ShowBiz

Los Angeles, Sep 2 (IANS) Director Stephen Merchant has shared that Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson brings his own meals to restaurants for 'regimented' diet'.

Merchant, who worked with Johnson on 'Fighting with My Family', described the actor's "regimented" diet while speaking to Jim Norton and Sam Roberts on SiriusXM, reports foxnews.com.

"I do remember having a meeting with him just in Texas just before WrestleMania and we were having a meeting about the movie and his alarm would go off at like 3:17 p.m. and he would go to the fridge and there would be turkey and rice with '3:17 p.m.' written on it and he would microwave it," Merchant recalled.

"It was so regimented. It's extraordinary," he added.

The director went on to say he was once told Johnson has even brought his own meals out to restaurants.

"I think someone told me, maybe he told me, that when he goes for dinner with friends he has to take his food to the restaurant and have them heat it up because it's such a structured diet he has to have," he said.

Johnson is known to follow strict diets and exercise programmes in order to maintain his ripped physique.

However, he does partake in cheat meals every once in a while.

Johnson recently tried In-N-Out Burger for the first time and shared his cheat meal for "the history books."

The former WWE wrestler ordered two Double-Double cheeseburgers and two large fries.

"A solid start with a bite of good fries," he wrote before adding: "as we know s----- fries can ruin the whole experience."

He paired the meal with some tequila, according to his post.

Johnson revealed his motivation to keep up his workout routine in a YouTube video shared in February.

--IANS
dc/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' went down memory lane with a contestant who shared that his strict father would not allow him to play cricket, and the cine icon talked about how his mother, Teji Bachchan, would catch him listening to cricket commentary under covers.

Narrating the incident, contestant Saurabh Shekhar shares: "I have been an ardent follower of cricket since childhood and was very fascinated by the game when I was a kid. When I used to live in the village with my family, my father thought that there was no scope for sports. Even so, I was mad about cricket!"

Shekhar added: "My father used to think that if he lets us siblings play, it would be like sparing the rod, we won't study. There was also a time when we did not have a television set in our house and a match was on. My older brother would listen to the commentary on the transistor and there were only a few overs left."

"In our excitement, we went to our neighbour's house to watch TV and celebrated the last few overs that were left. No sooner than we left the house, our father woke up and then, all hell broke loose."

Big B too followed Shekhar's story with his own in which he spoke about his mother. He will be seen talking about how he used to go under the covers in his bed and listen to the commentary on the transistor from there. And when his mother caught him, she questioned him and asked him to focus on his studies.

'Kaun Banega Crorepati' Season 14 airs on Sony Entertainment Television.

--IANS
dc/kvd

Chennai, Sep 2 (IANS) Malayalam director Rejishh Midhila's upcoming Tamil fantasy film, in which comedian Yogi Babu plays the lead, has been titled 'Yaanai Mugathaan'.

Interestingly, the director, who is well-known in Malayalam film industry, is making his debut in Tamil with this film.

Sources close to the unit say that Yogi Babu plays a character called Ganesh in the film. Interestingly, the name of the character actor Ramesh Tilak plays in the film is Ganesh too.

"Both characters-- played by Yogi Babu and Ramesh Tilak respectively-- are called Ganesh. Ramesh Tilak plays an auto driver in the film and is extremely devoted to Lord Ganesha. His character has the habit of procuring a loan from every person he meets. His character often gets into problems by failing to pay the debts," says the source.

"In the film, Yogi Babu introduces himself as Vinayagar to Ramesh Tilak and makes a demand. As a result, a sudden set of developments happen, changing their lives. What happens then is what the story is about," the source adds.

The shooting of the film, which started in Chennai, continued in Rajasthan.

Actress Oorvasi too will be seen playing a pivotal character in the film. She plays a character called 'Malli Akka', the owner of the apartment in which both Yogi Babu and Ramesh Thilak live.

Karunakaran plays a small pan masala shop owner called Michael.

Apart from the lead artistes, the film will also feature George Maryan, Hareesh Peradi, Kulappulli Leela ("Marudhu" Paati) and Nagavishal in important roles

--IANS
mani/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, whose latest release 'Laal Singh Chaddha' tanked at the box-office, is currently holidaying in San Francisco.

Earlier media reports claimed that the superstar is on a two-month break and is holidaying in the US. He will start his next film after he is back in Mumbai following his break.

