*Kolkata:* Eminent singer Sabita Chowdhury, widow of legendary composer Salil Chowdhury, died at her residence here on Thursday after a five-month battle with cancer, family sources said.Chowdhury, 72, leaves behind two sons and two daughters.
In January, she was detected with cancer of lungs and thyroid.
Married to one of the greatest geniuses of Indian music, Sabita Chowdhury made a deep impression as a singer in her own right.
Many of her Bengali songs have retained their charm among the public through the decades.
She also did playback for a number of Bengali and Hindi films.
Among some of her famous songs are "Oi jhilmil jhauer boney", "Jaare jaa jaa mono paakhi", "Jhilmil jhilmil opaarero monjil" and "Du chokhey aashaar nodi chhalachhal".
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled Chowdhury's demise.
"Saddened at the passing of popular singer Sabita Chowdhury. My condolences to her family, friends and fans," Banerjee twitted.
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The makers of Ali Fazal and Judi Dench-starrer 'Victoria & Abdul' are leaving no stone unturned to make the Brit-drama reminiscent of the 1800s. The studio has roped in Oscar nominated Irish costume designer, Consolata Boyle, to create the attires for the period saga.
A source from the unit informs mid-day, "After a lot of research, 600 costumes were made for Ali's role. Judi's outfits outnumbered those of the actor. The makers wanted to see the options to ensure that each scene was depicted accurately. Given that the film is set in the 1800s, they wanted to imitate the culture."
*Judi Dench and Ali Fazal in stills from 'Victoria & Abdul'*
As many as 50 artisans had worked for several months to make the costumes. Buzz is, Indian designers Raghavendra Rathore and Ujjwal Dubey have also worked on the film to create a few traditional ensembles for Ali. In fact, the actor had recommended Dubey's name to the makers. "The attires made them standout on screen. Boyle's perfection and elegance is evident from the attires. We have noticed it in the trailer that released a few days ago," informs a source from the film's studio.
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A photograph showing superstar Rajinikanth and actor Nana Patekar bonding on the set of upcoming Tamil film "Kaala", being directed by Pa. Ranjith, has gone viral on social media.
Sporting a happy smile, Rajinikanth and Nana are seen with arms around each other in the image.
In the film, Rajinikanth and the "Ab Tak Chhappan" star will be seen locking horns.
Nana Patekar plays a ruthless politician, while Rajinikanth will take him head on in the role of a slum lord-turned-gangster.
Having been shot for over a month in Mumbai, the film's shoot will next shift here from July 10.
The next schedule of "Kaala" will be shot in a replica of Dharavi slum set.
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Animal lover Hunar Hali has made the set of Thapki Pyaar Ki a mini animal farm. Along with co-star Jaya Bhattacharya, who is a dog lover, they have been feeding the stray dogs and cats in the vicinity.
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Watching veteran actor Anupam Kher's 500th film "The Big Sick" gave his step-son Sikander mixed emotions.
"This is what a great movie should make you feel like. It made me cry and laugh and it was just fantastic," Sikandar, an actor, said after the film's India premiere here on Wednesday.
The movie was screened as part of the MAMI year-round programme in association with MVP Entertainment.
Directed by Michael Showalter, "The Big Sick" is about the real life story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who not just features in the lead role but has also penned the film's screenplay with wife Emily Gordon.
It also features Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano and Adeel Akhtar.
The premiere was attended by Vikramaditya Motwane, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Nina Gupta, Ranvir Shorey, Kirti Kulhari, Tanuja Chandra, Adhiraj Bose, Akshay Roy and Naveen Kasturia.
Harshvardhan said: "It just explores so many complex emotions and dynamics between people and cultures."
Ranvir was happy to see a film which has "a strong South-Asian story set in the US, and it bridges those gaps which are between this world and that world".
Anupam, who saw the film for the fifth time, says seeing it in India "was the best experience so far".
The film revolves around Kumail, a comic who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon becomes worried about what his traditional Muslim parents will think of her.
