ShowBiz

Mumbai, Sep 5 (IANS) Actress Katrina Kaif, who will be seen on 'Koffee With Karan' with her 'Phone Bhoot' co-stars Ishaan Khatter and Siddharth Chaturvedi, has spoken about the concept of "suhaag raat" in the tenth episode of the chat show.

While Alia Bhatt dismissed the concept of suhaag raat as a myth, recently married Katrina, who is the wife of actor Vicky Kushal, shared a smarter solution for tired couples to follow.

"It does not always have to be a suhaag raat. It can also be a suhaag din," the actress said.

Made under the production of Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment, the upcoming adventure comedy 'Phone Bhoot', is a horror comedy.

Stream Hotstar Specials' 'Koffee with Karan Season 7' on Disney+ Hotstar

--IANS
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Los Angeles, Sep 5 (IANS) Comedian Chris Rock has tagged Hollywood star Will Smith's online apology for slapping him at the Oscars as "hostage video".

The 57-year-old comic made the statement during another of his stand-up sets alongside Dave Chappelle as part of the pair's new joint comedy tour, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Referring to 53-year-old Smith's apology video released in July, Chris said, "F*** your hostage video".

The comic also used the set to refer to Will as "Suge Smith", in reference to the thuggish and imprisoned Death Row Records executive Suge Knight.

Rock told fans, who attended his and Dave's performance at Liverpool's M and S Arena, Will had managed to do an impersonation of a "perfect man for 30 years" before showing he is "just as ugly as the rest of us".

This is the first time the comic had extensively shared his feelings about being slapped by Will at this year's Oscars.

Dave asked Chris in front of the crowd, "Did that s**t hurt?" prompting Chris to exclaim, "Goddam right... the motherf**ker hit me over a bulls**t joke - the nicest joke I ever told."

He added, "Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us. Whatever the consequences are... I hope he doesn't put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men."

Earlier this year, Smith stormed the stage at the Academy Awards in March and whacked Chris after the comic compared his wife's shaven head to actress Demi Moore's buzzcut in the 1997 film 'G.I. Jane'.

Smith then twice howled from his seat in front of stunned A-listers and while watched by millions of film fans around the world, "Keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth".

It was then revealed that Smith's wife of 25 years Jada Pinkett Smith had shaved it as she suffers hair loss-causing alopecia.

While issuing a grovelling apology in his online video in July, Will admitted Rock has not responded to his attempts to reach out.

He said, "So I will say to you, Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Sep 4 (IANS) Megastar K. Chiranjeevi on Sunday revealed that he set up Chiranjeevi Blood Bank as he was moved by the death of many people due to blood shortage in 1998.

Stating that he had many fans who were ready to do anything for him, he said he wanted to use this love and affection for the benefit of people.

Chiranjeevi was speaking at an event at Raj Bhavan, where Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan felicitated and distributed free life insurance policies to volunteers for donating blood for more than 50 times at Chiranjeevi Eye and Blood Bank.

The actor said so far 9.30 lakh units blood has been collected and 70 per cent of this was provided to the poor free of cost while the remaining was given to private hospitals.

He said the problem of blood shortage has been resolved to a large extent in the two Telugu states.

Chiranjeevi revealed that 2,000 to 3,000 people are frequently donating blood. He said the 'Chiru Bhadratha' scheme was started by the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT) to provide security to donors.

Under the scheme, each frequent blood donor has been insured for Rs 7 lakh and the premium was being paid by the trust.

The Governor, in her speech, said that blood donation is a noble cause. She recalled that when she was the house surgeon, even family members of patients were reluctant to come forward to donate flood

She lauded Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust for immense efforts in collecting 9,30,000 units of blood and 4,580 pairs of eyes.

Appreciating Chiranjeevi for being inspirational and brand ambassador for blood donation, she said that this is an unprecedented monumental initiative by any film star in India for encouraging their fans to contribute to a noble cause for the betterment of society.

She said a blood donation programme was being undertaken by Raj Bhavan. An app has been developed to ensure that the needy get the blood on time. She requested the CCT to become part of this initiative.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 4 (IANS) Calling the working with A.R. Rahman as a great experience, ace director Gautham Vasudev Menon has disclosed that the situations for two songs in his upcoming film, 'Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu' (VTK), featuring Simbu in the lead, was created by none other than the Mozart of Madras himself.

The director, during the audio and trailer launch event of the film, shared his experience of working with Rahman. "I think it is the easiest thing that has ever happened to me - the working process. We discuss only work, only films and only that particular film."

"It could be at 2.30 in the morning. Suddenly, I would get a phone call. I think Rahman sir doesn't check the time. At 2.30 a.m., he'd call me and say, 'Lyricist Thamarai is on line. Can we talk?" That conversation would go on for about two hours. We'll talk about the mood of the song and its lyrics," he elaborated.

