Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal on Thursday morning paid a visit to the Grishneshwar Temple in Sambhaji Nagar. He performed Shiv Puja, seeking blessings for his upcoming movie Chhaava, which is set to hit the big screens next weekend. As Vicky interacted with reporters, he was asked about the removal of the controversial lezim sequence in the film. He defended it but ultimately stated that it was not important. For those unversed, Chhaava stars Vicky Kaushal as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai. The film's trailer featured a scene in which Kaushal and Mandanna are seen dancing with the 'lezim', a traditional musical instrument associated with Maharashtra's cultural heritage. After protests against it, the film's director Laxman Utekar removed it. Vicky Kaushal defends lezim scene Vicky Kaushal told reporters, “Not a single day went by when we didn't start work on the film without the Shivgarjana (slogans about the courage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). The lezim part was just for 20-30 seconds (in the film). It was not just a (part of the) story, but it was an effort to take our culture to the globe.” “Sambhaji Maharaj was a king of the people, and if someone asked him to play (lezim) with them, the king would definitely oblige. But if his followers feel it was a bit off... It is not important to the movie's story, so we have removed it,” he added. Earlier, Utekar had told IANS, “It is a Marathi traditional dance form. When we visualized and conceptualized it, we assumed that Maharaj would have played with it. He was a king of the people. May have done 4 steps with the people from his kingdom. I didn’t see anything wrong with it.” About Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava Speaking of his film Chhaava, the film also stars Akshaye Khanna. It is a period drama that portrays the legendary story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. It is set to depict the courageous Maratha ruler's legendary reign, beginning with his coronation in 1681. The movie is slated for release in theatres on February 14. Vicky will next be seen in the magnum opus Mahavatar, where he will portray the legendary warrior sage Parashurama. The film, inspired by Indian mythology, is slated for release in cinemas in Christmas 2026.
06 February,2025 09:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPriyanka Chopra's brother, Siddharth Chopra will soon be tying the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Neelam Upadhyaya in a grand ceremony on February 7. The Chopra family has been sharing glimpses from the pre-wedding festivities on social media. While the former Miss World’s cousin Mannara Chopra made it to the haldi and mehendi, it was Parineeti’s absence that got gossipmongers talking. Parineeti Chopra to attend Siddharth’s wedding While Priyanka gave Parineeti’s wedding with Raghav Chadha a miss in 2023, the latter will attend her cousin brother’s marriage. A source informed Hindustan Times, “She is family and of course not going to miss such a big family event. She will attend it tomorrow i.e. February 7, and husband Raghav Chadha is also expected to be there. Parineeti has been shooting for her next film, which is why she couldn't attend the previous ceremonies.” Siddharth works as a producer, while Neelam is an actress who has appeared in several Tamil and Telugu movies. Her first film, which was supposed to release in 2010, got cancelled, but she debuted as an actress two years later in 'Mr. 7', a Telugu movie. She also stepped into Tamil cinema in 2013 with her debut in the film 'Unnodu Oru Naal'. Siddharth was previously engaged to Ishita Kumari and before that, he dated Kanika Mathur. Parineeti Chopra’s work front Meanwhile, on the work front, Parineeti was last seen in 'Amar Singh Chamkila', in which she shared screen space with Diljit Dosanjh. Imtiaz Ali helmed the film. 'Amar Singh Chamkila' presents the untold true story of Punjab's original rockstar of the masses, who emerged from the shadows of poverty and rose to the heights of popularity in the eighties due to the sheer power of his music, angering many along the way, which led to his assassination at the young age of 27. Diljit portrays 'Chamkila,' the top-selling artist of his era. Parineeti essays the role of Amar Singh Chamkila's wife, Amarjot Kaur. She has been roped in for Anurag Singh's much-anticipated thriller ‘Sanki’. The actress will be seen sharing screen space with Varun Dhawan for the first time in the drama. Parineeti Chopra's lineup also includes Karan Sharma's ‘Shiddat 2’. The cast of the movie will also see Sunny Kaushal, Amyra Dastur, Mohit Raina, Diana Penty, Arjun Singh, and Radhikka Madan in prominent roles.
