Aamir Khan, who is currently in Turkey for the shooting of his film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, has met the Turkish first lady, Emine Erdoğan, drawing strong reactions from Indians, who are not happy with the meeting that took place Saturday, India’s Independence day.
According to reports, Aamir had requested the meeting, as he wanted to update Erdoğan about the work of Paani Foundation, a non-profit organisation set up by the actor and his wife Kiran Rao.
I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it! pic.twitter.com/3rSCMmAOMW
The main reason behind Indians’ outrage was that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has always condemned Indian brutality in occupied Kashmir and extended his support to Pakistan and Kashmiris following the troubled valley’s illegal annexation.
The Kashmir conflict can be solved not by conflict or oppression, but on the basis of justice and fairness, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said in his address to Pakistani parliament in Islamabad.
The Turkish leader had also called President of Pakistan on Eidul Azha and shared their views on different issues.
A tweet by the president’s office read, “President Dr Arif Alvi and President Erdoğan exchanged Eidul Azha greetings in a telephonic conversation. Important matters, including Kashmir and COVID-19 were discussed.”
President Dr. Arif Alvi and President Erdogan exchanged Eid-ul-Azha greetings in a telephonic conversation. Important matters including Kashmir and Covid-19 were discussed. Pakistan appreciated President Erdogan’s unequivocal statement on Kashmir before the UNGA.@RTErdoganpic.twitter.com/rsVzryYRcD
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 1, 2020
With Aamir meeting Erdoğan, Indians called him “anti-national” and expressed their disappointment.
There are often times in life when you’re at loss for words. And writing this review is one of those moments because there is so much to say but no words to express my emotions. Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on June 14 due to suicide but the mystery surrounding his sudden death remains, leaving one restless and searching for answers. His unexpected death impacted Bollywood fans across the world in a way no one could have imagined. In midst of all this, Disney Hotstar announced that they would release the actor’s last film digitally on their streaming platform and make it available to everyone with the aim to celebrate his life and legacy. The move was welcomed by his fans as they felt that the film would give them the closure they have been searching for. But unfortunately, the film ends up widening the void instead of closing it because, by the time the credits roll in, you’re emotional, teary-eyed and wishing that the film would never end because you just want to continue watching Sushant weave his magic on screen.
Dil Bechara is the official Hindi adaption of The Fault in Our Stars. It is the story of two cancer patients Kizie and Manny, whose paths cross at a cancer support group. Though Kizie initially finds Manny ‘irritating and annoying’, Manny with his goofy antics soon becomes the centre of Kizie’s universe. He makes her laugh and forget her worries and gives her ‘boring’ life a whole new meaning. The two bond over music and movies and become inseparable. But life throws them another curveball and Manny, whose cancer was believed to have gone, returns leaving him terminally ill.
While Dil Bechara Sushant’s last film, it is debutante Sanjana Sanghani’s first film and also marks the directorial debut of renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Sanjana makes a sound debut and is confident in her role but for me, the film is only Sushant, who steals the shows with his infectious smile and on-screen presence. From the minute he comes on the screen to the minute he says Seri in the last shot, my eyes were glued to him throughout and I wished the film didn’t end. A master performer, Sushant did not let his fans down with his swan song. His expressions and body language were brilliant and he slipped into Manny’s character with finesse.
Given the circumstances surrounding the film’s release, emotions are naturally running high and it is impossible to not relate Sushant’s untimely death with Manny’s. In particular, the last scene, when everyone gathers to watch Manny’s film. At that point, the lines between real and reel were so blurred you forgot you were watching a movie because everything just felt so real.
The last scene
A.R Rahman’s music beautifully blended in with the mood of the film and the setting of the frames, giving the film a magical touch. My personal favourite from the album has to be Main Tumhara.
Some of the film’s dialogues were also amazing and I see them becoming a thing. One of them – “Jeena kab hai aur marna kab hai yeh hum decide nahi kartay, laikin jeena kaisay hain, yeh hum decide kar saktay hain” – has already become iconic and synonymous with Sushant.
As much as I want to only heap praises on the film for having its heart in the right place and being a touching watch, it would be unfair to ignore its shortcomings which mainly lied in the direction and editing. The story and characters are underdeveloped, especially Manny’s. All through the film, I kept waiting for a backstory on Manny – just some basic details would have sufficed. However, apart from the fact that he’s rich and doesn’t need to work, we don’t get much on Manny or his family. Sushant’s portrayal of Manny was the only saving grace of an otherwise poorly written character.
