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Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming streaming series ‘Killer Soup’, on Monday dropped a terrific picture of himself featuring his toned body with washboard abs.

In the picture, Manoj stands with a bare upper body as he stares into the camera. One could see his carved deltoid muscles, chest and biceps – special mention to his collar bone.

He wrote in the caption: “New Year New Me! Dekho soup ka meri body pe asar. Ekdum killer look hai na?”

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who directed Manoj in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ commented under the picture: “Chuppe Rustom.”

Apurva Asrani, the editor of Manoj’s ‘Satya’ and ‘Aligarh’ pulled the actor’s leg as he commented: “Very impressive. But please leave the thirst traps to me.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Manoj has ‘Killer Soup’ in the pipeline. The series, which also stars Konkona Sensharma, Nasser, Sayaji Shinde and Lal,...

The writer of movies like ‘Aligarh’, ‘Shahid’, among others, Apurva Asrani on Thursday clarified a rumour which addressed veteran actor Asrani as his father, and said if his dad had been a well known actor, his struggles would have been much less.

The filmmaker served as the editor of the 1998 crime film ‘Satya’ directed by Ram Gopal Varma. It stars Urmila Matondkar, Jd Chakravarthy and Manoj Bajpayee in the lead roles.

Apurva is also the editor of movies like ‘Om Jai Jagadish’, ‘Mukhbiir’ and ‘CityLights’.

Taking to Instagram, Apurva, who has a fanbase of 41.6K followers, shared a still of a video, which shows a collage featuring Asrani as father, and Apurva as son.

Along with the photo, he wrote: “No, that’s Not my father. That’s veteran actor Asrani. My dad was a flight purser with Air India and had nothing to do with the movie industry. I wonder though,...

Film editor and writer Apurva Asrani, who is known for stitching together some of the milestone films of Hindi cinema like ‘Satya’, ‘Shahid’ and has written the poignant biopic ‘Aligarh’, is reflecting back on his journey of almost 3 decades in the cinema.

Apurva, who has now permanently shifted his base to Goa and works from there, shared several throwback pictures in which he can be seen on the sets as a young guy filled with dreams in his eyes and dedication towards his work.

Talking about how the film industry has seen monumental change ever since he started his journey, Apurva penned a long note in the caption. He wrote, “It all began in 1995. So many good people in these pictures have moved on, the industry has changed, film has moved to digital, TV has moved to Ott, newer stories, newer talents have replaced the old. I am filled with gratitude that almost 30 years in,...

National Award winning actor and Padma Shri awardee Manoj Bajpayee, who is known for ‘Satya’, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Aligarh’ and several others, is currently in London holidaying with his family.

The actor shared pictures from his vacation on Wednesday and also said that he along with his family is walking at least 10 km a day.

The actor took to his Instagram and shared a photo dump with his wife Shabana, his daughter Ava Nayla enjoying their trip to the European country.

The actor in the caption wrote: “Seeing London through the eyes of a 12-year-old has been so much fun! I’ve been here many times, but this is my first time as a tourist. We’re walking a minimum of 10 km every day, mapping out every nook and corner. #FamilyVacation.”

Taking to the comments section, Apurva Asrani, who has edited Manoj’s ‘Satya’ and co-wrote ‘Aligarh’, wrote, “Beautiful. Kohinoor...

Mumbai, April 6 (Ians) It’s one of those days when producer-entrepreneur Karan Johar receives flak on the Internet. Writer-editor Apurva Asrani, who is known for his work in ‘Aligarh’, and ‘The Kashmir Files’ director Vivek Agnihotri have slammed KJo over something that he said in past.

An old video of KJo telling Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma that he wanted to “murder her career” has surfaced online and the Netizens including Apurva and Vivek are not pleased, to put it mildly.

In 2016, Karan said at an event that he asked Aditya Chopra to not cast Anushka in ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’.

Sharing the same video on his Twitter, Apurva Asrani tweeted on Thursday: “‘I totally wanted to murder Anushka Sharma’s career’ – Karan Johar confesses to Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra in 2016. Said in jest, I’m sure, but still a worthy point in the raging insider-outsider debate.”