When Emily suddenly comes down with an illness that leaves her in a coma, Kumail finds himself developing a bond with her deeply concerned mother and father.
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Superstar Rajinikanth has left for the US for a medical checkup, a source said.
"Rajini sir left to the US with his daughter Aishwarya last night (Wednesday). He has gone for a regular medical checkup. They will be back in mid-July," a source close to the actor told IANS.
The source clarified that Rajinikanth is "absolutely fine".
He has completed the first schedule shooting of his upcoming Tamil film "Kaala". The 67-year-old will return to the sets of "Kaala", in which he plays a slum-lord-turned-gangster, in July.
"Kaala" reunites Rajinikanth and "Kabali" director Pa. Ranjith.
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Ex-flames Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have been indulging in some brazen banter much to the amusement of onlookers.
During a recent promotional drive for their film, 'Jagga Jasoos', at Mehboob Studios, Bandra, both preferred to be holed up in their respective vanity vans. Kat was keen RK step out first while he felt she should. After a while, an impatient Ranbir asked his Man Friday to find out when Madam will show up.
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Actress Adaa Khan celebrated the festival of Eid with much fanfare. The actor had a small gathering at her place with her friends from the industry.*Kinshuk Mahajan and Adaa Khan*
Celebrities like Kinshuk Mahajan, Karanvir Bohra, Sandip Sickand, Angad Hasija, Shashank Vyas and Rajan Shahi were present for the get together.*Adaa Khan and Karanvir Bohra*
"The festival of Eid is very special to me and I like celebrating it nicely. Every year, I call my close friends over to my house. We all get ready in our new clothes and celebrate Eid with some yummy food.*Adaa Khan and Sandip Sickand*
After a month of roza and fasting, Eid is something that I look forward to," says Adaa, who is currently seen in Naagin 2. Adaa is famous for her hospitality and the bash pics are speaking thousand words.*Adaa Khan and Angad Hasija*
**
*Allan Kapoor and Adaa Khan*
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*Dhinkchak Pooja in her latest music vide. Pic/YouTube*
Dhinkchak Pooja is back with a bang! Well, not really a bang, more like a new song to hate so much that you cant stop listening to it on loop.
For those of you not in the know, Dhinchak Pooja is an internet sensation, who’s debut on YouTube was with the song ‘Swag Wali Topi’. A cringe-pop artiste, Pooja, has now released her third single, ‘Dilon ka shooter’ where she is seen unsteadily riding a red scooter that she claims is a ‘heartbreaker’.
While we listened to her croon away to her own inner defunct tuner, we were left amazed at how such an annoying song can be so addictive! The song is so bad, that it actually has us wanting to listen to it, admittedly more than once. The background score sounds a lot like her previous song ‘Selfi Maine Leli Aaj’, but is slightly mellower so as to allow for her lovely voice to shine through (yes, we were being sarcastic). If you liked that one, then you are in for a treat with this one.
*Also read: Mid-day interview: Dhinchak Pooja plans to become India's No 1 music sensation*
But, Dhinchak Pooja serves up a lot more than eardrum splitting vocals, she also has a wonderfully weird video to go with it. In ‘Dilon Ka Shooter’, Pooja is seen trying to ride a red scooter and failing miserably. Her inability to steer the red beast only adds to the wonderful bizarreness of the video, making it addictive.
All in all, the vocals, video and very shaky mishmash of frames that don’t sync with the music or lip-syncing, make for an annoying watch that will have you posting memes about the song for at least a week to come.
We’d suggest you watch this one at your own risk.
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"Game of Thrones" actress Emilia Clarke has opened up about the hardships she has been dealing with for being a woman in the male-dominated film and TV industry and compared it to racism.
"I feel so naive for saying it, but it's like dealing with racism," Clarke said in an interview to Rolling Stone magazine.
