Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is among the most comfortable superstars to work with, says Priya Patil, his stylist on Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Talking about Bachchan’s preferences when it comes to clothing, Priya said: “The format of the show (KBC) is that it is an evening show and we have been using the three-piece suits for the last three years. He carries it well, so that remains the same. This season, I am following deep colours like black, wine, purple because Mr. Bachchan likes to keep it classy and knows how to carry it off. So, the attire is going to be consistent.”
“Mr. Bachchan is one of the most comfortable superstars to work with. He is always open to trying new things. When I had introduced him to the tie idea last year, he accepted the theme and I garnered appreciation from many other people, too. This year I am using collar pins and brooches and again, he has been open about it,” she added.
She feels that Bachchan is “such a style icon, whatever he wears, becomes a trend,” and adds: “He is a legend, really”.
The 12th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati will premiere on Monday, on Sony Entertainment Television.
Writer-producer Shailja Kejriwal says serving as a juror for the Emmy Awards in the Covid-19 era was an interesting experience, with the virtual world connecting people all across the world.
“Looking at the amazing work from different parts of the world from the point of view of relevance, inclusivity and impact is a big responsibility but it’s worth it,” Kejriwal told.
Talking about the process of voting for the jury in the Covid-19 era, Kejriwal said: “The pandemic made the whole judging process online this year. The most interesting part of being on a jury like this is meeting and interacting with other members as well as talent, which unfortunately could not happen this year.”
“So that was sad, but the great experience was watching some amazing content from different parts of the world. The professionalism and fairness with which it was hosted by Keiko H. Bang, CEO, Millenasia, was amazing. None of the jury members were allowed to speak to each other before the judging process was over,” she added.
Kejriwal, known for creating content properties including the Zindagi, continued: “We all watched the content at the exact same time and had to judge individually for the best concept and production without influencing one another. There were break out groups, where we got a chance to interact with the other jury members and we could discuss anything but the material we were judging, so that was interesting.”
“It opens up a lot of opportunities for sharing best practices and/or collaborating in the future. Being part of the jury is by invitation and our category this year was to judge the semi- final round of Best Drama Series,” she added.
This year, the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards gala was held virtually on September 20.
Canadian family comedy, “Schitt’s Creek”, made history at the ceremony as it took home the majority of awards. Brian Cox’s “Succession” and the superhero series “Watchmen” also emerged big winners. “Schitt’s Creek” won nine awards, going on to break the Emmys record for most wins in a single season for a comedy. “Succession” won the Best Drama Series accolade.
Asked about representation of India on foreign shores, the content producer said: “As a jury member you are not privy to content that comes from your own region, but seeing the shows that made it to the top five in the last couple of years, I would say that India has a fair bit of representation.
“Not only are our makers and artists creating content that is viewed globally, but we also are one of the largest markets for content consumption,” she added.
On the completion of 50 years of Yash Raj Films, Chairman and filmmaker Aditya Chopra penned a note for his late father Yash Chopra , who had founded the production house.
“In 1970, my father Yash Chopra, left the security and comfort of his brother Mr. BR Chopra and formed his own company. Till then, he was a salaried employee of BR Films and didn’t own anything of his own. He did not know how to run a business and did not even have the basic knowledge of what goes into making a company. All he had was a strong belief in his talent and hardwork and a dream to be self-reliant.
“That conviction of a creative man backing nothing but himself and his art, gave birth to Yash Raj Films. Mr. V Shantaram, who owned Rajkamal Studios, graciously gave him a small room in his studio for his office. My father didn’t know then, that the small company that he started in a tiny room, would one day become the biggest film company of the Indian Film Industry,” Aditya wrote in a statement.
Shah Rukh Khan With Yash Raj (Wikipedia)
Sunday also marks the 88th birth anniversary of Yash Chopra.
