Actress Alaya F. in a new social media post has informed fans that she has a lot of exciting things coming up.
Alaya posted a stunning picture on Instagram, where she is seen wearing an embellished bralette and a beaded frilled skirt. She is seen dancing around a pole.
“Lots of exciting things coming up! Can’t wait for you guys to see it!” Alaya wrote alongside the image.
Alaya, who turned 23 on November 28, recently posted an uber-slim pose from a photo-op that has wowed her fans.
Daughter of actress Pooja Bedi, Alaya made her Bollywood debut with “Jawaani Jaaneman” earlier this year. She has a three-film deal with producer Jay Shewakramani.
Bollywood He-Man Dharmendra turned 85 on Tuesday, and his wife Hema Malini had a sweet birthday wish. Sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and grandson Karan Deol, also wished the veteran actor on social media.
Hema Malini tweeted a throwback photo of the couple from their younger days along with a present-day image.
“Yesteryear and now. Your respect, blessings and love have kept us together all these years,” she wrote with the photograph.
Elder son Sunny Deol shared: “#happy #birthday #papa. The Greatest Actor and The Greatest Human being in this World. The World loves you. Be Happy Always. That’s the only way we want to see you. Give us all your sorrows. WE LOVE YOU. PAPA.”
“Love you Papa … Happy Birthday,” posted Dharmendra’s younger son Bobby Deol.
“Happy birthday bade papa love you,” shared grandson Karan Deol.
Elder daughter Esha Deol shared on Instagram: “Holding on to this hand for eternity. Love you papa. Happy Birthday. Wish you happiness and the best of health always.”
Dharmendra is currently gearing up to begin shooting for the recently announced “Apne 2” alongside sons Sunny and Bobby and grandson Karan Deol.
Actress Mrunal Thakur, who wooed the audience with her performances in movies like "Super 30" and "Batla House", will now be seen as female lead in Shahid Kapoor's "Jersey".
Actress Mrunal Thakur says she likes to pick her roles based on stories and emotions, and not on the star quotient associated with the projects.
“Every co-star offers you a unique perspective. From some it’s experience, from some it’s the craft and from some it’s their raw energy,” Mrunal said.
“I worked with Abhimanyu (Dassani) in ‘Aankh Micholi’ and he was such a hoot in ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’. There’s so much raw energy in him that he is capable of holding the scene all by himself. In ‘Pippa’, I will work with Ishaan Khatter and Priyanshu Painyuli, both of whom are just exemplary at what they do. In the end, I choose a film based on how brilliant the story is and how it will help me further my acting and better my craft. We live in times when content is king,” she added.
In Pippa, she plays Ishaan’s reel sibling. Soni Razdan plays their mother. The war drama casts Ishaan as Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta. The film is directed by Raja Krishna Menon, who earlier made Airlift.
Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta of the 45th Cavalry tank squadron, along with his siblings, fought on the eastern front during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, and the film recounts his story. It is based on his book The Burning Chaffees.
Mrunal will also be seen in sports drama, Jersey, alongside Shahid Kapoor.
Shekhar Suman says he is just left with hope and prayers for a miracle to happen, in the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigation.
“A lot of ppl I meet keep asking me wat’s happening to Sushant’s case and I say, I wish I had the answer. Apart from hoping and praying that a miracle will happen one day, there is nothing else you can do,” the actor tweeted from his unverified account on Wednesday using the hashtag #CBIArrestSSRKillersNow.
Just a few days ago, the actor had accused the print and electronic media of not giving the Suhant case adequate coverage anymore.
Sushant Singh Rajput.
“There is absolutely no update in the newspapers. TV channels have all vanished. There is no discussion anywhere by anyone. 6 months down the line we r fighting a desolate battle. I go off the radar now and then bcoz I’m angry that nothing is happening,” Shekhar Suman tweeted on Sunday.
A lot of ppl I meet keep asking me wat's happening to Sushant's case and I say, I wish I had the answer. Apart from hoping and praying that a miracle will happen one day, there is nothing else you can do.#CBIArrestSSRKillersNow
“If the agencies keep quiet and not react what do we do? We can raise our voices louder n louder, ev day ev minute, but then we have to have concerned ppl reacting to it and taking some concrete action. Otherwise it is so frustrating #FightUntilSSRJustice,” the actor wrote in a separate tweet earlier this week.
‘Karwaan’ actress Mithila Palkar, who is also a trained Kathak dancer, says she is thankful that time in the lockdown allowed her to get back to her dancing, after she had to take a break from it due to work and an irregular schedule…Mithila speaks with Siddhi Jain.
Palkar, who features in the Netflix series ‘Little Things’, has been trained in the discipline for three years.
