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Bollywood Fashion Lite Blogs

Zeenat Aman on Feeling Undervalued by Brands

The beauty pageant winner, who began her acting career in 1970 with the movie ‘The Evil Within’, took to Instagram and shared some mesmerising snaps from her recent photoshoot…reports Asian Lite News

Veteran actress Zeenat Aman on Tuesday opened up about feeling “undervalued”, sharing that she has held her own in the industry for over half a century and believes she is worth far more than the price of a designer handbag or high-heeled shoe.

The beauty pageant winner, who began her acting career in 1970 with the movie ‘The Evil Within’, took to Instagram and shared some mesmerising snaps from her recent photoshoot.

In the photos, the actress is wearing a red outfit and accessorising with black sunglasses.

In the caption, Zeenat penned a long note, stating, “Thank you, but no thank you. I can’t tell you my precise worth, but I do know when I’m being undervalued. Amid the barrage of collaboration and appearance requests that materialise in my inbox each day, there are some that stand out for unpleasant reasons. Last-minute invitations that the organiser forgot to edit (and which are addressed to another celebrity who must have declined) are mildly insulting.”

The actress continued: “Impolite emails with minimal details and brusque “share commercials” are infuriating. And shady proposals to post stories or comments without the paid partnership tag are distasteful. Yet none of these compare to the impudence of multimillion dollar brands that expect my endorsement in exchange for ‘brand association’ and a ludicrously low fee. Such luxury brands pay an eye watering penny to their ambassadors (one of whom beautifully reprised a role I originally played), and sell even their most basic item for multiple lakhs of rupees..”

The Hare Rama Hare Krishna actress added, “In their outreach to me, they do not fail to express their admiration, with generous terms such as ‘icon’ and ‘fashion inspiration’. But when it comes to actually compensating me for my time, energy, reputation, and reach… the well runs dry. I am over 70 years old, and I have held my own in this industry for over half a century. I work with what I know to be an unusual professionalism. I have a social media audience that is not only entirely organic, but so beautifully engaged. I have immense respect for myself, and for you who follow my page.”

“I am certainly worth more than the price of a designer handbag or high-heel shoe. Your turn. Tell me your story of being undervalued or standing your ground against it,” concluded Zeenat.

Actress Manisha Koirala dropped clapping emojis in the comment section, while Sushant Divgikr commented, “an icon.”

Actor Abhay Deol wrote in the comment section: “Perfectly summed up these ‘Luxury’ brands!”

Actress Sumona Chakravarti wrote: “Thank you so much for writing about this.”

Bhagyashree shared: “You are indeed an icon and will remain for years beyond.. let not these imbiciles ruffle your plume… you are an inspiration @thezeenataman.”

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Bollywood Films Lite Blogs

 Genelia Shares Weight Loss Journey

The actress wrote on the video: “Happy birthday @danmiles. Thank you for being that person who has made fitness so important to me. Hope you have a super special day.”..reports Asian Lite News

On Sunday, the actress took to the Stories section of her Instagram and posted a throwback video of herself working out in the gym and tracing her weight loss journey as she wished her trainer on his birthday.

In the throwback video, Genelia showed her progress from 59.4 kg in the first week of training to 58.2 kg in the second week, and eventually to 57.2 kg in the third week.

The actress wrote on the video: “Happy birthday @danmiles. Thank you for being that person who has made fitness so important to me. Hope you have a super special day.”

Earlier, Genelia shared a candid picture of herself, looking away from the camera, with a tattoo on her hand showing three ‘R’ letters and a heartbeat, representing her husband, Riteish Deshmukh, and their two sons, Riaan and Rahyl.

Genelia and Riteish tied the knot on February 3, 2012, after years of dating.

They married in a Hindu ceremony according to Marathi traditions and had a Christian wedding in a church the next day.

The couple’s first child, a son named Riaan, was born on November 25, 2014, and their second son, Rahyl, was born on June 1, 2016.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actress is gearing up for her upcoming film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, which also stars Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safary. She also has the Telugu movie ‘Junior’ in the pipeline.

ALSO READ-‘India Requires Better Food Policies for Healthier Choices’

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Bollywood Celebrity London News

India’s top women’s college LSR’s London based alumni in conversation with actor Taha Shah Badussha

Lady Shri Ram College, a premier women’s educational institution in India has alumni worldwide and the network has alumni groups dotted around the globe. London chapter of the alumni body called ELSA-UK is a vibrant group of about 300 alumni based in and around London. The network has done about fifty networking fireside chats in the last decade with movers and shakers from different fields to seek inspiration, facilitate networking at these thought leadership sessions and celebrate aspirations also achievements of the speakers invited who the group feels they can learn from. The alumni body overall has tens of thousands of members worldwide.

