ShowBiz

Mumbai, Oct 3 (IANS) As Sunny Leone kicks off the new season of youth-based reality show 'Splitsvilla', the actress on why it is the most exciting genre to pull off. She says non-fiction is always difficult to shoot and perform as one has to be themselves and that's the most challenging and most fun thing to do.

With the new season in Goa, she tells us that this is the toughest genre to shoot. The actress is soon going to star opposite Vishnu Manchu in the upcoming Pan-India film 'Ginna'.

From shooting a multilingual film to doing an action packed web series, the actress has done it all in 2022. But what turned out to be the most thrilling for her is 'Splitsvilla'.

Revealing the reason, she said: "At its core, this reality show is about love, longing and heartbreak. To see young people go through that journey is both heartening and sometimes tough to judge. Human beings are flawed by nature and so when we show these real emotions on screens, even as judges we find it hard to gauge who is right and who is wrong.

She added: "Moreover, every year, the attempt to do something unexpected and keep the conversations fresh. The whole team endeavours to retain the snazziness of the show and blend it with genuine emotions. Non-fiction is always difficult to shoot and perform. You have to be yourself and sometimes that's the most challenging and most fun thing to do."

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 3 (IANS) South actress Rashmika Mandanna, who has worked with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Goodbye', says that she is grateful for having done the film with the Bollywood superstar.

Taking to Instagram, the actress posted a picture of herself with Big B and wrote, "I still can't believe this is happening.

Having done a film with sir, getting to talk to him, being able to share the same stage as him, talking about the same topics, getting to take a picture with him, my God!!

"He is an absolutely brilliant performer... A gem of a person and always arguing with me as a reel papa... but my God - how grateful am I.

"I am grateful for having done 'Goodbye' with Amitabh Bachchan sir. It's been an absolute honour and this will forever be super special. PS - See papa and Tara in five days on October 7 in cinemas near you!"

The actress considers the Hindi film super special as she herself mentioned in one of her posts when she wrapped up shooting for the film.

She had then said, "Everyone I've worked with in this team will always and forever be super special to me (Guys! Let's work again soon, like super soon. I dunno how you'll make it happen but make it happen!) I love you guys! You are the bestest!"

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 3 (IANS) Powerhouse performers Revathy and Kajol are all set to light up the screens on December 9 with their upcoming film 'Salaam Venky'.

The film is directed by Revathy, who has previously worked behind the camera for the National Award-winning "Mitr, My Friend" and 2004 drama "Phir Milenge".

'Salaam Venky', which was earlier titled as 'The Last Hurrah', will showcase a tale of a praiseworthy mother, who battled the most difficult circumstances.

'Salaam Venky' is inspired by an incredible true story of a mother's strength when faced with life's challenges.

Produced by Suuraj Sinngh, Shraddha Agrawal and Varsha Kukreja under the banner BLIVE Productions and RTAKE Studios, 'Salaam Venky' is directed by Revathy and is set to release in cinemas on December 9.

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 3 (IANS) Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist for Native Americans who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for 'The Godfather' on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards, died on Sunday at 75, the Academy of Motion Pictures said.

She had been suffering from breast cancer, reports 'Variety'.

In June, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologised to Littlefeather for her treatment at the Oscars that night.

Littlefeather attended an in-person presentation of the apology at the Academy Museum on September 17.

At the Oscars, she was only given 60 seconds to read her speech on Native American rights, and was then escorted off the stage with audience members booing.

"He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award," Littlefeather said to the Academy Awards audience.

"And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry... and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee."

Littlefeather, born Marie Louise Cruz in Salinas, California, became interested in Native American issues in college and participated in the 1970 occupation of Alcatraz Island, adopting her name during that time.

After college, she joined SAG and reportedly met Brando, who took an interest in Native American issues, through Francis Ford Coppola who like Littlefeather, lived in San Francisco.

In a recent interview, Littlefeather told 'Variety' what it was like to attend the Oscars on Brando's behalf.

