Have you heard? Food for thought

Ayushmann Khurrana and Eric Nam

Ayushmann Khurrana recently treated K-Pop star Eric Nam to some famous Indian delicacies. The Dream Girl 2 actor and the international artiste, who was in Mumbai for Lollapalooza, bonded when they met during the Time 100 Impact Awards in Singapore last year. Ayushmann ensured that Eric has a memorable trip, savouring some of our popular desi specialties, like onion bhajiyas with green and red chutneys from the west, Amritsari kulcha with pindi chhole from the north, Hyderabadi gosht biryani with raita from the south and rasmalai from the east. "We have so many cultures that the cuisine is extremely diverse and unique. Indian food is a celebration of life itself and I wanted Eric to feel that while he is in India," said Ayushmann. He added, "I could see his eyes go wide each time he took a bite and savoured each dish to the fullest. I was happy seeing him happy because I truly believe in the saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava'." All praise for his host, the self-confessed foodie Eric shared, "Being able to try these diverse dishes in one sitting with Ayushmann as my guide was truly wonderful. I love India and it was so much fun tasting every corner of your country's incredible food palate. My favourite dish of the experience was chhole and roti, and of course, the fun conversations I shared with Ayushmann were a blast." He concluded saying he hopes to visit India more often to explore the vastness of the diverse cultures and to indulge more lip-smacking delicacies.

New musical memory

Parineeti Chopra, who announced her foray into singing last week, recently made her stage debut. The actor-singer delivered her maiden live singing performance at the Mumbai Festival, at the end of which she also thanked the audience. "This would be my first show in my memory forever. So, thank you so much. And the best part of this was that I got to perform my first show in my own city, Mumbai. Thank you," she said. The following morning, Pari also marked the special occasion on social media with pictures from the event, saying, "And it's done… I have tears of joy as I type this: My first ever live singing performance was last night and it was everything I could wish for and more. Thank you all for the love and kindness you all have shown. It means a lot to me."

Chalo cinema

It's not uncommon for the current lot of heroines to wear a burkha and catch the latest release in a theatre with the aam junta. For Zeenat Aman, it's a case of been there, done that. She shared her movie-watching experience on social media. "In my early years as an actor, I'd buy tickets for my films and watch them incognito to gauge the audience reaction. Often this involved wearing a burkha to avoid being recognised," she wrote alongside her pictures from the past and recent times. She added, "When I grew too mature for this trick, I would enter the cinema late, once the film had started, and exit early to avoid being mobbed!"

Some thrills, some laughs

Tusshar Kapoor is having sleepless nights of late. Reason: he is shooting for his new web series, Dus June Ki Raat. Since it is a horror comedy, director Tabrez Khan is shooting the show at night. Sharing screen space with Tusshar is Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, the second runner-up of Bigg Boss 16. Tusshar hopes to wrap up the series soon as he has the second schedule of Welcome to the Jungle lined up in February. Incidentally, Dus June Ki Raat is not the only horror offering he has. The actor has also wrapped up director Sangeeth Sivan's next, co-starring Shreyas Talpade. Said to be an adaptation of the Malayalam film Romancham (2023), Sangeeth's yet-untitled horror thriller is being readied for a theatrical release in the coming months.

In daughter's defense

Rajinikanth yesterday clarified his daughter Aishwaryaa's comments about him not being a ‘sanghi'. The Laal Salaam director triggered a controversy recently when she addressed social media posts calling her superstar father a sanghi. Stating that she didn't know what it meant, she said that only when she asked someone did she get to know that it is a term for people supporting a particular political party. Aishwaryaa also maintained if that were the case, her father wouldn't have done a film called Laal Salaam. Clarifying her intent, Rajinikanth told the media outside Chennai airport, "My daughter never said that ‘sanghi' was a bad word. She questioned why her father was being branded that way when he is into spirituality." When probed if Aishwaryaa's speech was to promote the film on a national level, the superstar denied it saying the story revolved around religious harmony.

Keeping it real

As she gears up for the second part of the third edition of her web series, Aarya, Sushmita Sen said that the lines between her character and her real self blurred during the climax shoot. Calling it a challenge, the actor shared, "Being a pretty emotional person, it felt like I was the last soldier in my own personal battle." Stating that she was fully prepared to portray the protagonist in Aarya: Antim Vaar, Sush added, "Playing Aarya doesn't feel like acting; it is more like a dedication to doing whatever it takes to protect family, just like I would. Thanks to Ram Madhvani, filming those intense scenes was surprisingly comfortable. He makes the set feel easy and stress-free, almost like letting go of all the tension."