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Bangalore, Aug 12 (IANS) Calling Geethu Mohandas, the director of 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown Ups', as 'amazing', actress Nayanthara, who plays a pivotal role in the eagerly awaited action thriller, has now showered praise on the actress-turned-director for being deeply sensitive to the needs of actors.

Participating in the trailer launch event of the film which was held recently, Nayanthara, while talking about director Geethu Mohandas, said, "I think everyone's spoken about how good you (Geethu Mohandas) are as a director, but the woman that you are, the way you took care of each and every actor, the way you gave love when everyone needed you."

Going on to explain further, Nayanthara said, "I'm sure all these actors here have had their good moments, bad moments, tough moments. You were there holding their hands, walking with them, and doing the best you could (for them)."

Nayanthara then went on to disclose an instance when the director, who herself was not in control of her emotions after a particular shot, actually walked in to the caravan of an actor to comfort the person.

Recollecting what Geethu Mohandas had told her after coming out, Nayanthara said, "Everyone was a little, you know, scared because we were shooting and it was a tough situation. But Geethu Mohandas came back and I was like, 'What happened? Did you lose your mind? And did you lose control? Did you say something that you're not supposed to say?' And she said, 'No, I just gave love.' That's all she said. And I was amazed at this woman and the kind of deep sensitivity that she has towards each and every actor that she's worked with. She just owns them. That's why Huma said, 'I love you.' Because that's the kind of love that she gives to all of us. You are amazing, Geethu!"

For the unaware, 'Toxic' features Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth, and Huma Qureshi in a powerhouse ensemble cast.

Written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas, and directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film has been shot in Kannada and English and has been dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and other languages. Produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, 'Toxic' is scheduled to hit theatres on August 26 this year.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) 'Bidaai’ fame actor Angad Hasija talked about the long working hours in the television industry and whether he believes there should be a better system in place during an exclusive interaction with IANS.

Angad shared that this is how the television industry operates, as they have to telecast the show at a fixed time.

He also pointed out that things have improved a lot, as previously, things were even more hectic. He shared that while they shoot for 12 hours now, earlier they used to work for around 18-20 hours.

He was asked, "Television actors often speak about long working hours and double shifts. Do you think there should be a better system in place?*

Reacting to this, Angad told IANS, "I think television is like this. You have to work day and night, especially when there is a telecast problem. But if I compare it with the past, things are amazing now. Today, there are timings. We shoot for around twelve hours. When we started 'Bidaai', there were no fixed timings. We would shoot for twelve, eighteen, or even twenty hours."

"Now it is much more comfortable. Generally, it is around twelve hours, and if there is a telecast requirement, there may be an additional one or two hours. I think timings have improved a lot. My thinking is that if you are doing television and have signed a show, you should understand that it is a daily soap. That is how it works," Angad continued.

He concluded that when one goes to the set with this mindset, they will never feel sad about working such long hours.

"Whenever I sign a show, I understand what I am getting into", he concluded.

Angad rose to fame for his portrayal as Alekh Rajvansh in the popular show 'Sapna Babul Ka… Bidaai'.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) Sonu Nigam talked about how he manages the intricacies of language as a singer.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Sonu Nigam said that when singing a song in an unfamiliar language, one has to make an effort to sound as familiar with the language as possible.

He added that one also has to depend on the person who is guiding them through the song, because if he is not good with the language, they will end up singing incorrectly, no matter how hard they work.

The singer was asked, "You have sung songs in so many languages. It is believed that the intricacies of the language are very complicated. How easy or difficult is it for you as a singer to understand them and then act accordingly?"

Sonu Nigam told IANS that when he began singing for South, he used to keep S. P. Balasubrahmanyam in mind to sound more authentic.

He shared, "There are a few layers to this answer. First of all, it depends on the singer's capability to imbibe a style. When I first sang songs in the South Indian languages, I kept S. P. Balasubrahmanyam in my mind."

"We also have to rely on the person teaching us. If that person is not well-versed in the language, which is very much possible, then we will obviously sing in incorrect language. So, some efforts we have to put from our side and some we have to rely on the person teaching us", he further went on to explain.

Meanwhile, Sonu Nigam recently reconnected with his roots with his latest Haryanvi track 'Chunni'. Along with him, the song has also been crooned by Renuka Panwar.

Scored and penned by Aamin Barodi, the music video of this latest Haryanvi number features Charmee Zaveri.

--IANS

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Mumbai, August 12 (IANS) Actress Yogita Bihani received a rather delicious birthday surprise from her fiance Aaryamann Sethi and his family as they transformed their home into a mini food street featuring chaat, momos and Chinese delicacies.

