Kamal Haasan shoots at military academy for ‘Vishwaroopam 2’
Chennai–Veteran actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan has resumed the shooting of his long-delayed project 
“Vishwaroopam 2” (“Vishwaroop 2” in Hindi). The final schedule of spy thriller film is taking place at the Officers Training Academy (OTS) here.
Haasan, who has written, directed and is playing the lead role of a RAW agent in the film, shared a photograph with few army officers on Twitter on Thursday.
“Shooting for ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ and Hindi ‘Vishwaroop 2’. Last stint. Exciting. OTA Chennai makes the nation and me proud. The only academy that trains lady officers in India. I salute the ladies and especially my most favourite lady…India. Maa tujhe salaam,” he captioned the image.
The film, which has been delayed over multiple reasons for past few years now, is a sequel to 2013 hit film “Vishwaroopam”. It also features Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose and Pooja Kumar.
The movie has been simultaneously shot in Hindi and Tamil. A release date for the same is yet to be announced.
Films in democracy shouldn’t be curbed: Rishi Kapoor
New Delhi–The release and screening of films should not be curbed in a democratic country, says veteran actor Rishi Kapoor.
An actor who minces no words when it comes to expressing himself on socio-political issues on social media or otherwise, Rishi spoke to IANS on it when asked about the silence of some sections of the film fraternity on the political intervention in cinema.
He said: “I don’t want to comment on this, it’s sad whatever has happened.”
Rishi didn’t take any names, but amid the ongoing uproar over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati”, it was clear what he was pointing towards.
“I feel that (the release of) films in this democracy should not be curbed. My only relevant point which I totally agree with the filmmakers is that, please see his film and then pass a comment. Without seeing the film, how can you agitate,” he said.
Ideas are the new cool currency, says Shah Rukh Khan
Mumbai– Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who will be back on the small screen with “TED Talks India: Nayi Soch” next month, says it’s an initiative to open people’s minds to the power of ideas, which he calls the “new cool currency”.
The Hindi TV talk show created in partnership with TED, a non-profit organisation, will go on air on December 10 on Star Plus.
“Ideas are the new cool currency, the new rock n roll. This show is a unique and powerful initiative towards opening people’s minds to the power of ideas and encouraging ‘Nayi Soch’. An idea can inspire you with limitless possibilities, give you an alternative perspective to look at oneself, one’s surroundings and future,” Shah Rukh said in a statement.
The Hindi TV talk show, to be aired on Star Plus, is created in partnership with TED, a non-profit organisation devoted to “ideas worth spreading”. It will feature speakers from various fields sharing ideas in TED’s signature format of short, powerful talks. This is the first time TED is collaborating with a major network to produce a TV series featuring original “TED Talks” in Hindi.
The channel has come up with a promotional campaign #DontKillideas for it. Its second phase features the show’s host Shah Rukh and stresses on the core premise of ‘ideas’.
Promoting the show on Twitter, SRK, known for his signature pose with spread out arms, posted a link of the campaign and wrote: “It is time to open our minds and hearts not just the arms…”
The opening episode of the show will be simulcast across Star Gold, Movies OK, Star World, Star Jalsha along with Star Plus and Hotstar.
Prateik Babbar opens restaurant in Goa
Mumbai– After Dharamsala, actor Prateik Babbar has opened his second restaurant Morgan’s Page in Goa.
Prateik, who turned a year older on November 28, is exhilarated about the new restaurant. It serves as an all-day bistro with its quirky Alice In Wonderland theme, read a statement.
“This birthday I wanted to do something different rather than just throwing a big bash and getting wasted. So I decided to work on my restaurant business along with my partner Bala Murugan. After opening up the first restaurant in Dharamsala earlier this year, we got a five-star rating in no time and felt the need to launch another restaurant,” Prateik said.
“Goa is like second home to me, I have some great memories there when it comes to food, music and dance and since there is a lot of international influx, it poses as a perfect venue. We had a trial run five days ago and now we are fully running,” he added.
On the professional front, Prateik is looking forward to “Baaghi 2” and Anubhav Sinha’s “Mulk”.
Harrdy Sandhu releases ‘Naah’
Mumbai– Singer Harrdy Sandhu on Thursday released his contemporary pop single “Naah”, featuring actress Nora Fatehi in its video.
“I am extremely excited about this song. A lot went behind curating this and I had a great time shooting for this. Nora is a natural dancer and I really thank her for being my partner in this one,” Harrdy, known for songs like “Soch” and “Backbone”, said in a statement.
The video was shot in Bangkok over two days.
“Harrdy Sandhu is a hugely talented and hardworking artiste. Being a perfectionist, he is making a mark in the industry in his inimitable way. This song will add to his global recognition. This is the beginning of a great association,” said Sanujeet Bhujabal, Marketing Director, Sony Music India. (IANS)
