Tag: Bollywood Celebrities

  • ‘I was tired of the politics [in Bollywood]’: Priyanka Chopra reveals reason why she moved to Hollywood

    Priyanka Chopra made headlines when she chose to leave Bollywood and start a career in Hollywood with the series ‘Quantico’. The star went on to act in prominent films such as ‘A Kid Like Jake’ and ‘Baywatch’.

    Talking on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Chopra opened up about the reason that compelled her to leave Bollywood, revealing that the ongoing politics and feuds of the industry had worn her out:

    “I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break,” said the ‘Love Again’ actress. “This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another part of the world, not crave for the movies I didn’t want to get but I would require to schmooze certain clubs and cliques of people. It would require groveling and I had worked a long time by then that I didn’t feel like I wanted to do it.”

    Chopra had started a music career in Hollywood by releasing ‘In My City’ feat Will.I.Am in 2012, and later “Exotic’ in 2013, but decided to shift from music to acting.

    “You have late nights, and early mornings, you’re travelling to a different city every day and you do it for three months,” she told People. “That’s why my music career lasted two seconds…I was not meant to do that. This rock star life is… I admire it tremendously. It’s definitely not for the weak-hearted.”

  • ‘Small role, big impact’: Seven years later, Fawad Khan still shines in ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’

    Fawad Khan has not acted in many films, but the few select projects he has starred in have become cult favorites among fans.

    Khan, who had made a successful foray into Bollywood before tensions between India and Pakistan forced him to come back home, starred in three films, ‘Khoobsurat’, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ and ‘Kapoor and Sons’.

    Seven years later after ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ was released in cinemas across the sub-continent, it seems like no one has forgotten the charm and appeal Khan oozed, even though it was showcased only a limited number of times.

    On Monday Twitter users were discussing the films in which an actor had a small role, but made a powerful impact. And rightfully, Fawad Khan was the one whom both Indian and Pakistani fans cannot forget.

    Looks like that smoldering stare still has the girls on their knees.

    https://twitter.com/rukhsaaruwu/status/1637535289299329025?s=20

    Lagta hai peace talks shuru ho jani chahiye because asal dukh ho raha hai.

    Lest we forget, Khan was suppose to be the antagonist who was stealing Ranbir Kapoor’s love interest, Alizey (played by Anushka Sharma), but it looks like when the looks are a 10 then there’s no competition.

    Can somebody build a Fawad Khan cinematic universe for us cult followers?

  • ‘Comfort is boring’: Priyanka’s veiled barb about Shah Rukh Khan

    Priyanka Chopra was recently asked to comment on Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan’s statement about not working in Hollywood because “I am comfortable here.”

    Chopra was attending the SXSW festival where she was promoting her upcoming series Citadel. The actress and Khan had previously worked together in Don and Don 2, before she shifted to Hollywood to star in the series Quantico.

    In response to Khan’s statement, Chopra had said that she doesn’t share the same sentiments:

    “Comfort is boring to me. I am not arrogant, I am self-assured. I know what I am doing when I walk onto a set. I don’t need the validation of executives. I am willing to take auditions, I am willing to work. I do not carry the baggage of my success in one country when I walk into another country.”

    Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan worked together in Don 1 in 2016. The two were rumoured to be romantically involved during the shoot.

    Chopra further went on to say that her father, who was from the military, had taught her to be disciplined and remain focused on her job:

    “I am very professional and if you ask people around me, I am known for my professionalism. I take pride in it. My father was in the military and he taught me the value of discipline. He taught me not to take the value of what you have been given for granted.”

    The ‘White Tiger’ actor further stressed that she was able to build a legacy for herself because of her hard work, because of which she has learned to dodge bullets and just focus on her job.

  • ‘I was shocked by the success of Jab We Met’: Kareena Kapoor

    ‘I was shocked by the success of Jab We Met’: Kareena Kapoor

    It has been 16 years since the iconic Bollywood rom-com ‘Jab We Met’ took over our screens and cemented itself as one of the best films to ever come out of India.

    Kareena Kapoor who starred as the naive and bubbly Geet in the film, admitted in an interview with Mirchi that she was completely taken aback by the iconic status the film has been given, since at that time the actor was more focused on her film ‘Tashaan’:

    “I was in this whole zone of getting to size zero, I am working in Tashan, with Akshay (Kumar), Anil (Kapoor) and Saif (Ali Khan).”

    Kapoor also went on to reveal that she had been completely focused on training for her role in ‘Tashaan’, even while she was on the sets of ‘Jab We Met’:

    “I got the main part and it was a Yash Raj film and I was doing action for the first time and whenever I came on the Jab We Met set it would be like ‘Please I need to train because I am going for action training.’ I never thought, the reverse situation actually happened. I had all my bets on Tashan.”