"You're aware of it, but one day, you go, 'Oh, my God, it's everywhere!' It took me a really long time to see that I do get treated differently. But I look around, and that's my daily life," the 30-year-old actress added.
However, being treated differently doesn't stop Clarke, who will reprise her role of Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen in the anticipated season 7 of "GoT", from being a
feminist.
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Shiv Darshan, the talented son of veteran filmmaker Suneel Darshan, is now a better lover on screen. The actor, who was last seen in the 2014 actioner, Karle Pyaar Karle, has evolved as a performer with his next, the romantic musical mystery, Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha, produced and directed by his father.
The movie, which has several sensuous and passionate scenes between Shiv and newcomer Natasha Fernandez, became a cause for concern for the actor, who was shy and nervous about getting intimate with the beautiful actress.*A still from Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha*
The actor was particularly uncomfortable about kissing Natasha in front of his director-father. Darshan, who has worked with superstars like Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Sunny Deol wanted the scenes to look authentic.
The director did not let his personal relationship with his son come in the way of filming. He convinced Shiv to deliver an earnest performance.
Darshan says, "An actor has to shed his fears and inhibitions to triumph, and in such a genre, the chemistry is important. Else it will look fake." On hearing this advice, Shiv put up a great performance, and became the lover boy that every girl would want.
Sources claim that after having received the advice from his father, the actor was more at ease. The passionate scenes in Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha even took Darshan by surprise when the film came to the editing table.
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Veteran actress Dimple Kapadia matched her footwear with her grand-daughter Nitara during a shopping spree.
Dimple's daughter and producer-author-entrepreneur Twinkle Khanna on Tuesday shared a photograph of the grandmother and grand-daughter, who matched their pussy cat designed footwear.
What generation gap? 56 years apart but both the baby and her Nani get ready to go shopping with purring feet #AgelessGoals
A post shared by Twinkle Khanna (@twinklerkhanna) onJun 27, 2017 at 8:36am PDT
"What generation gap? 56 years apart but both the baby and her Nani get ready to go shopping with purring feet. Ageless goals," Twinkle, who also has a son named Aarav, captioned the image.
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Model-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and her fiance, actor Jason Statham, welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Jack Oscar Statham.
The baby was born on Saturday, June 24, the actress announced via her Instagram account.
Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham - 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th. ð¼ð¼â¤ï¸Â
A post shared by Rosie HW (@rosiehw) onJun 28, 2017 at 7:43am PDT
The 30-year-old English model/actress posted on the photo-sharing site a black-and-white picture of her four-old-day son grasping her fingers.
"Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham - 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th," she captioned it, adding an angel and a heart emoji.
Rosie and Jason, 49, began dating in 2010 and confirmed they got engaged in January 2016.
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Director Tanuja Chandra has completed her next romantic comedy entertainer which features actor Irrfan Khan, and says she is stepping out of her "comfort zone" with the project.
On the sidelines of the premiere of Hollywood film "The Big Sick", Chandra said: "I have just finished up shooting a film. I can't talk about it right now, but its editing is going on.
"I will call it an Indian romcom. Usually, my films have violence and female protagonists in it, but this is different. This film also has a female protagonist, but it is a romcom. There is no violence in this film."
Known for films like "Dushman" and "Sangharsh" -- both of which had strong female protagonists, asked if she is breaking her own image with the new film, Chandra said: "Yes, I am doing so."
"I always wanted to do a light film. I thought drama is more my style, but I wanted to go out of my comfort zone, and so I did this."
Irrfan features in the movie with southern actress Parvathy.
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Singer Jubin Nautiyal says he has given playback for lot of actors like Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan, but his voice suits Akshay Kumar the most.
"I've lent my voice to stars like Akshay Kumar, Aditya Roy Kapur, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan among others, for several movies. I believe that my voice suited Akshay Kumar the most," Nautiyal said in a statement.
"However, after watching Hrithik Roshan enact 'Kaabil hoon' on screen, I thought it was actually him singing the song and not me," he added.
