Bollywood

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi becomes the highest Indian opener in Japan
Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, which released a year ago, is still making headlines. While the film received a positive response both from the audiences as well as the critics here, it has done exceedingly well in Japan as well.

Post its release in Japan, the latest reports suggest that the Japanese audience have loved the film so much so that it has opened at number 3 at the box office there. And just like that, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has become the highest Indian opener at the box office in Japan. Kangana not only played the titular role in the film but also made her directorial debut with the film. Now that sure is good news not just for Kangana but also for Bollywood!


Kartik Aaryan recounts the day Imtiaz Ali called him for Love Aaj Kal

The makers of Love Aaj Kal finally released the trailer today. Starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, the film looks exciting and fun. The trailer was launched at a suburban theatre amidst much fanfare. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film hits the theatreson February 14, 2020.

When Kartik Aaryan was asked at the event about how does he feel to be directed by Imtiaz Ali for the first time, the actor gave a very honest reply where he said it was truly a dream come true moment for him when he bagged the film. But what came as a surprise was when the actor narrated a tale about what happened when Imtiaz called him for the first time to approach him for the film. Kartik said that he was shooting for Dinesh Vijan’s production Luka Chuppi when he got a call from the filmmaker. Obviously he was completely taken aback with his call and rushed to the washroom, to speak to him privately and also to sink in the fact, that the filmmaker was offering him a film. Kartik jokingly adds that the call lasted for 35 to 40 minutes and he was inside the washroom till the call completed. Everyone was surprised to know the story, including Dinesh Vijan who was also on stage (producer of Love Aaj Kal too). Dinesh quickly added saying, Kartik told us he had a stomach upset that day on the shoot… what a liar! This moment left everyone in splits.

Shah Rukh Khan makes Jeff Bezos say one of his popular dialogues

American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos visited India and last night to acknowedge the same, there was a special event where the who’s who of Bollywood was invited. While a lot of celebrities like Ritiesh Deshmukh, Genelia D’Souza, Vidya Balan and many more attended the event, Shah Rukh Khan and Zoya Akhtar had a special chat session with him.

.@JeffBezos & @iamsrk - don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin impossible hai!!! pic.twitter.com/mFlrSfXA56

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) January 16, 2020

As usual Shah Rukh Khan entertained everyone present there with his humour and wit. After speaking for a long time about movies and other issues, Shah Rukh Khan turned the moment light when he started talking about his movies and made Jeff mouth his dialogue. It all started when Jeff said that he almost landed getting a role in Star Trek Beyond and SRK instantly asked him to audition for a Hindi film too. King Khan started mouthing his famous dialogue from Don and asked Jeff to repeat after him. Obviously, he brought a twist to the dialogue he left the audience in splits when he said, “Jeff ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin impossible hai.” Riteish Deshmukh took to Twitter to share this video and check out this epic moment here…

Even SRK took to social media to share a picture with Jeff and Zoya Akhtar and captioned the picture saying, Fun and learning evening with the Zordaar #Zoyaakhtar & the Zabardast @jeffbezos Thanx everyone at @PrimeVideoIN for arranging this. Aparna, Gaurav & Vijay Thx for ur kindness. @AmitAgarwal ur bow tie was a killer...

Varun Dhawan reveals details about his character from Mr. Lele

Varun Dhawan has a super packed 2020. He as a great line-up of films coming up. Few days back, Karan Johar announced his next collaboration with the actor, Mr. Lele, which ll be helmed by Shashank Khaitaan and as the title suggests, this film is filled with quirks and a lot of funny twists and turns.

The first look of the film featuring Varun in boxers posing with a gun in his hand attracted a lot of eyeballs and left Netizens as well as people from the industry super excited. Today the actor revealed more about the film in an interview to a leading daily. Varun Dhawan will be playing the role of a typical Maharasthrian boy from Mumbai. To get the Marathi accent right, the actor will also undergo training. However, Varun Dhawan reveals that he wasn’t sure about the film and hence called his director, Shashank Khaitaan 109 times in two days, to clear his doubts. The director-actor duo has teamed up for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania before this and we are super stoked about their third collab too.