In July 2024 some of the ELSA-UK group members had the opportunity to hear an inspirational journey of breaking through barriers from Taha Shah Badussha who’s done this to forge a a game-changing acting trajectory for himself. This coffee chat style chat with Taha was absolutely incredible to say the least, to hear his tale of grit, determination, never give up spirit, discipline, hope, positivity, perseverance, his go-getter attitude left each and everyone moved and motivated! 

Taha Shah Badussha is a versatile talent in the Indian entertainment scene, renowned for his impactful performances on both big screens and digital platforms. He gained prominence with his breakout role in the 2011 film “Luv KaThe End,” followed by notable appearances in hits like “Gippi” (2013), “Barkhaa” (2015), “Baar Baar Dekho” (2016), and “Ranchi Diaries” (2017). 

Transitioning seamlessly to digital, he starred in the acclaimed web series “Taj: Divided by Blood” on Zee5 in 2022, further solidifying his stature as a compelling actor across various mediums. He also appeared in the US project “Draupadi Unleashed,” which received critical acclaim.

Badussha’s portrayal of Tajdar in the highly acclaimed Netflix series “Heeramandi” marked a significant turning point in his career, earning him widespread acclaim and making him a national crush and sensation. As the biggest ever web series made in India on any OTT platform, this role gave him the recognition he truly deserves as an artist. 

ELSA UK fireside with Taha was truly remarkable they felt, offering a glimpse into the mind of a strategic, hardworking, driven actor. Taha shared his journey with humility and candor, recounting the challenges he faced, how he surmounted these with support of his mother and all the internal resources he sought to create a successful career for himself. His insights on resilience, adaptability, and the importance of staying true to one’s values resonated deeply with the group. Taha’s humbleness, friendliness, optimism left a lasting impression, motivating everyone to strive for excellence and make a meaningful impact in their own endeavors.

With “Heeramandi” Taha has got global recognition and fan following. With this Taha has proven his mettle and is set for future big collaborations, promising more remarkable performances that will captivate audiences.

ALSO READ: Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 Reveals Star-Studded Nominees

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Bollywood Lite Blogs

Rasika Dugal Praises OTT for Fostering New Talent

The actress feels “very encouraged” by the idea of how every few months there are talents which rule the roost for a couple of months…reports Asian Lite News

Actress Rasika Dugal, who essays the role of Beena Tripathi in the hit streaming show ‘Mirzapur’, believes that the OTT medium currently shows healthy signs of progress.

Having worked in the OTT space for the past decade, Rasika has been a part of shows like ‘Permanent Roommates’, ‘Humorously Yours’, ‘P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke’, and ‘Delhi Crime’ and has witnessed the growth of the OTT platform.

Talking about the medium of OTT going in the right direction, Rasika told IANS: “I think there will be both good and bad. Everybody’s taste is different, and if there’s content that’s out of the box, there will also be content that fits the box. If a space continuously allows novelty and room for new players to come in, I consider it a healthy space.”

The actress feels “very encouraged” by the idea of how every few months there are talents which rule the roost for a couple of months.

“It allows them to shine and push the boundaries. New talents mean that the audience is looking forward to novelty,” she added.

Rashika also spoke about how a platform being ruled by a few players leads to a monopoly of what is being served to the audience.

“If a medium has just 5-6 players who keep recycling the same kind of content, it monopolises the medium, which curbs its development. In that aspect, OTT has managed to stay ahead of the curve so far,” she said.

‘Mirzapur’ streams on Prime Video.

ALSO READ-‘Mirzapur’ To Get Season 3

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Bollywood Films Lite Blogs

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024 Reveals Star-Studded Nominees

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, and Diljit Dosanjh have been named in the Best Actor category, while films like ‘Jawan’ and ’12th Fail’, among many others, are nominated for Best Film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2024.

The festival is all set to celebrate its 15th edition from August 15 to 25.

The nominations for Best Actor, Best Film, Best Film Critics’ Choice, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best OTT Actors and Actresses, among many other categories, have been announced.

’12th Fail’, ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, ‘Chandu Champion’, ‘Dunki’, ‘Jawan’, the Tamil movie ‘Maharaja’, the Malayalam film ‘Premalu’, and ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ are competing in the Best Film category.

Ten actors, including Shah Rukh Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, Fahadh Faasil, Kartik Aaryan, Mammootty, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranveer Singh, Sparsh Shrivastava, Vicky Kaushal, and Vikrant Massey, are in the Best Actor category.

Nominees for Best Actress include Alia Bhatt, Alizeh Agnihotri, Beena R Chandran, Jyothika, Nitanshi Goel, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Pratibha Ranta, Preeti Panigrahi, Sanya Malhotra, and Swathi Reddy.

