Latest Bollywood Updates

[Crystal]

The next schedule of Rohit Shetty’s ambitious cop web show Indian Police Force is currently taking place in Hyderabad, as per the latest update given to us by an insider. Sidharth Malhotra, who plays the lead character in the Amazon Prime Video show, is in the capital of the Telangana state for the same.

According to sources, a huge set has been erected at the iconic Ramoji Rao Film City for the shoot. But that’s not all. This particular schedule is so vital that the makers will be spending as much as Rs. 20 crores on it. As per Shetty’s specialization, there will be car chase sequences too, along with other high-octane action and stunt scenes.

After finishing this schedule of the Indian Police Force, Sidharth will get involved in his much-hyped and anticipated marriage with actress Kiara Advani scheduled for February 2023.

Indian Police Force is the web series debut for both Shetty and Sidharth. The show also stars Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty in pivotal roles.

Last year, when Sidharth appeared on Karan Johar’s TV show Koffee With Karan, he was asked if there is any director he would be willing to call to get a role, he responded that he did that with Rohit Shetty. “Well, I did call up Rohit Shetty. Today we are working together,” he said on the show.

Also Read: Rohit Shetty films high octane action-scenes with Sidharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty, Nikitin Dheer for Indian Police Force, watch video

 

[Crystal]

On December 31, 2022, XDReams exclusively broke the news about Nana Patekar playing a pivotal role in Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming movie The Vaccine War, along with Pallavi Joshi, Gopal Singh and Divya Seth. It is now learnt that for a large number of characters in the film, the makers have cast real people who put in their blood and sweat to help fellow Indians during the COVID-19 pandemic phase and also those who worked towards producing the vaccine for the same virus against various odds.

Throwing more light on the casting of the film, the makers quoted a source saying, “These are the Sikh volunteers who helped cremate dead people during second wave, risking their lives. They also volunteered to work in our film and helped us recreate exact scenarios.”

From the sets of #TheVaccineWar.
Independence Day. 2023. pic.twitter.com/8rySVpKfz9

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 4, 2023

Sharing the reason for casting real-life heroes, the source added, “Since The Vaccine War is a true story, we are casting real people as much as we can. We want this true story to be a collaborative film with true warriors of India. It’s going to be the first film of ‘true story’ genre in India based on intensive research in collaboration with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions. The Vaccine War is a genuine attempt to raise the bar of Indian cinema and use films as the soft power of India.”

The Vaccine War will be released this year during Independence Day on 15 August in as many as 11 languages.

Also Read: BREAKING: Nana Patekar plays the lead role in Vivek Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War

 

[Crystal]

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez is part of the ongoing Rs. 200 crore money laundering case related to conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. The actress appeared before Patiala Court in New Delhi on January 6, 2023, in the ongoing case. The actress has appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) several times for multiple rounds of questioning. The court adjourned a brief hearing on December 20, 2022.

The actress was spotted at the religious shrine - Vaishno Devi - in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week before appearing in the court. Earlier, it was reported that the court granted the actress bail in the money laundering case, citing the accused for not arrested during the investigation.

According to a report in News18 earlier, a fixed deposit worth Rs. 7.12 crore was allegedly attached to Jacqueline Fernandez’ name. In fact, the ED estimated that Sukesh gifted gifts “worth Rs. 5.71 crore to Jacqueline using the extortion money. It is also said that Sukesh gave funds close to $173,000 and around 27,000 Australian dollars to a few close members of Jacqueline’s family.”

In Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s statement recorded last year under Section 50 of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), Sukesh had revealed that he gave as many as 15 pairs of earrings, five Birkin bags, and other luxury goods from brands like Chanel and Gucci to the actress. The conman also claimed that he gifted Jacqueline Cartier bangles and rings and a bracelet by Tiffany & Co. in addition to Rolex watches. He also claimed that he had given Jacqueline jewellery worth Rs. 7 crore and gifted her a horse named ‘Espuelah’.

In addition, Sukesh Chandrashekhar also extended a loan of $150,000 to Jacqueline Fernandez’ sister, who lives in the US. He allegedly also gave her a BMW X5 car and gifted Jacqueline’s parents a Maserati and her mother in Bahrain a Porsche. He reportedly also extended a loan of $50,000 to her brother in Australia.