Rumours are strong that Mr Lele will star Janhvi Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar in lead roles apart from Varun. Mr Lele releaseson January 1, 2021. Currently Varun Dhawan is busy promoting his upcoming film Street Dancer 3D with Shraddha Kapoor and Nora Fatehi. Street Dancer 3D hits the theatreson January 24, 2020.

Trailer review: Love Aaj Kal
Movie: Love Aaj Kal
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Sara Ali Khan and Aarushi Sharma
Rating: 2.5/5


Back in 2009, Imtiaz Ali delivered a masterpiece with Love Aaj Kal. The film starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone was a rage amongst the youth telling us love two stories set in two completely different eras and showing us how different yet similar they were. Over a decade later, he continues the franchise with Saif’s daughter Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan. Kartik Aaryan plays a double role in the film as he romances Sara in the story set in the present age and Arushi Sharma is playing the heroine in past-story part.


Like the prequel, Love Aaj Kal shows us that complications of relationships that exist in today’s times and puts them in contrast with problems that couples faced in the past. Just by looking at the trailer, we are sure that Sara Ali Khan is a star in the making. Along with ravishing looks, the young star has a charming screen presence and grabs all your attention when she’s in frame. Kartik Aaryan and Arushi Sharma too seem to have done justice to their parts.

All in all, it looks like Love Aaj Kal has all the elements required from an Imtiaz Ali film and we can’t wait to catch it on the big screen come Valentine’s day.



Janhvi Kapoor talks about her experience of flying a chopper

Playing a war hero in her upcoming film, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, is a reason good enough for Janhvi Kapoor to be all excited. But the fact that she tried flying the chopper herself for her role has given her more reasons to smile. She plays Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian woman Air Force pilot in combat, in the film.

No doubt the actress has gone through some training and research to understand her character better. In fact, she shared in a recent interview that she got so close to actually flying the chopper while filming the movie. “I got to do things that I never get to do in real life. I got to fly a chopper. I flew it myself. I don t know if I am allowed to say this. I had a pilot with me, Francesco, whose helicopter it was. I ended up spending so many hours in the chopper that he was like, ‘You know what to do so I will sit here but I will hand over the controls to you’.”

Janhvi also shared that ever since she started working on the film, she has been stuck on the desire to become a pilot and fly a helicopter. She said, “Before we shot all the aerial stuff, I spent a year shooting for the film and almost every day I was saying that I want to become a pilot. So, when I finally sat in the chopper, I got emotional, everyone on the set was teary-eyed. It was a very emotional journey.”

Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl also stars Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi and is being directed by Sharan Sharma. It is produced by Karan Johar and is scheduled to release on March 13, 2020.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas star together in another music video

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas are always sharing adorable posts together on social media. Whether it’s Christmas Eve or Karva Chauth, the couple always gives Nickyanka fans a treat from time to time. Nick Jonas teamed up with his brothers again after a hiatus of 6 years in 2019. And after the superhit soundtrack, Sucker, where the Jonas brothers were seen romancing their respective partners, the musical brothers are set for their next release. This time the song is titled What A Man Gotta Do. And yet again the Jonas Brothers have locked in their respective partners for the music video.

Recently Nick Jonas shared a teaser poster from the song where we see Priyanka and Nick in a happy pose and donning similar over-sized shirts. Nick s brother Kevin Jonas also shared a teaser poster, where his partner Danielle is holding her pet by the window and Kevin is holding up a boom box for her. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are yet to share their teaser poster. The Jonas brothers are going all out for this one. We can’t wait to watch it.

