Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan will be seen on the big screen for the first time with his upcoming film Loveyapa. As the actor commences his promotional activities, he sat down to discuss his parents’ divorce when he was only eight years old and how it impacted his life. Junaid Khan never saw Aamir and Reena fight till he was 19 In an interview with Vicky Lalwani, Junaid Khan spoke about his parents’ divorce and said, “It was good. My parents split up, I think, when I was eight. But they never actually let us feel that. I never saw them fight till I was 19. The first time I saw my parents fight, I was 19. So we never saw them disagree or fight. They always… When it came to us (him and Ira Khan) they were a single unit. So, I think that way they did well. I think it was probably a mature thing to do. I mean two good people aren’t always good together and this way we got, at least I got a childhood with both parents being happy.” Aamir and Reena Dutta got married on April 18, 1986. Reena also had a small part in Aamir’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. They have two children, a son named Junaid and a daughter, Ira. While Junaid made his debut with the streaming movie Maharaj, Ira, has stayed away from the profession of acting so far. She tied the knot with her long-time boyfriend Nupur Shikhare, who was Aamir’s fitness trainer. Reena was involved briefly in Aamir’s career when she worked as an executive producer for the actor’s Oscar-nominated film Lagaan. In December 2002, he filed for divorce and took custody of both children. Junaid Khan’s work front On the work front, Junaid will next be seen in Loveyapa with Khushi Kapoor. The film is directed by Advait Chandan and is set to hit theatres on February 7, 2025. It is a complex story that explores love and its challenges, blending humor and heart to create an engaging cinematic experience. This project is backed by Phantom Studios and AGS Entertainment.
05 January,2025 10:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood actress Triptii Dimri, who rose to fame with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal alongside Ranbir Kapoor, recently opened up about the film being labelled anti-feminist following its derogatory take on women. The film, which hit the screens in 2023 was called out by a section of movie critics for portraying women poorly. Triptii Dimri on her role in Animal Triptii Dimri, who is known for films like Laila Majnu, Bulbbul, and Qala given her acting prowess, was mocked for taking up a mediocre role in Animal. When asked why she chose to do an ‘anti-feminist’ film, she told Filmfare, “I didn’t look at it as an anti-feminist film. I don’t give such tags to films. Even while doing Bulbbul and Qala, I never thought I was doing a feminist film. I connected with the characters, had faith in the directors, and felt I should do it. Even when Animal was offered to me, I met Sandeep sir and he explained. He didn’t tell me much about the story, he explained my character. To me, what was exciting was that I have only done goody and nice person roles – who get sympathy at the end – till now, and I was like this was a nice space to be in where I do this character." Triptii Dimri on doing a big film like Animal She added, “He said something very interesting. He wanted to see innocence and kindness in my eyes but inside I should have that mission in my heart, that I want to accomplish. Now how do you get there, that was my job. I found it to be challenging and interesting, that’s what made me say yes. Then, of course, everybody wants to do a big film. Till that time, I was an actor who had done Bulbbul, Qala, and all the films that were being offered, were only those types of movies. I would have loved to do such films and I would love to continue doing those. However, at that time, getting a big film was a big deal for me. Maybe, I’ll get to learn something new and I’ll also get to see how big films are made.” Triptii was last seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. It also features Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, and Rajpal Yadav among others.
