Stories

Amruta Khanvilkar to show her versatility with a dark character in her next

Actress Amruta Khanvilkar is riding high on success and new opportunities this year. After receiving tons of praise for her performance in the hit film Raazi, she is all set to prove her versatility with a new suspense-based show, Damaged.

The show to be aired on Hungama Play Original will portray Khanvilkar as a prime murder suspect. Elaborating on her role she said, “This is a flawed character as you don’t see too many of those. It is liberating to essay the role of a woman who is strong, bold and unapologetic about her choices in life.”

Co-starring with the popular Marathi actress is actor Amit Sial, playing the role of a cop on a mission to solve the murder mystery revolving around the Khanvilkar’s character.

Gauging from the images and videos shared by Khanvilkar, Damaged is to be a thriller where her character appears to be of a mysterious and possibly lovestruck woman.

While the makers have not disclosed much about the plot of the show, it is expected to launch next week.

Khanvilkar will also been seen in another Hindi film (also a suspense-thriller) titled Satyameva Jayate, opposite John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee. The film is scheduled for released on August 15, 2018.

Shraddha Kapoor to begin another round of prep for Saina Nehwal biopic

Biopics based on athletes require a lot of prep and dedication. Actors not only go through rigorous training to perfect the sport, but also achieve the right form and master the subject’s character.

This has been the primary cause for the delays in production for Saina Nehwal’s biopic, starring Shraddha Kapoor. The film was scheduled to go of floors in late 2017, but has been continuously getting stalled.

Source: Saina Nehwal

Reportedly, Kapoor underwent several gruelling Badminton sessions to pick the nuances of the sport and play like the champion herself. However, the actor seemed to struggle and even sustained a leg injury, which led to another delay in production.

The makers recently confirmed a second round of preps and workshops with Kapoor to perfect Nehwal’s style on the court as well as learn the Hisar dialect to speak like the athlete.

The untitled film is expected to commence its first schedule in September 2018.

#TrailerTalk – Sanju has arrived!

Sanju, the much-awaited and talked about film’s trailer is finally out and Ranbir Kapoor does not disappoint.

It’s no news that Kapoor is a phenomenal actor, but his attempt and effort to mold into Sanjay Dutt is exceptionally impressive. Not just his appearance, which can be managed with the help of make-up, but Kapoor has skillfully embodied Dutt’s posture, his walk, voice, and even his mannerisms through variety of emotions.

Kapoor is camouflaged into Dutt right from the first shot in the trailer when he walks out of jail.

Still from Sanju (trailer)

Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala are playing the role of Dutt’s parents, late actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt respectively.

The film also stars Sonam Kapoor as Tina Munim, Anushka Sharma as a lawyer, Dia Mirza as Manyata Dutt, Jim Sarbh Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal as Kumar Gaurav, Boman Irani as Sanjay Gupta, and Karishma Tanna as Madhuri Dixit.

Reportedly, several actors are also playing cameos as themselves in the film.

Watch the trailer here:

Trailer Rating:  (5 popcorns)
A power-packed promo that quickly takes you on the wild journey of Sanjay Dutt’s life and leaves you begging for more. The film releases on 29th June, 2018.

Priyanka Chorpa & Abhishek Bachchan Reunite

Still from Bluffmaster

After nearly a decade, Priyanka Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan will share screen space in a Shonali Bose directorial.

The film is inspired by the life of Aisha Chaudhary, a young motivational speaker who was born with a severe immunodeficiency disorder. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with a lung disease and underwent a bone marrow transplant. Even though Chaudhary struggled through life-threatening diseases, she was best known for her positive attitude and her book My Little Epiphanies.

She breathed her last at the age of 18 in 2015.

The Bluffmaster co-stars will essay the role of Chaudhary’s parents, Aditi and Niren Chaudhary.

Still from Secret Superstar

The role of Aisha Chaudhary has been offered to National Award winner, Zaira Wasim who has “given her nod to the project,” a source revealed.

Wasim has already made a mark in the industry with her talent in Dangal and Secret Superstar, proving her understanding of the craft. Playing a character of a girl who smiled through the pain each day will certainly be a challenge, but we look forward to Wassim doing justice to the role.

Chopra will be making her comeback in Hindi cinema with Bharat, co-staring Salman Khan. Meanwhile, Bhachchan has recently completed filming for Manmarziyan with Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal.

Taapsee Pannu & Kriti Sanon – ‘Womaniya’ to Shoot Like Champions

Taapsee Pannu is quickly becoming one of the busiest actresses in B-town. She has a packed year with two releases in July, one in September, and few more in the kitty.

Actress Kriti Sanon isn’t too far behind with at least four film releases before the end of the year.

Anurag Kashyap

And now the two are coming together for the first time in a film titled Womaniya. Produced by Phantom Films and conceptualized by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the story is inspired by real-life incidents of professional women shooters in India. Reportedly, the film will highlight issues faced by women shooters from Uttar Pradesh and their battle to earn medals for the country.

A source revealed, “The actresses will have to undergo training in rifle shooting to pull off the roles convincingly… The makers are keen on getting Olympic athletes, Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat, to train Kriti Sanon and Taapsee Pannu. They feel it will add to the authenticity of the movie and will also help them get the basics of shooting right. The preparation for the film will start by August.”

(L-R) Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat

This will be the Pannu and Kashyap’s second collaboration; the duo recently completed filming a romantic drama Manmarziyaan, also starring Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky Kaushal.

Kriti Sanon will be seen next in Arjun Patiala, opposite Diljit Dosanjh releasing in September 2018.