"It was my first time at the Academy Awards. I made it through my first hurdle, promising Marlon Brando that I would not touch that Oscar. But, as I walked off that stage, I did in the ways of courage, honour, grace, dignity and truthfulness. I did so in the ways of my ancestors and the ways of Indigenous women.

"I was met with the stereotypical tomahawk chop, individuals who called at me, and I ignored all of them. I continued to walk straight ahead with a couple of armed guards beside me, and I held my head high and was proud to be the first Indigenous woman in the history of the Academy Awards to make that political statement.

"At that time in 1973, there was a media blackout on Wounded Knee and against the American Indian Movement that was occupying it. Marlon had called them in advance and asked them to watch the Academy Awards, which they did.

"As they saw me, up on stage, refusing that Academy Award for the stereotypes within the film industry, and mentioning Wounded Knee in South Dakota, it would break the media boycott."

A documentary about her life and activism, "Sacheen Breaking the Silence," was released in 2021.

Though she had a few small roles in films including 'The Trial of Billy Jack', Littlefeather said she was blacklisted in Hollywood after the Oscars, and returned to San Francisco to continue her activism and work in theatre and health care.

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 3 (IANS) Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine was joined by his wife Behati Prinsloo when performing at Shaquille O'Neal's charity gala, which marked his first public appearance since he was exposed for alleged affairs.

The show took place at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday night, October 1. Among those in attendance were stars like Rob Gronkowski, Camille Kostek, Logan Paul and Flavour Flav, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Aside from his wife, Levine has gotten support from Shaq amid his rumoured infidelity.

According to Page Six, Shaq declared at the event, "Adam is a friend of mine from [a long] time ago. I always say to myself, you know, I cannot be a hypocrite."

"Now, I wasn't the greatest husband in the world, so just because I have a large platform right now doesn't give me the right to bash other people."

Shaq, who was married to Shaunie O'Nealfrom 2002 to 2011, further shared.

"He's great, he's doing something for the children, he's always been like that. I'm happy for him. And I wish him luck."

In late September, the former professional basketball player explained to TMZ why he decided to keep Adam's band Maroon 5 as a musical guest at his show.

"Adam is a personal friend of mine. He's always been a great guy... He's coming to help kids out this weekend. That's as solid as you can get."

Refusing to judge Levine based on the recent headlines about his private life, the sports analyst continued: "It is not my job to say, 'You did this. You did that. You shouldn't have did this. You shouldn't have did that.'"

Levine was first exposed by Instagram model Sumner Stroh before other multiple women came up with similar affair allegations. However, the musician and his wife Behati kept putting on a united front since the cheating accusation surfaced.

--IANS
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Chandigarh, Oct 3 (IANS) The condition of famed Punjabi singer Alfaaz, alias Amanjot Singh Panwar, brother of Yo Yo Honey Singh, who got grievous injuries in a scuffle, is out of danger, doctors said on Monday.

Hirdesh Singh, alias Honey Singh, took to Instagram to share the incident and later thanked the Punjab Police for catching the culprits.

As per police, the singer had gone to a roadside eatery in Mohali in Punjab when the crime occurred. The accused, Vicky, a former employee of the eatery, was trying to escape when Alfaaz approached his car. The accused and his accomplices allegedly attacked the singer and fled.

The police booked Vicky on charges of assaulting the actor.

Police said the singer was coming out of Pal Dhaba after having dinner with his friends -- Gurpreet, Teji and Kuljit -- when there was an altercation between Vicky and the eatery owner over not settling his money.

Honey Singh shared an image of an injured Alfaaz on Instagram, saying, "My brother Alfaaz was attacked last night. Whoever planned this...I won't let you go...Everyone, please pray for him."

In another post, he wrote, "Special thanx to Mohali police who caught the culprits who hit Alfaaz with a tempo traveller on road last nite @itsaslialfaaz is now out of danger too."