Recalling the making the blockbuster film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, Aditya Chopra added: “1995, as Yash Raj Films (YRF) entered its 25th year, my directorial debut film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge released. The historic success of that film gave me the confidence to give wings to some crazy risky ideas that I had for the future of YRF. Besides the immense love that my father had for me, he now also had a lot of faith in my ideas because of the miraculous success of my film. I had foreseen the advent of international corporate studios coming to India and taking over our business.
“I wanted us to achieve a certain scale, so that we could retain our independence before they came in. My father contradicted his own conservative mindset and bravely indulged all my bold initiatives. And in a span of 10 quick years, we went from a film production house to India’s first fully integrated independent film studio,” he stated.
Aditya Chopra
Chopra thanked every person associated with the company over the last five decades.
“Across 5 decades YRF, at its core, has been a traditional company with deep-rooted old world values and a conservative approach to business. This perfect balance of traditional and modern is what defines Yash Raj Films,” the statement read.
Yash Raj Films is best known for delivering numerous genre-defining and hit films over the decades including “Kabie Kabhie”, “Silsila”, “Chandni”, “Darr”, “Dil Toh Pagal Hai”, “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge”, “Mohabbatein”, “Veer-Zaara”, “Bunty Aur Babli”, “Band Baaja Baaraat” and “Chak De India” among others.
The banner’s latest blockbuster production was the 2019 release, “War”, starring Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor. Aditya Chopra has unveiled a new logo of Yash Raj Films that marks the beginning of the 50-year celebrations of the production house.
50 yrs of YRF: Aditya Chopra remembers father Yash Chopra.
The company, in the logo, captures the history of YRF that has worked with superstars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and entertained audiences with movies such as “Chandni”, “Silsila”, “Dil To Pagal Hai”, “Dhoom” and “War”.
Aditya revealed the logo on September 27, the 88th birth anniversary of his late father and filmmaker Yash Chopra.
Akshaye Widhani, Senior Vice President, Finance, Business Affairs and YRF Studios, shared that the special logo captures “nostalgia, remarkable moments from YRF’s history and its journey in cinema and also gives a glimpse of YRF’s contribution to the Indian film industry and audiences through its blockbuster films that has shaped pop culture for India and Indians”.
“Beauty is an integral part of my life, even more since I became a model,” says Bollywood actress Disha Patani has been roped in as the beauty brand ambassador of Myntra.
Disha will be featuring in a brand campaign that will bring to the table a holistic representation of a tech-savvy, modern-day celebrity with the appeal to connect and engage with enthusiasts for /beauty and personal care products across various age-groups.
She says: “Myntra has consistently pioneered the path to self-expression through fashion and beauty for fashion-forward customers, including myself. Through this association with Myntra, I hope to inspire and help people across India on their journey towards discovering their own unique fashion styles and preferences.”
Commenting on the association, Amar Nagaram, CEO, Myntra, said: “In a first-ever for Myntra, this association with Disha as our beauty brand ambassador represents our increasing focus on the booming Beauty and Personal Care segment. Through our tech-based personalization capabilities, a growing portfolio, and content innovation, we are extending our superlative consumer experience to cater to the beauty needs of consumers and help them complete the look. Disha joins our illustrious list of celebrity brand ambassadors ahead of the festive season and will help us in our vision of providing a holistic fashion and lifestyle offering to our fashion-forward consumers across the nation under one roof.”
Irrfan Khan's son Babil: I hate realising everyday that you're gone
Irrfan Khan’s son Babil: I hate realising everyday that you’re gone
Babil Khan, elder son of late actor Irrfan Khan, has penned an emotional note for his father and said that he would give every cell in his presence to remember his skin.
Babil took to Instagram and shared a motley of pictures of his father Irrfan and him, working behind the camera.
He wrote: “I’m working Baba. You pushed through demons, up in your feelings, no one gets it, no? I’d give every cell in my presence to remember your skin, My spinal chord will rotate and my soul can implode, in a search to feel you close, I wish I would have known how it feels to end, so I can begin.”