Deepika Padukone to play India’s First Female Superhero

After the success of Padmavat, actress Deepika Padukone has been enjoying some time off from acting. However, reports have been making the rounds of her signing a two-installment deal for India’s first female superhero franchise.

Produced by Fox Star, the superhero avatar in the film is inspired by the Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (2017).

Still from Wonder Woman

Padukone is expected to undergo intense mixed martial arts training to perform high-octane action sequences and hand-to-hand combat.

Speaking to a news publication, a source close to the production said, “Since this is a first-of-its-kind mega project, the timelines for pre-production will be long and the project will go on the floors [in 2019].”

The source also revealed “a special outfit is being designed for her character which will be custom-made to facilitate hardcore physical combat and movement.”

Image Source: Twitter @deepikapadukone

This will be the first superhero film in Bollwyood with a female actor as a lead.

Superhero films tend to perform exceedingly well overseas, but have unfortunately not been able to receive the same kind of appreciation in India. Films like Ra.One, Krrish, Flying Jatt showcased unique male superheroes but failed to turn into profitable franchises.

To improvise Diana (Wonder Woman), hope Padukone is “the man who can” become the hero Hindi cinema needs for a successful superhero franchise.

Pankaj Tripathi & Jackie Shroff go Digital

Actors Pankaj Tripathi and Jackie Shroff have started shooting for the Indian adaptation of BBC’s international series Criminal Justice. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the series will also star Vikrant Massey, Mita Vashisht and Anupriya Goenka.

(L-R) Vikrant Massey, Mita Vashisht, Anupriya Goenka

Tripathi has not revealed much about his role in the series, but is thrilled with the opportunity. “This is one of the most anticipated projects I’m working on… It is turning out to be all that I expected and wished it would. I cannot wait for audiences to see my character,” he said in a statement.

Elaborating on the series Shroff said, “It is mysterious, heart-pounding, unpredictable, thrilling and keeps you hooked and on the edge of the seat waiting for answers you thought you knew.”

Criminal Justice is a 2008 British crime drama series showcasing the journey of people through the justice system.

 

#Blog: Making Discoveries on the Radio – Udd Gaye

I may be a little late to the party, but I don’t think I’m the only one. I stumbled upon a song recently while switching radio stations and found gold. Or at least that’s how it felt like in that moment.

It was a beautiful melody of electronic beats, the chorus was catchy, and the voice was oddly soothing. I was instantly hooked.

Something about it made me want to play it on loop and also learn more about the artist/s who made it. So I did what anyone would do – I Googled!

Ritviz Srivastava [Image source: Taalbelia]

The song is titled Udd Gaye, composed by Ritviz Srivastava, a Pune-based DJ, singer, and music producer. But what’s more interesting is that he was one of the finalists for Bacardi House Party Sessions 2017 – a talent hunt by Bacardi organized in collaboration with All India Bakchod (AIB) and Nucleya.

Now, I generally keep up with pop culture. And I follow AIB enough to know that they’re hosting a hunt, but guess I somehow missed this “house party.”

The song has over 11 million views on Youtube since November ’17. The video starts with an middle-age man walking out on a stage, wearing bright red trousers paired with a funky jacket, shades and a dollar bling around his neck. And what follows next is pure magic.

PS. Just when you feel like there should be a women version to this video, you’re pleasantly surprised why there’s no need for one!

Watch and hear Udd Gaye by RITVIZ here:

Did you like this track as much as I did?
What do you think it’s about?

Do share your views in the comments.

 

Featured image source: Youtube [RITVIZ]

#PPFeatures: Man of the Hour – Vicky Kaushal

Vicky Kaushal is currently been basking in the success of Raazi. While Alia Bhatt was in the spotlight as the protagonist of the film (and rightfully so), Kaushal managed to make his mark in the limited screen-time as a supporting artist. He got into the skin of the character as a Pakistani Army officer with a controlled and charming presence.

Still from Raazi

Reacting to this newfound success and expectations for the future, Kaushal said, “Pressure is a good thing. When your work is accepted and loved, then only people have expectations. As an actor, I want to raise the bar of expectations for the audience with every film.”

The engineer turned actor made his debut in 2012 with Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, playing a younger Kunal Kapoor as Omi.

Still from Masaan

Since then he has acted in several films, finally getting recognized for his role in Masaan, which made a grand appearance at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival in 2015. He portrayed the character of a boy from Varanasi struggling with insecurities due to his caste with exceptional finesse and innocence, making him an instant hit with the critics.

Kaushal can easily be described as a young actor who isn’t afraid to experiment. He has not only tried various roles on the silver screen, but has also spread his talent across the web space. His latest on the latter was starring in the first Hindi feature film produced by Netflix, Love Per Square Foot. And he’s definitely not stopping with just one!

Kaushal has a bunch of projects in his kitty.

He will be seen in another Netflix production titled Lust Stories, a collection of four short stories; Karan Johar has directed the short-film starring Kaushal.

In mainstream cinema, the actor will be seen in prominent roles in Sanju directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Manmarziyaan directed by Anurag Kashyap, and Uri directed by Aditya Dhar.

Still from Lust Stories

Kaushal has been receiving a lot praise for his performance in the commercial hit Raazi, but it is his versatility that’s gotten him immense appreciation from the audience as well as the industry. His acting calibre and career graph is growing significantly, and he’s well on his way to prove his mettle as an artist who’s here to stay.

This boy-next-door is certainly going places!

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