Outside Chola-era finery, Ash in anarkali dress turns heads at ‘PS:2’ event
Mumbai– Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is gearing up for the second part of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, was spotted arriving for a media event in the city on Tuesday.
The actress chose a traditional Indian attire for the event. She wore an ivory coloured anarkali suit with shimmery embellishments and a matching dupatta. She kept her long tresses open and rounded off her look with a statement emerald neckpiece.
In the film, Aishwarya plays dual roles of Nandini – the Queen of Pazhuvoor and Mandakini – the aunt of Poonguzhali. The film is based on author Kalki’s eponymous novel. The first part of the film dramatises the early life of Chola prince Arunmozhi Varman, who would become the renowned emperor Rajaraja I.
Ever since its publication in 1955, a film adaptation of the novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ had been explored by several Tamil filmmakers. However, it never materialised due to financial constraints. Even Mani Ratnam attempted to adapt the novel in the late-1980s and early-2010s but was unsuccessful.
Calling it his dream project, Mani Ratnam revived the effort in January 2019. While the first part was released back in September 2022, the second part will land in theatres on April 28.
Nikki says she’s fortunate to be able to work with Nawaz in ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’
Mumbai — Former ‘Bigg Boss 14’ contestant Nikki Tamboli shared her working experience with the well-known Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the family comedy film ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’. She will be seen dancing along with the actor in an item number.
The film also stars Mithun Chakraborty’ son Mimoh Chakraborty. Nikki said that there could be no better start for her in Bollywood than getting an opportunity to work with Nawazuddin in the film.
Nikki made her acting debut with a Telugu film ‘Chikati Gadilo Chithakotudu’. Later, she also did a Tamil film ‘Kanchana 3’. She made her TV debut with ‘Bigg Boss 14’ which gave her a lot of fame and made her place in the entertainment industry. She also took part in ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 11’.
She shared her working experience with the ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ actor and said: “I am extremely overwhelmed and thrilled. It was such an amazing experience working with veteran actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Sharing screen space with Nawaz sir will be a great start for my journey in Bollywood. It’s a really catchy song that will pick up quite fast and nonetheless I hope my fans love it.”
The film, written by Ghalib Asad Bhopali and directed by Kushan Nandy. Produced by Naeem A. Siddiqui, with Kiran Shyam Shroff as the creative producer, the film has been shot in places like Lucknow, Barabanki, Rahimabad, Varanasi and Mumbai.
Radhika Apte on ‘Mrs Undercover’: It is about Durga’s journey to find self worth
New Delhi– Known for her roles in ‘Badlapur’, ‘Hunterrr’, ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Man’, ‘Phobia’, and ‘Parched’, among others, actress Radhika Apte talked about the USP of the spy comedy ‘Mrs Undercover’ in which she is seen playing the role of Durga, a housewife and an undercover agent.
She also shared how not only men but housewives also need to understand their worth and men should equally participate in household chores.
Radhika told IANS: “The film’s USP is I think the genre that it’s a very different genre than what we normally see. It is about this character’s journey to find self worth and saying no to people treating her badly, setting her boundaries. I think, we all struggle with self confidence, self worth, love. And I think that’s our perpetual journey. So that’s how I relate to the character as well.”
She added that men also need to change their thinking as many of them think they don’t need to do household work.
“I think, men still feel that they don’t have to work. They don’t even know how to do a lot of jobs, I think in day to day life, especially definitely here in India. And I think that that needs to change not just for women, but I think even for men, it’s good for men to become independent and know how to clean your clothes and how to cook for yourself,” she added.
“I do think that people think housewives are just housewives and I also think that housewives themselves think of themselves as just a housewife. But it will change, it is changing, the more women work and more women put their foot down for their own dreams and their own. Whatever they want to do. It is changing,” shared Radhika.
Radhika has been quite vocal about sexual harassment and she said that things are changing and with movements like the MeToo movement, there is a lot of awareness.
Talking about her future project, she added: “I’ve just finished a British project. I have another American film and then Hindi film coming up, I’ll announce that soon.”
Directed and written by debutant director, Anushree Mehta, ‘Mrs Undercover’ features Radhika Apte in the lead role. It also stars Sumeet Vyas, Rajesh Sharma and Saheb Chatterjee.
‘Mrs Undercover’ streams on ZEE5.
Erica Fernandes: Consulted experts who could provide insight into character’s mindset
Mumbai– Erica Fernanades has been part of a number of TV shows including ‘Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi’, ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ and many more. She is currently seen in a short film ‘The Haunting’, which is directed by Tanveer Bookwala. She shared how she prepared herself for this complicated character after all the research and meeting with people who can guide her.
The horror film is a story of a woman, whose sister is killed by a demon and she tries to explain everything to the police but no one believes her. Later, she is also shown to be possessed by the demons.
Speaking about her role, Erica shared how she prepared for playing the character of Moushmi on-screen. She shared that she did thorough research for her role, which involved meeting with experts also.
Erica said: “When I was preparing for my character, I wanted to make sure that I had a deep understanding of who they were. To do this, I did some research. I also tried to put myself in their shoes and think about how they would react in certain situations. This helped me to create a more realistic portrayal of the character. Additionally, I consulted with experts who could provide insight into the character’s mindset, as well as advice on how to bring them to life onscreen.”
She further shared her experience of working with Tanveer and the other cast of the short film.
“Working with my co-actors and the director was an amazing experience. I felt like I was part of a family, and everyone had each other’s backs. We all worked together to create something special, and it was great to see how everyone brought their own unique talents to the table,” she added.
Erica has all the praises for her director, as she mentioned: “The director was always encouraging us and helping us find our strengths as actors, which made it easier for us to give our best performances. It was an incredible journey, and I’m so grateful for having had the opportunity to work with such talented people.”
Directed by Tanveer Bookwala, ‘The Haunting’ features Erica Fernandes alongside Prakruti Mishra and Gul Panag.
‘The Haunting’ streams on Amazon miniTV. (IANS)