06 February,2025 07:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan on Wednesday reunited at the special screening of the film 'Loveyapa', which features latter's son Junaid Khan in the lead role. In the visuals captured by the paps, Aamir can be seen welcoming SRK with a big smile on his face. Both Khans shared a warm hug and embraced each other's company. SRK also hugged Aamir's children Junaid and Ira. Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan at Loveyapa screening They all happily posed for the paps, leaving fans excited. SRK arrived at the screening donning a casual look. He looked uber cool in a blue shirt that he paired with ripped jeans and black glasses. Not just SRK, but Salman Khan also arrived at the screening donning a green t-shirt and denim pants. The superstar posed with Aamir and his kids Junaid and Ira. Salman had earlier interacted with Aamir, Junaid and Khushi when they arrived on Bigg Boss 18 finale sets last month to promote their film. The episode reflected upon the camaraderie shared by the 'Andaz Apna Apna' stars. Take a look at the videos from the star-studded screening night: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Juhi Chawla reunites with Aamir and SRK Sharing a post on Instagram, Juhi Chawla, who has shared screen space with Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan in films like Ishq and Darr, wrote, "SO HAPPY to meet Shah Rukh and Aamir together. It is a rare and precious moment .. the two heroes whom I worked with extensively, laughed and cried with on so many sets, so many super fun films, so many crazy memories... And then to be coming to Junaid’s film screening, I had first seen him as a baby!!! How the years have flown … He is SUCH a wonderful down-to-earth boy, God Bless him." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Juhi Chawla Mehta (@iamjuhichawla) About Loveyapa The romantic drama features Junaid opposite Khushi Kapoor, who is the younger daughter of the late Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor. The film written by Sneha Desai and directed by Advait Chandan is a remake of the Tamil film 'Love Today'. Chandan in an interview with Mid-day revealed that he was reluctant about casting Junaid and Khushi in the film. With his dilemma, he went to the one person he trusts the most in the industry—frequent collaborator and Junaid’s superstar-father Aamir Khan. “I was unsure of both Junaid and Khushi. Maharaj [2024] hadn’t released, nor had The Archies [2023]. So, I went to meet Aamir sir and told him, ‘A film has been offered to me with Junaid and Khushi attached. I’m considering taking the film up, but I don’t know if Junaid is the right person for the film.’ He said, ‘Take up the film. If you think Junaid is not right for the part, then drop him. I won’t mind it and won’t create any pressure on you. You do whatever is right for your film.’ He suggested that I do readings, auditions, and hang out with them and if at the end of the process, I feel they aren’t right, I should let go of them. That was very reassuring,” he said.
06 February,2025 05:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood actor Vicky Kaushal has given it his all to transform for the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the upcoming movie Chhaava. The film’s director Laxman Utekar recently discussed how shooting for one of the crucial scenes in the film led the production to take a 1.5-month-long break and the set being dismantled. Vicky Kaushal’s torture scene in Chhaava In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Laxman spoke about an interesting coincidence while shooting the torture scene in Chhaava. He shared, “During the first day of shooting the torture scene, we realized that it was the same day when Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was actually tortured. Coincidentally, we were filming on that very day.” He added, “The whole night, Vicky’s hands were tied up, and when we removed the ropes, his hands refused to come down—they were blocked. We had to take a one-and-a-half-month break, and the set had to be dismantled during that period. We gave him time to recover, rebuilt the set, and resumed shooting afterward.” Vicky Kaushal gained 25kg for the role Chhaava is set to depict the courageous Maratha ruler's legendary reign, beginning with his coronation in 1681. During the film promotion in Jaipur, Vicky spoke to the media about how he prepared for the role. "A biopic needs a lot of preparation work not only for an actor but for the entire team. Working on a historical subject is really challenging because of the huge budget, and creating a different era on screen. We have tried to make it as realistic as possible," he said. "As an actor, the preparation is not only physical but also mental. There was action training, bodybuilding training and also doing research on the history as it was important to understand that period," he added. "Laxman sir showed me a sketch and I said 'he looks like a lion'. He said 'I want a lion'. I needed time so we took seven months in which I gained 25 kg, learned horse riding, and sword fighting, and then when he was satisfied finally started the shooting. So, overall it took four years to complete this film,” said Vicky. The movie is slated for release in theatres on February 14.