05 January,2025 09:31 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentActress Pooja Hegde, who will be next seen in ‘Deva’, has said that for her, acting has always been about transformation. The actress made a distinctive debut in Hindi cinema with her role of a village girl in ‘Mohenjo Daro’, and showcased her ability to adapt to unconventional roles. Over the years, she has evolved into a dynamic performer, seamlessly blending versatility with grace. Her career took a game-changing turn when visionary director Karthik Subbaraj recognised her untapped potential and cast her in ‘Retro’. Known for his bold storytelling, Subbaraj reimagined Pooja in an entirely new light. From charming audiences with her simplicity to stunning them with her glamorous screen presence, Pooja has carved a unique niche for herself. Speaking about her journey, Pooja shared, “For me, acting has always been about transformation. I want to push boundaries and challenge myself with every role. It’s not just about looking the part but living it in every frame. I am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way, and I can’t wait to explore even more diverse roles”. What truly sets Pooja apart is her ability to immerse herself in her characters. She embodies authenticity, effortlessly balancing vulnerability and magnetism, which has made her one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry today. Earlier, the actress gave a peek into her camaraderie with Bollywood star Varun Dhawan with whom she has teamed up for his father David Dhawan's next film. The film is tentatively titled ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’. The actress took to the Stories section of her Instagram, and gave a glimpse into her camaraderie with Varun. The actress shared a picture along with Varun, and wrote, “This duo is dreaming of bread” with laughing emojis, sparking curiosity and excitement among fans. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:12 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSBollywood star Akshay Kumar is all set to come up with his new film 'Sky Force', which also marks the debut of Veer Pahariya. On Saturday, Akshay took to Instagram and shared the film's motion poster. Both Akshay and Veer can be seen dressed up as Indian Air Force officers. The makers also shared that the trailer of 'Sky Force' will be out on Sunday. "This New Year, soar into the skies with #SkyForce - the untold story of India's first and deadliest airstrike ever. Trailer out tomorrow. In cinemas on 24th January 2025," a post read on the official Instagram account of Maddock Films. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maddock Films (@maddockfilms) The first look of Akshay and Veer created excitement among fans. "Wow," a social media user commented. "Interesting," another one wrote. A patriotic song could be heard playing in the background. The poster's tagline said, "Some missions end. Others last a lifetime." As per the film's team, 'Sky Force' is an untold true story that captures the bravery, emotion, and patriotism of all those men in uniform. The film is directed by Sandeep Kelwani and Abhishek Kapur. It is produced by Dinesh Vijan, Jyoti Deshpande and Amar Kaushik. 'Sky Force' will be out in cinema halls on January 24. In the coming months, Akshay will also be seen in Priyadarshan's 'Bhooth Bangla'. It will be released on April 2, 2026. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | ANIBollywood superstar Akshay Kumar is set to start filming for his upcoming movie ‘Bhooth Bangla’ on Sunday. For the film, the superstar is joining forces with Priyadarshan. Both of them have delivered several blockbusters and cult films together including the fan favourite ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa', 'Garam Masala' and others. The schedule will be shot in Jaipur after filming in Mumbai last month. The team is now heading to the Pink City, where the next chapter of the horror-comedy will unfold. ‘Bhooth Bangla’ promises to be a perfect blend of thrills and laughter, as the film explores the haunted house genre with a comedic twist. Akshay, known for his impeccable comic timing, is expected to bring his magic charm to the character, while Priyadarshan’s direction is anticipated to give the film a fresh, engaging vibe. The Jaipur schedule is expected to include several outdoor shoots in the city’s iconic locales, adding a rich cultural backdrop to the film. Directed by Priyadarshan, Bhooth Bangla is produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms and Akshay Kumar's production house, Cape of Good Films. The film is co-produced by Faara Sheikh and Vedant Baali. The story is written by Akash A Kaushik and screenplay by Rohan Shankar, Abilash Nair and Priyadarshan. The dialogues are by Rohan Shankar. ‘Bhooth Bangla’ is set to arrive in cinemas on April 2, 2026. Earlier, Akshay took some time off from his busy schedule to spend time with his family as he flew down to Jaipur with his wife Twinkle Khanna, son Aarav, and daughter Nitara to celebrate the New Year. A video of Akshay's fun family time has surfaced on social media. The 'Welcome' star can be seen enjoying a ride amidst nature in the Jhalana Leopard Safari, Jaipur. Akshay recently commemorated wife Twinkle's 51st birthday on December 29 with a special social media post. The Instagram video was an attempt to capture Twinkle's contrasting personality traits. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:01 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSBollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, who was last seen in ‘Fighter’, had once spoken up on how superstar Salman Khan helped him during the making of his debut movie ‘Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai’. A throwback video of Hrithik from ‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’ has gone viral on social media. In the video, Hrithik opened up about how Salman Khan played a pivotal role in his early career. Talking about the challenges he faced as an inexperienced actor, Hrithik said, "Things got decided that I was going to be in Dad's next film. I, there was no time, and I was skinny as hell. I was half of this so you can imagine”. With little time to prepare, Hrithik reached out to Salman Khan, whom he believed to be the best in the business. He said, "I called him up just out of the blue. I had to remind him who I was... he just took me in”. The actor shared that Salman not only helped him with his training but also motivated him during tough times. He further mentioned, “Along with training me, the moral support that he gave me was incredible. He was one of the few people who really believed that I would be a phenomenon”. Hrithik also discarded rumors about competition or insecurity, in the video, as he said, "When he's around me, you know, he's always pushing me. He's like a brother”. Meanwhile, Hrithik will be next seen in ‘War 2’ in which he will share the screen with Telugu superstar NTR Jr. Salman Khan, on his part, will be next seen in ‘Sikandar’ along with Rashmika Mandanna. The film, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by A R Murugadoss, is set to release on Eid 2025. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:01 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSPlayback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who once was the voice of Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan in film music, is back to doing what he does best: courting controversies. After making headlines over being snubbed after Dua Lipa’s India concert, Abhijeet is on the radar for his comments on Mahatma Gandhi which has landed him in a legal soup. What Abhijeet Bhattacharya said about Mahatma Gandhi Abhijeet Bhattacharya told Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast, “Music composer R. D. Burman was bigger than Mahatma Gandhi. Like Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation, R. D. Burman was the father of the nation in the world of music”. If this wasn’t enough, the singer went on to launch a more scathing attack on Gandhi calling him the father of nation for Pakistan. “Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation for Pakistan and not India. India already existed, Pakistan was carved out of India later. Gandhi has been mistakenly called the father of nation for India. He was the one responsible behind the existence of Pakistan”, he added. Pune lawyer files case against Abhijeet Bhattacharya According to a report by The Free Press Journal, Pune-based lawyer, Asim Sarode, who claims to be representing one Manish Deshpande and other law students, has threatened to initiate criminal prosecution against Abhijeet if he fails to submit a written apology for his comments on Mahatma Gandhi. Abhijeet Bhattacharya's music journey Abhijeet Bhattacharya was launched by R. D. Burman in a Bengali film with a duet song with veteran singer Asha Bhosle. He did stage shows as a singer with R. D. Burman during the initial phase of his career. He has sung for Bollywood actors like Mithun Chakrabarty, Vijay Anand, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Akshaye Khanna, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Ajay Devgan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Chandrachur Singh, Bobby Deol, Jitendra Kumar and Jimmy Shergill. In 1992, came ‘Khiladi’, in which he sang songs like ‘Waada Raha Sanam’, ‘Khud Ko Kya Samajhti Hai’, ‘Kya Khabar Thi Jaana’ composed by Jatin-Lalit. Following this he gave many massive hits in the '90s.
05 January,2025 08:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood superstar Govinda’s wife Sunita Ahuja, who has been on a podcast spree after the actor recovered from accidentally shooting his leg last year, spoke about nepotism in the film industry and urged for it to stop after daughter Tina failed to get work opportunities owing to the existing groups and use of same actors. Watch the video below. Chichi’s wife on nepotism byu/BollyLOVER1 inBollyBlindsNGossip Govinda’s wife Sunita Ahuja wants nepotism to end In an interview with Hindi Rush, Sunita Ahuja spoke about her daughter Tina being open to work but can’t get any opportunities due to the groups in Bollywood. She said, “Tina ko bahut shauk hai kaam karne ka. Aap log mauka toh do kaam karne ka. Nepotism band karo na. Dusre logon ko bhi kaam karne ka mauka do. Aap log ek hi group mein kaam karte ho. Sabko mauka do. Abhi ek hi actor ko aap kitni baar dekhoge.” (Tina is very eager to work. At least give her a chance to work. Stop nepotism. Allow others to work as well. You all work within the same group. Give everyone a chance. How many times will you keep watching the same actor?) She further revealed that people get tired of repeatedly looking at the same face. She said that new faces should be launched, even for outsiders who don’t come bearing a film background. Tina Ahuja is known for the film Second Hand Husband (2015), and music videos Milo Na Tum (2019) and Driving Me Crazy (2020). How Govinda inspires daughter Tina Ahuja On Govinda’s 56th birthday, Tina Ahuja revealed the numerous ways in which Bollywood's dancing wonder inspires her. "Dad inspires me every day and in every way. It is difficult for me to express how he inspires me. Right from his passion towards his work and his sincerity towards his work, to the way he keeps himself balanced in all kinds of situations in life, there are a lot of things about him that inspire me. He is just too sorted in his head and too chilled out. He is so secure as a person and that's what I really like about him," she told IANS. Tina also shared the veteran star's advice to her. "The best advice he has given me is to just have fun and be honest towards whatever you do. Whether it is a big thing or small, always give your 100 percent," she recalled.
