Sonal Chauhan to Play a Dancer

Sonal Chauhan is all set to star in Mahesh Manjrekar's next gangster drama. The actress will be seen along with Vidyut Jammwal and Shruti Haasan in the film.

Now according to reports, Sonal's character in the film will be based on a modern-day adaptation of Chandramukhi from Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s ‘Devdas’. Sources say that Sonal will be playing a dancer in the film. The source further added that she will not be playing a lead in the film but her character will get involved with Vidyut’s character.

Produced by Vijay Galani and Pratik Galani, the film is scripted by Manjrekar and also features Naseeruddin Shah, Amol Palekar, and Jishu Sengupta.

Malaika Arora Not Paying Attention To Trolls

Actress Malaika Arora, who has been a target of several trolls, said she doesn't pay attention to them. “I don't pay attention to trolls and that is the best way to deal with them,” said Malaika.

Last week, she posted a collage of throwback photographs of herself taking a dip in the sea. She captioned it: “Summer Loving. Take me back.”

She received some unpleasant feedback from a few followers who trolled her for wearing a bikini while swimming.

She said, “This is an old picture from my trip to the Maldives last year. People seemed to have a point of view on my attire in the pictures. To all those people, I just have one question: What as per you is the appropriate attire to wear while swimming or diving in the ocean?”

“To my knowledge, it is swimsuits that one uses the world over when considering water focused outdoor activities. If people think we should be wearing something else, please enlighten me.”

Geetanjali Thapa: Childhood Memories Influence One's Personality

National Award-winning actress Geetanjali Thapa, who plays the female protagonist Minnie in the forthcoming film ‘Biscopewala’, says a person's childhood memories influence and impact his or her personality as an adult in a huge way. The film 'Bioscopewala' revolves around the story of a girl who comes back to her roots and childhood memories of a 'Bioscopewala', who played an important role in her life to become the person she is.

Sharing an insight into her character in the film, Geetanjali said, "Minnie realises that somewhere the story of a 'Bioscopewala' influenced her to become a filmmaker.”

"Without even realising she got her main influence for filmmaking from this man, who is old now, his story, his journey is unknown to her, she sets out on a journey to find that out as a filmmaker. I think this happens to all of us, where our subconscious mind gets influenced to become someone in our grown-up days, from our childhood memories. It shapes our personality."

The story of 'Bioscopewala' is an extrapolation of the famous story of ‘Kabuliwala’.

“In our film, Minnie has grown up and has become a filmmaker in Paris and she comes back to her home and discovered the root behind her passion for storytelling lies in her childhood,” she added.

So, was there any such influence that Geetanjali had from her childhood? 

"My upbringing makes me the kind of person I am today. I cannot really specify one incident in that manner, but we had a teacher in school who used to encourage me to read books. Not really textbooks, but storybooks. There is a world inside stories, and I think that helped me to develop an interest in reading and narrating stories in whichever medium I do today," she said.

She says her first film never released. But meeting a few good people in Mumbai and going for auditions changed her life. Like many newcomers in the big city Mumbai, she also went through initial struggle.

“There are times when people said that I do not look Indian enough to be a part of Indian film industry, beyond one point. But hey, here I am,” said the actress from Gangtok, Sikkim.

Starting her career in 2012 with ‘I.D.’, the actress won a National Film Award for her work in “Liar’s Dice”. She also appeared in film like ‘Tigers’, ‘Trapped’ and ‘Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz’.

‘Bioscopewala’ features some of the finest actors of the film business -- Adil Hussain, Danny Denzongpa and Tisca Chopra. Geetanjali said going through an extensive workshop helped her to find a comfort level among all the actors.

Directed by Deb Madhekar, the film 'Bioscopewala' is releasing on Friday.

Raveena Tandon To Exhibit Her Wildlife Photography

Actress Raveena Tandon will showcase her wildlife photographs alongside the works of 75 wildlife photographers for a cause. Raveena, in support of Sarita Subramaniam and P V Subramaniam, is joining an organisation to help avert water crisis in wildlife sanctuaries.

The actress said, "Wildlife is my passion and capturing moments on camera is sheer thrill. The excitement and love for the forest and to conserve what we have on our beautiful planet with it's beautiful creatures, which man is slowly destroying, is what draws me to support and take up initiatives like Project Aquarius."