    Shahid Kapoor, who played the introverted Aditya in ‘Jab We Met’ recently shared a clip of himself visiting fans at the cinema when the film had re-released once more.

    Speaking to Pinkvilla, Kapoor admitted that ‘Jab We Met’ was the type of rare film that is made once ever two decades, and was looking forward to doing another romantic film with the director, Imtiaz Ali, again:

    “We re-released Jab We Met recently and a lot of people are now asking me why ain’t I doing a film like this again. I feel, Jab We Met happens once in two decades and it’s not like an everyday film. Most of the films one does in this genre are bad, so one needs to pick up a decent script. In fact, Imtiaz (Ali, director) and I were also chatting to find something in this space again. I want to do something fun and exciting.”

  • Ranbir Kapoor under fire once more after comment on Alia Bhatt goes viral

    Ranbir Kapoor under fire once more after comment on Alia Bhatt goes viral

    Ranbir Kapoor is once more being criticized by fans for his insensitive comments about his wife, Alia Bhatt.

    The ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makkar’ actor was previously called a misogynist by the internet when he was seen body shaming Bhatt during a livestream, while Bhatt had been pregnant with their baby, Raha.

    Kapoor is being criticized this time for a remark he made during an interview with ‘GOODTiMES. The ‘Brahmastra’ actor said he doesn’t want their baby Raha to have Alia’s personality, since the ‘Gangubai’ actor is very loud and ‘talks a lot’:

    “I just hope she has my personality rather than hers because I can’t have two women like Alia in the house,” he said. “Alia has a very boisterous personality; she talks quite loud and is vivacious. Two girls at home like that would be quite a daunting task for me. I hope Raha is a bit more quiet and demure like me so then we both can handle Alia.”

    Since this interview went online, Twitter users have slammed Kapoor as insensitive and misogynist for refusing to recognize how such comments about Bhatt are extremely hurtful.

    One user wrote: “I hate guys who do this to their wives. This low key mocking of their demeanor which they then pass on to the kids. Very common in Indian families.”

    Another user wrote “oh god oh god oh god if you don’t like your wives just say that stop making jokes at the expense of their literal personality and get a life”

    Many users were pointing out that Kapoor’s action was one of most common traits through which men put down confident and loud women by mocking and publicly humiliating them.

  • Anupam Kher honours Deepika Padukone, shares old picture from his acting institute ahead of Oscars

    Bollywood veteran actor Anupam Kher congratulated Deepika Padukone for being selected as one of the presenters at the upcoming Academy Awards, posting an old picture of her at his acting institute.

    In the caption, he praised Padukone for her achievement and said that as a teacher, he was proud to witness her journey.

    “Dearest @deepikapadukone! Congratulations on being one of the presenters at this year’s #Oscar ceremony! Every time you climb one step higher on the ladder of success, we at @actorprepares feel proud to have been part of your journey. On a personal note as your teacher I always knew sky is not the limit. You will go beyond!! Love and blessings always! Congratulations for #Pathan too! Jai Ho!  #ActorPrepares #Student #Actress“

    Padukone, along with Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed, are the only South Asians to be announcing the Oscar awards that will be held on 12 March.

  • Amitabh Bachchan gives health update after being injured on Project K set

    Amitabh Bachchan gives health update after being injured on Project K set

    Amitabh Bachchan fans got bad news earlier in the week when media reports said that the superstar had suffered a rib injury while shooting for his upcoming film ‘Project K’.
    Now, the veteran actor has put fears to rest with a blog post revealing that he was fine, but was feeling glum because the actor had to miss out on Holi celebrations due to his recovery:
    “Languishing in the environs of the home and the prevention from all kinds of physical activity .. the inability to partake in the festivities of the day .. and the gaiety of Holi that was celebrated with such vigour and in such fine fettle , has gone amiss .. has been so for years now ..
    The open house .. the celebratory welcome to all .. the hundreds that drenched themselves with music and dance and camaraderie .. starting early in the day and in a never ending mode till the dawn of the next ..
    those times may never come again .. I hope they do .. but it looks difficult .. at least for the present ..”
    Bachchan also wrote that in gloominess, he had turned to poetry written by his late father and poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who had written a letter to a fan when they had showered him with praises about his work.
    “When in time and in the time of contemplation .. get back to the words of Babuji .. and pick those gems those elements that reflect his mind .. as in the ☝ above ..
    In the response to a letter written to him , there is talk of one of his poems ‘jeevan ke pahiye ke neeche’ .. under the wheels of life ..
    he expresses his gratitude to the correspondent for the appreciation he gave for the poem , and then expresses a gem :
    ‘tell me what the mistakes and dislikes of my work are .. tell others of the ‘khoobiyaan’ खूबियाँ , the brilliance and the good of my work .. ‘
    then another comes :
    ‘they that call me Maha Kavi .. the greatest Poet ..महाकवि , the great the best .. i feel they be sarcastic towards me .. what evil have I done to be given sarcastic reference’”

  • ‘I got emotional while watching my father in The Romantics’: Ranbir Kapoor

    ‘I got emotional while watching my father in The Romantics’: Ranbir Kapoor

    Ranbir Kapoor opened up about the emotions he experienced while watching his late father, Rishi Kapoor, on the Netflix documentary ‘The Romantics’.