05 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIntellectual property, which is basically creative work, has to be seen differently than any other form of property which is owned. Because what intellectual property does is that it adds a certain enrichment to society - be it painting, music, literature, cinema. This is why every society has worked out a way of incentivizing, encouraging, and protecting the work of creative people. Now, one way of doing it is to ensure that their copyright is not violated, because this is something which has been created as an original by them. Any creation comes from deep within the artist. It is that when that work is exploited for further commerce, then they should be receiving their due share of that. If you buy a painting, say by Tyeb Mehta, for 1 lakh rupees and 10 years later, maybe the price goes to 1 crore so you actually sell it further. Now, from that one crore that you're making, a royalty has to be ploughed back to Mehta or his heirs, which is, actually, the law. Because what you're doing is, from that person's original work, you are actually making an extra profit. From that profit, some due royalty has to go back. That is the whole definition of royalty. Likewise, the world over, when a film is shown on cinema screens in cinema halls, for that the contract is made with the writer. The sort of assignment fee has been paid to them but once it is exploited for further commerce, like outside of the cinema hall, when it goes into, a remake, or it's adapted into some other language, or if it is sold to a foreign country, or if it appears on another platform like television, or any of the OTT platforms. Then in which case, from that additional money which is being earned, based on the writer's work, some share has to be given back to the writer. Now, in most countries across the world, this has been accepted as a law. Even the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is a branch of the UN, there also it is very clearly established that these are the protocols, and the work of artists, their copyright as well as their royalties have to be protected. India has the Copyright Act, which was formulated in 1957. Now, for a very long time, there was no concept really of royalties for the writers. So what would actually happen is that, if a producer is paying me even 100 rupees for a script, then all the rights, everything belongs to the producer. He would be able to do anything that he wants with it, sell it, change it, do whatever it is that he wants with it, and there is nothing that I can do, because he has actually bought it. He is the owner of that. Now, in 2012, the law was amended, and it was a radical amendment, which actually said a few very important things. One was that if I have written a script, then embedded in that, there are certain rights under the copyright umbrella, which are mine. The right to show it to the public, the right to make a film, the right to adapt it, the right to show it anywhere else, all that is mine. After a deed, I am assigning those rights to the producer. Now the producer can use those rights to make the film, to show it elsewhere, so all that becomes his right. However, the right to receive royalty cannot be transferred. The law forbids that, saying it is illegal. Which means that the producer in advance cannot purchase your right to receive royalty. This created a huge uproar in the film industry, amongst the producers, studios, broadcasters, etc. Because this non-assignability of the right to receive royalty is actually, as a law, it is there only in Germany, and in India now. This was quite radical, and we were very grateful for that, because we had lobbied very hard. From 2009 to 2012, we really lobbied very hard with the government. The government was sympathetic, and so were all the other parties. So it was unanimously passed in Parliament. It is well known that Javed Akhtar spearheaded this whole thing in Parliament. After that came the whole protocol as to how do you collect royalty? The law very clearly said that a copyright society has to be formed, and the right to receive royalty can be assigned by every writer to the copyright society. The other thing the Law also said, that in the copyright, there are two dimensions. Number one, there is the author, whose work it is. And number two, it is the owner to whom the rights have been assigned. They call them owners. Now both these people should become members of the copyright society, so that they are able to collect royalties in equal measure. If 100 rupees of royalty is due on say a work of mine, which is being shown on television, then 50 rupees, 50% of that goes to the producer, and 50% of that goes to the author. So we created a company in 2013, and then we applied to the government for it to be registered as the official copyright society. Because that is part of the law, the government has to register it. And this took a very long time, almost 11 years. In 2016, the revised application was submitted to them as per their instructions. There was a little bit of ambiguity in the wording of the law, which had to be resolved. Now, finally on the 30th of December, the certificate was ready, and it was handed over to us. So now we are a registered copyright society of authors and owners. Now what is next is that two things come out first. First is that the membership drive has already begun. Which means we need to ensure that all the working screenwriters of India, from every region like 20-25 thousand of them including those who may not be alive, but whose work is still within the copyright period, have to be made members. We have to educate them, make them aware of what this means for them. We have to also ask producers to become members. Secondly, the negotiations have to begin with broadcasters. Now in every country, there is a copyright society. So the arrangement is that the copyright society of that country, let's say in France, when our work is shown on say French TV, then they will collect the royalty on our behalf and they will transfer it to our copyright society, which will then divide the royalty between the writer and the producer. And likewise, if a French film is being shown on Indian television, then