Yogita shared a video from her birthday celebrations on social media, giving fans a glimpse of the elaborate surprise planned for her.

The video opens with Aaryamann blindfolding Yogita and leading her out of her room. As the blindfold is removed, Yogita is left stunned to see her family waiting for her with an elaborate food setup.

The first surprise is a dedicated chaat counter featuring some of her favourite street-food staples, including aloo tikki, pani puri, sev puri and dahi bhalla. Yogita can be seen visibly surprised and thrilled by the thoughtful gesture.

Archana Puran Singh and Aaryamann then takes her to another area of the house, where a counter filled with different varieties of momos awaits her.

The surprises do not end there. At another door, Yogita discovers an in-house Chinese food stall featuring some of her favourite delicacies.

The celebrations also feature Yogita enjoying pani puri with her to-be mother-in-law Archana Puran Singh, while Parmeet Sethi, Aaryamann Sethi, Ayushmaan Sethi with partner Samiksha Shetty and the rest of the family join in the festivities.

Yogita later is seen cutting her birthday cake, with Archana's mother also seen showering her with love and blessings.

Yogita, who is engaged to Aaryamann Sethi, shared the video with a heartfelt caption about how well he knows her little preferences and joys.

She wrote, “He knows all my chhoti baatein... my little likes, my little quirks, my little joy & made them all a part of my birthday. Maybe Chhoti Baatein really was our song for a reason.*

For reference to Chhoti Baatein, it is particularly personal for the couple. Aaryamann and Yogita have previously appeared together in the music video for the song, which has also become associated with their relationship.

Earlier while talking to IANS, in an exclusive conversation, Archana Puran Singh had spoken in depth about her future daughters-in-law being more of daughters to her.

"It's not difficult. You just have to be human. You love your children. Your children have chosen someone to be their life partner. You automatically will love them."

The actress reflected on her own experiences as a daughter-in-law, saying she consciously chose not to repeat any negative experiences she may have faced.

"There's a saying that if something happened to you, you'll do the same. But there's also the opposite, that you'll never do what happened to you. I belong to the latter. If anything bad happened to me as a daughter-in-law, I would never want to repeat it," she shared.

Archana added that ever since her sons found their partners, she has looked at them as part of the family.

"I had two sons before. Now I have two daughters too. If you look at it from that perspective, there will be no difference," she said.

The actress also dismissed the notion that her approach deserves any special appreciation.

"I don't want any address or to be called great. Whatever you see on screen or off screen, this is genuinely who I am. That's the way I behave with my future daughters-in-law. There is no greatness in this. If you are a nice person, if you are a genuine human being with a conscience, you will behave like this. So I don't think I deserve any special mention for this," she stated.

Archana further said that society often unfairly stereotypes mothers-in-law because of television dramas.

"People say Archana's behaviour is very good, but I think millions of mothers-in-law are brilliant with their daughters-in-law. The ones who come into the limelight are those shown in television soaps, the bad mother-in-law. That's a stereotypical image. Nowadays, there are very few stereotypical mothers-in-law, and I hope by the time I become one, that stereotype will be over," she added.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) Actress Meenakshi Seshadri took a nostalgic trip down memory lane as she recreated her popular romantic song ‘Ae Dil’ from her 1993 film ‘Aadmi Khilona Hai’ directed by J. Om Prakash.

The actress shared a video dancing on the number and recalled how the Nadeem-Shravan composition was filmed against the picturesque valleys of Mahabaleshwar.

“‘Ae Dil’ ek bahut hi khoosurat romantic gaana hai. Merifilm aadmi khilona hai se liya gaya hai. Mahabaleshwar ke haseen vaadiyo main isse picture kiya gaya. Nadeem Shravan ka yeh geet behad pasand kiya gaya. I had a lot of fun recreating it!”

“(Ae Dil is a beautiful romantic song from my film Aadmi Khilona Hai. It was shot amidst the stunning valleys of Mahabaleshwar. This song by Nadeem-Shravan was hugely loved by the audience. I had a lot of fun recreating it!). ”

Aadmi Khilona Hai stars Jeetendra, Govinda, Reena Roy, Meenakshi Sheshadri.

The film follows the characters Vijay and Ganga, who live happily with Vijay's brother Sharad. When it is revealed that Sharad's wife Poonam cannot conceive, Ganga makes the ultimate sacrifice and gives Poonam her own child.

