Kashika Kapoor has recently made her big Bollywood debut with 'Aayushmati Geeta Matric Pass'. Being an outsider and still managing to get a good script for your debut is not an easy task. One has to wait for years and face rejections before finally achieving what they've been waiting for. As Kashika made her debut and her film garnered a good response from both the audience and critics alike, the new talent sat down for a conversation with us on mid-day.com. In a candid chat, Kashika talked about getting the film, facing rejection because of being an outsider, and revealed why she said no to Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor’s starrer, 'Sunny Sanskari ki Tulsi Kumari'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by mid-day (@middayindia) The struggle of being an outsider When asked if being an outsider affected the opportunities she could get, Kashika stated, "Honestly, it did. I have a journey of my own, and I think the rejections make it beautiful because today, where I am, I really value it. I really value getting this film. So yes, I did get a lot of calls saying, 'Yaar, someone else is getting this film, so you can't do it,' and I think it's fine." Rejecting Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan's film During the interaction, Kashika recalled meeting Shashank Khaitan, where he narrated the story of Janhvi Kapoor & Varun Dhawan starter 'Sunny Sanskari ki Tulsi Kumari'. She shared that Khaitan offered her the role of Janhvi Kapoor's sister, but she turned it down. Kashika explained that she didn’t want to do any supporting roles. She shared, "See, I think you need to have a vision, which I have had. That's why I never did supporting roles. I always knew that I wanted to go for the main lead." On her debut film 'Aayushmati Geeta Matric Pass' Calling her first film "the best debut she could get," Kashika shared that, in her opinion, what's missing in the industry nowadays is "content," and the audience has become very smart. She further explained that making an impact on society with her debut film is something she feels proud of. The film, which touches on themes of girls' education and societal challenges, is based on true events surrounding scams in educational boards, making it a powerful narrative that resonates with the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' initiative.
21 October,2024 09:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Shachi ChaturvediAfter celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary at the Pataudi Palace, Bollywood couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan on Sunday evening arrived back in Mumbai with their sons Taimur and Jeh. They all were papped at the Mumbai airport. Several fans got excited to see them and even tried to click pictures with them. Speaking of the couple's airport look, Kareena opted for a red oversized T-shirt that she paired with high-waisted blue jeans. She elevated her look with black sunglasses and a subtle red lipstick. On the other hand, Saif was seen donning a kurta pyjama set, dishing out comfortable airport fashion goals. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Kareena and Saif tied the knot in 2012. The two have worked together in LOC Kargil (2003) and Omkara (2006), but it was on the sets of the 2008 film Tashan that they fell in love with each other. And on October 16, 2012, they solemnized their relationship. In 2016, the two became parents to son Taimur and in February 2021, they welcomed Jeh. Saif was married to Amrita Singh before Kareena and they have two children together, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. On the work front, Saif was recently seen in Devara: Part 1, which hit theatres on September 27. The film, which stars Saif alongside Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor, was released in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. The film reunites Jr NTR with director Koratala Siva, known for his work on 'Janatha Garage'.The film's ensemble cast also includes Prakash Raj, Srikanth Meka, Tom Shine Chacko, and Narain. Bebo, on the other hand, has been in the spotlight for her latest project, 'The Buckingham Murders', directed by Hansal Mehta.'The Buckingham Murders' was released in theaters on September 13. The mysterious drama revolves around sergeant Jasmeet 'Jass' Bhamra (Kareena) dealing with the loss of her young son Ekam (Mairaaj Kakkar). She is assigned a case of a missing boy, Ishpreet, roughly as old as Ekam. The film's ensemble also includes Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, and Keith Allen. Looking ahead, she is set to star in 'Singham Again', an action-packed film directed by Rohit Shetty, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Ranveer Singh, slated for release in November. 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