Aamir Khanâs daughter Ira Khan opens up about her relationship

Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan is a fesity young girl, unafraid to speak her mind. She s also open about her life on social media.Today in an interview with an agency, Ira Khan was candid about her relationship and why shechoosesto be open about it on social media. The girl has been dating Mishaal Kripalani (composer, producer and an artist) for two years now. She said,“I wasn t trying to be open about it. I was just posting what I felt like posting. I try and keep my account pages as real as I can... It depends on the kind of person you are... I was not trying to be open, but I was also not trying to hide anything.”

Ira made her directorial debut last year with the stage production, Euripides Medea. The play was an adaptation of Euripides Greek tragedy Medea and it stars Junaid Khan and Hazel Keech.


Love Aaj Kals trailer to be out to tomorrow
There has been a lot of buzz around Imtiaz Ali’s next film Love Aaj Kal. Today the makers and the actors released the first poster of the film. We learnt that the film has retained the original title and named it the sequel too as Love Aaj Kal. The film stars Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan and the first look is magical. In the poster we see Kartik Aaryan fast asleep with his laptop next to him. Seen with him is Sara, who is hugging him. The poster also has 2020 and 1990 written on both the ends and hints that the film will be about two decades and the journey of Kartik Aaryan’s character in the film searching for love and more. Imtiaz Ali’s films have always been quirky and fun having offbeat love stories. And this one too looks intriguing.

Kartik and Sara took to social media to launch the first look and even introduced us to their respective characters, Veer and Zoe. They also revealed that the trailer will be released tomorrow. Well, we are super excited to watch it tomorrow. Aren t you? Love Aaj Kal hits the theatres on February 14, 2020.

âœI got rejected several timesâ - Alaya Furniturewala

Pooja Bedi’s daughter, Alaya Furniturewala, is all geared up for her Bollywood debut with Jawaani Jaaneman alongside Saif Ali Khan and Tabu. Alaya, in an interview to a leading daily, shared that she wanted to be a director and enrolled for a four-year course in filmmaking at the New York University.

However, during a group activity at the course, when she was being directed by a course-mate, she realised that she enjoyed acting. On returning to India for her summer break, she told her mother that she wanted to face the camera. Alaya then pursued acting. She spent the next two years training in acting, dancing and also took Hindi diction classes.

Although being Pooja Bedi’s daughter, Alaya shares that no one came to her with a film offer. She went out on her own and finally bagged Jawaani Jaaneman in Saif Ali Khan’s home production. “I got rejected several times, then, was lucky enough to bag this film. I’m glad that I got rejected and grateful my debut is happening with Saif Sir and Tabu ma’am. It didn’t feel real until I started shooting the film,” shared Alaya.

Ask her about the issue of nepotism in this industry and Alaya admits it’s real and there’s no running away from it. She said, “We need to realise that evenin our struggle, we are privileged. If we got rejected in 10 auditions, someone else has got the thumbs down 100 times.Their struggle is greater than ours. But just because I’m privileged, doesn’t mean that I’m not going to do what I loveand work hard at it.”

Well said, Alaya!

Are Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal planning a summer wedding in Goa?

Rumours have been rife about Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal’s wedding. The couple, suggest reports, is planning to tie the knot this May and the destination is Goa. It will be a big fat Punjabi wedding.

Natasha has been spotted with Varun on several occasions, be it B-town events, or screenings. The couple has even gone on holidays together. What’s more, the two brought in New Year’s Eve at a Swiss resort in each other s company.

A producer told a news portal, “Apparently, Varun and Natasha are planning to get married in May this year. It will be a grand summer wedding, spanned over a week, with all the events including mehendi, sangeet and reception—and mostly in Goa at a luxury hotel or beach resort. Incidentally, Varun s brother and director Rohit Dhawan had got married eight years ago to Jaanvi at Park Hyatt in Goa. A few Bollywood bigwigs have been informed to keep some dates between the second and third week of May free, though those dates too are a closely guarded secret. But it won’t be a secret wedding like Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. For Varun’s wedding, it will be band, baaja and baraat for Bollywood!”

