Bhansali's proteges take him by surprise

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is currently busy with his dream project Padmavati. Somebody who shares great rapport with his technicians, Bhansali was in for a surprise when a group of assistant directors with whom he worked for Saawariya dropped in at a Mumbai studio to wish him luck.

According to a source, "Sanjay Leela Bhansali was extremely touched and overwhelmed when he saw them on the sets. They wanted to come and wish him luck in person as soon as they heard that Padmavati went on floors. Bhansali has been like a mentor to them and they owe everything to him. Very few people know the filmmaker personally and those who do truly love him. On the sets Bhansali always ensures that his crew is taken care of and are treated to the most lavish of dishes. He is very protective of his team and constantly encourages them to do their best."

Now, another first for Yash Raj's Befikre

Setting the trend for entertainment conversations in India, Twitter has launched the first-ever emoji for a Bollywood film. And Yash Raj Film’s Befikre starring Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor slated for release on December 9 is the lucky one.

From November 10, fans in India have been given an opportunity to join the conversation around the film and simply Tweet by using #UdeDilBefikre, #Befikre, #BefikreOn9th, #BefikreOn9thDec and #BeBefikre to use the specially designed emoji curated by Twitter. The emoji appears next to the hashtag in the Tweet and is designed like the Eiffel Tower of pink hearts, bringing alive the Parisian essence of the film.

Befikre directed by Aditya Chopra had its trailer launch at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Using Periscope, the Befikre team live-streamed the launch from Paris to give their fans back home in India an interactive, real-time experience and a chance to engage with the leading actors. More than 3000 fans participated in the conversation with Ranveer and Vaani using the hashtag #BefikreTrailer.

Slice of life with Brown Nation

Netflix, a popular content streaming platform has closed in on an Indian- American show Brown Nation, directed by Abi Varghese, an established television and film writer of Malayali origin. The show will release on Netflix on November 15.

Brown Nation is an entertaining, slice of life series focused on a struggling small IT business owner in New York. The series is created and written by Matt Grubb, George Kanatt and Varghese. As shows targeted typical Indian American issues like Master of None gain popularity, the concept of Brown Nation holds significant promise. Starring Rajeev Varma, Omi Vaidya, Shenaz Treasurywala and Melanie Chandra, Brown Nation promises to deliver a slice of typical Indian life with ironies intact.

Says Varghese, "We have tried to develop universally appealing humour by using situations of a quirky business owner working to make it in the competitive world of New York. Netflix is the best platform that we could have asked for to maximize its reach.”

To watch the trailer of Brown Nation, Click on: https://youtu.be/tdU2leWQoo8

Here's hoping that he will be a mature US President

Never before has the whole world been so baffled with a US President-elect. So, Donald Trump will be the 45th US President. The rest of the world is busy anticipating the outcomes of his reign. Will he really be strict on immigrants or will he stand by his plank of temporarily banning Muslims from entering his country? And his brash attitude and aggression have been matters of concern for political leaders, experts and commoners. Yet he has usurped all calculations and beaten his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the race to the White House.

Yes, it's a Triumphant moment for the real-estate tycoon who also earned laurels as a TV host. His slogan, "Make America Great Again," has reaped him rich benefits. The rural Americans have voted for him, so have the unemployed youths. The slogan has worked big time for a man who has faced allegations of being a misogynist. But leave aside his chequered history with the fairer sex and his aversion towards immigrants, the fact remains that he will be taking over from Barrack Obama in January next year.

Now too many questions are being asked. If at all, Trump sticks to his pre-poll calls, then the world is in danger. If he decides to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, Syria and other places, terrorism will get a boost. What would be his approach towards China and Russia? And how would he deal with China over the South China Sea conundrum? And from Indian's point of view, how would he deal with Pakistan and its bonhomie with China? And will he really be tough on the Haqqani network that has put Pakistan on a sticky wicket?

Well, Trump says in his victory speech, "It’s time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me...I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone — all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict."

Now, that's quite noble enough. He means unity and he means no harm to anybody yet if anybody tries to take America on, his policy is simple: Push US's enemy to the back foot.

There's a huge difference between pre-poll strategy and post-poll ones. Once you are on the hot seat, you are in charge and you have to shed all your inhibitions as a candidate. There are issues that need to be dealt with logically and the immature stance of building walls should be thrown into oblivion. It remains to be seen how Trump behaves once he reaches the White House. There is a sense of fear not just in USA but also in other parts of the world that a Trump Presidency can usher in an era of mayhem and pandemonium.

It's left to Trump to assuage such a notion and behave like a true statesman. He was courteous enough to acknowledge his rival Clinton's contributions to his nation in his victory speech. Well, for once he was decent enough. One prays he maintains such a dignity and doesn't come up with statements that don't quite deserve a mention from the President of the United States of America.

Fingers crossed!

PM's historic step, Saansein's release postponed

Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 would be demonetised, Bollywood is feeling the heat. The news is that Saansein-The Last Breath starring Rajniesh Duggall and Sonarika Bhadoria in the lead that was supposed to hit the screens on November 11, will now have to wait. Producer Goutam Jain has decided to postpone the release date.

Confirms Jain, “We are very much pleased with Mr. Narendra Modi’s step towards demonetisation of 500 and 1000 currency notes and hence our team has decided that the movie should be postponed as we do not want the audiences to spend their money behind watching a movie this weekend. I want people to spend money on basic necessities as of now rather than incurring in other expenses. The step taken by the Prime Minster is surely in favor of the citizens.”

Kunaal's forthcoming to be shot in Kanpur

The talented Kunaal Roy Kapur's next Hum Dono Honge Kamyaab is set to hit the floors on November 12. Directed by Vishal Mishra, the romantic comedy also stars Tara Alisha Berry. The film will be shot entirely in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Says Kunaal, “It's a pleasure to work with new people on a film which will be shot at a place completely new to me. Kanpur's humour and the freshness of the story should result in something really entertaining.” Adds Tara who made her debut with Vikram Bhatt’s Love Games, “Vishal Sir has given me the opportunity to work with a brilliant actor like Kunaal. I am having sleepless nights and just waiting to reach Kanpur and start shooting.”

On choosing Kanpur, Vishal says, "This film deserves no other city than the busy nature of this
town's culture."

Madhavan's Irudhi Suttru screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival

This Diwali couldn't have been better for actor R Madhavan. The Tamil version of his film Saala Khadoos, Irudhi Suttru was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. As per sources, the movie based on boxing was applauded by the audiences.Madhavan’s fans were quite excited to interact with him. Says the actor, “I’m really overwhelmed and touched with all the love and affection that the people of Japan have showered upon me and my film Irudhi Suttru. I had never anticipated this.” Irudhi Suttru is directed by Sudha Kongara and stars Ritika Singh apart from Madhavan and others.