Anurag Kashyap sorry for taking part in anti-Mandal stir of ’90s
Mumbai– Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has apologised publicly after he revealed on social media that he had taken part in anti-Mandal Commission protests in the nineties.
This comes at a time when the filmmaker is extremely critical about the Narendra Modi government and its decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA), and is constantly voicing his views on social media. Now the filmmaker has stoked a fresh controversy by talking about his participation in the anti-Mandal Commission protests.
It all started when a user tweeted on Monday: “Did Anurag Kashyap or Shivam Vij ever join any protest? They are afraid of being killed? You can pull someone. But don’t push.”
Replying to the tweet, Kashyap wrote in Hindi that he took part in the protests in Mumbai’s August Kranti Marg last week, in Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in 2011 and also the anti-Mandal Commission protests in the nineties.
Replying to the filmmaker’s tweet, a user named Tejas Harad wrote: “Liberals are incoherent khichdi. They will support whatever the coolest thing is there to support at any moment. Also, thanks for telling us you are a casteist prick, @anuragkashyap72”.
The “Manmarziyaan” helmer immediately apologised for his earlier tweet, in two separate tweets.
“Well Tejas I was a 19 year old then and what I was then and what I am now are two different people.. wasn’t a casteist even then.. just had no idea what I was out for.. anyways,” he wrote in one tweet.
“Tejas I absolutely will apologise for it. I wrote the tweet in an answer to the accusation. I do not oppose SC/ST/OBC reservations. But what I was part of, is a truth I can’t hide for someone to dig it out and throw it at me,” he wrote on another tweet.
Even though Kashyap has apologised, netizens have not been very kind on the filmmaker after learning about his participation in the anti-Mandal protests.
Saif-Tabu’s ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ to open on Jan 31
Mumbai– The release date of the Saif Ali Khan-Tabu starrer “Jawaani Jaaneman” has changed again. The film will now release on January 31.
The romantic comedy was initialy scheduled to release in 2019 but later got pushed to February 7 next year. Now, the film has been preponed.
On Monday, while announcing the new release date, the makers also unveiled the film’s first official poster.
In the poster, a man is seen lying on a bed with his head concealed and a spilling beer bottle in one hand. Two pairs of women’s legs are also seen on the bed, in the background. The man also sports a Playboy bunny pendant and has a tattoo on one forearm.
The rom-com will mark the debut of Alaia F., daughter of Pooja Bedi, in an important role. The film is directed by Nitin Kakkar of “Filmistaan” fame.
“Adding some flavor to this festive season! #JawaaniJaaneman in cinemas on 31st January,” tweeted the film’s co-producer Jackky Bhagnani, who has also lined up Himesh Reshammiya’s “Happy Hardy And Heer” on the same day.
Sridevi was the world’s best mimic: Karan Johar
Mumbai– Filmmaker Karan Johar describes the late Bollywood superstar Sridevi as the best mimic in the world.
“Sridevi was an actor by observation. She was incredible. She had that potentiality of observing and absorbing the body languages of others. She was the best mimic in the world. She could just mimic anything and anything at all, and it was all due to observation. She was the only actor of the eighties and the nineties who upped her craft through observation. She absorbed the syntax of cinema of the time,” said Johar, while launching the book, “Sridevi: The External Screen Goodess”, by Satyarth Nayak, in Mumbai on Sunday, a few days after the book’s Delhi launch by Deepika Padukone.
Johar recalled how, when Sridevi came back from her self-imposed sabbatical of over a decade, she had lost none of her charm and confidence. “She did the movie ‘English Vinglish’ after a gap of 15 years in 2012, and she knew how to face the camera. I would go as far as to say that Sridevi was a genius artist because it takes lots of genius to go through what she did in so many films. Sridevi was a rare actor, who was (at the) top of her game in all the languages at the same time. Whether it was Tamil, Telugu or Hindi, she was on top. I must say (this is) a feat no other actor in India has achieved.”
Nayak’s book is based on the life of the Bollywood icon who is regarded as a female superstar in Indian Cinema.
Snubbing the notion that Sridevi was an “ask mother” actress, Karan said: “I think this was blown out of proportion, because in one interview she just said ‘ask mother’ and media titled her as ‘ask mother’. She didn’t like to communicate with anyone and didn’t like to do interviews. She pretty much knew on her own what she was doing.”
Angad Bedi: It hasn’t been an easy journey for me
Mumbai– Actor Angad Bedi says it hasnt been an easy journey for him in the industry, and getting praise from filmmaker Karan Johar is a signal that he is headed on the right way.
Angad is overwhelmed that he got a chance to work with Karan again on his upcoming production “The Kargil Girl”.
“Despite being a producer and director of his stature, Karan has his ear on the ground. He is always looking out for talent. He is really appreciative of good work and keeps that in mind every time an opportunity presents itself,” Angad said.
“I remember his kind words after ‘Soorma’. It hasn’t been an easy journey for me to get where I am so his words of praise were a reiteration that I was headed the right way. We were looking for the right opportunity to work together again. ‘The Kargil Girl’ is a perfect film that is all heart. My character is incredible and I hope people love it as much as we did while making it,” he added.
“The Kargil Girl” is a biopic of Indian Air Force combat pilot Gunjan Saxena, and stars Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role. Janhvi will be portraying Saxena, who entered the war zone during the 1999 Kargil War. Directed by Sharan Sharma, it will hit the screens on March 13 next year.
Pooja Bhatt on 3 years of sobriety: Grateful for this new life
Mumbai– Actress-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt, who has openly talked about battling alcoholism, is now three years sober and she is grateful for this new life and perspective.
Pooja, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, completed three years of sobriety on Monday. She took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone and her “new life”.
She wrote: ” ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32) Three years sober today. Gratitude to the universe and the hand that guides me.
“Grateful for this new life, for new perspective and renewed capacity to look myself and life squarely in the eye. #threeyearssober #sobriety #clarity #vulnerability #strength #onedayatatime #onestepatatime”
Pooja quit drinking on the Christmas of 2016, and has been quite vocal about her struggle with addiction.
Pooja rose to fame in the nineties with her roles in movies like “Daddy”, “Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin”, “Sadak” and “Zakhm”.
As a director, she has helmed “Paap”, “Kajraare” and “Jism 2” among other projects.
Pooja is all set to make a comeback as an actress in the upcoming “Sadak 2”, which stars her half-sister Alia Bhatt and sees Mahesh Bhatt returning to direction after two decades.
The film is a follow-up of the 1991 superhit “Sadak”, and it reunites Pooja with Sanjay Dutt, her co-star of the first film.(IANS)