Vivek, who took notice of the tweet,...

Mumbai, March 29 (Ians) After Priyanka Chopra Jonas opened up about being “pushed to a corner” in Bollywood in a podcast, National Award-winning film editor and writer Apurva Asrani said that is a massive win that the Indian actress didn’t end up like late actors Sushant Singh Rajput or Parveen Babi.

Apurva took to Twitter, where he shared an article about Priyanka talking about why she moved to Hollywood.

He tweeted: “Finally Priyanka Chopra reveals what everyone knew, but said not a word. Not the liberals, not the feminists.”

“They hail those that ostracized her, celebrate the kings that tried to destroy her. It is a massive win that she didn’t end up like Parveen Babi or Sushant Singh Rajput.”

In the podcast, Priyanka said: “I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am...

Sudhanshu Saria’s Four Line Entertainment (“Loev”) has partnered with Kashish Arts Foundation and Lotus Visual Production to produce LGBTQ+ themed relationship drama “Taps.”

Written and directed by Arvind Caulagi, “Taps” revolves around a gay relationship in Mumbai. The film received the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant in 2022. The jury picks gay, lesbian and transgender-focused films that are diverse and rooted in real-life experiences. The 2022 jury comprised filmmakers Alankrita Shrivastava and Nupur Asthana, editor Apurva Asrani and producers Chhitra Subramaniam and Neeraj Churi.

Kashish also operates South Asia’s leading LGBTQ+ film festival in Mumbai.

Saria’s 2015 LGBTQ+themed 2015 feature “Loev” had considerable festival play including at SXSW, Tallinn and BFI Flare.

Saria said: “It’s the keenness and providence of the Kashish QDrishti film grant that such a rare screenplay has come our way. I’m honored and delighted to produce ‘Taps,’ a sensitive rendering of urban relationships and longing rarely witnessed on Indian screens.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has named ten emerging talents from across the Indian film, gaming and television industries that will participate in the 2022 edition of its BAFTA Breakthrough India initiative supported by Netflix.

The 2022 contingent includes writer-director Ajitpal Singh; composer Alokananda Dasgupta (“Sacred Games”), writer-director Arati Kadav (“Cargo”), producer Mathivanan Rajendran (“Nirvana Inn”), writer-director Leena Manimekalai, game director Nakul Verma (“In My Shadow”), writer-director Prateek Vats (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), writer Shubham (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”) and performer Sumukhi Suresh (“Pushpavalli”).

The talents were selected by a jury consisting of BAFTA-winning composer A.R. Rahman, editor and writer Apurva Asrani, actors Anupam Kher and Ratna Pathak Shah, games producer Charu Desodt, Amazon India head Gaurav Gandhi, Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Guneet Monga, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, GOQii CEO Vishal Gondal and filmmaker Shonali Bose.

During the program,...

Film editor and screenwriter Apurva Asrani took to social media on Friday evening to share his respect for filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, who has called out an alleged campaign going on against Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan.

"I respect Anubhav Sinha for calling out the very obvious campaign against #KartikAaryan. A year ago I had blogged about the bullying Sushant Singh Rajput went through. And though I remain blacklisted for it by many journalists, I feel like something Is changing for the better," Apurva Asrani tweeted.

I respect Anubhav Sinha for calling out the very obvious campaign against #KartikAaryan. A year ago I had blogged about the bullying Sushant Singh Rajput went through. And though I remain blacklisted for it by many journalists, I feel like something Is changing for the better.✊ https://t.co/8DbWRtLGa7

— Apurva (@Apurvasrani) June 4, 2021

His tweet came in reaction to a tweet by Anubhav Sinha the day before,...

National Award-winning film editor and writer Apurva Asrani on Monday took a dig at filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actress Kangana Ranaut by revisiting the Simran row.

The issue started when Mehta, over the weekend, admitted that directing the 2017 release "Simran" was a mistake. "I supported him (Anna) in good faith. Like I later supported Arvind. I don't regret it. All of us make mistakes. I made Simran," were his exact words on Twitter.