Varun’s wedding is expected to be attended by all of David Dhawan and Rohit Dhawan’s friends from Bollywood, along with Varun’s friends and colleagues like Sidharth Malhotra, John Abraham, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor and his family, Boney Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan and others. Presently, Varun’s family is sorting out the guest list for the grand wedding.

The source further added, “The remake of Coolie No. 1 is a big and very important film for David, Varun and Rohit as they are producing it too with Vashu Bhagnani. They will pull out all the stops for the marketing and promotion of the movie from March onwards and once it releases, there will some time on everyone’s hands to throw a wedding. Varun’s birthday is on April 24 and his wedding date may be announced on that day as it’s a special day. Though Varun has signed Shashank Khaitan’s comic thriller, Mr. Lele, which may start in March, he may get some time off in May, post the release of Coolie No 1. Apparently, Varun is working around those dates so he can take some time off to get married and then go for a honeymoon. Designer Manish Malhotra, who is very close to Varun and his family, may design his wedding outfit. Natasha is an extremely talented designer, who owns the Natasha Dalal Label, which specialises in bridal outfits. So she may design her own one.” Exciting, isn t it?

Chhapaaks box-office collection on Day 6

Deepika Padukone’s much awaited film, Chhapaak, released in the theatres last Friday. The Meghna Gulzar directorial received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. The films is based on real-life acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal and it narrates her journey after the horrific incident.

Chhapaak opened to Rs. 4.77 crore on its first day, inspite of receiving a lot of love and applaud from the audience. Till Wednesday, that is yesterday, it made a total of Rs. 26.53 crore at the box-office. The film locked horns with Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan’s period drama Tanhaji : The Unsung Warrior at the box-office. While Deepika’s film performed well in the big cities, Tanhaji... managed to strike a chord with the masses.

People, who watched Chhapaak have called it Deepika’s best performance so far. Well we’ll have to wait and watch whether the collections match up to the acclaim.

Tanhaji : The Unsung Warrior crosses the 100 crore mark at the box-office

Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan’s period dramaTanhaji, the unsung warrior released in the theatres last Friday. The Om Raut directorial brings together Ajay and Kajol together onscreen after a span of almost 9 years. Based in the 17thcentury,Tanhajinarrates the story of SubedarTanhajiMalhusare, the military leader in the army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who lost his life in the battle at Sinhagad fort.

The film becomes the first movie of 2020 to cross 100 crores at the box-office.Tanhajiopened to a decent Rs. 15.10 crore on its first day. Registering a spectacular first weekend it made Rs 20.57 crore on Saturday and Rs. 26.26 crore on Sunday. The film did amazing in the weekdays test making Rs. 13.75 crore on Monday and Rs. 15.28 crore on Tuesday. The Ajay-Saif starrer joined the 100 crore club with making Rs. 16.72 crore on Wednesday.Tanhajinow stands at a grand total of Rs. 107.68 crore at the box-office.

With positive word of mouth publicity and being declared tax-free the film’s business is only going to rise further.

Exclusive: First look of Kajol Neha Dhupia Shruti Hassan from Devi

Bollywood is always buzzing with fresh news and projects and this morning we woke up to the details about a short film titled Devi, which’ll mark Kajol’s debut in the space of short films. The film starsKajol, Shruti Hassan, Neha Dhupia, Neena Kulkarni, Mukta Barve, Sandhya Mhatre, Rama Joshi, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Yashaswini Dayama. Based on the story of nine oppressed women, living in a small room, faced with the dilemma of sharing their space and stories in a country which has almost normalised tragedy and pain. The film has been shot in just two days and is Produced by Niranjan Iyengar and Ryan Stephen s Electric Apples Entertainment. Written and directed by debutant Priyanka Banerjee for Large Short Films, the project also marks Shruti Hassan’s debut in the digital space.