The exhibition titled H2PHOTO will begin at Jehangir Art Gallery from May 25 and will conclude on May 29. The proceeds from the sale will go towards installing solar pump sets at wildlife sanctuaries to help revive depleting watering holes.

Raveena said, "Conservation is absolutely the need of the hour as a lot of species are already extinct and we are on the verge of losing many more of these beautiful beasts to the war between man and animal."

"By destroying forests we are destroying the very base of mankind's existence as we are upsetting the whole ecological cycle. Every creature was put on this planet for a reason and human beings need to fulfill their purpose of existence by saving Mother Earth. We are in reality actually saving ourselves."

Sarita and PV Subramaniam have earlier raised funds to provide solar powered pumps to borewells that supply water to the watering holes at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

They said in a joint statement that their new effort is for the water woes animals have in forests.

They said they felt touched by Raveena and the other photographers' spontaneous gesture of extending support to the cause.

Priyanka On A Visit To Rohingya Refugee Camps

Priyanka Chopra, who is also the global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights is in Dhaka visiting the Rohingya refugee camps.

The actress, who has worked with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for over a decade, promotes causes such as environment, health and education and women's rights among many others.

In November last year, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement to repatriate an estimated 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled a brutal Myanmar military campaign launched in August 2017.

Before visiting Dhaka, Priyanka was in London, where she attended Meghan Markle’s wedding to British Royal Prince Harry.

Aahana Kumra To Be Bestowed Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award

‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ may have released two years ago, but the cast and crew are still being appreciated for their efforts. Actress, Aahana Kumara who made a lasting impact with her feisty role in the film, has also managed to carve out quite the career at the movies. She may have started off on the small screen, but now she’s very much part of the movie making business. One of the latest highlights of her career has been the announcement of the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award. The actress is going to be bestowed with the Most Promising Fresh Face Of The Year Award for her portrayal in ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’.

Commenting on the same, Manisha Singh, a part of the Award committee said, “Aahana is very talented and hard working. She is very promising and has a bright future. This acknowledgement is for the commitment she brings to her work and we wish her a very bright future.”

Deepika Padukone Enlisted In The Time 100 Influential People List

Deepika Padukone is the only Indian actress to feature in the Time 100 Influential People in the World, sharing space with names like Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot, Greta Gerwig and Lena Waithe.

In the Time magazine, international star Vin Diesel, Deepika's co-star in her Hollywood debut "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" has penned words of appreciation for her.

"Making that movie, Deepika took committed to a whole other level. That's who she is as a performer. She wants the whole movie to shine, which is a rare thing.

"Anyone could talk about how beautiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her unmatched comedic timing. But she isn't just a star. She's an actor's actor, dedicated to the craft," Diesel wrote.

Deepika scored a success at the box office this year with the epic drama 'Padmaavat' in which she played the title role.

One of the highest paid actors of Indian cinema today, she has 18 brands in her portfolio and has a strong social media presence.

Apart from her work as an artiste, Deepika's philanthropic side has seen her spreading awareness on the condition of mental illness. She has spoken about her battle with depression and has been working towards creating awareness with her NGO The Live Love Laugh Foundation.

The Time magazine list also features actress Meghan Markle, who is set to become a British royal family member upon her wedding to Prince Harry next month.

Commitment Phobic Tina Desai

Bollywood and Hollywood actress Tina Desai ,who has done many interesting films like Table No 21 and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is in India and she shot for Sujoy Ghosh's three features 'Teen Paheliyaan'.

She is playing an interesting role in one of the three features. The actress loves to juggle between Los Angeles and Mumbai and feels that the work is equally hectic in both the cities. She is currently also shooting for her Hollywood series 'Sense 8'.

She says, "I loved shooting with Sujoy Ghosh. He brings something new to the table. And since this was shot like a film, it was worth exploring on Indian television. I am also open to interesting opportunities in fiction shows.

Ask her if she is planning to settle down in the future and she says, "Oh no, I don't see myself married ever. I am very commitment phobic. I don't see myself in that partnership and doing all the household things. I don't think I can cook and do all the wifely duties. I feel it is too much responsibility. I am enjoying my work."