06 February,2025 04:43 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDays after reports of Aamir Khan having found love once again took the internet by storm, it seems like the media has now learned the name of Mr. Perfectionist’s significant other as well. The superstar is reportedly dating a woman from Bengaluru and the two are pretty serious about their relationship. What is the name of Aamir Khan’s girlfriend? According to a report by Pinkvilla, Aamir Khan is dating a woman named Gauri. She comes bearing a name that has star power since Gauri is also the name of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's wife. Not to mention, Aamir's co-star Gracy Singh also had the name Gauri in the film Lagaan. The entertainment portal also suggested that Aamir’s Gauri has no connection to Bollywood. That being said, Khan has already introduced her to his family. Aamir Khan on his third marriage When the actor appeared as a guest on Rhea Chakraborty's podcast Chapter 2, he got candid about his two failed marriages and also spilled the beans if he’s up to tying the knot for the third time. Aamir jokingly said, “I have had two unsuccessful marriages, so don’t ask for marriage advice from me. I don’t like living alone, I need a partner. I am not a loner, I like companionship. I am very close to both my ex-wives Reena (Dutta) and Kiran (Rao), we are like one family. Life is unpredictable, so how can we trust it? So marriages working depends from person to person.” When asked if he would consider marrying for the third time, Aamir added, “I am 59 now, where will I get married again, mushkil lag raha hai (looks difficult). I have so many relationships in my life right now, I have reconnected with my family, my kids, etc. I am very happy just being with people who are close to me. I am working towards being a better person.” Aamir married Reena Dutta in 1986. The two, who share a daughter Ira, and a son Junaid Khan, divorced after 16 years of marriage. He later married filmmaker Kiran Rao and they have a son, Azad Rao Khan. They announced their separation in 2022, after 15 years of marriage.
06 February,2025 04:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was seen getting emotional at his daughter Aaliyah Kashyap’s wedding with Shane Gregoire, opened up on feeling overwhelmed after the nuptials, to the extent that he wanted to leave. The movie maverick also confessed to crying for days after watching his baby girl walk down the aisle, which led to him putting a break on the alcohol as well. Anurag Kashyap wanted to leave Aaliyah’s wedding midway In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Anurag shared, “At my daughter’s wedding, after the varmala and havan was done, I couldn’t handle it. I was so overwhelmed and emotional, I wanted to leave the wedding, even before the reception began. And I was going out but he stopped me. He took me out, we went for a long walk and then we came back.” Aaliyah and Shane got married in an intimate ceremony in Mumbai. It was attended by the who’s who of Bollywood including actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Sobhita Dhulipala, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Suhana Khan, and Abhishek Bachchan, among others. Anurag Kashyap cried for 10 days He further stated, “I had the same feeling when my daughter was born. I don’t know why I cried so much, but I cried. Same thing at her wedding. I think I cried non-stop for 10 days. I don’t know why and in front of random people. Suddenly, I stopped drinking, I stopped crying, everything just stopped. I think this was a big catharsis for me, which went on for 10 days.” Anurag Kashyap's work front The ace filmmaker was seen acting in Aashiq Abu's Malayalam film ‘Rifle Club’. He played the role of a father to famous rapper Hanumankind. ‘Rifle Club’ also stars Dileesh Pothan, Vani Viswanath, Vijayaraghavan, Vincy Aloshious, Ramzan Muhammed, Surabhi Lakshmi, and Unnimaya Prasad. Kashyap's latest offering as a director was 'Kennedy', which was released in 2023 starring Sunny Leone. It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Kashyap, who is known for films like 'Gulaal', 'Dev.D', and 'Gangs of Wasseypur', among others earlier admitted he would never cast himself in any project. However, he did some impactful roles in 2024 with the web series ‘Bad Cop’ and the Tamil action thriller ‘Maharaja’.
06 February,2025 03:42 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentGlobally popular Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh has launched a new album called Advisory. The title seems like a reference to the several government advisories issued to him during his recently concluded Dil-Luminati tour. He has released a new song from the album today called Tension, which directly mentions the notices he was sent. What is Diljit's new song Tension about? Diljit had taken his Dil-Luminati tour to cities like Chandigarh, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Indore, Jaipur and Mumbai. He was issued advisories ahead of many of those performances, including in Mumbai, which restricted him from performing songs which allegedly promoted drugs, violence and alcohol. The advisory also prohibited from making use of children on stage. The song Tension refers to the advisories issued to Diljit, and goes on to portray how the singer does not take such things seriously enough to be stressed over them. The music video opens with a group of old men in a Punjab village listening to the news on the radio. The news reader is heard saying that Diljit is likely to face more hurdles given the situation, "Befaltu commissionein unko notice jaari kiye jaa rahe hain aur Diljit ke liye tension ka mahaul ban gaya hai (Unimportant commissions are sending him notices and this has caused tension for Diljit." The singer then goes on to respond, with his typical swag, that he is refusing to take any stress. Take a look at the music video here: Diljit shares a funny Reel on alleviating tension Diljit had teased the song Tension with a funny Reel a day prior. On Wednesday, the actor-singer took to his Instagram, and shared a video in which he can be seen giving advice to people on how to keep tension at bay. The video shows Diljit treating the tension of different people with one slogan, "Tension mitra nun hai ni." He wrote in the caption, "Tension, ye Bimari Kis Kis Ko Hai? (Tension - Who all have this disease?)." View this post on Instagram A post shared by DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) One of the instances in the video also shows Diljit poking fun at the government advisories on his shows when international music artists don’t get issued any such advisory. Diljit appeared to be making a backhanded comment on the recently concluded Coldplay shows in India.