For the Best Director category, Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Karan Johar, Nithilan Saminathan, Rahul Sadasivan, Rajkumar Hirani, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra have been selected.

The Best Actor in the OTT category include Arjun Mathur, Babil Khan, Gulshan Devaiah, Jitendra Kumar, Naveen Chandra, R. Madhavan, Roshan Mathew, and Suvinder Vicky.

Actresses in the same category include Harleen Sethi, Karishma Tanna, Neena Gupta, Nimisha Sajayan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Sobhita Dhulipala.

IFFM, which is backed and presented by the Victorian Government in Australia, is an annual celebration of Indian cinema, showcasing the best films, digital series, and talents from India.

It aims to promote cultural exchange and celebrate the diversity of Indian cinema on an international stage.

The winners of the prestigious IFFM 2024 Awards will be announced during the festival at their annual gala night on August 16 and will be hosted at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.

ALSO READ-New on OTT: ‘Kakuda’ Brings Laughter, ‘Maharaja’ Thrills

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Bollywood Fashion Lite Blogs

Sonam Kapoor Stuns at Wimbledon Women’s Final in London

Adding a touch of exclusivity, Sonam carried the Liberta bag in black from the Winter 24 special preview, making a chic and timeless fashion statement at the prestigious event…reports Asian Lite News

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, recently seen in the streaming movie ‘Blind’, attended the Wimbledon Women’s Final in London.

Making a fashion statement, the actress exuded elegance and style. She donned an outfit designed by Bottega Veneta. For the occasion, she chose a sophisticated striking long yellow, blue, and black dress layered with the Optical Crinkle Cotton Check ensemble from the Pre-Fall 24 collection.

The outfit featured a long-sleeved white, blue, and black shirt and a matching long skirt. She accessorised her look with a pair of sleek Tex Mule shoes in black, also from the Pre-Fall 24 collection.

Adding a touch of exclusivity, Sonam carried the Liberta bag in black from the Winter 24 special preview, making a chic and timeless fashion statement at the prestigious event.

Sonam, who is known as a fashion icon in the Hindi film industry, has long been celebrated for her impeccable fashion sense. Her consistently brilliant sartorial choices have made her a favourite among top fashion brands worldwide.

As she gears up for her comeback after her pregnancy, Sonam has two major projects lined up, including ‘Battle for Bittora’, with details of the second tentpole project being kept under wraps.

The actress and her husband Anand Ahuja welcomed their son, Vayu Kapoor Ahuja, in August 2022.

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Bollywood Films Lite Blogs

Janhvi Kapoor Unveils Riveting ‘Ulajh’ Posters

‘Uljah’ is written by the acclaimed duo Parveez Shaikh and Sudhanshu Saria…reports Asian Lite News

Actress Janhvi Kapoor on Wednesday dropped two new posters of ‘Ulajh’, offering a glimpse into the mysterious world of the upcoming film.

Janhvi took to Instagram and shared two posters.

The first image features the entire star cast, including Gulshan Devaiah, Rajesh Tailang, Roshan Mathew, and Meiyang Chang, appearing to be in a serious situation.

The second poster focuses solely on Janhvi, who is seen wearing a brown blazer with a Tricolor pin on it. The actress looks up at the camera while holding a file marked “confidential.”

Janhvi captioned the posters: “Every face tells a story, and every story is a trap! Iss #Ulajh ko Suljhao in cinemas near you from 2nd Aug!”

‘Uljah’ is written by the acclaimed duo Parveez Shaikh and Sudhanshu Saria.

The film tells the story of a young diplomat from a prominent family of patriots who finds herself embroiled in a dangerous personal conspiracy.

Janhvi will also be seen in ‘Devara: Part 1’, marking her debut in Telugu films. The movie, starring Jr NTR and Saif Ali Khan, is set against a forest backdrop.

Additionally, she will star in ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’, where she will reunite with her ‘Bawaal’ co-star Varun Dhawan and filmmaker Shashank Khaitan.

The film marks Varun’s third collaboration with Shashank after seven years and the second collaboration between Shashank and Janhvi after her debut film ‘Dhadak’.

The cast also includes Rohit Saraf, Sanya Malhotra, and Akshay Oberoi in key roles.

‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ is set to release in theatres on April 18, 2025.

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Bollywood Films Lite Blogs

Emraan Hashmi on Introspection and Redemption

The actor added that some people are better at introspecting and reflecting on their own lives, and redemption is a function of that…reports Asian Lite News

Actor Emraan Hashmi says he has always been introspective about things that he has done and tries to correct them whenever he feels he has steered off.

Emraan plays a complex character in ‘Showtime’, where he essays the role of Raghu.

