Actress Sonam Kapoor to wed Anand Ahuja on May 8
Mumbai– Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor will marry Delhi-based businessman Anand Ahuja here on May 8, the family has confirmed following weeks of speculation around the wedding.
A statement on behalf of the Kapoor and Ahuja families was issued on Tuesday.
“The Kapoor and Ahuja families take great joy and pride in announcing the marriage of Sonam and Anand. The wedding will take place on May 8 in Mumbai,” read the statement.
The families have said it is an “intimate affair” and have requested the media “to respect the family’s need for privacy”.
“Thank you for all your blessings and love, as we celebrate this special moment in our lives,” the statement read.
Sonam and Anand have been dating for some years, but it is only since a few months that they have been open about their moments and travel diaries together on social media.
The lighting and decorations outside the Kapoor residence here added fuel to the speculation about the wedding.
Veteran actor Anil Kapoor, Sonam’s father, reportedly commented at an event last week: “Media has always been with me and my family when we began our careers. We will share everything at the right time. You all will know very soon. We won’t hide these details. You will know why there is lighting outside the house.”
Sonam, after debuting in Bollywood with “Saawariya” in 2008, has featured in movies like “Delhi-6”, “Aisha”, “Raanjhanaa”, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, “Khoobsurat”, “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”, “Neerja” and “Pad Man”. Her performance in “Neerja” won her a Special Mention at the National Film Awards.
Now just days before her next film “Veere Di Wedding” releases on June 1, she is busy preparing for her own wedding.
A week after her D-day, Sonam will be seen at the 71st Cannes Film Festival red carpet to fulfil her commitment as a L’oreal Paris brand ambassador on May 14 and May 15.
Aditi Rao Hydari opens up about #MeToo movement
Mumbai– Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says women in the film industry need to take up responsibility if they want to see a real change.
“Men have a responsibility towards women and that’s essential and the need of the hour… But so do we, women have an equal responsibility too if we really want change,” Aditi tweeted on Tuesday.
Aditi’s post came in response to producer Tanuj Garg’s tweet.
“The honourable #Metoo campaign by the lovely Rose McGowan is getting misused by some women for personal benefit. Belated, mischievous and unproven defamatory rants masquerading as woman empowerment, have spoilt it for the genuine victims of harassment. #MeeshaShafi #AliZafar #Pakistan.”
McGowan had also started the #MeToo hash tag to raise awareness about sexual harassment. It soon became a movement with people from all quarters coming forward to share their experience of sexual assault.
There is a growing list of people coming out in the open to talk about sexual advances by big names like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Ben Affleck, Brett Ratner and Dustin Hoffman.
Pakistani actress-model-singer Meesha Shafi also accused actor Ali Zafar of sexual harassment, a claim he has denied.
Aarya Babbar has high hopes from ‘Junglam’
Mumbai– Actor Aarya Babbar has pinned high hopes on his upcoming film “Junglam” as he is confident about its script.
Aarya spoke to the media at the muhurat and poster launch of “Junglam” along with choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Pranav Vatsa, Divya Agarwal, Vikas Gupta and Priyank Sharma here on Monday.
On being a part of “Junglam”, Aarya said: “This film has a good script. This is first time I am getting an opportunity to work with director Pranav (Vatsa). This film also has a really good team and I am really happy that Setu (Sriram) saab is cinematographer of this film.
“The way the whole script and my characters have been designed, I am very excited about that. I am genuinely looking forward to do this project. I hope it becomes what the script is. The whole style of the screenplay of this film is very unique.
“The way the makers of the film have used jungle as a character, is something very unique and new. So, I hope that thrill comes across the screen.”
On his character in “Junglam”, Aarya said: “Most of the times, I get offers to portray different kind of roles. I am glad that my director wants me to do something different in films. In this film, my character has grey shades and my character’s name is Ranveer Rana who is a forest officer.
“He is the only one who knows dark secrets of the forest and it’s about how he takes advantage of it.”
After “Junglam”, Aarya will be seen in a movie titled “Jehan”, followed by a Punjabi film which his home banner will produce.
“It will feature dad (actor-politician Raj Babbar) and me for the first time.”
Armaan feels ‘blessed’ to sing for Big B-starrer
Mumbai– Singer Armaan Malik says after singing a duet with Amitabh Bachchan in “Bhoothnath” that he feels blessed to lend his voice to another film featuring the megastar.
“It’s amazing how I began my playback singing journey with the duet song ‘Mere buddy’ in ‘Bhoothnath’ with Amitabh Bachchan Sir. Now 10 years later, I’m getting to sing another song for his forthcoming movie ‘102 Not Out’,” Armaan told IANS.
“I feel blessed and grateful to be working on Amitabh Bachchan Sir’s film again. I’m also super thankful to (composers) Salim-Sulaiman for making this happen. ‘Baal Hain Safed’ is an amazing track that showcases my natural singing abilities,” he added.
Sharing more about the song, Armaan said: “It’s got a big band, a jazzy vibe which is reminiscent of the old world charm popularized by famous western artistes like Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble.”
Challenges make an actor: Omkar Kapoor
Mumbai– Actor Omkar Kapoor says essaying the role of Ankush Patel in web series “Kaushiki” came with its own challenges.
“‘Kaushiki’ has a fantastic storyline and it will surely have the audience gripped to it. But just like they say that no role comes easy, the character of Ankush Patel aka Maggie that I essay in this series, has its own challenges,” Omkar said in a statement to IANS.
“But well, challenges make an actor.”
Recalling a tough situation, he said: “To share an incident, we were shooting in chilly weather for a sequence, where we all actors had to be in a pool. It was one of the toughest scenes as we all had to bear the cold weather with super freezing water in the pool for hours.
“We all were on brandy to keep our body warm and be able to shoot for that particular sequence.”
The show chronicles how relationships are tested when things go horribly wrong between a group of friends. The Viu show features Sayani Gupta, Rannvijay Singha, Manasi Scott, Rajeev Siddhartha and Shruti Shrivastava amongst others.
Omkar, who started his career as a child actor, made his Bollywood debut as an adult in “Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2”. (IANS)
