MUMBAI: We are back with the latest updates from the world of Bollywood. Read on…

Priyamani launches personal app

National Film Award recipient Priyamani has come out with her own mobile application, and says it will make it easier for her to connect with her fans.

Priyamani launched the Priya Mani Official App in collaboration with New York-based tech firm EscapeX.

"I am really excited to be associated with EscapeX to launch my app. It feels great to have my own platform as it makes it easier for me to connect with my fans and get closer to them," Priyamani said in a statement.

"Fans are always going out of their way and doing so much, be it my birthday or any festival or occasion or most of the time nothing at all and there couldn't be a better way than connecting with them personally and giving them access to my world," she added.

The actress, known for hits like Mana Oori Ramayanam, Yamadonga, Malaikottai and Thirakkatha, is really excited to be able to invite "some lucky fans to meet me personally to hang out with me for a day".

"We are glad to have enabled Priyamani to have her own platform in the mobile environment where she controls engagement, reach, content and monetisation," said Shamik Talukder, Chief Business Officer of EscapeX.

Extremely disappointed: Kailash Kher on being accused of harassment

Singer-composer Kailash Kher says the news about a female journalist accusing him of harassment has left him extremely disappointed. While he says he is neither aware nor remembers the incident, he asserts that he respects humanity, especially women.

Last month, actress Tanushree Dutta had revived her decade-old sexual harassment controversy. She had accused actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Following this, many other victims in various fields have opened up about their experiences.

One of them, a female journalist, accused Kailash of harassment. She said, "This creep kept his hand on my thigh."

In his defense, Kailash said in a statement to a publication, "For all those who know me and have come across me, will know how much I respect humanity, especially women, even more for the ones who work in media since their work is difficult."

When the news emerged this weekend, he was in Patna for a gig.

"I was travelling and when I heard about this news, I got extremely disappointed to know what my state of happiness has been taken for. I am neither aware of any such act that has been mentioned nor remember it.

"I am almost all the time in my own simple world, but in case anyone has taken or thought something differently about anything, then it is my sincere apology. My devotion to music makes me who I am and I am thankful for all the love and support," he said.

Sushant Singh Rajput roped in as face of footwear brand

European footwear major Bata has roped in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput as its brand ambassador to promote its new casual range.

This is in line with Bata's objective to make the brand relevant and aspirational amongst the young and trendy consumers and the actor will be initially seen promoting Bata's new men's casual collection, said a statement.

"...I am super excited to be a catalyst of the brand transformation that Bata is undergoing. I have recently shot for their new 'be surprised' campaign showcasing the latest men's casual collections. And believe me it will leave you surprised too," said Sushant on his association.

Sandeep Kataria, Chief Executive Officer, Bata India Limited, "Sushant is a multi-faceted actor who is a favourite amongst today's youth with his performances and style. He is a perfect fit for the brand due to his charming persona and panache. He brings freshness to the brand and we are happy to kick off this exciting partnership with him to make Bata more relatable to the youth."

Bata already has actress Kriti Sanon as a brand ambassador for their women's range and Smriti Mandhana as the face of their sports brand - Power.

Anupam, Rishi discuss importance of 'pause' in life

Actor Anupam Kher, who met actor Rishi Kapoor in US, says the two discussed about India, New York, the magic of the movies and importance of a "pause" in life.

Rishi, who is in the US for a medical treatment, shared a photograph of himself along with Anupam, whom he calls an old friend.

He captioned the image: "New York, Manhattan. 'Kher-free' or is it 'Care-free' on Madison Avenue with colleague and old friend Anupam Kher this afternoon!"

Anupam replied, "Dearest Rishiji! It was so wonderful to meet you and spend some time on the streets of Manhattan. You are such a great and entertaining conversationalist.

"Loved talking to you about India, New York, magic of movies and importance of a 'pause' in life. Achcha laga aapse milke (Felt good meeting you)."

Anupam and Rishi have together worked in films like Eena Meena Deeka, Chandni, Shreemaan Aashique, Vijay and Prem Granth.

Gauri Khan celebrates 48th birthday with 'better halves'

Celebrity interior designer and producer Gauri Khan says she celebrated her 48th birthday with her "better halves" superstar husband Shah Rukh Khan and youngest son AbRam.

Gauri shared a photograph of herself with the two on Twitter and mentioned that her other two children -- Aryan and Suhana, whom she mentioned as "other halves" are in school.

"With half of my better halves on my birthday...the other halves in school," she captioned the image.

Gauri married Shah Rukh in 1991, after a six-year courtship. Their elder son Aryan was born in 1997 and Suhana in 2000. In 2013, they became parents of a third child named AbRam, who was born through a surrogate mother.

Varun doesn't remember his first conversation with Govinda

Actor Varun Sharma says he was speechless after meeting Govinda for the first time.

"Being a 90's kid I had grown up watching various films of Govinda sir. I have immense respect for him and was thrilled when I came to know that I will be sharing screen space with him in Fryday," Varun said in a statement.