In its chargesheet, the Delhi Police has accused Sukesh Chandrashekhar and 13 others of duping the wife of the former promoter of Ranbaxy to the tune of Rs. 200 crore. Officials believe Sukesh Chandrashekhar extorted Rs. 200 crore from the complainant by claiming that he would facilitate her husband's release from prison.

In 2022, it was also reported that the conman had allegedly offered a motorcycle to Jacqueline Fernandez’ agent Prashant on his birthday but the latter declined the gift. The police earlier revealed that Sukesh had left the motorcycle along with the keys at Prashant’s residence, which was later seized by the police.

ALSO READ: Jacqueline Fernandez pays a visit to Maa Vaishno Devi shrine; see pictures

 

[Crystal]

2023 is here and it’s the time when we scan through the list of the upcoming films of the year to understand which one of them has the potential to click big time. While doing so, we chanced upon an interesting phenomenon with regard to Bollywood films. As many as 5 films, expected to release in 2023, have animal-related names!

The first release of the year is Kuttey. It stars Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Konkona Sen Sharma, Radhika Madan, Naseeruddin Shah, Kumud Mishra and Shardul Bhardwaj. It marks the directorial debut of Vishal Bhardwaj’s son, Aasmaan Bhardwaj. Vishal, interestingly, made Kaminey (2009) and Kuttey seems to be a spiritual successor to the Shahid Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer. It is produced by Vishal Bhardwaj, Luv Ranjan, Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. Kuttey releases on January 13, 2023.

Lakadbaggha will clash with Kuttey on the same day. It features Anshuman Jha, who has also produced the film. The makers claim that it is India's first film about a vigilante for animals. Riddhi Dogra, Milind Soman and Paresh Pahuja also star in this movie, which is directed by Victor Mukherjee.

On Independence Day week, Ranbir Kapoor will star in and as Animal. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga of Kabir Singh (2019) fame, it also stars Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna. The bloody first look was unveiled at midnight on January 1 and it got a great response. Animal releases in cinemas on August 11.

Salman Khan, meanwhile, will get back into his spy avatar with Tiger 3. He teams up yet again with Katrina Kaif and this time, they are also joined by Emraan Hashmi and Vishal Jethwa. The previous two films of the series – Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) – were massive blockbusters. Hence, a lot is expected from Tiger 3, when it releases on Diwali 2023.

Lastly, Shah Rukh Khan will have three releases this year and his final film of 2023 is Dunki. This unusual title, reportedly, is a wordplay and refers to donkey flights. It means an illegal method of entering a foreign country via multiple stops in other countries. It is directed by blockbuster filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who has a 100% track record. As a result, one expects nothing but record-breaking collections when Dunki arrives in theatres on December 22, 2023. Besides SRK, it also stars Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal and Boman Irani.

And that’s not all. If we count the Varun Dhawan-starrer Bhediya, which was released on November 25, 2022, then it means that there are 6 films in 13 months named after animals!

Also Read: Varun Dhawan expected Bhediya to do better box-office numbers, says he is grateful audience watched film in cinemas

 

[Crystal]

The biggest celebration of Indian cinema, the International Indian Film Academy and Awards (IIFA), returns with its 23rd edition to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Previously, it was reported that the awards celebrations will take place on February 9th, 10th and 11th, 2023. But, it has been moved to May 2023.

As the countdown to the biggest celebration of Indian Cinema worldwide draws near, International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) announced the new dates of the upcoming celebrations.

The biggest celebration of Indian cinema, the International Indian Film Academy and Awards (IIFA) is rescheduled for its 23rd edition in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, and will now be held on the 26th and 27th of May, 2023. The nominations were announced in December 2022.

ALSO READ: IIFA 2023: Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Darlings and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 lead the nominations

 

[Crystal]

Popularity on social media, especially for film celebrities, comes with its own shares of disadvantages. One among that is the attack on your social media account by hackers. Manoj Bajpayee has become the latest victim of a cyber attack as his Twitter profile is hacked.

The actor shared this update a few hours ago on Instagram through a story where he said, “My Twitter account has been hacked! Please do not engage with anything that comes from my profile today, until the issue is resolved. Working towards a resolution. I will keep you posted. Thank you (namaste emoji).”

A cursory look at Bajpayee’s Twitter profile during the publishing of this article doesn’t show any malicious tweet shared by any hacker. The last activity from his profile was 18 hours ago when he had retweeted a message appealing to the citizens of Delhi to do their bit to provide shelter to the homeless and poor and stray animals from the freezing cold weather.

