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...

REVIEW: It also has Saiee Manjrekar making her acting debut with the film. The six-track album has been composed by Salman’s favourite composer duo, Sajid-Wajid while the lyrics of the songs have been written by Jalees Sherwani, Danish Sabri, Sameer Anjaan, Sajid Khan and Irrfan Kamal.
The first track, 'Hud Hud', is a dance number, with groovy beats, and has some excellent singing by Shabab Sabri, Divya Kumar, Sajid with support from the powerful chorus. Taking the line 'Hud Hud Dabangg', from the previous music album, the composers and lyricists have created a completely new track with the hook line 'Chulbul Dabangg', which has a hypnotic rhythm that you can sway to.
Javed Ali completely owns the romantic track penned by Danish, 'Naina Lade'. The singer has earlier given us some unforgettable gems like 'Kun Faaya Kun ('Rockstar'), 'Guzarish' ('Ghajini'), 'Nagada Nagada' ('Jab We Met'), 'Tum Tak' ('Raanjhanaa') and 'Arziyan' ('Delhi 6'). Sajid-Wajid’s melodious tune with its beautiful Sufi undertones is pleasing to the ears. Some great flute strains and shehnai parts in the track are noteworthy. The next one, 'Yu Karke', has been sung by the star himself along with Payal Dev. And just like the songs sung by him in the past ('Main Hoon Hero Tera' in 'Hero', 'Jag Ghoomeya' and 'Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai' in 'Sultan', 'Jumme Ki Raat' and 'Hangover' in'Kick'), this track also has his signature style.
Singers Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya’s blockbuster 'Munni Badnaam Hui' ('Dabangg') written and composed by Lalit Pandit, now has a male version. Written by Danish and Badshah, this track, 'Munna Badnaam Hua', is a duet sung by Kamaal Khan and Mamta. This one, debuting on our Music Charts at No 10 this week, is a trippy dance song with a fun rap by Badshah and will vie for attention when played alongside the original female version. 'Awara' is a slow, melodious romantic track sung by Salman Ali and Muskaan and written by Sameer Anjaan and Sajid. The alaap by Ali is worth applauding.
The last song in the album, 'Habibi Ke Nain' written by Irfan Kamal, is a typical romantic song with qawwali touches. This song works because of the fabulous rendition of Shreya Ghoshal and Jubin Nautiyal.

REVIEW: Abhinav Tyagi aka Chintu Tyagi (Kartik), a government employee from Kanpur, is smitten by the feisty Vedika (Bhumi) when their parents get them to meet each other as a prospective match. Soon, they tie the knot. The couple seems to be enjoying marital bliss until Tapasya Singh (Ananya) walks into their life. She adds a dash of sass and spice to Chintu’s otherwise mundane existence. He now wants to spend time with the young girl, who is in Kanpur to look for a plot to set up a workshop for her boutique in Delhi. When Chintu feels that she is hesitant to be friendly with him due to his marital status, he spins a yarn. Adding to the madness is his friend Fahim Rizvi (Aparshakti), who sometimes aids Chintu in his exploits, and at times adds to his troubles. Unfortunately, things go out of control and lead to a lot of confusion and drama.
Kartik as Chintu Tyagi strikes the right balance as a man who breaks away from the routine when an opportunity presents itself. The actor has a charming screen presence and makes the most of his part. Once again, he strikes with a monologue, something that’s become a trademark for Kartik. This time around, however, he isn’t ranting about the women in his life, but talks about the rut that most middle-class men get caught in.
Bhumi is in good form as the ambitious Vedika (Chintu’s wife). She is a teacher, who has her own fan following among her students, and even flaunts a glam avatar. The actress has proved that she can get into the skin of any character and does the same with ease this time around, too.
Ananya, who made debut earlier this year with ‘Student Of The Year 2’, shows a lot of improvement. She does need to work on certain aspects like her dialogue delivery, but she seems to have found her comfort zone in front of the camera. Besides the three central characters, Aparshakti Khurana, with his noteworthy comic timing, often steals the scene. He has proved time and again that he is an asset to any film. The actor has shared screen space with Kartik in ‘Luka Chuppi’, and their easy camaraderie is evident in this movie, too. It’s their scenes together that bring in the most laughs.
Filmmaker Mudassar Aziz, who has directed films like ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’ (2016) and ‘Happy Phirr Bhaag Jayegi’ (2018), has a firm hold over the romcom genre. Though he takes some time to set up the plot, he doesn't let the film deviate from its path. He keeps the film breezy and ensures that there are enough funny dialogues and witty one-liners to keep you hooked. He keeps the narrative simple and avoids getting into the preachy zone. Though the plot is known, the director manages to keep you invested throughout. Though this is a remake of the Sanjeev Kumar-starrer, the treatment given to it is such that it is relevant even to the viewers today.
The dialogues are funny, but though words like ‘kantap’ are used, it seems to be a superficial attempt at adding a local flavour. A tighter edit would have helped quicken the pace, but thankfully, there aren’t too many songs popping up. Watch out for two special appearances and a throwback to the original film, when Kartik hums, ‘Thande thande paani se’.
If you are looking for some good entertainment this weekend, this one could be a delightful watch.