“(I) did decently in my exams. Later because of work and irregular schedule, I had to take a break from it. Thanks to the lockdown, I was able to get back to my dancing and my disciplines. Again, now that the work has begun I had to discontinue my classes because I cannot be regular. But, I am very happy that it is a discipline that I have learned because I always feel like classical dancing/music forms the basis of all the dances and music you eventually learn in your life. It’s like learning alphabets to be able to form sentences. It gives you a good foundation,” Palkar told IANSlife in an interview.
The 27-year-old actress also shares why she took up the dance form: “Kathak for me was a dance form that I always enjoyed watching; I thought it was extremely expressive, beautiful, flowy, pretty and very royal in its own way. So, it was something that I really wanted to learn and had set my heart on it. Obviously, a little bit of that is also because Madhuri Dixit is a Kathak dancer, our generation has grown up watching her and my admiration for her as an actor and a dancer was a contributing factor on my inclination towards learning Kathak.”
Asked how classical dance has helped her acting on camera, Palkar said that – “I feel like having a certain sense of discipline helps the method you eventually follow, take shape and form.”
Talking about her plans for the upcoming year, she said that: “I have very hopeful plans that 2021 opens up places, borders and doors and we all get to travel within India and around the world. I really miss travelling and if my Instagram posts are not enough evidence for that then I don’t know what else is.”
The travel enthusiast and foodie also added, “I can’t say it enough how much I miss travelling and eating food from all around the world and across India. We often talk about food on the sets of something very exciting that I am currently shooting for as it somehow always binds all of us together. How just within the realm of India there’s so much deliciousness in the form of different things, not just food but languages, culture and traditions. There’s so much to go, see, learn, and experience that this is just kind of holding you back from doing all these amazing things. All this is on a very personal level.”
“In terms of work, there are things in the pipeline. I have auditioned for a few projects and I am also reading scripts but you know when they happen is only when they happen. I will tell you about it once I am ready to!”
Actress Rautela wants to try out all genres but wants to do a romantic film again, after the 2016 release, Sanam Re.
“I have hunger as an actor to do all sorts of films and explore all genres and let myself grow with every film,” she said.
“While hope is certainly important, the scientific reason why we tend to fall for a good romantic film is oxytocin or the hormone of love. So when we see a love story, the story resonates with us and our brains react as if we are experiencing it ourselves. When it comes to romance movies, it can feel a bit like we are falling in love ourselves and connecting with the same on a deeper level,” said Urvashi.
The actress recently shot for the video of the song “Woh chaand kaha se laogi”.
“It is my small wish and aspiration to do a romantic film again after ‘Sanam Re’. This video is purely a love story with a lot of heart-break. It has been beautifully composed by Vishal Mishra,” said Urvashi.
She is now looking forward to the release of her Telugu film “Black Rose”.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui feels OTTs are getting cramped in India and herd mentality is seeping in. The actor says everyone wants to do something on the digital platform, not for the art but just for the sake of business.
“Frankly speaking, OTT used to be a platform for content that was different from the typical Bollywood form, and had a distinctive character. I am not talking about social content, but content for audience who want something apart from the regular Bollywood,” Nawazuddin told IANS while looking back at the start of OTT story in India.
“At the moment, bharmar ho raha hai (there is an overload). We have a tendency of herd mentality. With that, there will be a decline and there is no doubt about it. There is a possibility of going below the set level,” he added.
The actor, whose “Serious Men”, “Raat Akeli Hai” and “Ghoomketu” released on streaming platforms this year, rues that art is being turned into a business.
“Hum log art ko dhandha bana dete hain (we turn art into trade). Initially, it is art and then eventually turns into a business. I fear that it will seep into the OTT space as well, and woh jo low standard hota hai ke business ke purpose se kuch bhi dhikhao. Woh hoga and woh ho bhi raha hai (I fear the trend of showing anything and everything in the name of business. It will happen, in fact it has already begun),” shared the actor, who has explored the OTT space as an actor extensively.
“For example, I didn’t expect that these types of films will be released on Netflix, which I won’t be able to watch. But they are being released on Netflix, especially in India. Netflix and other OTT services have a very different set of audience,” he added, without naming the films.
There was a time when the “Sacred Games” star was hopeful about the OTT wave in India, but not anymore.
“I thought there would be a change for the better. I thought that it would go a step ahead from the bar which we had set on OTT. Now, I don’t think so. I am not hopeful. That is just declining,” said the actor, who has cinematic gems like “Gangs Of Wasseypur”, “The Lunchbox”, “Liar’s Dice”, “Badlapur” and “Manjhi: The Mountain Man” in his resume.
