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Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Sonakshi Sinha and her husband, Zaheer Khan, are currently holidaying in Australia. Among their many adventures, the actress shared a glimpse of their “epic dive day” at the Great Barrier Reef.

Sonakshi took to Instagram, where she shared a motley of pictures and videos featuring her and Zaheer, whom she first met at a party hosted by Bollywood star Salman Khan. In the images, the couple is seen sporting diving gear and posing for the camera ahead of the big jump.

In the second image, the two are seen listening to the instructions from their guide, whom the actress said helped them find “Nemo.” Other images and clips included their adventure under the water. In one video, the couple is seen dancing in the waters.

The last picture had the newly married couple posing for a selfie as they made it back into the yacht post their dive.

For the caption, she wrote: “EPIC Dive day at the Great Barrier Reef! Thank you to our amazing dive guide Chris @quicksilverdive who showed us the best spots, helped us find Nemo and made sure we had the best time!”

Talking about the Great Barrier Reef, it is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers.

It was on December 18, when Sonakshi and Zaheer, who got married in a civil ceremony under the Special Marriage Act on June 23, shared that they were travelling to ‘the next continent’ to celebrate the holiday season.

Zaheer, who made his debut in Hindi cinema with the 2019 movie “Notebook,” had shared a series of boomerang clips along with his wife Sonakshi. The two were seen looking at the camera while Sonakshi winked and Zaheer smiled.

“Off to the next Continent,” he wrote as the caption.

He had also shared another boomerang video, which he tagged as “Bye Mumbai” while making their way to the designated gate on the escalator.

The couple has been jetsetting to picturesque locales of Europe, including Milan and Rome.

They shared a series of their mushy clicks from the trip on Instagram and wrote, “Rome in a jiffy at the @anantarapalazzonaiadi! Cozy dinners with a view, a fun buggy ride through the city, and some mandatory sightseeing! Two days well spent!!”

Before getting married, the couple reportedly dated for almost seven years, starting in 2017, and lived together for a year. They were first seen together onscreen in the 2022 film "Double XL," revolving around two plus-size women, one from the heartland of Uttar Pradesh and one from urban New Delhi, who discover themselves as they navigate life, celebrate female friendship, and embrace body positivity, breaking the myth that beauty corresponds to size.

The comedy film, directed by Satramm Ramani, also stars Huma Qureshi and Mahat Raghavendra.

After getting married, they celebrated their one-month wedding anniversary in the Philippines and shared glimpses from the celebration on social media.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who is set to perform in Mumbai on Thursday, has said that nothing or nobody can stop his shows from being held.

On Wednesday, the singer-actor took to his Instagram and shared a video of himself singing and dancing inside a private jet. The video shows him enjoying a high life with friends having the time of their lives in the aircraft.

He wrote in the caption, “Tomorrow Mumbai. Mahalakshmi Race Course. ‘Shut down shut down’, you just see. DIL-LUMINATI TOUR Year 24”.

Earlier, Diljit addressed the “conspiracy” that has been alleged against him over the spelling of the Indian state of Punjab.

The actor-singer took to his X and spoke about the same. He penned a long note in which he also spoke about how English is a very tricky language, and can particularly cause trouble to those whose first language is not English.

He wrote, “Punjabi. If I mistakenly didn’t put up India’s flag after writing ‘Panjab’ in a tweet then it becomes a conspiracy. In a tweet from Bengaluru, I forgot to mention the Indian flag after writing ‘Panjab’, it became a conspiracy”.

He further mentioned, “If you write ‘Panjab’ instead of ‘Punjab’, it will remain ‘Punjab’. Panj Aab - 5 Rivers. Bravo, those who create conspiracy around the usage in a language of the Englishmen. You know what, I will write ‘Panjab’. How many times do we prove that we LOVE INDIA? Bring something new, or is creating conspiracy is what you get paid for? #Vehley”.

Prior to that, the actor-singer declared that he won't organise live shows in India until the concert infrastructure in the country is sorted so that it makes it worthwhile for the attendees as well.

Several clips of the actor-singer have gone viral on social media in which he could be seen talking about the need to improve the infrastructure for live shows in India.

He said in one of the clips, "Here we don't have infrastructure for live shows. This is a source of big revenue, many people get work and are able to work here. I'll try next time that the stage is at the centre so that you can be around it. Till this happens, I won't do shows in India”.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS) Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli recently opened up about working with Jr NTR, revealing that collaborating with the actor felt like working with "two tigers," highlighting the immense energy and power NTR brought to the set.

