Tag: Bollywood

  • ‘Mad respect’ for Deepika Padukone after she stands in solidarity with JNU students attacked by BJP supporters

    ‘Mad respect’ for Deepika Padukone after she stands in solidarity with JNU students attacked by BJP supporters

    After condemning the attack on New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) which left more than two dozen injured, Deepika Padukone arrived at the university to stand in solidarity with the students.

    https://twitter.com/krishnatarun03/status/1214553432721223681?s=20

    Deepika’s presence at the event cause frenzy on social media and the actor received applause from everyone.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1214635429250682881?s=20

    https://twitter.com/TheDeshBhakt/status/1214600089592664064?s=20

    Award-winning filmmakers Anurag Kashyap couldn’t praise Deepika enough.

    Others defended the actor after people claimed that this was a publicity stunt on her behalf because her film Chappak is releasing this Friday.

    Meanwhile, others commented that she has more guts than all the Khans combined.

    After BJP spokesman Tajinder Pal Singh called for a boycott of Deepika’s film #ISupportDeepika began to trend on Twitter.

    Previously, in a media interaction when asked about the ongoing protests, Deepika had said that she is proud that the students are not scared of expressing themselves.

    “I feel proud about it that people are coming out – be it on the streets or wherever they are – they are raising their voice and expressing themselves as it is important. If we want to see change in life and society, it is important that a point of view be put forward,” Deepika had said.

    On Sunday masked assailants wielding batons and iron rods attacked JNU leaving more than two dozen injured. According to an Indian journalist, the masked mob was linked to a BJP linked student group. They barged into hostel rooms and assaulted left-wing students and also beat up visually impaired people. There were reports that they were carrying acid as well.

    Deepika’s presence at the protest signifies that she is most likely standing with them in protest of these BJP-linked attacks and not the tuition fees hike protests that had been happening at the university earlier. The hostel fee hike is an ongoing issue and protests were held against it previously.

    Following the attack, several Bollywood personalities including Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dia Mirza, Rahul Bose, Richa Chadha and Taapsee Pannu led hundreds of people in a peaceful protest against the violence.

    Apart from that, Alia Bhatt also condemned the incident.

    As did Anil Kapoor, who while speaking to reporters had said, “It has to be condemned. It was quite sad, shocking, what I saw. It was very disturbing. I couldn’t sleep the entire night, thinking what has happened. It has to be condemned. Nothing will come out of violence. Whoever did this, they should be published.”

  • Bollywood’s biopic on Malala to release on Jan 31

    Bollywood’s biopic on Malala to release on Jan 31

    Gul Makai, the Bollywood film based on the life of Pakistani Nobel laurate Malala Yousafzai will be releasing on January 31, 2020 according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh. The film has been in the works since its filming began in 2017. Meanwhile, Gul Makai is the pseudonym Malala used when she wrote blogs for BBC Urdu during the Talibani rule, hence the title of the film.

    According to the Hindustan Times, the film has been directed by Amjad Khan and has been majorly shot in Kashmir. It will trace the then socio-political atmosphere of Pakistan. Reem Shaikh, Divya Dutta, Mukesh Rishi, Abhimanyu Singh, Ajaz Khan and Pankaj Tripathi are part of the film’s cast.

    The first look of the film was revealed last year in July and has over 18 million views on Youtube.

    Speaking about the film director Amjad Khan said Gul Makai is his tribute to Yousafzai for everything she has achieved and represents as a young and inspiring icon.

    Meanwhile, the film’s official synopsis reads, “Gul Makai accounts the courageous journey and struggle of Malala, from her humble upbringing in the Swat Valley to her becoming the champion for free education to all. Gul Makai is a small tribute to this lion-hearted girl who is in every essence a global citizen championing a cause that transcends boundaries, caste, religion and geography.”

    Malala has recently be named as the world’s most famous teenager of the decade by the United Nations.

  • Saif Ali Khan mocked for being ‘ignorant’ about India’s citizenship bill crisis

    Bollywood bigwigs including the Khans and Kapoors have been a real disappointment as far as raising their voice against India’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is concerned. The act has sparked nationwide protests resulting in police crackdown and more than a dozen people have lost their lives in the process.

    According to the Act, people from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come to India till December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due to religious persecution there will be given Indian citizenship. The protesters say the legislation was unconstitutional and divisive as it excludes Muslims.

    When Saif Ali Khan was asked about his thoughts on the matter, the actor said that as a citizen he is concerned about the current situation in the country.

