Daniel Craig’s James Bond named ‘booziest ever’ 007 agent

Actor Daniel Craig has been revealed as the booziest ever James Bond, after drinking 20 units of alcohol per movie. Ian Fleming’s secret agent has always enjoyed his drinks, but according to a new study, the “Skyfall” star’s version of 007 consumes far more alcohol than his predecessors, reported Daily Mirror.

 A study by The Grocer has shown that with an average of 20 units per movie over his appearances in “Quantom of Solace”, “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall”, Craig’s Bond is well ahead of Pierce Brosnan (12), Sean Connery and Roger Moore (11 each). George Lazenby managed nine units during his one and only appearance as Bond in “Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, while Timothy Dalton rounded off the list with an average of 4.5. 

Seth Rogen to hold fundraiser with James Franco

Actor Seth Rogen is holding a fundraiser for Hilarity for Charity with his “The Interview” co-star James Franco.Created by the 33-year-old “Neighbors” star and Lauren Miller Rogen, Hilarity for Charity is a movement to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease among millenials, reported The Wrap. With a donation of USD 10 to the organization, fans can get to enter a contest to attend Franco’s ‘bar mitzvah’ as Rogen’s VIP guest on October 17. Other prizes include t-shirts and dinner with Rogen. The contest will run through October 10 in partnership with Omaze, a crowdsourcing-based fundraising platform. Previously, Rogen offered himself as a date to a prom-themed variety show featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sarah Silverman, Craig Robinson among others. Rogen and the 37-year-old “127 Hours” actor first co-starred in the short-lived “Freaks and Geeks” before appearing together in films like “Pineapple Express” and “This Is The End”.

It is a difficult time for newcomers, says Salman Khan

Superstar Salman Khan feels that earlier it was far easy to launch star kids as compared to the present scenario, when all newcomers are well-trained. Salman, 49, is known for promoting young talent like Sonakshi Sinha, Katrina Kaif, Zarine Khan and Daisy Shah among others. Now, he is launching Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya and Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj with his upcoming home production “Hero”.

“Today’s time is very difficult as everyone is coming prepared, they are well trained. They are working on their looks, action (body) and dance and everything. In our times, anyone would get launched,” Salman told PTI in an interview here. He said that in terms of budget, today films have become huge and it is a difficult time due to competition. “‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ was made at Rs one crore 11 lakh, today it is the shooting cost of two days. In a way it was difficult that time but it is more difficult now, there are more problems. Today the budget is huge,” Salman said. 

“Earlier people used to take risks, see and start making a film for three or four days, and if things did not work out, they would shelve it. Now before starting a film, Rs 4-6 crore is spent… so no one does that. Today there is more competition,” he said. Since he is launching new talent in the industry Salman said he though it would be better if the newcomers – Sooraj and Athiya promote the film more than him. “I hardly participated in the promotions. Our team is pushing them. They are not listening to me, they want to promote. But they should be fresh and not look tired,” Salman said. As the release nears, Salman feels the pressure as a producer. “Hero” is set to hit screens on September 11. “I did not think about the responsibility three or four days back but now I feel it. It is not just about the fate of the film but about their (Sooraj and Athiya) life journey and career. I hope we have not left any stone unturned,” Salman said. The “Dabangg” star is happy with the way the film has been made and hopes people not only appreciate the film but it’s lead actors as well. “We hope as people have loved the music, they would love the film as well. We hope they (Sooraj and Athiya) would also be appreciated, loved. Only then one would be happy. What is the use of the film doing well and nothing happening,” Salman said. “We would be even happy if the film did not do well but these two people make it as stars. We have tried our best.” The actor-producer reveals he has seen the first cut of the film and he did edit the film by reducing it to two hours and eight minutes with rolling titles. “It’s a nice film and the length is good,” he added. However, the “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” star thinks he did a mistake of not releasing the music early, as a producer. “We have got best music… best background score. But we have messed up at one thing and that is music release. But only the director, producer are going to be affected by it. Music would not benefit the film alone but them (Sooraj and Athiya)… it plays on TV and then you get to do shows,” he said.