Soon, netizens started expressing displeasure over his statement.

Kangana joined in, too, and posted: "That's true Hansal sir, even you will agree with that, I stood by you and now you saying this, feel like singing ‘achcha sila diya tune mere payaar ka'."

To which, Hansal replied: "Firstly, the tweet wasn't about you. Secondly, there are things that happened after the film that left me more than hurt. It made me sorely regret making the film. All...

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta on Saturday admitted his 2017 release Simran, starring Kangana Ranaut, was a mistake. He also compared the error in judgement to supporting Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal in the past.

"I supported him (Anna) in good faith. Like I later supported Arvind. I don't regret it. All of us make mistakes. I made Simran," he tweeted on Saturday.

The 2017 film is about a divorcee named Praful Patel who loses her savings in a gambling bout. She then takes a loan to set things straight, and when she is unable to repay it, she finds herself drawn into a life of crime.

The film, said to be based on a true story, faced controversy when screenwriter Apurva Asrani alleged that Kangana, who has been credited as additional dialogue and story writer of the project, tried to discredit him by claiming she had developed the story with Mehta from a one-line script.

After the runaway success of Criminal Justice last year, Hotstar Specials launched the next chapter in the franchise titled Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. Actor Pankaj Tripathi is reprising his role as one of India’s most loved characters Madhav Mishra, who has returned for what is deemed as the toughest case of his career.

The prime accused Anu Chandra (Kirti Kulhari) has confessed to stabbing her husband, an eminent lawyer - Bikram Chandra and is guilty in the eyes of law. While many believe it to be an open-and-shut case, Anu’s subsequent silence and unwillingness to defend herself begs the question - is there more to the case than what meets the eye?

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A post shared by Pankaj Tripathi (@pankajtripathi)

The show has received high praise, and the powerful dialogues by Madhav Mishra have caught the attention of the audiences. Here’s a...

Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi has recalled teaching Hindi to co-stars Anupriya Goenka and Kirti Kulhari on the set of their upcoming web series, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors.

"Anupriya Goenka and Kirti Kulhari would patiently listen to me as I shared and taught them a few 'shudh' Hindi words -- especially the legal terminology. Anupriya's character Nikhat Hussain is leading Anu Chandra's (Kirti) defence team with Madhav Mishra (the character Pankaj plays). So, she would specifically come to me for advice on the correct meaning of Hindi words and how to pronounce them, and then would also take feedback on her execution. I really appreciated her for being open to advice, and also my criticism," Pankaj Tripathi recalled.

"The Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors set had a very positive environment, where the cast and crew would have engaging discussions on topics beyond the show. We would laugh, eat and spend a lot of time together,...

After the runaway success of Criminal Justice last year, Hotstar Specials is set to launch the next chapter in the franchise titled Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. One of India’s most loved characters Madhav Mishra returns for what is deemed as the toughest case of his career.

The prime accused Anu Chandra has confessed to stabbing her husband, an eminent lawyer - Bikram Chandra and is guilty in the eyes of law. While many believe it to be an open-and-shut case, Anu’s subsequent silence and unwillingness to defend herself begs the question - is there more to the case than what meets the eye? With a bold and unexpected narrative, it seeks to find the truth and raises some pressing questions.

Reprising their roles in the show are actors Pankaj Tripathi - who effortlessly brings to life the character of Madhav Mishra, and Anupriya Goenka as Nikhat Hussain...

Mumbai, Nov 18 (Ians) Bollywood personalities like filmmakers Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta, actress Sayani Gupta and screenplay writer Apurva Asrani on Wednesday joined the Twitter trend on disclosing their first salary on social media.

On Wednesday, the keywords "First Salary" trended on Twitter all day as several politicians, celebrities and people from different fields revealed their first paycheque amount, how they earned it and at which age.

Participating in the trend, filmmaker Anubhav Sinha tweeted: "First Salary- Rs 80, Age-18, Arithmetic tuition to a class 7 student to earn for my smoking in the Engg college."

