ShowBiz

The show's narrative is rich in emotions and highlights intricate relationships and hidden secrets.

The show is anchored by a young protagonist, 'Arya' (essayed by Mahi Bhadra), who is on a quest to reunite with her father.

Arya believes that her father is a super cop and is away on a mission, which is why she has never met him, but she is unaware of her true lineage.

Manav describes 'Dabangii..Mulgii aayi re aayi' as a unique story of two contrasting ideologies, that of his amoral brother, Satya (Aamir Dalvi) and his steadfastly moral approach to life that collides with Arya taking centre stage.

Inspector Ankush Rajyavadhkar is unknowingly the physical manifestation of Arya's imagination, and it will be interesting for viewers to witness how their lives are intertwined.

Talking about his character, Manav said: "Ankush is intense, straightforward, and unwavering in his dedication to fight corruption. He despises liars and cheaters."

"Though I have portrayed a police officer on screen before, this is the first time I'm playing a police officer in uniform, and it's a significant departure from my previous role in CID, where I played a different kind of cop," he shared.

Gohil elaborated on his character development process, saying, "I immersed myself in the character by studying the script, including narrations, while trying to understand the emotions of the various characters and their motives in the overall story.”

"This is one of those rare scripts that has such well-defined character arcs weaved into the plot. I realised that this role is not just about projecting bravado and a muscular appearance; it's about capturing the depth of emotions that Ankush experiences, especially when he must go against his own blood brother," he said.

The 'Remix' actor added: "I've added subtle nuances to the character, which, when combined with the police officer in uniform, truly transforms the game. I'm excited about the journey ahead with Ankush."

'Dabangii...Mulgii aayi re aayi' promises to be a rollercoaster of emotions, where Manav's portrayal of Ankush will undoubtedly leave audiences at the edge of their seats.

It will premiere from October 30 on Sony.

--IANS

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In a stock exchange filing, Saregama mentioned that is paying about $20 million for a 51.82 per cent stake in Pocket Aces and plans to invest an additional $1.8 million in the startup.

The news was first reported by TechCrunch.

The music label also said that it intends to acquire up to 92.61 per cent of Pocket Aces in the future and will set the price based on the completion of certain metrics.

Pocket Aces primarily create short-form video content aimed at young Indians, with over 30 new items added every day.

The popularity of its shows has skyrocketed in recent years due to its typical comedic content and its ability to address real-world issues.

The startup manages over 100 digital talents and has licensed IPs like "Little Things" to Netflix. They have also shared content with platforms such as Jio, MX Player, Vistara, and Qatar Airways.

According to its website, Pocket Aces reaches 50 million viewers weekly and accumulates 700 million views monthly.

In February, Pocket Aces laid off 50 employees or about 20 per cent of its workforce as part of a corporate restructuring drive.

--IANS

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In a conversation with co-contestants of 'Bigg Boss OTT 2', Pooja talked about her journey in Bollywood and how she still feels alright in trying new things and revealed why she came on the show.

She said that her life revolves around the thinking 'If you are the smartest in a room, you are in the wrong room.' She goes on to explain that she doesn't feel anything bad about things she has done in life.

Pooja said: "I only have regrets of things not done, not for things done! I feel it is important to at least try, either you lose something or you gain everything."

About the show, she said: "We can't hide what and who we are. Audience understands everything. One among us will only win, it is important to try and give our best."

In the upcoming episode, Pooja will also be getting a privilege for the nomination task as currently she is the captain of the house. Pooja has the right to decide who gets to nominate.

Pooja is the daughter of Indian filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt and the half-sister of Alia Bhatt and cousin of Emraan Hashmi.

She played her first leading role in Mahesh Bhatt's television film 'Daddy' in 1989. Her breakthrough came with the romance comedy 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin'. She was last seen on the big screen in 'Sadak 2'.

'Sadak 2' is an action thriller road film. A sequel to the 1991 film 'Sadak', it stars Sanjay Dutt (reprising his role from the original), Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead roles with an ensemble supporting cast, while Pooja Bhatt makes a special appearance.

The film marks Mahesh Bhatt's return as a director after 20 years. The film's story takes place twenty-nine years after the events of its predecessor.

--IANS

dc/prw

The women-first dating app launched a global integrated campaign titled Kindness is Sexy featuring new content with actor Aditya Roy Kapur. This partnership comes at a time when singles in India are more focused on kindness as a key element of their dating decisions. According to its latest survey, an overwhelming majority (81 per cent) of respondents in India agree that kindness is sexy now more than ever before and 56 per cent of respondents value kindness over physical attributes in a potential partner.

