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Let’s begin with our top story. The much-awaited trailer of Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi’s “Selfiee” has finally dropped. The trailer opens with the introduction of superstar Vijay, played by Kumar. We then get to meet Om Prakash, a policeman, played by Hashmi, who is Vijay’s ‘superfan’ along with his son. Their biggest dream is to take a selfie with their idol. And thus when an opportunity comes, he tries to help him get a driving license. However, a misunderstanding leads the superstar to ill-treat the policeman in front of his son. The action comedy-drama also stars Nushratt Bharuccha and Diana Penty. Directed by Raj Mehta, the film will hit cinemas on February 24.
“Meanwhile, Actor Emraan Hashmi said his Selfiee co-star actor Akshay Kumar was the first one to reach out to him when his son Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. In 2019, he was declared cancer free.
During the trailer launch of his upcoming film Selfiee, which features a face-off between Emraan, playing an RTO officer, and Akshay Kumar, who plays a movie star, the former was asked how was it to work with Kumar. Emraan said – “”I’ve gotten the privilege of knowing him in the past few years. He was there for me when there was a health issue with my son. Akshay was the first one to call and stand by me and my family.”””
“Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan appeared on the latest episode of Aap Ki Adalat, where he spoke about starring in sequels, his love for Akshay Kumar, and how he saved Shehzada from a financial crisis.
When Rajat Sharma alleged that Kartik is after Akshay’s films, the actor said that he is a very big fan of Akshay and added that these calls are taken by the producers and directors. The actor also clarified that he did not threaten to walk out of Shehzada and said that he instead let go of his fees for the film because the film was facing a financial crisis. Shehzada also starring Kriti Sanon, is all set to hit the theatres on 10th February. “
Moving on. Actor Kangana Ranaut announced that she’s wrapped filming on the period drama Emergency, her first movie as a solo director, in which she plays former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the tumultuous 1970s. Kangana revealed that she had to mortgage all her property to make the film, and how she had an “alarmingly low blood cell count” after being diagnosed with dengue while shooting the first schedule of the film. Kangana plays Indira Gandhi in Emergency. The historical drama also stars Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, Mahima Chaudhry and Milind Soman, and is scheduled to release later this year.
Veteran writer Javed Akhtar, in a recent interview, revealed how the writing partnership of Salim-Javed started, and what broke them apart. Javed recalled that their friendship flourished because Salim Khan lived near him. He said that they would sit by the sea for hours and this is where they started coming up with story ideas. Javed also spoke about they how they parted ways after working together for 11 years. He said that when they became successful, their lives became bigger and separate. He said – “New people came into our lives and our circles got separated. The mental rapport we had, was broken. We could no longer work together.”
Actor Siddharth Malhotra in a recent interview addressed the comparisons drawn between his latest release, Mission Majnu, with Alia Bhatt‘s Raazi (2018), which was directed by Meghna Gulzar. Calling Raazi a “good film” Sidharth said that the comparison between the two movies doesn’t “feel alarming.” He said – “It is never a bad thing if people are trying to find a reference point for a film. Yes, the elements on the outer periphery might look similar between the two films.” In Mission Majnu, Sidharth portrays the role of a RAW agent who is on a mission to complete one of the ‘deadliest covert operations’ for India, while undercover in Pakistan. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna.
Meanwhile, Actor Randeep Hooda on Friday, 21st January announced the return of his character Shankar Malik in the sequel of the 2016 film Laal Rang. The actor announced through social media. Randeep will also be co-producing Laal Rang 2 along with Panchali Chakraverty and Yogesh Rahar. The poster shows Randeep Hooda looking over his shoulder as a splash of blood falls on his chest. The film will be directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal, who also helmed the first part. In the first film, Randeep played the role of Shankar Malik, the owner of an illegal blood bank.
Lastly, veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt underwent an angioplasty at Mumbai’s HN Reliance Hospital recently. The filmmaker told Bollywood Hungama, “My procedure was planned for January 16. It was during a routine body check-up that the doctors raised a ‘red flag’ and suggested that, since I am in good health, we must take a pre-emptive step and deal with this.” He added, “I was in the hands of the best team of doctors”. Mahesh Bhatt took a hiatus from the direction for 21 years. He came back to the director’s chair in 2020 with Sadak 2, starring his daughter Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt. The film was however panned by the critics.
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