Actress Deepika Padukone completed 13 years in Bollywood on Monday. Her debut film Om Shanti Om, opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan, had released on November 9. The Farah Khan directorial was a Diwali release, and went on to become a blockbuster at the box office.
To mark the occasion, Deepika changed her name on Twitter and Instagram to Shantipriya, one of the two characters she played as part of a double role in her debut film.
Mumbai: Actress Deepika Padukone (Photo: IANS)
She also changed her display picture to a still from the film that features her with SRK.
“Om Shanti Om” revolves around a struggling actor, played by Shah Rukh, who falls in love with a top star Shantipriya, (Deepika). She is killed by a scheming producer but the two will meet years later in a tale of reincarnation. Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade and Kirron Kher played pivotal roles in the film.
“Some films always remain special and timeless,” Shreyas wrote on Instagram Story. In the film, he played SRK’s best friend, Pappu Master.
Deepika is currently busy shooting for Shakun Batra’s untitled film alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday.
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has shaved off his signature "'83" moustache. The actor took to Instagram on Monday night, where he shared his clean shaved look. Ranveer captioned the image: "Ae Chikne".
Ranveer Singh happy to be back ‘under the arclights’.
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh is back on the sets, and he captured the moment for fans on his social media.
Ranveer shared two pictures from the set, and one can spot glowing lights behind him. In the pictures, he is seen in an intense mood.
“Back under the arclights,” he captioned the images on Instagram.
The actor didn’t reveal details about the project for which he resumed shooting.
Earlier, Ranveer, who had no time to pause and relax, given his hectic shooting and promotion schedule over the last five years, had shared that he is using the lockdown to rejuvenate.
Ranveer’s ‘Simmba’, Hritihik’s ‘Super 30’ re-release in US.
“I must say before this, life was moving at a very frenetic, at a very hectic pace. I felt I was a hamster on a wheel especially after ‘Padmaavat’, ‘Simmba’, and ‘Gully Boy’. My work load in the past year, year and half increased to a level where I was teetering to a level of a burn out. I have lived this period being under the radar, off the grid as they say. In a way this lockdown period has been well timed for me. I get this time to introspect, to focus on myself,” he had said.
On the professional front, Ranveer has a lot to look forward to. He has the much-hyped “83” coming up, where he plays as the iconic Kapil Dev, who captained India’s first-ever cricket World Cup victory campaign in 1983. The film also features Deepika Padukone as Kapil’s wife Romi, along with Saqib Saleem, Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Harrdy Sandhu, Ammy Virk, Jiiva, Sahil Khattar, Chirag Patil and Adinath Kothare in key roles.
Ranveer will also reprise his role as Sangram Bhalerao ‘Simmba’ in Shetty’s upcoming cop action drama, “Sooryavanshi”, which stars Akshay Kumar as ATS officer Veer Sooryavanshi, who is on the lookout for terrorists planning a deadly strike in Mumbai. Ajay Devgn will also reprise his role of Bajirao Singham from Shetty’s “Singham” films. Katrina Kaif will be seen as Veer Sooryavanshi’s wife while Jackie Shroff plays the antagonist.
He will also reunite with filmmaker Rohit Shetty to adapt Shakespearean comedy for the Bollywood screen. Titled “Cirkus”, their new collaboration is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy Of Errors”, with Ranveer essaying a double role.
Bhumi Pednekar: Want to leave behind a legacy with good cinema.
Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer ‘Bala’ was released in Hindi cinema one year ago on this day. The actress says she definitely wants to leave behind a legacy and thinks that only can be done with good cinema.
“Bala”, directed by Amar Kaushik, revolves around a young man suffering from premature balding and struggles to measure up to social beauty standards.
Talking about the movie, Bhumi said: “‘Bala’ is a very special film. It’s again a film where I got a chance to experiment with a powerful character. To start with, what made this collaboration really special was my collaboration with Ayushmann.”
Bhumi Pednekar
“Bala” marked the third collaboration between Bhumi and Ayushmann. The two have also worked in movies like “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” and “Shubh Mangal Saavdhana”.
She added: “This was the 3rd time we were collaborating and as luck would have it, it was again a successful one and thank God for that,” Bhumi said.
Bhumi said that what makes “Bala” special for her is the fact that she got to play a character that again “questions a lot of stereotypes that exist in the society”.