“When we approach dating with kindness, we help create an environment of respect and compassion, and for connections to grow,” said Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble. “Kindness is a core value here at Bumble, and we know it is the driving force behind our mission of creating healthy and equitable relationships. This new content helps redefine the idea of attraction and encourages us to never lose sight of the most valuable traits in a relationship.”

The campaign's new film embodies this sentiment as it features popular actor, Aditya Roy Kapur exploring modern online dating as he redefines stereotypical tropes of sexy through the lens of different facets of ‘kindness’ in a relationship-respect, vulnerability to empathy. The film leverages a playful, humourous twist in the end which ultimately shows how kindness is sexy and goes a long way in making meaningful connections.

Speaking on this partnership, actor Aditya Roy Kapur shares, “At the end of the day, the heart of everything lies at being good to people around you, including your romantic relationships. I think it's great what Bumble is doing by telling everyone, who is on their platform and whoever wants to join, that what matters is being good to each other, being accountable and responsible on the platform. By showing kindness is sexy, I think they have set the tone very clearly about the kind of interactions and the kind of people they want on the platform - I think more power to Bumble for doing that!”

IANSlife caught up with Aditya Roy Kapur to get his opinion and thoughts regarding the campaign and dating:

According to you, what are the simple acts of kindness that can make a positive impact in the dating culture these days?

Aditya: I think open communication is key in every relationship, being open to listening and understanding each other is an act of kindness. So I would say being comfortable with each other is important and expressing gratitude in any kind of relationship goes a long way too!

Any tips for your fans to make kindness a habit?

Aditya: I think whenever you think someone is doing something nice, make them know that you notice and appreciate it. It feels nice to know that someone has noticed good things that you do and good qualities, if they have been nice to you or checked in with you - let them know that you notice because it matters to them that you see them for the good.

How does it feel to associate with Bumble for Kindness is Sexy Campaign? What message do you hope to communicate through this collaboration?

Aditya: What Bumble is trying to put across is something that resonated with me. I think being kind, asking people how you like to be treated with empathy should be at the core of any healthy relationship, whichever form it may take. So, when I heard of the campaign and what its message was, I looked at it only as something that can be positive, and I felt that Bumble always goes about putting their ideas across in a fun way. I really liked the stuff that they have done for their other campaigns as well. So, it was a really exciting prospect to collaborate with them on something that I felt would be fun, interesting and also a positive message.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS

ianslife/tb

The love song is a depiction of the emotions and yearning shared by lovers and promises to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster. In addition to lending her voice to the song, Neha has also composed the music along with Rohanpreet Singh, who helped Neha compose some portions of the song.

The music video of the song has been directed by Crevixa, and it beautifully captures the intense chemistry between Neha and Rohanpreet. Sonically, the song makes use of the trap genre and has Punjabi lyrics blended with complex hi-hat patterns, tuned kick drums with a long decay and treated voice of Rohanpreet, who renders his vocal with a classic Punjabi twang.

Speaking about her experience of working on the song, Neha said: " 'Dil Bechara' is very close to my heart, as it gave me the opportunity to explore a new side to me as an artist. I'm thrilled to share this emotional journey of love with our listeners and I'm sure everyone is going to love it."

Rohanpreet shared, " 'Dil Bechara' is not just a song, it's an expression of love, longing, and everything that makes a relationship special. Co-composing this beautiful song with Neha has been an incredible experience, and I hope our listeners feel the same love and emotions that we poured into it."

Director Crevixa said that the chemistry between Neha and Rohanpreet is magical, and it brought a natural charm to the screen.

"They really brought raw and authentic portrayals to their characters which has made the music video look incredible," he said.

'Dil Bechara' is composed, penned and sung by Neha and Rohanpreet.

The music video of the song is out now on T-Series’ YouTube channel.

--IANS

aa/prw

The biopic is based on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who oversaw the Trinity Test and the Manhattan Project, leading to the development of the first atomic bomb in history in 1945 during the end of World War 2.

One of the film’s biggest highlights was when Nolan said that in recreating the nuclear explosion or any of the other elements, such as neutron particles which the scientist kept seeing in his imagination were all created through practical effects and featured no CGI.

This was indeed true as the blast and its accompanying intricacies such as the heatwave, radiation or the burning flames were indeed recreated through practical effects such as miniature explosions and such, meaning that indeed no computer imagery was used. But that does not mean that VFX wasn’t used.

