Here’s how Varun Mitra bagged the role in Jalebi!

Varun Mitra is all set to star in the upcoming romantic film, Jalebi that also stars Rhea Chakraborty and Digangana Suryavanshi.

Gurmeet Choudhary to play a bureaucrat in Star Plus' next..

Gurmeet Choudhary, whose last fiction outing was 'Punar Vivah' made his Bollywood debut with Mahesh Bhatt's 'Khamoshiyan'. The actor is all set to back on small screen with Star Plus's upcoming show 'Swadhinta'..

Anupam Kher finds Arjumman Mughal promising..

For an upcoming actress to get praise from a super-talent like Anupam Kher is quite a moment of thrill and joy. And that's what Arjumman Mughal experienced when she attended a theatre screening of Kher's new play Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha.

Sharman Joshi replaced by Gurmeet Choudhary in the erotic thriller Hate Story 3..

Dashing actor Gurmeet Choudhary, who rose to fame from Imagine TV's mythological show 'Ramayan' made his Bollywood debut earlier this year from  Mahesh Bhatt's horror flick 'Khamoshiyan'. Now, as per the latest buzz, he has been roped in to play parallel lead in the next installment of  'Hate Story'...

Mahesh Bhatt encourages debate on censorship at Elevate 2015

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Filmmaker-activist Mahesh Bhatt moderated a lively debate on the topic of censorship with Bollywood stalwarts Amit Khanna, Sudhir Mishra, Bhawana Somaaya, Anu Ranjan and Ketan Mehta making their stand at The Third Eye's program Elevate 2015, the second annual conclave held at The Club, Mumbai, this week.

IN PICS: Mahesh Bhatt, Gurmeet Choudhary & Ali Fazal spread cheer in Bigg Boss house..

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Mahesh Bhatt, Gurmeet Choudhary and Ali Fazal went on the sets of Bigg Boss Halla Bol inorder to promote their upcoming movie 'Khamoshiyan'.

Why Debina Bonnerjee's steamy scenes are removed from Khamoshiyan?

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Dashing hunk Gurmeet Chowdhary is all set to take a leap of faith and is making silver screen debut with Mahesh Bhatt's Khamoshiyan. Interestingly, his wife Debina Bonnerjee has been paired with Ali Fazal’s.

COLORS weaves a tale of freedom with “Udānn”

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For those who learn to overcome their fears, freedom beckons. Bringing alive this emotion of freedom, COLORS announces the launch of Udānn – the tale of Chakor, a free-spirited young girl whose existence is pawned by her helpless and poverty-stricken desperate family when in her mother’s womb, as collateral for money. Through Udānn, COLORS brings a heartwarming story addressing the social issue of bonded labour, widely prevalent in the world even in the 21st century. Conceptualized by ace director Mahesh Bhatt, Udann marks the journey of 7-year-old Chakor as she rises like a phoenix towards her dreams to showcase a mind without fear. Produced by Dhaval Jayantilal Gada and Guroudev Bhalla Productions Pvt. Ltd., the show has been written by award-winning writers Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddiqui. Udānn is all set to sear through our hearts starting 18th August, 2014 and will air every Monday to Saturday at 8.30 PM on COLORS.

Commenting on the show, Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS said, “We at COLORS have always taken the baton on creating awareness on social issues since the channel first launched 6 years back. The various issues we have addressed through our shows have since become a voice of change which has positively influenced audiences across the country. Udānn is our newest attempt to highlight issues and practices which continue to plague our country even today. Through Chakor, our young protagonist, we are looking forward to create awareness about bonded labour and its implications on the society and the lives of those who have been affected by it. We hope that the audiences will join Chakor on her journey from innocence, realization, hope, freedom and achievement.”

Set against the rustic backdrop in the hinterland of Uttar Pradesh where bonded labor is dominant, Udānn is an honest rendition of life and society. Bringing to light the innocence of a young but sharp-minded child, Chakor whose unhindered zest for life strengthens when faced with challenges at the hands of the Rajvanshi family headed by the zamindar Kamalnarayan, her story celebrates the spirit of survival and hope.