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared: "First salary- Rs.450pm, Age-16, Salesperson at Intershoppe Kemp's Corner selling Fu's jeans and casual wear to earn money for my junior college wardrobe."

Actress Sayani Gupta revealed: "First Salary- Rs 12,500/-, Age 21, Marketing and Sales Executive in a Publishing House/Infrastructure Research Firm."

Film editor and screenplay writer Apurva Asrani shared: "First...

Mumbai, Nov 6 (Ians) Film editor and screenplay writer Apurva Asrani on Friday launched fresh salvo at those who differentiate between the way men and women are treated by society when it comes to accepting nudity.

"Our women are labelled sluts if they go nude. Men are not. Actresses who 'bare' are branded sex-sirens for life, rarely reaching respectable positions like Madhuri and Sridevi. Male actors though, get away with sex scenes and hairy-chest titillation. Face it. We are a sexist society," Apurva tweeted from his verified account on Friday.

His post comes after his Thursday's contention on the microblogging site where he talking about how our society responded to Poonam Pandey and Milind Soman exposing their bodies before the camera in different ways.

"#PoonamPandey & #MilindSoman both stripped down to their birthday suits in #Goa recently. Pandey partly, Soman completely. Pandey is in legal trouble--for obscenity. Soman is being lauded for...

National Award-winning film editor and screenplay writer Apurva Asrani is all set to make his solo directorial debut, which will feature actor Manoj Bajpayee.

Making the announcement on social media, Apurva wrote: "Pleased to announce my solo directorial debut, co-produced by and starring my 'Satya' and 'Aligarh' star, Manoj Bajpayee.

"Our script traces the emotional journey of a forgotten genius who is slowly losing his mind. Since awareness and support for mental health issues is sharply lacking in India, we chose the 'Mental Health Awareness Month' to make the announcement."

The story of the film attempts to address the mental health issue and the film is likely to go on the floors by the end of this year.

Apurva is known for editing some of the critically acclaimed films like "Shahid", "Children of War", "CityLights", "Aligarh" among others.

He bagged the National award for the film "Snip!" in 2001.

- By...

Akshay Kumar, who said he has Canadian citizenship, was questioned on social media about winning the National Award. However, filmmaker Rahul Dholakia supported the actor and said that "foreign nationals can get National Awards"

On Saturday, several social media users including National award-winning film editor and writer Apurva Asrani questioned Akshay on being a National Award-winner.

Asrani tweeted: "Are Canadian citizens eligible for India's National Awards? The year (2016) Akshay Kumar won 'Best Actor', we were expecting Manoj Bajpayee to win for 'Aligarh'. If the jury/ministry has made an error in Kumar's case, will there be a revote."

However following the rulebook of the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation that presents the National Film Awards, under the section of eligibility of a candidate it reads: "Film professionals and technicians of foreign origin can also be considered for awards."

Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia, who has also been part of the jury...

"Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain" actress Saumya Tandon, one of the four celebrities who refused to tweet in support of a political party in exchange for money as part of a sting operation, says it is a "personal choice" if a person agrees to do it.

As for herself, she says, "I would never sell myself for money on these kind of things".

Over 30 Indian film and TV industry actors/artistes were captured on camera accepting a 'cash for tweet' offer during a sting operation conducted by a media portal over a period of 3-4 months last year.

The portal revealed that Saumya, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi and Raza Murad were the only ones among those approached, to refuse the offer.

Saumya said in a statement, "There have been many times I've been approached for either endorsing a political party, especially close to elections or to rally for a particular...

Actress-director Kangana Ranaut feels it is wrong of Krish to accuse her of taking away his credit from Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, and says he will get nothing out of it.

Krish, who co-directed from Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, is upset as Kangana had claimed that she had directed 70 per cent of the film.?

"He (Krish) has been credited for his work in the film and it is very incorrect on his part to say something like that. If he has any issues with the film, then he should talk to the producers and should not attack me for that reason," Kangana said.?

"He should prove whatever he is saying. Nothing will come out of it if he will keep talking about it in the media," she added.?