Explaining his point, he said: “Because that is what happens when people come from all directions and do business in the name of creativity. Woh decrease hi hoga (it is bound to decrease).”
“I feel everyone wants to do something or the other on OTT at the moment. This is because of business. (When things are done) for the sake of business and not for art, then it will be hopeless. I don’t think there would be much development in India in this sphere,” he shared.
“Ek baar laga tha, jab do-chaar shows aaye the, tab laga tha ke enhance hoga, but baad mein woh business ban gaya toh abhi bahut hi mushkil lag raha hai (there was a time when I thought things would be better, after a few shows came out. But then it turned into business. Now, it seems very difficult),” said Nawazuddin, who joined stars like Saif Ali Khan, Samantha Akkineni, Manoj Bajpayee, Tisca Chopra and Divya Dutta to discuss the future of the industry through Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films Evening discussions, soon to be featured on the Zee network.
Actress Shilpa Shetty says there was a time when no one took her seriously to offer her the role of the protagonist, adding that she is glad that she has survived through the tough times.
“Back in the 1990’s, I have to be honest we were all typecast, either you were a very good actress and you would get those kinds of films or you would be typecast in those glamorous roles. And I was the latter, so nobody really took me seriously to offer me the main protagonist role,” Shilpa said.
“The game changer for me was ‘Dhadkan’ where Dharmesh (director Dharmesh Darshan) really stripped me off all that glamour and actually kept the glamour but he wanted it all covered. So funny enough he was the first to tell me that ‘I want you to look glamorous but in an Indian outfit’… That changed the entire perspective of people and that film went on to become a huge hit and then I did a lot of films after that where there were meatier roles but, honesty I didn’t care, for me it was just work and I was really young then,” she added.
The actress continued: “Today we are getting scripts where everything is elucidated on paper, we didn’t have vanity vans and we still went to work with a smile on our faces in the sun and wearing those chiffon sarees in the snow. So we’ve done all of it and we enjoyed it.
“So today I feel we lead far more luxurious lives as actors, we are very very pampered with an entourage of staff and managers. I love this phase as well, I feel very pampered and feel very important but it was madness and today there’s method to that madness,” she added.
Shilpa walked into Bollywood with the 1993 Diwali release “Baazigar”. The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol blockbuster Baazigar released on this day 27 years ago.
Looking back, Shilpa said: “I was too young to think and know, I just feel that today’s girls and boys in the industry are so sorted, they come like all prepared but for me I was a 17 year old and when I was offered ‘Baazigar’, I just did it just for the luck and for some extra pocket money and Venus signed me on for three movies.”
“And I thought they would just do 1 and forget about it and then ‘Baazigar’ became a platinum jubilee hit and after that they signed me on for ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’. Again ‘Chura Ke Dil Mera’ became a huge milestone for my career and then ‘Dhadkan’ was the third film. And now I mean 27 years down the line I am doing Hungama which is not my comeback but another film with the same production company, who would’ve thought that I would last out 27 years,” Shilpa said during a conversation with actress Neha Dhupia in a podcast of “JioSaavn #NoFilterNeha”.
Ileana D’Cruz fans were excited upon learning that the actress is preparing to star in a film that deals with the Indian obsession for fair skin. They are curious about what seems like an interesting role for their favourite star, in line with several actresses who have been experimenting by going bald or gaining weight or donning minimal make-up to play relatable characters on the big screen.
Set in Haryana, the film titled Unfair & Lovely chronicles the story of a dusky girl who constantly has to fend against prejudices and biases that Indian society harbours against dark skin. Ileana plays the role of Lovely.
“Essaying Lovely is definitely going to be a very different and a unique experience for me and many people across all demographic would be able to relate to this character. What I love about the film is that its narrative isn’t preachy. It’s a funny story that will leave viewers smiling and laughing,” Ileana had said recently.
While this film is yet to be completed, there have been other instances that have featured many actresses experimenting with non-glamorous avatars.
Bhumi Pednekar is one of them. In fact, she had started her film journey as an overweight bride in the romantic comedy Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She also went many shades darker in the film Bala, which discussed premature balding among men and the taboo associated with dark complexion in India.
Taapsee Pannu has also been hailed by many for not only her acting skills and choosing films with strong storylines, but also keeping her looks simple in films such as Pink, Mission Mangal and Thappad.
Kirti Kulhari, who had also featured in movies Mission Mangal and Pink, said that she has been doing “de-glam roles since forever”.
“I have done a lot of non-glamorous roles. Except for Four More Shots Please!, I don’t think I have played anything which is very ‘glam glam’. I feel it is closer to reality. If you are playing a regular person then you have to look like that. You have to let go of all the glamour and I think that’s the reason why it’s becoming more and more popular now because in terms of our storytelling, we are shifting towards telling stories which are real. Also, realistically telling them. And I think that’s what audiences are also highly accepting,” the actress told IANS.