"We met one day before starting shoot and honestly I don't remember the first conversation I had with Govinda sir on the sets. I was in awe and was left speechless. I felt like a kid at that time," he added.

Fryday is about that one day in the life of a salesman. That day is Friday. He has a deadline to sell his product. It shows how the Friday gets fried and becomes 'fryday'.

Presented by Inbox Pictures Pvt Ltd, produced by Sajid Qureshi and co-produced by PVR Pictures, Fryday is directed by Abhishek Dogra and will release on 12 October.

Hansal Mehta quits Twitter

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has deleted his Twitter account after facing backlash over his tweets against Queen director Vikas Bahl, who has been accused of sexual harassment.

Last year, a woman employee at Phantom Films, which had Bahl as one of the partners alongside Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, had accused Bahl of harassing her during a trip to Goa. Phantom Films has been dissolved after a seven-year run.

Hansal had condemned Bahl's behaviour.

"Will anybody do anything about this bloody creep or will the industry protect him like it always does? Wish I could do more than just speak out. As a father of two girls, I fear them having to deal with such predators just because nobody took any action against Bahl -- on the contrary a major star has acted in his new film. Who is empowered here? The victim or the creep?"

Hansal seemed to be taking a dig at actor Hrithik Roshan, who is working with Bahl on Super 30.

This didn't go down too well with Hrithik's fans, who trolled him.

Hansal tried to make the users understand his point, but decided to delete his account when he failed.

"I'm done with Twitter. A platform that has ambiguous guidelines about hatred, negativity and abuse is no platform ... or debate or discussion -- forget social change. Goodbye," Hansal posted before deleting his account.

Sonakshi mum on Tanushree-Nana row

Actress Sonakshi Sinha is not ready to comment on the Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar row, saying it is important to know both sides of the story before commenting.

"It is better to say the least about this issue because there will always be two sides to the story. We have often seen that when someone comes up with such an issue, then the media and people start discussing about it. But later we find out that the truth is something else. So, I think without knowing both sides of the stories, we shouldn't get into it," Sonakshi said when asked about her stand on the issue at an event here.

The #MeToo movement has gained momentum in Bollywood with Tanushree alleging that Nana harassed her on the sets of their 2008 film Horn Ok Pleassss. Tanushree has also filed a police complaint against Nana, who has denied the allegations.

Sonakshi said that creating a safer workplace for all was a must.

"If a woman feels unsafe in a working environment, then I think it is anyway very wrong. No woman should be made to feel unsafe when she goes to work and strict measures should be taken to make sure that a woman is safe wherever she goes."

Sonakshi said that she hasn't experienced sexual harassment in her life but feels girls must be taught self defence.

"I would urge our government to incorporate self-defence as a compulsory subject. I have been saying this for a long time.

"If a girl knows how to protect herself from a very young age, then I think she can protect herself. She need not be dependent on a man."

Sonakshi was interacting with the media at the Elle Beauty Awards 2018 where she won 'Be More Elle Award' on Saturday here.

On work front, the actress is busy shooting for Kalank.

Kalank also features Sanjay Dutt, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Aditya Roy Kapur. Abhishek Varman is directing the epic drama, which will hit the screens on 19 April 2019.

Omung Kumar to celebrate birthday in Goa

National Award-winning filmmaker Omung Kumar is escaping to Goa to celebrate his birthday on 8 October.

Having finished with designing the Bigg Boss set and his other commitments, the filmmaker has plans to celebrate his special day in Goa with his wife and production designer Vanita Kumar.

The celebrations are going to be double for him as he also has plans to inaugurate a home interiors store named Bioscopewalli along with Vanita on his birthday. The store will showcase creations for home decor catering to a niche market located at Marbella Guest House in Goa.

"Vanita and I will bring in my birthday celebration with the inauguration of her new store Bioscopewalli which we will be opening together in Goa. Bioscopewalli is an expression of Vanita's love for art and cinema," Omung said in a statement.

"We borrowed the name of the store from the childhood memories we have had of looking through a bioscope and being amazed at the colours and patterns. Bioscopewalli is Vanita's idea at playing the narrator," he added.

The husband and wife also have an online store with the same name.

‘Uri' has been the most physically demanding film: Vicky Kaushal

Actor Vicky Kaushal, who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming film Uri, has said that it is the most physically demanding film for him until now.

Vicky was interacting with the media at Elle Beauty Awards 2018 where he won the "Breakthrough Star Award" on Saturday here.

The teaser of Uri received an overwhelming response from the audience. When about his experience of working in Uri, Vicky said, "It was really nice experience to work in the film. In a short span of my of career, Uri has been the most physically demanding film for me and I am very excited because after the teaser, the trailer of the film will also release. I am very excited to know audience reaction to the film."

Vicky will be seen playing the role of an Indian commando who is involved in the 2016 surgical strike.

