90 evacuated from blazing Mumbai skyscraper, Deepika Padukone safe
Mumbai– At least 90 residents were evacuated safely after a fire broke out on the 33rd floor of the Beaumonte Towers in the posh Prabhadevi area of Dadar here on Wednesday afternoon.
Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who also lives in the same building on the 26th floor, tweeted that she was safe and expressed her prayers for the well-being of the firefighters.
According to BMC Disaster Control, the fire erupted around 2.10 p.m. on the two uppermost floors 32 and 33 of the building, and thick black clouds of smoke were soon billowing out.
Later, after nearly three hours, the flames started spreading on to the lower floors creating panic among the flat owners who include several celebrities including from the business and glamour world.
More than two dozen fire-tenders, including sophisticated lifts and cranes, have been deployed to fight the blaze. There were no reports of casualties so far.
Jacqueline to endorse consumer tech lifestyle start-up
New Delhi– Actress Jacqueline Fernandez has been roped in as the brand ambassador of boAt – a lifestyle brand with consumer electronics products such as earphones, headphones, speakers, travel chargers and premium rugged cables.
“I am thrilled to be a part of boAt’s incredible journey of success and innovation,” Jacqueline said in a statement.
With a strong focus on consumer desires and aesthetics, the brand has created products that seamlessly integrate into the evolved consumer’s personal style statement.
“I am delighted to invite Jacqueline Fernandez to join our crew and take our brand’s style quotient to a whole new level. She complements our commitment to product design and aesthetics and is seen as a credible influencer amongst the globally travelled new age millennials,” said boAt co-founder Aman Gupta.
Children need to be given their childhood: Actress Divya Dutta
Mumbai– Actress Divya Dutta believes children should be given their childhood away from the stress and pressures of daily life.
The actress, along with filmmaker Amole Gupte, attended a panel discussion organised by Unicef and CRY Foundation, which works for the rights of children.
Divya said: “Children need to be given their childhood. Even if they are on a set (of film shooting and television reality shows), we should make sure no compromise is done with their education, sleep and recreation. So, measures should be taken by all of us.
“Let’s not take away their bachpan (childhood). A beautiful balance is the mantra.”
She suggested the presence of counsellors on the sets to keep children in check. The panel also raised issues like child artistes’ mental health during stressful times like competing on reality shows.
Fitness to me is a way of life: Rakul Preet
Mumbai– Actress Rakul Preet says being fit is a way to sanity and rejuvenation for her.
She has pushed her limits to get the right frame for her role in romantic comedy with Ajay Devgn. In fact, she flaunted her washboard abs on the cover of a health magazine.
“Fitness to me is a way of life. It’s sanity and rejuvenation for me. Whether stressed or happy I like to workout… I feel like each cell of my body breathes,” Rakul said in a statement to IANS.
“What you sow is what you reap. So, how you treat your body is how it will treat you back. I eat clean and I don’t call it a diet! I love to eat a lot and I workout everyday,” she added.
Rakul has also featured in Telugu films. In Bollywood, she has done “Yaariyan” and “Aiyaary”.
Sanjay Dutt feels inspired by acid attack survivors
Lucknow– Actor Sanjay Dutt says acid attack survivors are real-life heroes and an inspiration to all.
Sanjay on Wednesday visited Sheroes Hangout cafe here after receiving an invite from the team through Twitter. Overwhelmed by the invitation, he made sure to spend some quality time with acid attack survivors who run the café.
“They are real-life heroes and these strong women are an inspiration to all of us. They have shown unwavering strength to fight and survive in the most difficult situations,” Sanjay said in a statement to IANS.
“It is truly an honour to be receiving the love and support of such beautiful souls,” he added.
Sanjay is shooting for the Hindi remake of the Telugu cult classic “Prasthaanam” here.
To be produced by Sanjay Dutt Productions, the film is being remade in Hindi by filmmaker Deva Katta, who also helmed the original. The shooting began on June 1 on Sanjay’s mother and late actress Nargis’ birth anniversary.
The film also stars Satyajeet Dubey, Ali Fazal, Manisha Koirala and Amyra Dastur.
Neeraj Sood on facing failure for five years
Mumbai– Actor Neeraj Sood, who has featured in movies like “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan” and “Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year”, says he faced failure for long years but didn’t give up.
“There was a time when my father had no money to pay for my acting school but my only focus in life was to be an actor. So, I decided to take up a course in National School of Drama (NSD) where half of my fees would be funded but for that I had to clear my entrance examinations which were really tough,” Neeraj said in a statement.
“I failed the entrance five times for five consecutive years but I did not give up and I passed the sixth time. I think this was the biggest crossroad in my life and I am glad that I am here now,” he added.