Tamannaah Bhatia Roped In For 'Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy'

After being a part of the blockbuster film series, 'Baahubali', Tamannah Bhatia is now set to join the cast of the multilingual period film, “Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy”. The actress is playing a pivotal role in one of the most ambitious projects of the Teligu film industry, which features Tollywood superstar Chiranjeevi. A few weeks ago, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan also took to social media to confirm his guest appearance in the magnus opus and there are speculations that he will play a mentor to Chiranjeevi in the film.

Tamannaah, who has been working round the clock on the Telugu remake of 'Queen', shares, “It’s true, I have been confirmed for the film. It’s a great honor to be sharing the screen with two of my favorite actors, Chiranjeevi and Amitabh Bachchan. Biopics have always been a priority for me and since the film revolves around a freedom fighter, it’s a matter of national pride to contribute to this project. I will be doing a lot of research for my role, as there is limited material available online and I want to keep it as real as possible.”

With this movie, the actress also joins the niche club of working with the father-son duo, Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan. She has earlier worked with Ram Charan and this is her first film with his father. Apart from the 'Queen' remake, Tamannaah is busy with the Telugu film 'Naa Nuvve' with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram.

'Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy', which will release in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, narrates the story of legendary freedom fighter and martyr, Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. Chiranjeevi plays the title role in the movie, which boasts of an ensemble cast including, Nayanthara.

The magnum opus is directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Ram Charan under his banner Konidela Production Company. The film, which went on floors in December 2017, is expected to release later this year.

Mallika Sherawat To Adapt An Emmy Award Winning Show

Most of her visits to Mumbai have been fairly discreet. However, this time, Maliika Sherawat is in the city with a purpose. Apart from honoring professional commitments, spending time with family and savoring mangoes, the actress is in talks to adapt an Emmy Award winning show for the Indian audience. While she hasn’t frozen on her plans yet, she’s open to making it for the small screen and for the web.

The actress says, “I can’t name the show because I am contractually bound but it’s true that I want to remake it for the Indian audience. We haven’t decided on the platform yet because it all depends on how things move. It’s a strong show centered on a female character who is independent and takes charge of her life. It will be nice to see a character which doesn’t fit into the typical “saas and bahu” bracket. Another reason to be in Mumbai is that I have my family and my little nephew here. I’m also relishing chat and mangoes in the city. You don’t get these mangoes anywhere else in the world.”

Taapsee Pannu Prefers To Enact As The Directors Want

Taapsee Pannu has teamed up with directors from diverse schools of filmmaking like David Dhawan ('Chashme Baddoor', 'Judwaa 2') Neeraj Pandey ('Baby') and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury ('Pink'). Her upcoming releases include Anubhav Sinha’s film with a patriotic fervor, ‘Mulq’ and Anurag Kashyap’s romantic drama, ‘Manmarziyaan’.

Clearly, the actress believes in striking a balance between films that belong to the commercial space, narratives that have her as the protagonist and content-driven films which have also been making a mark at the box office.

When asked how she prepares before embarking on films of varied genres and directors and she reveals, “When I work with directors as diverse as David Dhawan, Shoojit Sircar, Neeraj Pandey and Anurag Kashyap, I have to unlearn everything and become a newcomer all over again.

"The formulas on each of their sets are different. I fail to deliver if I come to the set knowing what I am going to do. I am like clay and I look to the director to tell me how he wants me to enact a scene. Since we spend close to two months on a film’s set, it’s important to have a good rapport with your director."

Sonal Chauhan To Play A Rajput In Paltan

Sonal Chauhan will be seen essaying the role of a Rajput in JP Dutta’s “Paltan”. The pretty actress, who had made an impressive debut with ‘Jannat’, has gone de-glam for her character. Sonal often posts pictures of herself in little or no make-up on her social media handles, so facing the camera sans make-up was easy.

According to the sources, Dutta was looking for someone with vulnerability, poise and strength to play the character. The veteran filmmaker’s search ended with Sonal, as she fit the bill. Interestingly, she also happens to be a Rajput in real life.

Talking about the film, Sonal says, “I have always admired JP sir’s films. It is an honor to be a part of this project. I am so glad that he thought of me as the right choice for the role. I can’t wait to see how it will be received by the audience. Also, I got a chance to say my thanks to the Indian Army through this film and for that, I am grateful.”

Apart from Sonal, 'Paltan' features an all-star cast with prominent actors like Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Esha Gupta, Luv Sinha, Sonu Sood, Ronit Roy and more.