” Singh told reporters here.

    The actor revealed that he recently attended a summit with his wife Deepika Padukone, where he met a few people, who told him that the entertainment industry will have to up its game to engage with the audience.

    “I was told the entertainment industry people will have to up their game as in the next level you will have to engage the audience in an interactive way. If they are not participating, not interacting they are not getting it,” he added.

    In “Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls”, Singh ventures out in the jungle, does his own stunts for the first time ever, while picking up new survival skills. The “83” star said that during his journey on “Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls”, he felt fearful many times but he took the leap of faith to overcome his fears.

    “Sometimes fear can stop you and limit you. It can stop you from taking the next step, from growing and evolving. Don’t let fear have that control or power over you. It will stop you.”

    “One has to keep moving forward. Fear is one thing that when you experience it you must feel it, deal with it, process it and overcome it. You have to take that leap of faith,” Singh added.

    Produced by Banijay Asia & The Natural Studios, “Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls” will premiere on July 8 on Netflix.

  • Karan Johar was on Bishnoi gang’s target list for extortion, ‘claims’ arrested gang member

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Siddhesh Kamble alias Mahakal, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has told investigators that Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar was on the list of persons whom the gang planned to target for extortion, a police official said on Saturday.

    But a senior official also warned that these claims have not been verified yet, and there was a possibility that there was an element of bragging in Kamble’s statements. Kamble was a close aide of Santosh Jadhav, a suspected shooter in the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case, and well aware of the murder conspiracy, a police official said.

    While Kamble is in the custody of Pune rural police for an earlier case registered in the district, teams of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, Punjab Police and Mumbai Crime branch have questioned him in connection with the Moosewala murder and a threat letter received by Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his father Salim Khan earlier this month.

    In his statements before the investigating teams, Kamble disclosed a lot of information about the Moosewala murder conspiracy and named Santosh Jadhav and one Nagnath Suryavanshi as having been involved in the killing, the official told PTI.

    He also provided information about future plans of the Bishnoi gang, which is suspected to be behind Moosewala’s killing, the official said.

    ALSO READ | Moosewala murder: Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s associate arrested from Bihar

    The gang had allegedly planned to extort Rs 5 crore from Johar by threatening him, he said. As per Kamble’s statement, Vikram Brar, brother of Canada-based gangster Goldie Brar, had discussed these plans with him on Instagram and Signal apps.

    A woman involved in drug trafficking and a doctor who had allegedly desecrated a holy book of the Sikh community were also on the target list, the official said. Investigating agencies are still verifying Kamble’s claims, he added.

    Jadhav and his aide Navnath Suryavanshi were arrested by Pune rural police from Bhuj in Gujarat earlier this week. After Moosewala’s murder in May, the Bishnoi gang was trying to take advantage of the sensation it had caused, and had decided to threaten Bollywood celebrities, the official claimed. Threatening Salman Khan for extortion was part of this plan, hatched by Vikram Brar, he said.

    Police had earlier claimed, citing information given by Kamble, that Vikram Brar had sent three members of the Bishnoi gang to Mumbai to deliver the threat letter to Salman Khan. But a senior official of Pune rural police cautioned that they were still verifying Kamble’s claim about Karan Johar being a target for extortion.

    “With some accused, there is an element of bragging in their confessions. The motive behind bragging is to gain publicity and get bigger extortion amounts. This phenomenon is common in Punjab and other neighbouring states. They (gangsters) want their names to get associated with high-profile cases,” said the officer.

    Five gangsters have taken responsibility for the Moosewala murder, but none of them was present on the spot when the crime took place on May 29 in Punjab’s Mansa district, he said. “Mahakal is a small fish. Vikram Brar told him about Karan Johar. Why Brar told this to Mahakal, who is just a foot soldier? Because Brar wants to increase his clout and impress youths like Mahakal,” he added.