Talking about Meenakshi, she became one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses in the 1980s and 1990s. She made her debut with the film Painter Babu in 1983 and her second film Hero catapulted her to instant stardom.

Meenakshi gained stardom with her work in films such as “Aandhi-Toofan”, “Meri Jung,” “Swati,” “Dacait,” “Inaam Dus Hazaar,” “Shahenshah,” “Awaargi,” “Ghar Ho To Aisa,” “Damini” and “Ghatak”. A documentary was made about her life, titled Meenakshi Accept Her Wings.

She was last seen in “Ghatak: Lethal" in 1996 Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, starring Sunny Deol, Meenakshi Seshadri, Amrish Puri, and Danny Denzongpa.

It was the highest-grossing Bollywood film in terms of domestic Box office collection and the second-highest-grossing overall in terms of worldwide collection that year.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) Actress Isha Koppikar has shared her thoughts on age, confidence, and personal growth.

She emphasized that being stylish and confident has little to do with a number. Taking to Instagram, Isha reflected on her journey and spoke about feeling more confident and selective with time. The 'Kyaa Kool Hai Hum' actress explained that for her, true elegance comes from evolving as a person, making better choices and embracing every stage of life. Sharing a series of her stylish photos, Isha wrote, “A little more confident, a little more selective, a lot more unapologetically me. Because being chic isn’t about age. It’s about evolving, choosing better, loving deeper, and making every chapter count. Same girl. Better standards. Bigger dreams. Fewer people. More memories.”

Isha Koppikar’s post featured a series of pictures accompanied by witty and confident messages reflecting her outlook on life, fitness, motherhood and growing older. The first image carried the text, “Kinda chic to be the crush then...and still the crush now.”

Another picture from the gym highlighted her commitment to fitness, with the message, “Kinda chic to make fitness a lifestyle, not a phase. 20 years later, still putting in the work.”

A separate image celebrated motherhood with the words, “Kinda chic to be mum. Still that girl.” She also shared a message about love and relationships, writing, “Kinda chic to still believe in butterflies. Just with better standards now.”

Another picture read, “Kinda chic to collect memories, not just pictures. Although... the pictures are still pretty good.” Wrapping up the series, Isha wrote, “20 years later. Still your crush. Still kinda chic.”

On the work front, Isha Koppikar has been part of several popular films, including “Fiza,” “Company,” “Pinjar,” “Don,” “Salaam-e-Ishq,” “Kyaa Kool Hai Hum” and “Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi.”

--IANS

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Mumbai, August 12 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has returned as the host of the iconic quiz reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati with its 18th season, recently heaped praise on superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s performance in the 2004 film, 'Swades'.

During the game show with contestant Bablu Kumar Pandit, a question related to Shah Rukh Khan was asked.

It was here when Amitabh Bachchan paused for a few seconds to laud SRK for his iconic character potrayal in Swades.

“Swades, unki joh picture thi mera aisa manna hai ki joh abhinay unhone Swades mein kia na, woh ekdm uttam tha, aur kai baar milte hai jab main unse yahi bolta hun,” Amitabh said.

(The character portrayal by Shahrukh Khan in his movie Swades was phenomenal. I have told him this many a times whenever we have met)

He further explained the three roles associated with the question, saying, “Swades mein Shah Rukh Khan ne ek NASA vaigyanik ki bhumika nibhayi thi, aur Chak De! India mai hockey coach thein, aur Veer-Zaara mein IAF pilot.”

For the uninitiated, Shah Rukh played NASA scientist Mohan Bhargava in Swades, Kabir Khan, the coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, in Chak De! India, and Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh in Veer-Zaara.

Released in 2004, Swades was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and featured Shah Rukh alongside debutant Gayatri Joshi.

The film, which centred on an NRI NASA scientist returning to India and reconnecting with his roots, received great applause from audiences and critics alike.

Talking about Amitabh Bachchan, the actor even at the age of 83, has been working round the clock.

The actor recently had revealed how he had been caught with professional commitments for 24 hours straight and was also shooting for Kaun Banega Crorepati.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) Rapper 50 Cent shared that long before he became known by his iconic stage name, he had a rather unexpected nickname.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the “In Da Club” rapper shared that his first nickname was “Boo Boo.

Fallon asked the rapper: “Do I call you 50 Cent or do I call you Curtis?”

To which, 50 Cent replied: “50's fine, you know. 50's fine, yeah.”

Fallon asked if there was any other names in the running when he “started out”.

50 cent replied: “It wouldn't work well. My first nickname was Boo Boo.”

Fallon quickly agreed was probably better left in the past.

