Tag: Bollywood Celebrities

  • ‘I learned not to be hard on my body’: Alia Bhatt on post-baby fitness

    Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt made it to the cover of Vogue India’s May-June 2023 issue. In the accompanying interiew, the star opened up about rumors surrounding her dramatic weight loss, and addressed pressure to snap back in to shape after giving birth.

    The ‘Brahamastra’ actor announced the birth of her and Ranbhir Kapoor’s daughter, Raha, in 2022. Bhatt talked to Vogue about the pressures society places over mothers to revert back to their old bodies after giving birth:

    “I wasn’t hard on myself because I was so proud of what my body had done when I delivered Raha. I know everyone believes that I lost weight unnaturally but the truth is that I can’t even get my wisdom tooth extracted at the moment since I’m breastfeeding and can’t be given anaesthesia. Many folks are under the impression that individuals who work in the visual medium do unnatural things to their bodies to get back in shape post-delivery. That’s why I felt like it was important to document parts of my fitness journey on Instagram. I didn’t put any pressure on myself. The doctors advised me to only push harder in my workouts post 12 weeks, and I did that.”

    In December 2022, the ‘Darlings’ actress shared a picture of herself performing yoga, urging mothers to keep listening to their bodies and to never be hard on themselves after what their bodies had gone through:

    To my fellow mamas, listening to your body post delivery is key. Do NOT do anything your gut tells you not to. For the first week or two during my workouts, all I did was breathe… walk… find my stability and balance again (& I still have a long way to go). Take your time – appreciate what your body has done. After what my body did this year I have taken a vow to never be hard on myself again. Childbirth is a miracle in every way, and giving your body that love and support that it gave you is the least we can do.”

    Describing herself as a healthy person to Vogue, Bhatt said that she worked out six days a week, but during post-partum recovery, she refused to check her weight to avoid getting pressurized by unrealistic expectations.

    “I avoided checking my weight every day like many people do when they work out religiously. I would step on the scale maybe once in two weeks. You need to be consistent and let change happen at its own pace. My mother-in-law even made me those gond ke laddus which I ate for six weeks. People need to understand that putting on weight during pregnancy is not a result of eating too much; it’s because you’re making life inside you and that life needs that extra weight. It has to be in sync with your BMI, of course, and you should consult a professional if you have questions but you’re supposed to put on a certain amount of weight. It’s completely okay!”

    Along with taking care of her own mental health and well being, Bhatt revealed that she ensured her newborn’s mental well-being was her biggest priority, a process that included diswoing the stereotype that a crying baby is an unhappy baby:

    “As a new mom, you don’t want your baby to even frown; you just want them to be happy all the time. But I’m very clear about not having anyone tell Raha that she shouldn’t cry. Nobody should pacify her by saying, ‘Don’t cry, you’re a good girl’. I get very upset about that. Just because she’s crying, doesn’t mean she’s a bad child. Her tears help me understand whether something is wrong. Crying is good. Crying is communication. And sadly, that goes away with time because the minute you start talking, crying becomes something to be embarrassed by. Even as adults, crying is your body’s way of saying that something is up and you need to deal with it.”

  • Aryan Khan directs father Shah Rukh Khan in ad for ‘D’YAVOL X’

    Looks like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. After Suhana’s entry into the world of entertainment, Aryan Khan is set to follow in his father Shah Rukh Khan’s footsteps with his directorial debute.

    On Tuesday, the eldest son of the superstar shared a snippet of the ad of the upcoming streetwear brand ‘D’YAVOL X?’, which starred the Bollywood Badshah himself.

    The project has received praise from social media users, with plenty of applaud for Aryan’s acting and his direction skills, saying that he had a bright future ahead of him.

    https://twitter.com/iam_sharukh03/status/1650801280103903232?s=20

    Previously, Aryan had announced on his Instagram page that he had finished writing his first web series, which will be made under the banner of his family’s production house ‘Red Chillies Entertainment’.

  • ‘Socho thorda sa’: Indian singer Shaan reacts to backlash over Eid post

    On Saturday, Bollywood playback singer Shaan Mukherjee wished Eid Mubarak to his Muslim fans by posting a picture of himself wearing a white shalwar kameez and prayer cap. However, the picture got backlash from extremist Indian trolls, to the point that the singer decided to restrict comments on his post.

    Now, the ‘It’s The Time To Disco’ singer has addressed the reaction, calling for his audience to be more empathetic and kind towards each other as both Muslims and Hindus celebrated their religious festivals on the same day this year.

