Shah Rukh Khan Has A Contingency Plan For His Film, Zero

Said to be mounted on a budget of Rs 200 crore, Zero finds pride of place in Shah Rukh Khan's filmography as his most expensive film to date. While the mammoth budget would give sleepless nights to most producers, one can count on Khan's astute business skills to ensure that the project does not spell losses for him. With over two months to go before the Aanand L Rai-directed venture hits screens, trade sources indicate that the superstar has already recovered approximately Rs 130 crore through telecast rights, music rights and in-film branding. A trade source reveals, "The satellite rights have apparently been sold at a whopping sum to Sony Pictures. Plus, Shah Rukh's standing collaboration with Netflix has helped him bag a lucrative deal with the streaming giant for the film's digital rights."

Filmmaker Kabir Khan’s next directorial venture 83 is set to go on floors from June 5 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The film features Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, captain of the World Cup-winning Indian cricket team of 1983.

The team will shoot at a local cricket club in the Scottish port city for a week, followed by other popular locations like Dulwich college in London, Edinburgh cricket club, Nevill Ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent and the Oval cricket ground.

“Since it’s a real-life story, this film involved a lot of training and research. Now that it’s going on the floors, starting with the Glasgow schedule, everyone’s excited to recreate a journey that made history, all thanks to our cricketing heroes of the 83 team,” Kabir said in a statement.

The film will chronicle India’s win under Kapil’s captainship when the team defeated West Indies in the final to clinch their first-ever World Cup trophy in 1983.

The film, presented by Reliance Entertainment, also features Pankaj Tripathi, Saqib Saleem, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jatin Sharma, Ammy Virk and Hardy Sandhu.

Ali Abbas Zafar spent several days thinking about a perfect name for the lead character of his upcoming film and the director says he even delved into mythology until he got a perfect title in Bharat. The film, which is scheduled to release on June 2019, is a remake of Ode To My Father. Ali says he was extremely impressed with the 2014 Korean drama but the adaptation had to be in sync with the Indian sensibilities. "I didn't want to call it 'Ode to My Father.' I wasn't looking only at the promise he makes to his father but a lot of other things. I told Salman I'll make the film as not only his but the nation's journey. But I needed to know what the character should be called," Ali told PTI. The director said since Salman was headlining it, the film had to be "completely re-written", while simultaneously finding an ideal Indian name for the hero. "I thought Ram is an ideal hero from mythology. Could the character be called Arjun because he is doing it for his dharma, karma? Or should he be called Karna, a selfless hero. What do I call the film? "I felt if he is synonymous with what the nation has been over the generations, he should be named after the country. One night at 3AM, I was tossing on the bed, thinking hard, and then I had it: Bharat," he said. He immediately shared the name with Salman and producer Atul Agnihotri. "Producer Sajid Nadiadwala had the title registered under him so I told him about our film. Both Salman and Atul also jumped on it. Once I found the title, I started writing the film." The writing process for Bharat lasted almost a year and a half and Ali said, of all the Salman films, this one has gone through severe drafting. He said, "To bring out an emotion is the most difficult thing in a film. If you can crack that code, crack the reason you're making the film and how the audience will react, everything else becomes peripheral. Once I understood the emotion we were trying to show the film was set." 'Bharat' is solely a film on relationships. That was a new territory for me. At 36, I wanted to explore a man at 70. I pushed myself," said Ali. The film features the 53-year-old superstar in several looks, depicting changing decades, and Ali says Bharat has "six Salman Khan films in it." "The soul is the same throughout every look but every chapter is like a story, with a beginning, middle and an end. Like the thin moustache he sports is a hat tip to the Guru Dutt era. As we evolved, the look changed with bell bottoms, the language changed- from Urdu it become Hindustani and few English words came in. Along with the language graph, the visual tone also changes." Ali credited Salman for giving his best in the film. "If I'm calling Bharat as old as the nation, he needs to look like that, someone who has seen everything and evolved. Salman had no apprehension. He understands his audience really well. He thought that the old man look will get the maximum impact. He is bang-on in that look and with his performance," the director said.