Three years after the global success of “RRR”, Rajamouli is inviting fans to revisit the magic with an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette. The new video offers a sneak peek into the creation of the epic film, which had audiences worldwide dancing to the electrifying beats of the song “Naatu Naatu.”

In the one-minute-fifty-second clip, the director sings praises of his lead actors, especially Jr. NTR, who played Komaram Bheem in the film. Rajamouli shared, “I felt like I was shooting with not one, but two tigers,” referencing the actor's powerhouse performance and his popular moniker, Young Tiger.

The video also showcases heartwarming moments of camaraderie, with NTR affectionately calling Rajamouli "Jakkanna," a term of endearment that fans enthusiastically celebrated in the comments. Reflecting on the legacy of RRR, the Ramayya Vasthavayya star shared, “RRR will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

“RRR,” which hit theatres on March 24, 2022, achieved global acclaim at prestigious platforms like the Oscars and Golden Globes. The movie brought historic Oscar glory to India with its chart-topping song "Naatu Naatu."

At the 95th Academy Awards, the track won Best Original Song, making it the first ever from an Indian and Asian film to claim this prestigious honour. This monumental win cemented RRR's legacy as the first and only Indian feature film to achieve an Academy Award.

“RRR” stars Jr. NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris.

A behind-the-scenes documentary, “RRR: Behind & Beyond," will be screened in select theatres on Friday, December 20. The makers have recently unveiled the trailer, providing a glimpse into the immense effort that went into bringing the epic film to life.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS) Actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani has become a source of inspiration for marathon runners and fitness enthusiasts alike.

With his transformation and commitment to health, Jackky continues to motivate others to pursue their fitness goals and embrace a disciplined routine. At the recent Baramati Power Marathon, Bhagnani shared his insights on maintaining a healthy lifestyle with the participants. Offering valuable fitness tips, he encouraged them to adopt a consistent exercise routine and stay committed to their wellness goals.

The ‘Kal Kissne Dekha’ actor stated fitness does not come via shortcuts like crash diets and is a journey that demands persistence and discipline.

Jackky shared, “We are living in an age when a sedentary lifestyle is normative. So many people spend long hours hunched over their desks and mental health issues are also rampant. At such a time, to commit to yourself and your health is very important. You may not be able to run a marathon right at the onset but you can take out some time everyday to exercise, to go for a walk and break the pattern of an inactive lifestyle.”

The actor also posted a video of himself from the event on his Instagram handle and captioned it, “Honoured to be part of the Baramati Power Marathon (@Baramati.powermarathon) alongside Deputy Chief Minister Shri @ajitpawar Dada, Member of Rajya Sabha Shrimati @sunetra.pawar ma’am, and @parthajitpawar. Mesmerised by the beauty of Baramati and the spirit of unity, determination, and leadership that surrounded the event. Truly inspiring to see the passion and energy today.”

On the professional front, Jackky wears many hats, including that of a producer and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of Indian music label Jjust Music. In 2009, he made his acting debut with “Kal Kissne Dekhaa." He also starred in movies like “F.A.L.T.U,” “Ajab Gazabb Love," "Rangrezz," "Youngistaan,” and “Welcome to Karachi.”

In 2016, Jackky Bhagnani turned to producing with “Sarbjit” along with his sister Deepshikha Deshmuk.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS) Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma has responded to the allegations of insulting producer-director Atlee on his streaming sketch comedy show ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’. The latest episode of the show, which featured Atlee, Bollywood star Varun Dhawan and actress Wamiqa Gabbi, caused a furore over Kapil allegedly mocking Atlee for his looks.

Sharing a clip from the episode, one user on X wrote, “Kapil Sharma subtly insults Atlee's looks? Atlee responds like a boss: Don't judge by appearance, judge by the heart”.

Kapil responded to the same saying that he never spoke about the look during the episode. He wrote, “Dear sir, can you pls explain me where n when I talked about looks in this video ? pls don’t spread hate on social media, thank you. (guys watch n decide by yourself, don’t follow any body’s tweet like a sheep)”.

Earlier, Varun, who is gearing up for his upcoming theatrical movie ‘Baby John’ produced by Atlee, pulled Kapil Sharma’s leg as he made a reference to the infamous fight between Kapil and his fellow comedian-actor Sunil Grover. The promo of the series showed Sunil telling Varun, “You look like an original Baby John”. Kapil chimed in as he told Sunil, “You're the duplicate. Everyone else is original here”. Varun caught the beat and the pulse of the moment as he said, “I don't understand one thing. Whenever you're in the airport setting, why do you always fight?”.

