It was a low-key birthday celebrations for Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in Yerwada jail on Tuesday. The actor could not meet his relatives on his birthday as it was a holiday for jail on the occasion of Ramzan Eid. However, Dutt received 55 letters from his fans as he turned 55 today. His family has also sent him a greeting card.
Dutt was convicted by TADA court in Mumbai in April, 2013 after the Supreme Court convicted him in the Mumbai 1993 bomb blasts and sentence him imprisonment for 42-months. He is severing his imprisonment in Yerawada central prison from May, 2013.
This is the second consecutive birthday of Dutt which he is celebrating his birthday in prison. Last year after his birthday his wife Manyata had come to meet him but this time being Ramzan Eid Jail had holiday and there was no arrangement for family for meeting the relatives. Last year, on his birthday, Manyata had tattooed his name on her finger and this year she has kept a puja. Three weeks back, Dutt sister Priya had come to meet him in jail.
A jail sources said, "On Monday itself Dutt had received some 56 letters including his fan and his wife's letter along with handmade greeting card by children. 55 letters are written to him by his fans who wished him Happy birthday and some of the letters there are phrases, Dutt sketches, his dialogues and motivation talks. On Tuesday, Dutt got up around 6.30 am for his break-fast and was reading his wife letters and children greeting card. Today he had holiday for his work and prefer to be alone. He was weeping and reading the same letters repeated times."
He added, "On Tuesday, jail inamtes have a special menu as they are going to be served Sheer Khurma for lunch and dinner. Dutt did not had his lunch properly and did not smoke. Later in noon found writing letters to his wife and was chanting god names. When asked the reason he claimed his daughter is unwell and praying for children long life."
The Indian tennis player after being chosen as a brand ambassador stirred a controversy and the Kick actor tweeted in her support
Salman Khan might be busy with his latest release Kick, but he certainly has time for his fellow Indians. Recently when Telangana government chose Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador, it erupted quite a controversy. BJP Leader K Laxman described her as ‘non-local’ and ‘Pakistan’s daughter-in-law.’ Well, that’s quite unjust as the tennis player who brought fame to India was very much born in India. Gauahar Khan, Riteish Deshmukh among others tweeted in support. And now, even Salman Khan, who doesn’t tweet as regularly as his other contemporaries, has voiced out his support for Sania Mirza. He tweeted, “Wah yaarrr! sania mirza , kamaal karti ho . Like the spirit , issse bolteh hain kick ass . .”
Well, despite a hectic schedule, Salman tweeted in Sania’s support. Now that’s what we call being human!
Sushant Singh Rajput takes a long, hard look at Bollywood and comes away optimistic, nevertheless
Sushant Singh Rajput
He is the outsider. Sushant Singh Rajput is from Mumbai, but he doesn't have a Bollywood background or any godfather. His godmother in television, if she can be called that, was Ekta Kapoor, who gave him his first break in acting in her TV soapPavitra Rishta. He got his Bollywood break in Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che. He has finished shooting for Raj Kumar Hirani'sP.K. Now he is shooting for Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, produced by YRF and is slated to shoot for Shekhar Kapoor's Paani.
Sushant gives us an insight into how from being a nobody, he is one of the most successful young actors today:
It's precisely out of love that I gave up my very promising career in engineering and ended up here in Bollywood. I am giving the rest of my life to it, so I better be serious and the reason for me to keep going better be love.
I believe that, no matter how insanely big the dream is, if one advances confidently in the direction of it and endeavours to live the life he has imagined, he would meet a success unexpected in commoners. And the other lesson for me is to learn not to be so careful. Initially it was because I felt I didn't belong and I used to get very uncomfortable. I am not much of a smooth talker. I keep my cellphone off for months when I am shooting for a film, so now people have stopped calling me to events and parties.
There are so many things the people outside don't know about us actors. I want to mention a few... I guess actors are very brave. It takes a lot to expose your inner emotions (which may, at times, even be embarrassing, personal emotions too) in front of the camera and a group of strangers. Actors are also insecure and clueless about it. Most of the time, they are not sure what exactly it is they doing right to be where they are. Lastly, what most people don't know about actors is that we are extremely ambitious. The quality of dreaming very big with absolute certainty, more often than not, is inherent in most actors.
There were times in my high school when I would allow myself to think what would it be like if I chose to be an actor (or a hero, to be more precise) but it was always short-lived, because of the strong inertia of making it big academically, that was always there, if you belong to a low middle class family as I was. It took me a lot of effort to get into a premier engineering college, secretly discovering my calling in theatre and professional dancing (the family didn't have a clue) in order to bring myself to decide to take the final plunge. My family got the shock of their lives but they finally supported me unconditionally.