Priyanka Chopra has a new role, as tech Investor

In one of her first acts as a startup investor, actress Priyanka Chopra recently toured the San Francisco home of her new portfolio company, a coding education company called Holberton School. The campus resembles a WeWork more than a school, with open-plan rows of desks, decorative neon lights and meeting rooms named after famous people. The school uses projects and group learning instead of more traditional courses, to teach software development. “You just hang out and you’re learning,” Chopra said. “It’s amazing.” Chopra, 36, has been doing a lot of hanging out and learning in technology circles lately. In between presenting at the Emmys, sitting in the front row at New York Fashion Week, celebrating the birthday of her fiancé, Nick Jonas, in Texas, and darting to her native India to act in a movie, she has squeezed in meetings with startup founders and lined up future investments. “Geeks are taking over the world,” Chopra said. “If they haven’t already,” she quickly added. There’s no shortage of celebrities investing in tech startups. So far, deals from male actors, athletes and musical artists have garnered much more attention than those from famous women. Ashton Kutcher is a regular at tech conferences; Carmelo Anthony and Nas have their own funds; Leonardo DiCaprio has been an adviser to at least three venture firms. Tyra Banks, Beyoncé and Demi Lovato have participated in startup deals. But few women have built robust portfolios. Chopra said she did not yet know how many deals she will do or how much money she would invest, but she does plan on building a portfolio. On Wednesday she announced her second investment, in Bumble, a dating and social media app founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, one of the most prominent startup founders in tech.Chopra plans to help promote Bumble’s launch in India in the coming months. Chopra was introduced to tech investing by her manager, Anjula Acharia, a founder and angel investor who spent time as an entrepreneur-in-residence and partner at Trinity Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Acharia has worked with Chopra since 2010. Acharia was the first investor in ClassPass, a fitness booking startup; she made a return on the company’s most recent round of funding. She’s also invested in Bulletproof Coffee, Health-Ade Kombucha and The Muse. She said Jimmy Iovine, a mentor who backed her entertainment startup, DesiHits, taught her how to anticipate cultural trends. Acharia has straddled Hollywood and Silicon Valley says that, as an Indian woman, she has been a rarity in both worlds. On weekends, at the Hollywood parties she has frequented with Chopra, Acharia noticed they were often the only South Asians in attendance. Then, on weekday meetings with entrepreneurs and partners at Trinity Ventures, she was often the only woman. “I was always a minority,” she said. With Holberton involvement, Acharia and Chopra are making an effort to help change the tech industry’s gender disparity. After the musical performer Ne-Yo invested in Holberton and began to promote the school to his fans, applications from underrepresented minorities increased. Now, two thirds of Holberton’s students are people of color, and 30 percent are women. Chopra plans to promote the school to her fans as well. “If one day, because of Priyanka, it became 100 percent women, I’d be cool with that,” Acharia said. Founded in 2015, Holberton teaches students to code for free, then charges 17 percent of their paycheck for 3 1/2 years after they graduate. All of its graduates have found jobs. Chopra’s investment is part of an $8.2 million round of funding for Holberton which closed in April. She will join the company’s board of advisers. Chopra emphasized her support for Holberton’s mission to educate people from underprivileged backgrounds. Her investments will skew heavily toward companies with an element of social impact, and companies founded by women. “I don’t want to just be one of those people who’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to be on the tech bandwagon — how are they making so much money,’” she said, surveying the Holberton workspace in a cream pantsuit and snakeskin stilettos. “It’s not about that.” Chopra has worked with UNICEF to advocate for children since 2006, focused mostly on developing nations. But a dinner conversation with Acharia around the time of the 2016 election turned to education in America. That led Acharia to introduce Chopra to the Holberton School’s founders. “I think Holberton was the gateway drug for Priyanka,” Acharia said.

What Deepika Padukone Thought Of Ranveer Singh The First Time She Met Him

Despite the swirling wedding rumours, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have not yet admitted to their relationship. Though they are said to wed in November, there is no announcement. On Friday, the two were asked about their wedding at an event in New Delhi. Ranveer quipped that they would tell the world when it happens. Fans were quick to point out that since they are not denying the nuptials means it is happening. Dippy also revealed at the event that when she first met Ranveer, she felt he was not her type. Talk about opposites attracting each other.

Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have been all over the headlines recently for their stunning appearance at the Met Gala 2019. Both the actresses walked the red carpet perfectly suited for the theme of "Camps: Note on Fashion". However, no one could stop gazing at Priyanka Chopra who made jaws drop with her spooky attire. Another Bollywood actress, Kangana Ranaut is all set to make her second red carpet appearance at the prestigious Cannes film festival in France. The actress has opted for leading celebrity stylist, Ami Patel to style all her looks at Cannes this year. Reportedly, the actress will wear a unique saree which will bring the forgotten weaves to the fore so that the world is more aware of India's rich fabrics and culture. Talking about her Bollywood counterparts Deepika and Priyanka dazzling the red carpet at the Met Gala 2019, Kangana said that it's wonderful how Priyanka and Deepika are making their mark there. However, the 'Manikarnika' actress said veteran actor Rekha really defines the real meaning of ‘Camp’ in India. On the work front, Kangana Ranaut will be next seen in 'Mental Hai Kya' starring alongside Rajkummar Rao. The film is slated to hit the screens on July 26.

Thoughts ON HUMANITY

It’s happening! Salman Khan’s Kick 2...

ARTICLE 15 Story: A young IPS officer’s new posting in rural India has him confronting caste disparities and uncomfortable truths in the face of a gruesome crime. When three girls go missing in the fictional village of Lalgaon, two of them are found dead and there is no trace of the third one. Where is she and who is responsible for this heinous act?

REVIEW: When Ayan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurana), a city bred IPS officer is given charge of the Lalgaon Police Station in the heartland of India, he realises soon enough that he will have to tackle far more than meets the eye. At one point early in the film, he exasperatedly tells his wife Aditi (Isha Talwar) on the phone, “It’s like the wild wild West.” Having studied in Delhi’s St. Stephens and lived in Europe prior to this, Ayan is clearly at odds with the mindsets that accost him right from the word go at Lalgaon. Even as he is grappling with the strong presence of caste discrimination and societal inequalities looming over, he stumbles upon the news of three girls employed in a local factory who have gone missing for the last two days.
His colleagues, Bhramdutt and Jatav (Manoj Pahwa and Kumud Mishra) tell him in all probability the girls will turn up. But the next morning, when two of them are found hanging from a tree, it confirms that something has gone horribly wrong.
However, there is relentless pressure to close the case as quickly as possible. "Aap logon ka transfer ho jata hai, humein maar diya jata hain," says Pahwa's character as he tries to convince Ayan to sign off on the case file.
As the police officer in command, Ayan is committed to getting to the bottom of this, refusing to buckle down despite obstacles and threats lurking in almost every corner.
Anubhav Sinha’s 'Article 15' is designed like a crime thriller. And what works for the film is that it’s thought provoking, hard-hitting while unflinchingly bringing to light burning social issues.
The film is heavy on atmospherics, with the top notch cinematography (Ewan Mulligan) and background score adding to the mood. The feel is grim, gritty and grey often bringing a chill to the bone with palpable tension in the air. The images – some provocative and uncomfortable stand out, like the one where a man goes deep into a drain to unclog it and emerges soaked in the filth or the top shot of a group of policemen conducting a search in a swamp with their torchlights. The dialogues leave an impact. And the director brings out subtle nuances through his characters and setting which add to the essence of the narrative. The film’s storyline, interspersed with powerful and poignant moments leaves you with goose-bumps. The narrative definitely keeps you on the edge, but there are times when it feels a tad overstuffed as the layers, political intricacies and a multitude of characters seep in. And at times the pace dips.
But certainly, the performances by an ace set of actors is one of the high points of the film. Ayushmann Khurana has you hooked instantly, belting out a riveting performance as the sincere, determined police officer. It’s an intense, gripping act as he gets under the skin of his character. Other noteworthy scene stealers include actors Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, in a short but impactful role as Nishad.
'Article 15' is not a light watch, but it is definitely relevant, compelling and a film that will spark conversation.