we will collect the royalty and then we will transfer it to the French society. So this becomes the arrangement across the world. Will there be arrears? So after 2012, 21st of June, when the act was actually gazetted, royalty is supposed to be due on that. Now the thing is, and the clarification is very essential, is that because this whole thing had not become operational, the copyright society had not been registered, we had not begun negotiations at that time, so broadcasters did not budget for this.So what we may have to do, is negotiate for a certain lump sum for that period. They may not be happy about it, but I think they have resigned themselves to it, simply because it is the law. It is. And now the law has become operative. It is the rule, world over. So, Netflix in America, and other different places, is giving royalties. Now in America, they don't call it royalties, they call it residuals, which are actually paid to writers, collected by the union, through the collective bargaining arrangement. The biggest challenge that I foresee, is exactly this, that the negotiated amount, of the percentage of royalties, should be fair to writers. The writer who is credited, for that film, should receive royalties. To ensure that the entire system must be cleaned up, because till now, this also used to happen, that a lot of writers were being denied their credits, especially new writers. There are a lot of complaints, that we have written this, but the director took the credit, the producer took the credit, our name didn't come on the slate. Most think that our career is starting, even if our name is in the assistant, or in the associate, it’s a start. But it is widely known that actually they are the ones who have done the work. Now with royalties coming in, that has to be changed. The royalty period is for 60 years even after the death of the author. Obviously, every writer will get concerned about their credit, because not only are they being denied, their due fees now, and their name on the screen, but for the next 100 years, they won't get any payback for their work. There is going to be a pushback, from the writer's side, to ensure that this system gets cleaned up. Credit has to become very transparent. We will be initiating conversation in the next two weeks. The age of stolen stories is over—writers will finally own their worth.
05 January,2025 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar BasuA devotional beginning Janhvi Kapoor visited Tirumala yesterday to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara. She was accompanied by rumoured boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya, his mother, security personnel, and fans. She greeted her fans with a smile as she exited the Tirupati temple. Their interactions are quite charming, especially when they spread their love on social media. On the work front, Janhvi will next appear in Param Sundari opposite Sidharth Malhotra. The duo will team up for the first time in Dinesh Vijan’s upcoming directorial. Lights, camera, action Ayushmann Khurrana has left the holiday mood behind as he prepares to shoot for his upcoming film Thama. After a short schedule in Mumbai late last year, the team is ready to shoot exciting sequences in the national capital starting early next week, continuing until mid-January. Thama is touted as a bloody love story and belongs to Dinesh Vijan’s horror-comedy universe. Rashmika Mandanna stars opposite Ayushmann, alongside Paresh Rawal and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Aditya Sarpotdar of Munjya fame directs the film, written by Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew, and Arun Fulara. Besides Thama, Ayushmann has an untitled film with Dharma and Sikhya Productions, along with two projects , one with Sooraj Barjatya and the other Sameer Saxena. That’s a packed schedule!
05 January,2025 07:09 AM IST | Mumbai | The Hitlist TeamDeepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, the newest parents of Bollywood, invited paparazzi to their house to introduce them to their little princess, Dua Padukone Singh. Mid-day photographer Nimesh Dave, who was part of several invitees at the residence, shared with us that DeepVeer made them meet their daughter with a humble request that they would not click any pictures of Dua. The photographer met the baby girl formally for the first time since her birth on September 8, 2024. Our photographer told us they met baby Dua at their house in Prabhadevi this evening. Dua Padukone Singh meet Papz Dua, who is almost two and a half months old, had her first meeting with the shutterbugs, who are always there to click her parents and actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Deepika and Ranveer, who are currently busy with their parenting duties, are keeping a little away from the limelight for some time. Deepika was recently snapped at Mumbai's Kalina airport with her daughter as they returned to the city after attending Diljit Dosanjh's concert in Bangalore, where she made a surprise entry on stage. More about DeepVeer’s baby girl On February 29, 2024, Deepika and Ranveer joyfully announced their first pregnancy. On September 8, they welcomed their baby girl on Ganesh Chaturthi. Since then, the actress has been busy with her motherhood journey. She has been sharing cute reels and videos on her Instagram stories to keep her fans hooked. She has been staying away from the camera for a while to fulfill her duties as a mother. DeepVeer are not the only couple who chose this approach of making the paparazzi meet their little princess in an informal meet. Earlier, after Raha's birth, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt chose a similar approach, where they hosted paparazzi at their residence and requested them not to click Raha's pictures until they officially introduced her to the cameras. Deepika Padukone’s work front Deepika Padukone recently made news as this morning a report came in that she will be joining the cast of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love and War. A report in India Today claimed that she will have a cameo appearance in the film, while Orry will play a pivotal role.
05 January,2025 01:08 AM IST | MumbaiADVERTISEMENT