Talking about the special project, Kajol said, “I couldn t have chosen a better subject than Devi for my first short film. It s a powerful statement, written very well by Priyanka. It s a poignant film, one that needs to be shared with the world, especially today. My character, Jyoti, is vastly different from me in many ways, but uncannily we share a lot too. In today s times when gender discrimination, abuse and violence is being spoken about vociferously, films like Devi are far more relevant and I am glad to have got the opportunity to participate.“

While Shruti Hassan said, “I loved the concept of the film when I heard it. We often talk about a sisterhood and how women need to stand with each other. Devi highlights that aspect in such a lovely way, with such a powerful message. It s disturbingly poignant and that s why I knew I had to be part of it, and I couldn t have found a more perfect film to make my debut on the digital platform!” Well, we are super stoked for this one, aren’t you too?

Exclusive: First look of Kajol Neha Dhupia Shruti Hassan from Devi

Bollywood is always buzzing with fresh news and projects and this morning we woke up to the details about a short film titled Devi, which’ll mark Kajol’s debut in the space of short films. The film starsKajol, Shruti Hassan, Neha Dhupia, Neena Kulkarni, Mukta Barve, Sandhya Mhatre, Rama Joshi, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Yashaswini Dayama. Based on the story of nine oppressed women, living in a small room, faced with the dilemma of sharing their space and stories in a country which has almost normalised tragedy and pain. The film has been shot in just two days and is Produced by Niranjan Iyengar and Ryan Stephen s Electric Apples Entertainment. Written and directed by debutant Priyanka Banerjee for Large Short Films, the project also marks Shruti Hassan’s debut in the digital space.

Talking about the special project, Kajol said, “I couldn t have chosen a better subject than Devi for my first short film. It s a powerful statement, written very well by Priyanka. It s a poignant film, one that needs to be shared with the world, especially today. My character, Jyoti, is vastly different from me in many ways, but uncannily we share a lot too. In today s times when gender discrimination, abuse and violence is being spoken about vociferously, films like Devi are far more relevant and I am glad to have got the opportunity to participate.“

While Shruti Hassan said, “I loved the concept of the film when I heard it. We often talk about a sisterhood and how women need to stand with each other. Devi highlights that aspect in such a lovely way, with such a powerful message. It s disturbingly poignant and that s why I knew I had to be part of it, and I couldn t have found a more perfect film to make my debut on the digital platform!” Well, we are super stoked for this one, aren’t you too?

Celebs react to Alia Bhattâs look from Gangubai Kathiawadi

Alia Bhatt took to her Instagram to reveal the look of her much-awaited film, Gangubai Kathiawadi. There’s been a lot talk about the film ever since she announced her collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the same.

Earlier today, Alia shared two posters from her upcoming film. The first poster is a black and white close-up shot of the actress. Alia is seen sporting a big red bindi and a nose ring with dark kohl eyes. The poster not only floored her fans but seeing Alia in this intense mafia look also got a lot of reactions from her friends in the industry. Her co-star from Gully Boy, Ranveer cheekily wrote, Here she is indeed Lulu the Gangster come onnn.” Deepika Padukone was also impressed with the poster as she wrote, “LOVE”. Jacqueline Fernandez, Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao Hydari and Shraddha Kapoor also reacted to the film’s posters.

View this post on Instagram

Here she is, Gangubai Kathiawadi ðŸÂÂŒ¹ #SanjayLeelaBhansali @prerna_singh6 @jayantilalgadaofficial @bhansaliproductions @penmovies

A post shared by Alia ☀ï¸Â (@aliaabhatt) on Jan 14, 2020 at 7:36pm PST

The film is reportedly based on Hussain Zaidi s book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, and revolves around the life of Ganuabai Kothewali who was a brothel owner and a matriarch. The film will be co-produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Jayantilal Gada under their respective banners, Bhansali Productions and Pen India ltd.