    “There are many things that give us a cause for concern, watching and wondering how where it will all end up,” Saif said.

    “It is everybody’s right to protest peacefully and everybody’s right not to,” he continued.

    “I would like the protest to be associated with exactly what I am protesting against. There might be a possibility that I will end up representing a different kind of protest. So I am not sure yet. Until I am sure what I am protesting against and whether it is going to be taken that way, I need to think more,” he added.

    The Nawab of Pataudi further said he trying to understand the situation better and will make up his mind after he is well-informed.

    “There is so much being written in the press, there are so many things that give us concern about what we are reading,” he concluded.

    Unsurprisingly, Twitter had a lot to say on the matter and people mocked Saif for being a confident person on screen and the complete opposite in real life.

    https://twitter.com/frcl99/status/1209971870386266117?s=20

    Even Saif’s Sacred Games co-star Aamir Bashir expressed his frustration and ace director Anurag Kashyap retweeted his tweet.

    While Shaan threw subtle shade by sharing a poster of the movie The Silence of the Lambs.

    On the other hand, several Bollywood celebrities such as Farhan Akhtar, Parineeti Chopra, Anurag Kashyap, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan and Swara Bhasker among others have voiced their disappointment over the amended Citizenship Act.

  • Bollywood reacts to Delhi violence

    As protests ravage India, more than 100 students have been injured after baton-wielding police charged at them and fired tear gas at two federally-run universities where students were holding anti-citizenship law protests.

    According to reports, students in New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and Uttar Pradesh state’s Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) had been protesting since the new law was passed last week.

    The contentious law grants citizenship to religious minorities – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians – from neighbouring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    While critics say it is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda to marginalise the 200-million strong Islamic minority, Modi denies this, saying that the new law “does not affect any citizen of India of any religion”, while accusing “vested interest groups” of stoking the “deeply distressing” unrest.

    As the protests get bloodier, people are asking Bollywood celebrities especially Shah Rukh Khan who is an alumnus of Jamia Millia Delhi, to speak up on the matter and express their solidarity.

    https://twitter.com/artwhoring/status/1206447623839727616?s=20

    While A-lister celebrities including the Khans, Kapoors and Priyanka Chopra have remained silent on the matter, other celebs including Sidharth Malhotra, Ayushmann Khurana, Dia Mirza and Vicky Kaushal have condemned this violence.

    https://twitter.com/RajkummarRao/status/1206486037658243072?s=20

  • ‘Only a Bollywood dream’: DG ISPR Gen Asif Ghafoor slams Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film on Balakot ‘airstrike’

    ‘Only a Bollywood dream’: DG ISPR Gen Asif Ghafoor slams Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film on Balakot ‘airstrike’

    Not like we didn’t see this coming, but award-winning filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bushan Kumar have announced a film on the Balakot ‘airstrike’.

    According to details, the film will be written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor. The cast has not yet been announced.

    https://twitter.com/itsBhushanKumar/status/1205365844458360832?s=20

    DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor had a few thoughts on the matter which he voiced on Twitter.

    Previously, Vivek Oberoi had also announced a film on IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

    “As a proud Indian, a patriot, and a member of the film fraternity, it’s my duty to highlight what our Armed Forces are truly capable of. In the form of a trilingual, this film is a powerful tool to underline the achievements of brave officers like Wing Commander Abhinandan, who went behind the enemy lines and did what makes every Indian proud of them,” Vivek had said while announcing the film, which is expected to release in 2020. It will be shot in the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Agra.

    BALAKOT INCIDENT

    Following the Pulwama incident in which 44 Indian paramilitary soldiers lost their lives, two Indian aircraft entered Pakistani air space on February 27, 2019 for the second time in two days, engaged with Pakistan Air Force (PAF), and as a result, were shot down.

    The wreckage of one of the planes landed in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), and the wreckage of the other plane landed in the Indian-occupied Kasmir (IoK), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had confirmed at the time.

    Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive following the aerial dogfight, was handed over to India on March 1 in a peace gesture after PM Imran had announced to release him in an attempt to “de-escalate tensions” between the two countries.

  • WATCH: Shah Rukh Khan redefines husband goals

    WATCH: Shah Rukh Khan redefines husband goals

    We all know Shah Rukh Khan is the perfect gentleman and he proved it once again recently at an awards show where he picked up the train of wife Gauri’s gown so that he doesn’t end up stepping on it.

    Watch the video below:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B55L7COhnX6/

    Shah Rukh and Gauri made a grand entry at an award show on in colour-coordinated outfits. At the event, they also received the Most Stylish Couple Of The Year award.