More so, the editing is choppy and appears to have been lazily done. Given that the film was a tribute to Sushant, I wish the makers had put in more effort in post-production. The film currently runs for one hour forty minutes and could have easily been stretched to two hours to tie up loose ends.
Since its release, I’ve watched Dil Bechara twice and will perhaps watch it a couple of times more but only for Sushant. He effortlessly carried the weight of the entire film and pulled it through despite its shortcomings. Sushant lit up the screen every time he made an appearance and I wish the film was longer so he could have stayed with us more.
Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir’s marriage is the talk of the town and fans cannot help but gush over the newly weds whose loved-up videos are all over social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCuG9rSpuze/
While fans are well acquainted with Sarah and her work, particularly her role in Sabaat as Miraal, netizens have been asking who Falak is.
For the unacquainted, Falak is a renowned singer and songwriter, popularly referred to as the ‘King of Soul Style’ and ‘Mr Unplugged’. Falak has several superhit songs to his credit and has also been part of several international projects, including Bollywood.
Here are some of Falak’s most popular songs:
Tu Mera Dil
This song is the most popular on Falak’s YouTube channel with more than 36 million views. It was released in 2013.
Ijazat
Ijazat is one of Falak’s most popular songs, especially among those who were teenagers when the song released back in 2011.
Mera Mann
The song featured in the 2013 Bollywood film Nautanki Saala! starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunaal Roy Kapur,Pooja Salvi and Evelyn Sharma. The song has over 27 million views on YouTube.
Saajana
Composed and sung by Falak, Saajana featured in the 2013 Bollywood film I, Me aur Main starring John Abraham, Prachi Desai and Chitrangada Singh.
Katrina Kaif is a household name in Bollywood and is admired by millions of fans across the world. In fact, the actor recently just hit 40 million followers on Instagram.
In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, Katrina revealed that she did her own makeup for a lot of her films and superhit songs including Sheila ki Jawani and Chikni Chameli because it was easier and faster.
“Even Jab Tak Hai Jaan was all my own makeup. Ek Tha Tiger is all my own makeup,” added the actor.
Sheila ki Jawani
Sharing the story behind this, Katrina said: “So I had a makeup artist, his name was Subhash dada. What happened is that I realised I had a knack for it and I picked it up pretty quickly. It started with me saying ‘Let me do the liner’, then it was like ‘Let me do the blush’ and before you know it, I did everything. So it was just the thing that I was so much faster. Because I just saw and I picked it up, whatever tips that I would need to know. I would observe different makeup artists and pick up what I liked.”
“I know it’s unusual but that’s the way it is,” said the actor. “This is why I am so passionate about Kay Beauty (Katrina’s cosmetic brand). Because I know makeup. It has been what, 15 years since I have been doing my own makeup.”
Katrina added that Daniel Bauer now does her makeup.
Chikni Chameli
When asked about her signature style, Katrina said that she prefers a nude look, something that enhances her features and gives a more defined structure to her face.
“Easy makeup and big eyes” is what Katrina’s look is all about.
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case has become a mystery with various theories being linked to it.
Amid speculations regarding sudden death of the actor, a former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — India’s foreign intelligence agency — has claimed that Sushant was “murdered by [notorious Indian crime boss and drug dealer] Dawood Ibrahim”.
According to NK Sood, Sushant was murdered by Dawood with a “foolproof plan”. In a widely-shared video, the ex-RAW officer stated that though Dawood doesn’t live in Mumbai now but still has a strong hold over the city and Bollywood.
“Many B-town celebrities participate in the events organised by Dawood’s team abroad and help the gangster earn money which is used for funding terrorism. The celebrities also receive a huge sum of money in return,” said Sood.
Sushant was reportedly getting death threats over the phone before his demise, and thus the actor had even changed his SIM almost 50 times. The actor was so scared for his life that he had even slept in his car at a remote place fearing that someone might kill him at his house.
Sood claimed that Sushant was murdered by professional criminals and that was why the CCTV cameras at his apartment complex were shut off a day before his demise and the duplicate keys of his room were also misplaced.
All this evidence is enough to conclude that the actor was murdered, said the ex-RAW officer and added that Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, his close friend Sandeep Singh and his domestic help were well aware of the trouble brewing in Sushant’s life.
“But they chose to stay away from it and leave the actor alone.”
He also alleged that the police were trying to put up a show that they were probing the case sincerely, but in reality, they were trying to save the culprit.