On the work front, Bajpayee’s last film was Renzil D’Silva’s 2021 thriller Dial 100 where he played a cop who has a dark truth to hide. The film also starred Neena Gupta, Sakshi Tanwar and Marathi film actor Nandu Madhav. In the same year, he was also a part of Netflix’s anthology titled Ray, which was based on the short stories written by the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

Also Read: Has Remo D’Souza signed actor Manoj Bajpayee for his next?

 

[Crystal]

Bigg Boss 16 is known for controversies and constant arguments between contestants. However, the show has also featured some interesting love stories. The recent season featured many fights between housemates and one love story that has been making news for quite some time is that of Shalin Bhanot and Tina Datta. While the show featured a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, in the recently released promo of today’s episode, host Salman Khan asked the housemates to come clean about what they feel for each other and asked Tina Datta to take a stand about her feelings.

In the recently released promo of Shukravaar Ka Vaar with Salman Khan, the Bollywood superstar is questioning Tina Datta about her feelings for housemate Shalin Bhanot. He asked her, “Tina kaunsa game khel rahi ho aur kiske saath?” To which, the Uttaran actress replied, “Sir, main dong nahi kar rahi. We can’t fall in love”. Angered further by her response, Salman questioned her about the way she was dancing with Shalin, despite having a massive argument with him. He went on to add, “Baaki koi nahi tha dance karne ke layak, chipakne ke layak”. His question didn’t go down well with Shalin, who asked Khan to stop continuing, “Don’t be hard on her”. This only seemed to upset the host further.

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A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv)​

The video also received similar responses from social media users who trolled Shalin and Tina for being fake and faking their love on the show. “Amazing Salman sir Tina ki to waat lagni chahiye, itna fake karti hai ki hassi aati hai ab”, “Fake Hai Dono Ko Dafa Karo.. Sahiii bat h... nautanki inlog ka khtm hi nhi ho rhaaa”, “Fake logon ka face bhi dekhna hamen sharm lagti hai kyon dikha rahi ho.... yah fake love angle nikaalo donon ko bahar,” were some of the comments that were dropped on this post. Meanwhile, in another promo, Salman Khan continued to lash out on Shalin and Tina as he exposed their 'fake love' for each other.

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A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv)​

On the other hand, owing to this massive slamming of Tina, her team and group of fans decided to come together and pen an emotional note dedicated to the actress. In the note, they explained the way women are treated in the industry, and how they are subjected to derogatory comments. The same note also included that it was a way of supporting the actress and her game in Bigg Boss, further asserting the idea of ‘women supporting women’.

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A post shared by Tinzi In TinzelTown????‍ (@tinadatta)​

Also Read: Bigg Boss 16: Vikkas Manaktala’s wife Gunjan takes down her tweet asking Shiv Thakare ‘to return Vikkas’ clothes’ after the latter’s manager calls it ‘cheap publicity’

 

[Crystal]

Uorfi Javed, who gained immense fame with her stint in Bigg Boss OTT, recently spoke up against the makers of Bigg Boss 16 for having Sajid Khan as one of the housemates. In the past, many celebrities have objected to the presence of the filmmaker because of his involvement in sexual harassment cases which led to his ban from the entertainment industry. Recently, a rather upset Uorfi took to Instagram after Sajid asked co-contestant and rapper MC Stan to slap Archana Gautam over an argument between them.

Uorfi Javed took to Instagram story and expressed her anger towards Sajid Khan after the latter suggestion irked her. Uorfi was quite upset with the fact that the filmmaker conveniently asked the rapper to raise his hand on the woman. She wrote on her post, “Sajid Khan thought coming to Bigg Boss will clear is image, but dayuum he showed his true colors. He is actually encouraging a fellow contestant to go hit a female contestant. His personality stinks.”

Talking about the incident, MC Stan and Archana Gautam had multiple arguments and fights in the house. However, a recent argument blew out of propotion, as Stan requested the master of the house to quit the game and walk out of the house. Adding to it, Sajid Khan suggested that Stan should slap Archana once before leaving the house.

This is not the first time where the digital celebrity had expressed her displeasure against Sajid Khan. In the past, she addressed the filmmaker as a ‘sexual predator’ in her post. When the comedian-filmmaker entered the show, many actress who allegedly were victims of Me Too movement spoke about how the filmmaker had treated them and misbehaved with them. Some of them even demanded his removal from the show.

