Bollywood

Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah will mark his presence at the UAE premiere of Pakistani film “Zinda Bhaag” in Dubai Wednesday. He plays a pivotal role of a gangster in the movie.

At the premiere, the 63-year-old is likely to be accompanied by the film’s lead actress Amna Ilyas, “Zinda Bhaag” co-director Farjad Nabi told IANS.

The film, which had its Gulf premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2013, is releasing in the country Thursday.

Veteran Bollywood and Bengali actress Suchitra Sen continued to be in critical condition at a Kolkata hospital on Monday. Doctors said that the 82-year-old actress is surviving on oxygen support and intravenous feeding. They, however, said that her heart rate and blood pressure are stable. The actress though conscious, is surviving on constant oxygen support through endotracheal tube.

If Hollywood’s ace actor Leonardo DiCaprio had his way, he would love to team up with Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan on screen again after having shared screen space with him in “The Great Gatsby”. He finds the veteran an impressive talent and a “gentleman”.

Recently, while DiCaprio was being interviewed for his latest film “The Wolf Of Wall Street”, he was questioned whether if an opportunity to work with Mr. Bachchan would come up again, what would he do. He expressed an interest in it, read a statement.

Newcomer Daisy Shah, who will be seen in Salman Khan starrer ‘Jai Ho’, says she regretted saying no to the superstar for his hit film ‘Bodyguard’.

“I regret only about one thing and that was saying no to Salman. I think whether you work with Salman or not, his presence in your life is more than enough. In that way, I felt I lost out on him. I look at him as a hero, as my hero in real and in reel life. I am fond of him, I am romancing him (in the film),” Daisy told PTI in an interview.

Bollywood actress and producer Malaika Arora Khan said she is happy that the career graph of her actor brother-in-law Salman Khan is soaring with the passage of time.

“We have tremendous respect for the person he (Salman) is and for his craft. I think with every film he gets better. Very few men survive that long (on screen) with that kind of intensity and fan following… It is amazing,” Malaika told PTI.

She said in the extended family of Khans every festival and occasions like birthdays are celebrated with gaiety.

Veteran actress Suchitra Sen continued to be in a critical condition today, surviving on oxygen support and intravenous feeding, doctors attending on her said.

The 82-year-old actress has been put on BIPAP therapy through an endotracheal tube to control her oxygen saturation level in blood, a medical bulletin issued by the Belle Vue Clinic, where she is admitted since December 23, said.

Her low food intake has made her weak, the doctors said, adding they have intensified her nutrition therapy and are feeding her through an intravenous tube.

Bedabrata Pain, who won the National Film Award for his maiden venture “Chittagong”, Saturday said he is in talks to direct a remake of the 1983 cult hit “Masoom” and claimed it will be different, he claimed.

“I want to do it but it has not to be the remake of the 1983 movie. I am in discussion with the producers. I want to direct a movie based on the ‘Man, Woman and Child’ but the man has changed, the woman has changed and the child has changed..it has to be a different take on the story,” Pain told IANS on the sidelines of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2014 here.

Mumbaikars are thrilled to have a share of ‘winter’ in their city. Among them is Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who feels “awesome” to be able to wear some warm clothes in a city which seldom requires them.

“How awesome to be able to wear a jacket in Mumbai. We finally have a winter! Mind you anything below 25 degrees in Mumbai is considered cold,” Abhishek posted on Twitter Saturday.

The actor’s latest film “Dhoom 3” did exceedingly well at the box office. It also stars Aamir Khan, Uday Chopra and Katrina Kaif.

Veena Malik has opened up about her eventful start to the year 2014, from marrying Dubai-based businessman Asad Bashir Khan Khattak to legal distress with her former digital manager.

The 29-year-old actress said that the she will take a legal action against her former digital manager Prashant Pratap Singh, who hacked into her account and accused her of fraud and betrayal, the Express Tribune reported.

Malik is currently planning her wedding ceremonies, which she claims to be having one each in US and Dubai and two in Pakistan. (ANI)

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who performed with southern stars Mohanlal and Mammootty at the recent 16th Ujala Asianet Film Awards in Dubai, said that he was touched by the love they bestowed on him.

The actor took to Twitter to share the emotions he experienced on performing with the the two stars.

“To be given so much love by Mammootty and Mohanlal sir, felt like crying receiving so much kindness from artists who inspire me to be an actor,” Shah Rukh posted on the microblogging site Saturday.

Actress Niharika Singh, who will be seen in forthcoming film “Miss Lovely”, set in the lower depths of Mumbai’s C-grade film industry, says it’s “brave” of director Ashim Ahluwalia to make such a movie. In fact, she herself was warned by her friends not to do the movie.

“When Ashim makes a film, he does not make it to please the audience, or by thinking about the collection. If you’re making such a film, it’s a brave thing and to get a theatrical release (for ‘Miss Lovely’), it’s a victory in itself,” said Niharika.

Alia Bhatt has been under fire for performing at the Saifai Mahotsav, following which her father Mahesh Bhatt issued an apology. However, superstar Salman Khan, who was also amongst the performers, says the filmmaker needn’t be apologetic about his daughter’s “upbringing”.

“Bhatt saab, no need for apology, Alia’s upbringing is great. I was proud to share the stage with her. She earns her living with hardwork and dignity,” Salman posted on microblogging site Twitter Saturday.