06 February,2025 03:30 PM IST | MumbaiBollywood actress Ananya Panday is one of the sought-after actress today. She started her acting career in 2019 with the film Student Of The Year. She saw her first big box office disaster in the form of Liger, a pan-India film, starring Vijay Deverakonda. It also marked the Hindi debut of the Telugu star. Now, Ananya's actor father Chunky Pandey has revealed that the actress was not comfortable being part of the film. Chunky Pandey reveals Ananya was not sure of signing Liger In a recent interview with Mashable India, Chunky Pandey revealed that his daughter was not comfortable signing Liger as she was just 23 at the time Before Liger, Ananya had appeared in four films - Student of the Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Khaali Peeli, and Gehraaiyan. Recalling about Ananya being apprehensive about the film, Chunky said, "When she asked me if she should do this film… she was thinking that she was too young for it. She said, ‘Papa, I am too young to do this.’ I said you do this; it’s a commercial, a big film but maybe she was right. She was too young to do it." He added, "She was uncomfortable. She said maybe, I am too young for this. She was confused then.” Chunky further said that he stopped giving career advice to Ananya after Liger bombed at the box office and did not do any good to her professional journey as an actor. The senior actor also admitted that he wasn't too keen on his daughter doing the Amazon Prime Video series 'Call Me Bae' which eventually earned her a Filmfare nomination. "From that day on, I never put any pressure on her. Maybe I was wrong. I am old school. I don’t know anything else. If she had asked me, ‘Papa, should I do Bae?’ I would have said no,” he said. Ananya Panday's work front The actress was last seen in the Netflix film 'CTRL' directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. Next, she will be seen playing the lead in Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan's next. Dharma Productions is bankrolling the drama which will be helmed by Karan Singh Tyagi. This yet-to-be-titled film is a cinematic adaptation of the life of the acclaimed lawyer C Sankaran Nair, who fought a legal battle against the British empire back in the 1920s. Furthermore, Ananya Panday will also work on other projects including "Chand Mera Dil" alongside 'Kill' actor Lakshya and "Call Me Bae" season 2.
06 February,2025 01:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor took her elder sister role seriously on Wednesday evening as she graced the special screening of Khushi Kapoor's upcoming film 'Loveyapa'. The film which also stars Aamir Khan's son Junaid is the first theatrical release for both star kids. Janhvi and her father Boney Kapoor were seen at the film's special screening on Wednesday to cheer for Khushi. Janhvi was seen dressed in a custom t-shirt that reflected her love for her younger sister. The t-shirt also had a picture of Khushi and Janhvi from their childhood days. Janhvi Kapoor lauds Loveyapa On Thursday, Janhvi shared a couple of photos on her Instagram showing the two sisters sharing a warm hug and posing together. The 'Bawaal' actress sported a black crop top with “Loveyapa” written on it, which also featured a childhood photo of the Kapoor sisters. For the caption, Janhvi wrote, “My Khushu is bringing romcoms! So proud of you, Khushu, for keeping your head down, working hard, and doing what you love with so much honesty, sincerity, strength, and kindness. #Loveyapa in theatres near you from tomorrow. The cutest little romcom with fun, laughter, fresh energy, and a little bit of [emotion]... but maybe that’s just me because I hate to see my Khushu cry!!!!!!! PS. You better wear a t-shirt with my face on it when my movie releases.” On a related note, 'Loveyapa', directed by Advait Chandan, marks the big-screen debut of both Khushi and Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan. The film, also featuring Ashutosh Rana, Tanvika Parlikar, and Kiku Sharda, is slated to hit theaters on February 7. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Janhvi Kapoor (@janhvikapoor) What other celebrities have said about Loveyapa On the other hand, Aamir Khan also hosted a special screening for his film family, who attended the special screening and shared glowing reviews of the film. The screening, hosted by Aamir Khan, was attended by, Javed Akhtar, Dharmendra, Javed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, and many other industry figures. The film has struck the right chord and won hearts, with everyone seen praising it at the screening. Legendary actor Dharmendra said, "Ghar ghar ki kahani hai Very natural, very natural. Kahi bhi mujhe aesa nahi laga ki acting kar raha hai." Veteran actress Shabana Azmi said, "Very nice, lovely. Bohot maza ayaa sab actors bohot acche, awesome cast hai, aur sach much hume apna rishta telephone ke sath jure uske bare mai hume firse sochna parega." Javed Jaffeey said, "we love it, love the film. God bless you" Renowned scripwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar said, "bohot kamal ki alag picture hai."