21 October,2024 07:56 AM IST | Mumbai | ANIFirsts are always special. Sonakshi Sinha, who tied the knot with Zaheer Iqbal in June 2023, celebrated her first Karwa Chauth on Sunday. Taking to Instagram, Sonakshi dropped a cute video with Zaheer. In the clip, she revealed that Zaheer has also kept a fast. 'Hungry' Sonakshi could be seen making goofy expressions and playing with flowers. Her antics evoked a funny response from Zaheer. As Zaheer asked her what was she doing, she replied, "I am hungry, I don't know what to do!". Sonakshi then asked him, "Why have you kept Karwa Chauth?" To that, he jokingly replied, "Because if I eat in front of you, you'll kill me!" "Find a pati who won't let you starve alone... whatever his reason may be...Happy Karwa Chauth..our first," Sonakshi captioned the post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona) Sonakshi got married to Zaheer on June 23 this year in the presence of their loved ones at their residence in Mumbai. It was an intimate wedding. The wedding was followed by a wedding bash at Bastian which saw numerous Bollywood celebrities in attendance. Their wedding post read, "On this very day, seven years back (23.06.2017) in each others eyes, we saw love in its purest form and decided to hold on to it. Today that love has guided us through all the challenges and triumphs... leading up to this moment... where with the blessings of both our families and both our gods... we are now man and wife. Here's to love, hope and all things beautiful with each other, from now until forever. Sonakshi Zaheer23.06.2024." Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonakshi was last seen in Kakuda alongside Riteish Deshmukh and Saqib Saleem. Helmed by Aditya Sarpotdar, 'Kakuda' is set in the village of Ratodi in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district. 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
21 October,2024 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | ANI'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' will always remain special for Kartik Aaryan for various reasons, especially for getting an opportunity to work with ace actresses Madhuri Dixit Nene and Vidya Balan. In an interview with ANI, Kartik shared his experience working on the third instalment of the successful franchise and how his dream of working with Madhuri and Vidya was fulfilled. "I felt like I was in a dream...could not be more grateful that I got the chance to share screen space with Vidya ji and Madhuri ji in the film and that too with them in one frame. I will always remember this. I have learnt so much from them. I have always been a big fan of Madhuri ji and Vidya ji. From having lunch together with them on sets to acting with them, I will remember the moments spent with them on 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' sets for a lifetime," he expressed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan) Helmed by Anees Bazmee, 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' is scheduled to be released this Diwali. In the horror-comedy film, Kartik will be seen reprising his role of 'Rooh Baba'. On receiving positive response for the film's assets unveiled by the makers so far, Kartik said, "There's so much excitement among the audience for 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'. For the trailer and title track, they have given us so much love, and I truly feel blessed. Now, wherever I go for promotions audience especially kids are calling me 'Rooh Baba'...they are doing 'spooky slide' step...internet is flooded with memes also...I am loving this promotional phase a lot." 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' also features Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Mishra and Vijay Raaz. As anticipation builds for 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3', fans are eager to see how the story unfolds, especially with the beloved characters of Manjulika and Rooh Baba back on screen. Earlier this month, the film's trailer was launched at a grand event in Jaipur. During the trailer launch of the third instalment in Jaipur, Vidya expressed her excitement about rejoining the 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' family after 17 years. "Thank you very much, Anees ji, for bringing back Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. I'm thrilled to return to Bhool Bhulaiyaa after 17 years. I have received a lot of love for this film in the last 17 years, and I am going to get a lot more love for the next 17 years," she said. Vidya played the iconic role of Manjulika in the 2007 blockbuster, which also starred Akshay Kumar and Ameesha Patel. 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
21 October,2024 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | ANIThe introduction of the south African music genre Amapiano into the title track of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 may seem like an easy means to attract an unassuming Indian listener. However, composer Tanishk Bagchi asserts the move serves a different purpose. In “introducing new sounds to Indian listeners”, and roping in international artistes while he does so, he hopes to open doors for western music aficionados to sample desi tunes too. “We are waiting for [music from India] to reach a global audience,” he says when highlighting why he chooses to create fusion tracks for film music. In this interview, Bagchi discusses choosing international R&B icon Pitbull, with hits like Hey baby, Hotel room service, and International love to his credit, to render the title track of the Kartik Aaryan-starrer, which also features vocals by Diljit Dosanjh. Edited excerpts from the interview: How did you manage to get Pitbull to work on this song with the team?We arrived at the idea of collaborating with [an international artiste]. I first worked on completing the track, and got Diljit [to render his sections]. We had sent out a collaboration request to many people and were trying to understand which artiste’s voice would match the song. The reason we chose Pitbull is that he has been associated with dance [music], and his rap rules the club. His voice is powerful and has a lot of presence. For India, and for this song, I