Caught between the social divide of the rich and the poor, the resilient story of Chakor takes flight amidst a restrained childhood with her parents Kasturi and Bhuvan, and growing up in a Zamindar’s household she has been pledged into. A political representative ironically entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the interest of the downtrodden, the zamindar and with his wife make Chakor the village’s sole child bonded laborer. Unaware of the circumstances which have led to her being wagered, Chakor experiences a gamut of emotions as she struggles to take wings and find her rightful place under the sun.

Speaking about the concept of Udānn, creative genius and ace director Mahesh Bhatt said, “Nothing communicates better than the truth. Through Udānn, we hope to create an advocacy for the liberation of women as they fight against injustice. Chakor is a young girl who wants to fly even though she has been mortgaged while she was still in her mother’s womb. She finds herself pitted against the entire world as she stands tall against a practice which cripples human aspirations.”

Adding to this, Prashant Bhatt, Weekday Programming Head – COLORS said, “Social issues like bonded labor is widely prevalent even in 21st century urbanized India and needs to be brought to fore and fought against. Udānn narrates a tale about the life of Chakor who has a strong survival instinct which keeps her sailing through the toughest situations. Her rebellious yet endearing nature proves that simplicity and innocence together will make for an attractive viewing proposition for audiences. In Chakor’s story that represents the unrealized hopes of countless Indians, suppressed by this barbaric practice of bonded-labor, viewers are sure to find an inspiring story of hope and resilience.”

Producers for the show Dhaval Jayantilal Gada and Guroudev Bhalla said, “Telling a story like Udānn requires a lot of heart, courage and conviction. A lot of research has gone into ensuring that the story is told in the right spirit and we have worked closely with NGOs fighting against bonded labor to ensure realistic representation. In our endeavor to bring alive a true to life story we have maintained an authenticity in treatment ensuring relatability across all aspects including visual conceptualization, scale and narrative. Beautifully conceptualized by Mahesh Bhatt and written by Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddiqui, Udānn is a true labor of love.”

Through Udānn, COLORS celebrates the strength of a girl who is free spirited, forward thinking and has a positive outlook towards life as she emerges stronger when faced with trials and tribulations. The show features relatable characters that bring to life the struggles of bonded laborers and the nature of their relationship with different pivotal characters in the show.

Udānn brings together power-packed performances by a strong ensemble cast who will be instrumental in the life of lead actor Chakor (Spandan Chaturvedi). The initial episodes of the show will focus on Chakor’s relationship with her warmhearted mother Kasturi (Sai Deodhar-Anand), her weak and under-confident father Bhuvan (Rajiv Kumar) and her strong willed younger sister and playmate Imli (Tasheen Shah). As Chakor’s life reaches crossroads at the tender age of 7, she moves into the home of the cruel and short-tempered zamindar Kamalnarayan Singh (Sai Ballal) and his shrewd authoritarian wife Rajnandini Singh (Prachee Pathak). Here she finds solace in Shakuntala Singh (Suhasini Mulay), the zamindar’s mother and a strict follower of Gandhian principles. As the story progresses, Chakor will undertake a journey that will change not only her life but also challenge the concept of bonded labor.

Udānn is another path-breaking show and COLORS will leave no stone unturned to ensure that Udānn achieves widespread reach across India and make the show the talk of the town. The show will see a robust high decibel 360 degree marketing campaign, pan India, that will effectively leverage all mediums like outdoor, on-air, radio and digital to garner mind space of the viewer.

Copyright © 2014 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu

Colors' Udaan based on Mahesh Bhatt's unfinished film Girvi

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Colors' is coming up with another power-packed-women-centric show. It is said that the show is based on Mahesh Bhatt's unfinished film Girvi. Pooja Bhatt and Ajay Devgan was supposed to play the lead roles in the film. Unfortunately it could not be finished to financial difficulties.