    Kapoor passed away in 2020 at the age of 67 from leukemia.

    At a press conference ahead of his upcoming movie ‘Tu Jhooti Mein Makaar’, the Indian Express reports that the actor revealed he missed his father everyday and had gotten incredibly emotional about the experience of losing one parent, and how it has shaped his relationship with his daughter:

    “I miss him a lot. I miss him every day. Especially now, I have seen The Romantics and hearing him talk I felt really emotional. I remember that day when he was shooting for the show – the next day, he was admitted to the hospital and we lost him in a month’s time. Losing a parent is a very big deal in anyone’s life. I think of him every day. I am also blessed with a daughter. I feel like somewhere he would have been very happy for this moment in my life. He is with me every day. My phone’s wallpaper still has him.”

    The ‘Tamasha’ actor had previously talked about his experience of parenting with his wife Alia Bhatt, and revealed that currently his wife and child were in Kashmir and he was missing them both:

    “Naturally your heart, body and mind wants to do everything for your child. Unfortunately, Alia is shooting in Kashmir and has taken Raha away with her. I’m terribly missing them both. They are going to be back (in Mumbai) after another five days. So, I am looking forward to that. Alia and me, both being actors, and both being busy at work, we will have to divide our priorities to balance it out.”

  • Fact check: No one clapped after his Mumbai comment as claimed by Indian media, Akhtar

    Fact check: No one clapped after his Mumbai comment as claimed by Indian media, Akhtar

    Javed Akhtar and the Indian media are congratulating themselves for “dushman kay ghar mein ja kar usko marna” after his comments criticizing Pakistan for not taking strict action against the terrorists responsible for 26/11 Mumbai attacks went viral.
    In an interview with NDTV channel, Akhtar claimed that Pakistanis had clapped when he had made the remark, and agreed with him.
    “They all clapped. They agreed with me. There are many people who admire India, want to have a relationship with us. We tend to think of countries as monolith. That is not the case. How do we connect with millions of people, who want to connect with India,” he stated.

    However, the statement is incorrect as according to the complete video of Javed Akhtar’s response to a question from an audience member, there was complete silence during his Mumbai comments.

    Only after the host, Adeel Hashmi, asked another question can scattered applause be heard, signaling that the audience was applauding the end of a guest’s response to a question and not a specific comment like they had done before after Akhtar’s comment on Lata.

    The audience did appreciate another comment by the Indian poet. Javed Akhtar had said that Indian musicians were not celebrated in Pakistan:
    “We [India] have held concerts for people like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hassan, but your country has not held a concert for Lata.”
    This statement is also incorrect as Indian musicians and actors have been honored with some of the highest awards given by the Pakistani government and especially have been invited to talks in Pakistani cities.
    Journalist Yusra Askari shared pictures of the Bollywood actors and singers who had received accolades in Pakistan.

  • ‘The right to love shouldn’t be a privilege’: actor Swara Bhasker marries Muslim political activist

    ‘The right to love shouldn’t be a privilege’: actor Swara Bhasker marries Muslim political activist

    Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker has married political activist Fahad Ahmed on __ in a court wedding. The actress shared pictures of the wedding on her Twitter account, showing the couple with her parents and loved ones.
    She put up a picture of herself signing the papers with her husband and revealed that she had gotten married under the Special Marriage Act.

    “Three cheers for the #SpecialMarriageAct (despite notice period etc.) At least it exists & gives love a chance… The right to love, the right to choose your life partner, the right to marry, the right to agency these should not be a privilege.”

    In another tweet, the actress revealed she had worn her mother’s sari and jewelry for the special occasion.

    “So blessed to be supported and cheered by the love of family and friends like family! Wore my mother’s sari & her jewellery.. made @FahadZirarAhmad wear colour and we registered under the #SpecialMarriageAct Now to prep for shehnaii-wala shaadi”

    Bhaskar has also addressed why she opted for a simple wedding despite the recent spate of lavish celebrity weddings like Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. In an op-ed for The Week, the actress readers that weddings are a promise to remain faithful to each other rather than an opportunity to gain sponsorship or likes on Instagram.

    ‘The social media-fuelled wedding mania has also led to a fundamental shift in our fiscal values. This is a shift that consumer capitalism enabled EMI culture of ‘work hard, spend big’ has already engendered in the millennial generation, but the fantasy wedding craze generates a whole other set of fiscal habits. And, these are not very healthy!’