The "Zindagi kuch toh bata" hitmaker shared his views during a live performance session called Hungama Spotlight in Kurla here.
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Irrfan Khan is perplexed about rumours that he has opted out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Gustakhiyan', in which he was offered to play Indian poet and film lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi.
Clarifying his stance on the rumours around the film and his involvement, Irrfan said in a statement: "I'm not sure where these rumours are coming from. I was approached for the film almost two years back, but since then there's been no conversation on dates, so how does the question of me not having time or walking out of the film even come from?"
"I think that's a mystery I would first like to solve that who are these well-wishers who are speaking my mind without me even being aware."
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Neetu Chandra may have fallen off the Bollywood radar, but she has a reason to cheer. Her international film, Block 12, directed by Greek filmmaker Kyriacos Tofarides is set to release in India in October.
The film, which has done the festival rounds, deals with how the powers that-be manipulate the resources and people of a country.
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Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, apart from directors like Mrinal Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Goutam Ghose are among the Indians invited to be a part of the Oscar Academy's 'Class of 2017'.
The announcement was made on Wednesday.*Aishwarya Rai Bachchan*
"We're proud to invite our newest class to the Academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it," Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, was quoted as saying on the official Oscar website.
"It's up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on the next generation the way someone took a shot on each of us," Isaacs added.*Aamir Khan*
There are 774 new members from 57 countries -- a record-breaking number.
The Oscar Academy has noted not just a 359 per cent increase in women invited to join the Academy from 2015-2017, but also a marked rise in people of colour invited -- signifying the diversity it was embracing.
From India, there are also actors Irrfan Khan and Salman Khan, Indian costume designer Arjun Bhasin, directors and writers like Anand Patwardhan and Sooni Taraporevala.
Even India-born Mohit Kallianpur and Mahesh Ramasubramanian, who have worked in animation and visual effects of Hollywood films like "Frozen" and "Shrek" respectively, are a part of the exhaustive list.
Among other international high-profile actors newly invited to the Academy are "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot, "Moonlight" Oscar nominee Naomie Harris, Donald Glover, Chris Hemsworth, Riz Ahmed, Adam Driver, Dwayne Johnson, Leslie Jones, Betty White, Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris, Margot Robbie, Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, Shailene Woodley, Ruth Negga, and Rupert Grint.
Directors include Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele, David Ayer, Theodore Melfi and the Russo brothers.
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Hollywood couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have urged parents everywhere to take an infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) class.
According to today.com, their Instagram posts about this received over several 'likes' in just a few hours.
Lively, who is raising daughters James, 2, and Ines, 8 months, with Reynolds, posted: "All mamas and daddies out there, I can't recommend this enough, I took a CPR class with a focus on babies and toddlers."
In the photograph, Lively, known for films like "The Shallows", "The Age of Adaline", "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and TV show "Gossip Girl" - which is aired in India on Colors Infinity - can be seen sitting next to several CPR dummies and a baby doll.
She added: "For those of you who haven't done it, you will love it. It's so helpful by giving you knowledge, tools, and some peace of mind."
Reynolds also posted about the class he and Lively took on his Instagram account, saying that it was a refresher for him and that he once had to use his CPR skills to save his nephew's life.
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Awesome news! #TheBigSick is expanding THIS WEEK to the cities in the pic! Click link & buy tix in these cities now! https://t.co/BeIdw3biEl pic.twitter.com/ss1cD78q0g
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) June 26, 2017
Nanjiani uses his Twitter handle to post his thoughts on politics, religion and racial justice with a mix of comedy. He says his posts reflect his state of mind, reports rollingstone.com.
Asked if he feels a responsibility to be a voice for Muslim Americans in particular, he said: "I don't think I feel a responsibility. I just do it because it's what's on my mind. That's what my Twitter has always been. It used to be video games and movies and stupid jokes. Now, I (tweet about politics) because it's all I can think about."
Does he envision his work getting more political?