Shweta Tripathi Sharma is another actress who reminds people of someone they can relate to.
“When I choose a project or a character, I don’t think if my role will be glamorous or de-lam, these are not my criterion. I am interested in what the character is doing. For instance, when I play Golu, I bring to life the character that my director and writer had imagined. I feel the character, the character is me, but the way the character has been shot, the background score, the music, interactions with other characters, hair, make-up… Golu has a scar and short hair. What excites me is to do the parts which are not only different from me, but are also different from each other,” said the Masaan actress.
She wants to play with her on-screen look for a reason.
“I had learnt from (actor-screenwriter) Akarsh Khurana that if you look different, you will feel different. If you feel different, then half the battle is won. I just want to always look different. Looking beautiful is never my criteria, looking like the character, jaisa bhi dikhta ho (irrespective of how she looks), I want to look like that,” she said.
“When I do a film like Gone Kesh, where my character has alopecia or Laakhon Mein Ek, I was excited. I was given dark circles,” she added.
But she also acknowledges the challenge of being glamorous on screen.
“To look glamorous, it’s very difficult. Hats off to all those actresses. I have respect for women who could do that because it is not easy,” said Shweta.
Weighing in on the subject, actress Sanya Malhotra, who didn’t sport a glam look in her debut film Dangal, a sports drama, feels that it is not just the responsibility of an actress to help redefine beauty in a country that has a set standard.
“It is not just our responsibility but I think also the writers and directors’ responsibility to do that. I don’t know if I’ll call my characters de-glam, a relatable character is what I would go for. People are writing such scripts. They are writing a character which is relatable to the audience. If I apply a lot of make-up, who will relate to it? If a simple girl is seen wearing so much make-up? I don’t approach my character on how it will look like,” she said.
“Obviously, it’s a part of my process when I am developing a character. But I think the credit majorly goes to the writers who are writing such relatable and unique characters that we can play now,” added Sanya.
But she pointed out that she isn’t against actresses who go all out with make-up.
“I am not going to ‘thopo’ (impose) my opinion on them and say, ‘this is wrong, this is right’. I think we, as women, put a lot of pressure on women that we should look a certain way. I am glad that we are changing it through our movies. But if you want to do make-up then good, if not, then also it’s good. It’s your life and your call,” shared Sanya, who enjoyed sporting heavy jewellery in Badhaai Ho.
Gauri Khan has created a compendium of luxurious marble object darts for an International lifestyle brand, Arnaya’s Festive Collection. It offers distinguished gifting options for the festive season with a distinctly contemporary design language. Inspired by hope and humanity, the impeccably crafted collection makes a luxurious addition to any home or office.
We spoke to the interior designer to get all the details on her new collaboration. Read Excerpts:
Do you agree that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that people have started dining in and socialising has moved to the interior spaces of our homes?
Yes, socialising has changed. I don’t socialise too much anyway, and the pandemic has meant more time with family, which has been nice. Smaller, meaningful meetings with friends at home are always nice — which have been more frequent.
With intimate gatherings at home there is a renewed focus on interiors, what should one focus on?
The focus should be on creating spaces that offer both comfort and style. Chic interiors, statement decor elements and the colours you use make all the difference. You spend a lot of time at home, so the interiors should reflect your sense of aesthetic.
Diwali is a time for gifting, what makes Arnaya’s marble object d’arts a unique and statement gift which is sure to be appreciated and loved?
My festive collection for Arnaya is inspired by the twin themes of hope and humanity. The pieces showcase the natural beauty of marble and stone and the crafting is impeccable. It is a versatile range that offers an array of gifting options that will add a dash of style and opulence to any space.
Your checklist for a party / dinner at home?
Covid is still here, so keep your gatherings small. Arrange your seating with social distancing in mind and maintain a flow of natural air with windows open. You can balance the sense of warmth and intimacy with good lighting and circular seating. Beautifully plated and presented food and table arrangements will add to the festive feel.
Says Manan Trivedi, MD Arnaya, “Arnaya’s curation of Gauri Khan designs for the festive season is a poignant reminder that even when problems seem insurmountable, change is always possible and hope will always be our guiding force. The brand applauds the relentless efforts and salutes all across borders, race, gender and professions for demonstrating compassion, courage and exemplary strength in restoring hope for all of humanity.”
“The mandatory lockdown served as an opportunity for all of us to step back and re-evaluate the true meaning of life. The value of home, love, and family was ever more magnified and with this experience I hope people enjoy having these pieces in their homes and offices as much as we have enjoyed designing them,” says Gauri Khan.
