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Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Former 'Bigg Boss 13' contestant Dalljiet Kaur has given a response to her former husband Shalin Bhanot, who is currently seen in the 16th installment of the reality show, and said that they are not "best friends."

Shalin had stated that Dalljiet and him have remained close friends, even seven years after their divorce while he was speaking to co-contestant Tina Dutta in the show.

Tina asked Shalin about his first marriage on a recent 'Bigg Boss 16' episode. He denied when she asked if his marriage was abusive, and added that he is still best friends with his ex-wife without naming Dalljiet.

Dalljiet took to Twitter and wrote: "No I am not your best friend Shalin. Meeting once a month or two months for the sake of my child does not qualify as friendship.

"I wish you luck with your love life but leave me out of your fiction and stories, please. And u r calling it funny? Really? Tina no hard feelings for you."

Dalljiet and Shalin got married in 2009 and walked separate ways in 2015. The actress had accused Shalin of being abusive and even hitting her when she tried to leave their home.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Singing sensation B Praak, who has belted out hits-after-hits such as 'Ranjha' and 'Mann Bharryaa 2.0' among many others, said that 'Teri Mitti' from the Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Kesari' was one of the toughest numbers he has ever sung. He also added that every time before he goes on stage, his ritual is to pray to god for a good show.

"Teri Mitti' was one of the toughest songs I've ever sung. It's a powerful song that tells an incredible story and invokes patriotic fervour. So, to do justice to it was something I was very adamant about," said the singer, who is all set to perform in the capital for Zee Live's Supermoon ft. B Praak tour.

When asked what is the one thing you do before going on stage every single time?

"Mai Rab ka naam leta hu. Before every show, I take a few minutes where I just close my eyes and pray for a good show and the health and happiness of everybody present there," pat came the reply.

B Praak has mainly sung numbers in Hindi and Punjabi. But is there any specific language that you would like to sing a song in?

"Abhi tak toh I only have sung songs in Hindi and Punjabi. Eventually, I would like to sing in all major Indian languages. But given the number of languages we have; it'll take me more than a couple of lifetimes to learn all of those languages!"

Music plays a key role in B Praak's life.

Asked what and how much is the role of spirituality in your life and in music, he said: "A lot! I'm very much connected to God. I believe there is someone who is looking after us and we should never forget the supreme power he holds."

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 12 (IANS) 'Under the Silver Lake' star Sydney Sweeney has been signed for a new 'Barbarella' movie for Sony Pictures.

The film is currently in the early phase of development, with no director, producer or writer currently attached, reports 'Variety'. Sweeney seemed to confirm her involvement with the project through an Instagram post.

The actress shared an image of original artwork from the original 1968 space opera, with a caption, "time to save the universe."

According to 'Variety', Sweeney has become somewhat of a marquee talent at Sony Pictures, with the actress co-starring alongside Dakota Johnson in the Marvel Comics adaptation 'Madame Web'.

The studio also landed the rights to 'The Registration', an adaptation of Madison Lawson's thriller of the same name. Brad Fuller is producing, while Sweeney is attached to star.

Adapted from French writer and illustrator Jean-Claude Forest's comic series, the original 1968 'Barbarella' starred Jane Fonda as the eponymous space-travelling heroine. Although the film was not a box office smash at the time, it has garnered a cult film status in the decades since, with Barbarella widely seen as one of Fonda's most iconic on-screen roles.

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 12 (IANS) The entire world has been bitten by the 'Pushpa: The Rise' bug as now New York City's mayor performed actor's iconic hand gesture from the film.

New York's Mayor Eric Adams was seen doing the hand gesture during an event organised by the Telugu community in the city where he interacted with the people and also celebrated the festival of Batukamma with them.

A clip shared by a fan account on Twitter, Mayor was seen performing the iconic hand gesture with two more guests.

The fan account wrote, "Thank you @NYCMayor for Showing Your Love towards Our Indian Film #Pushpa ai, ! Special Thanks and Congratulations to our @anusuyakhasba gaaru and #mangli for making the event grand Successful Video By : @NYCMayorsOffice @alluarjun ac #Anasuya ac #AlluArjun @PushpaMovie"

Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa: The Rise' became a phenomenon upon its release. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Faahad Faasil. The second installment has gone on floors.