Meanwhile, ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ revolves around Kapil Sharma and his team of comedians, including Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek and Rajiv Thakur. The format of the show is largely similar to his earlier shows as it is largely engineered for the mass audience on the streaming medium.

The extravagant set of the play is a visual extravaganza, set against the backdrop of an opulent airport terminal. Archana Puran Singh is the permanent guest of the show.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) The Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who has been hitting it out of the park in his Dil-Luminati tour in India, has addressed the “conspiracy” that has been alleged against him over the spelling of the Indian state of Punjab.

On Monday, the actor-singer, who is currently in Kashmir, took to his X, formerly Twitter, and spoke about the same. He penned a long note in which he also spoke about how English is a very tricky language, and can particularly cause trouble to those whose first language is not English.

He wrote, “Punjabi. If I mistakenly didn’t put up India’s flag after writing ‘Panjab’ in a tweet then it becomes a conspiracy. In a tweet from Bengaluru, I forgot to mention the Indian flag after writing ‘Panjab’, it became a conspiracy”.

He further mentioned, “If you write ‘Panjab’ instead of ‘Punjab’, it will remain ‘Punjab’. Panj Aab - 5 Rivers. Bravo, those who create conspiracy around the usage in a language of the Englishmen. You know what, I will write ‘Panjab’. How many times do we prove that we LOVE INDIA? Bring something new, or is creating conspiracy is what you get paid for? #Vehley”.

Earlier, the actor-singer, who recently performed in Chandigarh, declared that he won't organise live shows in India until the concert infrastructure in the country is sorted so that it makes it worthwhile for the attendees as well.

Several clips of the actor-singer have gone viral on social media in which he could be seen talking about the need to improve the infrastructure for live shows in India.

He said in one of the clips, "Here we don't have infrastructure for live shows. This is a source of big revenue, many people get work and are able to work here. I'll try next time that the stage is at the centre so that you can be around it. Till this happens, I won't do shows in India”.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) Nana Patekar, known for his candid revelations, has recently shared why he had no interest in watching the movie 'Animal'.

In a recent conversation with Anil Kapoor for his upcoming movie 'Vanvaas', Nana shared his views on the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer.

The actor revealed that after watching the film, he called Anil and jokingly told him, "Teri film Anil-mal dekhi."

While initially reluctant to watch the movie, Nana admitted that once he did, he felt Kapoor's performance stood out as the most restrained in the action-packed drama. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, 'Animal' starred Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, and Triptii Dimri.

The film centers on Ranvijay (Ranbir), the ruthless son of a powerful industrialist (Anil Kapoor), whose strained relationship with his father spirals further into chaos after an assassination attempt on his father sets him on a path of vengeance and destruction.

'Animal' is one of the longest Indian films ever made in Bollywood, and it did extremely well commercially, both domestically and internationally.

In the same interview, Nana also recalled when Kapoor had him replaced by Jackie Shroff in the film 'Parinda'. Nana revealed that he was originally cast to play Anil Kapoor's character's brother in the film, but the role eventually went to Jackie Shroff. The 'Welcome' actor confessed that he felt some resentment towards Anil, believing he had encouraged the change.

However, Anil defended himself, explaining that the final decision rested with the director.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Nana will next be seen in the upcoming film 'Vanvaas', which also stars Utkarsh Sharma. The family drama, which explores the bond between a father and son, is directed and produced by 'Gadar' fame Anil Sharma.

The actor shared the poster of the film on his X account and captioned, "#Vanvaas ki puri journey mere liye bahot hi yaadgaar rahi. Yeh aaj tak ki meri best filmon mein se ek hai."

In the poster, the veteran actor is depicted sitting in a suit on a ghat.

'Vanvaas' will be released in theatres on December 20.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) An old video of actress Raveena Tandon playfully bantering with the paparazzi and quipping, "Bhut saste mai chor diya meko," has recently resurfaced online.

In a throwback interview, the ‘Mohra’ actress, while addressing the media, shared her thoughts on what drives her as an actor.

In a clip currently making rounds on social media, Raveena can be heard saying to the media persons, “Bhaiya, please hold this for him. Thank you, Sir. No, let everyone roll first. Everyone is standing still; no one is rolling. Sir, are you ready? Okay, everyone is rolling.”