"In this film, in two places, the situations where songs appear are ones that Rahman sir himself created for us.

"It is not a song-heavy film but very beautifully, he looked at the film and said, 'At this place, I see a song Gautham. Why can't there be a song here? It is exactly the movement that you say it should be but I see it as a song. Why don't we treat this musically?' Rahman sir said and created two such situations for songs," Menon added.

"Thamarai wrote beautiful lyrics for these two songs. But because of the lockdown and the pandemic, a lot of discussion happened online. It happened over Skype, Zoom and phone calls. Of course, we went to the studio and got it recorded. But it was a great experience as always," he said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Dheeraj Dhoopar, who received many accolades for playing Karan Luthra in the TV soap 'Kundali Bhagya', is now a part of the celebrity dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10', which is altogether a new experience for him.

It is challenging, too, for along with it he is doing a fictional show 'Sherdill Shergill' opposite Surbhi Chandna.

On how he is juggling between the two, Dheeraj told IANS: "It is tough. But I have prepared myself mentally to put in all of my efforts towards the success of these shows.

"It is physically and mentally very demanding to be a part of two big shows but I feel that God put one in such a situation only because they know they can do it."

After doing several TV shows like 'Sasural Simar Ka', 'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge', 'Naagin 5' and many more, he finds 'Kundali Bhagya' closest to his heart.

He said: "Every show for me has been special. I cannot put a finger on that one show. But 'Kundali Bhagya' gave me a different identity and I will always remember it. 'Jhalak' too is special for me because it is my first ever reality show."

The actor furthermore shares about how he prepares himself for giving his best as a dancer in front of the judges like Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit, filmmaker Karan Johar and actress and dancer Nora Fatehi.

Dheeraj added: "More than physical preparation I feel preparing myself mentally is very important. And I believe that if I am mentally prepared then nothing is impossible. Also, despite my tough schedule I make it a point to go for my rehearsal no matter what."

Dheeraj recently embraced fatherhood and the couple posted pictures on social media. When asked about how he views fatherhood, he replied: "Nothing can be compared to the feeling of becoming a father. It is one of the purest feelings on this planet.

"Honestly speaking, it is difficult to be away but I would also like to say that seeing my baby after I come home makes me forget all my problems."

He is all praise for his dance partner on the show and choreographer Sneha Singh. "Sneha is an amazing choreographer and we have a gala time rehearsing," he said. "It is a perfect blend of hard work and fun that we as a team have. On the sets we are very focussed towards our performance."

Dheeraj at first was not interested in becoming an actor. "Initially I wanted to become a ramp model, but soon I realised that I was not tall enough," Dheeraj said. "This made me focus on prints modelling and shoot and through that I got my first ever show. I have had a smooth journey in the industry actually and there has been no struggle.

"After every show that I finished, I got my next show. Today I am happy that I am known for more than just my good looks. And with Jhalak I hope people see my journey as a dancer."

Talking about his future projects, he said: "I have been in talks for a few OTT and Bollywood projects but I don't want to do it for the sake of it. If I am doing an OTT project or a Bollywood film it will be something out of the box and something worth it."

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 4 (IANS) After composing music for Aanand L. Rai's 'Good Luck Jerry', Parag Chhabra has come on board for his next production 'An Action Hero', starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat in the lead roles.

Talking about the reunion, Aanand said: "It really surprises me the kind of conviction and clarity Parag brings in his composition at such an early stage of his career. I think he is one of the few composers with whom Hindi music will see the beginning of a new era."

Born and raised in Indore, Parag is known for composing music for films such as 'Mom', 'Mohenjo Daro' and 'Viceroy House' along with A.R. Rahman.

Working with Aanand, he said, is a blessing for him and it is really a big opportunity. "Working with Anand Sir has been an extremely rewarding experience for me," Parag said. "I was truly fortunate to have a person of his stature place his trust and belief in me and give me the freedom to fearlessly exercise creative choices."

"He empowers young talent through continuous guidance and steers them in the right direction without limiting their artistic expression. He has an exceptionally strong sense of melody and a sharp instinct, which is of great help to shape up the entire album," Parag added.

Directed by Anirudh Iyer, 'An Action Hero' is produced by Bhushan Kumar,Krishan Kumar and Aanand L Rai. It will be released on December 2.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 4 (IANS) Actress Charmme Kaur, who is also one of the producers of the just released Telugu film 'Liger', on Sunday announced that she was taking a break from social media.

Taking to Twitter, Charmme Kaur said, "Chill guys! Just taking a break (from social media) @PuriConnects will bounce back. Bigger and Better... Until then, live and let live."