Irrfan Khan’s wife suggested Tillotama for ‘The Song Of Scorpions’

After her magical performance in the widely acclaimed “Qissa”, Geneva-based director Anup Singh was yearning to cast the immensely talented Tillotama Shome in his next project “The Song Of Scorpions”.

 It was then that actor Irrfan Khan‘s wife Sutapa Sikdar suggested to the director to cast Tillotama for a role only she could bring a “bewitching allure” to. “The Song Of Scorpions”, which will be shot in Rajasthan later this year, stars Irrfan — who worked in Singh’s “Qissa” too — and Iranian beauty Golshifteh Farahani in key roles. “I was very unhappy when I could not find any role for the three extraordinary actresses (Tisca Chopra, Tillotama and Rasika Dugal) who were in my ‘Qissa’. I even tried to rewrite the script to somehow bring them into the film, but the film was adamant about going its own way. Finally, I gave up,” Singh told IANS while recounting the process of finally finding a role for the “Monsoon Wedding” actress. “Quite recently, travelling in Mumbai with Sutapa Sikdar, Irrfan Khan’s wife, I was speaking with her about my tremendous desire to find some role for Tillotama. After she appeared almost magically, like a genie, for an audition of ‘Qissa’, I’ve considered her as a kind of talisman for me, something of an occult force that allows us to achieve the near-impossible. 

“She brought an integrity, a tender gravity and plausibility to an exceptionally difficult role and helped open our imaginations with her acclaimed performance in ‘Qissa’. I kept telling Sutapa that I had tried everything to find her a role in my new film, ‘The Song of Scorpions’, but I felt there was nothing worthy of her… Suddenly, Sutapa turned to me and mentioned one particular character in the script,” Singh added. While not giving much about the film or the character that Tillotama has been cast for, the director describes it as a “character of raw beauty, with a savage impudence and sense of humour, whose wild force is a match for the force of any of the male characters in the film”. “I could see immediately what bewitching allure Tillotama would bring the role and excitedly called her. I explained that the role was really small, but before I could say more, she said, ‘Of course I’ll do it! You want me to stand in the crowd? I’ll do it!’ And that was that! I feel a new excitement now as we move into the final stages of the preparation for the film,” Singh shared. The film’s shooting begins in December. At her end, Tillotama is “thrilled to be on Anup Singh’s set again”. “I consider it a huge gift. That greats like Irrfan and Golshifteh are helming this film, makes it not just exciting but reassures me that I will be in a film sparkling with wonderful human beings who also happen to be insanely gifted,” Tillotama told IANS.

John Abraham doesn’t believe in holidays

“Welcome Back” actors John Abraham and Anil Kapoor are extremely eager to work on holidays and festivals, with John stating that he doesn’t believe in holidays. “It’s a very extremist and unfair way of looking at things, but I don’t really believe in holidays at all. I think we have too many holidays in this country which is economically a huge loss for the country. So we need to reduce the number of holidays,” said John at a press meet here on Raksha Bandhan (Saturday) to a query if they were comfortable on working on such a day. 

And if Anil is fond of working on holidays, its partly because of his sister. “I feel somewhere my sister, who’s in Delhi, has blessed me, and she sends me her good wishes and she always says ‘I want you to keep on working’. That’s the best thing she could say. Because I love working and I would love to work on every Raksha Bandhan day and remember my sister.” “For me, working on a holiday and especially festivals is the best thing. I feel I’m blessed that I’ve been in this profession since many years and I see to it that I work on Holi also,” he added. John and Anil had previously worked together on action drama “Shootout At Wadala”. 

I copy Satyajit Ray: Shoojit Sircar

Describing Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece “Pather Panchali” as the Bible of his life, Bollywood director Shoojit Sircar has conceded he copies the works of the maestro. “Ac

tually I copy him. You won’t notice what I am copying but I know what I am copying. I do it in whatever film I do. It is the Bible of my life,” Sircar said at a function here today to mark 60 years of the release of ‘Pather Panchali’. The maker of hits like “Madras Cafe”, “Vicky Donor” and the latest “Piku” said the first part of “The Apu Trilogy” has had a big impact on his life.