The actress opened up about the controversy to the media as she stepped out of the airport here on Friday.

Writer-editor-filmmaker Apurva Asrani tells Subhash K Jha why he chose to come out with his battle with Bell’s Palsy. Your revelation on your neurological condition has shocked everyone. What brought it on and how did you cope with it? My condition is not so serious because it is reversible. But I went through a roughRead More

The post After Irrfan Khan’s illness post, Apurva Asrani talks about his battle with Bell’s Palsy appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Onir: “It’s heartening that finally after four years the Chief Justice Deepak Mishra recognised the inherent flaw where the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution to every citizen irrespective of gender or sexuality is denied to the Lgbtq community. The honourable court last year had recognised the personal law and recognises that the right toRead More

The post Onir, Apurva Asrani on the Supreme Court’s decision to reconsider Article 377 appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

There are many Harvey Weinsteins and Kevin Spaceys in Bollywood, though no one is likely to come forward to expose them for the fear of ostracism. However Apurva Asrani feels Hollywood exposes would serve the purpose of warning sexual predators. Says Apurva, “Any kind of sexual misconduct must be condemned and paedophilia is among theRead More

The post Writer-editor-filmmaker Apurva Asrani speaks on Kevin Spacey & sexual misconduct in the entertainment business appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Hansal, while muck has been flying all around you, you’ve been very quiet. How do you look back on all the controversies surrounding Simran? Do you regret not speaking out when writer Apurva Asrani raised a stink about his credit quotient in Simran? I said whatever I had to then and there is nothing more that I will say inRead More

The post Hansal Mehta finally opens up about all the controversies surrounding Kangana Ranaut and Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

The much-talked about film Simran is out, but the controversies continue. It all started somewhere in May when it came to light that there exists a feud between lead actress Kangana Ranaut and writer Apurva Asrani. Apurva was livid when Kangana claimed in an interview that Simran was quite a dark film and that it’sRead More

The post Omg! Apurva Asrani releases his script of Simran and it had a Salman Khan link… appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Simran

Starring Kangana Ranaut, Sohum Shah

Directed by Hansal Mehta

Rating: *** ½(3 and a half stars)

Imagine if your child turns out to be a sociopath. This, in one line, summarizes the whimsical plot of Hansal Mehta’s new high-on-life low-on-moralizing​ film.

Simran or Praful Patel ​(or Kangana Ranaut)​, is no ordinary celluloid creation. She gambles all her savings away in Las Vegas and spends the rest of her time back home in Atlanta robbing banks to pay back her dangerous creditors (played by a mock-mafia of amateurish American actors).

It’s hard to imagine anyone but Mr Ranaut​ playing a Gujarati bandit queen, shooting her way through a series of hilariously-staged heists where Praful alias Simran gets to try out several wigs that wouldn’t fool a 5-year old playing a video game​, let alone the American law enforcers who take awfully long to cotton on to Praful’s harebrained​ get-rich-quick scheme.

Just today in the morning we posted news of Apurva Asrani refusing to react to the latest tirade of Kangana Ranaut on a popular talk show on a news channel. The actress accused Apurva Asrani of unnecessarily creating a scene over not getting credit for Kangana’s upcoming film Simran, which he wrote. Kangana Ranaut claimedRead More

The post Omg! Did Apurva Asrani call Kangana Ranaut a criminal? appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Writer Apurva Asrani who had a very public spat with director Hansal Mehta and leading lady Kangna Ranaut over the creative credits of their new film together Simran has a unique explanation for Kangna’s latest outburst against Hrithik Roshan. Says Apurva, “Well, she does play a borderline negative character in Simran. Keeping her image in mind, I wrote her a badass anti-heroine role. Maybe she’s still in character during promotions.” Apurva hasRead More

The post “She’s just being in character” – Apurva Asrani on Kangna Ranaut’s latest round of ammunitions against Hrithik Roshan appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

After the debacle of Rangoon, Kangana Ranaut will be now seen in a light hearted drama, Simran, which will release in the month of September. Before the trailer release on Tuesday, the teaser had released a few months ago and Kangana Ranaut looked quirky in the role. But, Kangana Ranaut was also given co-writer creditRead More