“Why are you surprised? It’s the job of the Politician to choose to lie, and when I’m bleeding, I know, sleep is just death being shy. I pray for you, our farmers, in our self-illusiveness we thought we were better, I hope we can surrender. I hope we find a way. I miss you India. (No political comments please, this is not a political expression.)”
Irrfan’s son Babil shares throwback pics of ‘baba’.
Babil and his mother Sutapa Sikdar keep sharing memories of Irrfan on social media. The actor passed away in Mumbai on April 29 this year.
Irrfan was still under treatment when he returned to acting with “Angrezi Medium”, a follow-up to his 2017 hit, “Hindi Medium”.
Irrfan’s final film, incidentally, has also been Bollywood’s last release in the theatres for now, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a total lockdown of the nation.
In “Angrezi Medium”, Irrfan played a small town father willing to go to any extent to fulfil his daughter’s dream of a foreign education, so much so that he lands in a hilarious mess.
Actor Sonu Sood, much in the limelight for the charity work he has been doing during the lockdown, especially in facilitating transport for migrant workers to their native places during the initial days (of the lockdown) is clear that entering politics is nowhere on the horizon for him.
“My hands are full as an actor. Besides that, I am doing a lot of charity work, which takes a lot of attention and time. So, politics just does not figure anywhere right now. Of course, I have no clue what destiny has in store for me after 10 years,” he told.
The idea of arranging transportation for migrants came to the actor while he was distributing food packets to migrants during the first few days of the lockdown. When he came across a family with kids who wanted food for 10 days as they were all set to walk to native Bengaluru, Sood told them that he would try getting permission for a transport so they do not have to walk.
“I could manage to send 350 people that time. That was the trigger point. I realised I could send back more people who were planning to walk in absence of any transportation. There was no looking back after that,” said Sood, who managed to arrange conveyance for thousands of people back to their homes everyday.
While he has been busy with social work all these months, scripts have been piling up on his table. And interestingly, the roles he is being offered now are mostly larger than life. “Yes, the whole perception has changed — the way people want to see and portray me. I can see the change and need to choose the right scripts, and something magical is bound to happen,” he smiled.
But the actor does not really seem to be in a hurry when it comes to movies. He has told his producers to give him some more time so he can concentrate on the charity work. “Believe me when I say it, the kind of unexplainable satisfaction that I am deriving from helping out people is much larger than the one that may come from being a part of a 100 crore film.”
No plans to enter politics: Actor Sonu Sood.
At present shooting for two movies down south and one with Yashraj — ‘Prithviraj’, for which he will commence shooting next week, Sood is now looking for more empathetic roles. “Ones that project that contributing towards greater good promises a lot of satisfaction,” he said.
Excited about the kind of content and treatment one gets to see on OTT platforms, Sood is waiting for the right story and role to become a part of the digital revolution.
“Some phenomenal work is being done.’ Story’ has assumed an altogether new avatar. I see a completely new vision emerging. These are exciting times and the audience is getting to explore completely new metaphors of entertainment. Obviously, this has also meant that writers, directors and actors are getting more work. I am so happy that the digital mediums have given a completely new dimension to audio-visual entertainment.”
Celebrated Grammy-nominated singer, Falu Shah, together with her Boston-based band ‘Karyshma’ has launched their latest collection ‘Someday’. An EP of traditional Indian classical, folk, and Sufi songs; these renditions of traditional Hindustani music celebrate the unity and oneness that is ‘India’, at a time of uncertainty and universal distress.
Falu, who is the band’s lead singer-songwriter, along with her other band members told. “The unprecedented times that we are currently going through – the bleakness – inspired us to bring back and spread love through ‘Someday’. In spite of the band residing on two different coasts, we didn’t want the geographical inconsistencies to get in the way of our inspiration.”