Aamir Khan looks unrecognisable in this video from the sets of Laal Singh Chaddha
Aamir Khan is undoubtedly one of the most talented and hardworking actors of Bollywood. He is starring with Kareena Kapoor Khan for the official remake of Forrest Gump titled Laal Singh Chaddha. A video from the sets of the film has surfaced online and is making the fans go wild.

The actor, who is back to his clean-shaven look currently is seen flaunting a full grown beard and mustache with long locks and looks unrecognisable in it. The actor was seen heading out of his vanity dressed in character and this video is sure to make you excited for the film.


Check out the video here...

View this post on Instagram

On The Sets - @_aamirkhan on the sets of #LaalSinghChaddha 😎 . #aamirkhan #bollywood #onthesets #laalsinghchaddha #sets #star

A post shared by Filmfare Middle East (@filmfareme) on Jan 15, 2020 at 3:16am PST

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Vidya Balan might play a forest officer in her next film
Vidya Balan is one actress who has proved her mettle time and again by delivering power-packed performances. The actress is currently gearing up for her May 8, 2020 release, the Shakuntala Devi biopic. Vidya plays a mathematician in the film and posters of it have already been released making the audience eager to watch the film. Recent reports around the actress suggest that she might have signed her next on which she ll begin work right after Shakuntala Devi biopic. A source informed a leading portal that the film is about the Tigress Avni. The tigress, which was believed to have turned a man-eater and killed 13 people in Yavatmal s Pandharkawda area was later put down by the authorities. Vidya is expected to play a forest officer in the film.

The source told a leading portal, The makers have worked with Vidya on the Shakuntala Devi biopic and it was then that they offered her this film too. It s a concept that appealed to Vidya and she has never done something like this before. She will be playing a forest officer in the movie.

The source further added, The team wants to roll the film sometime in the next two months. This will be Vidya s immediate next after the biopic on legendary mathematician and the human computer Shakuntala Devi.

Our intention with our work is the same. - Janhvi Kapoor on late Sridevi

Janhvi Kapoor is one of the most promising newcomers of Bollywood. The actress has appeared in one film, Dhadak, till date and worked in a web film Ghost Stories recently. However, she has a lot of films lined up for release, Roohi Afzana, Takht, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Dostana 2, to name a few. The actress recently featured on a chat show where she was questioned about how the stardom of her mother, late Sridevi, helped her in Bollywood and if she thinks it has any role to play in her career at all.

To which the young gun replied saying, I think of it as a responsibility. My family, my mom, in particular, got so much love and appreciation from the audience. As a consequence, I have also got some of that love. I now have to work doubly hard to prove that I deserve it, on my own, also.

She also spoke about how it is impossible for anyone to match her mother, late Sridevi s stardom, she said, “I don’t think it is possible, for anyone, let alone me. I am a different person from her. Our intention with our work is the same. The kind of hard work she put in, has been inculcated in me too, by DNA, and conditioning. I am not vying for stardom, I am here to do good work.”

Amitabh Bachchanâs blog entry on Ritu Nandaâs passing away is heart wrenching

Raj Kapoor’s daughter and Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s mother-in-law, 71-year-old Ritu Nanda passed away yesterday. A lot of people from the film industry turned up to pay their last respects to in New Delhi yesterday including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Armaan Jain and several others.

Amitabh Bachchan wrote a heartfelt note on Ritu Nanda’s demise on his blog. It read, That silent knock at the workplace .. the hurried expression of worried concern .. the hours that sleep in most parts of the World that seek the midnight .. shuffled steps, soft anxious and disturbed conversations .. and then within a blink .. the lights go out .. .. she has gone ..

He further added, “polite conversation, of reminisce, of association, of happy time spent together, of the fight and struggle for the ailment for years .. and most of all the loneliness of them that are left behind .. the vacuum .. the emptiness .. the presence that filled up the entire home .. lost and gone ..

Our condolences are with the family.