Netflix India has announced that it would release 41 shows and films in India this year, calling the move its “next big leap” in the world’s second-most populous nation India, where video streaming services have become more popular.
According to details, Netflix’s new roster includes 41 titles featuring Bollywood actors, stand-up comedy shows and original series. Most shows will be in the Hindi language.
The upcoming content will feature top Bollywood actors including Madhuri Dixit, Kartik Aryan, Sonakshi Sinha, Karan Johar, Manoj Bajpayee, R. Madhavan, and Raveena Tandon.
“We are taking our next big leap in India,” said Netflix while announcing the news, adding that the upcoming lineup “features more variety and diversity than we have seen before”.
India, whose Bollywood film industry makes more productions each year than Hollywood, remains a challenging market for the streaming services.
Amazon’s Prime Video has become embroiled in legal cases and police complaints over a political drama Tandav deemed offensive to Hindu religious sentiments. The streaming platform apologised to viewers over some scenes.
Earlier this year, Netflix announcedthat it will release more than 70 movies this year across comedy, drama, family and other genres, a lineup that underscores the streaming service’s growing prominence in the film business. It added that it plans to release a new movie every week for the entire year of 2021.
Priyanka Chopra reacted to the meme fest on her Orb Dress and it is breaking the internet.
The 38-year-old actress wore an orb dress by Halpern Studio recently, which started a meme fest on the Internet. Priyanka joined in and had a good laugh, each meme at a time.
She also shared some of her favourite ones on her social media, adding a reaction for each of them on her Instagram stories. In the memes, Priyanka, wearing the quirky orb dress, as compared to things ranging from firecrackers and types of pufferfish to Pokemons and hot air balloons. Virat Kohli was also dragged into one of the memes while one user summed up Priyanka’s outfit in these words: “When mom says: ‘Boriya bistar samet aur nikal ja yahaan se’.”
“This is too much,” Priyanka wrote in one of her Instagram stories while sharing more memes, she added: “They just keep getting better.” She wrapped the meme fest on Instagram with these words: “Thanks for making my day guys.”
This is not the first time that the Desi Girl has captured the attention of netizens. Her look from the Met Gala 2019 also went viral when she opted for a silvery caged ensemble by Dior. The actor opted for dramatic makeup and let loose with some wild curls.
Shah Rukh Khan is reportedly gearing up to perform a hi-octane action sequence inside the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. The stunt is expected to be part of his upcoming spy thriller Pathan.
According to reports, this is the first time a Bollywood film will be shot at the iconic building.
“The idea is to go one notch above what’s already done so far,” stated the report, quoting a source. “Apart from [Tom Cruise’s] Mission Impossible and the Fast and Furious franchise, not many films have been shot inside Burj Khalifa. Pathan will be among the first few Indian films (probably the first) to have actual visuals of the tower from inside.”
“A big-scale action scene centred around Burj Khalifa is in the offing from the team of Pathan,” added the source.
Sharing details about the scene, the report said: “It is a prolonged action sequence designed by an international stunt team, and one can expect spectacular visuals on the screen. It’s a culmination of [director] Siddharth Anand, [producer] Aditya Chopra, and SRK’s vision, to shoot a massive action scene at Burj Khalifa.”
“Don’t be surprised if you find SRK fighting on the top of the tower just like Tom Cruise when you watch Pathan on the big screen,” added the report. “However, all the details of this Burj Khalifa fight scene have been kept under wraps. It’s a car, bike, guns, blasts, hand to hand combats – get ready for action, that’s sleek and stylish.”
Featuring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham besides SRK, Pathan is being directed by Anand [Salaam Namaste, War, Bang Bang!]. Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan are reported to make cameo appearances in the film.
Pathan also marks SRK’s return to the big screen after a hiatus of more than two years. His last release was Zero in 2018 which was a commercial and box-office flop. It is also being reported that Khan is going all out for his upcoming film and was also spotted sporting a new look for it. It is expected to release at the end of 2021.
Last year in November, Burj Khalifa was illuminated to honour SRK on his birthday on November 2. The message: “Happy birthday to the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan” was displayed on the building with the song Dhoom Tana, from his film Om Shanti Om playing in the background.
Comedian and actor Kapil Sharma and wife Ginni Chatrath welcomed their second child – a baby boy – Monday (February 1) morning.
Announcing the news on social media, Kapil said: “Namaskaar we are blessed with a baby boy this early morning.”
He added that both the baby and mother are doing well and thanked everyone for their “love, blessings and prayers”.
Namaskaar we are blessed with a Baby boy this early morning, by the grace of God Baby n Mother both r fine, thank you so much for all the love, blessings n prayers love you all ❤️ginni n kapil #gratitude
Just last week, in an interactive session on Twitter, the comedian had said that The Kapil Sharma Show is going off-air for a short while because he wanted to be at home for his wife to welcome their second baby.