"I don't know. With my comedy and acting, I just want to tell good stories and do stuff that I can connect with. So if I did more political stuff, it wouldn't be because I felt like I needed to do political stuff. It would be because it was just where my head was at," he said.
Nanjiani's latest release in the US is "The Big Sick".
Directed by Michael Showalter, the film is based on the real life of Nanjiani, who has co-written it with wife Emily V. Gordon. It narrates the story of Nanjiani, who connects with graduation student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. It shows all the ups and downs the couple faced including a medical crisis.
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Choreographer-director Remo D'souza says he loves to travel, and yearns to go on a bike trip to Ladakh from Delhi.
"I believe in going a notch higher each year with my passion and aspirations. While I love traveling, my 'Ek Level Up' would be to go biking from Delhi to Ladakh. It's the most beautiful place the whole wide world and it's my dream to do so since the longest time," D'souza said in a statement.
D'Souza is coming with third season of his show "Dance +", and is taking the competition a level up in the show.
While talking about the concept of 'Ek Level Up', he said: "It is to challenge your abilities and go a level beyond that. Everybody has their own limitations, the idea is to push these boundaries and test our abilities by doing a little more - a level up of the usual things we do."
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Neerja (2016) co-producers Fox Star Studios has distanced itself from the controversial disagreement between main producer Atul Kasbekar's Blingg Unplugged and the Bhanot family over sharing of profits, saying they do not have any contractual obligations towards the family.
The family of late flight purser, Neerja Bhanot, has moved court accusing the producers of the National Award-winning movie of criminal conspiracy and going back on their word of sharing 10 per cent of the net profit.
Yesterday, the studio issued a statement that read, "Fox Star Studios is extremely proud of its film Neerja and holds the Bhanot family in great esteem. However, the facts are that the Studio does not have any contractual obligations towards the Bhanot family as the life rights and permissions were obtained by Blingg Unplugged from the late Neerja Bhanot's family long before Fox Star Studios came onboard to produce the film."
Neerja, starring Sonam Kapoor in the titular role, was backed by Fox Star India. It had grossed an estimated R125 crore in the worldwide market.
The studio called the Bhanot family's decision to move court "unfortunate" and said they hope Kasbekar and the family are able to resolve their differences soon.
"Fox Star Studios has been duly honouring its contractual obligations towards Blingg Unplugged. It's unfortunate that Blingg and Bhanot family have not been able to resolve their disagreements. The life story of Neerja Bhanot inspired the nation and the movie created history, created memories that we deeply cherish, memories that will last forever. We hope for quick resolution to the ongoing issue," the statement further read.
The matter made it to the court after both sides failed to resolve the money-sharing issue and to agree on the appointment of an arbitrator. The case will be heard in July. Kasbekar had earlied claimed that all the financial transactions post release were shared with the Bhanot family "immediately and in a transparent manner."
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Actor R. Madhavan on Wednesday said he would love to take his forthcoming Tamil thriller "Vikram Vedha" to Bollywood.
The film, slated for a July 7 release, will see Madhavan play an "encounter specialist".
Asked why "Vikram Vedha" wasn't made simultaneously in Hindi like his last film "Irudhi Suttru", Madhavan told reporters here: "The story is set in north Madras and I don't think the same setting would work in Bollywood. Hence, we ruled out the idea of shooting it in Hindi."
However, Madhavan didn't rule out the possibility of making the film in Hindi.
"I would love to take the film, the entire team of 'Vikram Vedha' to Bollywood. The same story can be in set in Mumbai. If everything works out, we could make it in Hindi," he said.
Directed by Pushkar-Gayatri, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar, Shraddha Srinath and Kathir.
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Saif Ali Khan yesterday clarified that contrary to media reports, there was no tension between him and his former wife Amrita Singh regarding their daughter Sara's Bollywood debut.
The 46-year-old actor said he and Amrita were on the same page regarding Sara's decision to join the film industry with Abhishek Kapoor's 'Kedarnath' opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.