They added: “Creativity takes courage, and with this album our effort is to shed some light of hope during the current pandemic and bring a smile to the face of our beloved audience.”
“The songs you hear on this album represent my childhood memories when I resorted to music for solace and comfort. In 31 days across six different cities we, Falu and Karyshma, tried to capture that feeling. I hope you hear the voice of hope and calmness in this album,” shared Falu.
With ‘Someday’, the band reimagines South Asia’s musical traditions – from classical ragas to the 15th century song-and-dance stylings of thumri, and the ghazals of Sufi mystics dating back to the 7th century. Drawing from more recent times, the band reconstructs ‘Yara’ – a classic from Indian Cinema’s golden age.
In order to provide context to ‘Someday’, the band has also put together a visual which features footage of life and culture in India, interspersed with insights on the music of ‘Someday’, it is available to watch on YouTube. You can also catch it on Spotify and Apple Music.
Lata Mangeshkar turned 91 on Monday, and celebrities took to social media to greet the living legend.
Actress Kangana Ranaut tweeted: “Wishing legendary #LataMangeshkar ji a very Happy Birthday, some people do what they do with such single mindedness and absolute focus that they don’t only excel in their work but also become synonymous to what they do. Bowing down to one such glorious Karma Yogi.”
Singer Shankar Mahadevan called Lata Mangeshkar “Maa Saraswati”.
“Happiest Birthday Ma Saraswati ! Please bless us and keep blessing us musicians so that we work hard and strive for excellence !! Loads of love,” Mahadevan wrote on Instagram.
Mumbai: Singer Lata Mangeshkar during the Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Purashkar in Mumbai on April 24, 2017. (Photo: IANS)
Shreya Ghoshal posted throwback pictures of Lata Mangeshkar and wrote: “My pranaams to Swar Samragyi Ma Saraswati #LataMangeshkar ji on her 91st Birthday.”
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar shared that he listens to Lata Mangeshkar’s songs almost every day. “Wishing a very Happy Birthday to @mangeshkarlata didi, the voice that touches every heart, Not a single day in my life goes without listening to your songs. May Lord Ganesh bless you with long and healthy life,” Bhandarkar tweeted.
“#HappyBirthdayLataMangeshkar,” wrote actor Riteish Deshmukh, wishing the melody queen in Marathi.
Mangeshkar started her career at the age of 13 with the song “Naachu ya gade, khelu saari, mani haus bhaari…” for Marathi film “Kiti Hasaal” (1942). The 1989 Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient has sung in mpore than a thousand Hindi films and recorded in over 36 Indian and foreign languages. She has sung mainly in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Assamese.
In 2001, she was awarded Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, and has so far been the recipient of three National Film Awards, besides numerous popular awards.
Her younger sister, playback icon Asha Bhosle, shared a slice of childhood memory on the occasion. Bhosle tweeted a black and white picture of the Mangeshkar sisters — Lata, Usha and Meena along with her.
“Birthday Greetings to Lata Didi who is 91 today. Remembering our childhood days through this picture where Didi can be seen seated left and Meena Tai and I are seen standing behind her,” she tweeted alomng with the picture, where Lata is seen sitting on a chair in a saree.
Wishes from celebrities continued pouring in all of Monday. “Everytime I hear your voice it brings out so many emotions. Lata didi, wishing you a healthy, safe and blessed year ahead,” Madhuri Dixit Nene wrote on Instagram Story.
“Happy birthday Lata didi,” Ayushmann Khurrana posted on Instagram Story, adding with his post a clip of Lata Mangeshkar’s evergreen hit “Piya tose naina laaga re”, from the 1965 film, “Guide”
PM Wishes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed birthday wishes to legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, saying “I consider myself fortunate to have always received her affection and blessings”.
In a short telephonic conversation, the Prime Minister prayed for her long and healthy life. “Spoke to respected Lata Didi and conveyed birthday greetings to her. Praying for her long and healthy life. Lata Didi is a household name across the nation. I consider myself fortunate to have always received her affection and blessings,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
Lata Mangeshkar is one of the best-known and respected playback singers in the country.