“No, you don't want to be Boo Boo,” said Fallon.

The rapper said: “No, no.”

Talking about the rapper, during a shooting in May 2000, 50 Cent was struck by nine bullets, causing its release to be canceled and Jackson to be dropped from the label. His 2002 mixtape Guess Who's Back? was discovered by Detroit rapper Eminem, who signed Jackson to his label Shady Records that year.

He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and earned several accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, 13 Billboard Music Awards, 6 World Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards, and 4 BET Awards.

He starred in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin', which was critically panned. He also appeared in the war film Home of the Brave and the crime thriller Righteous Kill.

Jackson's debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', was released to critical acclaim and commercial success. Peaking atop the Billboard 200, it spawned the Billboard Hot 100-number one singles "In da Club" and "21 Questions", and received multiple platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Also in 2003, he launched the record label G-Unit Records, namesake of a hip-hop group he formed two

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (IANS) The makers of director Chandra Mohan Chintada's upcoming film,'Ramba Oorvasi Menaka', featuring actor Allari Naresh in the lead, have now released a teaser of the film, much to the delight of fans and film buffs.

The entertaining teaser begins with a father introducing a mystery family magic book to his son. He tells him that if he puts the right spell on the book, he can bring the celestial nymphs -- Rambha, Urvashi, and Menaka -- from the heavens to the earth. After trying for 25 years, the three finally come to earth. However, the long-awaited dream of true happiness does not last long. The hero realizes that handling the three nymphs is not as easy as he thought it would be.

The teaser shows Allari Naresh will be back to doing what he does best in this film - making people laugh. Surabhi plays the heroine, while Vennela Kishore is seen as the lord of the heavens, Indra. Naresh VK plays the role of Allari Naresh's father, while Raashi Singh, Vishnupriya, Prisha Singh appear in the roles of Rambha, Urvashi, and Menaka. Srinivas Reddy, Raccha Ravi, Muralidhar Goud and others are also seen playing key roles in the film.

The teaser shows that director Chandra Mohan Chintada's film will be a full-fledged entertainer, having equal parts fantasy and comedy.

The makers had announced the title of the film on the occasion of actor Allari Naresh's birthday earlier this year.

Known for constantly reinventing himself with unconventional and content-driven films, actor Allari Naresh, who is known for his sense of humour, is now making a return to the genre that established him as one of Telugu cinema's finest entertainers.

'Ramba Oorvasi Menaka', which will be Naresh's 65th film, is being jointly bankrolled by Razesh Danda and Nimmakayala Prasad under the prestigious Annapurna Studios and Hasya Movies banners.

The film has an experienced technical crew backing it. Cinematography for the film is by Raam Reddy while Chaitan Bharadwaj has scored its music. Brahma Kadali is the production designer, and Chota K Prasad is overseeing its editing.

The makers have announced that the film will hit screens the world over on September 4 this year.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 12 (IANS) Actress Alpana Buch, best known for her role in the popular television show ‘Anupamaa,’ has spoken about the double standards women continue to face in society.

In an exclusive quote shared with IANS, Alpana highlighted how women are often judged for their clothing, lifestyle choices and personal decisions, while stressing the need for a change in the way society views female independence. The ‘SarawatiChandra’ actress pointed out that a woman can be judged for wearing a short dress, staying out late, choosing not to marry at a certain age or simply expressing herself with confidence. According to her, these choices often become reasons for others to question a woman’s character and independence.

Alpana stated, “A woman is judged for wearing a short dress, staying out late, choosing not to marry at a certain age or simply speaking with confidence. Many times, the clothes are not really the issue. They become an excuse to question a woman’s independence. I think society changes when people stop participating in that judgement. Families, friends and colleagues have to understand that a woman’s choices belong to her.”

“Television can also play a role by showing independent women as normal rather than making them look rebellious just because they want to live life on their own terms.”

Alpana also expressed that with women from different generations being portrayed through characters like Anupama, Leela, Prerna, and the younger women, each generation has something to learn from the others.

“Every generation has its own understanding of independence. Older women have a strength that comes from experience and from knowing how to survive difficult situations. Younger women are more willing to question things and refuse to accept certain limitations. I don't think one generation is right and the other is wrong. Strength can look different at different ages. If women listen to each other instead of comparing their choices, there is a lot they can learn from one another.”

Alpana Buch plays the role of Leela Baa in Deepa Shahi and Rajan Shahi’s ‘Anupama.’ The show also stars Rupali Ganguly and Adrija Roy, Shivam Khajuria.

--IANS

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