The actor has spoken about his vulnerabilities and how he relates to them.

Talking about the same, Emraan said: “We all in our lives have had moments of grey where we’ve made mistakes. We probably have broken that model code that we set aside for ourselves, and I think at the end of it, we are human, we do make errors.”

The actor added that some people are better at introspecting and reflecting on their own lives, and redemption is a function of that.

“If you can have a very objective view of what you’ve done wrong in your life and want to correct that, then, you would call it redemption. But if you are delusional or you have this very crooked view of reality and even though you’ve wronged people and you think it’s okay, then there’s no redemption there. Then you take that as a way of life,” he said.

“I’ve always been very introspective about things that I’ve done and try to correct them whenever I feel I’ve steered off,” Emraan shared.

The 45-year-old star added: “So, I see that also when I reflect on something that even in the show, for Raghu, his redemption is the fact that he was becoming something that he didn’t like in his father.”

“He realised that it was close to becoming a mirror of his father and then self-reflection, that’s why he wanted to course correct and go on the path of redemption.”

All episodes of ‘Showtime’ will be streaming from July 12 on Disney+ Hotstar.

ALSO READ-Deepika Dazzles in ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Poster

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Bollywood Health Lite Blogs

Deepika Padukone Finds Nature Therapeutic

Deepika, who is married to Bollywood’s livewire star Ranveer Singh, urged others to make “self-care a daily practice.”…reports Asian Lite News

Actress and soon-to-be mother Deepika Padukone shared that she posts pictures of the sky, flowers, or the ocean because she finds spending time outdoors and in nature relaxing and therapeutic

Deepika took to Instagram and shared a photo of the bright blue sky and flowers.

The actress wrote: “It’s Self-Care Month! But why celebrate ‘Self-Care Month’ when you can practice simple acts of Self-Care every day? I know a lot of you often look at my feed and go ‘Here we go again! Another picture of the Sky…or Flowers…or the Ocean!’

“But the truth is, that I find spending time outdoors and in nature truly relaxing and therapeutic. However, for most of us, finding those spaces may not be the most convenient, accessible, or may not even exist!”

The actress explained that’s why, whenever she gets the opportunity, she tries to make the most of it.

“It’s where I don’t just survive, I thrive! Whenever that isn’t possible, though, I resort to what I believe is the next best. I take a few moments and step away. Between shots, between meetings to a place that feels completely different from the space I spend most of my time in. It’s something my father taught me.”

Deepika, who is married to Bollywood’s livewire star Ranveer Singh, urged others to make “self-care a daily practice.”

“Stepping away allows me to pause, breathe, and re-align…myself and my thoughts. P.S. For those of you who smoke, those breaks don’t count! Join me in making self-care a daily practice.”

On the work front, Deepika will next be seen in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’, alongside Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Jackie Shroff, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, among many others.

ALSO READ-Deepika’s Foundation Launches Mental Health Lecture Series

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Bollywood Health Lite Blogs

Hina Khan Embraces Scars Amid Breast Cancer Battle

The actress, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat her stage three breast cancer, shared a reel while she was getting a haircut…reports Asian Lite News

Actress Hina Khan, amid her battle with stage three breast cancer, said that she embraces her scars because they are the first sign of progress.

Hina took to Instagram and shared a series of photos dressed in an electric pink racerback paired with black bottoms.

In the selfies, she smiles and poses with a victory sign.

“What do you see in this Picture? The Scars on my body or the Hope in my Eyes? The scars are mine, I embrace them with love because they’re the first sign of the Progress I deserve,” she wrote.

The actress said that she is manifesting her healing.

“The Hope in my Eyes is the reflection of my Soul, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am manifesting my healing. And I am praying for yours too. #SacredNotScared #DaddysStrongGirl.”

On July 4, Hina chose to let go of her ‘beautiful hair before it starts falling off’.

The actress, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat her stage three breast cancer, shared a reel while she was getting a haircut.

Hina, who disclosed her diagnosis on June 28, wrote: “You can hear my mother’s wailing voice in Kashmiri (blessing me) in the background as she prepared herself to witness something she never dared to imagine. Not all of us have the same tools at our disposal to manage heartbreaking emotions.”

“To all the beautiful people out there, especially women who are fighting the same battle, I know it’s hard, I know for most of us, our hair is the crown we never take off. But what if you’re facing a battle so tough that you have to lose your hair – your pride, your crown?”

“And I choose to win. I have decided to give myself every chance possible to win this battle. I choose to let go of my beautiful hair before it starts falling off. I didn’t want to endure this mental breakdown for weeks.”

She added: “I have decided to use my own hair to make a nice Wig for this phase.”

ALSO READ-Lifestyle Habits Drive Alarming Cancer Rates in Indian Millennials