Noted Bollywood screenwriter Shafeeq Ansari passes away
Mumbai– Noted screenwriter Shafeeq Ansari of ‘Baghban’ fame died early on Wednesday in Mumbai after a prolonged ilness. He was 84.
His son Mohsin Ansari confirmed the news of the writer’s demise and his last rites are to be performed at the Oshiwara cemetery.
Shafeeq Ansari started his career as a writer in 1974 with Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha-starrer ‘Dost’, followed by Dharmendra and Hema Malini-starrer ‘Dil Ka Heera’ and in 1990 he penned Dilip Kumar, Govinda and Madhuri Dixit-starrer ‘Izzatdar’ followed by ‘Pyaar Hua Chori Chori’ which starred Mithun and Gouthami.
Ansari joined hands with veteran filmmaker B.R Chopra and was credited as one of the dialogue and screenplay writers of 2003 hit ‘Baghban’ featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Salman Khan.
He is survived by his son Moshin and a daughter.
Niharica Raizada talks about working with Katrina Kaif in ‘Sooryavanshi’
Mumbai– Actress Niharica Raizada who will be seen in Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif-starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’ has all the reasons to be pleased. She is playing a cop and feels that her passion for this role only helped the actress to get this opportunity. Niharica also opens up on her experience of working with Katrina.
Niharica states: “The film is about the paramilitary forces and how they counter terrorism. I play an Anti terrorist squad officer and the reason I got this role was the way I went for the audition. I was dressed up like a cop and I think my outfit made a positive impact and finally I am part of this movie.”
The actress is known for her work in movies like ‘Masaan’, ‘Baby’ and ‘Total Dhamaal’. Rohit Shetty’s directorial ‘Sooryavanshi’ features Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in lead roles and features special cameos by Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh. The movie will be released in theatres on November 5.
Niharica is all praise for Katrina: “Katrina is very experienced and it’s interesting to have a conversation with her. I had a conversation with her and she told me she will marry soon so that was very nice to hear. I am happy when I hear about women settling down, I don’t know why,” she adds.
Saif: Have to credit Zoya Akhtar for discovering Siddhant Chaturvedi
Mumbai– Actor Saif Ali Khan plays the role of the original Bunty in ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ and he has heaped praise on Siddhant Chaturvedi and said that filmmaker Zoya Akhtar should be credited for discovering the new actor.
Saif said: “Siddhant is a star, no question about that. For someone so young to have the screen presence that he has and the acting maturity that he exhibits, he is definitely one of the most exciting talents that the industry has chanced upon.”
He added “We have to credit Zoya Akhtar for discovering him for ‘Gully Boy’ and Adi (Aditya Chopra) for believing that he can be a quintessential hero in a comedy genre which is one of the toughest for any actor to crack.”
Saif reveals that Siddhant is a natural in front of the camera and that he was born to be an actor.
He said: “He is fantastic in ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2′ and he lights up the screen with his performance and persona every time he comes on screen. This film will showcase him as a masala Hindi film hero and from what I have seen of him, he thoroughly relishes being one.”
Yash Raj Films’ ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ is set to release on November 19.
The comedy film will pit two sets of con artists, from different generations, against each other as they show their mastery over disguises to outwit each other. The film also stars Rani Mukerji and debutante Sharvari.
Ranveer Singh recalls impressing Deepika during ‘Lungi Dance’ shoot
Mumbai– Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh revealed while dancing with contestant Divyansh on ‘Lungi Dance’ that he was trying to impress Deepika Padukone while shooting for this track. He was interacting with the contestant in the show ‘The Big Picture’, hosted by Ranveer.
During the weekend episode, Divyansh will be answering the questions asked by the host Ranveer Singh and also they will be having conversation about their fathers. As Divyansh opens up to Ranveer about how his father has supported him in his struggles, the host also reveals how his father has deeply contributed to his success. Divyansh also told Ranveer that he is the first person from his village to become a Civil Engineer. He hails from Uttar Pradesh.
Both Ranveer and Divyansh in a conversation opened up about their life struggles. Divyansh shared about the hardships his father faced to get him a good education. Ranveer also told how his father struggled financially when he went to study in America. He further mentioned how his father never made him realise the troubles he and his mother went through and can relate to Divyansh’s story.
Ranveer also danced with Divyansh on ‘Lungi Dance’ song. Ranveer revealed that he was trying to impress Deepika Padukone when she was shooting for this song. Ranveer said: “During the shoot of this song, I was on the sets as I was trying to woo Deepika.”
Akshay, Katrina sizzle in ‘Sooryavanshi’ dance number ‘Na Jaa’
Mumbai– The makers of the upcoming film ‘Sooryavanshi’ have dropped their latest dance number from the film ‘Na Jaa’, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.
The original track is by Punjabi singer Pav Dharia and was released in 2017. The revamped version has Akshay and Katrina shaking a leg and grooving to the track, which has been sung by Dharia, Nikhita and composed by Tanishk Bagchi.
Katrina shared a glimpse of the song on her Instagram and wrote: “My favourite song – biggest party anthem of the year is here.! #NaJaa Song out now!”
Sharing a link of the track, Akshay called the number the “party anthem” of the year.
“Time to put on your dancing shoes as the biggest party anthem of the year is here #NaJaa Song out now!” he wrote.
In just two hours of its release the remake currently has 1,367,096 views on Youtube.
‘Sooryavanshi’ marks the fourth instalment of filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s cop universe after ‘Singham’ franchise and ‘Simmba’. The film stars Akshay as Anti-Terrorism Squad chief DCP Veer Sooryavanshi and also features Katrina Kaif and Jackie Shroff.
The film revolves around Veer Sooryavanshi, the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad and his team who join forces with Inspector Sangram Bhalerao and DCP Bajirao Singham to stop a terrorist group planning to attack Mumbai.
Kiara Advani hails Faye D’Souza’s performance in ‘One Mic Stand 2’
Mumbai– The second season of ‘One Mic Stand’ brought influential figures like Chetan Bhagat, Sunny Leone, Karan Johar, Faye D’Souza and Raftaar under one roof as they underwent a litmus test for their comic skills in front of a live audience.
The new season has got everyone hyped up across age groups and Kiara Advani is one person who has become a huge fan of the show. The actress, who is in love with the unique concept of the show, shared a video on Instagram where she lauded Faye D’Souza’s performance in particular. She captioned the video, “The post captioned, “Gonna take Fayecation from work, and get myself a stand up gig!?? Watch @fayedsouza and many more favourites on #OneMicStandOnPrime @primevideoin”
Calling it hilarious, Kiara seemed to be in awe of the senior journalist as she exclaimed in the video, “Fayecation!!! Is there anything this woman can’t do? You’re absolutely incredible! I’m really confused if it’s going to be a breaking news live or it’s going to be Open Mic Live (sic).”
Karan Johar who also performed a set in the show’s second season under the mentorship of Sumukhi Suresh, too reacted to Kiara’s video. The Dharma head honcho commented “You must do season 3????”.
‘One Mic Stand’ conceptualised by India’s premier comic Sapan Verma and his team, has opened new avenues to the art of stand-up comedy. (IANS)