The post Apurva Asrani clarifies on Kangana Ranaut stealing writer credit for Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Kangna Ranaut came under fire in the month of May 2017 when her upcoming film Simran’s writer Apurva Asrani wrote a very detailed post accusing Kangna of twisting her way into getting a co-writer credit in the film. The controversy did not end there as he even called out film’s director Hansal Mehta for notRead More

The post Kangna Ranaut finally speaks up on Apurva Asrani’s accusation about stealing writing credits for Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Kangna Ranaut became the talk of the nation when she called Karan Johar the flag bearer of nepotism in Bollywood industry when she appeared in the new season of his talk show, Koffee with Karan. Since then, the word has become a rage and become a debate. Just when you thought the topic had diedRead More

The post Kangna Ranaut’s sister Rangoli Chandel slams Apurva Asrani after he accused Kangna of nepotism appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

The gag at an awards function in New York where Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan and Saif Ali Khan took potshots at Kangana Ranut for her anti-nepotism comments, has not gone down well with many in the Mumbai film industry. Writer-editor-filmmaker Apurva Asrani who had lately taken on Kangana and her director Hansal Mehta for creativeRead More

The post Writer-Filmmaker Apurva Asrani, lately in a spat With Kangana Ranaut, slams Karan and Co for their nepotistic jibe appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

The all-out war between writer-editor Apurva Asrani and Kangana Ranaut-Hansal Mehta over the writing credits of Mehta’s new film Simran has taken a new turn with Kangana’s interview to huffingtonpost.com where she has explained why it was necessary according to her, for her to step in to contribute as writer. In a clearly defamatory toneRead More

The post Apurva Asrani lashes out at Kangana Ranaut on her “Irresponsible” comments on the writer appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

It’s a rollercoaster of drama in the film industry right now. It has been three days since Simran writer Apurva Asrani called out Kangna Ranaut and filmmaker Hansal Mehta over diluting his writing credit and giving a co-writer credit to Kangna in the film. In case you haven’t followed it, Simran writer Apurva Asrani wroteRead More

The post Hansal Mehta finally breaks his silence on Apurva Asrani’s allegations of Kangna Ranaut stealing his writing credit in Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Once again, Kangana Ranaut has been faced by another legal notice, this time for Simran! Ever since the teaser for Kangana's newest film Simran landed on the internet, the fans have been loving it, and even went on to lengths to call the film the new 'Queen'. Amidst all of this, one man who wasn't happy At All was Apurva Asrani! When the teaser credits were rolling out, many were intrigued to see Kangana credited as a writer for the script. While Kangana herself said that she helped turn the film's plot from a thriller to a comedy. Apparently, Apurva wasn't happy with this development and even called out Director Hansal Mehta for 'allowing' Kangana to do this. Sharing his thoughts on social media, Apurva wrote: And now, Ketan Mehta is the latest to join the brigade against Kangana, adding that she stole Rani LaxmiBai script from him!

It seems like controversies won’t leave Kangna Ranaut’s side anytime soon. The Kangna Ranaut-Apurva Asrani- Hansal Mehta row over the proper writing credits for Simran has been the talk of the nation over the past couple of weeks now. It is the kind of controversy that has resulted in the end of the partnership betweenRead More

The post Kangna Ranaut finally blasts at Apurva Asrani’s accusation about stealing writing credits for Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

After the debacle of Rangoon, Kangna Ranaut will be seen in a light-hearted drama Simran. While the film’s teaser is out, it has already landed in a controversy over writer credit issue. Apurva Asrani has accused both the director Hansal Mehta and lead actress of Simran Kangna Ranaut for disrespecting his work and stealing hisRead More

The post Shocking: Original writer of Hansal Mehta’s Shahid now accuses Apurva Asrani of stealing his credit appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

After the debacle of Rangoon, Kangna Ranaut will be seen in a light hearted drama Simran. The teaser of the film is already out and Kangna’s character seems to be a carefree person. Even before the full-fledged trailer release, the film is already landed in a controversy. Kangna Ranaut has been given co-writer credit onRead More