A sessions court here on Friday issued a non-bailable warrant against actor-turned-model Poonam Pandey, for an obscene performance on the eve of new year on December 31 in Bangalore .

The court directed the police to produce her before the court on January 12 after hearing a petition filed by advocate Umesh.

The actor’s performance was obscene and hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. She held the picture of the Hindu Gods and posed obscenely while performing a dance .Umesh argued in his petition .

Sushmita Sen has lost weight and is gearing up for a comeback and says 2014 is going to be her year.

“I have been preparing actually since 2013. I know everytime an actor loses weight or starts looking fitter or thinner, it is always for a reason. But this is me getting ready for the most fantastic time of my life in all aspects. Professionally and personally 2014 is going to be my year,” the 38-year-old said here Thursday at Rouble Nagi’s art exhibition.

Sushmita is eagerly awaiting the announcement of two projects, one of which goes on floors in July.

Actress Huma Qureshi is proud of her latest movie “Dedh Ishqiya”, which came out Friday, and says it will remain special even after 20 years.

“Lots of special memories. This is the film for which I keep saying that even after 20 years, when I am older, I will look back at the film very fondly and be very proud of it,” the 27-year-old said here Thursday at a special screening of the film.

A sequel to the 2010-hit “Ishqiya”, “Dedh Ishqiya”, which also stars Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, has opened to rave reviews.

Director Abhishek Chaubey helmed both the versions.

Pakistani authorities have blocked access to an internet sex video purportedly featuring actress Meera and her husband even as the performer today said the footage was “fake”.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority cut off access to the video following a request from Meera, who has appeared in two Indian films.

The brief video purportedly features Meera and Navid Shahzad, an airline pilot of Pakistani origin settled in the US. It was uploaded by unidentified persons to several websites over the past few days.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has not been approached for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dream project ‘Bajirao Mastani’, according to sources close to the actor.

There were reports that SRK would be doing SLB’s film with Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif also featuring in it.

“He (Shah Rukh) is not approached for this film. We don’t know where these reports are coming from. He is busy shooting for ‘Happy New Year’. The other projects that he would work on are Yash Raj Films’ ‘Fan’ a and Rahul Dholakia’s film,” a source close to the actor said.

Ailing yesteryear actress Suchitra Sen’s condition deteriorated today in the afternoon, but stabilised later in the evening, though she was still not out of danger, doctors said.

“Many of you must be worried about her condition. It is true that in the afternoon and evening her condition deteriorated due to drop in oxygen saturation level,” Dr Subrata Maitra, the attending doctor at the Belle Vue Clinic told reporters with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee standing beside him.

He is known for his endless energy, undying love for his craft and being a workaholic. But superstar Shah Rukh Khan says now he doesn’t work as much and feels inspired with others’ good work.

Shah Rukh, who had only one release last year, superhit “Chennai Express”, featured in just one movie in 2012 – late filmmaker Yash Chopra’s last directorial venture “Jab Tak Hai Jaan”.

Currently he is shooting for Farah Khan’s “Hapyy New Year”.

The verdict on Abhishek Chaubey’s bold film “Dedh Ishqiya” is out. Critics have extolled it as a “genuinely smart film”, “deliciously dark film”, “rich cinematic experience” and “a gripping fare”. Audiences have loved it too. The accolades make it a perfect comeback for Madhuri Dixit.

Seen on the big screen in a lead role after a gap of seven years, the 46-year-old diva made an impressive attempt as a fading ‘begum’ named Begum Para in the movie.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt Friday described Kashmir as “a goldmine and a treasure” and said that it is time to clear the misconception that the Valley is a troubled zone. He has urged filmmakers to shoot more and more in the picturesque region, which reigned supreme till a bruising insurgency broke out in the late 1980s.

Kashmir was once Bollywood’s favourite shooting destination and the industry needs to return to the Valley, said Bhatt, actress Deepti Naval and Kashmir tourism director Talat Parvez at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Tourism Summit here.

Veteran Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna received an award for his contribution to Indian cinema at the International Film Festival held here on Thursday.

The 12th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) opened on Thursday and the ceremony was attended by veteran actors and filmmakers.

Actress Bipasha Basu, a fitness freak, says “Unleash” – the third volume of “Love Yourself” fitness DVD – will be available from mid-January.

“‘Unleash’ releases on the 16th of January! Prebook now,” Bipasha tweeted Thursday.

You can sculpt your body with plyometrics and cardiovascular moves that improves your muscular strength.

While superstar Salman Khan has been urging not to link his upcoming film “Jai Ho” with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), his brother and actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan says somewhere there is a connection between the movie and the country’s current political scenario.

“It’s a very good co-incidence that ‘Jai Ho’ somewhere reflects the current scenario in the country,” Arbaaz told reporters here Thursday at a Gillette event.

Sherlyn Chopra, who has recently come out with a single “Bad Girl,” says she doesn’t consider any one in India her competition.

At a charity event Thursday, when asked if she sees actress- singer Priyanka Chopra as competition, Sherlyn said: “I am not competing with anybody from India. I am very, very inspired by Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus because they seem very fearless.”

“They do not step back from taking risks and so I derive my inspiration from such personalities,” she added.