MUMBAI: To keep you updated with what is happening in Bollywood Industry Town we bring you exciting updates, read below:

#MeToo topped Instagram's advocacy hashtags with 1.5 mn usage in 2018

The #MeToo movement that took the Bollywood and the media industry in India by storm topped popular photo-sharing platform Instagram's advocacy hashtags with 1.5 million usage in 2018, the company said on Thursday.

In "Instagram Year In Review 2018" report, the Facebook-owned company said that #timesup (used 597K times) and #marchforourlives (used 562K times), at second and third spot, demonstrated that the platform can be a powerful platform for users to speak out and bring light to meaningful causes.

"Across our India community in particular, kindness and love took centrestage as people from across the country took to Instagram to share the things they love.

"#love secured the top spot when it comes to the most used hashtag followed, which was closely followed by #instagood and #fashion. Beyond this, the highest growth hashtag in India was #lovequotes," the company said in a statement.

The game Fortnite also saw explosive growth with #fortnite being the fastest growing hashtag globally.

The "Heart Love Sticker" by Arata was the most-used "Giphy" sticker in Instagram Stories, while "Heart Eyes" was the most-used "Face Filter" in Stories.

Web shows are more experimental: Purab

Actor Purab Kohli will soon be seen in the second season of web series It’s Not That Simple. He says content and costing wise, web shows are more experimental than movies but he loves doing both.

"The good thing about web series is that it is the current trend. Many people like to watch it. It keeps you engaged for a longer period of time. You follow stories, it can be more fleshed out and told extensively," Purab told leading publication.

"Web shows are more experimental in their content and costing wise. On the other hand, I love doing films. Both of them are very engaging," he added.

Directed by Danish Aslam, the second edition of Voot Original web series It's Not That Simple also features Swara Bhasker and Sumeet Vyas.

Swara plays Meera - confident, ambitious and a strong woman who becomes the mouthpiece of a modern woman who compels you to ask - Does the sex matter?

"The main pointers for me were that Meera's character is moving forward so that straight away makes for a good second season and the show is moving in a direction. The character is growing and expanding itself. I mean finding more ground to head on so that itself is exciting," said Purab.

"For me, the character Angad was very interesting. He is blatant, straightforward and at the same time very honest and he comes across as someone who you don't like in the beginning but once you see how honest and straightforward he is of what he wants and what he says, I think. It's quite refreshing to see someone like that," added the Rock On!! actor.

On the show's second season, he shared, "I think the first season dealt with breaking away and now the second season is where she (Meera) is finding new ground, she's discovering new ground and finding a new self. Finding herself out of her marriage and traditional definitions of Meera, she is now trying to find new Meera.

"That Meera wants to achieve and be loved. I think that is the aspect people should look out for and of course, the introduction of mainly two known male characters played by Sumeet and me. Both are very interesting characters."

Purab had also starred in the American science fiction drama web series Sense8.

Talking about the difference between shooting for an Indian web show and an American one, he pointed out, "Foreign productions function differently than Indian productions. The training is different. Outplay of the role is different, also the budgets are massively different so, it's not fair to even compare."

We're working on second season of 'Mirzapur': Farhan Akhtar

Producer Farhan Akthar is feeling happy as his last production venture Mirzapur has been appreciated by the audience. He has revealed that makers of the show have already started working for a second season of the show.

Farhan interacted with the media at the success party of Mirzapur along with Rasika Dugal, Elli AvRam, Pankaj Tripathi, Anangsha Biswas, Richa Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Ali Fazal on Wednesday in Mumbai.

Mirzapur, backed by Excel Entertainment, revolves around drugs, guns and lawlessness. It also depicts gang rivalry and crime in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.

Farhan said, "I am feeling really happy. It's the second show which we have created with Amazon Prime Video. Our earlier collaboration Inside Edge was a successful web series and now Mirzapur is getting more success than that. So it is really nice thing and we are here to celebrate."