06 February,2025 01:01 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan turned 49 on Wednesday. He was seen attending his team 'Majhi Mumbai's match as part of the ongoing ISPL matches in Thane on his birthday. While the victory was on Bachchan's team's side, the actor also celebrated his birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony at the stadium. Actor Amitabh Bachchan was also at the stadium to watch the thrilling match between Majhi Mumbai and Falcon Risers Hyderabad. Abhishek Bachchan celebrates 49th birthday in Thane In the pictures and videos shared by the official Instagram handle of Majhi Mumbai, Abhishek can be seen cutting the cake in the presence of the team members. The players can be seen singing 'Baar Baar Din Aaye' as the actor arrived for his cake cutting ceremony. Later, Bachchan also distributed cake among the paparazzi. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Majhi Mumbai (@majhimumbai_ispl) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) Talking about the match, Mumbai continued their victory march in the Indian Street Premier League, Season 2 by handing Falcon Risers Hyderabad a four-wicket defeat to extend their winning run to seven straight games, as per the ISPL press release. On Thursday, Majhi Mumbai will take on KVN Bangalore Strikers in the first match before Chennai Singams lock horns against Srinagar Ke Veer. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 and Disney+ Hotstar, as per the ISPL press release. Aishwarya’s birthday wish for Abhishek Aishwarya took to Instagram and shared a childhood picture of Abhishek and wrote, “Here’s wishing you Happy Birthday with happiness, good health, love and light God Bless.” She didn’t tag him though. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan married on April 20, 2007, in an intimate wedding ceremony at one of Amitabh Bachchan's bungalows- Prateeksha. The duo has shared screen space in movies like 'Guru', 'Dhoom 2' and more. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Aaradhya on November 16, 2011. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb) Reports of possible tension in their marriage have been circulating for some time. Abhishek's alleged closeness to his ‘Dasvi’ co-star, Nimrat Kaur, along with complex family dynamics involving Shweta and Jaya Bachchan, are said to be contributing factors to the rumoured troubles. In July 2024, the ‘Taal’ actress attended Anant Ambani’s wedding solo with her daughter Aaradhya, while the Bachchan family was present in full force. Additionally, during a recent episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, Amitabh Bachchan talked about the iconic song "Kajra Re," referencing Abhishek and Rani Mukerji but notably omitting Aishwarya, who also appeared in the music video. Ash also dropped her surname while attending an event in Dubai.
06 February,2025 09:48 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentReflecting on the recent success of the book-to-screen adaptation film 'Conclave', which scored eight Academy Award nominations, Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor shared his admiration for literary adaptations and their growing impact on global cinema. Shahid Kapoor on Conclave He remarked, "As a book lover and an actor, I've always believed that book adaptations have the power to transport us to new worlds and evoke strong emotions. It's amazing to see book adaptations receiving this kind of recognition—eight Academy Awards for a film is a phenomenal achievement. I am really excited to watch it myself. One is always rooting for good stories." Kapoor resonates with the evolving landscape of cinema, where literary works continue to inspire compelling narratives. His appreciation for storytelling underscores the importance of well-crafted adaptations that bridge literature and film. PVRINOX Pictures CEO Kamal Gianchandani said, “We are thrilled to announce the release of our Oscar front-runner film Conclave, a riveting character-driven thriller that delves into one of the world’s most mysterious and sacred events - the election of a new Pope. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognized Conclave with an impressive eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), and additional nods for Costume Design, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design & Film Editing”. About Conclave's India release Sources tell Mid-day that the Ralph Fiennes-starrer, which is set to release in India on February 7, will open with a 37-second audio and visual disclaimer outlining the story, in adherence with the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) instruction. The ask not only seems unusual, but also hampers storytelling. However, insiders in the CBFC insist that the addition of the disclaimer stems from apprehension about potential misinterpretation of the thriller, which delves into the power struggles within the Vatican City following the Pope’s sudden death. “There have been no cuts made to the movie. But the disclaimer was important in a multi-cultural set-up like ours,” said an insider. Mark your calendars for the 7th of February, to witness this gripping tale unfold on the big screen.
06 February,2025 08:59 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
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