  • Will not publish derogatory news item about Bollywood Industry: Media house to Delhi HC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has closed the case initiated by certain leading Bollywood producers against a media house in view of a settlement reached between the parties concerning the airing of alleged defamatory words and expression.

    The media house gave an undertaking that it shall not publish or air any news item which is derogatory about the Bollywood industry as a collective and would adhere to and abide by the applicable content regulations.

    Four Bollywood industry associations and 34 leading producers had filed the lawsuit in 2020 to restrain several news channels and media houses from making or publishing allegedly irresponsible, derogatory, and defamatory remarks against the film industry and conducting media trials against its members on various issues.

    Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva accepted the undertaking given by one defendant media house and said that the “suit is decreed in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants 16 to 19 (media house and related parties) in terms of the compromise and undertaking recorded”.

    “Defendants 16 to 19 undertake that they shall not publish or air any news item which is derogatory about Bollywood Industry as a collective, leading to defamation of the plaintiffs and members and office bearers of the plaintiff No.1 to 4 and the Directors and Shareholders, Partners and Proprietors of the Plaintiff Nos.5 to 38.Plaintiff No.16 also undertakes that it would adhere and abide by the regulations relating to content as applicable,” the court recorded in its recent order.

    The lawsuit stated that it was filed in the wake of certain news channels using highly derogatory words and expressions for Bollywood such as dirt’, filth’, scum’, druggies’ and expressions such as it is Bollywood where the dirt needs to be cleaned, all the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood’, This is the dirtiest industry in the country’, and cocaine and LSD drenched Bollywood’.

    The high court issued notice on the lawsuit in November 2020.

  • Twinkle Khanna comes under attack for her remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’ 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Author and former Bollywood actor Twinkle Khanna is being criticised on social media for making a tongue-in-cheek remark about the film “The Kashmir Files” in her Sunday column for a leading daily.

    In her satirical column published on April 3 with the headline ‘Did Will Smith learn a one-tight-slap lesson from India?’ on the shocking turn of events at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Khanna also wrote about how she was planning to register ‘Nail Files’, a title inspired by Vivek Agnihotri’s recently released film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.

    Under her nom de plume ‘Mrs Funnybones’, Khanna wrote that the potential film ‘Nail Files’ may revolve around a “disastrous manicure”, which she said would be “better than putting the final nail into the communal coffin”.

    The film has been called out for its problematic politics by some critics and authors but that has not affected its box office collection as the movie, released on March 11, has minted Rs 331 crore, according to the figures given by the producers in a tweet.

    The 47-year-old Khanna, who is the daughter of prolific Hindi cinema stars Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, was called out on social media by users who described her as a “shallow” Bollywood personality “devoid of morals”.

    Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, a Kashmiri Pandit, appealed to the columnist to not be insensitive towards the plight of the community. 

    Commenting on her column, Pandit tweeted Monday evening, “@mrsfunnybones ma’am, you are too late. This film (#KashmirFiles) on the genocide of #KashmiriPandits has already hit the nail on the communal coffin of #IslamicTerrorism. Request you not be so insensitive towards the genocide of 7 lac #KashmiriPandits.

    .@mrsfunnybones ma’am, you are too late. This film (#KashmirFiles) on the genocide of #KashmiriPandits has already hit the nail on the communal coffin of #IslamicTerrorism.Request you not be so insensitive towards the genocide of 7 lac #KashmiriPandits . pic.twitter.com/3CMQqRm63x
    — Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) April 4, 2022
    ” Another user wrote, “She does seem daft and insensitive to say this. All the Bollywood fraternity are shallow and devoid of morals.”

     Khanna’s comments come weeks after her husband and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar congratulated “The Kashmir Files” director on the success of the film, also quipping how it affected the box office business of his film “Bachchhan Paandey”, which was released on March 18.

    Kumar, known for his pro-establishment stand as opposed to his wife’s, had last month at an event said Agnihotri has brought a “harrowing truth to light” through his film.