needed someone like that. I didn’t want a simple rapper who would come in [do his thing], and leave. I wanted somebody who could take control of the song, because [it has been intricately] programmed. We needed someone with his tonal quality. You’ve also introduced this audience to a new genre with Amapiano. How did that come about?When I got the opportunity to create the title track for part three, it was tough. How can one recreate a recreation? But, I looked at it as a challenge. Every year, the sounds that are popular in the market, change. My vision is to bring new sounds to Bollywood, just like I did with Afro, which I used for Dance meri rani. Amapiano is a dance version of Afro. The song has different parts—it starts with a different beat, moves into a section with Afro influences, and then [features] Amapiano. Fusions make a song groovy. I know a song like this one will definitely be a rage. Given that the music of this franchise has a lot of Indian influences, why did you believe the introduction of a western sound would be needed?All the songs that I have done have had Indian elements. In this one, I used the dholak to add a distinct groove. Belonging to India, I want to ascertain that I also introduce Indian sounds to the global market. Take the example of Hanumankind. He is from here, but his music earns appreciation overseas too. Every country has its own distinct sound. Afro is from Africa, but it is ruling the charts abroad. As Indians, we are still waiting for something [from here] to reach that space. International artistes know that the Indian market has a lot of talent, and a lot of our music remains undiscovered. That’s why they are interested in working here. At the same time, we believe collaborations like these give us an edge—it makes the song hybrid, and hopefully accessible to the global market. It’s a window for us all. We get a chance to be in the global charts. As someone who has previously been criticised for the musician who recreated old tracks, you’ve come a long way to gain the acceptance and love that you now have. How do you look back at this change?I’m looking at [the journey] as a process. Whatever comes my way, I do it, and I do it swiftly. I don’t think about the pros and cons. I’m clear about one thing—if I’m offered a recreation project, I’ll put as much effort as I would on an original song. When I’m doing an original number, I will try to make it better than my last one.
21 October,2024 07:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Sonia LullaFace-off once more It appears that Akshay Kumar and Sunny Deol are set to face off in cinemas again. The two actors, whose OMG 2 and Gadar 2: The Katha Continues had clashed on August 11, 2023, will now have Sky Force and Jaat opening in cinemas on January 24, 2025. Apparently, producer Dinesh Vijan feels that the Republic Day window is the best weekend for the Akshay-led action thriller that revisits India’s first air strike on Pakistan. Helmed by Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, Sky Force also stars Sara Ali Khan, Nimrat Kaur and debutant Veer Pahariya. On the other hand, the Mythri Movie Makers, the producers of Sunny’s Jaat also believe that the January 24 is the best date for the action drama with a strong patriotic flavour. Also starring Randeep Hooda, Saiyami Kher, Regina Cassandra and Vineet Kumar Singh, the film marks Sunny’s maiden collaboration with acclaimed director Gopichand Malineni. The makers revealed the first look on Sunny’s 67th birthday on Saturday. Interestingly, Sunny was to have Lahore 1947 with director Rajkumar Santoshi releasing on the big weekend. However, Aamir Khan, who is producing the Partition saga, is planning to bring it to cinemas in the second quarter of 2025. Case filed against Ektaa, Shobha Ektaa R Kapoor and her mother Shobha have landed in a legal soup. A case has been filed against them under the POCSO Act for allegedly involving minor girls in inappropriate scenes in ALT Balaji’s web series Gandii Baat season 6. The case has been registered against Ektaa, Shobha, their production house, Balaji Telefilms Ltd and their OTT app, ALT Balaji under section 295-A of IPC, IT Act and sections 13 and 15 of POCSO Act. While the complaint states that the series streamed on ALT Balaji between February 2021 and April 2021, the controversial episode is not currently streaming on the app. Running into seven seasons, the adult comedy series was directed by Sachin Mohite. Unique idea for MunnaBhai Over the last several years, director Rajkumar Hirani has often been asked about his third MunnaBhai film starring Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi. After Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) emerged a runaway hit, the filmmaker was planning to make MunnaBhai Chale America. However, they had to abort the idea for reasons best known to them. When Hirani was asked about MunnaBhai 3 recently, he said, “I have five half-finished scripts for Munna Bhai. I’d spend six months on a script, reach the interval, and it just wouldn’t go beyond that. There is a Munna Bhai LLB, Munna Bhai Chal Base, Munna Bhai Chale Amreeka, and more.” Sharing that even Sanju wants another edition and that is now his priority, Hirani added, “The most important factor is that the next instalment has to get better than the previous films. But now, I have a unique idea. Of course, over the course of 100 years of cinema, everything has been said. But yes, I am working on that idea. Sanju might just come home and threaten me to get done