“Pather Panchali” depicted the childhood of Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his elder sister Durga (Uma Dasgupta) and the harsh village life of their poor family. Interestingly, the first two times he went to watch the film in his younger days he either slept or fled away in between. “I am basically a sportsperson and did not belong to the field of cinema or literature. So when my father first took me to watch the film I fell asleep during the screening. That was my first introduction to ‘Pather Panchali’,” the director said. Later, in school, when he again went to watch the film he left in between along with his friends. “It started off as a really boring film for me,” Sircar said recalling that after he started doing theatre he again went to watch it at a film festival in Delhi. “I was left numb. It began as a new chapter in my life. I can call it pre-‘Pather Panchali’ and post-‘Pather Panchali’ phase. Now I am in post- ‘Pather Panchali’ phase of my life,” he said. 

Sooraj Pancholi kept ‘Hero’ offer from parents for over a year

Emerging actor Sooraj Pancholi says that he told his parents, actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab of the “Hero” offer only after more than a year. “I never told them that I wanted to be an actor. In fact, when I was offered ‘Hero’, I didn’t tell mom and dad for one to one and half years. And only when I received the narration of ‘Hero’, I told mom and dad about the offer and asked them if I should do it and they told me that if I wanted to do it, I should do it. So there was no pressure,” he said a media interaction.

Both of Sooraj’s parents, Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab are respected actors and there’s some pressure on a star kid to live up to those credentials. But Sooraj differs. “I do belong to a film family but my family is not at all filmy. And we’ve never discussed films at home. We don’t watch films together. I’ve seen only two films of my mom and about 2-4 films of dad. So it was never like that.” Sooraj also stated that the bond between him and Salman grew on the sets of Kabir Khan’s “Ek Tha Tiger” where he was the last assistant. Post the film, Salman offered him the film on the occasion of his birthday late in the night. “Hero” is a remake of the successful film directed by Subhash Ghai, which is being helmed by Nikhil Advani this time. The film is co-produced by Salman and also marks the debut of Athiya Shetty.

Ranbir Kapoor on girlfriend Katrina Kaif: She has a great fashion sense, I think she carries herself very well

Shedding his reticence to discuss girlfriend Katrina Kaif publicly, actor R

anbir Kapoor heaped praise on the actress by calling her one of the best fashionistas in Bollywood.

The 32-year-old “Bombay Velvet” actor and Katrina, 32, have been a couple since 2009. The two shy from commenting on their relationship directly, but have often dropped hints about their special bond.

Ranbir, who was the showstopper for ace designer Manish Malhotra’s maiden all menswear line last night, chose the fashion platform to say a few words about his lady love. “I think Katrina has a great fashion sense. I really think she carries herself very well,” he said, before cheekily adding many more Bollywood actresses’ names.

“And so does Kareena (Kapoor), Priyanka (Chopra), Parineeti, Alia and Shraddha (Kapoor),” Ranbir added.

The actor said the one person, whose style he admires and looks up to, is megastar Amitabh Bachchan. “His dressing sense is all class. It is impeccable.”

Ranbir Kapoor said being in showbiz and surrounded by thousands of cameras have made him cautious about how he looks when he steps out of his house as he always wants to look good for his fans.

“We are constantly being judged, photographed. So I try and dress the best I can… If I have a bad hair day, I wear a cap, if I have dark circles, I put on a sunglass. I do that because I want my fans and the audience to get the best of me. I am sure others do it too,” he said.

Ranbir will be next seen in Imtiaz Ali’s “Tamasha”, which will reunite him with actress and former girlfriend Deepika Padukone.

The duo have starred together in films like “Bachna Ae Haseeno” and “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”.

Imran Khan: There are many films I’ve done that I’m not really proud of

They started out almost together and were pitted against each other for long, but then Ranbir Kapoor raced far ahead of Imran Khan in the quest of stardom. Imran, however, doesn’t mind this. “I have never thought of this in terms of racing, honestly. I am so focused and so concerned in getting my act together, to do films that I like, that I would be proud of, I am happy with. And it’s not just because I am saying. It’s reality. There are many many films that I have done and I am not really proud of them. There’s often left a difference between what you intend to do, and how the things actually turn out to be,” clarifies Imran Khan in an exclusive conversation with Indian Express. Imran, along with Kangana Ranaut, was in New Delhi to promote their movie ‘Katti Batti’.