The best thing about acting is enjoying the art and to understand the experiences you had had in your lives in a completely different manner... It's magical... And the privileges this career brings you - all the fame, money and stuff, well, it's overwhelming. The worst thing about the film industry is that unintentionally it cultivates greed and envy. You constantly have to make plans to be ahead at your game, and life is what happens when you are busy making these plans.
I don't miss having a godfather in Bollywood because honestly, till now I didn't have to face a situation where I would wish that. I could call everyone from Mr Aditya Chopra, Mr Shekhar Kapur, Mr Dibakar Banerjee, Mr Rajkumar Hirani, to Mr Maneesh Sharma and Mr Abhishek Kapoor - my Godfathers. People who have given me some of my biggest breaks in life are Shiamak Davar for liberating me of my stage fright and giving me the first chance to have a rendezvous with Bollywood, Ekta Kapoor for telling me that I could make it BIG here and giving me my first break in TV, casting director Mukesh Chabra and Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) for Kai Po Che.
I remember my first day of shoot in Kai Po Che very vividly, I was extremely nervous because I had heard 'TV actors can't make it to films' so many times in my life that I was wondering what if it actually was true. The scene was my character Ishaan who was talking to a bunch of cricket enthusiasts. I stuck to the basics and I heard Gattu saying 'Okay' with a smile immediately after the first take. I felt so relieved!
Ankita, without an iota of doubt, is the most special person in my life. It's so strange that I didn't have to plan and work hard for the best gift I have in my life. The only thing what makes me believe that the popular belief in destiny might actually be true... My normal day is a simple one. I watch many films everyday, read a lot, spend time with Ankita, meetings, narrations, preparation for the next film and video games. I love them!
I want to say this to young, aspiring actors looking for a break in Bollywood... Nothing - absolutely nothing - beats passion! Dream BIG, back it up with massive preparation and undying belief and be always aware of the first reason you wanted to be an actor.
Mumbai, July 25: Pakistani model-actress Humaima Malick, who is making her Bollywood debut with forthcoming Emraan Hashmistarrer “Raja Natwarlal“, a thriller, seems to be in awe of the way Bollywood’s ‘serial kisser’ romances onscreen. She says he’s good at romance.
“Emraan teases a lot. He bullies you a lot, but the good thing about him is that he is good at romance,” Humaima, who has shared some passionate kissing scenes with the actor in the film, said in an interview. ”He is a very cool person, a very good co-star,” added the 26-year-old.
Further, praising Emraan’s professionalism and work, Humaimasaid: “He gives you your space (while working), doesn’t teach you. I have worked with lot of actors who give their input in your scenes, but he does not do that and leaves you in your own space and leaves the rest on the director.”
Produced by UTV Motion Pictures and directed by Kunal Deshmukh, “Raja Natwarlal” also features Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon. It will hit the theatres Aug 29
25th July 2014 (London): TVPlayer, the fastest growing free live streaming platform in the UK with over 40 channels, announces it has expanded its popular DESI pack, by licensing leading channels Zing and Lamhe from the world's most watched South Asian Entertainment Network - ZEE Entertainment.
Zing is the number one British Asian Bollywood Lifestyle channel in the UK offering an exciting mix of shows. With local shows, Bollywood entertainment, movies, drama and music, its essence covers an innovative blend of programming. Last month, the channel ranked as top third channel in the South Asian TV market, with a monthly reach of 1,048,000 in June (Source: BARB). TVPlayer audiences can now enjoy regular Bollywood updates on ‘Zing Bollywood Now', ‘Bollywood Life', and ‘Bollywood Business', get the UK's take on Bollywood with ‘Brit's Bollywood', as well as catch the latest glamour trends on ‘Trendsetters'. Viewers can also get up close and personal with Bollywood celebrities on ‘Fanography'' and lots more.
Lamhe is ZEE's latest addition to its bouquet of channels. It showcases the very best of South-Asian entertainment aimed at viewers who love to watch drama, classic Bollywood movies as well as lifestyle programmes. Viewers can enjoy award-winning shows such as ‘Astitva (Identity)' and ‘Kasamh Se' (Promise), as well as culinary highlights with ‘Great Chefs of India'.
TVPlayer launched its DESI pack to cater for the growing popularity of South-Asian channels such as Zing and Lamhe. As part of the licensing agreement, TVPlayer has obtained live streaming, catch-up and network PVR rights in advance of a platform wide update scheduled to launch later in the year.