When asked about her roles, she revealed, “You’ve asked me 50 times about my role in different films, and every time I say the same thing—I can’t reveal the role. But one thing I can share is that nowadays, I’ve started taking on roles that challenge me as an actor. I look for roles that genuinely excites me.”

Despite her professional insight, she maintained her trademark humour, joking, “By the way, you could have asked me to say Happy Diwali, Happy New Year, or Merry Christmas… Nahi, are saste mein chhod diya tumne mujhe!”

On the work front, the National Award-winning actress rose to prominence as the leading lady in blockbuster action films such as “Dilwale”, “Mohra,” “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi”, and “Ziddi.”

She teamed up with Govinda for several hit comedies, including, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” “Dulhe Raja,” and “Anari No.1.”

Venturing beyond her comedic roles, Tandon delivered impactful performances in the crime dramas “Ghulam-E-Mustafa” and “Shool.”

After a hiatus, Raveena made a comeback in 2017 with the thriller “Maatr,” earning acclaim for her performance. She further impressed audiences with her lead role in the Netflix crime thriller series “Aranyak.” In 2022, she appeared in her highest-grossing film to date, Yash starrer “K.G.F: Chapter 2.”

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) The arrest of the Telugu superstar Allu Arjun in connection with the demise of one his fans created a lot of furore.

The actor may have been released from the jail, and is busy with the post-release promotions of his recently released movie ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ but people on the Internet feel that his arrest was a PR move.

As per media reports, ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ saw a a 70% jump worldwide after Allu Arjun’s arrest.

One user on social media claimed that the arrest was a performative move, as they wrote, “Isiliye to ye sab natak huva tha andaja 100% sale badhane ka tha”. Another wrote, “Kahi yeh arrest wala scene scripted toh nahi na”. A third user wrote, “Arrest is all about strategy for hype and collections”.

Another wrote, “When he was smiling while getting arrested, I knew it was a PR stunt”. One user referred to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, as they wrote, “Bhau to jel jake Sanjay Dutt bn gaya”.

Meanwhile, ‘Pushpa: The Rule’, which was released on December 5, is racing on the box-office with the downforce of fan adulation and the legacy built by the film’s predecessor ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ which was released in December 2021. ‘Pushpa: The Rule’ picks up from where ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ ended. It sees the Telugu superstar Allu Arjun reprising his titular role.

While ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ has unleashed a box-office storm, the film continues to be in news for wrong reasons as well. On December 4 during the premiere of his film, the actor visited Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad to watch the film with fans.

The crowd surge there resulted in a stampede, with a fan named Revathi and her young son asphyxiated in the crowd. She lost her life, and her son has been hospitalised in critical condition. The cops also arrested the owner and two employees of Sandhya Theatre based on a complaint filed by her family.

--IANS

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Los Angeles, Dec 16 (IANS) Hollywood star Nicole Kidman shared that she almost left Hollywood for good in 2008. After moving to Nashville and giving birth to her first daughter with country superstar Keith Urban, the Academy Award-winning actress thought she was “pretty much done” with acting.

She shared that she wanted to turn her full attention to her new family, reports ‘Variety’.

However, her mother stepped in and urged her to keep going. The actress told CBS News.“When I gave birth to (Sunday Kidman-Urban), I was like, ‘Well, I think I’m pretty much done now'”.

She further mentioned, “We were living on a farm, and that’s when my mother said, ‘I wouldn’t give up completely. Keep a finger sort of in it’. And I’m like, ‘No, no. I’m done now. I’m done’. She’s going, ‘Just listen to me. Keep moving forward. Not saying that you have to do it to the level you’ve been doing it, but I wouldn’t give it up completely’”.

As per ‘Variety’, the actress took the advice to heart, and three years later, she scored her third Oscar nomination for her leading performance in ‘Rabbit Hole’. In the years to come, Kidman would star in ‘Just Go With It’, ‘Hemmingway & Gellhorn’, ‘Stoker’ and ‘The Railway Man’.

“That came from a woman who was from a generation that didn’t have the opportunities that I had, that she had helped create for her daughters”, she added. “So that’s probably something that she wished she’d had when she was little”.

The actress will soon star alongside Harris Dickinson in A24’s erotic thriller ‘Babygirl’. The film follows Romy (played by Nicole Kidman), a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family at risk when she becomes romantically involved with a much younger intern at her company.

--IANS

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