Priyanka Chopra looking for fresh talent
Mumbai– Actress-producer Priyanka Chopra, who has shown support to regional cinema through her production house Purple Pebble Pictures, is now going to help fresh talent break into Bollywood.
Priyanka launched the official website for her home banner on Thursday.
She has included a talent platform that welcomes applicants who have the aptitude and passion in areas such as acting, screenplay writing, cinematography, editing and film direction.
“Anyone with the skills associated with filmmaking can apply. Enter your details, and if you fit the bill for any of our upcoming projects, we will get in touch with you. The idea is to provide a platform where talent can be curated, groomed and allowed to excel.
“There is abundant potential, but not enough opportunities,” Priyanka’s mother Madhu Chopra, also the Co-Founder of Purple Pebble Pictures, said in a statement.
“In her early days in Bollywood, Priyanka had no one she could turn to for advice. Through this website, she wants to encourage aspirants who can make it in the entertainment business,” Madhu said about her daughter, a former Miss World.
Yami Gautam to debut on digital platform
Mumbai– Actress Yami Gautam is geared up to make her debut in the digital space as a guest in conversation with comedian Abish Matthew on the show titled “Son of Abish”.
The third season of the show will have Yami as its first guest. She will also be accompanied by comedian Kenny Sebastian, read a statement.
Yami said: “Shooting for Abish’s show was an incredible experience. There wasn’t a single dull moment at the shoot for the episode. I think personally the digital platform is extremely transparent as the feedback is almost instant.
“People connect directly with you as there’s real time interaction to the content. And today some of the best formats and content is available on the digital world and it’s an exciting time for the entertainment business.”
Currently, Yami is prepping herself for “Batti Gul Meter Chalu” along with Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor where she is playing a lawyer in the film.
Indian men are cowards: Mandira Bedi
Mumbai– Actress Mandira Bedi says getting trolled online feels like an assault and she has realised that Indian men are cowards.
“I had enough cases of men judging me for entering their territory but it was largely face to face, so I had a chance to give it back to them,” Mandira said in a statement.
The actress says things have changed in the digital era.
She said: “Now things have changed because with social media, anonymity comes to their rescue. But what I have experienced over these years is that Indian men are cowards.
“Usually, I don’t pay attention to such comments because on one hand I have women who call me their inspiration and on the other hand I have body shaming comments by men.”
She expressed her views on “MTV Troll Police”.
“Even though I prefer to ignore it but at times, it is very disturbing to read such comments especially with the kind of language trolls use. It feels like an assault. The behaviour of these trolls is stemming from the poor upbringing where women are objectified and confined inside the four walls,” she added.
Actress Zareen Khan will host the episode of the show, which is aired on MTV.
Businessman arrested after Zeenat Aman files rape complaint
Mumbai– Yesteryear Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman has filed a complaint accusing a Mumbai businessman of rape, a police officer said here on Friday.
“The complaint was lodged by the victim late on Thursday and the accused has been arrested. He will be presented before a court later this evening,” Mumbai Police spokesperson Deepak Deoraj told IANS. The businessman named in the complaint is Sarfaraz Mohammed, 38, with an alias of Aman Khanna.
The complaint was registered by the 69-year-old actress at the Juhu Police Station against the businessman who had been charged for stalking and harassment in the past.
It has been handed over to the Crime Branch which is now investigating the case.
We owe children chance to go to school: Lilly Singh
New Delhi– Indian-origin Canadian YouTube sensation, comedian and author Lilly Singh, also an Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, says people owe all children the chance to go to school.
Lilly’s new campaign, which released on YouTube in India on Friday, gives viewers access to an exclusive YouTube playlist curated by Lilly to help engage and educate viewers about the impact of girls’ education.
This new playlist spotlights organisations focused on girls education in India, and points viewers to a website where they can learn more about the cause and donate directly to Unicef India.
“When I visited Madhya Pradesh, district Harda in India last summer on my first Unicef field visit, I saw firsthand how access to education changed the outlooks for children and their families. We owe all children the chance to go to school,” Lilly said in a statement.
“When I returned home, I committed to help champion their cause on my own and with every resource available to me. I’m honoured to work with Unicef and grateful to YouTube for partnering with me to advocate for children’s access to education and to spread awareness about why it’s essential for local communities, India and the world,” she added.