Asked if they have planned to create the second season of Mirzapur, he said, "Yes, of course. At the end of the show, viewers might have got an idea that there is scope for season 2. So, we are working on that. Hopefully, very soon we will start shooting for it."

He said the audience had appreciated the show for its gripping storyline.

"Apart from that, they have appreciated the drama and performances of the actors. The kind of world we have created in this show, once someone watches one episode, then they feel curious to know what happens in the subsequent episodes. That kind of a feeling among the audience is always nice to have for a web series."

Mirzapur is directed by Karan Anshuman and Gurmmeet Singh.

Sonakshi Sinha gets 'junk' instead of headphones

Actress Sonakshi Sinha ordered a pair of headphones online and wasn't impressed as she ended up getting junk instead.

"Hey Amazon India! Look what I got instead of the Bose headphones I ordered! Properly packed and unopened box, looked legit... but only on the outside. Oh and your customer service doesn't even want to help, that's what makes it even worse," Sonakshi posted on social media.

She even posted a photograph of the box.

"Anybody want to buy a brand new shiny piece of junk for 18,000 bucks? (Yup, its a steal). Don't worry, I'm selling, not Amazon, so you'll get exactly what you're ordering," Sonakshi added with sarcasm.

Ruby Rose rushed to hospital for medical emergency

Model-actress Ruby Rose was rushed to a hospital after a silicon earplug got stuck in her ear.

The 32-year-old, who is filming on location in Hungary, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell fans about it, reports dailymail.co.uk.

She wrote, "I've had a couple co-stars end up in hospital because of ear plugs from films with gunfire and other loud noises (that) ended up being lodged in their ear canals. I always made fun of them... I will never make fun of them again!"

Rose also shared footage of herself walking into the hospital, which she captioned, "I have a silicon ear plug inside my damn brain and I think this is the scariest hospital I've ever seen."

She later posted a photograph of herself in the empty emergency room, alongside which she wrote, "If you never see me again... I hope my organs went to wonderful people."

The Australian star continued to pass time by sharing another image of a rather eerie-looking bathroom and an empty hospital bed.

It was then time for Rose to see the doctor, and she uploaded yet another short clip of herself waiting patiently in the office.

Finally, the ear plug was successfully removed and she was able to leave hospital.

She explained after the ordeal, "It took over an hour, three doctors and a lot of screaming, crying and fainting to remove what had become glue around my ear drum - but they did it!"

"Now, to fix my TV... it doesn't seem to have sound working," she added, jokingly.

My wife always gives 100% to whatever she does: Ranveer

Actor Ranveer Singh says he is extremely proud of his wife and actress Deepika Padukone who always gives her 100 per cent to whatever she does.

This weekend, Ranveer will be seen as a guest on Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa show.

While shooting for the episode, Ranveer was left impressed with contestant Aishwarya Pandit's performance. She sang Nagada sang dhol from the 2013 film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, starring Ranveer and Deepika.

As he reminisced the days of shooting for the song, the newlywed spoke highly about Deepika, read a statement.

"This song brings back so many memories. I had barely been introduced to Deepika back then and it was just limited to an attraction at that point in time. When I saw her perform to Nagada, things changed, and I started respecting her even more as an artiste," Ranveer said.

"I am extremely proud of my wife who always gives her 100 per cent to whatever she does. I remember, that year she had five blockbuster films back-to-back. Hard work always pays off," he added.

The star couple had tied the knot in Italy in November.

Regal wedding for corporate scions Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal dazzles Mumbai

Top Indian and international personalities, film and sports icons, business tycoons, political heavyweights, celebrities and a host of others attended what was described as "a royal wedding" for the scions of two top business conglomerates - Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal - here on Wednesday.

The celebrations started in the afternoon with the traditionally attired groom, Anand, arriving on a mare at the head of a wedding procession (baraat) at the Ambani's towering Antilia residence.