Recreating the explosion without any CGI was probably the most difficult part in the movie, and several animators and VFX experts have said that Nolan has not credited most of the VFX team who helped in designing the explosion. While only 27 names appeared on screen. DNEG, which is one of the leading global VFX production companies and collaborated with Nolan for the film, has said that over 160 VFX artists in fact worked on the film accounting for at least 80% artists not being credited.

Many animators and visual effects experts have expressed anger at this on social media, though ‘Oppenheimer’ crew has been silent on the whole thing. Perhaps at a later date, they may reveal what truly happened as they begin breaking down the explosion and other aspects.

This won’t be the first time as VFX artists are never fully credited in Hollywood productions and there are various examples of this, such as the MCU films, DCEU film, new ‘Star Wars’ features amongst many more.

While the terms CGI and VFX are used interchangeably and are in fact connected, they are not the same thing. CGI means computer generated imagery while VFX means visual effects. CGI is done entirely on computer to create scenarios and environments not possible with practical sets, or to save time and cost.

But VFX is added post production and contains things such as imagery and illustrations among other elements in order to make things more dynamic, fluid as well as more authentic on-screen which isn’t possible using just real life sets. These things are not necessarily digital and are prepared in early stages of development.

‘Oppenheimer’ has lit the box office on fire far exceeding its expected global projections grossing over $85 million at the box office so far and receiving an overwhelmingly 96% positive reception which has by far been the highest so far in 2023.

In terms of reception alone, ‘Oppenheimer’ has surpassed some of Hollywood’s biggest and most acclaimed films this year, getting ahead of even the likes of ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’, ‘John Wick 4’, ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ and ‘Spider Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ each of which has scored above the 90% mark while also surpassing ‘Barbie’ which boasts an impressive 85% positive reception.

At the Indian box office, the movie has surprisingly overtaken both ‘MI7’ and ‘Barbie’ by a good margin, going housefull in most theatres, particularly IMAX halls though the other two are also not far behind.

--IANS

anv/uk

Released in 2013, the Farhan Akhtar starrer traced the inspiring journey of the Indian Sprint legend late Milkha Singh, and how he overcame many agonizing obstacles in order to become a world champion, Olympian, and one of India's most iconic athletes.

The makers will pay tribute to late Milkha Singh by re-releasing the inspirational biographical sports drama on August 6, in selected theaters. The film will be screened for the hearing and speech-impaired people, in the PVR theaters, and will be showcased with the special sign language.

Moreover, the special screening scheduled for July 26 in Mumbai, for hearing and speech-impaired, will witness the cast paying homage to the "Flying Sikh".

The flick was produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures in association with Rajiv Tandon and editor P S Bharathi under the ROMP Pictures banner.

ROMP Pictures spokesperson, P S Bharathi said: "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a film that is an inspirational tale, and by re-releasing it for the hearing and speech-impaired people on August 6, we would like to serve it as a tribute to 'The Flying Sikh' of the nation, late Milkha Singh, who is an inspiration for the millions."

"We will convey the movie with a special sign language to make it easily understood by hearing and speech-impaired people," he added.

The COO of Viacom18 Studios, Ajit Andhare said, "Our commitment extends beyond just retelling his extraordinary tale; we have ensured its accessibility to the hearing and speech-impaired, empowering them to draw motivation from this remarkable story."

Released in 2013, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' is well-studied with encouraging and energized songs, the spectacular performance from the cast, Farhan as Milkha Singh, and prolific direction by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

It also starred Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Art Malik, and Prakash Raj in supporting roles, with Sonam Kapoor in an extended cameo appearance.

The film was indeed one masterpiece that is worth reckoning to be a gem of Indian cinema. It was also a massive box office success, and was the fifth highest-grossing 2013 Bollywood film.

--IANS

sp/dan

The actress has begun shooting for the film which is set in the UK, and will see her playing the lead character alongside ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ fame William Moseley. The movie is going to be a drama which is based on real life events. Currently, the shoot of the film is underway in the UK, and after its London schedule will be shot in different locations in India.

Talking about the film, Richa said: “I had read a couple of scripts for international projects but nothing was fitting well. When Aaina came my way, I knew this was the one and now, as it is finally happening, I am extremely thrilled. The movie has a very interesting storyline. I have manifested a strong script for my international debut and Aaina was perfect for that.”

She further mentioned: “The film was completely shot in the UK and they have a very different working culture than ours. So, even with a good number of years of experience in the Indian movie industry, I felt like a fresher.”

