Richa Chadha praises Salman Khan for speaking against body-shaming on Bigg Boss 20: “Trolls cannot exist without us”

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Richa Chadha has praised Salman Khan for speaking out against online trolling and body-shaming during the latest Bigg Boss 20 Weekend Ka Vaar episode. Salman’s remarks on age, weight, appearance and motherhood have sparked conversations about the scrutiny faced by women, particularly new mothers, over their bodies.

Salman addressed the issue without naming anyone. Speaking about the tendency to troll people over different aspects of their lives, he said, “Why do you want to troll? Uske wazan par, uske looks par, uske khaandaan par, kisi ke smile par, kisi ke flop par, kisi ke maa banne par, aap apni upbringing dikha rahe ho."

His comments came amid online discussion around the trolling faced by Katrina Kaif following her appearance at the Ambani family's Ganpati celebrations with husband Vicky Kaushal. Katrina, who recently became a mother, was subjected to comments about her postpartum appearance and weight. Richa Chadha REACTS to Salman Khan’s comments Reacting to Salman’s remarks, Richa Chadha told News18 that she welcomed the actor addressing the issue. She also spoke about the role of men in online trolling and the scrutiny directed at women's bodies. “I didn’t know he spoke about it but it’s great! It’s a magnanimous thing to do. One shouldn’t pay heed. Poor men are so limited in their thinking capacities and they’ll never have the profound experience of giving birth," Richa said.

The actor also criticised people who mock women, particularly mothers, over changes in their bodies after childbirth. “They cannot exist without us. All of them came from a womb. In the natural order of things, if you start to make fun of mothers, it backfires very badly. Every single individual, who sat with a stupid paunch and a receding hairline and made comments on women’s bodies, is unhappy with their own body."

Richa's comments come from her own experience of dealing with body image pressures in the film industry. The actor has previously spoken about facing body-shaming and battling an eating disorder amid pressure to fit the conventional image associated with a Bollywood heroine.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Richa Chadha reveals how Musafiri evolved from being festival-centric to Mumbai-centric: “I realized there are a lot of topics to cover”

“Raazi characters aren’t any less patriotic than Dhurandhar’s,” says Meghna Gulzar; explains the difference

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Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has opened up about how films portray patriotism differently, comparing her 2018 directorial Raazi with the more action-driven Dhurandhar. According to Meghna, the difference lies in the stories being told rather than the level of patriotism displayed by their characters.

The filmmaker discussed the subject during her appearance on the podcast Learn By KK Create. Asked about Dhurandhar and whether her approach to patriotism differs from that seen in other films, Meghna said that the characters in Raazi are not less patriotic simply because their patriotism is expressed differently on screen.

“The difference is in the story. I don't think Raazi's characters aren't any less patriotic than Dhurandhar's characters. It is their actions because of the way the story is. That is how they are depicted. One does not have to be right, and the other has to be wrong. Patriotism and prayers don't need volume. And they aren't expressed in one particular way. Every individual has their own way of expression,” she said. Meghna Gulzar on patriotism and moral choices in Raazi Released in 2018, Raazi starred Alia Bhatt as Sehmat, a young Indian woman who is recruited as an undercover operative and sent to Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The film explores her mission through personal relationships, sacrifice and the moral consequences of her actions.

For Meghna, the character's patriotism does not necessarily translate into an absence of moral conflict. When asked whether there was a limit to the kind of patriotism she would portray on screen, she said the character's own boundaries were what mattered. “There is no limit. If the character does not have a limit, how will I have a limit? And there was no limit of Raazi's character's patriotism. She had a limit when it came to her moral compass,” Meghna said.

On the professional front, Meghna Gulzar is currently gearing up for her latest directorial, Daayra, which stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: “Meghna Gulzar gave me a character that had real weight; sharing screen space with Kareena Kapoor was an experience,” says Upendra Chauhan on Daayra

The Vvaan makers acquire sync rights after Sargam Vaish’s copyright claim over ‘Aigiri Nandini’

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The makers of The Vvaan: Force Of The Forrest have acquired the sync rights to a recording of ‘Aigiri Nandini’ after musician Sargam Vaish alleged that his master recording was used in the film’s trailer without his permission.

Vaish had raised the issue on September 20, when he took to Instagram and claimed that a recording of ‘Aigiri Nandini’ created by him had been used in the trailer of the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer without obtaining his consent. The recording, according to Vaish, was originally created for a Ram Gopal Varma film, and he holds the master rights to it. Balaji Motion Pictures legal team meets musician Within 24 hours of Vaish publicly raising the issue, Balaji Motion Pictures’ legal team met with the musician. Vaish told Mid-Day that executives and lawyers from Ektaa R Kapoor’s production house met him on the evening of September 21 and subsequently acquired the sync rights for the recording.