The trailer of Sushant Singh Rajput’s final film Dil Bechara released Monday and is already trending at number one on YouTube Pakistan. Apart from that, the trailer has set a new YouTube record and has gone on to become the most-liked trailer ever in 24 hours – with 6.4 million likes – beating Hollywood blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. It also garnered more than 30 million views within 24 hours of being released besides also receiving millions of views on other social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
Dil Bechara, which is the official Hindi remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault in our Stars, based on John Green’s popular novel of the same name, has been directed by renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who makes his directorial debut with this film. Sushant and debutante Sanjana Sanghi have the lead roles in the film while Saif Ali Khan is expected to make an interesting cameo.
From the looks of it, the film is a quintessential love story, except the protagonists, are cancer patients. According to the film’s official synopsis, Dil Bechara “is the story of Kizie Basu (Sanghi) and Manny (Rajput) and explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic adventure of being alive and in love. Together Kizie and Manny embark on an on-off-up-down-sad and sweet profound journey into the heart of that crazy little thing called life. It teaches them what it means to feel truly alive and fall in love.”
The trailer is full of bittersweet moments and is bound to leave you teary-eyed, especially given the circumstances in which it is releasing. Sushant died of suicide on June 14.
Perhaps the most striking part of the whole trailer was Rajput’s dialogue: “We don’t get to decide when we are born or when we die, but how we live our life is in our hands.”
Following the trailer’s release, the director of the film Mukesh Chhabra shared an emotional note in which he shared that the film was Sushant’s “dream”.
“Presenting to you our dream and the dream of my brother Sushant, who will live on in me till my last breath,” wrote Chhabra. “So much has changed in my life these past years and I will always cherish every single moment. Putting the trailer out there in your hands and in your hearts. It’s over to you now.”
The film is slated to release digitally on July 24 on Disney+ Hotstar. As a tribute to the late actor, the film will be made available to everyone including non-subscribers. It was initially scheduled to release on May 8 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, its release was pushed.
Meanwhile, here’s what Sushant’s colleagues and members of the industry have to say about the trailer and film:
Just watched #DilBecharaTrailer & Sushant touched my heart again with his warm smile. Whenever I met him he had the same smile on his face & I will always remember him that way Such a beautiful film to celebrate & remember his legacy – https://t.co/Vf8wSeFCAC
Love the trailer of #DilBechara – Sanjana & #SushantSinghRajput both are magical on screen. Will be ready with my Pop Corn to celebrate the legacy of this fine actor. You will live forever dear Sushant – in our hearts – shining bright in the skies. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ https://t.co/RpexpyYJ0x
Just watched #DilBecharaTrailer .. it does of course remind us that we’ve lost a talented actor way too soon but it also brings a smile to the face with it’s charming, bittersweet feel .. my best wishes to @CastingChhabra & the team. Look forward to it https://t.co/oFsK2Rwobq
Another blow for Bollywoood. Renowned choreographer Saroj Khan died of cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hospital early Friday. She was 71.
According to reports, the three-time National Award winner was hospitalized last Saturday after she complained of breathlessness. She tested negative for COVID-19.
Khan choreographed more than 2,000 songs in her career spanning more than 40 years. Leading actresses including Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi danced to some of the most popular songs Khan had produced.
Khan started her acting career at the age of 3 in a Bollywood film. She later shifted to choreography and got her break in 1974. She never looked back and created some of Bollywood’s most popular film songs.
She won acclaim for songs in movies Mr India, Chandni, Beta, Tezaab, Don, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Baazigar, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Gulab Gang. Some of her most noted works include Hawa Hawai, Dola Re and Yeh Ishq Hai.
Khan was buried in a Mumbai cemetery on Friday, her nephew Manish Jagwani told reporters.
She is survived by her husband and three children.
Soon after the news of her death was announced, Bollywood mourned her death and celebrities including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Akshay Kumar, Kajol and Amitabh Bachchan recalled their fondest memories of her.
My first genuine teacher in the film industry. She taught me for hours how to do the ‘dip’ for film dancing. One of the most caring, loving & inspiring persona i have ever met. Will miss you Sarojji. May Allah bless her soul. Thank u for looking after me.
Saroj ji was an institution in herself. She has inspired so many choreographers, dancers, actors and directors to reach excellence in their work with her own gift of genius. Her art and legacy will live on forever. My deepest condolences to her family, friends and fans
Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace
Soon after filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt released the first poster of his comeback directorial feature Sadak 2, starring daughters Alia Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt, it was met with massive trolling and hatred. The film which was scheduled to release in cinemas on July 10, will now directly release on OTT service Disney+HotstarVIP.
Ever since the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput last month, Bhatt has been at the receiving end of hate on social media, like many Bollywood celebrities and bigwigs who have been accused of promoting nepotism and scuttling the chances of outsiders.