Gurudev Bhalla, requested Mahesh that he wanted to make serial based on his film, to which Bhatt agreed.

Girvi, was about how an unborn boy from a poor family is mortgaged to a zamidar. Ajay Devgan was playing the protagonist. However, Colors' made a lil change in the script, in Udaan the instead of boy, an unborn girl child is pawned.

For those uninitiated, Udaan is co-written by Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddiqui (who have penned films like Baazigar and Koi Mil Gaya). Sai Deodhar Anand plays the mother and Rajiv Kumar her husband in the show.

-K Himaanshu Shukla...

Copyright © 2014 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu

'Aashiqui 2' shooting to start from next month

Mumbai, July 4 (IANS) Filmmaker Mohit Suri will start shooting for "Aashiqui 2" from next month with Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor in the lead roles, and says that the musical is not a sequel to 1990 hit romantic saga "Aashiqui".

Sharing the information, Suri told IANS " 'Aashiqui 2' will go on floors by next month. We are planning to shoot the film in Goa, Mumbai and Cape Town".

He also said that "Aashiqui 2" is "not a sequel" to 'Aashiqui'.

"It's a new story. The only similarity is the music and the love story. There are seven to eight songs in the film. It's a musical."

Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal starrer "Aashiqui" was not only a box office success, all the songs from the film, including "Ek sanam chahiye" and "Nazar ke saamne jigar ke", were super hits.

Earlier, Suri had announced that he would make the film with fresh faces.  Giving reasons for casting Shradha and Aditya, he said: "Earlier, we were planning to launch fresh star cast, but it didn't work. As far as these two are concerned, they have just done two to three films. They both fit the bill perfectly."

Copyright © 2012 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu

Karan Johar over-shoots ‘SOTY’, feels he’s making a sequel

Mumbai, June 28 (IANS) Filmmaker Karan Johar says he has shot a lot of extra footage for his directorial venture “Student Of The Year” - so much so that he feels like he is simultaneously making a sequel to the movie.

“We have some days of shooting still left. I think I am making a sequel along with the film. I think its a never-ending saga… though its a fun-frolic, happy film. But I may have overshot it a tad,” Johar told IANS.

The film serves as a launch pad for three newcomers in tinsel town - model Siddharth Malhotra, Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter Alia and David Dhawan’s son Varun.

In the past week, Johar has been busy shooting the publicity campaign for the comedy and deciding upon its posters. But he loves the vibes he gets on the set with the young blood.

“I feel I am in a new phase of production which is great for Dharma Productions. We are doing great collaborations and I am directing fantastic newcomers in the film. So I am charged about it.

“I feel I’m blessed. I’m in a profession that lets me sing, dance, laugh and cry and still be at work. I don’t think I could be more fortunate than this,” he added.

Meanwhile, he is also busy judging dance reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5″ - his first venture on TV post his hit, glossy, celebrity chat show “Koffee With Karan”.

How does he manage the time. “I’m in the middle of too many things. ‘Jhalak…’ shoot happens one day a week. And fortunately I am doing a film with newcomers, so I can shuttle their dates around. So I can do ‘Jhalak…’, because I have the leverage to do that. It’s great fun,” said the 40-year-old.

The film is being co-produced by Karan and Shahrukh Khan.

"To read more about Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Click Here"

Copyright © 2012 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu

Porn star Sunny Leone's website 'Indianised' after stint on Bigg Boss

Currently lodged in Bigg Boss, international porn star Sunny Leone has a new trick up her sleeve for her official website. This week, the site saw a bit of a revamp and a ‘new look’ with a special banner having sentences added in Hindi on the home page.

Obviously, the porn sensation, who plans to make a big splash in the Indian market, is aiming to spruce up her brand and image and make it slightly India-compatible, while retaining its core porn-USPs, before she makes her Bollywood debut after Bigg Boss.