Calling the media reports of his disagreement with Amrita "totally fictitious", Saif in a statement said, "Amrita and me are on the same page as far as Sara and her acting debut is concerned. We never had any such conversation.
"I am fully supportive of Sara's acting ambitions and we discuss things in detail."
The actor said he was sad to read irresponsible stories about his family in the media.
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A friend of ours and a diehard Salman Khan fan while holidaying in Brussels, Belgium, was keen to catch a show of 'Tubelight'. He was taken aback to see cinema halls referring to the Eid release as a Shah Rukh Khan-starrer (encircled; left).*Shah Rukh Khan*
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Nawazuddin Siddiqui says that though dance has never been his forte, he used to dance at weddings to collect money in his childhood.
"As a kid, I would often dance at weddings with my friends. People would throw money at baraatis. My friends and I would attend all the weddings in our area and collect money.
At the end of the day, we would manage to collect Rs 2-3, and that was quite a lot for us that time," the actor said. Siddiqui will display his dancing skills in the upcoming film, Munna Michael, and says doing something difficult is "fun".
"I don't know how to dance, and usually stay away from it. When my director, Sabbir Khan, told me about this role, I told him I can't do it. But he convinced me to take it up and made sure I follow his vision." In the dance-action film, Tiger Shroff will pay tribute to pop sensation Michael Jackson.
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Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor Rohan Mehra, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, is back on the tube. He has been roped in for the long-running Sasural Simar Ka. After a leap, the show has a new plot.
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The famous character Iron Man will have a new costume with the arc reactor in the center of the chest with an altered triangle design. The armour also appears to have movable shoulder pads.
While filming of "Avengers: Infinity War" continues in Atlanta, more set photos have surfaced online.
On Tuesday, a man -- perhaps a stunt double -- slipped into Iron Man's new armour. A day before that, actor Robert Downey Jr was spotted on the set without his superhero character's costume, while a man carrying Iron Man's practical suit was seen on the set, reports aceshowbiz.com.
The faceplate of the costume is also slightly different from the one character Tony Stark dons in "Spider-Man: Homecoming".
Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) and Benedict Wong (Wong) returned to the set on Tuesday to film more scenes on the street.
Cumberbatch appeared to be showing his character's spell-casting move in front of Ruffalo in some pictures. Ruffalo was also seen giving the British actor a back massage during a break from the shooting.
In "Avengers: Infinity War", the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle. A new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos, a despot of intergalactic infamy.
His goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment-the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
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Veteran actor Anupam Kher met superstar Rajinikanth's wife Latha and says it's always a pleasure and joy to meet her.
Anupam on Wednesday took to Twitter, where he shared a photograph of himself along with the film producer.
"It is always a pleasure and a joy to meet Latha Rajnikanthji. She radiates positivity. Her charity project Care For Children is really noble," Anupam captioned the image.
Latha has also done a few playback numbers during the 1980s in Tamil cinema. She sung a few songs in films like "Netru indha neram" from the Kamal Haasan-starrer "Tik Tik Tik" and "Kadavul ullamae" from "Anbulla Rajinikanth".
She also contributed to "Rajini 25", a musical album that commemorated 25 years of Rajinikanth's career.
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Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has got summons for making fun of Lord Ganesha through his Twitter account.
A court in Andheri issued the summons on the complaint of Vivek Shetty, social activist and managing director of Indus Communications, read a statement.
Shetty said: "I am delighted by the summons issued by the honourable court. I will pursue this case to it's logical conclusion and further I hope, this will go a long way in maintaining peace and harmony in society at large."
Varma in 2014 posted certain tweets and jocular remarks on Lord Ganesha, and they were condemned as objectionable and in poor taste.
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I am a mountain boy. My first 18 summers were spent in our mountain home in Himachal. I can never forget the fun we had eating chilgozas fallen off the pines, collecting gum off the trunks, and making fantastical translucent shapes with it, bringing back twisted pieces of wood from our treks, and making a forest museum.