Following the announcement and release of the poster, netizens and fans of the late actor unleashed their anger and hatred in the comment sections on different social media platforms and called for audiences to boycott the film. While Alia and Mahesh limited the comment section on Instagram, only allowing those who they follow to comment, Mahesh did not do the same on Twitter, following which he received a barrage of hate comments on the microblogging platform.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCBQpM9gImB/
Reacting to his tweet, netizens slammed the filmmaker, holding him responsible for Sushant’s deteriorating mental condition and threatened to boycott Sadak 2.
“Guy who declared 26/11 as RSS ki Sazish and his own son helped terrorists to identify the places, tried to declare Sushant as mentally unstable, having a relationship with lady younger than his daughter, lowest scum possible…Don’t know why this guy is not in jail,” declared a social media user.
“When you put END to someone’s life intentionally, you’ll soon release your END,” wrote another user.
“We are not interested… get lost,” retorted another user.
A user responded by sharing the poster of Sushan’s upcoming last film Dil Bechara, which will also be released on Disney Hotstar instead of cinemas. Sushant’s fans also began to trend the hashtag #JusticeforSushantSinghRajput on social media.
However, Alia’s co-actor Aditya Roy Kapur, who shared the poster without limiting the comment sections was met with heavy trolling and hate speech aimed at Mahesh and Alia.
Sadak 2 is a follow-up of Bhatt’s 1991 hit Sadak and is produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt. The sequel reunites the original film’s lead pair of Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt and also stars Alia and Aditya. The film also marks Mahesh’s return to filmmaking after 20 years.
Meanwhile, Disney+Hotstar also received flak for not giving equal representation to all the films releasing on the platform at their virtual press conference. While Alia, Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Varun Dhawan and Akshay Kumar were in attendance, Kunal Kemmu or Vidyut Jammwal were not invited, leading to online criticism. Both the actors also expressed their reservations and disappointment on social media.
Izzat aur pyaar maanga nahi kamaya jaata hai. Koi na de toh usse hum chhote nahi hote. Bas maidaan khelne ke liye barabar de do chhalaang hum bhi oonchi laga sakte hai
A BIG announcement for sure!! 7 films scheduled for release but only 5 are deemed worthy of representation. 2 films, receive no invitation or intimation. It’s a long road ahead. THE CYCLE CONTINUES https://t.co/rWfHBy2d77
In a recent Twitter update, the model turned talk show host, fired some shots after she told Pakistani industry to focus on nepotism in their own backyard instead of sharing news of “coffee in Karan in hot water”.
“Ever wondered how many actors we have in our industry?” questioned Omar.
Pakistani industry artists sharing news of coffee in Karan in hot water but darlings what about the #nepotism in your own backyard? Kabhi socha hay hamari industry me adakar kitne hayn?
Following the untimely death and suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, audiences and fans are lashing out at Bollywood bigwigs for endorsing star kids and not giving the same number of chances to ‘outsiders’. Koffee with Karan, in particular, has come under fire, because of the catty and insensitive remarks that are occasionally passed on the couch. Moreso, Karan Johar’s production company, Dharma Productions, usually launches these star kids placing the director in the direct line of fire.
Iffat did not elaborate her tweet further, but we wonder what sort of nepotism she is referring to. Because, in the Pakistani entertainment industry, star kids are a rarity.
Two days after releasing Atif Aslam’s rendition of Kinna Sona, T-Series removed the video and song from their YouTube channel and apologised to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for releasing it in the first place. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees’ (FWICE) has strictly forbidden Bollywood from featuring Pakistani artists.
According to a report in The Indian Express, #TakeDownAtifAslamSong started trending on Twitter soon after the music label released Atif’s version of the song.
The issue also caught the attention of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and MNS Cinema Wing president Ameya Khopkar issued a warning to T-Series and ordered them to take down the song immediately.
Following the warning and backlash, T-Series removed the song and issued an apology.
“It has been brought to our notice that the said song has been sung by Atif Aslam and this song was put up on the YouTube channel of T-Series by one of our employees from the promotion team. He was unaware of his action and erred while putting up the song,” stated the apology letter.
It added, “We condemn our mistake and apologise for the same. We assure you that henceforth we will neither release, nor promote the song on any platform of T-Series. Meanwhile, we are removing the said song from our YouTube channel.”
“We also assure you that henceforth we will not be releasing or promoting work by any Pakistani artistes,” the letter concluded.
Kinna Sona first featured in 2019 film Marjaavaan, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria.