    Fans in Pakistan and India have applauded Mukherjee’s empathetic and sensible post, a rare move in the time when religious extremism is rising in India, as the BJP continues to marginalise Muslims.

    Twitter users praised Shaan for calling for his followers to respect all religions.

  • Real or reel? Internet divided over whether Ranbir Kapoor’s gesture towards Alia was staged or sweet

    Real or reel? Internet divided over whether Ranbir Kapoor’s gesture towards Alia was staged or sweet

    On Saturday, a clip of the Bollywood power couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor went viral over social media in which they were spotted arriving at the house of late screenwriter Pamela Chopra, who had passed away recently. A clip posted by Indian entertainment page Viral Bhayani showed Kapoor picking up Bhatt’s sandals and placing them inside the doorway, a gesture which has divided the internet.

    This simple but moving gesture did win over some parts of the internet, who felt that the ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makkar’ actor was being a gentleman by taking care of his wife’s shoes.

    However, not everyone agrees, with some users slamming Kapoor for insulting religious beliefs by placing Bhatt’s sandals right in front of the mandir, rather than leaving them outside.

    Others trolled Kapoor for staging such a move in an attempt to stop the backlash to his recent comments about his wife. During a press conference, Kapoor had received criticism for complaining that the ‘Gangubai’ actress talks a lot.

  • ‘I was called dark and fat when I started working in the industry’: Kajol

    Bollywood actress Kajol has a long list of hits to her credit, including ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ (2001), ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995) and ‘Baazigar’ (1993).

    However, in an interview with ‘Humans of Bombay’ the actress talked about the struggles she faced when she started out in the film industry. Kajol, who is the daughter of yesteryears heroine Tanuja, said that she struggled to find good roles because of inappropriate comments about her skin and weight.

    “‘She is dark, she is fat and she wears specs all the time.’ These were some of the judgments that were passed when I first started working in the industry,” the ‘Dilwale’ actress recalled.

    However, Kajol, known for her feisty sense of humor and outspoken personality, revealed that she didn’t let the negativity hold her back and kept fighting hard for success.

    “I couldn’t care less. I knew I was smart, cool and better than everyone out there who had any negative thing to say about me. So, I kept continuing to be myself and never let it show. Sooner or later, when they couldn’t pull me down, the world simply embraced me for who I was.”

    Kajol had previously starred in the critically acclaimed documentary ‘The Romantics’ where she had spoken about starting as Simran in the critically acclaimed Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaien Ge (DDLJ), and revealed that initially she had found her character to be boring and couldn’t relate to her at all.

  • ‘Petty and unnecessary’: Twitter slams Neetu Kapoor for barb at Ranbir’s ex-girlfriends

    Twitter has lashed out at Veteran Bollywood actor Neetu Kapoor for a questionable Instagram post. The actor uploaded a photo on Instagram which many felt was aimed directly at her son Ranbir Kapoor’s ex-girlfriends, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif.

    The picture was of a poster on a wall, which read: “Just because he dated you for seven years doesn’t mean that he would marry you. My uncle studied medicine for six years and now he is a DJ.”

    Kapoor and Padukone had dated for two years before parting ways while the ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makkar’ actor was in a relationship with Kaif for six years.

    Finding the post problematic, fans lashed out at Kapoor for resorting to sexist and degrading jokes.

    https://twitter.com/lentopapi/status/1644933408433242115?s=20

    Many shared previous clips detailing the late Rishi Kapoor and Neetu’s marriage problems, when he had been caught cheating on her with several women to point out the irony in Kapoor’s comment.

    https://twitter.com/Erica59747578/status/1644933549878046720?s=20

    Twitter users also criticised Kapoor for making such sexist comments about women, rather than directly addressing how it is men who refuse to be faithful in relationships and even pointed to how this has led to her son, Ranbir Kapoor, behaving in such a misogynist manner in several interviews towards his wife Alia Bhatt.

  • Twitter users troll Salman Khan for calling for censorship against vulgarity, nudity

    Bollywood superstar Salman Khan came under fire on Twitter after he spoke about digital platforms normalizing nudity and vulgar topics, asking that they should be subjected to censorship.

    “I really think there should be censorship on the medium (OTT). All this… vulgarity, nudity, swearing needs to stop. Kids as young as 15 or 16 can access it. Would you like it if your young daughter watches it? I just think the content on OTT needs to be checked. The cleaner the content, the better it will be. It will also have better viewership.”