Kapil and Ginni became parents for the first time in December 2019 when they welcomed their baby girl Anayra. They celebrated their angel’s first birthday in December 2020 and Kapil had also shared some adorable pictures from the celebrations.
Anushka Sharma has shared the first glimpse and revealed the name of her newborn daughter.
Sharing a family picture, Anushka said: “We have lived together with love, presence and gratitude as a way of life but this little one, Vamika has taken it to a whole new level!”
“Tears, laughter, worry, bliss – emotions that have been experienced in a span of minutes sometimes!” said the actor further, adding: “Sleep is elusive but our hearts are SO full.”
“Thanking you all for your wishes, prayers and good energy,” she added.
The picture of the couple along with the newborn went viral on social media garnering more than 2.6 million likes within an hour of being shared by Anushka.
Anushka and Virat Kohli welcomed their bundle of joy on January 11, 2020. At the time of the birth, the power couple had requested the paparazzi to respect their privacy and not click pictures of their newborn. They had also sent gifts to the media with their request.
Meanwhile, before her daughter’s birth, Anushka while speaking to Vogue Magazine had said that she wants to raise her child away from media attention as she does not want to “raise brats”.
“We’ve thought about it a lot. We definitely do not want to raise a child in the public eye—we don’t plan on engaging our child in social media,” the actor had said. “I think it’s a decision your child should be able to take. No kid should be made to be more special than the other. It’s hard enough for adults to deal with it. It’s going to be difficult, but we intend to follow through.”
Kapil Sharma has expressed his desire to visit Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.
In an #AskKapil session on Twitter, the Indian comedian, while responding to a Pakistani user, who asked him if there is any chance of him visiting Pakistan, Kapil said: “I want to visit Kartarpur Sahib”.
Speculations of Kapil’s show going off-air have been circulating for some time now. When one Twitter user asked Sharma about this, he said that he is taking some time off to be “at home with my wife to welcome our second baby.” However, details about
Bcoz I need be there at home with my wife to welcome our second baby https://t.co/wdy8Drv355
Meanwhile, Kapil is also gearing up for the release of his upcoming film on Netflix. Earlier this month, Kapil took to Twitter to make an announcement about his upcoming project. However, it is still unclear whether the project is a comedy special, series, or film.
Priyanka Chopra-Jonas has said that she has expressed her deep remorse for promoting skin-whitening creams in her upcoming memoir Unfinished. The book is scheduled to release on February 9 and will chronicle Priyanka’s childhood, facing racism during her teenage years in the US, winning Miss India and Miss World, and the challenges she faced while navigating a career in Bollywood and Hollywood.
Speaking to Marie Claire, Chopra-Jonas, said: [Skin lightening] was so normalized in South Asia; it’s such a large industry that everyone was doing it. In fact, doing it is still a check [mark] when you are a female actor, but it’s awful.”
“And it was awful for me, for a little girl who used to put talcum-powder cream on my face because I believed that dark skin was not pretty,” she said, adding that she hated being described as “dusky” by industry influencers and the media.
Priyanka further shared that her new sustainable beauty brand, ‘Anomaly’, is a metaphor for the self-acceptance she’s finally found. She is hopeful that men and women today don’t feel like they have to live up to the restrictive beauty standards that she used to.
“I’m an anomaly, and everyone else is in their own way,” says the actor.
Meanwhile, talking about her journey and accomplishments, Priyanka said: “For that girl who was so scared, I’m proud of the person that I evolved into. I dealt with a lot, and I came out thriving. I want little girls around the world to think about that. It doesn’t matter where you come from; it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are. Your grit matters, your ambition matters, your perseverance matters.”
Earlier on 2015, while talking to journalist Barkha Dutt about endorsing fairness creams, Priyanka had said: “I felt really bad about it, that’s why I stopped doing it.”
“All my cousins are gora-chitta (fair) I was the one who turned out dusky because my dad is dusky. Just for fun, my Punjabi family would call me ‘kaali, kaali, kaali’. At 13, I wanted to put fairness creams and wanted my complexion changed,” she shared further.
Later, sharing a screenshot of Priyanka’s statement on her Instagram story, Iqra Aziz wrote, “When will we [regret endorsing fairness creams]?”
It is pertinent to add here that Iqra is one of the few female Pakistani actors who has not endorsed a fairness product. Her husband Yasir Hussain had publicly lauded her for rejecting a lucrative offer to represent a fairness cream brand.
Amazon Prime’s Tandav continues to be mired in controversy despite an apology by the makers. In the latest development, India’s Karni Sena has announced a Rs 1 crore award to the person who will chop of the tongue of Tandav’s makers.
According to reports, Maharashtra Karni Sena chief Ajay Sengar has said: “We will give Rs 1 crore reward to anyone who slits tongue of those who insults Hindu gods and goddesses in the web-series.”