While Imran did say that there have been many movies that didn’t turn out to be how he expected them to, he added, “I have never made a film that I have loved and I have been damn proud off and that hasn’t worked. Every film that has failed, I knew somehow it was going to.” So, what’s his most favourite amongst the ones he has done? “‘Delhi Belly’, I would say, is the one that has been the closest to my personal taste cinematically. ‘Katti Batti’ holds the most special place in my heart. It’s the movie i’ll put in front of the whole world and say, ‘This is my work.’ I can’t say that for many of my movie,” said Imran, who made his debut with ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.’ But maybe it’s the marketing, ‘Katti Batti’ might have a limited audience due to the content – live-in relationships. “I don’t care about box office. I know I have made a movie that I am really proud of and I am really happy about. And I hope the audiences like it too,” said Imran. Talk about him being missing from Bollywood for two years until ‘Katti Batti’ came, pat comes the reply, “I was delaying hearing the script when Nikhil Advani came to me with ‘Katti Batti’. I was shooting for ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ then. So when I finally heard the script, I had already known Avantika was pregnant. I requested Nikhil to delay the shoot. He gave in.” “Then, me and Avantika went on what we call a ‘BabyMoon’, for this would be the last time we were travelling alone, only the two of us. So, three months after the birth of my daughter, we started shooting for ‘Katti Batti’,” he says. Talking of Avantika, doesn’t she have a problem with him doing kissing or love-making scenes on screen? There has been a report about him and Kangana kissing for almost 24 hours to shoot for a song. “I don’t understand why anybody would have problems with anybody doing love or romantic scenes, when they don’t have a problem with violence. My mother never calls me and tells me why I beat up a guy in the movie,” opined Imran. “The song we are talking about is the most physically demanding thing I have ever done. We used stop motion technology for the song and for that, we had to freeze everytime we kiss too. Frame by frame by frame, we had to shoot the entire song. It was time-consuming, and exhausting,” explained Imran. Kangana Ranaut last few films have created a storm at the box office. With ‘Queen’, she registered herself as one of the most sought after actresses in Bollywood, and that did play up for her next release ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. But the flip side was an actor like R Madhavan getting sidelined or overshadowed by her. Imran might also face a similar predicament. “I have always been a believer in letting the movie speak for itself. As part of promoting a film, you might play up a certain aspect. But ultimately, the film is what it is. So, rather than being concerned of what people might perceive of a certain thing due to the promotions, I will want to believe in the film. I know what he have in our hands,” explained Imran. So, apart from Aamir Khan, which one actor from Bollywood or Hollywood can give him a major fanboy moment? “Hrithik Roshan.

Shah Rukh Khan shoots song with Kajol for ‘Dilwale’, says his friend makes songs look like magic

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently shooting a song with actress Kajol in Iceland for his upcoming film ‘Dilwale’, says the actress makes his songs “look like magic” and not just another song. SRK and Kajol are shooting for a song choreographed by Farah Khan and the trio is all set to recreate the magic and chemistry, which the duo shared on screen in their films. The “Happy New Year” took to micro-blogging website, where he said that Kajol adds that extra magic to all the songs they are in. “‘Kaali kaali aankhen’ to ‘Tere naina’ and song we are shooting for ‘Dilwale’…my friend @KajolAtUN makes them look like magic and not just another song,” he tweeted.

Have made space in action genre with ‘Brothers’: Sidharth Malhotra

From an affable lover boy in his debut film ‘Student of the year” to an aggressive MMA fighter in the Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Brothers’, actor Sidharth Malhotra has come a long way.

Though ‘Ek Villain’ also saw him in an angry young man role, Sidharth counts it as his biggest achievement that he could convincingly pull off the action avatar in his latest film.