He has also shot for an episode of the show “Zindagi Ke Crossroads”, hosted by Ram Kapoor, produced by Shabina Khan and written by Mahadev. For this, Neeraj stepped into the shoes of a postman.
“I belong to the postman-generation. I have lived the moment when letters were received and sent to each other. With growing digitalization, the trend of letters is fading but playing a postman in this story took me back to my yesteryears,” he said.
“Zindagi Ke Crossroads” is aired on Sony Entertainment Television.
Taapsee Pannu starts shooting for ‘Badla’
Mumbai– Actress Taapsee Pannu has commenced shooting for the upcoming thriller “Badla” in Scotland.
“This is going to be a riveting thriller. It’s Sujoy’s favourite genre and I am yet another time out of my comfort zone which I actually enjoy the most,” Taapsee said in a statement.
Taapsee, 30, said that she is going to explore a “new side” of herself with this character and film directed by Sujoy Ghosh.
The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee is excited to share screen space with the megastar for the second time after “Pink”.
“When you are in safe hands of a brilliant filmmaker and an ace co-actor there is nothing to fear,” Taapsee, who will be seen playing the role of an entrepreneur in the film, said.
She currently awaits the release of her forthcoming film “Soorma”, a biopic on hockey player Sandeep Singh, directed by Shaad Ali, who has also helmed hit films like “Saathiya” and “Bunty Aur Babli”.
Never wanted to just crack Bollywood: Rishi Rich
Mumbai– Music producer Rishi Rich says his intent was never to just crack Bollywood, but to make music.
“My whole intention was never to crack Bollywood and it never has been. I just want to make music, whether it goes to Hollywood, Bollywood or UK, it doesn’t matter,” he said on Saavn’s second season of “Talking Music”.
Nevertheless, he says his journey in the Hindi film industry has been great.
“I am taking on films I really want be a part of. Obviously I am pitching for films like everyone else as well but at the moment I have got two great films I am working on. One is ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ with Sunny Deol who is launching his son Karan and ‘Gully Boy’ based around (rapper) Divine and Naezy.
“What is going on with hip-hop in this country, especially Mumbai – which everyone knows is growing and flowing — is they want fusion between hip-hop, R&B and Indian. I was like, ‘Hello, I am here I need to get on this’. I played loads of music and beats and they were like ‘Cool, you are on board’,” he added.
Rishi Rich is known for songs like “Hum tum”, “Maar sootiya” and “Main teri tu mera”.
Pritam excited to reunite with Sunidhi after ‘Kamli’
Mumbai– Composer Pritam is excited about working with singer Sunidhi Chauhan for a show after their hit song “Kamli” from the 2013 film “Dhoom: 3”.
They will judge the music reality show “Dil Hai Hindustani 2” along with rapper Badshah.
“It is always a pleasure to work with Sunidhi since we have done some really good work together in movies like ‘Dhoom: 3’, ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Garam Masala’. In fact, ‘Dil Hai Hindustani 2’ is like a reunion for us after our collaboration on ‘Kamli’,” Pritam said in a statement.
“Coming on the set and discussing work… it takes me back to our working days together. Working with her on the show is super fun. We are really looking forward to some great voice which we can give to our industry,” he added.
“Dil Hai Hindustani 2” is coming soon on Star Plus.
‘Raazi’ has opened doors for me: Amruta Khanvilkar
Mumbai– Actress Amruta Khanvilkar, who has featured in a mix of Marathi and Hindi movies, says the success of her latest project “Raazi” has opened up a lot of opportunities for her.
In “Raazi”, a spy thriller, Amruta plays sister-in-law to the lead character essayed by Alia Bhatt. She has also appeared in the web series “Damaged”.
“I think ‘Raazi’ has opened a door for me to explore different mediums. As an actor, I want to work everywhere and language and medium should not be a barrier. We shot the web series actually 15 months ago but before the web show goes online, ‘Raazi’ released and that has changed a lot of things,” she told IANS.
“I have been working in the industry for quite some time, but I think now all the right things are happening in the right manner. I have gained a certain amount of visibility among the national audience. I am glad.”
She feels that while “Raazi” had a focus on Alia’s role, “everyone’s characters were well-written and so all the supporting cast members got equal visibility and importance”.
Sharing an insight of her character in Hungama Play’s “Damaged”, she said: “I am playing a serial killer and you will get to know that with the 10 minutes of the first episode. The story unfolds how and why she becomes like that… So there is a strong back story that sets the journey of the character. I found this role really challenging to perform.
“I am playing a woman who is bold, seductive, who allures men and takes their money… play a mind game and kill. Yes, all things negative, but for a reason,” added Amruta, who is also a good dancer and won a season of reality show “Nach Baliye”. (IANS)