“Sunny Leone is in the business of exposure and awareness. Entertainment and hype are her tools and ammunition,” remarks celebrity publicist Dale Bhagwagar; a specialist with Bigg Boss, having handled the media for the maximum number of controversial celebrities on reality shows including Shilpa Shetty (during Big Brother), Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Ashmit Patel, Sherlyn Chopra, Pooja Misrra and Amar Upadhyay (Bigg Boss).

“Make no mistake! India is a huge and lucrative market for Brand Sunny Leone. Though Sunny is based out of Canada, we should not forget that she is born Karen Malhotra and has Indian origins. With her appearance and demure behaviour on India’s biggest reality show Bigg Boss, she is obviously trying to sanitize and Indianize her porn star brand and image,” the Bollywood PR expert points out.

“The new Indianized look of her international website with Hindi lines added on the new improved homepage, is just a step further in that direction,” he adds.

Sunny has already expressed her intentions of entering Bollywood. Dale even asserts that his sources tell him that apart from Mahesh Bhatt, who discussed his forthcoming film Jism 2 with Sunny on Bigg Boss, even Salman Khan is planning a film with her.

“So whether the conservatives like it our not, the time has come to accept Sunny Leone as part of our entertainment industry. In fact, from a PR point of view, further resistance from Indian audiences will only translate into more power to her existence in the Indian entertainment industry,” Dale analyses.

-K Himaanshu Shukla..
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Copyright © 2011 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu

Bipasha and Bhatts decided to let bygones be bygones..!

It seems the bad blood between Hot Bipasha Basu and Bhatt’s is now vanished. She started her career with Ajnabee and got fame from Bhatt’s Raaz and now after almost a decade the lady is returning to Bhatt’s.   Rumours had been doing rounds for quite some time about Bips and Bhatt’s Narazgi because of Murder 2. Now the latest buzz is that she has signed up for the 3rd installment of Raaz. The dusky beauty had done blockbusters like Jism and Raaz with Bhatt Camp. Raaz 3 will be directed by Vikram Bhatt, they are planning to make it in 4D.

On micro blogging, Vikram Bhatt shared his enthusiasm about roping in Emraan, Jacqueline and Bipasha for Raaz 3. He said, "So it is official now...the cast of Raaz 3- Emraan, Jacqueline and ..... Bipasha Basu!"

He added, "Bipasha fans out there! How do you like the name Shanaya for her Character in Raaz 3?"

Vikram Bhatt says, “Our film Raaz was a block buster, Bipasha is a very important part of our team that created the magic on silver screen. I am extremely happy to be working with her again and hope to create the same enchantment with the already thrilling pair of Emraan Hashmi and Jacqueline Fernandes.”

 “Raaz brought recognition to both Vikram and Bipasha, Raaz-3 is a homecoming for them. I accept we had few issues earlier, but that’s ok sometimes we fight with friends and family, alterations need to be made.  Bipasha uttered a desire to work with us again and when we narrated Raaz 3 script she loved it. The character of Shanaya is a very challenging and powerful role for her,” Mukesh Bhatt said.

Bong Babe Bipsy confirmed the news, “I have a long and fruitful association with Vishesh films. I am very affectionate of both Mahesh ji and Mukesh ji, they have given me two of my best films Jism and Raaz. It was only a matter of time before we worked together. Vishesh films is like home so I thought of working with my own people gives me a high.”

She tweeted, "A big shout out to a dear friend thevikrambhatt! Do welcome him to twitterverse! Looking forward to Raaz 3.”

It seems after breaking up with John Abraham B-Town star has decided to revamp her career all over again.  Bips and Bhatt decision to let bygones be bygones and working together with open arms will make horror flick Raaz-3 hotter.

We wish third installment of the hit franchise will put the fire on Silver screen again.

-K Himaanshu Shukla..

Copyright © 2011 - ScrutinyByKHimaanshu