Speaking about the meeting, Vaish said, “Balaji’s executives and lawyers have been cooperative. We met them today; they were kind and apologetic, even though they didn’t cause [the leak]. They are taking the sync rights for the track. I am grateful for the fact that we were able to resolve it so smoothly.” Sargam Vaish says he was not approached for permission Vaish recalled being surprised when he heard his version of Aigiri Nandini in the trailer of the Deepak Kumar Mishra-directed feature. “This is the version I had created for Ram Gopal Varma’s film. I own the master rights. No one had approached me for an NOC or permission,” he said. Source of recording leak remains unknown While the sync rights have now been acquired, Vaish said that he and the concerned parties are still trying to determine how his recording reached the Vvaan team in the first place. “The source of the leak is not known to us yet. We are trying to trace how this happened,” he added.

The Vvaan: Force Of The Forrest stars Sidharth Malhotra in the lead and is directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra. The film is backed by Balaji Motion Pictures and is scheduled to release on September 25.

Also Read: Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia bring their dance moves to The Vvaan’s ‘Thummak Thummak’; song out now

EXCLUSIVE: Raghubir Yadav says they were “55% sure” about Panchayat’s success: “We just felt this is a very rare kind of a show”

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Veteran artiste Raghubir Yadav’s Om Ka Hari recently released in theatres. While speaking about the film in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, he also touched upon the success of his long-running web show Panchayat, which has already had four seasons with the fifth one in the making.

Yadav said that he could instantly relate with Panchayat when he was offered the first season since he has lived in such a scenario closely. “I have stayed in a village where there was no school,” he said. “My nanaji (maternal uncle) then made a school over there. I studied there. I have seen sarpanch and everyone over there; it was a beautiful atmosphere. Over there, I didn’t feel anyone was like a villain. People used to go about their lives in their own ways. They picked others’ mistakes but never wished anything bad happens to anyone.”

It was also the language of the script that impressed Yadav. “It was beautifully written. The language of Panchayat is so real that it doesn’t appear caricature. If they had made it caricature-ish, it wouldn’t have been such fun. Because of this, families are watching this show together. Kids are amazed to see this era,” he said.

The team of Panchayat, as Yadav said, didn’t think much about the response before the release of the first season. When asked how sure they were about the show’s success, Yadav said, “It was around 55%. Definitely more than 50%. We hadn’t thought about it becoming a hit. We just felt that this is a very rare kind of a show. We realized that if we didn’t make it like a caricature comedy and be truthful to it without making it look like acting, then it can become impressive. We managed to do that. We kept that atmosphere alive and that’s why people started liking it.”

Yadav has played various characters in his decades long career. About his selection criteria over the years, he said, “It should be something I have never done before. It should challenge me. I don’t enjoy if I am able to do it easily. It should give me sleepless nights (laughs). Doobne mein maza aata hai mujhe.”

When asked how he looks back at his enormous journey, the veteran said, “I just kept on learning. I didn’t think about reaching any goal because once you achieve it, it’s the end for you. I just felt like learning and having fun with it.”

Created by The Viral Fever, Panchayat also stars Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Sanvikaa, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy among others.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Raghubir Yadav on the personal reason for choosing Om Ka Hari, “I have stayed in UP, MP and Bihar villages and seen such conflicts”; also shares his simple yet effective role selection criteria

Bigg Boss 20: Sidharth Malhotra calls Kanika Mann a "true alpha"; says his mom is watching her journey

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Bigg Boss 20 contestant Kanika Mann received a special shoutout from Sidharth Malhotra during the latest Weekend Ka Vaar episode. The actor, who appeared on the show with Tamannaah Bhatia to promote their upcoming film The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, spoke to the contestants and had a few words of appreciation for Kanika.

During his interaction with the housemates, Sidharth praised Kanika's personality and the way she has been conducting herself inside the Bigg Boss house. He referred to her as a “true alpha” and also revealed that his mother has been following her journey on the reality show.

The shoutout came as Kanika continues to navigate the various equations and disagreements inside the Bigg Boss house. The actress has frequently expressed her opinions during conversations with fellow contestants and has been involved in several discussions as the season progresses.

Sidharth's mention of his mother watching Kanika's journey added a personal touch to the interaction. His appreciation also gave Kanika a moment of recognition during the Weekend Ka Vaar episode.

Meanwhile, Sidharth and Tamannaah appeared on the show as part of the promotions for The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest. Their appearance included interactions with Salman Khan and the contestants, with Kanika's shoutout emerging as one of the highlights for the actress.