Neeraj Dhingra, CEO, Europe: "ZEE entertains 700+ million viewers across 169 countries. Our channels Zing and Lamhe offer a distinct set of programmes that differentiates them from others in the market making them a great addition to TVPlayer platform. The content on both is aimed at a wide cross-section of the audience of all age groups and we are making it accessible across various types of platforms."
Lewis Arthur, Platform Manager of TVPlayer, says, "Zing and Lamhe have a huge fan-base in the UK and we are excited to provide another platform for their users to view great Bollywood shows and the best of Drama through these channels. Our DESI pack has been popular since we launched on TVPlayer, indicating the consistent and growing demand for this content in the UK."
About TVPlayer:
TVPlayer is an OTT platform launched in the UK by Simplestream, which streams live TV across multiple devices from some of the UK's favourite free-to-air broadcasters.
About ZEE Entertainment:
Launched in 1995, Zee Network, UK was the first South Asian Entertainment Network of its kind. Since then it has grown in popularity and become synonymous with South Asian entertainment. Zee has continually entertained and engages audiences with a unique blend of high-quality, localised and innovative programming. It also offers the world's largest Hindi film library, with an option of English and French subtitles. Worldwide Zee reaches 169 countries and more than 700 million viewers through a global entertainment network.
Zee is amongst the largest producers and aggregators of Hindi and other South Asian regional language programming in the world. With its commitment to meet audience needs, it has brought five entertainment channels to the UK viewers
About Zing:
UK's No.1 British Asian Lifestyle Channel featuring playlists comprising local shows, Bollywood hits and classics, British Asian music and Asian music videos, Bollywood movies, behind the scene shows and lots more. Available on Virgin Media 813 and free on Sky 789 and Freesat 663. Also available on your mobile for FREE on Yamgo TV www.yamgo.mobi/zing. The Zing website also hosts the latest Bollywood news and gossip www.zingtv.co.uk, with the latest info also on the Zing TV UK Facebook and Twitter pages.
About Lamhe:
Showcasing only the best of South-Asian entertainment, free, with classic Dramas, path-setting Bollywood Classics, plus lifestyle, travel, cookery and more. Lamhe features some of the most popular and award-winning shows, including classics such as - Astitva, Saat Phere and Piya Ka Ghar. Available on Virgin Media 811 and free on Sky 798. Also on Freeview channel 53 in the Manchester region. Available on your mobile for FREE on Yamgo TV http://yamgo.mobi/lamhe.
Finally, in the talk show Ek Mulaqat of DD News, Salman Khan did not shy away from accepting that may be he will never marry in his life.
The actor reportedly also said that he has no interest in politics; neither does he wish to direct movies but will continue acting.
It was in the same talk show in the year 2010, Deepika Padukone considered Salman is the real 'Lafanga' though he has many good qualities that can be inspiration for others.
In his full length interview which will be featured on DD News today at 9:30 pm and tomorrow at 11:30pm, the versatile actor has freely opened himself and said that he will prefer investing his time for the well-being of children.
He is happy with his social work that he is doing through 'Being Human' and wishes to adopt few more places where he can actively engage himself for the betterment of children.
Ek Mulaqat is the weekly talk show of DD News, which is aired every Saturday at 9:30pm and the repeat telecast is on Sunday at 11:30pm.
The show has been on air since 2010 and has hosted many known personalities in the past as several Indian Cabinet Ministers, Members of Indian Parliament, industrialists and Bollywood personalities have featured in this programme. These include Ambika Soni, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Naveen Jindal, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone, Javed Akhtar, Mohinder Amarnath, and Dr. S.Y. Quraishi. (ANI)
The Bhaag Milkha Bhaag star recently tweeted about Fawad Khan joining the worldwide social networking site
Twitter is being flooded by B-town celebs and after Arjun Kapoor, the latest one to join the list is Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan.
The Zindagi Gulzar Hai fame received a warm welcome on the social networking site by co-star Sonam Kapoor who tweeted about the same which read,” Guess who’s on twitter!!! It’s Fawad khan!!! Please follow the handsomest nicest smartest and most charming @_fawadakhan_ #khoobsurat.”
The fashionista has a hand full of appealing adjectives to shell out for the Khan lad no doubt. Well isn’t she the warmest B-town babe on the block?
Sonam and Fawad will be seen sharing screen space together in their upcoming film Khoobsuratwhich is a remake of the former Rekha starrer with the same title. The film is set to release on September 12.
Sushant Singh Rajput