“With this movie, there were so many things, which were non-conventional. People do not associate me with these kind of grey and aggressive characters. I did not have any love story. So, on paper there were a lot of wrongs for me,” the actor told PTI.

“It is fulfilling when the risk that you take pays off. You do some films for just playing those characters. I am really excited with the response I am getting.”

Sidharth said he experienced a high when he visited a theatre in Mumbai and saw people applauding and rooting for him during the fight sequences in the film.

“People’s favourite scene is the climax. They genuinely believed when my shoulder breaks, they can feel my pain or when Akshay sir is choking me. The compliment came from action, people actually felt I could kick some people. Because that’s one thing they don’t associate with me when they saw ‘Student’ or ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’.

“If I could convince the audience with my action in this film, that’s all my hardwork paying off. It is the biggest positive for me that a dark grey character who can do great action…” he said.

Sidharth feels motivated to do better action films and carve a niche in the genre.

“(‘Brothers’) will give me confidence and conviction to do better action in future. The fact that I could make a space in action through this film despite having Akshay opposite me, if I could still make an impact, people still enjoyed it, it feels really exciting. I have opened one more door for myself,” the actor said.

Five-film-old in the industry, Sidharth is happy he has been able to explore genres as it has helped him recognise his depth as an actor.

“I’ve learnt a lot personally during my transition from a romantic hero to action genre. I never knew I had so much aggression and anger inside me.

“At times I was left surprised and intrigued by myself. Adaptability is the key for me. I want people to guess whether to put me in action or romance. I want to adapt to every kind of genre.”

“Brothers” success is more special for the young star as he spent over four months to build the required body for his role, in the time when his contemporary Varun Dhawan had the box-office ringing with two hits in “Badlapur” and “ABCD 2”.

Sidharth, however, said he faced no insecurity from Varun’s success as he was more worried about doing his part with conviction.

He added the duo, who started their career with the same film, share a close friendship independent of their professional competition.

“The day I start letting competition come in between my personal relations I will count it as my defeat as a person. I went to celebrate ‘Badlapur’ and ‘ABCD 2’ success because Varun is a friend. It will be too immature of us to let something like this affect our bond.”

Four out of five movies of Sidharth have been produced by filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and the actor’s upcoming drama “Kapoor and Sons” is also produced by the same banner.

“I want Karan to make as many films as he can with me. We are after all Dharma talent, so I want to be used by them. I want their films starring me to earn profits. I don’t want to let down Karan ever. Whatever I am today, it is because of Karan Johar. I have every reason to be grateful to him and Dharma.”

Actor portraying Hafiz Saeed in Saif Ali Khan starrer ‘Phantom’ kept underground

Actor Shahnawaz Pradhan, who portrays 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed in the film “Phantom”, is being kept underground for security reasons. “Phantom”, which also features actors Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, has been banned in Pakistan reportedly by the Lahore high court after a petition was filed by Saeed. Therefore the makers of the film have taken precautionary measures, keeping the actor who is portraying Saeed underground. 

“The security of all our actors is extremely important for us and now that his identity is revealed, there are precautionary measures being taken,” the spokesperson of the film said in a statement. The film is an adaptation of S.Hussain Zaidi’s novel “Mumbai Avengers”. It is set five years after the attacks, when a retired army officer spearheads a covert mission to seek out and kill the terror masterminds. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film will release on Friday.

I am on a small break: Ileana D’Cruz

She has not signed on any project post her last outing “Happy Ending” and the actress Ileana D’Cruz says she is on a break and will return soon to the silver screen with a “significant” role. 

The 27-year-old “Barfi!” star said she is not happy with the film offers and have been rejecting them. “I am on a little break 

because I wanted to do something different. The kind of offers that were coming on my way were not something which I wanted to do.

 So, I thought I should wait for a while. There is something interesting in the pipeline right now but it is not yet confirmed,” Ileana told PTI. 

The Mumbai-born actress, who was in the capital recently to launch an online shopping portal Royzez.com, said she has been busy exploring photography. 

“Couple of months ago, I purchased a camera. I completely prefer online shopping because it is just more convenient. 