Regarding his role, the actor said, "When you play the role of a commando onscreen, you feel that they are the real heroes. In our effort to portraying their character, we get exhausted but they are living their lives like that on a daily basis so hats off to them, and it's not easy what they are doing."

Reacting on the Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar controversy, Vicky said, "I think any kind of disrespect or harassment at workplace or anywhere is not a correct thing to do. If someone comes out in the open to share his or her ordeal then the least we can do is to listen to what they are saying and to respect them because it is not easy to express such kind of issue in front of the world.

"It is also important to listen to both the accuser and the accused. When such kind of serious cases occur, then it has to be investigated in proper manner."

Based on the surgical strikes of 2016 carried by the Indian Armed Forces, Uri traces the significant event.

It stars Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Kirti Kulhari and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.

Produced by RSVP movies and directed by Aditya Dhar, Uri will hit the theatres on 11 January 2019.

Shreyas excited about making debut in thriller space

Actor Shreyas Talpade is excited about trying his hand at the thriller genre with Setters.

The socio-political thriller, directed by Ashwini Chaudhary, delves into the education and employment mafia in India.

"I am really excited about this film as it is the first time that I am trying my hand at the thriller genre. The role I'm playing is something that my fans and the audience have something to look forward to," Shreyas said in a statement.

Shreyas is known for his comic timing.

"I've been often asked when I would be doing a serious kind of a film so, I am doing one now," said the Golmaal Again actor.

He will also be seen in a slice-of-life comedy titled Teen Do Paanch and a web series titled Baby Come Naa.

Hrithik Roshan becomes face of Tata Tigor car

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan will be the brand ambassador of the updated version of Tata Tigor car, automobile manufacturer Tata Motors announced on Friday.

The updated version of the compact sedan will be launched on 10 October.  

"I am honoured to be associated with the Tata Motors family and excited to be a part of this journey. Tata Tigor is a modern stylish sedan, with fantastic features," Hrithik said in a statement.

"I really like its coupe-inspired design, which gives it a very luxurious feel," he added.

On the association, Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, "Resonating with brand Hrithik Roshan, the new Tigor stands for versatility, consistent strong performance and unparalleled style."

Riteish, Dipannita play modern-day parents in short film

Actress Dipannita Sharma and actor Riteish Deshmukh will be seen as modern-day parents in the upcoming Y-Films' short film Pyaar Actually directed by Ashish Patil.

"It is a collection of four shorts. The one I'm in has Riteish Deshmukh with me. We play modern-day parents. I feel we often look at one aspect of love. It is so much more and that's what these shorts depict.

"Love is multi-dimensional. There are various things that can connect two people and that's what makes love what it is," Dipannita said in a statement.

Y-Films is the youth wing of Yash Raj Films.

Dipannita has earlier played a role in YRF's Ladies vs Ricky Bahl.

Shreyas, Aftab to star in 'Setters'

Actors Shreyas Talpade and Aftab Shivdasani will be seen sharing screen space in the upcoming film Setters.

The film also stars Sonnalli Seygall and Ishita Dutta. The shooting will start on 10 October, and the film's first look will be unveiled on Saturday.

"Time to start a new journey with Setters, with the first look out, we will hit the shooting floors on October 10," Shreyas tweeted.

The film will be directed by Ashwini Chaudhary, best known for Dhoop and Laado.

‘Jalebi' offers insight into Delhi, says director

First-time director Pushpdeep Bhardwaj, whose upcoming movie is titled Jalebi, says its story captures the nuance of the "beautiful" Delhi from an insider's point of view.

On the thought behind setting the story in Delhi, Pushpdeep said, "I was born and brought up in Delhi and lived for the longest before I shifted in Mumbai to have my career in film industry. So the way I know the city Delhi is way different from a touristy view. In the filmJalebi, I have offered that story of Delhi."

Being a theatre actor and director before joining the film industry, Bhardwaj did a lot of street theatre in the nooks and corners of Delhi. It lends a strong element of nostalgia.

"I tried to share my view on Delhi through the eyes of my protagonist Dev. He is a Delhi guy who takes tourists to food and heritage walks to unveil the other beautiful side of Delhi. And how he cannot let himself out of the city as he holds everything of the city close to his heart," Bhardwaj said.

The film features debutant actor Varun Mitra and actress Rhea Chakraborty.

Working under the mentorship of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was a privilege for Bhardwaj.

Asked about directing a newcomer like Varun, he said, "Though I was new in film direction, I knew my job and perhaps that is why I went on set with a certain confidence that gave all my actors a certain trust to submit themselves to my vision."

Since the director used to work in theatre, asked why he did not try his luck in acting, Bhardwaj said, "I am fascinated by the art of storytelling, and acting or performance is a part of that. It is not that I am not interested in acting anymore... It is just that I am loving the process of storytelling through film direction.

"Having said that, I am open to the opportunity of acting."

Produced by Vishesh Films, Jalebi is releasing on 12 October.

(SOURCE : IANS)