The 27-storied Antilia, said to be one of the most expensive private residences in the world, itself has been decked up like a bride, and the entire stretch from the main road to the building has been decorated since the past few days with multi-hued fresh flowers, colourful lights and festoons to commemorate one of the most anticipated weddings in the country's commercial capital in recent times.

Later in the evening, the grand wedding saw the parents - industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita, tycoons Ajay Piramal and his wife Swati - and others welcoming the high-profile celebrity guests.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee was warmly received by business magnate Anil Ambani, the bride's uncle, while other top celebs like former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Praful Patel also made their presence felt.

Prominent invitees included Bollywood actors like Rajinikanth, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Kiran, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jonas, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Hritik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty and Vidhu Vinod Chopra et al.

Besides, Sachin Tendulkar and other sports personalities, top business honchos included K.V. Kamath, Sanjiv Goenka, Deepak Parekh, Sashi and Anshuman Ruia, Adi Godej, Rahul Bajaj and Harsh Mariwala were also seen at the wedding.

The grand wedding festivities had started several days earlier in Udaipur, Rajasthan which witnessed a performance by Grammy award winning singer Beyonce Knowles, a four-day special 'Anna Seva' and an expo on traditional Indian handicrafts, besides other events for the guests that included many of the biggest names from politics, business and Bollywood.

My mother-in-law is my biggest fan: Shweta Tripathi

Actress Shweta Tripathi, who got married earlier this year to rapper Chaitnya Sharma aka SlowCheeta, says she is very fortunate to have supportive in-laws. In fact, she says her mother-in-law is her biggest fan.

Shweta, who recently appeared in two web series The Trip and Mirzapur, told leading publication that, "I think more than my husband, my mother-in-law gets excited and proud and what not whenever she sees me on-screen.

"I want to say that she is my biggest fan (laughs) -- whether it is my film or my web series, she and my brother-in-law are the two family members who would watch the show and give me feedback. I think I am really fortunate that I have got a family like this after marriage."

She added, "People should always support each other in a profession like ours where we have so much emotional investment. As a performing artiste, we always need love and support from family."

Having started her career in television with the show Kya Mast Hai Life, Shweta gained popularity with the film Masaan and acted in films like Love Shots, Haraamkhor, Beautiful World and was part of Zoo, the first ever Indian feature film that was shot on iPhone.

Asked if she consciously looks for meaty roles as opposed to visibility in commercial cinema, Shweta said, "Whether the role is of two minutes, two episodes or a full length two hour feature film on me, the story has to appeal me as an audience. I cannot do a film just because it is commercial and I will get wide exposure by doing that film."

Remembering the words of one of her co-stars, National Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, she said, "My first feature film was Haraamkhor. It released after Masaan.

"During the shooting of the film, Nawaz sir said that if we want to have a long-lasting career, we have to be choosy with our work, which should hold archival value and quality. Somewhere that thing has got ingrained in my mind. So, I can go easy."

Being an actress who has never had any inhibitions about portraying characters that are sexually liberated, Shweta believes an actor should not be judged by her on-screen image.

Shweta's masturbation scene in the Amazon Prime web series Mirzapur has been much talked about.

Asked about what gives her the confidence to carry out such a bold portrayal of a character, she said, "In such a situation, I have to trust the writer, director and cinematographer completely.

"I have to understand the need of the scene in the script because it is not about saying 'yes' or 'no' to a bold scene for the sake of it. It is about telling a story the way it deserves to be told."

"Justification of every scene is needed," she asserted.

Feel fortunate for everything I've gone through: Katrina Kaif

Actress Katrina Kaif, looking forward to the release of her forthcoming film Zero, says she considers herself really fortunate for everything that she has gone through in her film career.

Katrina was interacting with the media at the launch of the song Husn parcham from Zero, along with film's director Aanand L. Rai, music composer duo Ajay-Atul, lyricist Irshad Kamil, choreographer Bosco Martis and T-Series honcho Bhushan Kumar here on Wednesday.