For Kanika, the moment marked a notable interaction with Sidharth, particularly after the actor acknowledged her presence and personality on the show.

Nikkhil Advani reveals many Gen Z viewers want a Chandni Chowk To China sequel: “They saw Akshay Kumar fighting a giant potato and somehow it worked for them”

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Nikkhil Advani began his career as an assistant director before making a smashing directorial debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). After helming several significant films, he switched gears and carved a niche for himself in the OTT space with shows like Mumbai Diaries, Freedom at Midnight and the recently released The Revolutionaries. He has also produced acclaimed shows such as The Empire, Rocket Boys and Adhura, along with films like Airlift (2016) and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway (2023), further adding to his impressive body of work. In a recent interview, Nikkhil opened up like never before about his family migrating from Sindh during the Partition and also spoke about how younger generations are reacting to his films.

After Kal Ho Naa Ho, Nikkhil Advani’s next directorial was Salaam-E-Ishq (2007), followed by Chandni Chowk To China (2009). The latter, starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, didn’t receive a favourable response from the audience at the time. However, Nikkhil revealed that Gen Z viewers have since appreciated the film, with many even asking him to make a sequel to Chandni Chowk To China.

Nikkhil Advani told Mumbai Mirror, “The people asking me for a Chandni Chowk sequel today were four years old when it was released (laughs). They didn’t care about narrative structure; they just saw Akshay Kumar [who plays a chef in the film] fighting a giant potato and somehow it worked for them.”

In the same interview, the acclaimed filmmaker revealed that in the summer of 1947, just before the Partition, his great-grandfather flew with his whole family from Sindh to Mumbai, before the former became a part of Pakistan.

Nikkhil Advani also revealed that during the journey, his grandfather carried a heavy money belt strapped around his waist. The money was not his savings. According to the article, “He worked for Habib Bank, which was shifting its headquarters to Karachi at Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s behest”. Hence, he was entrusted to deliver the cash to its Bombay branch. And his grandfather "handed over every rupee".

Also Read: Akshay Kumar and Vipul Shah’s Samuk takes authenticity to another level in London; makers use REAL helicopter for dramatic sequence instead of VFX

Sameer recalls David Dhawan’s reaction to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s title song: "Bada ganda gaana likha hai tune, yaar!"

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Lyricist Sameer had a conversation with Komal Nahta and spoke about the banners and filmmakers he particularly enjoyed working with over the years. Sameer said, “I had a wonderful time working with Yash Chopra and his production house. I haven’t done a lot of work with them; I wrote songs for Aaina (1993), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dhoom (2004), Dhoom 2 (2006) and Dhoom 3 (2013). Unke yahaan kaam karne ka mazaa hai kyunki bahut sensibility ke saath kaam hota hai. While working with them, you’d feel like you are a part of their family. They understand cinema, the craft, lyrics, poetry, etc.”

Sameer continued, “I wrote 3 films for B R Chopra – Kal Ki Awaz (1992), Baghban (2003) and Baabul (2006). I can’t tell you the contribution of Chopra saab during Baghban. I had a good time working with Karan Johar. I only did two films with him – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Lekin jo kaam karne ki samajh uss aadmi mein hai, khaas kar music ko leke, it's praiseworthy.”

Sameer revealed, “At one point, Jatin-Lalit almost quit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. They were pressurized by the presence so many stars of different generations. I told them, ‘Yeh film aap log mat chodo. Bas Karan ko follow karo’. That’s what I did. The song ‘Say Shava Shava’ was difficult as it had so many actors – Amit ji bhi hai, Jaya ji bhi hai, Shah Rukh bhi hai, Rani bhi hai, Kajol bhi hai. But that man (Karan Johar) narrates so minutely that it became very easy. Mujhe pata bhi nahin chala maine Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ke gaane kab likh diye!”

Sameer then started, “The first song of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was released, was, ‘Tum Paas Aaye, Yun Muskuraaye’. David Dhawan heard the song. He called and told me, ‘Bada ganda gaana likha hai tune, yaar. Meri picture mein aisa gaana likhna mat’ (laughs)! I asked him, ‘Teri picture ka gaana hai? Tu kyun pareshan ho raha hai? Jaane de na’. He said, ‘Meri film ke gaane bhi release hue hain. Uss film ke music ko khatam nahin kar diya toh tu mujhe bata’!”

The film David Dhawan mentioned was Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) and Sameer wrote the songs for it as well. Sameer added, “Both films (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan) were released on the same day and the songs of both the movies were blockbusters.”

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