Bhumi Pednekar: Last 10 years have just been nothing short of a dream
Mumbai– It has been almost a decade for Bhumi Pednekar, who stepped into Bollywood with the film “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, and the actress says she is truly living her dream.
After “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, Bhumi was seen in movies such as “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan”, “Sonchiriya”, “Saand Ki Aankh”, “Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare”, “Badhaai Do”, “Bheed” and “Afwah” to name a few.
Talking about her journey in Hindi cinema, the actress, who was seen walking the runway in Lakme Fashion Week, earlier this month, told IANS: “The last 10 years have just been nothing short of a dream. I’m truly living my dream. This is all I ever wanted since I was a child and every day I wake up thanking God for letting me be a part of this phenomenal industry.”
Bhumi said that she has been lucky to work with the kind of filmmakers she has collaborated with. “I have been fortunate to have had some phenomenal filmmakers that have always supported me, some outstanding characters and I really hope that the next decade is full of such parts as well. Leaving impact with my cinema is a part of my purpose and I really hope that never goes.”
Earlier the actress had shared that she wants to do a period film around the freedom struggle. In a conversation with IANS, Bhumi spoke about branching out to genres she has never tried her into – action and a period film. “I think what I would really want to do is maybe an action film, maybe do a film around the freedom struggle,” Bhumi said.
She added: “I’m constantly putting this out there in the universe that I want to do a film, a period film around the freedom struggle.” On the acting front, Bhumi was last seen in the crime thriller “Bhakshak”, which was based on the Muzaffarpur shelter case. The film also had Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava and Sai Tamhankar.
When Priyanka Chopra reflected on skipping Diwali until her dad’s death
Mumbai– Priyanka Chopra Jonas once spoke about the significance of Diwali in her life.
She recalled how, during the vibrant Diwali celebrations, she was away from home due to her busy work schedule. Reflecting on this time, Priyanka poignantly said, “Till my dad died, I didn’t have another Diwali to be with him.”
In an interview with Tiffany Reid for a social event, the desi girl mentioned that she came to understand the importance of time after her father fell ill. “I don’t remember how many of my mother’s birthdays I have forgotten or missed. How many times did I forget to call her in my 20s? How many times did I miss Diwali because I was working in Europe, where they don’t celebrate Diwali? I just skipped it and didn’t think it was okay until I did. Till my dad died and I didn’t have another Diwali to be with him,” Priyanka said back then.
The ‘Baywatch’ actress added that her dad’s death made her realize that life is short and that we should stop worrying about trivial things when there are so many more significant issues for us to focus on.
Priyanka Chopra’s father, Ashok Chopra, passed away in 2013 at the age of 63 after a long battle with cancer. She had a deep bond with her father, which is reflected in a tattoo she has dedicated to him.
The tattoo reads, “Daddy’s little girl.” In April this year, Priyanka appeared on the ‘Read the Room’ podcast, where she spoke about the enduring pain of her father’s death.
She mentioned that this kind of pain never fully dissipates; instead, it becomes a ‘companion.’ Meanwhile, Priyanka is gearing up for the release of her film “Citadel Season 2,” where she is reprising her role as special agent Nadia Sinh. She also has “Heads Of State” alongside John Cena and Idris Elba in the pipeline.
Shah Rukh Khan reveals Yash Chopra’s special connection with Diwali!
Mumbai– Diwali, the festival of lights, has long been synonymous with the release of blockbuster films in Bollywood.
While the trend of films clashing on this auspicious occasion has become commonplace in recent years, it is the late filmmaker Yash Chopra who is often credited with establishing this festive cinematic tradition. Yash Chopra, who has many hit movies to his credit. had a unique connection with Diwali. Chopra’s affection for Diwali was reflected in his choice of release dates, with several of his most beloved films debuting during the festival of lights.
His iconic movies, such as “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, “Dil To Pagal Hai”, “Veer-Zaara” and “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” all hit the screens during Diwali, setting a precedent for filmmakers to follow. Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan once shared his thoughts on Yash Chopra’s profound connection with Diwali. He revealed that Chopra intentionally chose to release his films during the festival, believing that doing so would bring joy and happiness to the audience.
SRK said, “I have worked with Yash ji for 20 years. One thing that was always common was he wanted people to be happy after watching his movies and that’s why he chose Diwali or may be Diwali chose him when all his films came out.” It goes without saying that success of Yash Chopra’s films during this period paved the way for other filmmakers to view Diwali as an ideal window for releasing their projects.
This year, Rohit Shetty’s highly-awaited cop drama “Singham Again” and T-Series’ horror-comedy “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” will clash at the box-office on Diwali. “Singham Again” stars Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, and Jackie Shroff. On the other hand, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3”, co-written and directed by Anees Bazmee, stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Sanjay Mishra. Both movies will lock horns on November 1.
Richa Chadha to have ‘small Lakshmi puja’ on daughter’s first Diwali
Mumbai– Actress and new mother Richa Chadha will be having a “small Lakshmi puja” at home as this will be her daughter’s first Diwali.