    Khanna has been away from social media since Sunday after she shared the link to her column and retweeted it on her Twitter page.

  • Jim Sarbh: I always had an interest in voice acting

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Making his debut in Bollywood ‘Neerja’ as an antagonist, Jim Sarbh is one of the actors, says he has always been keen on doing voice acting.

    While his recent work as a voice-over character Wiz for the Netflix series ‘Eternally Confused and Eager for Love’, in conversation with IANS, Jim shares why he took up the project.

    Jim told IANS: “I have always been interested in voice acting because I am a fan of animated films.”

    “I just love watching all of them; be it incredible Genie and Aladdin or overall the work of Robin Williams, I love them all. When Rahul (the director of the show) approached me for the role, we had a couple of reading sessions and eventually realised how we can play around with those lines quite chaotically! I thought it could be so much fun!”

    The show is directed by Rahul Nair and the story revolves around a young man in his early 20s, named Ray. He is quite confused about whether he wants to love or lust in life girls.

    The character of Wiz is nothing but an inner voice that he is constantly having conversations with and Jim played the voice in the show.

    Asked about who was his ‘Wiz’ when he was a teenager, Jim said: “I think myself because we all have an inner voice that we constantly are talking to, right? It is an extension of us, playing out in our heads. In our show, Wiz and Ray are inseparable and Wiz is the manifestation of Ray’s internal process.”

    In recent times, Jim has also received huge appreciation from the audience and critics alike for his portrayal of Homi J. Bhabha in the web series ‘Rocket Boys’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’.

    This was his second outing with Bhansali after the success of ‘Padmaavat’.

    The show ‘Eternally Confused and Eager for Love’, also featuring Vihaan Samath — is streaming on Netflix.

  • Fardeen Khan tests positive for Covid

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan has tested positive for Covid and says he is asymptomatic.Fardeen, who is the son of late veteran star Feroz Khan, took to Twitter on Wednesday to share the news.”Tested positive for C-19. Fortunately I am asymptomatic. Sending my best to all those in recovery.”He added: “The rest, keep getting tested if in doubt as this variant is also targeting children, down to toddlers, and they can be given very limited medication. Happy isolating.”Fardeen is all set to make his comeback on the big screen after 11 years with the film ‘Visfot’, which also stars Riteish Deshmukh. Fardeen was last seen on the silver screen in the 2010 movie ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’.

    Tested positive for C-19. Fortunately I am asymptomatic. Sending my best to all those in recovery. The rest, keep getting tested if in doubt as this variant is also targeting children, down to toddlers, and they can be given very limited medication. Happy isolating.

  • Salman Khan discharged from hospital, Bina Kak says actor is ‘healthy’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is “happy and absolutely healthy” after he was discharged from a hospital on Sunday following a non-venomous snake bite, said actor-politician Bina Kak, a close family friend.

    According to sources, the snake bit Khan’s hand on Saturday night at his farmhouse near Panvel in the adjoining Raigad district.

    The actor was then taken to a hospital at Kamothe in Navi Mumbai and was discharged on Sunday morning.

    Salman was bitten last night and taken to a hospital. He was discharged after six hours. “He is back home and well,” sources close to the actor had said.

    Khan was back to his farmhouse, where he will be ringing in his 56th birthday on Monday.

    Kak, who has worked with Khan in films like “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?” and “God Tussi Great Ho”, shared a health update of the actor on Instagram later in the evening.

    “Birthday tomorrow, all good and cheerful, happy and absolutely healthy today. Happy to be surrounded by family. I call him Khuda ki ‘Naimat’. All our blessings for a happy, healthy, long and meaningful life ahead,” Kak wrote alongside a selfie with Khan.

    Khan was recently seen on the big screen in “Antim: The Final Truth”, which released last month. He is also seen as the host of the Colors TV reality show “Bigg Boss” and has the third installment of his film “Tiger 3”, tentatively scheduled for a release next year.