with the next.” Sai’s gift for budding filmmakers Celebrated filmmaker and theatre personality Sai Paranjpye has donated her collection of original, handwritten drafts and screenplays of films, telefilms, teleplays, and stage plays in Marathi, Hindi, and English to Ashoka University’s Archives of Contemporary India. The collection also includes drafts and screenplays of the director’s celebrated movies like Sparsh (1980), Chashme Buddoor (1982), Katha (1983), Disha (1992) and Saaz (1997). Moreover, her papers will be available to researchers and scholars looking to gain valuable insights into her works and their impact on Indian cinema. Calling it “an unimaginable opportunity,” Paranjpye said, “To be catalogued alongside icons like Girish Karnad, Dilip Padgaonkar, and Suresh Kohli is a privilege beyond words.” While advising budding filmmakers, she said, “My advice would be to study the life around them and watch good films, both from India and abroad, as it provides a valuable learning experience.” Sam backs Kangy’s views Kangana Ranaut, who is known to mince no words in her social media posts, yesterday found a supporter in Samantha. The actor-politician, who is set to release her next, Emergency, after the upcoming Punjab elections, re-shared a post about ‘witches’ on X. It read, “Witches are women who are connected to their higher self, their intuition, infectious free spirit, indomitable willpower and uncontrolled desire to break all boundaries make them mysterious, frightening and dangerous to those who are caged and cursed.” Soon, Samantha shared a screenshot of Kangana’s post on her social media stories, saying, “Word” and tagged the Emergency actor-director. The end game Shabana Azmi recently shared how the climax of Fire (1996), her film with director Deepa Mehta, was changed after a discussion with step-son Farhan Akhtar. During a masterclass session with Vidya Balan at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the veteran actor spoke about discussing the movie with Farhan who loved the script. “He said, ‘I don’t like the end because Radha [Shabana’s character] dies. It will ruin the whole purpose of the film and people might think, you did something wrong. She must survive’,” Shabana recalled, adding that she shared the feedback with Deepa, who altered the ending. The franchise must go on Even as the makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (BB3) are getting ready to release the horror comedy on Diwali, buzz about continuing the franchise has started. Rumours are rife that the Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Vidya Balan-starrer has tuned out better than Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022). What’s more, writer-director Anees Bazmee has even got an idea for BB4. He is said to begin developing the concept after BB3 opens in cinemas. Kartik, who has been leading the cast since BB2, will return in the fourth edition.
21 October,2024 07:38 AM IST | Mumbai | The Hitlist TeamRakul Preet Singh is celebrating her first Karwa Chauth on Sunday. The actress, who is currently on bed rest, shared a beautiful picture on her Instagram stories, where she is seen dressed in a stunning red outfit. Rakul completed her look with sindoor and left her hair open, looking radiant despite being on rest. In her post, Rakul wrote, "Bed rest wala first Karwa Chauth." In another story, she revealed that her husband, Jackky Bhagnani, also kept the Karwa Chauth fast for her. She had earlier given a glimpse of her simple mehendi design and captioned it, "First," with a red heart emoji, tagging Jackky. In response, Jackky wrote, "My Life I am so hungry but I won't eat too." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rakul Singh (@rakulpreet) Earlier this month, Rakul shared an update on her health after suffering a back spasm during an 80 kg deadlift. She reassured her fans that she would "bounce back stronger." In a story on Instagram, Rakul shared a video message updating fans regarding her health and said that she would take another week for recovery. "Hi, my lovely people. Well, here is a little health update. I did something very stupid. I did not listen to my body. I had a spasm, kept pushing it and it turned into a major injury. I have been on the bed for the last six days. I think it will take another week or say for me to fully recover. I really hope I recover faster than that because it is not easy for me to give in and rest," Rakul said. Meanwhile, Karwa Chauth is one of the most important festivals celebrated mainly by Hindu married women in India. It is the celebration of marriage, wherein the wife fasts the entire day for a long and healthy life for her husband. The married women follow the 'nirjala' fast without food and water, and the moon plays vital role in fasting. Women can break their fast after the sighting of the 'chandrama'. 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
