Bollywood Glitterati

 We all are facing unprecedented times these days of COVID-19 pandemic. It is during these situations that we all get a glimpse of how people stand up to each other to help them and try to ease out the situation. Like doctors and paramedics who have been working tirelessly, selflessly for the past several months in fighting this pandemic, we also have seen our police force working endlessly, be it for law and order, or to prevent panic situations or sometimes enforcing safety measures for the public at large National Institute of Ophthalmology, one of Pune’s oldest eye institutes celebrated its 27th        Foundation Day on 5th of September.   An eye institute which is committed to serving the poor and needy, thought it befitting that these heroes of today’s times be recognized in some way or the other. With Dr. Shreekant Kelkar, and Mrs. Aruna Kelkar at the helm, Dr. Aditya Kelkar and Dr. Jai Kelkar, and NIO family distributed Safety Gears con...

“An average Indian believes that an investment in gold passes down generations, more so when a celebrity endorses a company that is offering the said gold scheme. My legal battle is merely a representation of many of the investors of Satyug Gold who might have invested in the gold scheme at a discounted rate, only to never receive the gold,” says actor-entrepreneur Sachiin Joshi, who, after paying Rs. 18,57,870 on March 25, 2014, has been asked by the then Shilpa Shetty-Raj Kundra promoted Satyug Gold to pay a penalty of Rs. 25,50,000 in order to collect the gold for which an amount of Rs 18,57,870 had already been paid to them six years ago.  “If I am asked to pay Rs 25 lakh to collect Rs 18 lakh gold after six years of my hard-earned money lying with a company, imagine the state of the common man who must have invested believing a celebrity who endorsed a company as its Chairman! I feel defrauded to say the least. And then I realised that I should stand up against what is wro...

  Darjeeling-based filmmaker Shenpenn Khymsar makes his directorial debut with the film, Broken Wings, which he says is based on real issues of his land. Khymsar claims that this is the first time in post-Independence India that a Nepali-Hindi language film has been “made in Darjeeling”, though there are many films that have been shot in the hill station.“I am from Darjeeling and I felt it is best to resonate your story and sites of your upbringing in your filmmaking. A lot of people in the Hindi belt and South India aren’t aware that this is a part of India. They know it for the tea and the toy train. Darjeeling is an intricate part of India where Nepali is a spoken language. Nepali is actually also a constitutional language of India,” Khymsar said

 The News Media, an integral part of the Media & Entertainment Industry has been outrageously vehement these last few weeks, in attacking men and women from the Actors fraternity as if they are participants and instigators in an alleged conspiracy that has occupied headlines recently in the public domain. It is important for them to realise that one cannot function as a self-appointed judge, jury & executioner.   In an attempt to boost viewership ratings, the catastrophic repercussions are ignored. That itself is reason enough for all to seriously introspect and put an end to the ill-informed debates and personal opinions being voiced by all and sundry.  Without prejudice, the Cine & TV Artists Association (CINTAA), which represents the Actors Community for over six decades, thought it befitting to break its silence in retaliation to those who are out to defame and slander its members.  As a fraternity, we too want a fair investigation but till such time ...

The enchanting songstress who has mesmerised Indian cinema for even decades turned 87 tonight. And Asha tai, with her infectious smile and contagious energy, heralded her coming-of-age with announcing that she is going to get the chefs at her restaurant to try out her new veg and non-veg recipes, created by her during lockdown. “I am very fast at what I do. Whether it is singing or cooking. So when I create recipes, others run out of the kitchen, not able to match my speed!” Biting into a piece of her favourite Fresh Cream Fruit Cake, made of fruits and dry fruits, specially brought in from Mumbai by granddaughter Zanai, Asha Bhosle who has been in Lonavla with her son Anand, daughter-in-law Anuja, grandchildren Zanai and Ranjai, spoke of how it feels co mplete to be together with family on her birthday. Zanai also got her favourite Japanese and Chinese food brought down from Mumbai despite lockdown, confided the singer with a contented smile. Talk of her grandchildren Zanai and Ranjai...

The fragility beneath the glamorous greasepaint of Bollywood always comes to light when suicides throw up the alarming issue of mental health crisis that lurks beneath the layers of makeup of the actors who form the face of the industry. What is more, these very vulnerable faces are the role models that the junta looks up to lead by example.  “The layers of pressure for an actor are as much or more than the layers of makeup,” says actor Amit Behl. “The social media adds to the stress of being under constant watch. The industry is not about constant fame or constant income and the lockdown has obviously added to the anxiety and stress, leading to depression over an uncertain future. But Cine & TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) is not cash-rich,” avers actor Amit Behl, Sr Joint Secretary and Spokesperson, CINTAA. “We reach out to our members in as many ways possible and hold hands, not just during pandemic but always.” CINTAA has now tied up with Zindagi Helpline that offers cou...

Asha B hosl e  beats nepotism and embraces  youn g  talents from across the globe offering them her social media platform to showcase the best of talent...   Her smile makes the world go wow! The youthful effervescence of her voice is mind-blowing and her enthusiasm is contagious. She is 87 years young and has a career spanning over seven decades with over 1000 Hindi films, several private albums, and is a Guinness Book world record holder as the most recorded artiste in  music history. Padma Vi bhushan Asha Bhosle also has an amazing  repertoire of versatility  ranging from Hindi film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwalis and Rabindra Sangeet in over 20 Indi an and foreign languages.    Yet, Asha Bhosle is an icon who keeps reinventing herself. After launching her YouTube channel recently, Asha Bhosle is now coming out with her show titled ‘Asha Ki Asha’. The show seems to be the singe...