I remember khud climbing. Getting up in the morning and sliding down the hillside cushioned with pine needles, oblivious to any perils this foolhardy pastime might hold, then laughing and panting, making the deceptively difficult climb up just in time for lunch. Hurtling down steep roads on polished wooden slats - our hi-tech toboggans - fearlessly because there was no vehicular traffic at all. I remember there were Pahadi men who would carry our suitcases from the bus station up the slopes with rope harnesses fixed on their heads sweeping round to their lower backs. They'd trudge up the roads in a zig-zag pattern -the way Pahadis even today climb steep inclines. I'd imitate them, then get bored and run up while they laboured behind us.
For the last 25 years I have been coming here a lot more frequently, but for two or three days at a time. It's my best kept secret that once every month or so, I will disappear for three days into the pine scented lap of my mountain home. But this time is different. This time, I am here for a month to write my new script. And it's summer again. But that's all that is similar to my summer memories from 25 years ago.
*Rahul Bose*
The road up to the hill station is now a two lane freeway, and yet, it is choked with bumper-to-bumper traffic. The hill station road has cars parked on both sides of it so that traffic jams last for hours. There are empty gutkha packets, vodka bottles, chips packets, and soft drink cans. And there is noise. The incessant noise of New India: Musical horns, souped up bikes, Bhangra rap, drunken men shouting conversations, and endless, impatient, aggressive honking. The roads are spilling over with holidaymakers gorging themselves with just about anything they can find to hurl into their mouths: momos, bun-tiki, bun-samosa, chaat, gulab jamuns, jalebis, veg burgers, kurkure. Except now, they are doing it on the road with their cars as makeshift restaurants, chowing, cleaning, washing, spitting, gargling and speeding off with a picturesque sprinkling of litter in their wake, like the fallen flowers of the champa tree after a rainstorm.
And then it becomes clear to me. I have lost all physical connection with this hill station. It has followed the narrative of everything that was once beautiful about this country. We have pillaged it, stripped it every year to find more beauty, and when we have not found enough of it, dug even deeper till the bones of the hill station have cried out to be left alone.
In our violent, manic greed to get our hands on innocence and beauty before anybody else, we have trampled laws, humanity, any moral compass we may have been gifted, crushed and buried deep in the soft mountain loam. Through all this, a few people have amassed money, and cleverly built their gaudy palaces away from the place that is their golden goose. All that remains is a strong nostalgia awakened by the smell of fresh rain on mountain grass, a pine cone still fragrant with sap, the call of the mountain eagle. The generous, warm lap of my mountain home that was once a place of celebration at the end of a day full of sweat, excitement, laughter, and wonder, has now become the last place of refuge.
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TV tzarina Ekta Kapoor, who made actress-turned-politician Smriti Irani into a household name through the role of Tulsi in popular TV show 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', says she would love to work with her again.
Smriti, who is now Union Minister of Textiles, was last seen on TV in shows like "Maniben.com" and "Yeh Hai Jalwaa".
"You want me to bring back the Textiles Minister into acting? I would love it. (Once) I told Smriti, 'Please do at least one appearance'. She said, 'I will do it, but you know people will say something or the other. People will start talking. I am happy where I am'," Ekta said here on Wednesday during promotion of her new show "Kundali Bhagya".
"Smriti came to my office last month. The whole office ran to meet her. As a friend, I hope her career goes really high because till the last day of her pregnancy she did shooting.
"Nobody knows this, but she shot on the day of her marriage. We made her work because she knew that the show won't go on air as nobody wanted to see 'Kyunki...' without Tulsi," she added.
Ekta, who often gets criticised for over-the-top and melodramatic content in her shows, says she doesn't get affected by criticism.
"I don't (cope up with criticism). I just live on. If I was to get affected by criticism, I would have jumped off the window many years ago. I have had very strongly stark reactions through television, like 'You are killing families' and 'You are making vamps'," Ekta said.