--IANS
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On his 80th birthday, the thespian is not ready to call time on his career. Amitabh Bachchan has been a struggler, superstar, bankrupt, a small screen phenomenon, a celluloid colossus and has more or less essayed all types of roles to remain an iconoclast. The arc of his universe littered with peaks and troughs has been legendary.

In an age where hyperboles are common, he stands apart for his being and remains a true legend. Over the years, I have met him and spoken with him several times. Modest to the point of being self-deprecatory, he refuses to accept that his persona remains larger than life. Never afraid to speak his mind, he is distantly related to funambulism.

As he once told me: "I want to keep working, I shall continue to do my best." He added, "Actually, I don't know what else to do. Life is a blur when one is essaying different roles, it is so fulfilling. As a professional, I cannot afford to be complacent. I want to perform and be tested; I want the energy of the younger generation of directors and actors to rub off on me. An actor's career should not and cannot end, the stream should run ceaselessly. Actors should take on fresh challenges because the human mind is a sponge, it soaks up all the time, the process of learning doesn't end." His new movie "Goodbye" is out in theatres and will be followed by "Uunchai" next month.

At one level, suspicion and shadows lurk in the corridors of his mind. The thespian in his autumn cannot and will not forget his bankruptcy. His insecurity stems from those dark days. They act as a whetstone for him, a reference point and equally a reminder. In his case, it is the fear of the known rather than the unknown. "This is the incentive to keep going, because in my mind's eye, I still fret over what will happen tomorrow," he said. "Peaks and troughs are what life is all about. I've been at the lowest ebb in my life - professionally, commercially and personally," he averred.

The Bachchan saga mushroomed in an age when black marketing and smuggling were ruling the roost, his cult type characters were chiselled by Salim Javed and the finished product who took on the establishment became embedded in the memory recesses of cinema goers. The booming baritone and long legs helped as he became the instrumentality against suppression, repression and oppression.

My first meeting with him came when ABCL was looking at a tryst with corporatisation and I went to meet him at his Ajanta Hotel office in Juhu, Mumbai. I was asked to wait and was fiddling with my dictaphone when I saw a pair of Kolhapuris under my eyeline and the famed Paul Muni baritone saying "Hi - I am Amitabh Bachchan". Subsequently as luck would have it, my next job was at Plus Channel which was also housed in the same Ajanta Hotel complex and one saw more of the Man himself.

Subsequently, one has met Bachchan many times. He even invited me to be a judge at his KBC show and my joy knew no bounds. The one question that always nagged me was didn't he ever get bored at being typecast as he took on stereotypical roles for Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai in the 1970s and 80s? I asked him this during one of my interviews with him and he provided a perspective which when viewed from his prism made complete sense. His take on this was strategic and is somehow lost on millions of his aficionados.

He said: "I don't think I got typecast, this is a misconception. For every Manmohan Desai or Prakash Mehra film like 'Amar Akbar Anthony' or 'Zanjeer', myopically there was different cinema that I did and it was with deliberate intent. People forget I did 'Alaap', 'Chupke Chupke', 'Bemisal', 'Jurm', 'Barsaat Ki Ek Raat' and so many more."

Actually Bachchan and Hrishikesh Mukherjee collaborated in many films - "Anand", "Abhiman", "Namak Haram", "Chupke Chupke", "Bemisal", "Mili", "Alaap", "Jurmana", he was also the narrator for "Bawarchi" and played cameos in "Guddi" and "Gol Maal".

Mukherjee invariably brought out the sensitive side of Amitabh Bachchan. In a 1998 interview to Filmfare, Mukherjee shared that other directors of the era "reduced him (Bachchan) to a stunt man". He said: "Other directors tried to exploit his image. They reduced him to a stunt man. Some people said I made a blunder by making him sing classical songs in 'Alaap' when he was busy holding guns and booze bottles in other films. Unfortunately, 'Alaap' didn't do well. It was released during the Emergency when I was very depressed. I thought it was the end of my life."

Bachchan says: "All the films I have done have been meaningful, every one of them had a beginning, a middle and an end. More importantly, poetic justice was served within 3 hours in all of them. You and I shall never get poetic justice in our lifetime - that is the beauty of Indian cinema. My age restricts me from playing young characters, so I must do roles commensurate with my age. I am fortunate to be getting work at this age."