--IANS
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Ayodhya, Oct 2 (IANS) "Adipurush", one of the most anticipated Indian films of 2023, whose first teaser was released here on Sunday, unites the talents of Prabhas (of the "Baahubali" franchise) and Om Raut, who directed the Ajay Devgn-starrer "Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior", the biggest Indian box office hit of 2020, reports 'Variety'.

"Adipurush" is Raut's take on the 'Ramayana' by Valmiki. The film is set 7,000 years ago and in the film, Prabhas's character is not called Lord Ram, he is Raghav, which is another name for Ram.

Sita, played by Kriti Sanon, is called Janaki (as in King Janaka's daughter), while Saif Ali Khan's Ravana is Lankesh (lord of Lanka), which are also derivatives of their 'Ramayana' names, notes 'Variety'.

Adipurush literally means 'first man', but here the interpretation is that of 'best man'.

Post "Tanhaji", Raut could have called any Indian A-lister for his next film but he chose Prabhas. "I always had Prabhas in my mind when I was writing Raghav's character -- it became so compelling for me," Raut said in a conversation with 'Variety'. "If it was not him, I would have not made the film."

Raut made it to Hyderabad from Mumbai in the middle of India's first Covid-19 lockdown to discuss the film with Prabhas in person. The actor describes the meeting as a "super exciting day".

"After three days, I got a little stressed because I thought it's the most precious film for the country -- can I do it?" Prabhas told 'Variety'. "Om said not to worry and so it was a beautiful thing that happened. I think it's the most prestigious film in my life."

Prabhas says he signed on because of Raut's intriguing screenplay and how it integrates the history and culture of India. "The way he designed the film was amazing, huge. And I think he made it very well," Prabhas said.

--IANS
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By Vinod Mirani
There seems to be a proliferation of analysts and research agencies that have taken to writing volumes on why Hindi films are not working! They write articles and throw figures at random. Now, where do these figures come from?


Take any film, 'Brahmastra', for example. Social media is full of self-styled trade experts. If one claims Rs 150 crore, the other pegs the collections at Rs 200 crore! Depends on which side of the film producer they are on, for or against.

People love to post their own film reviews on social media. If one has given a positive review, he will go on defending the film. This a rather strange kind of loyalty; not to the filmmaker, just to his or her own views. How can that be wrong?

This has become complex. One knows if a film is accepted or rejected after the first show and the weekend collection figures say it all. I can't understand what is about the people behind a film. Why don't they want to accept the verdict of the moviegoers? You made the film for him, remember?

Yes, every producer tried to find a positive. In the good old days, too, a producer would claim that though he was not doing so well here (Bombay), the Bihar collections were very good! Or not so good in Bombay city, but doing
well in Maharashtra (which is part of the Bombay Circuit). Eventually, a producer came to terms with the verdict of the moviegoers on the Monday after the release of his film.

Today, just about every media outlet, including the financial publications, have taken to analysing the fall of the Hindi film industry. If they had done the same while the industry was thriving, they would have understood the
issue better. Every media outlet catches up soon. If one publication has done a piece, why can't we? That seems to be the thought driving them. Finally, their research and analysis just end up being fillers.

The decline started when finance became available with no questions asked. Small makers don't even now. It was kind of no-risk finance. That too in crores. When the new century dawned, one heard of a film being made for Rs 8-9 crore. The multiplexes were also expanding their footprint across India. Albeit at the cost of the single screens, which were vanishing one by one.

Back then, I used to think about the films that were being made in less than a crore in the days gone by. Even the very ambitious ones cost a crore or two! A producer had to mortgage it all, including the negatives of the film he was shooting. There was no easy money. (The collections were in the same ratio, lakhs, and when Amitabh Bachchan's 'Hum' went on to collect Rs 1.03 crore in its first week in the Bombay Circuit, it was a first for the Hindi film industry.)

Earlier, too, there were filmmakers who overstated their budget. That helped the maker in two ways. That made a distributor think that since the budget is high, the making will be grand. It helped the producer to extract a higher price from his distributor. Only when a film flopped, the producer would reveal the real figures! It then would turn out that it was not all that high a budget.

