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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
ila/shs

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
ila/shs

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
mani/pgh

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
ila/kvd

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
mani/svn/

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
mani/kvd

Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) Well-known Malayalam director Sanal K. Sasidharan on
Saturday announced that two of his films -- 'Ozhivudivathathe Kali'(ODK) and 'Sexy Durga'-- are to be screened at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Taking to Instagram, the director said: "I am so happy and excited to share this fantastic news that two of my films, 'Ozhivudivathathe Kali' and 'Sexy Durga' are being projected on the prestigious screens of The Museum of Modern Art, New York."

"This is the second time 'Sexy Durga' is getting such an opportunity and for 'ODK', ironically this is the International premiere of the film after the long seven years of its production."

"This is an absolutely incredible achievement for the film. Seven years is a long time for an indie film from Malayalam to get forgotten as an old film. But 'ODK' is slowly moving out and starting its journey, I hope."

"If you are in New York please try to watch the films. I am sure that the films are not going to disappoint you."

The director went on to add the screening schedules of the films in his post.

--IANS
mani/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, started working on 'Haddi', where he'll be seen playing a transgender, talked about his experience of working with female directors.

Nawaz then went on to point out some differences between male and female filmmakers.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui rose to fame with 'Peepli Live' with director Anusha Rizvi. He has worked with Director Debamitra Biswal for 'Motichoor Chaknachoor' , Nawazuddin has taken on a very challenging role of prolific writer 'Manto' in Nandita Das's directorial venture.

He has also worked with Zoya Akhtar in 'Bombay Talkies', an anthology of four short stories that describe how films have an influence on the lives of people from various strata of society.

He also worked on 'Talaash' with Reema Kagti.

Nawaz stated: "I have worked with many renowned female directors and that helped me a great deal. I realised that women look at the world differently, They are far more compassionate and they see beauty in everything."

"For most men, it's often about power and control. That also reflects in our relationships. Men tend to be more territorial and unko adhikaar jatana hai, auraton par bhi. The female gaze is kinder and sensitive. I am trying to get that POV (point of view) right."

On the work front, Nawaz has an interesting line-up of films which includes 'Tiku Weds Sheru', 'Noorani Chehra', and 'Adbhut' among others.

--IANS
dc/kvd

Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) 'Pandya Store' actor Kanwar Dhillon, who will be enacting the character of the teacher played by Aamir Khan in 'Taare Zameen Par', says that it is always fun to recall those moments from childhood days and remake them on stage, which will be done in the 'Bachpan special episode'.

He said: "I think people are going to love the Bachpan special episode. It's light-hearted, fun and it had amazing moments. I got to perform as Amir Khan Sir's character from 'Taare Zameen Par'."

Apart from his amazing dance moves on the track 'Bum Bum Bole, Masti Mein Dole', actress Shiny Doshi will be seen turning into Sushmita Sen to perform 'Tumhe jo maine Dekha' from the 2004 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Main Hoon Na'.

Kanwar shared his experience of performing on the stage, adding: "Overall it was a great experience as it was full of energy, full of life, and I think it was one of the finest episodes that we have shot. I'm sure the fans and viewers are going to like this side of their favourite actors, and they are going to love the episode."

Bringing families from daily soaps all together to compete with each other through different acts and dance performances, the reality show 'Ravivaar with Star Parivaar' airs on Star Plus.

--IANS
ila/kvd

Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) Director Bharathiraja, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai, is expected to join the unit of director Susienthiran's upcoming film, 'Valli Mayil', featuring actor Vijay Antony in the lead, by the end of the month. In a statement, National Award winning director Susienthiran said: "I am very happy to announce that we have started the second schedule of shooting of 'Valli Mayil'. The second schedule is to be for a period of 32 days.

"During this period, we will be shooting at Dindigul, Madurai and Tenkasi. I happened to meet director Bharathiraja at the hospital. He told me that he would be joining our unit by the end of the month. I am eager to again work with director Bharathiraja."

Faria Abdullah, who impressed audiences with her performance in the Telugu film 'Jathi Rathnalu', plays an artiste in a drama troupe in 'Valli Mayil'. Vijay Antony plays a cop in the film that is set in the time period of 1985 to 1988.

The unit had finished shooting its first schedule in June this year. The first schedule lasted 28 days. After the second schedule, the unit of 'Valli Mayil' is expected to work on another schedule of 15 days.

Other actors who will be seen in this film include Sathyaraj, Telugu actor Sunil, Thambi Ramiah, Redin Kingsly, Aranthangi Nisha and G.P. Muthu.

--IANS
mani/kvd