Game Over Story: Dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, Sapna (Taapsee Pannu) who has a phobia for darkness, leads a lonely existence. She stays in a spacious bungalow in Gurugram solely with her maid. A brutal murder in the past has a strange bearing on her condition. Can she pull her act together when fear comes knocking once again?

REVIEW: Crime need not have a ‘cause’. Sick minds can have a fetish for torture porn. To watch people suffer, beg, plead, run for their life, gives them a kick. The voyeuristic murderers here belong to this category. They track down women who live alone, break into their homes, behead the victim, burn the body and capture it all on their video camera. Various Hollywood slasher/ home invasion films like ‘The Strangers’ have captured fear that triggers from this kind of inhuman insanity.
This ambitious film on the contrary tries to give the crime thriller a psychological, horror, metaphorical and spiritual twist — an experiment that partially evokes paranoia but mostly evokes boredom stemming from the film’s defiance to rationale.
Sapna is a work from home gamer. The story tries to draw parallels between her situation, the virtual world and more. The desperate urge to connect the dots looks forced instead of clever. The effort to make the story seem deeper than it actual is, feels unnecessary and deceiving.
Set in a house throughout like Ram Gopal Verma’s cult thriller Kaun, the film would have perhaps worked better had it solely focussed on its protagonist and her psychological upheaval and trauma. The events that lead up to the climax are repetitive, languid, inconsequential beyond a point and thus take away from the unnerving buildup. Despite a shorter runtime, the film seems never ending.
Taapsee Pannu is sincere but her performance isn’t a revelation here. She has pulled off such fearful characters with conviction before. The director’s attempt to infuse panic works to a certain extent. His inability to get deeper into Sapna’s mind and analyse her worst fears, make this potentially promising game a damp squib. It is engaging and atmospheric but largely convoluted and unprovocative.

Kabir Singh Story: ‘Kabir Singh’ is an official remake of the Telugu blockbuster 'Arjun Reddy'. The film charts the journey of a short tempered doctor Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor), whose obsession for his girlfriend leads him on the path to self-destruction. Can he come out of the dark world that he creates for himself?

REVIEW: Meet Kabir Singh – the kind of boyfriend, who is aggressive, obsessive and would go to any extreme for his girl. He is all in or nothing at all. As a senior and a topper in one of Delhi’s most reputed medical institutes, he wields immense power. Thanks to his lethal anger issues, there are few who would want to mess with him. By his own admission, he becomes a rebel with a cause as soon as he sees his junior in college Preeti (Kiara Advani). For him, it is love at first sight. But this is far from a meet cute romance, with mush gush and the regular romantic toppings. It immediately gives Kabir’s unsettled and self-destructive streak a reason to manifest. Thus, begins the real journey of his character into the deep dark abyss of chasing the love of his life. Shahid’s performance lets the character get away with a lot of vices like womanizing, drug addiction, alcoholism and brash male toxicity. For some, his actions and recklessness might seem problematic, but that is evidently his character sketch, and Shahid plays it with brutal honesty. Shahid Kapoor completely surrenders himself to the extremism of Kabir Singh. The powerhouse performer plays each and every shade of Kabir with such passion and perfection that his conviction makes you root for him, even when he is far stretched from being the picture perfect lover boy.It is only because of Shahid’s strong performance that many of his characters’ excesses seem justified. His character is deeply misogynistic, abusive, reeks of misplaced sense of male entitlement - exactly the kind of man that our society reeling under patriarchy and sexist stereotypes need to call out. His psyche and behaviour are dominated by his irrepressible anger and desperate need to be in charge of the women he is obsessively in love with.
In terms of screen space, no one comes close to the leading man. For most part, film’s leading lady Kiara remains demure and is left to use silence as her only tool for performance. With such limited scope, she never really gets a chance to shine. Shahid’s trusted friend Shiva (Soham Majumdar), on the other hand, gets ample opportunity to show solid support even when his friend is way out of line.
The film’s conflicts in the second half start becoming repetitive. The pace of the film becomes an issue with a runtime that is undeniably long. Thankfully, the realism and build up to Kabir’s deterioration is well executed and so is the practical support that he gets from his family. Writer-director Sandeep Vanga Reddy, who also helmed the Telugu original, makes his hero vulnerable but not weak enough to feel sorry for.
The remake stays mostly true to the original. However, the original had better chemistry between the lead actors, hence the love story seemed more effective. Also, Kabir Singh is a tad more humane than Arjun Reddy while being equally intense. He always shows up looking dapper, even in the most dire conditions. So it isn’t a surprise that the most pretty girls, including a heroine Jia (Nikita Dutta), falls for his unabashed charm. Film’s music compliments the narrative with its soulful renditions in the background.
While 'Kabir Singh' is a welcome change from stereotypical love stories, this kind of love affair needs some getting used to. If you can generally accept the fact that human beings can be flawed (sometimes deeply flawed), you will be able to stomach this rebellious story of love with extreme madness, often lacking rationale and reason. Through his protagonist, Sandeep bets all his cards on his leading man, making sure you either love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore him.