She said: “Latika stands for integrity, confidence, and stands for breaking every stereotypical beauty standard in a country like ours. There has always been a colour-based bias in India and she breaks that norm. She is a very strong character.”
Bhumi says the script of “Bala” had floored her instantly.
Bhumi Pednekar: Want to leave behind a legacy with good cinema.
“When I read the script, the first thing that stood out for me for Latika was her strength and I imbibed a lot of her strength into my personal life. Another exciting part was about how I got to work with Amar Kaushik.”
Talking about what she wants to achieve as her legacy, Bhumi, who will soon be seen in “Durgavati”, said: “I definitely want to leave behind a legacy and I think you can only do that with good cinema. Good cinema has to come with a strong message, with strong content. So, the idea is exactly that.”
She says she wants her films to be remembered even when she is not there.
“Even when I am gone and only a powerful film can do that. Nobody remembers how many crores a film rakes in but what people remember is how they were moved emotionally by the experience of the film. Those films go down in history.”
Kajal Aggarwal gives a sneak peek into her honeymoon.
Kajal Aggarwal gives a sneak peek into her honeymoon.
After making headlines with her wedding in October, actress Kajal Aggarwal is now holidaying with her husband, Gautam Kitchlu, in Maldives.
On Sunday, Kajal took to her Instagram and shared a series of pictures from her honeymoon.
From posing against the backdrop of the azure blue waters of the Indian Ocean along with Gautam to flaunting her red dress, Kajal’s pictures are surely a feast for the eyes.
In one of the images, she showed her “beach essentials”.
On October 6, Kajal had updated her fans about her wedding.
“It gives me immense joy to share that I am getting married to Gautam Kitchlu, on October 30, 2020, in Mumbai, in a small, private ceremony surrounded by our immediate families. This pandemic has certainly shed a sobering light on our joy, but we are thrilled to start our lives together and know that all of you will be cheering us on in spirit. I thank you for all the love you have showered upon me over the years and we seek your blessings as we embark upon this incredible new journey. I will still continue doing what I cherish the most – entertaining my audience – now, with a whole new purpose and meaning. Thank you for your unending support,” she had written.
Boman Irani completes over 50 online screenwriting sessions.
Actor Boman Irani recently pumped in some hope in these gloomy times by singing his own version of a classic song. Although music is not his day job, he says he loves it.
The actor was recently was joined by a choir of schoolgirls when he sang “Over the rainbow”, originally rendered by Judy Garland for the 1939 Hollywood classic “The Wizard of Oz”.
“‘Over the rainbow’ is a song that I have been singing ever since I was a kid. I am so glad that people have loved it,” Boman told IANS.
This isn’t the first time that his fans got to listen to his sonorous voice. Years ago, he sang his version of “Give me some sunshine” from the blockbuster film “3 Idiots”, in which he memorably played the strict college principal Viru Sahastrabuddhe.
“I also made Frank Sinatra’s ‘My way’ my own. I must have sung that about a thousand times. That became my signature song,” said Boman.
But he doesn’t frequently get into singing.
“I feel music is not my day job. It’s my hobby. It’s something that I love to do, and if something special like this (‘Over the rainbow’) hits me like a bullet right between the eyes. These beautiful singers from Bombay International school were so kind to grace the song along with me. I felt that why let this opportunity pass,” he said.
“It’s the pandemic that made me do this. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, believe me it was very time consuming to put it all together. Normally, we would have gone to a studio and recorded it, but everybody sang on the phones. We had to put it all together and mix it all together. It is a song of hope. Hope is the call of the day,” he added.
The lockdown also made him use another skill. He gave a chance to budding screenwriters to learn the nuances of screenwriting from him.
“When I started working on my script, I found a guru in New York. His ne is Alex Dinelaris. He is Oscar-winning writer of ‘Birdman’. I learnt a lot from him. I go three times a year to New York and sit with him. He has come to India. I have been learning nuances of screenwriting. Now during pandemic, I realised that I could put that knowledge to good use, so I started a group called Spiral Bound. It was started with four youngsters, and now we are almost 200. We have done many sessions. We discuss technique and structure, character, plot, analysis, it’s the most amazing thing that I have been a part of. I am glad to have initiated this,” added Boman, who became a household name after starring in the 2003 film “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.”.