REVIEW: Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus ‘Panipat’ is based on historical facts, taking some creative liberties along the way. Shadashivrao Bhau (Arjun Kapoor), is an able commander in his cousin Nanasaheb Peshwa’s (Mohnish Bahl) army. After a victorious battle against the Nizam of Udgir, Shadashivrao Bhau is chosen by the Maratha Peshwa to lead their army to Delhi. Ahmad Shah Abdali (Sanjay Dutt), the king of Afghanistan, has set his inroads into India after forming an alliance with Najib-Ud-Daula (Mantra) with the intention to defeat the Marathas and curb their expanding power.
Joining Shadashivrao Bhau and his army on this arduous thousand kilometer journey from Pune to Delhi are also his wife, Parvati Bai (Kriti Sanon), his nephew and the Peshwa heir - Vishwasrao (Abhishek Nigam), his cousin, Shamsher Bahadur (Sahil Salathia) and his trusted aide, Ibrahim Khan Gardi (Nawab Khan). As they traverse through the expanse, they form alliances with other kings to form a robust army to counter Ahmad Shah Abdali's one lakh soldiers. And almost mid-way they come face to face with Ahmad Shah Abdali’s army, with only the raging waters of the Yamuna separating the armies.
‘Panipat’ packs in a layered narrative that delves into the complex politics of the period, the intricate workings of war strategies versus might, negotiation dynamics and the importance of forming alliances. And it also weaves in the love story between Shadashivrao Bhau and Parvati Bai. In fact, the chemistry between Kriti Sanon and Arjun Kapoor as their love story develops, is one of the high points of the film. But with a run-time of close to three hours and the many characters and plot points the film touches upon it becomes a lengthy and at times, tedious watch.
Kriti Sanon pulls in a solid, effortless performance with a well-etched out character graph. Arjun Kapoor is sincere and shines in the final war sequence and the romantic scenes. Sanjay Dutt channelizes a menacing act effectively.
The film has been mounted on a lavish scale and it comes through in almost every scene. The costume design (Neeta Lulla) and the sets and production design (Nitin Chandrakant Desai) are spectacular and stand out. The songs (Ajay –Atul) add to the mood and are well choreographed. However, it is in the final battle set in 1761, where the mammoth effort that has gone into making the film comes to the fore, as we witness a compelling war sequence. One that almost induces goosebumps. The cinematography (C.K. Muraleedharan), sound design (Stephen Gomes) and the visual effects also blend in seamlessly to give an authentic setting to this period film. The ensemble cast of Mohnish Bahl, Padmini Kohlapure, Zeenat Aman (special appearance) add to the milieu.
‘Panipat’ delves into a significant chapter in history and is a war drama that lauds the unshakeable bravery, courage and the strong principles of the Marathas.

REVIEW:In the very first scene, writer-director Gopi Puthran sets the tone of his film as a brutally chilling saga of a psycho killer on the loose. As the body count continues to mount in Rajasthan’s education hub Kota, the remorseless young killer Sunny (Vishal Jethwa) challenges Shivani to stop him if she can.
Rani Mukerji once again steals the show with her measured and restrained act. She doesn’t go over-the-top with theatrics but captures the nuances required to play a gritty top cop, dealing with heinous crimes, rape victims and a violent murderer. She does a fine balancing act between being powerful and vulnerable at the same time.
The film’s antagonist Vishal Jethwa is a revelation and holds his own confidently against a powerhouse performer like Rani. He looks innocent, but delivers quite a chilling performance for a debutant. He gets the rustic Rajasthani accent right, just enough to add more menace.
The film’s pace is relentless and adds to the thrill even as we see the villain constantly (and quite unbelievably) outsmarting the cops. The first and the second half are equally engaging, with no songs to interrupt the proceedings. Thankfully, the background score is subtle too.
The film’s writing repeatedly hammers the point of gender inequality and bias. The director gives us glimpses into Sunny’s troubled past, but also gives his character way too many smarts, making some of it seem unrealistic. What also doesn’t help is him breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience. The film tends to stereotype its male characters, portraying almost all of them as misogynistic and insensitive towards the plight of women.
However, it’s the conviction in the performances and a gripping narrative that ensure there’s never a dull moment in Mardaani 2. Yes, it is a brutal story that’s sometimes hard to stomach, but it needs to be told. And none better than Rani in a khakee to lead the show.