At the same time, he acknowledges Salim-Javed's role. "Salim saheb and Javed saheb gave me scripts and stories that put me in the eyes of the public. Their scripts were creatives of immense credibility, the very best ever, perhaps. They were very conversant with the moods of the audience and they had a great sense of screenplay. I am not sure how they used me with reference to Paul Muni, but why do we always compare our work with that of others in foreign lands. Salim-Javed are established, home-grown talents, and we should take great pride in them. Equating them with someone from the west is unacceptable to me."

When Rajesh Khanna was the presiding deity of Hindi cinema and romance and Kishore Kumar's voice for him dominated the scene, Prakash Mehra queered the pitch with the creation of the Angry Young Man casting Amitabh Bachchan as the brooding Inspector Vijay Khanna turning B Town on its head forever. Mehra, along with Desai, who fathered the grander opus with his formulaic cinema unleashed a spanking new brand of Hindi films. While Mehra helmed "Zanjeer", "Hera Pheri", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", "Lawaaris", "Namak Halal" and "Sharaabi" to put Bachchan on the road to megastardom, Desai on the other hand reinforced the Bachchan mystique by creating entertaining capers extraordinaire.

The Bachchan-Desai collaborations were blockbusters - "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Naseeb", "Coolie", "Mard", "Parvarish", "Suhaag", "Desh Premee", et al. Then there was Yash Chopra who again threw into stark relief the brooding imagery of Bachchan - from "Dewaar", "Trishul", "Kala Pathar" to unleashing the romantic hero in "Kabhie Kabhie" and "Silsila". In this journey, there is one more director who cannot be ignored for his work with Bachchan - Ramesh Sippy - who made "Sholay", "Shaan", "Shakti" and "Akayla" with him. From Kachins to Gabbana, Bachchan has carried off many characters dressed in many shades by essaying a wide variety of characters.

To the movie which made him, Bachchan says "Zanjeer", "Dewaar", or "Namak Haram".

"They were all landmark films that made a great impact on the audience. It was a challenge and a joy to be associated with them. 'Zanjeer' gave me my first individual success, but the others were of equal value."

These directors were responsible for the Bachchan mystique in many ways. His body of work is long and distinguished, many of his recent roles have show the fine actor that rests within - "Shamitabh", "Paa", "Pink", "Badla", "Wazir", "Piku", "Black" - as he emotes his way to new heights, giving expression to his art and craft.

--IANS
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By Shambhu Nath Choudhary
Ranchi's poet Anwar Ali will turn 80 on October 11. One may ask, who is this Anwar Ali? It is none other than Amitabh Bachchan, the superstar of Hindi films - who made his film debut as a character with this name over five decades back.


In "Saat Hindustani" released in 1969, by journalist, scriptwriter, and filmmaker Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, the actor played the role of a poet who resided in Hindpiri, Ranchi. However, the character is entirely fictional i.e. no poet of this name ever lived in Ranchi.

The story of the film revolves around the fight to liberate Goa from Portuguese occupation. Seven people from different states of the country leave for Goa on this mission, one of them being Anwar Ali. In one of his dialogues in the film, Amitabh introduces himself saying: "Main hoon Anwar Ali. Bihar ke Ranchi ka rehne wala hoon aur shayri karta hoon." (I am Anwar Ali. I live in Ranchi, Bihar and I am a poet.)

The sincerity by which Bachchan played this character got him the 'Best Newcomer' award for the role. Interestingly, Abbas paid Rs 5,000 as acting fee to him.

In one of his interviews, the actor was recorded saying that even though the fee wasn't a lot in that time, it also wasn't extremely less for a newcomer.

He had also said: "Agar Anwar Ali ke kirdar ke taur par mujhe break na mila hota, toh pata nahi mai aaj kis maukaam par hota." (If I had not got a break as Anwar Ali, I don't know where I would be today.)

"Saat Hindustani" was first released in Delhi's Sheela Cinema, and Bachchan watched the first show with his parents. Before this, the trial screening of the film was also held, in which Abbas saheb specially invited Meena Kumari. Meena Kumari showered a lot of praises on Anwar Ali's character which left Bachchan blushing.

Abbas had a special connection with Ranchi and perhaps this was the reason behind him including Ranchi and mentioning it about half a dozen times in the script of "Saat Hindustani". He was great friends with the famous writer Ghiyas Ahmed Siddiqui of Ranchi. According to Siddiqui's brother and retired professor, Dr. Siddiqui Mujibi, whenever his brother went to Mumbai, Khwaja Saheb himself came to the station to receive him.