Katrina Kaif made her Hindi film debut with Kaizad Gustad's Boom in 2003 and in 2018, she has completed 15 years in the film industry.

Looking back at her journey, she said, "I feel very fortunate. I feel that I have experienced and seen so many beautiful things in the last few years. I have seen ups and downs. I have seen the worst and highest of times but I just feel really fortunate for everything that I have gone through.

"I feel fortunate today to be working in a film like this, to be part of the film with the kind of talent that we have -- from Aanand sir, to Shah Rukh (Khan) and to Anushka (Sharma). I think as long as I am getting the opportunity to showcase, learn and take my art forward with the best people that we have today in the film industry, I am really grateful.

"As long as I am learning something -- even if it is a little bit every day -- as long as I feel that I am adding and improving in my craft and giving my audience something new, then I feel quite happy."

Earlier, Katrina has danced to some successful songs like Sheela ki jawani, Chikni chameli and Afghan jalebi.

Asked what she has done differently in Husn parcham, she said, "I think for me, the biggest difference in this song is that Aanand (Rai) sir came on the sets on one of the days and said, 'I want my audience to see this character (Babita Kumari) as the happiest woman in the world'. She doesn't care about the world and she is having super-good time and that is always something which is good to remember.

"Sometimes we get caught up in doing things technically in terms of steps but we forget the joy that one feels when they dance. So, for me, it was very nice and a refreshing change to feel really happy and not at all taking any tension about dance, but performing for myself."

Zero is a romantic drama film written by Himanshu Sharma and directed by Rai.

Releasing on 21 December, it is jointly produced by Colour Yellow Productions and Red Chillies Entertainment's Gauri Khan.

SRK is a 'fan' of Raja Kumari's music

Grammy-nominated Indian-American songwriter Raja Kumari, also a rapper, says Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan told her that he was a fan of her music.

"Shah Rukh actually called me and it was one of the craziest moments of my life. He told me he was a fan of my music and wanted to work with me on his next film," Raja said in a statement.

Raja has rapped for actress Katrina Kaif in the song Husn parcham from the Shah Rukh-starrer Zero.

The song has been composed by Ajay-Atul and sung by Bhoomi Trivedi and Raja.

"SRK himself co-wrote the lyrics with me and Katrina Kaif absolutely killed it. This is what my Bollywood dreams are made of," she said.

The rapper had also lent her voice to Allah duhai hai, the title track of Salman Khan-starrer Race 3.

She had earlier told leading publication that "I want to do more stuff in Hindi films. It (Bollywood) has such a great impact on the entire world. The idea that something I write can reach so many more people, that's exciting for me as a musician."

(Source: IANS)

Dolly Ki Doli actor Paras Saluja turns producer

Actor Paras Saluja, who was last seen in Dolly ki Doli, is turning a producer as well. He has opened a production house named as Icarus Tourism and Media services Pvt Ltd (icarus media).

He is producing three projects, one is a feature film and the rest two are series.

Feature film, Life Behind Bars, is based on the criminals and their life behind the bars.

Animation series, The Name Is Tiger, is a high end animation cg International series about a six-year-old guy and a tiger. Their bond, struggle and their amazing journey form the story of the series. Operation 16 is all about 16 secret operations - an international web series of 16 massive episodes to be shot in Dubai, Sharjah, london, Hong Kong, Macau.

Talking about becoming a producer, he shared, "Business is in my blood. I’m a business entrepreneur before I’m an actor. I’ve always been inspired by real life stories and I plan to make all my projects on the real life incidents but in a fictional way without hurting the sentiments of any religion. Hence I decided to make a move towards Production.”

He added, "Producer has his own responsibilities and so does the actor. There are no less or more efforts. It’s a team work and all the components used in the film Production are equally important."