    According to The Hindustan Times, the ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan ‘ actor spoke out against actors who perform nude scenes on television and expose themselves on screen, suggesting that this should not be acceptable in India, because it could also lead to security problems:

    “You have done it all – love making, kissing and exposing in scenes. And when you enter your building, your watchman has also watched your work. I just don’t think that is right for security reasons. We don’t need to do that… You don’t need to cross the boundary. We live in India. It was way too much before, finally, it has been curbed. Now, people have started working on a lot of good and decent content.”

    Khan’s comments led to a revolt against him on social media, with users bringing up the problematic things the actor has said and done in the past, pointing out the irony in him speaking out against vulgarity, yet refusing to address his own problematic behavior.

    Twitter users shared how the 57 year old has consistently played hero to women 20 years younger than him, as currently the female lead of his upcoming film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, Pooja Hedge, is 32 years old.

    Other users pointed out Khan’s history of making problematic comments, especially when in 2016, he drew outcry over saying his schedule was so hectic that he felt like a ‘raped woman’.

    Many also pointed out how Khan has a history of being abusive to his partners. Former girlfriend Somy Ali shared details of domestic violence she suffered during their eight year relationship. Other people also recalled how Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan suffered from domestic abuse from the actor during the time they were together.

  • ‘Cringe’: Twitter slams Varun Dhawan’s defence for kissing Gigi Hadid at Ambani event

    ‘Cringe’: Twitter slams Varun Dhawan’s defence for kissing Gigi Hadid at Ambani event

    Events hosted by the Ambanis are among the most anticipated nights in Bollywood. Indian film royalty as well as international stars arrive dressed to the nines to provide a spectacular night filled with entertainment.

    However, as much as we plebeians can gape at this show of money, there was a moment that did not sit well with twitter users. A viral clip showed a performance by Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan pulling Hollywood model Gigi Hadid on stage and spinning her around before kissing her cheek.

    The performance was planned, as Hadid posted a clip on her Instagram stories, with the caption saying: “Thank you Varun Dhawan for making my Bollywood dream come true.”

    But Dhawan drew backlash on social media because of his response to a twitter user and defending his behavior by trolling critics for being ‘woke’.

    The reply irked users, leading to many pointing out that even though the dance was planned, kissing Hadid was crossing boundaries.

    https://twitter.com/nfrckwl/status/1642464267009130497?s=20

    Twitter users pointed out that this was not the first time Dhawan had crossed boundaries, as they shared old clips of him crossing boundaries with other Bollywood actresses.

  • Cute video of middle-aged woman dancing to ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ gets Shah Rukh Khan’s approval

    Shah Rukh Khan’s latest film ‘Pathaan’ has become a bonafide blockbuster, with hot songs like ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ topping the charts. Fans have been spotted reenacting King Khan’s dance moves in cinemas, in colleges, and now a particular one has caught Khan’s eye.

    A few days ago, a middle-aged woman dancing to the iconic ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ went viral on social media

    In a Q&A fan session with Amazon Prime in celebration of ‘Pathaan’s’ release on the streaming platform, Khan watched the clip and complimented the lady on her stellar dance moves, joking that they would have removed actor Deepika Padukone and asked her to star in the movie instead.

    Khan also answered other questions from his fans, like revealing that his favorite action sequence from the film was on a frozen lake which involved motorcycles.

    Watch the entire video below:

  • Bollywood set to make biopic on legendary Pakistani host, Begum Nawazish Ali

    Indian streaming platform EORTV has announced that they are in the process of making a biopic based on the life of the queer icon and Pakistani television host Ali Saleem, who was famous for his cross-dressing alter ego Begum Nawazish Ali. His popular talk show ‘Late Nights With Begum Nawazish Ali’ featured interviews with actors, politicians and even religious figures. In 2010, Saleem, along with actress Veena Malik, were the first Pakistanis to take part in the famous reality show ‘Big Boss’.

    Saleem had described himself as gay, bisexual and even transgender.

    According Deepak Panday, the CEO of EORTV, the channel was planning to approach actor Mallika Sherawat for the role. He also elaborated on the reason they had chosen to film this story:

    “This is a strong story, a story of boldness and courage. The character is multifaceted and needed someone as courageous and undaunted as the Begum thyself. I am planning to approach Mallika Sherawat for this role as she would be apt for a fearless performance like this. It is important to create stories like these that can encourage more and more people to be open about their sexuality and sexual preferences. This is going to be a story of an unapologetically fearless man who’s leading a life of his own choice in spite of living in a politically warm environment”.

    He further went on to say:

     “Begum Nawazish Ali’s background and childhood is interesting but the journey he makes in due course of his life is even more interesting. He has interviewed the who’s who from business, politics, entertainment with gusto. He has courted satire and controversy but managed to make a place in the hearts of the common man. His life will make for very compelling content on screen”.