The actress has wrapped up the shoot for ‘Fukrey 3’, where she continues playing the role of Bholi Punjaban. She also finished her other work commitment regarding the maiden project from her production house, ‘Girls will be Girls’. The movie, which is about a 16-year-old girl, who shares a very difficult relationship with her mother, stars Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti in the lead and also has debutante Preeti Panigrahi and Kesav Binoy Kiron in prominent roles.

--IANS

aa/dan

The trailer showcases Geralt in a furious avatar massacring Nilfgaardian soldiers left and right, while later being shown held at a knife’s edge by Redanian spymaster Dijkstra, who tells him that he should have chosen a side.

Aretuza, the school of all mages is now being destroyed with fire everywhere, the mages dying and the last remnants of the witches and sorcerers facing off against hordes of attackers. With great sets and CGI, Cirilla, Geralt’s adoptive daughter, protege and his ‘Child of Destiny’ is facing off against horrendous monsters in the middle of a desert.

Elsewhere mages Rience and his much more powerful master Vilgefortz are hot on Ciri’s trail while the threat of the Elven killers, the Wild Hunt still looms as they too follow Ciri under the command of the ruthless General Eredin in their haunting skeletal armours riding their army on the sky.

Yennerfer of Vengerberg, is facing off against many mighty threats and killing many as Ciri faces off against Rience, with the trailer culminating in a showdown between Geralt and Vilgefortz.

As the show deviates heavily from the source material, it is unknown what will culminate in the fight, though in the books Vilgefortz while no match for Geralt in physical combat, manages to defeat the witcher due to his powerful sorcery and leaves him horribly beaten, but spares his life.

With politics, deception, heavy violence and so many powerful enemies spilling blood everywhere, all of the Continent is now covered in blood and fire as Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri, alongside their few allies fight off the worst of enemies with the odds completely stacked against them.

The official synopsis of ‘ The Witcher Season 3’ states: "As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geralt takes Ciri into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.”

"Entrusted with Ciri's magical training, Yennefer leads them to the protected fortress of Aretuza, where they hope to uncover more about the girl's untapped powers; instead, they discover they've landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery. They must fight back, put everything on the line – or risk losing each other forever," it further stated.

Volume 2 of ‘The Witcher Season 3’ is set to finally release on Netflix on July 27, 2023, and will comprise only three episodes, which is a bit shorter when compared to Volume 1.

As for the future of ‘The Witcher’, Season 4 is already greenlit and in production, but it will no longer see Henry Cavill playing Geralt of Rivia, as Liam Hemsworth will instead take up the role of the famed monster slayer.

Henry Cavill had dropped out of the show due to creative differences, as he wanted to stick to the source material while the makers were deviating heavily from it, which has earned the creative heads a bunch of notoriety.

The ‘Man of Steel’ actor will now instead focus on live action adaptation of Games Workshop’s dark fantasy-sci-fi-military tabletop game ‘Warhammer 40,000’ of which Henry is a massive fan and will oversee its production.

‘Warhammer 40k’ has spawned a massive universe full of several factions and many highly detailed storylines in what is one of the grimmest and biggest fictional universes ever, roughly around 10 times the size of ‘Star Wars’.

--IANS

anv/uk

According to the software company Sprinklr, 'Barbie' received about 2,46,337 mentions online over the last few weeks in the country.

A majority of mentions came from the metro regions across the country.

The film made the biggest splash in Mumbai with over 15,600 online & social media mentions, while Delhi and Bengaluru followed closely with 12,400 and 8,800 mentions, respectively.

'Barbie' rose to the top of the trending charts, buoyed by the flood of conversations surrounding its release, while its release date twin, Christopher Nolan's biopic 'Oppenheimer', fell to second place.

The two films, which have been affectionately dubbed 'Barbenheimer', dominated the India trending charts in the weeks leading up to their release weekend, the report said.

As 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' are the most highly anticipated films of the year, scammers are taking advantage of this to steal users' hard-earned money and sensitive personal data.

According to the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, scammers are deceiving unsuspecting users by distributing phishing scams that prey on the excitement surrounding movie releases, all with the sole intention of tricking individuals and unlawfully acquiring their hard-earned money and sensitive personal data.

One of the fraudulent pages discovered entices users with special offers on Barbie dolls coinciding with the release of the movie.

Scammers also deceived people by offering 'Oppenheimer' to stream for free online with the intention to steal users' banking information and money.

--IANS

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