The post Shocking: Simran writer Apurva Asrani reveals how Kangna Ranaut took away his writing credit appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

“I have received a letter from the producers terminating my services as the editor,” revealed Apurva Asrani to Bollywood Hungama a short while back confirming the story that we ran today morning about the speculation that Apurva has been sacked as the editor for Simran for which he is being forced to share credit asRead More

The post Apurva Asrani Confirms that he has been sacked as editor of Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Kangna Ranaut’s next release Simran is in news even before any creative of the film is out. Apurva Asrani the writer and editor of the film spoke his heart out in an interview in leading daily today where he presented his side of the story on how he wasn’t consulted or informed about the creditRead More

The post Breaking: Apurva Asrani Sacked as Simran editor? appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Kangana Ranaut got her long-standing wish when the director Hansal Mehta of her latest film Simran announced that the actress would be officially credited as co-writer along with Hansal’s long-standing writer-collaborator Apurva Asrani. However Asrani who penned Mehta’s outstanding Aligarh among other films by the director, strongly refutes this claim. Says Asrani, “I am the story, screenplay and dialogue writer of Simran. Kangana has done a lovely job improvising some dialogues and hasRead More

The post Is Kangana Ranaut really collaborating on the script of her latest film? Director says yes, writer says no appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Kangna Ranaut is a talented star. The actress has always taken up meaty roles and given some incredible performances in the past. Now, Kangna Ranaut has opted for another meaty role in Hansal Mehta’s upcoming comedy-drama, Simran. It turns out that Kangna will be credited as co-writer with script-writer Apurva Asrani. A very few peopleRead More

The post Kangna Ranaut makes debut as a scriptwriter in Hansal Mehta’s Simran appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Day Five at the Jio Mami 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star saw some great sessions for film as well as television audiences.

Starting from the Oxfam and Jio Mami with Star Women in Film Brunch at Jw Marriot saw some powerful like Mami Chairperson, Kiran Rao, Oxfam head, Nisha Agarwal, Konkana SenSharma, Richa Chaddha, Poonam Dhillon, Ekta Kapoor, Leena Yadav, Deborah Young, Maanvi Gagroo, Nidhi Singh and more.

Oxfam discussed Women and Films with Oxfam Head, Nisha Agarwal, Christine Vachon, Leena Yadav, Rucha Pathak, Tala Hadid, Vibha Bakshi, Tillotama Shome and moderator Rahul BoseThe discussion covered topics like the portrayal of women in Indian cinema and how it affects the way we portray their roles in our society.

Television Vertical screened the world premiere of ‘P.O.W.’ The panel included Primetime Emmy Winner Cary Fukunaga, Gideon Raff, Gaurav Banerjee and Nikkhil Advani in conversation with Nikhil Taneja about...

After watching Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh at a private screening in Delhi, Prof Tariq Islam from the Department of Philosophy at the Aligarh Muslim University could not help but recall fond memories of his colleague and friend Prof Siras. He praised the movie, saying “The sensitive handling of the subject by Hansal Mehta’s direction and Apurva Asrani’s script writing were beyond my imagination. The impressive and brilliant acting of both Manoj Bajpai and Rajkumar Rao, did not allow me for a moment to feel it was a film.”

Prof Islam was saddened by the true portrayal of Siras’s struggle with the law and socio-cultural injustice, and his desperate attempt to regain his right to freedom. He has condemned the cancellation of the screening of the movie in Aligarh city by certain political units who have made a hue and cry over the film trying to defame the city.

Saturday afternoon saw the controversy-ridden Jawaharlal Nehru University rock to another sound of music. Hansal Mehta, his lead actor Manoj Bajpayee and writer Apurva Asrani took their film Aligarh to Jnu. The show was a sell-out. Says Hansal, "The Jnu auditorium was jam-packed. And there were scores of students and staffers standing outside when the screening began at 2pm. So, we quickly agreed to a second show right after the first screening ended." Hansal is very impressed by the students' learned attitude to the issues. "The Q and As that followed the two screenings had the students asking Manoj, Apurva and me some extremely pertinent questions. We were floored by how well informed the students are." Regrettably, Rajkummar Rao could not join the Aligarh team as he was shooting in Raigarh. But writer Apurva Asrani has come away from the experience with great memories. "I am feeling encouraged and re-energized.