Bigg Boss 16 currently airs on Colors with Salman Khan as the host and it is also available for streaming on VOOT.

Also Read: NCSC issues notice to Bigg Boss 16 makers over Vikkas Manaktala addressing Archana Gautam as ‘neechi jaati ke log’

 

[Crystal]

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) released a statement on Friday about the anti-Bollywood sentiments and ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trends and urged the government to help. The appeal comes at a time when Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, has been facing controversies and protests.

FWICE wrote in the statement, “The recent trend of ‘#Boycott Bollywood’ has been affecting the producers and lakhs of workers working for the films and it has been seriously noted by the FWICE as it has raised a major situation of survival of the common workers, technicians and the artists who are earning their daily bread from this industry.”

The statement also mentioned the anti-Bollywood sentiments being spread on the internet. It said, “A film is made with passion and dream of success. However, these blooming dreams get shattered by such trends which are many times influenced by people believing in hatred and those who do not support peace, harmony and unity. People have been barging into the theatres and threatening the public and forcefully vacating the theatres. There have been threats to the producers and the lead actor/actresses. They are abused on social media platforms with filthy/vulgar language.”

FWICE also mentioned that if anyone has any objection against the content of any movie, they should directly write to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). It mentioned, “We strongly condemn these acts and the boycotting of any film which is already certified by the final cell of the film authorities which is the CBFC. Getting a film certified through the CBFC is itself an achievement as the film and the filmmakers are going through the entire process of certification. The protestors of the film should thus follow the right channel and report their grievances against the film to the CBFC and other governing authorities rather than blindly coming up with such a destructive trend to blatantly boycott the entire industry.”

“FWICE stands strong in support of the producers who are creating films and generating employment to lakhs of people and help them to earn their living and survive with dignity. We urge the government to intervene in the matter and stop this trend of ‘Boycott Bollywood,’” the statement concluded.

Over the last few years, Bollywood has witnessed boycott trends on social media platforms. In recent times, Pathaan has been embroiled in controversies as certain sections are calling for a boycott of the film.

ALSO READ: Former CBFC Chief Asha Parekh opens up on the ‘Saffron Row’; says, “We need to ensure that Pathaan releases”

 

[Crystal]

Pathaan is being touted as India’s biggest-ever action spectacle that audiences have ever seen on the big screen. The film is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it. The other films in Aditya Chopra’s spy universe are Tiger and War franchises and we have confirmed information that in Pathaan trailer, YRF will be unveiling their new ‘spy universe‘ logo that will also be featured in Tiger 3 and all other films of this craftily built universe going forward. The much-awaited trailer of the most awaited film, Pathaan, is set to be unveiled on social media on January 10th!

A trade source reveals, “Aditya Chopra has been clinically working for years now to make YRF’s spy universe the biggest franchise in the history of Indian cinema. The spy universe has so far featured the biggest and the best actors in the history of Indian cinema right including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor, to name a few. The franchise will only get bigger and better with every new film from Pathaan, Tiger and War franchise.”

The source adds, “Aditya Chopra now wants to mark these films as a part of YRF’s spy universe in the public consciousness and thus, the move to brand them in the form of a new logo that says Pathaan is part of ‘YRF Spy Universe’. This new logo will be present in Pathaan’s trailer and then will keep appearing in the Tiger & War series of films. No other franchise has been mounted on a scale like this, nor have they made such an impact on box office and audiences globally.”

The source further says, “With this spy universe, YRF as a studio now has two of the biggest franchises in the history of Indian cinema including the Dhoom series. Aditya Chopra is also the maker of the most successful female cop franchise, Mardaani. Coincidentally, the YRF spy universe logo is being launched on the 10th year of the blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger’s release in 2012!“

The insider adds, “This film was the first one of the spy universe and paved the way for Adi to dream big with this universe. So, it could be YRF’s hat tip to Ek Tha Tiger. So, slowly but silently, YRF has produced a franchise that has the potential to rope in all the top stars of the country as the universe is only going to expand from here on.”

Directed by Siddharth Anand, YRF’s Pathaan is set to release on January 25, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

ALSO READ: Amidst protests against Pathaan, FWICE urges the government to act against ‘Boycott Bollywood’ campaign, “Actors are abused on social media with filthy language”