The project is like “a little contribution back to the film industry that has given me so much”.
He is now looking forward to start working on his own movie as a filmmaker.
“I have found a story as a filmmaker and I have been developing the story over a period of time. It’s a story about relationship between a father and son. Hopefully, first thing next year we will be under production,” said the “Don” actor.
Boman Irani completes over 50 online screenwriting sessions.
As an actor, he can’t wait to catch his films “’83” and “Jayeshbhai Jordaar” in theatres.
“I like watching movies in theatres. There is nothing like a big giant screen and watching it with fellow viewers who love cinema. ’83’ and ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ will hopefully release soon, and I would love to see them and I think every cinema lover would want to see those big films on big screens,” he said.
The pandemic had forced theatres to temporarily stop operations. Many filmmakers instead chose to take the digital route to release their films.
“There are certain films that work pretty well on the OTT, and that’s great. It gives a lot of opportunity to people to produce films and watch them on OTT. But these films (’83’ and ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’) are big films and have to be seen on big screens, I just can’t wait. This is something that I have been doing since I was a kid, watching films on the big screen and I want to see these films on the big screen,” stressed Boman.
The third instalment of the Golmaal franchise directed by Rohit Shetty released 10 years ago. Actor Kunal Kemmu, who played Laxman in the movie, reminisced about shooting for the film and said that he really enjoys comedy.
“‘Golmaal 3’ has been such a special film for me and the amount of love I’ve received from the audiences for my role has been overwhelming,” Kunal said.
The 2010 release also starred Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Ratna Pathak Shah and Mithun Chakraborty.
Kunal shared that he loves the comedy genre.
“I really enjoy doing comedy and it’s always nice to make people laugh and give them feel-good content. Even till today, people give ‘Golmaal 3’ the same amount of love and I’m really happy about it. We all had such a great time making this film,” he said.
Kunal was recently seen in the digitally-released heist comedy “Lootcase”. He was also seen in the second season of the thriller web-series “Abhay”.
Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja who is also known for her style statements, says she never intends to dress up for others because her style statement is all about her individuality and self-expression.
“I realised I don’t care and just did what I wanted to do, because of my upbringing. I did what I felt like doing. I think that’s what girls and boys should be able to do. Nobody should be giving you permission. My style statement, if there is one, of me being a complete individual. I like being myself and expressing myself. I don’t believe in dressing for others or dressing for someone’s opinion, it’s just for myself, my individuality, my self-expression,” she claimed.
The actress has played a girl next door in films such as “Saawariya”, “Delhi-6”, “Raanjhanaa”, and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, and she is also known for her sense of high fashion in her public appearance.
The actress shared how clothes and jewellery she received in legacy hold sentimental value.
“My Nani left me her wedding jewellery. They are simple, old, small and beautiful. She left me pearls as well that I wore at my wedding. It was a necklace. I also wore a necklace that my father gifted my mother on her 50th birthday. It is one of my most prized possessions as my father gave it to my mother and she gave it to me,” she said.
Wrestler Ritu Phogat shares her nutritional routine. (Photo: rituphogat48/ instagram)
Wrestler Ritu Phogat shares her nutritional routine. (Photo: rituphogat48/ instagram)
Indian wrestling champion and rising atom weight star Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat is an elite athlete. Her rigorous training schedule, which consists of multiple training sessions throughout the day, touching on disciplines such as Muay Thai, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and wrestling, as such requires a strict and sustainable nutritional plan.
Phogat is a naturally strong athlete, her raw strength no doubt inherited from her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, who is considered the patriarch of the Phogat wrestling clan.
Since moving to Singapore from India to train at the Evolve MMA, Phogat has had to change her diet, and upgrade in areas necessary to keep up with the growing demands of her world-class training regimen.
She shares with IANSlife her diet, health and fitness regimen, as well as some of her favourite things.
“My diet in India was a Pehlwan diet. Pehlwani in India is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. You train in Akharas, you eat organic food, you have lots of almonds, milk, and ghee. You train for six hours a day, and you eat, and you rest. That’s the mantra of being fit,” said Phogat.