Charmme's decision to take a break from social media comes at a time when 'Liger', the film she produced along with Karan Johar, Puri Jagannadh, Apoorva Mehta and Hiroo Yash Johar, has fared badly at the box office.

The film, which featured Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Pandey in the lead, was made on a lavish scale and was even promoted as boxing legend Mike Tyson's first Indian film.

Rumours doing the rounds in the industry suggest that Liger's poor performance might have a telling impact on the next project of director Puri Jagannadh with actor Vijay Deverakonda as well.

If the rumours are to be believed, 'Jana Gana Mana', the next pan-Indian film that director Puri Jagannadh had planned to make with Vijay Deverakonda in the lead, has been shelved. There has been no official announcement, though, about it.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) 'Bigg Boss 14' couple Aly Goni and Jasmin Bhasin will be seen together in the latest music video 'Sajaunga Lutkar Bhi'. The actor says that their off-screen chemistry is visible on the camera.

The best part of shooting with Jasmin, according to Aly, is that their chemistry is amazing. "She's a great actor and our chemistry is visible on camera. This is our fourth song together. Our previous three songs were '2 Phone', 'Tu Bhi Sataya Jayega' and 'Tera Suit', and thankfully we have got good reviews for all of them."

"Chemistry is the most important thing that is shown on camera. We had a blast shooting together," he said.

'Sajaunga Lutkar Bhi' is choreographed by Ganesh Acharya and sung by Shaan and Neeti Mohan.

The song captures romantic moments between Aly and Jasmin and it is a remake of the old track 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne' from 1973 movie 'Yaadon Ki Baaraat', originally composed by RD Burman.

"The song is beautiful, the team is nice. Coming together of Ganesh, a great choreographer and Shaan and Neeti's voices make it a perfect package. Also, the song has been shot differently from the other songs, and the rain sequence gives a movie feel," he says.

'Sajaunga Lutkar Bhi' was shot in Mumbai last month and Goni shares on his on screen chemistry with Jasmin and how he reacts to the expectations of his fans.

"There's no pressure. I feel happy that fans get what they expect from us though it takes time. The response has been great and the song is already trending on YouTube. Fans love to see us together all the time, and that gives us immense pleasure," he adds.

On the possibility of Jasmin and him teaming up for a TV or OTT project, he replies: "I don't know about TV, but if there's a good script for OTT I would love to do it. It depends on the subject. We are having our individual careers going on too."

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) Ace director Gautham Vasudev Menon has disclosed that his much-awaited film, 'Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu' featuring actor Silambarasan in the lead, may well have a sequel.

Participating in the audio and trailer launch of the film, Gautham Vasudev Menon disclosed that the story of the film does not end with the first part and that it continues.

"But then, that depends on how well the people accept it (the first part) and how it reaches the audience," he said, suggesting that a sequel to the film was very much on the cards.

The director also disclosed that the original story that writer Jeyamohan gave to him did not have a romantic track in it and that it is writer Jeyamohan's wife, who, after reading his script, suggested to him to introduce one.

Gautham Menon said, "Writer Jeyamohan's wife apparently told him that he had given a director known for his romantic films a script that had no love track in it. He called me and told me this and asked me to add the romantic track to the script.

"However, before adding the romantic track, I checked with him about the place in the script where it should be added. I suggested a point which I thought provided the space for a romantic track and introduced the romantic element there after he approved of it."

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) The unit of director Mani Ratnam's much-awaited magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan', on Saturday released actress Aishwarya Lekshmi's look as Samudrakumari Poonguzhali in the film.

Taking to Twitter, Lyca Productions, which is producing the film along with director Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, said: "Soft as the wind, mighty as the ocean! Meet #AishwaryaLekshmi as Samudrakumari Poonguzhali!"

The production house, in its tweet, reiterated the fact that a grand audio and trailer launch of the film was to take place on September 6 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Earlier, the production house had also disclosed the looks of Sarathkumar and Parthiban in the film. The production house had introduced their characters saying: "Meet the fearless protectors of Chola pride! Presenting Sarathkumar as Periya Pazhuvettarayar and R. Parthiepan as Chinna Pazhuvettarayar!"

The film, the first part of which is scheduled to hit screens on September 30, is based on the classic Tamil novel 'Ponniyin Selvan' by eminent writer Kalki.

The brilliant story, that revolves around the early life of prince Arulmozhi Varman, who later on went on to be known as the great Raja Raja Chozhan, is one of a kind.

The film, called by Mani Ratnam as his dream project, features a host of top stars including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prabhu and Prakash Raj.

The project will be among the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the country.

The film has the best in business handling each of its departments. A. R. Rahman is scoring the music for this epic historical and cinematography is by Ravi Varman. National Award winning art director Thotta Tharani is in charge of production design while Mani Ratnam's trusted editor Sreekar Prasad is handling its editing.

--IANS
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