A picture of Aamir doing the rounds on social media shows that the actor is currently not in the country.

The photograph has been shared by a fan named Natasha on Twitter, where the two are seen posing for a selfie.

She captioned the image: "Yesterday in unexpected unbelievable i'm still unwell twists."

In the image, Aamir is seen flaunting a salt and pepper look. He looks dapper dressed in a navy blue full sleeved T-shirt. He has a sweater tied around his waist and is seen carrying a beige coloured cross bag. He kept it casual and completed his look with spectacles.

'Laal Singh Chaddha', which also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, is a remake of the Hollywood film 'Forest Gump' starring Tom Hanks.

--IANS
dc/bg

Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan along with his family welcomed Ganpati at his sister Arpita's home and even shared a video of performing aarti.

Salman took to Instagram, where he shared a small clip from the celebrations. In the video, the 'Dabangg' star is seen performing aarti dressed in a white shirt paired with denims.

Soon after him, Arpita and her actor husband Aayush Sharma are seen doing the aarti and praying.

The superstar is a believer in all faiths. His Father Salim Khan's first wife Salma is a Maharashtrian Brahmin and the second, is former Bollywood actress Helen, a Catholic. They celebrate Eid, Ganpati, Diwali and Christmas with full fervour.

On the work front, Salman on completing 34 years in Hindi cinema on August 26, announced that the title of his movie 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali' has been re-christened to 'Kisi Ka Bhai.. Kisi Ki Jaan'.

'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali', which is now titled 'Kisi Ka Bhai.. Kisi Ki Jaan', stars Venkatesh Daggubati, Jagapathi Babu and Pooja Hegde. The film is a remake of the 2014 Tamil movie, 'Veeram'.

--IANS
dc/kvd

By Sukant Deepak
New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) She remembers her time in the Indian film industry as fun and unique. Someone who has worked in over 20 films in different languages across the world and shot with directors like Ketan Mehta, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Goutam Ghose here, actor, writer and child-rights activist Nandana Sen decided early in her film career ("quite stubbornly, in fact") that she wanted to work in the industry in a certain way, though it was not necessarily the way the latter was used to working.


"My priorities made sense to no one but me; well-wishers in the film world often remarked that they did not understand why I accepted certain films and turned down others. But the industry was extremely generous to me, giving me lots of work and allowing me to indulge in my many eccentricities, including disappearing for months to do obscure independent films around the world," remembers Sen, who was seen in films like 'Black', 'Rang Rasiya' and 'My Wife's Murder' among others.

This Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) trained actor smiles when asked if being the daughter of Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen and Padma Shri awardee writer and academic Nabaneeta Dev Sen was 'pressuring'... "No, and I have to thank my parents entirely for that. Somehow they always had immense confidence in me, and never batted an eyelid when I changed my life around, time and again or chose a profession unfamiliar to them both -- like cinema. Being academics, I think they were reassured by the fact that I was always a good student!"

Admitting that being raised by two women poets -- her mother and grandmother Radharani Debi, shaped her outlook most fundamentally, besides 'Bhalo-Basa', a heritage house she grew up in, she adds, "Growing up there shaped me as much as studying at Harvard, or living around the world, did. Ever since the 1930s, that house has always been filled with books, adda, and artists. Ma and Dimma were fearless public voices too, and their values and priorities had a huge impact on the choices I made, as an artist as well as an activist."

For someone who believes in the transformative power of the creative arts -- for instance, the films she selected had social-political consciousness at heart, whether exploring religious fundamentalism ('The War Within', USA), disability rights ('Black', India), lesbian love during apartheid ('The World Unseen', UK and South Africa), or censorship and freedom of expression ('Gudia' and 'Rang Rasiya', India), she adds, "Also, all my books for kids have girl heroes, often with single mothers, and celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of identities."

Sen, who is the Child Protection Ambassador at 'Save the Children India' says her emphasis is on every aspect of the fight to end child trafficking, child labour and child marriage.

"We have done several great campaigns together. We have also publicly addressed youth leaders about transformative engagement and campaigned extensively for girls' safety and education. Our collaboration has been very rewarding," says Sen, who studied literature at Harvard University.