“Over the years, I used to follow the diet but it would change when I started going to camp and international tournaments. So you have to adjust a little there. But one thing consistent is ghee, that is very good for your body. Even here in Singapore, when I came in last year, I ensured I ate home cooked meals as I find that tasty and healthy.”
Phogat is deep in training now, finalising her latest training camp in preparation for her next bout. She’s been living and training in Singapore since last year, when she joined Evolve MMA, all the way up to current, as she spent most of her time training in Singapore’s ecircuit breaker’ lockdown period.
While at home, Phogat says she’s enjoyed her time preparing her own food as a way to cope with stress.
Wrestler Ritu Phogat shares her nutritional routine. (Photo: rituphogat48/ instagram)
“I enjoy cooking. It is my stress burner. I made many new dishes during lockdown. Roti with ghee and kadhi are my favorite. Maintaining a proper diet is very important to pair with a workout routine, especially as a professional athlete,” she said.
“My diet has changed a lot. Back home in India, I had access to natural homemade foods and proteins. But since my move to Singapore, I have had to include supplements, multivitamins and protein powders in my diet. I follow a strict diet schedule that my coach has provided me with.”
Phogat returned to action with her win against Cambodian Kun Khmer World Champion Nou Srey Pov in a three round mixed martial arts contest.
In the main event, reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang of Myanmar defends his middleweight title against top contender Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder of The Netherlands.
Phogat is “more than ready”, and wants to show fans all of the improvements she’s made since her last performance, particularly with an exciting finish.
“I have been working on perfecting a lot of other techniques, but wrestling has formed the bedrock of a lot of my efforts in MMA. Techniques like the takedown are very easy for me. Initially, I had a lot of trouble with striking and jiu jitsu, but now I have improved all of this,” said Phogat.
“This third victory is important as it will bring me one step closer to being a world champion.”
It has been a challenging year, but come the season of festivities and it’s all about the sparkles and celebrations. It has also been a year where many have discovered themselves and found their inner light. Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar spreads some cheer as she joins hands with Swarovski to celebrate the journey of self-discovery and inspiration in its latest campaign #CelebrateTheSparkle. To mark the occasion of Diwali, the brand has curated a brilliant selection of jewellery, watches and accessories that inspire women to express themselves.
Pednekar is among a handful of actresses who is not only celebrated for her work in the industry but also for being vocal towards the betterment of the society, whether it is through her social work towards climate change or the kind of roles she does which challenge societal norms. IANSlife caught up with the multifaceted personality and Swarovski to find out more about how they represent today’s modern woman. Read Excerpts:
It has been a challenging year, but also one of self-discovery. During this lockdown, have you discovered any interest and habits you never thought you had?
It’s been a tough year and I have discovered a lot about myself. But I think more than discovery, there were thoughts and things that I always had in my mind but never had the time to do those things. And in this lockdown, I started experimenting with a couple of things that I realised I really enjoy doing; for example – gardening, my mom and I, we created a kitchen garden, only to realise later that it’s seasonal because of Bombay’s monsoons. There was a point when we were growing tomatoes, chillies, pomegranate, bitter guard eggplant and various green, leafy vegetables – overall, a very wholesome kitchen garden. And eventually we ended up cooking two meals exclusively sourced from my garden, this was extremely exciting and therapeutic.
Apart from that, something that I started filming myself while getting my glam on! I have always enjoyed beauty tremendously but this time I decided to film it, put it on social media; that got a lot of love. It’s something I am going to continue doing because I feel, spending that time with myself while I get ready, is so therapeutic and its very important for many girls and boys, to love yourself. So, overall that time for self-love is something that I put in, during this lockdown.
I think another thing that I really ventured into was going back to my books. I re-visited a lot of my history lessons and I read up a lot on geography, climate change, sustainable living, etc. I tried re-educating myself in things that I used to be interested in.
And one thing we all took away from this time, is a more sustainable form of living; it’s something that my entire family consciously tried doing. Even though people are using gloves, masks and there’s an incredible amount of garbage being created – we tried keeping it all under control by adopting better habits, and this is something we have inculcated in this lockdown.
This Diwali, instead of socialising and partying, do you feel one should celebrate with family to find the inner light in all?
I feel that this Diwali, instead of socialising, we should spend time with our loved ones because that is the most responsible thing to do. We have to understand that, yes – it’s times for festivities and we need our spirits high, but its also very important to be responsible. The virus is still very active and we can’t pretend like everything is okay.