Bachchan celebrates his birthday on the same day as the birth anniversary of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, the leader of the 'total revolution'. It may be a mere coincidence, but while playing the role of Anwar Ali, Amitabh takes the latter's name in a dialogue. In the dialogue, he says: "Main us Bihar rajya ka rehnewala hoon, jaha Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan aur Maulana Mazharul Haque ki paidaish huyi hai (I belong to the state of Bihar, where Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan and Maulana Mazharul Haque were born)."

--IANS
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By Vikas Datta
Over his vibrantly colourful career, which has crossed the half-century mark and is still going strong, Amitabh Bachchan was paired with several generations of heroines and held his own against many male peers, as well as older and younger generations spanning Dilip Kumar to Shah Rukh Khan. His real test, however, was to maintain the upper hand when facing accomplished character actors, ranging from dastardly villains to steadfast friends, and even long-lost parents.



There are many such actors playing key roles in some of Bachchan's iconic films - would Inspector Vijay Khanna been successful in tackling crime without the tip-offs from an anonymous drunk or proved his mettle against a lesser villain than Teja, would "(the fake) Don" have worked without the acumen of DSP D'Silva or found himself in travails without the machinations of Vardhaman, or Sikandar found his 'muqaddar' without the advice of Dervish Baba.

But while stalwarts like Ajit, Iftekhar (often the police superior and in one case, the mafia one), Madan Puri, Om Prakash, Prem Chopra, Ranjit, Nazir Hussain, Satyen Kappu, Kadar Khan, Om Shivpuri, M.B. Shetty, among others, provide more taste and variety to many of Bachchan's "masala" films as both allies or antagonists, there were at least two who made him scramble to match them onscreen.

The first was arguably Hindi films' once foremost villain, whose onscreen relationship with Bachchan was aptly demonstrated in an exchange of exactly half a dozen words in one of their blockbusters. As Bachchan asks him with his habitual insouciance: "Aap kaun hai mai-baap?", he gets a terse but steely retort: "Tumhara baap". The film was "Amar Akbar Anthony" (1977)

Pran, who had a key role in getting Bachchan the role that made his name, appeared onscreen with him in 11 films over a decade and a half - and save the last two, all are intrinsic to the Bachchan legend.

The first to be cast in "Zanjeer" (1973) as the redoubtable Sher Khan, it was the word of Pran, who had gauged Bachchan's intensity that finally convinced a reluctant Prakash Mehra to cast Bachchan in the role that laid the template of the "angry young man".

And in the film, right from their first scene, where he is gratuitously insulted by the good inspector and controls himself after a flash of intense anger, he marks his presence, even after becoming an ally.

And Pran also creates a record in becoming a supporting actor who gets to sing in a film, whose structure prevents the hero from doing so.

The two came together in two films the next year (1974) - in "Kasauti", where Pran pulls off with elan the role of the hero's Gorkha friend, and even gets to serenade the lead couple with "Hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai", and then, more prominently in "Majboor", where as small-time thief Michael D'Souza, his evidence is key in getting Bachchan out of the murder charge he landed himself in when terminally ill. He again gets a foot-tapping song "Daru ki botal mein... Phir na kehna Michael peeke danga karta hai".

They reunited in "Amar Akbar Anthony" (1977), where Pran was the hapless driver-turned-flamboyant smuggler, who turns out to be the long-lost father of the three heroes, and then in "Don" (1978), where he, as the crippled tightrope artiste, is virtually the second lead, and Salim-Javed wrote as many crisp dialogues for him as Bachchan in both his roles.

Pran plays the long-lost father again of Bachchan (and Rishi Kapoor) - and the final saviour - again in the multi-starrer "Naseeb" (1981), the stern and embittered jailor in "Kaalia" (1981) - the scene where a deadpan Bachchan predicts the entire sequence of his actions is priceless, the rich but oblivious father, whose neglect leads to Amitabh becoming the "Sharaabi" (1984), and the mentor in "Shahensah" (1988).

The last two appearances were in the sub-par films, the father in "Toofan" and an elderly assistant in "Jadugar" (1989).

The second actor appeared in 14 films with Bachchan - and these also include some of the megastar's best from "Sholay" (1975) to "Mahaan" (1983). But save two, Amjad Khan was usually a villain - in "Parvarish" (1977), "Kasme Vaade" (1978), "Mr Natwarlal", "Suhaag" (both 1979), 'Ram Balram" (1980), "Naseeb" (1981), "Satte pe Satta", "Desh Premee" (both 1982), and "Nastik" (1983).