It is nice to have everything under one portal. “And I think my latest buy camera is one of my best online purchase. I love photography. I love taking pictures of kids because they are the best models,” said the actress, who unlike her contemporaries is not a fan of selfies.

 Ileana started her showbiz career with Tamil films and got a dream launch in Bollywood opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in Anurag Basu’s much-acclaimed “Barfi!” followed by “Phata Poster Nikla Hero”, Main Tera Hero” and “Happy Ending”. 

But her last outing as a young romantic novelist in “Happy Ending”, also starring Saif Ali Khan, failed to register at the box-office. “Whenever I do a film, I do it with a conviction that it will be accepted by the audience. 

That’s how I choose my films too. I felt ‘Happy Ending’ will also do well. I really don’t know what didn’t work. Everyone has a different liking,” she said. Ileana also denied the reports that she is starring opposite Shah Rukh Khan,

 whom she shares her birthday with, in Yash Raj Films’ next venture “Fan”. “No I am not a part of ‘Fan’, There is a misunderstanding among people that I am a part of ‘Fan’ but I was a never a part of that.” Despite her shares of highs and lows, the actress said she is happy that her career has shaped up well. “My journey has been amazing.

 It’s something which I got by chance. I love that how it took me so far without being planned anything. It has been a mixture of luck and hardwork. I just feel lucky to have got so many amazing opportunities that have come my way.

 I am very happy with the way my career has shaped up,” she said. When asked has she bid adieu to her down south, Ileana said, “I would love to do films in south. There is a certain kind of comfort there. 

There is a familiarity because I know the people there. I recently attended Chiranjeevi ji’s birthday. it was just amazing meeting them after so long. South is like the second home for me. It’s amazing to work with people you are fond of.”

Have to pay a price for honesty in filmdom, says Shweta Tripathi

Actresses usually prefer to keep their age a secret, but “Masaan” actress Shweta Tripathi, who looks younger than her 30 years, says being honest about one’s age in the film industry, can have repercussions — like when she lost out on a few projects. “I was born in 1985 and I don’t want to lie about my age because I think that if you start lying about such basic things then… I mean where do you stop? Where do you draw the line? But you have to pay a price for being honest. I’ve lost out a few projects,” Shweta told IANS.

“Directors have been like ‘Oh Shweta, you are perfect for the role’. I give auditions and screen tests. They are convinced about my acting and I am almost on board. Then they ask me my age. I tell them my age and then they are like ‘Oh, ok’. The next thing I know I am not doing this project,” she added. Shweta believes that people should be given roles on the basis of their performance. “If I can’t perform, then I will totally take it… but not because of my age,” said the actress who essays a teenager’s role in her next film “Haramkhor”, which will see her share screen space with acting powerhouse Nawazuddin Siddiqui. “I am convinced that I have done my homework and have done justice to the character,” she shared. Shweta is glad that she hasn’t been type-cast post “Masaan”, in which she played a Varanasi girl who falls in love with a man from a lower caste. “I want to do roles that are dark and grey or ‘nautanki’ sorts. Thankfully, the scripts that I am getting right now, they are not close to Shalu (character in ‘Masaan’) and that is such a relief. “I thought that I would be stuck with sweet, innocent and good girl roles. I don’t want to play good girl roles only. I want to kill people on screen… That will be so much fun because that’s something I won’t do in real life,” she said. Item songs too are a big no-no for her. “If the role is of a dancer, then it’s different. I have no qualms about playing a character which might be different or a film which has dance or sensitive scenes. But just where I am supposed to wear skimpy clothes… that is something I wouldn’t be able to do. Also, I wouldn’t want my parents saying why I did it,” said the actress, who was nervous when she had to tell her parents that she had a kissing scene in “Masaan”. What about doing TV? Shweta featured in the Disney show “Kya Mast Hai Life” before making her film debut, but mainstream TV shows is not what she is looking at. “When I was doing the TV show, a lot of people used to tell me to do mainstream TV shows. But somehow I knew that it is not something that I am interested in and eventually it had to lead to movies because I just love acting. “I have my own theatre group called ‘allmytea productions’ and I also do ads. I like that because all the mediums are very different. So, as an actor I would like to explore everything,” she said. Also, if shows like “Game of Thrones” and “The Newsroom” are made in India, she would like to be a part of them. “That is… something else. In fact, one of my favourite shows was ‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’. If there is a show like that… that I am addicted to, then yes I will do it. Right now, I don’t watch a single TV show. I don’t watch TV at all. It got spoilt for the past two months and I didn’t get it repaired because I don’t watch TV,” she said.