21 October,2024 07:34 AM IST | Mumbai | ANIDirector Rohit Shetty, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming action movie ‘Singham Again’, has revealed that the climax of the film was shot by the same team which works with him on the stunt-based reality show ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’ hosted by Shetty. Recently, Rohit attended an event pertaining to the re-release of the first part of ‘Singham’ in the city where he spoke about mounting the colossal climax for the film. Talking about how the climax was put together, Rohit said, “We had a team of around 1000 people shooting the climax. If you see the climax there are few shots, the team from South Africa was there, which shoots ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’ for us, the team from Bangkok was there and my team was there, so we all came together for climax. I think the kids will have a terrific experience now when they watch ‘Singham Again’ climax. I am very proud of how it has turned out”. The trailer of ‘Singham Again’ was released recently, and draws inferences from the Hindu epic of ‘Ramayana’. It stars some of the biggest stars of Hindi cinema including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff. The film marks the fifth instalment of Shetty's Cop Universe, and is a sequel to ‘Singham Returns’. The film integrates Rohit Shetty’s fabled cop universe as Bajirao Singham, played by Ajay Devgn, sets out to bring back his wife, Avni Kamat (inspired by Sita) played by Kareena Kapoor Khan from the clutches of Arjun's character. It also marks the second big budget adaptation of Ramayana after the box-office debacle of Prabhas and Kriti Sanon-starrer ‘Adipurush’. To ensure good returns on a film, Rohit has placed the safest bet that will appeal to a large section of audience: The Ramayana. The film is set to release on Diwali. 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
21 October,2024 07:28 AM IST | Mumbai | ANIRaveena Tandon, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Kiara Advani Subhash Ghai, Kabir Khan and Mini Mathur Farah Khan and Madhoo Who won? Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor took time off this weekend to apparently indulge in a game of football Tete a tete with fans Fans attending a special screening of their film were in for a pleasant surprise as actor-director duo Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty attended the do and participated in a discussion.
21 October,2024 07:18 AM IST | Mumbai | The Hitlist TeamTowards the close of the year, Ricky Kej hopes to kick off music courses at Bengaluru’s Chanakya University. By 2025, he intends to commence his “flagship degree program” that aims to give aspiring musicians solid training before they venture into the industry. Conversations with Kej are never lackadaisical. However, prod him about matters relating to the environment, and educating kids in the arts, and the three-time Grammy winner pours his heart out about projects that appease his heart. Educating the next generation, he admits, is certainly among them. “Music education is extremely important, especially in schools. It’s not just about [providing] higher music education but about delivering basic education in the arts because, in doing so, the art form gets lifted. When you teach children physics and mathematics in school, not every child must become a professional mathematician or physicist. But providing that basic knowledge is important so that everyone understands the world better. That’s also how music is. If you provide kids with basic knowledge of music, everybody’s understanding of music becomes better. So, professional musicians like me do not need to constantly dumb down music while playing to audiences. If we play something that is sufficiently complicated, or something that I would love to present, I can be certain that people will understand it,” he says, citing that an aware society will subsequently continue to demand more from its artistes. Educating young kids, he is certain, is essential in a country where love songs and item numbers gain prominence. “That will change. People will start looking for better quality music, and that way the art form itself across the country will [improve] because people will appreciate better music and will crave quality.” Today in music October 21, 2001: Concerts in Washington were expected to raise millions in funds for the victims of the September 11 attacks. Michael Jackson appeared at the event
21 October,2024 07:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Sonia LullaFilmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is looking forward to December when his yet-untitled next with Shahid Kapoor will go on floors. Sources tell us that Kapoor and leading lady Triptii Dimri have begun their prep for the action thriller that will apparently see the male lead portray a gangster modelled on Hussain Ustara, the don who had a fierce rivalry with Dawood Ibrahim. A source reveals, “Shahid is undergoing intense combat training to match the demands of the action sequences. Equally important is understanding the mental make-up of a character like Ustara. Vishal sir, who is reuniting with the actor seven years after Rangoon [2017], has been guiding him as he delves deep into Ustara’s motivations, emotions, and mental battles. The gangster was a layered personality, defined by his ruthless exterior but driven by personal codes of loyalty and honour. Triptii, whose role hinges on revenge, has also begun her workshops. The two actors are prepping individually, and will kick off joint prep closer to the shoot.” For years, Bhardwaj has been eager to bring Ustara’s life on celluloid. He had originally envisioned a biopic on Sapna Didi that would see the late Irrfan play Ustara to Deepika Padukone’s titular character. While that did not materialise, rumours earlier this year suggested that Kartik Aaryan was in talks with the director for the same subject. However, it looks like Bhardwaj has found his on-screen gangster in his Kaminey (2009) and Haider (2014) actor.
21 October,2024 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar BasuADVERTISEMENT