However, in three, Amjad Khan was a vital foil to Bachchan - as the laughing gangster Dilawar in "Muqaddar ka Sikandar" (1978), the childhood friend-turned-benefactor Bishan in "Yaarana" (1981), and the estranged father in "Laawaris" (1981).

Neither Pran or Amjad Khan ever sought to upstage Bachchan but in their onscreen encounters, they helped bring out his best as well as provide full entertainment to the audience.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 10 (IANS) Work on director R. Kannan's next film, featuring actress Hansika Motwani in the lead, began on Monday with a simple pooja.

The film is being produced by G. Dhananjayan, who had also produced director R. Kannan's earlier film, the critically acclaimed superhit film 'Ivan Thanthiran'.

Sources close to the unit say that Kannan's upcoming film will be a heroine-centric one and that it would be an emotional, horror-based comedy thriller.

The film's core story idea came from writer Ma. Tholgappian, a source said, adding that producer Dhananjayan developed the story's screenplay with many interesting elements. Dialogues for the film have been penned by lyricist Srini Selvaraj.

The trio of Tholgappian, Dhananjayan and Srini Selvaraj is believed to have worked on this script idea for more than six months before giving R. Kannan a bound script.

Well-known actors such as Metro Shirish, Mayilsamy, Thalaivasal Vijay, Brigida and Pawan will also be seen playing important roles in the film, which is to be shot non-stop and completed in three months.

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Oct 10 (IANS) Hollywood star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was ordered to lose weight, drop his stage name and stop talking about wrestling if he wanted to make it in Hollywood.

The 'Fast and the Furious' star shot to fame in the mid-1990s as a regular performer with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) adopting the name 'The Rock' and becoming one of the franchise's most recognisable wrestlers before making a crossover to movies with a role as the Scorpion King in 2001's 'The Mummy Returns', reports femalefirst.co.uk.

However, Johnson has now shared that he was asked to make some serious changes if he wanted to be taken seriously as an actor. Speaking on 'CBS Sunday Morning', he said: "They said, 'Okay, great. But now here's what you have to do: You have to stop working out as much. You have to lose weight. You can't call yourself The Rock. You can't talk about wrestling. Let's stay away from all that.'"

Host Tracy Smith then asked him: "These are all the things they told you? 'Don't be this anymore'?" and the star replied: "That's right. So, I tried that, Tracy, I tried getting smaller, losing weight. It all felt wrong."

Tracy then asked: "And once you started being yourself?" and he explained: "That was it. When that happened, a funny thing happened: Hollywood conformed around me. And years later, I'm sitting here with you."

Johnson went on to land his first leading role, reprising his Scorpion King character for a self-titled 2002 spin-off and his Hollywood career took off.

He eventually scored a lucrative recurring role in the 'Fast and The Furious' franchise as well as leading the cast of action movies such as 'San Andreas' and 'Skyscraper'.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 10 (IANS) From starting her career at the age of 17 as an intern to becoming the most successful producer, TV czarina Ekta Kapoor has come a long way and she recalls her earlier days after receiving 'Bemisaal Rishta' award during an award function.

Though she started her career in the entertainment industry very early, her first successful show was the 1995 sitcom 'Hum Paanch'. Later in 2000, her show 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' became the most successful TV serial.

Post that she did several hit shows including 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki', 'Kabhi Sautan Kabhii Sahelii', 'Kalash', 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay', and 'Kasamh Se'. Ekta also came up with a fearless reality show 'Lock Upp' hosted by Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut.

She said: "I certainly have to say that I was only 17 years old and created history by starting at such a young age with the serial 'Hum Panch'. I still remember taking the entry form for the pilot shoot of the show. I was not sure at that time, but I would say it doesn't matter if you are young, or old, you have a filmy background or not, this channel always functions with you, based on your ability."

She also expressed her gratitude towards the team of her popular shows and said pointing towards 'Kumkum Bhagya' actor Shabbir Ahluwalia that everyone from the team misses him.

"A special thanks to the team of 'Kundali Bhagya', 'Kumkum Bhagya', and 'Bhagya Lakshmi'. The man standing here, Shabbir, the channel doesn't miss you because they have you. But, we miss you," she added.

'Zee Rishtey Awards' airs on Zee TV.

--IANS
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