Currently working on her next book in the Mambi series; a film script set in the intersection of cinema, journalism and politics in India; and a multi-generational book titled 'Mother Tongues,' she asserts she will always love cinema as a medium, as an actor and a screenwriter.

"You will see me back on a film set once my feisty seven-year-old, is a little older, though I will never stop writing books. I am loving every moment I spend with my family, and with my writing."

--IANS
sukant/khz/

Mumbai, Aug 31 (IANS) Keeping up with his tradition of bringing home Lord Ganpati every year on Ganesh Chaturthi, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan this time around welcomed the god with AbRam. or as he likes to fondly call him, "The li'l one".

As the city of Mumbai soaks in the colours of its biggest festival, SRK welcomed the god to his Mannat residence in the Bandra area. The father-son duo then feasted on the modaks (dumplings with sweet stuffing) to their hearts' content.

Sharing a picture of Lord Ganpati on social media, SRK wrote in the caption: "Ganpatiji welcomed home by li'l one and me. The modaks after were delicious; the learning is, through hard work, perseverance and faith in God, you can live your dreams. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all!"

Eid, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali are the festivals when fans of the star eagerly await an update on the way he celebrates each occasion every year.

--IANS
aa/srb

Bengaluru, Aug 31 (IANS) Former Congress MP and ex AICC social media division head, Kannada film actress Ramya aka Divya Spandana has announced her comeback to films on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on Wednesday.

Ramya, known for her hard-hitting remarks against the ruling BJP and the RSS, stated that she will also launch her film production house.

"Happy Ganesha habba everyone. The asihi suddi' (sweet news) most of you guessed right. I am going to be doing films again. This time though I will also be producing through my boutique production house AppleBox Studios,' Ramya stated.

"If you're wondering what an apple box is, it's a small wooden box, most humble and inconspicuous, but very useful on a film set. The apple box has been my constant companion throughout my journey in films. When we didn't have chairs on sets or if a little height was required for camera or actors the apple box was always there. To me it was the simplicity of the equipment that inspired me and hence the name," she explained.

"AppleBox Studios is currently on the threshold of producing two theatrical films which will be distributed by KRG Studios. I'm very excited about both these projects.

"AppleBox Studios will also be tip-toeing into the OTT domain with films and web series.

"Watch out for more announcements on our social media handles across various platforms," she stated.

"Thank you to the best fans ever, my family, friends, well-wishers and colleagues for your unwavering love and support. Special shout-out to KGF series producer Vijay Kiragandur, producer Jayanna, Yogi G Raj and Karthik Gowda for their encouragement," Ramya added.

--IANS
mka/bg

Mumbai, Aug 31 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn celebrated the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi with a throwback post on his social media. The 'Singham' actor took to his Instagram and shared an old video of himself from a Ganpati pandal.

In the video, Ajay can be seen performing the aarti and seeking blessings from lord Ganesha. Ajay's wife Kajol, too, shared a picture of lord Ganesha in the story section of her Instagram. She wrote on the picture: "Happy Ganesh Chaturthi".

On the work front, Ajay has a string of films in the pipeline. He will next be seen in 'Thank God' alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Rakul Preet. The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on Diwali 2022. He will follow it up with the release of 'Drishyam 2', an official remake of the Malayalam film of the same name. Another film of his, 'Maidaan' has completed; however, the makers are still mulling over the film's release date.

--IANS
aa/kvd

Mumbai, Aug 31 (IANS) Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who swayed the audience with her killer moves in 'Oo antava' from 'Pushpa: The Rise' and her work in 'The Family Man 2', is set to star in the upcoming movie titled 'Yashoda'. The actress dropped the poster of the film on Wednesday.

Taking to her social media, Samantha shared the intense poster which also reveals her look in the film as she is dressed in a plain tshirt and a hoodie with some injuries on her face, standing amidst a huge crowd of women. Also revealing the date and time of the teaser drop, she wrote:

"The indomitable will!! #YashodaTeaser on Sep 9th @ 5:49PM #YashodaTheMovie (sic)".

'Yashoda', directed by director duo Hari-Harish, is a science fiction thriller, and will see Samantha in the titular role alongside Unni Mukundan and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar.

The actress, who topped the list of Most Popular Female Star of India as per an Ormax report, also has other big ticket films like 'Shaakuntalam', 'Kushi', 'Citadel' in the pipeline.

--IANS
aa/kvd