Bollywood Roundup: Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, and more…
Anushka Sharma Recalls Mother’s Wish That Predicted Her Bollywood Debut
MUMBAI–Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma once revealed how her mother’s wish came true when she landed her debut role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the 2008 film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
During an earlier interview with Simi Garewal, Sharma recalled receiving the news while driving home from Yash Raj Studios.
“There was this one time I was driving back from Yash Raj Studios, and I got the news that I was selected for the role. I couldn’t drive anymore because I was crying. I was so happy. So I stopped the car and pulled over. I called my mother and I told her that I got the film.”
When Sharma returned home, her mother revealed that she had placed a written wish inside a decorative Feng Shui turtle, hoping her daughter would star in a Yash Raj film.
“She never told me about this, but when I got back home, she told me that she’d written ‘I hope my daughter stars in Yash Raj film’ and put it inside the turtle. It was unbelievable,” Sharma recalled.
The role launched Sharma’s Bollywood career, leading to appearances in major films including Band Baaja Baaraat, PK, Sultan, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Zero.
Alia Bhatt Revealed Her Bollywood Ambitions at Age 8
MUMBAI–Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt knew she wanted to pursue acting from an early age, as revealed in a throwback appearance on the television show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.
At just 8 years old, Bhatt appeared on the show alongside her parents, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, and her sisters Pooja and Shaheen Bhatt.
Introducing his youngest daughter, Mahesh Bhatt said, “Alia is aspiring to be an actress.”
When host Suresh Oberoi asked Alia about her ambitions, she confidently replied, “Actress banungi,” meaning she would become an actress.
Her sister Shaheen, meanwhile, expressed an interest in becoming a writer rather than following the family’s acting tradition.
Alia fulfilled her childhood ambition with her Bollywood debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year in 2012, alongside Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.
She went on to establish herself as a leading actress with performances in Highway, Raazi, Gully Boy, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
Bhatt is also set to star alongside husband Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Love & War.
Priyanka Chopra Reveals Nick Jonas Was Behind Their Indian Wedding
MUMBAI–Actress Priyanka Chopra once revealed that husband Nick Jonas was the one who suggested holding their wedding in India, despite her original plans for a private island ceremony.
During a 2019 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Chopra recalled considering destinations such as the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius before logistical challenges complicated their plans.
“I always wanted to get married in a private island away from everything. We were like really stressed out about it cause we thought Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius and nothing was working out, how will we fly everyone and the logistics.”
Jonas eventually suggested India as the wedding destination, asking, “Why aren’t we doing this in India? Shouldn’t I be taking my bride from her home?”
The couple married in December 2018 in Jodhpur, celebrating with both Hindu and Christian ceremonies.
During the interview, Chopra also joked about their contrasting lifestyles, describing Jonas as extremely organized while admitting that several things in her own home rarely worked properly.
She recalled becoming nervous about maintaining his spotless house after her dog urinated on his white carpet. Despite her efforts to clean it before Jonas returned, he noticed the incident.
Deepika Padukone Recalls Borrowing Rs 10,000 From Mother to Pursue Acting Career
MUMBAI–Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone once revealed that she borrowed Rs 10,000 from her mother to launch her acting career, promising to repay the money and make her family proud.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show following her Hollywood debut in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, Padukone recalled deciding at age 16 that she wanted to become an actress.
“I sat my mother down one day and said, ‘Can I please borrow Rs 10,000 from you? I needed money to shoot a portfolio. I told them one day I’d make them proud, and someday I’d repay them,” she said.
Padukone also discussed her father, legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, who pursued professional sports at a time when such careers were uncommon in India.
“He played at a time in India when nobody really played professional badminton… everybody wanted to become a doctor or a lawyer, but he was a sportsperson,” she recalled.
Although she considered following in her father’s footsteps, Padukone said he encouraged her to pursue her own interests.
“I would have made him happy but he always said, follow your heart,” she said.
Padukone made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the 2007 film Om Shanti Om and went on to star in major productions including Piku, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Pathaan and Jawan.
She is also set to reunite with Khan in the upcoming film King.
Hindu Groups Back Kareena Kapoor Amid Controversy Over Quranic Verse on Heirloom Pendant
BHOPAL–Hindu organizations have expressed support for Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan after a Congress spokesperson in Madhya Pradesh sent her a legal notice over photographs showing her wearing a 200-year-old emerald pendant inscribed with a Quranic verse.
Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez demanded that Kapoor remove the photographs from social media and issue a public apology, claiming the display of the religious inscription had offended Muslim religious sentiments.
Hafeez said his objection was not to Kapoor wearing the jewelry but to how the sacred inscription was presented. He clarified that the complaint was a personal initiative unrelated to the Congress party’s official position.
The pendant, described by celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor as an heirloom of Bhopal’s former royal family, appeared in photographs of the actress’s Diwali outfit.
Hindu Utsav Samiti President Chandra Shekhar Tiwari defended Kapoor, arguing that wearing the pendant around her neck was not disrespectful.
“A pendant is meant to be worn around the neck, close to the heart. If it bears Quranic verses, she would not have worn it at any place considered disrespectful. She does not need to apologise to anyone,” Tiwari said.
The Sanskriti Bachao Manch also supported the actress.
The jewelry has historical ties to the Pataudi family through Kapoor’s husband, Saif Ali Khan, whose grandmother Sajida Sultan belonged to Bhopal’s former royal family.
Kapoor and her representatives had not publicly responded to the legal notice. (Source: IANS)