His last couple of films have been hard hitting affairs. Be it Shahid or Aligarh, director Hansal Mehta has stepped into a zone which has shook many a viewer, courtesy the realistic depiction of some heartbreaking tales that were waiting to be told on screen. Now with Aligarh, which is based on the real life tale of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras from Aligarh Muslim University who was sacked from his position on charges of homosexuality in 2010, one expects nothing less, what with accomplished actors like Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao stepping into the fold.

“Well, the film is very close to me and I have been traveling with it to various film festivals. I have seen the response across the globe with different kind of audiences,” says Hansal, “In fact when I saw the first cut of the film, I told Manoj there and then that this is his finest performance till date.

In the acutely thought-provoking Aligarh, which is about a homosexual man’s right to privacy, Manoj Bajpayee, playing the disgraced professor Srinivas Ramchandra Siras, sits alone in his dingy one-bedroom professor’s quarter, with a drink in hand and a Lata Mangeshkar song by his side.

In the semi-darkness, in a room lit by dim hope, Srinivas listens to the Melody Queen’s ‘Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha Pyaar Ke Qaabil Mujhe’, that timeless Madan Mohan composition from the film Anpadh. The song plays on a rickety portable sound machine. But its sound resonates across the professor’s silent universe, like a melodic meteor cutting through a sky of solitude.

It’s a life-defining moment. Director Hansal Mehta holds the unflinchingly intimate camera (Satya Nagpaul’s lensing is lucid, leisurely and lingering) with ruthless resilience on his protagonist Manoj Bajpai’s face. For a good 5-7 minutes we see Bajpai...

By Mahesh Bhatt

‘Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity’, said the French philosopher, activist and mystic, Simone Weil.

I have always believed that stories have the power to awaken us to the truth. Works of writers, who write from their wounds, have the power to take us via their stories into the truths of other people, whose lives we are willfully blind to, because we are busy amusing ourselves with comfortable lies.

Director Hansal Mehta and writer Apurva Asrani do just that in their film Aligarh. They take us from our safe sanctuaries and our prisons, out of the same old Bollywood stories we have been telling ourselves, and pull us into the life of Dr. Srinavas Ramchandra Siras, a linguist and author in Aligarh University, who was humiliated and ousted from his position because of his sexual orientation.

This under-two hour biographical drama, made by brilliant...

National award winning director Hansal Mehta has wooed international film lovers with his sensitive film Aligarh. At its trailer launch here in Mumbai, it’s focus on awakening awareness for an individual’s choice and right to privacy connected with the media & the audience.

With the film’s cast & crew, lead actor Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao & writer-editor Apurva Asrani, attending the trailer launch, the impact of Aligarh was there for all to see. Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, ‘Aligarh’ is the story of a professor, Dr. S R Siras (Manoj Bajpayee) fired from his position for his sexuality and a young journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world. Based on true events, the film depicts the unlikely friendship between the two, a relationship that will change both of them forever.

So far, Aligarh, within a...

An old Professor on the verge of his retirement is expelled from his University after a camera captures him engaged in a homosexual act. Though consensual, it triggers a controversy regarding morality and tradition. A young journalist sets on to investigate the truth and unravel the reality of this “sting operation”.

Set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh from which the film takes its name, ‘Aligarh’ is the story of a professor, Dr. S R Siras (Manoj Bajpayee) fired from his position for his sexuality and a young journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao) who tells his story to the world. Based on true events, the film depicts the unlikely friendship between the two, a relationship that will change both of them forever.

The film received a standing ovation at its World premiere at the prestigious 20th Busan International Film Festival in October 2015 and shortly thereafter opened to packed houses...