"So, I have decided that you have to create your own yardsticks and live by it. Brickbats are a part of my job and I don't take it personally," she added.
Ekta believes that TV as a medium of entertainment should only cater "conservative and palatable content". That's why for other types of shows she has launched her app ALTBalaji.
"If I am watching a show with my parents at home, I may not want to watch a radical thought. But there are always other mediums where we tell stories which we can't show on TV, like I am presenting the film 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' because I feel women should have a right to live," she said.
"Whatever we watch alone may not be something that we can see with others. All sides of us have different content consumptions," she added.
That's why Ekta says she will not repeat the "mistake" of showing kissing scenes on TV again like she did in the Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar-starrer "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain".
"I don't have them now. 'Bade Ache Lagte Hain' was the last one. That's one of my biggest learnings. Ratings for that show, which was six and five on regular episodes, went down to two," she said.
"But at the same time on digital platform it received 10 lakh views. I know how it feels when you are watching TV with your parents. It's not that edgy content is bad, but you prefer watching it separately," she added.
Asked about "Kundali Bhagya", which will be aired on Zee TV starting July 12, Ekta said: "We don't question on TV. We want to entertain, give a lot of family values and we show real stories also, but they cannot be questionable stories.
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Salman Khan's popular track 'Radio' from his latest release 'Tubelight' now has an Arabic version by Middle Eastern singer-songwriter Douzi. Sony Music Middle East released the Arabic version on Wednesday, read a statement.
Douzi has performed at many international concerts.
The original song "Radio" is composed by Pritam and sung by Kamaal Khan and Amit Mishra.
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Veteran actor Jeetendra is living a relaxed life, says his daughter Ekta Kapoor, who does not want to force him back into facing the camera.
"We have asked him a lot of times to make a comeback. But there comes an age in life when you have to say to your parents, 'If you want to work then you can, but if you don't want to, then you can relax," Ekta said here on Wednesday while promoting her new show "Kundali Bhagya".
"He is very happy in his construction business. He gets a lot of time to spend with his friends. He started working at the age of 21 and still he is working. It's just that he is doing something else (other than acting).
"It's the age when we can request them to do acting, but can't force him. He is having a pretty relaxed life now. He has made over 200 films in a period of 40 years. So, now we should allow him to relax a little," she added.
Jeetendra, who celebrated his 75th birthday in April, made a special appearance in a song for the 2007 entertainer "Om Shanti Om". Otherwise, he has been away from the big screen.
Meanwhile, their home banner's latest project "Kundali Bhagya" will be aired on Zee TV starting from July 12. It's a spin-off of the channel's popular show "Kumkum Bhagya".
While "Kumkum Bhagya", which will soon complete 1,000 episodes, tells the love story of Abhi (Shabbir Ahluwalia) and Pragya (Sriti Jha), "Kundali Bhagya" will narrate the story of Pragya's sisters -- Preeta and Shrishti -- and their relations with a Punjabi family, whose elder son Rishabh Luthra's celebrity management firm manages Abhi's music career.
Actor Manit Joura will be seen essaying the role of Rishabh, while actor Dheeraj Dhoopar will play his younger brother Karan.
Dheeraj will be seen as a cricketer in the show, and Ekta says this role is her ode to cricket.
"I am waiting for my show to go on air and I hope it's not cricket season because when Sachin (Tendulkar) used to play, our TRPs used to come down. I was like, 'Oh, what happened? Oh, Sachin played.' That's the only time when we used to get badly affected even during the time of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'," Ekta said.
"Last time I got Divyanka to play a dentist as I was having a lot of dental issues and my dentist sorted my problem. So, it was an ode to him. Not that I am a cricket fan, but this time I have been hearing a lot about this cricketer called (Hardik) Pandya.
"I found it as an interesting world to explore as there is so much madness for cricket." Reported by Mid-Day 5 hours ago.