Diwali is all about the victory of good over evil and we have to be victorious over the virus. So, please stay home and spend time with your family so that the next Diwali can be different.
Women have had to bear the brunt of the lockdown- the burden juggling work, family and taking care of domestic chores. Do you feel this is the right time for women to indulge in themselves, even if no one else does?
Bhumi Pednekar
Absolutely! It’s the best time for women to treat themselves. I think its been difficult times for both women and men, both. A lot of us are spending this much of time with our families after a very long time; we were cleaning, we were cooking, we were working and especially for women because usually in our culture, most of the domestic pressure comes on them. So, I think Diwali is a great time for women to pamper themselves. The modern, Indian woman is independent. She is not dependent on what her partner is going to bring for her and that is the beauty of the way our society is evolving.
Go and buy that piece of jewellery you love. It’s going to be timeless and it is going to be there for ever. I personally love the Tennis Deluxe collection and a Crystal Flower watch from Swarovski.
You have been vocal towards the betterment of the society through your social work; what do you think is of urgent attention and how can people work towards it?
I have always said that the thing that needs immense amount of attention today has to be the climate emergency that the world is in right now. Climate change is real. It’s happening and we really need to do whatever we can to slow it down. We cannot reverse it but we can definitely slow it down and at an individual level change things.
I think it’s very important to support business that believe in sustainability, that believe in going green and blue. There are a lot of things in the society that need attention, be it – equality between both the sexes, be it equality between all the species and I feel that there is an urgent need for a surge of compassion between humans. We need to understand that we are not invincible and are nothing in front of the wrath of nature. There is a lot of divide on so many levels that’s happening between us and this has to stop.
Tell us a little about your association with Swarovski.
It is an honor, to be honest, to be associated with Swarovski, that too on Diwali. Swarovski as a brand has always innovated and maintained what they stand for in the last 125 years. It is a brand that has a rich heritage, craftmanship and elegance. They have been responsible to their consumers and to society. I feel great to be associated with the brand, because I have grown up wearing it and enjoyed wearing their pieces thoroughly.
Bhumi celebrates Diwali with sparkle.
Diwali is such a great festival and specially this year when things have not been great, I see Diwali as an occasion where people will come together to celebrate. Diwali is about pampering yourself. The Diwali collection by the brand this year is so beautiful – they have a mix of contemporary and understated pieces that one can mix and match with whatever you end up wearing. The collection is an amalgamation of modern with classic.
How does Swarovski as a brand compliment you?
I have a rather long journey with Swarovski from a consumer point-of-view. The first, slightly luxurious, thing that my parents gifted my sister and I were these iconic, silicon Swarovski bands where mine was orange in colour and my sister’s was red. It had Swarovski crystals all over and a small bracelet. It was the first thing that my parents gave me!
I was in class 10th and my aunt gifted me one of Swarovski’s extendable bracelets from that time. So, I have been using their pieces since I was very young and what I love about the brand the most is that they have something for every age, every occasion and every piece has a lot of emotional value as well. So, for me, Swarovski has always been about inspiring, sparkling, timelessness and about elegance; at the same time it really resonates with what your modern-day woman is all about. This year is so special for me, I am really proud to be a part of the campaign, the first ever Bollywood face to be associated with the brand and bring delight to everyone this Diwali!
Actress Ankita Lokhande on Monday took to Instagram and penned a mushy post for her beau Vicky Jain. Apart from praising him for his qualities she had a note of apology, too.
“I can’t find the words to describe my feelings for you. One thing which come in my mind when I see us together is I’m grateful to god for sending u in my life as a friend, partner and as soul mate. Thank you for being someone who was always there for me. Thanks for making all my problems as yours and helping me whenever I needed you.Thank you for being my support system. Most importantly, thank you for understanding me and my situations,” Ankita wrote.
Ankita Lokhande shares what’s desirable in life
“And I am sorry because of me you have to face criticism which you don’t deserve at all . Words fall short but this bond is amazing.I love you,”, she added.
Along with her post, she shared a picture of her posing next to Vicky.
Vicky was trolled a while back during the investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. Ankita had dated Sushant for a long time, after meeting on the set of the hit serial, “Pavitra Rishta”