Luka Chuppi Story: A meet cute between Guddu (Kartik Aaryan) and Rashmi (Kriti Sanon) soon escalates into full-blown love. But in a daring attempt, the girl wants to try living-in with the boy before settling down for marriage. This even as their small town in North India is up in the arms against live-in relationships, thanks to protests led by none other than the girl’s own father, who is a local right-wing party leader.

REVIEW: 'Luka Chuppi' is a situational comedy from the word go. And the situation in question is live-in relationships. What starts as a news story for a local reporter Guddu, turns into his own love story with hilarious complications. But peddling along are a host of other societal issues like misogyny, gender inequality, caste bias and moral policing that are tackled in a funny and harmless way. However, there is hardly a dull moment in the film that never takes itself too seriously.
As a debutante, director Laxman Utekar does a fine job of throwing in a bunch of quirky characters in unusual situations. Starting with the film’s hero Kartik Aaryan, who looks way too polished for his small-town character, but along the way, you soon start rooting for him. Whether he is covering a story or running for cover himself - Kartik exudes an endearing charm that is relatable. Ditto for Kriti. With all her prettiness and poise, she portrays the character of a girl-next-door without being over-the-top. However, the funny thing is, the two stand out as the only gorgeous couple in the entire town, what with the perfect touch of makeup and hairdo at all times. Their chemistry is not exactly crackling, but quite easy going, which works well for the narrative.
While Aparshakti Khurana plays the supportive friend Abbas adequately well, there is a very noticeable lack of enough comic punches in his dialogues. Pankaj Tripathi, a regular in this genre, is largely wasted in a role that could have been etched out far more elaborately. The rest of the actors, get ample chance to contribute generously. Be it the eccentric members of Guddu’s joint family or Rashmi’s politician dad, who uses his clout to rally against inconsequential issues.
But what really makes 'Luka Chuppi' an entertaining watch is the nuanced writing by Rohan Ghoge and its execution. The first half is swift and packed with funny moments that end in an unpredictable twist. The second half too, is marked by quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. At some point, the humour becomes repetitive, but it’s the short run-time that comes to the film’s rescue. Film’s two most popular songs (Coca-Cola & Poster) are thrown in at the end, during the credit roll.
Overall, 'Luka Chuppi' is a fun ride that never gets too preachy or uncomfortable for the family audience. It’s a clean entertainer with a message that’s not too loud, but clear, for sure.

Several of his friends and filmi folks, who haven't seen him on the big screen in four years, have been congratulating him for attempting to play a teacher who speaks shudh Hindi, a tribute to his father Dharmendra's character in 'Chupke Chupke'. Now that the film, which centres around vasectomy, is all set to hit the screens, the actor will start looking at the other projects he has been offered. For Bobby, his dad has always been a huge inspiration. He says, "I am hungry for work. I want to collaborate with good directors on interesting scripts. I am happy that Poster Boys has got me back on everyone's minds. I am looking forward to new subjects and roles." The upcoming comedy, the remake of a Marathi film of the same name, also features macho Sunny Deol as one of the victims of a campaign that promotes vasectomy. The reason an actor with a repertoire of action films agreed to be a part of this light-hearted project is that today, meritorious content seems to have outshined big-budget projects. 'Poster Boys', produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Sunny Sounds Pvt Ltd, Shreyas and Deepti Talpade, releases on September 8.