She also urged for a cracker-free festival and to celebrate it in the traditional way with “diyas, singing, food, celebration and family time.” “I don’t know if there is anything special about Diwali this year, other than the fact that this is our daughter’s first Diwali so we will be doing a small Lakshmi puja at home on the day of Diwali in the morning,”Richa, who is married to actor Ali Fazal, told IANS.
It was in July, when the couple in a joint statement announced that they have welcomed their first bundle of joy. The statement read: “We are tickled pink with joy to announce the arrival of a healthy baby girl on 16.07.24! Our families are overjoyed, and we thank our well-wishers for their love and blessings! Love, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal.”
The couple got married in 2020 and have worked together in films such as the “Fukrey” franchise.
She said he will be “cleaning the house and making rangolis”. “I plan to celebrate Diwali like I always do by cleaning the house, making a rangoli and lighting diyas around the whole house. I am not much of a sweet tooth but yes savouring snacks I will definitely have,” said the actress, who is married to actor Ali Fazal.
Richa also requested for an environmentally friendly Diwali. “Don’t burst fire crackers because they are not good for the environment, animals, babies, older people and not good for you because they create pollution and damage your lungs. Unfortunately, we all share this air,” said the actress.
She added: “I don’t think 1000 years ago when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Mata Sita there were any firecrackers. So, we should celebrate it in the traditional way with diyas, singing, food, celebration and family time.”
Shruti Haasan binges on Indian sweets only on Diwali
Mumbai– Actress-singer and musician Shruti Haasan is all set to celebrate Diwali with friends in Mumbai and said that it is the only time she binges on Indian sweets otherwise she sticks to her diet.
Talking to IANS about her plans on celebrating Diwali, Shruti said: “Diwali this year is quiet and simple with friends and in Mumbai ! Nothing major, just enjoying time around good food and good hearts.”
When it comes to indulging, Shruti likes to keep her calories in check but Diwali is the time when she likes to binge. “I try to stick to my diet but I never can because I have a major sweet tooth and Diwali sweets are my favourite only at that time of the year I binge on Indian sweets,” said the actress, who is the daughter of veteran star Kamal Haasan and Sarika. Known for her goth looks and her love for the black and grey hues, Shruti said that this time of the year, she likes to soak into the festivities with a sprinkle of colour on her. ”I like to change up colour out of my usual black and grey during Diwali because it is festive but you’ll never see me go too crazy with colour if it’s my personal choice,” said the 38-year-old actress.
Shruti has girly moments with just a sparkler and is not a “big fan” of crackers. “I’m not a big fan of noisy polluting crackers I’m usually still the stand in the corner with one sparkler and be done girl,” said Shruti, who will next be seen in the film “Coolie” starring Rajinikkanth. Talking about “Coolie”, an action thriller, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. It also stars Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj and Upendra.
Shruti was last seen in “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire,” a Telugu-language epic action thriller film directed by Prashanth Neel. The film stars Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jagapathi Babu, Bobby Simha and Sriya Reddy.
Anupam Kher details the injuries he suffered while making ‘Vijay 69’
Mumbai– Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming streaming movie ‘Vijay 69’, has shared the details of the injury that he suffered on the sets of the film while portraying 69 year-old triathlete.
The actor told IANS that he suffered a serious injury to his shoulder but that didn’t bog him down, as he continued to work despite the unbearable pain. He told IANS, “It was a serious injury. I had a broken shoulder, delocated, it was thrown out of my socket. But then work has to go on, I think that’s what training teaches you. When you’re a drama school product, the show must go on, that’s the first thing that they teach”.
When asked as to how did he cultivate this fighter mindset, he said that he learnt it at a very young age as he comes from a humble background where injuries don’t change the course of routine life.
He said, “Life has to go on. I’ve seen my father, unless he was bedridden, I saw him going to the office every single day. Leave at 8 in the morning, come back at 8 in the evening, walk 14 kilometres one side, 28 kilometres both sides. So I think it was part of our life that we never saw anybody in the family. We were a family of 14 in a small room. Complaining was not a luxury. I think complaining about smaller things is a luxury for different people”. He further mentioned, “So I learned it from there and plus I’ve made it with great difficulty. I don’t want to romanticise my sleeping on the railway platforms, I was homeless for some time. So it was when I used to always say, ‘God give me work, I’ll never complain’. And I think that’s how I have dealt with it”.
The actor always looks upto international talent because that’s where his competition lies. He told IANS, My competition in my mind is never with the local actors. With my love and respect for all actors from Indian cinema, I aim at international people and think about what Mr. Robert De Niro would have done, what Al Pacino would have done, what other people would have done”. “They would have not stopped shooting. You think in ‘Raging Bull’ De Niro did not get hurt? These are all tantrums that I don’t want to do”, he added. ‘Vijay 69’ is set to drop on Netflix. (IANS)