Julia Paige, Director, YouTube Impact Lab, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be supporting Lilly in her work to champion girls’ education in India.”
Randeep Rai is a very good friend: Eisha
New Delhi– Eisha Singh and “Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai” actor Randeep Rai often post their photographs together on social networking sites, but the actress says they are just friends.
Apart from images, Randeep had even promoted “his dear friend’s” new fiction show, “Ishq Subhan Allah”, on his Instagram account.
“I share so many photos with so many people. He is a very good friend. It is just that he is from Jhansi and I am from Bhopal. So, there is a connect,” Eisha told IANS.
Meanwhile, Randeep plays the lead actor on the 1990s set show “Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai”, which revolves around his character and Naina’s love story.
“I found it difficult to believe in this ‘filmy’ romance about the things portrayed in movies by Shah Rukh Khan. I used to mock the ideology of people falling in love at first sight and the way they kept romance alive with minimal interactions,” he said.
“But since the time I started working on ‘Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai’, these aspects started making sense to me,” he added.
Wearing turban fills me with pride: Akshay Kumar
Mumbai– Actor Akshay Kumar, who is busy with the shoot of his upcoming film “Kesari”, says wearing a turban for the role fills him with pride.
Akshay attended the trailer launch of the film “Nanak Shah Fakir” here on Thursday.
After “Singh Is Kinng” and “Singh Is Bliing”, Akshay will be seen sporting a turban in “Kesari” yet again.
“I have been shooting for ‘Kesari’ since the last one and a half months, and every time that I wear the taaj (turban) on my head, I am filled with pride,” he said.
Earlier, Akshay had shifted the release date of “Pad Man” because of “Padmaavat”. Akshay let the controversial “Padmaavat” get a solo release, and now he has stepped in to support “Nanak Shah Fakir”.
“I am not doing this because of any kind of thing, I am doing it because I believe in it,” said Akshay, who believes in the concept of “Ik Onkar”, which means ‘one God’.
His own film “Kesari” is a war drama based on the Battle of Saragarhi in which an army of 21 Sikhs fought against the Afghans in 1897. It stars Akshay and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles and is directed by Anurag Singh.
Bharti Singh joins ‘Comedy High School’
Mumbai– Comedienne Bharti Singh has joined the team of “Comedy High School”, and she hopes to add more fun to the show.
“It is my love for the genre and the unique concept of ‘Comedy High School’ that drove me to take up the show. ‘Comedy High School’ is nothing short of a laughter fest on television,” Bharti said in a statement.
The show, hosted by Ram Kapoor, presents a light-hearted take on society, culture, education and current affairs through a classroom-based set-up. It airs on Discovery JEET.
It also features actors Gopal Dutt, Paritosh Tripathi, Krishna Bhatt, Jasmeet Bhatia and Deepak Dutta. Bharti will be portraying the role of the Princess of Junagadh who has come to donate funds for the school and will be seen romancing Ram in the show.
“I had an amazing time reuniting with Ram, Paritosh, Gopal and the entire cast of the show. I am sure that the viewers will love the upcoming episodes and my stint in the show,” she added.
Put aside issues, give ‘Shoebite’ a chance: Big B
Mumbai– Megastar Amitabh Bachchan wishes his long-delayed movie “Shoebite”, which got caught in a tiff between Percept Picture Company and UTV, gets a chance to see the light of the day.
On Friday, a Twitter user made a request to Big B: “We want this movie ‘Shoebite’ to be released. Please do something UTV, I’m sure that with a little effort it can happen.”
To this, Amitabh wrote: “Yes… put aside the internal debate, issues, or personal view points and give this labour of love from Shoojit Sircar a chance for others to appreciate this novel story and film… Please.”
Sircar had taken “Shoebite” to production house UTV after it could not release with Percept Picture Company.
Percept Picture Company then filed a lawsuit against UTV to stall the release which was later dismissed. Sircar had later blamed the producers of the film UTV Disney for the way they had handled the film.
The film is the story of a man named John Pereira, who in his early 60s, sets out on a journey of self-discovery.
Its cast also has Sarika, Dia Mirza, Jimmy Sheirgill and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. (IANS)