Born on September 28, 1929, she has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards.
Saqib Saleem: ‘Crackdown’ a tribute to unsung heroes of the nation.
Actor Saqib Saleem enjoys being a part of the digital entertainment world, and says his upcoming show web series, Crackdown, is a tribute to unsung heroes of the nation.
“‘Crackdown’ is like a tribute to the unsung heroes of the nation and I am so proud that I have been given an opportunity to headline a show like this. Apoorva (Lakhia) is a fantastic director and he made sure that our preparation for this show was top-notch, whether it was our physical fitness, costumes, or even the locations that we shot in,” Saqib said.
The espionage thriller marks the digital debut of director Apoorva Lakhia and also features Shriya Pilgaonkar, Iqbal Khan, Waluscha De Sousa, Rajesh Tailang and Ankur Bhatia.
Lakhia said: “Although this is my directorial debut for an OTT platform, the treatment of ‘Crackdown’ is exactly like a Bollywood blockbuster and I am sure the audience is going to love it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
The show, which will premiere on Voot Select on September 23, is about a covert operations wing that investigates smaller decoys to expose a grand conspiracy that threatens national security.
Sunday is World Tourism Day, and while the idea of travel for relaxation would seem like an impossible dream in the time of pandemic that we are going through, several actors shared how much they are craving to take off to their favourite locales.
Comedian-actress Bharti Singh wants to travel to Greece. “I miss travelling. I travelled during the New Year and returned on January 3. It’s been almost nine months since then. Itne me toh baby aa jata (a child would be born in this span of time). I really wanted to go to Greece and Ibiza,” she told IANS.
Asha Negi
Actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee, who wowed fans on “Bigg Boss 13”, had her plans chalked out, but had to cancel them owing to the Covid-19 scare.
“After ‘Bigg Boss’ I had to travel but I didn’t go anywhere because of the Covid scare. I could not even travel to my hometown in Assam,” Devoleena said.
Hoping to visit London soon, South star Nidhhi Agerwal eagerly awaits returning to the film set. “I definitely miss travelling, considering I travel so much for work. Eating on the streets — Oh God, I miss the experience! I would like to go back to shoot whenever things get better — can’t wait,” she wished.
“Pavitra Rishta” fame Asha Negi is an avid mountain lover, and she misses the fresh air of the mountains.
‘Aladdin’ star Siddharth Nigam
“I love the mountains. Last year, I celebrated my birthday in the mountains. I wanted to do the same this year but then Covid happened. I hope to get back to mountains soon,” Asha said.
Actor Siddharth Nigam, who is a part of “Aladdin: Naam Toh Suna Hoga”, would love to be in Dubai for a while. “I love going to new places, and I have been missing that a lot these days. I also have a few shoots scheduled out of India that have been put on hold. One of my favourite tourist destinations is Dubai. The last time I was there, it was on Independence Day. I was mesmerised by the fountain show that takes place near Burj Khalifa. That day, India’s flag lit up on Burj Khalifa and Shah Rukh Sir’s songs were played. It was an amazing experience that made my night,” he recalled.
For actor Tarun Khanna, nothing works like a few good days with friends in London.
Tarun Khanna ( IANS)
“I love travelling and I am glad I got projects where I would have to travel a lot, in and around India. I would love to travel as much as I can in this life. London is one of my most favourite places. I am in love with the city and places around it. There are a lot of beautiful villages outside of London and the only difference between the city and these villages is that there are no tall buildings in the villages, rest everything is same. Ipswich and Bath near London are the most breathtaking places,” he said.
“All of my childhood friends live in London and this one time we decided to meet up and go around the city. We went pub crawling, covered Bond Street, Oxford Street and Soho. It was a different experience and I really miss that,” Tarun added.