    Previously, Fawad Khan also won hearts when he was caught fixing his wife’s hair on camera. People couldn’t get enough of his cute gesture.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BuhBw12BZtS/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Meanwhile, SRK is still on an acting break – he is yet to announce his next acting project. He was last seen in Zero, which performed badly at the box-office.

  • Paresh Rawal speaks up for Muslim professor’s hiring in India

    Paresh Rawal speaks up for Muslim professor’s hiring in India

    Bollywood’s veteran actor Paresh Rawal is raising his voice in support of an Indian Muslim university professor Feroz Khan. According to reports, Dr Feroze was being hired to teach Sanskrit and people were protesting against that because they thought that the language needed to be protected.

    Paresh voiced his disbelief at the protest and highlighted the “irony” that Professor Feroze had done his Masters and PhD in Sanskrit.

    He added that if that if the protestors logic was to be followed, the “late Shri Mohammad Rafi ji should not have sung any BHAJANS and Naushad Saab should not have composed it!”

    Hardline Hindu students at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are holding a sit-in outside the vice-chancellor’s office against the appointment of Professor Feroz Khan. Their stance is that since most Hindu religious text is in Sanskrit, they don’t want a Muslim professor for teaching linguistic lessons about Sanskrit.

    On the other hand, there were a few students who were in favor of the Muslim professor’s appointment.

  • Fawad lashes out at Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Panipat’ for ‘trying to rewrite history under RSS influence’

    Fawad lashes out at Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Panipat’ for ‘trying to rewrite history under RSS influence’

    Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry doesn’t mince words when it comes to expressing his thoughts.

    Recently, while responding to a tweet about the upcoming Bollywood historical saga Panipat, Fawad wrote on Twitter, “When idiots try to rewrite history under RSS influence this is minimum one should expect, agay agay dekheiye hota hai kiya…”

    Panipat which features Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon in the lead is directed by ace filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker (Lagaan, Swades, Jodha Akbar). The film reportedly depicts the story behind the Third Battle of Panipat, which was fought between the Maratha Empire and the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.

    While Arjun will be playing Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau, Dutt will essay the role of the Afghan ruler Abdali.

    Read more: ‘Another anti-Pakistan project’: Mehwish Hayat lashes out as SRK’s ‘Bard of Blood’ stirs controversy

    The film has not only irked Pakistanis for misrepresentation of Muslim rulers but according to The Print, the Embassy of Afghanistan has also expressed concerns to New Delhi and sought a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to discuss the film.

    The Afghans are critical of the way the former Afghan emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali has been portrayed in the period drama. Abdali is a revered figure in Afghanistan and is regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.

    The Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi also wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs regarding the matter, while the ex-Afghan ambassador to India tweeted directly to Dutt over the portrayal.

    Panipat is scheduled to hit the screens on December 6. The demolition of the Babri Masjid in the city of Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, took place on the same date in 1992.

    Previously Ranveer Singh’s portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in last year’s Padmaavat left many historians aghast and irked the Muslims who felt that the great emperor was turned into a vile villain.

    Read more: Arts vs Politics: A contentious debate engulfing India

    Watch trailer here:

  • Bollywood filmmakers rush to register films on the Kashmir issue

    Bollywood filmmakers rush to register films on the Kashmir issue

    Following the Indian government’s decision to revoke Article 370 which granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status, Bollywood filmmakers have rushed to register film titles such as Article 370, Article 35A, Kashmir Hamara Hai and Dhara 370, among others.

    According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror, over 50 titles related to the move have been registered at various Hindi film bodies. A source close to the development shared, “Taking a cue from the success of (Anubhav Sinha’s recently released Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer) Article 15, filmmakers have rushed to register films relating to the Kashmir incident with the titles Article 370 and Article 35A being their first choice.” He added that the associations have received at least 25-30 applications for them.

    Previously, after the Indian Air Force’s strikes at Balakot in February, Bollywood producers had rushed to film bodies to book names such as Pulwama: The Deadly Attack, Surgical Strike 2.0, Balakot and Pulwama Attacks, among others.

    Trade analyst Atul Mohan noted that filmmakers had rushed to register titles around such subjects because they “pique the audience’s curiosity.”

    Like in the case of the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Uri: The Surgical Strike which was a huge hit.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has reiterated that no Indian movie will be screened in Pakistani cinemas. Talking to media outside Parliament House on Thursday, Awan said a policy was being formulated to ban all kinds of Indian cultural content in Pakistan.