The track also brings together Diljit Dosanjh alongside global icon Pitbull, a collaboration that adds a cross-cultural flair to the song
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Alia’s film in discrimination row
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It appears that Alia Bhatt’s Jigra is not in the clear just yet, as the makers of the film have courted yet another controversy. After they were accused of apparently fudging box-office numbers, they have now been pulled up for discrimination by Manipur-based actor Bijou Thaangjam. Thaangjam, who has been part of projects like Mary Kom, and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, said he lost out on several projects after the makers locked him for Jigra but then didn’t respond to him. “I want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses,” he wrote, sharing that after he was “booked” throughout December, the team stopped responding. “Throughout the month, I was left in the dark, communicating with the casting team but receiving no updates. The last message I received was on December 26, stating, ‘Waiting for a revert’, and after that—complete silence. Meanwhile, I’d lost out on other projects because I was sitting around, waiting for them to give me the go-ahead. But of course, that never came. For an actor like me from the Northeast, it felt particularly dismissive.”
And she lifts
Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana revealed that her fitness routine comprises traditional resistance training exercises like body-weight chin-ups and deadlifts. In a video that features her working out at a city gym, she is seen executing the exercises, and responded to comments on nailing the chin-ups stating, “It was a struggle.” The young actor, who made her debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, will work with her father in the upcoming film, King, which is directed by Sujoy Ghosh and produced by Siddharth Anand. The movie is expected to go on floors later this year and might hit screens in 2025. The film will also feature actor Abhishek Bachchan, who will be seen playing the antagonist.
The mentor
Bigg Boss 18 contestant Arfeen Khan revealed that he met Hrithik Roshan through common friends and shared how he became Roshan’s mind coach. “I accidentally met him through common friends. At that time, I was 20 kilos overweight. Hrithik gave me a diet plan that was supposed to help me lose 10 kilos in 10 weeks. But I dropped 14 kilos, instead. He was shocked and asked me how I did it. I said it’s the mind coaching that I do. That’s when he expressed his desire to learn.”
A collab worth celebrating
Tanishk Bagchi has introduced the South African music genre Amapiano in his latest Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 track. The title track fuses the haunting chants of the film with the rhythmic grooves of the genre. The track also brings together Diljit Dosanjh alongside global icon Pitbull, a collaboration that adds a cross-cultural flair to the song. Pitbull shared, “Music has no borders, and this track is proof of that. Teaming up with Tanishk and Diljit for this project was fire. I can’t wait to see the response from India—let’s make history!”
Being Kajol
Days after she was criticised for expressing anger at a celebratory event, Kajol lashed out at a reporter during a promotional event for her next, Do Patti. When a journalist took note of the film’s storyline and asked Kajol if she had experienced betrayal in her life, the actor responded, stating, “Don’t be daft. I am not going to share an anecdote. Obviously, I will not [share the details]. Betrayal is something that everyone experiences. Otherwise, you haven’t lived life at all, or you’ve been under a tree somewhere.” Pic/Sujit Jaiswal (AFP)
Stirring up a storm
In an upcoming podcast episode, Seema Pahwa will be seen tackling the subject of the growth of influencer marketing. Expressing her frustration with the trend of the common man gaining prominence via social media, she criticised the fact that fame is now measured by the number of likes one gets. Apparently referring to them as a disease, she said, “Nowadays, there’s a new disease of influencers. We should leave the industry because, how can we stand with them? You’ve earned fame by posting 20 reels; it took me 50 years to achieve that. How are you standing equal to me? I’m sad to say this to my industry, to casting directors and producers—you can’t do this. The audience may be watching influencers on reels, but these producers say, ‘This is a famous face; their likes have increased a lot. Put them in your film.’” Pahwa rose to prominence with her character Badki in the show, Hum Log, on Doordarshan. She has featured in Mili (2022), Bala (2019), and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), among a spate of other films.
Reviving an old memory
Ranbir Kapoor reminded fans of his iconic Channa mereya look from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil when he took to the stage for a fashion show for designer Tarun Tahiliani. Kapoor put on a display for a groom’s collection and was seen in an ivory silk sherwani and a matching churidar, and dupatta. Fans praised the actor’s ensemble and pointed out that it reminded them of the song from Karan Johar’s production venture. The soulful track was sung by Arijit Singh and featured Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. It was easily among the numbers that Kapoor came to be associated with.