Playing urban character in ‘Phantom’ refreshing: Zeeshan Ayyub

He wore his heart on the sleeves as best friend in “Raanjhanaa” and played the small town boy in “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”, but Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub says his role in “Phantom” is a departure from his previous parts. The actor plays a RAW agent in the Saif Ali Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer thriller, directed by Kabir Khan of “Bajrangi Bhai

jaan” fame. “In ‘Phantom’ I play a very neat and urban character. It was a good change as I have never done a neat character in Bollywood, who is well educated, smart, speaks English, wears good clothes and is prim and proper. 

“This is in complete contrast to the characters I have mostly played who usually hail from small towns and are a little rough even though sweet,” he told PTI. “Phantom” is scheduled to release on August 28. Zeeshan will also be seen as a comical villain in Abhishek Bachchan-Rishi Kapoor starrer “All Is Well”, which opened this Friday. The actor said juggling both the films together, with starkly different characters, was exciting. “The shift between the comical and the serious characters was exciting. Sometimes, I used to wrap up the shoot of ‘All Is Well’, where I did a lot of physical comedy and then on my way get into the zone of my other character for ‘Phantom’, which was completely different.” The actor, who made his debut in 2011 with “No One Killed Jessica”, says it was Anand L Rai’s “Raanjhanaa” in 2013, which was a turning point in his career. “‘No One Killed Jessica’ was my entry into the industry as an actor. ‘Jannat 2’ made me famous in B-centre audience. But it was ‘Raanjhanaa’ which was the turning point. It gave me a larger audience and placed me at a secure platform.” The actor credits the brilliant scripts for touching many hearts with his performances. “Often people tell me that my dialogue delivery is good. I have been fortunate enough to get some really good lines. I do add my own nuances to them and try to take the written material a little more further. “As an actor you have to add your own bit to make the lines come alive. Sometimes, a director does not cut a scene, so that extended pause gives you time to add something in the end which is your own addition to the scene,” he said. Despite winning audience with his dialogue delivery, Ayyub says he is extremely self-critical of his work. “I look at all my work and find flaws. Sometimes, the energy is lacking, sometimes the dialogue delivery is a bit of a problem. I always think, ‘If only I could’ve done the scene in a better way.'”

Anupam Kher has no ‘retirement’ plans

Veteran actor Anupam Kher says he has no plans to bid goodbye to films. Kher, 60, indulged in a Q&A on Twitter, where he was asked if he has thought about retiring from showbiz. Replying to his fan, the “Saaransh” actor said, “In my profession you don’t retire you are forgotten. But don’t worry I am going to stick around for a long time.”

Kher, who made his acting debut with “Tiger Sixteen”, boasts of memorable films like “Saaransh”, “Daddy”, “Karam”, “Lamhe”, “1942: A Love Story”, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Veer-Zaara” among others. He dabbled in direction with 2002 film “Om Jai Jagdish”. The actor has also been a part of various TV series like “24”, “The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai” and American science fiction drama web TV show “Sense8”. He is one of the Indian actors, who have starred in Hollywood films and TV series, including “Bend It Like Beckham”, “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Lust, Caution.”

Don’t promote Mulayam Singh Yadav biopic, Amitabh Bachchan urged

Fans of megastar Amitabh Bachchan have urged him not to promote the upcoming biopic of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav because of the latter’s remarks on rape survivors. Thousands have signed a petition hosted on website Change.org asking Amitabh to boycott the film “Netaji – Mulayam Singh Yadav” that focuses on the life of the wrestler-turned-politician.

 The petition, started by Delhi-based Meetali Dadwal, has gone viral with over 15,000 people signing it in less than a day. “Amitabh Bachchan promoting the film ‘Netaji’ is giving validation to the deeply sexist comments by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his misogynistic ideology about women,” said Dadwal in her petition.