Sengar added that even though Tandav makers have apologised for hurting religious sentiments, it is not enough and it will not be accepted.
The political drama has been facing massive controversy ever since it released on Amazon Prime on January 15. An FIR was also lodged against the makers, for hurting religious sentiments.
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Tandav stars Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Grover, Dimple Kapadia, Sarah-Jane Dias, Gauahar Khan, Kritika Kamra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Dino Morea in lead roles.
Earlier, the team of Tandav had issued an unconditional apology, saying: “Tandav is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental. The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion, or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead.”
“The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologize if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments,” added the statement.
Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal have made it official after years of being in a relationship. The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony (by Bollywood standards) in Alibaug on January 24.
Announcing the news on social media and sharing pictures from the wedding rituals, Varun wrote: “Life long just become official.”
Despite the media frenzy and excitement surrounding the nuptials, the traditional Hindu wedding was a very private affair with only close friends and family present. There was a strict no-phone policy at the wedding and security was tightened to ensure that there are no leaks.
From the film industry, only Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, and Kunal Kohli were spotted at the festivities.
After the nuptials, Varun and Natasha made an appearance in front of the media and posed for pictures. The couple looked resplendent in matching ivory outfits. While Manish designed Varun’s sherwani, it is being reported that Natasha, who is also a fashion designer, designed her own outfit.
Varun and Natasha met while they were in school but started dating much later. The couple initially kept their relationship very private and strictly away from media attention. Varun, only recently opened up about his relationship on Kareena Kapoor Khan’s show What Women Want, saying: “I actually met Natasha in the 6th standard. We were friends till 11-12th. We were very close friends. I remember seeing her for the first time. We went to Maneckji Cooper [Education Trust School in Mumbai together]. It was on the basketball court that I saw her and I fell in love with her that day. That was it! She rejected me three to four times, but I didn’t give up hope.”
Earlier, Natasha while talking about the relationship had said: “Varun and I were in school together. We stayed friends until we were in our mid-20s and then, I remember, we started dating just before I moved away. It was around then that, I think, we realised we were more than just good friends.”
Meanwhile, Karan also penned an emotional note for Varun as he congratulated him on his wedding.
Considering the wedding was limited to approximately 40-50 guests only in view of COVID-19 protocols, it is being reported the couple will host a lavish reception in Mumbai for their friends and members of the film fraternity on February 2.
The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the makers and producers of the web-series Mirzapur and Amazon Prime Video.
According to reports, a bench headed by Chief justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde admitted the plea and sought a response from the makers of the web-series and Over The Top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video.
The petition sought a direction that the government of India set up a core screening committee for web series, films, or other programmes that are directly released on online platforms.
The plea said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must make a certificate from a government authority mandatory before releasing any web series, movies, or program on OTT platforms.”
“By showing such ridicules and shameless things on the name of a city/ district is the insult of approximately 30 lakh population and rich culture of Mirzapur,” added the plea.
Supreme Court issues notice to makers and producers of web series ‘Mirzapur’ and Amazon Prime Video, on a petition complaining about the portrayal of Mirzapur district, UP in a bad light in the web series. SC seeks response from the OTT platform and series makers pic.twitter.com/NW074JKI9b
The PIL was filed by Sujeet Kumar Singh, a resident of Mirzapur, who said the web-series makers had shown Mirzapur as a city of goons and adulteress. The show, which was released on Amazon Prime Video on November 16, 2018, explores crime, murder and general lawlessness in a typically dysfunctional fictional town in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its second season was released in October 2020.
The plea has made the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Excel Entertainment Private Limited and Amazon Prime Video as parties in the case.
The court’s notice comes two days after an FIR was registered in Uttar Pradesh (UP) against the creators of Mirzapur for hurting “religious, social and regional sentiments” and “damaging social harmony”.
The FIR was filed by local journalist Arvind Chaturvedi who alleged that the Amazon Prime Video show hurts religious, social, and regional sentiments and damages social harmony. Chaturvedi also claimed that the series has hurt religious beliefs and feelings by focusing on abusive and illicit relationships. It is pertinent to add here that Chaturvedi has also written a book on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chaturvedi also accused the makers of spoiling the image of UP and presenting the city of Mirzapur in a poor light. He claimed that the web series shows abusive content, incest, and illicit relations.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is also under fire for its recently released political drama Tandav. The show is facing backlash for its portrayal of Hindu Gods and it has been alleged that the show depicts them in a poor light. Several BJP leaders have called for a complete ban on the show.
Tandav creator Ali Abbas Zafar on Tuesday announced that the cast and crew of the show has decided to implement changes in the series in order to pacify viewers who have been hurt because of the content.
Zafar shared an official statement from the cast and crew of Tandav on Twitter and asserted that the team had no intentions to hurt or offend the sentiments of any caste, race, community, or religion.
“We have the utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. We did not intend to hurt or offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead,” read the statement.