A high-budget film raises high expectations and many films have suffered because they could not fulfil those expectations. Now, it turns out that 'Brahmastra', which was being touted as a Rs 400+ crore film before the release, is not really so.

The production house now states that Rs 400 crore is the budget for all the three versions planned! So, why this campaign of misinformation, which led to cinemas appealing to viewers to bear with it and be ready to pay higher admission rates? This was pure cheating. Social media catches up fast with false propaganda.

Fooling. Is this what they call Marketing nowadays? Hundreds of films have been made every year in Hindi, but never had one heard the term Marketing. What exactly is it?

High admission rates, along with the higher price of snacks and concealed water dispensers, so that you end up buying bottled water, has estranged viewers. The Cinema Day on September 24, when the tickets were priced at the flat rate of Rs 75, has proved that admission rates need to be more rational. The day drew full to near full houses.

Why do big banners want to make just big-budget films with top stars? Don't they have confidence in their own ability to make a new star or a film with a lesser-known star run? Yes, a couple of banners do make films with lesser stars, but those are to keep the company and employees engaged and the budgets of such films are easily recovered from the non-box office revenues.

So, why do these big banners want to make films that belie their budget claims? These claims do not add to a filmmaker's reputation in any way.

It is a known fact that no filmmaker makes films with his own money (at least most did not have any when they started) and a few who invested their own money were left in no position to walk back home. They paid the price for their lure of the glamour that is associated with the films.

This new craze to make a historical or a period film has not worked so far. Don't live under the hangover of a 'Bahubali', an 'RRR' or a 'KGF'. Instead, stick to your forte. Do what you are good at and stick to an entertainer who is acceptable for all.

Big banners don't risk casting new actors except the ones who come from a film family. Dharmendra, Jeetendra and many others were not star kin. Nor was Rajesh Khanna, on whom top producers such as Shakti Samanta, Nasir Hussain, G.P. Sippy, and other staked their money. Those who came from the FTII were not from film families, either.

That way, just the crores you pay to a big star will be enough to make two films. After all, the films of big stars
have proved that their drawing power has diminished.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Filmmaker, comedian and actor Sajid Khan, whose was last heard in connection with the #MeToo controversy that rocked the entertainment world some years ago, has now entered the Salman Khan-hosted reality show 'Bigg Boss 16'.

Sajid is known for his movies 'Housefull' and 'Housefull 2', and also for his roles in 'Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate', 'Main Hoon Na' and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'.

After coming on to the stage, Sajid told Salman Khan that he has been sitting at home for four years and he now wants to develop a bond with the audience once again through this show.

He revealed that he is open to do all tasks and try to be humble and polite inside the house. Sajid said his sister, famous choreographer and director Farah Khan, had adviced him to show his real side on the show.

Shehnaaz Gill, meanwhile, sent a video message for him saying that he should have a lot of fun and not fight. Sajid said Shehnaaz is like a younger sister to him.

'Bigg Boss 16' airs on Colors.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Host Salman Khan introduced 'Imlie' actress Sumbul Touqeer as the youngest contestant on 'Bigg Boss 16'. She impressed him with her simplicity and her ability to mimic people.

Sumbul told Salman that she is scared of his 'Weekend Ka Vaar' avatar and mimicked the way he takes the contestants to task. Salman praised her and said no one could mimic him so well.

Sumbul recited a poem and her father joined her on the stage. She said that after signing for the show, she was quite nervous and her father had motivated her to participate in it. She recalled her father saying: "You can never lose."

Now, she added, she is ready to start a fire inside the house.

Salman appreciated Sumbul for her upbringing. Post her entry, many fans took to Twitter and called her a "complete package". A few even predicted that she will be the "finalist".

The other contestants on "Bigg Boss 16" included Tina Datta, Sreejita De, Gautam Vig, Manya Singh, Soundarya Sharma and Gor Nagori.

'Bigg Boss 16' airs on Colors.

--IANS
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