Have you heard? It’s the intent, says Agastya

Navya Naveli Nanda and Agastya Nanda

Indulging in a conversation with his mother Shweta Nanda, grandmother Jaya Bachchan, and sister Navya Naveli Nanda on her podcast show, The Archies actor Agastya tackled the subject of male toxicity. Talking about the manner in which a woman perceives a man's gestures, like opening a door or paying the bill on a date, Agastya said, "As long as you're doing it to be polite, and to not say, ‘I'm the man', you can't go wrong. If you're opening the door [without impressing on the fact that] ‘I'm the one opening the door', but are doing it to say, ‘I want to help you,' it's never going to come across the wrong way. If you say, ‘I'd love to pay for this meal', and not, ‘I'm the provider, so I'll pay', it's not going to come across the wrong way."

Gotta ask the baby too!

In an interaction with Mid-day, Karan Singh Grover reflected on his and his wife Bipasha Basu's decision to keep their daughter away from the limelight. "Some people want to show their babies, others don't. It's their choice. Plus, Bipasha says that we don't have Devi's permission to show her face in the media. I think, by the time we ask her for permission, I don't know what she's going to say, because she's so social. She always wants to greet everyone. We actually have to hold her face when the paparazzi come, and they are sweet enough to listen when we ask them not to click her," said the actor, who became a father in November 2022. Grover was last seen in the Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone-starrer, Fighter.

Earning accolades

Veteran filmmaker JP Dutta, was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Raj Kapoor Award for his exceptional contributions to Indian cinema. Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra received the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award by Maharashtra Government's Cultural Division at the Maharashtra Bhushan Awards for his contribution. Dutta was honoured by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The honour was given to him at the award ceremony held in Mumbai.

Celebrating India

One of India's leading Bharatanatyam exponents and research scholars, Bala Devi Chandrashekar, made history at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris when her film on the Thanjavur Big Temple, or Brihadeeswara Temple, was launched in France.
Brihadeeswara - Form to Formless captures the essence and significance of the 1,000-year-old UNESCO heritage site in Tamil Nadu through the eyes of a temple dancer or Devaradiyal, the high priestess of the temple. The Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, Ambassador Vishal V Sharma, said, "The temple is a testament to India's craftsmanship and cultural philosophy, serving as an architectural marvel for a millennium and drawing admiration from people across the globe."

Inching close

The posters of Bollywood stars Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon from their upcoming film Crew were unveiled yesterday.
The three leading ladies are seen in the uniform of cabin crew as they play air hostesses in the film. Taking to their social media handles, the makers shared the posters. While Kapoor's poster read ‘Steal it', Tabu's read ‘Risk it', and Sanon's read, ‘Fake it.' Rajesh A Krishnan's film releases on March 29.

Onto her next venture

Papped outside the office of a production house amid a round of promotions for her next, Dange, Nikita Dutta reflected on her "exhilarating journey". "Every moment spent on the set was electrifying. I was able to immerse myself in the narrative. Dangey has a lot of unexpected surprises," said the actor. The film also stars Harshvardhan Rane and Ehan Bhat.

Marking three decades

Manoj Bajpayee, whose new film, The Fable, was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, celebrated 30 years in cinema at a special event organised by the Indian Embassy's Tagore Centre in Berlin. The event, hosted by Trisha Sakhlecha, Director of the Tagore Centre, coincided with Bajpayee's presence in Berlin. In a conversation, Bajpayee, 54, traced his journey from dreaming about becoming an actor in a small village in Bihar, and his 15-year long struggle, to his rise as a celebrated actor in Indian cinema.

Paying tribute

Pic/Facebook

Aamir Khan paid a visit to Faridabad, and met the parents of late Dangal actor Suhani Bhatnagar. Bhatnagar passed away recently after battling dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease. The actor paid his condolences to the grieving family. In the picture, Khan can be seen with Bhatnagar's parents and other members of the family. Dangal, which released in 2016, saw Bhatnagar in the role of Khan's daughter, Babita Phogat.