Yadav reportedly said at a function on Tuesday: “Often if one person commits rape, four people are named in the complaint. Four people are named for rape, can it be possible? It is not practical.” One critic said: “As politicians they should make responsible statements and as a celebrity of the stature of Bachchan he should desist from endorsing such people.” Amitabh, 72, who was born in Allahabad, has reportedly been asked to introduce and promote “Netaji – Mulayam Singh Yadav”, directed by Vivek Dixit.

Randeep Hooda is chilled out, says Pia Bajpai

Pia Bajpai, who is making her Bollywood debut with upcoming film “Yeh Laal Rang”, says she is “excited” about working with actor Randeep Hooda and calls him a “chilled out person” despite his experience.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better debut. I’m very much excited. He’s a chilled out person and I know it will be a wholesome learning experience for me,” Pia, who has earlier worked in ad films, said in a statement.

Set in the locales of Karnal, Haryana, “Yeh Laal Rang” has Randeep and Akshay Oberoi playing the protagonists. Directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal, the film deals with the blood mafia and rides completely on its content. Pia, who hails from Etawah, is “keen to do a content driven film”. “I had seen Afzal’s debut film ‘Youngistaan’ and I’m sure that he is capable of making a good film. I auditioned for the role and fortunately it landed in my kitty,” she said. 

Talking about her role in the film, Pia said: “I’m playing a girl from Saharanpur. My character is very innocent yet strong in its own way. You will see me in a non-glamorous avatar without any make-up.” Asked if there is any particular actor or filmmaker she is keen to work with, Pia added: “I’m very much greedy. I want to work with everyone.

 Plus, I would look at the entire package – a good script, a good filmmaker and of course the content. I would go for a good team rather than a particular name.” “Yeh Laal Rang” is currently in production. Randeep, who turned 39 on Thursday, celebrated his birthday along with his grandmother on the set.

HC stays TV premiere of sex comedy ‘Grand Masti’

Delhi High Court today stayed the television premiere of Bollywood movie ‘Grand Masti’ saying the film was not certified for unrestricted public exhibition and cannot be televised under the Cable Network Regulation Act.

 A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath was of the prima facie view that under the Act, any movie with ‘U/A’ or ‘A’ certification, which were not suitable for unrestricted exhibition, cannot be shown on television.

 In an interim order, the court rejected the government’s argument that since a warning that it was not suitable for children and minors is shown before such a movie starts, parents could change the channel. Every time a child watches TV, it might not be under parental supervision, the bench observed. 

While passing the interim order, the court also issued notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking their replies by September 16 on a plea seeking quashing of the U/A certification given to the movie. The petition, filed by Edara Gopi Chand through advocate Gaurav Bansal, has sought stay on the telecast of the film on television saying it was replete with double meaning dialogues and highly objectionable content. The movie is to be shown on television tomorrow. 

The petition has also sought direction to the ministry to carry out detailed enquiry into “irregular re-certification” of the film done by CBFC. “The said film is scheduled for telecast on television and if the same happens, it will result in the gross violation of provisions of Cable Network Regulation Act and also adversely affect the rights and interest of hundreds of thousands of minors in the country, especially children and adolescents,” the plea said. ‘Grand Masti’, also referred to as ‘Masti 2’, is a Bollywood adult-comedy directed by Indra Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria.

Juhi Chawla visits school for ‘Chalk n Duster’ shoot

Actress Juhi Chawla says she had a “lovely time” shooting in a school for her upcoming film “Chalk n Duster”. The “Gulaab Gang” actress, who was in an Aurangabad school, took to Twitter to share the news. 

“Fun day at the school shoot for Chalk N Duster… Had a lovely time chatting with the school kids in Aurangabad…,” the 47-year-old actress tweeted along with a picture.

This film is all about teacher and student’s communication. It highlights the problem they face and shows how the teaching way in the education system is changing day by day. Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab, Girish Kannad and Divya Dutta are playing the lead roles besides Juhi. The film is directed by Jayant Gilatar.