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Aamir Khan expresses film industry joy as Maharashtra cinemas reopen

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 Film theatres opened in Maharashtra a few weeks back and they left the cinelovers smiling ear-to-ear. Within 24 hours of cinemas reopening, a barrage of release date announcements found their way on mainstream and social media. Hollywood releases helped the trade stay afloat in troubled waters.

Several Bollywood, TV and web actors flocked to the screens to witness the magic of silver screen again and expressed their excitement. Here’s what they said:

Aamir Khan shared, “It is a matter of great happiness that the cinemas have finally opened in Maharashtra. All of us were waiting eagerly for this. There are a lot of big films lined up for release. Wishing everybody great luck.”

TV actor Rithvik Dhanjani said, “What a beautiful feeling. I am completely overwhelmed. I still can’t process the fact that our cinemas have finally opened. We are back to normal. We can come back to the theatres and watch a movie. It’s an overwhelming feeling. I am so happy.”

Nandish Sandhu spoke about his experience as he said, “It’s a great experience to be back at the cinemas. We were all waiting to come back to the theatres. I have come back after 1.5 years. The experience has just been so wonderful. Sometimes we take it for granted. But we forget this whole experience of watching movies on the big screen is out of the world. And now after watching movies and shows at home on TV for a year and a half and now coming back to the theatres is a treat.”

Preeti Jhangiani said, “There are amazing safety measures everywhere in the theatres. I am sure everyone will feel safe coming back to watch movies. It is a fantastic experience.”

Aishwarya Sakhuja added, “Coming back to the movies is like a bag of mixed emotions. I feel as if I was never away but seeing movies on a big screen I realise that I am not used to it anymore. I am so glad that theatres are opening up, cinemas are opening up. We will be able to see these movies on the big screen, where they deserve to be seen. Ecstatic.”

‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ director Milap Zaveri mentioned, “It is so good to be back to the movies. It is absolutely great. I was missing the smell of popcorn and the audi seat. I would request everybody to come to the theatres to watch the movies. It is absolutely safe. Theatres are following all the SOPs. Everything is wonderful.”

Daisy Bopanna said, “So suddenly the screen feels like nostalgia. It’s like something of the past. Complete nostalgia where we used to come to theatres to watch the movie. It’s a lovely feeling actually.”

Shreyas Puranik shared, “I am so happy. To be out of our OTT platforms and home theatres. Finally good to be back.”

Aishwarya Bhandari added by saying, “Yeah, and the great sound, The great cinematic experience. Now that the theatres have opened up I think everybody would want to come back to it. I am so glad to tell you all that it is all safe. People are taking good care. The theatres are following all the safety precautions.”

Iqbal Khan said, “I am really happy because everything else in Mumbai was functioning except the theatres. I was really missing the magic of going and watching a movie on the big screen. It’s a different experience.”

Harshali Zine shared, “I am watching a film in the theatres after more than 2 years. It is great. It’s like a whole new world. It is a great experience.”

Abhilash Kumar mentioned, “I had a crazy experience. We have all been waiting for the past 2 years for the theatres to open. I had an amazing time watching the movie. It is so much fun.

Aahana Kumra spoke about finally leaving the laptop screens and watching movies where they belong – on the silver screen, “I am very excited. This is my profession. It’s my job. I am so excited to be back. It is nice to watch a movie in a theatre, in a Dolby. Not watching it on a laptop sitting at home. It’s exciting. It has its own charm. Welcome back to the cinema.”

An excited Nidhi Uttam shared, “It is actually thrilling. I had never imagined that theatres would open so soon. But I am so impressed by the way theatres have bounced back. Things are so sorted out here. I am so excited to go back to the screen and watch the films. It is going to be amazing.”

Ankur Rathee spoke about missing the screens, “It’s a wonderful feeling. I am visiting a theatre after such a long time. It’s been 2.5 years. I loved it.”

Sandeep Anand opined that nothing can come close to the experience of cinema, “Cinema is a totally different experience. Cinema is cinema. There is no substitute for it. No home theatres can be compared to the experience of watching a movie in a cinema hall. It is a complete experience in itself. I got so emotional while entering the cinema auditorium again. I have always been a cinema lover. Therefore I am in this field. Watching movies in a cinema after such a long period. It is a delight for me”.

Bollywood

Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Actor met rickshaw driver in hospital ahead of getting discharged

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Mumbai, Jan 22: A day after Saif Ali Khan was discharged, pictures of the auto-rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana posing with the Bollywood star in the hospital before he left for home started to do the rounds on social media.

Rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana was the one who took Saif to Lilavati hospital on January 16 after the Bollywood star was stabbed multiple times during a robbery attempt in his house in wee hours.

Before leaving the hospital for home, Saif personally called the rickshaw driver to meet him at the hospital.

In one image, the auto-rickshaw driver is sitting next to Saif on the hospital bed as they smile at the camera. Saif’s bruised hand is on Bhajan Singh Rana’s shoulder. In another photograph, the duo are standing and smiling at the lens.

The 54-year-old star, who is married to Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, thanked the rickshaw driver and told him to feel free to ask for help whenever he needed.

Saif along with his veteran-actress mother Sharmila Tagore, expressed their gratitude towards Bhajan Singh Rana.

As per sources, Saif praised the rickshaw driver for his work and said: “Keep helping others like this. And as for the fare that day, don’t worry, it will be taken care of.”

He jokingly added: “If you ever need help in life, remember me.”

When Bhajan Singh Rana was asked how he reached the hospital, as all the media personnel were present, he told Media: “I entered the hospital wearing a mask.”

The auto rickshaw driver said that he had first got a call from Saif’s personal assistant.

He said that he “ just prayed” that the actor gets well.

“I took a few selfies with him. I took a few photos with him.”

The driver recalled the night, when Saif was stabbed and said that the actor asked him to drive slowly as it was a “little painful.”

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Feroz Abbas calls performing ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ at Taj Mahal ‘a tribute’

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Mumbai, Jan 22: Feroz Abbas Khan is currently busy with ‘Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical’. As part of the musical, the iconic love song “Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya” from the movie “Mughal-e-Azam” was staged at the Taj Mahal on 14th Jan 2025 this year.

“Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical” will take place till 23rd February, 2025. It will mark the end of the Delhi run for this epic masterpiece. Before performing in Delhi, the musical is expected to be performed in Mumbai at NMACC till 26th January 2025.

Talking about the emotional experience, Feroz Abbas Khan revealed, “We wanted to celebrate the enduring legacy of love by performing ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ in front of the Taj Mahal. Incidentally, Shakeel Badayuni who wrote this definitive love anthem also praised the Taj for being a monument to love in another famous song. In a way, our performance was a tribute to Shakeel saab, to Naushad ji who tuned both the songs, to the Taj and to love that transcends all barriers.”

He further added, “While distilling K Asif’s timeless epic into a stage production, we did not anticipate the momentous journey it would go on to undertake across the globe. The fact that we are now all set to stage our 300th performance in Delhi has an enormous personal significance for all of us.”

Meanwhile, producer Deepesh Salgia was quoted saying, “Shapoorji Pallonji has been associated with the magnificence of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ for over 75 years in its cinematic as well as musical form. Be it the luxurious production canvas or the marketing campaign, we have always worked towards setting new benchmarks. In the same spirit, the performance at the Taj is our tribute to the concluding season of the musical in Delhi.”

The musical features more than 550 exquisite costumes, breathtaking sets, live singing, and stunning Kathak choreography.

Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, ‘Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical’ has been produced by Deepesh Salgia, under the assistance of Shapoorji Pallonji.

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Saif Ali Khan case: Mumbai Police find clues from crime scene

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Mumbai, Jan 22: The Mumbai Police have recovered a piece of cloth from actor Safi Ali Khan’s apartment which belongs to accused Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad, the Bangladeshi national arrested in the attack case.

Sources said the Bandra police recovered cloth from Khan’s house, which the accused used to cover his face. The cloth fell from his face in Saif’s son Jahangir’s room during the scuffle.

The cloth can be seen in the CCTV footage when Shehzad is climbing up the stairs before committing the crime. The police have sent the cloth and hair samples for DNA testing to the forensic department.

Earlier, the officials said that Shehzad had entered the actor’s building, Satguru Sharan, in the Bandra area by scaling its compound wall and found the security guards sleeping.

Sources said that both the security guards in the building were sleeping when the attacker entered it by crossing over the boundary wall.

The sources further said that as Shehzad found both the security guards sleeping, he entered the building from the main entrance where no CCTV camera exists. The accused removed his shoes and kept them in his bag to avoid making any noise. He also switched off his phone.

The police on Tuesday recreated the crime scene with the accused at the building. Police took the accused wherever he went after fleeing from Saif Ali Khan’s house. Shehzad was taken to the garden near the Satguru Sharan building and then to the National College Bus Stop where he was said to have stopped and stayed for a while after committing the crime. During the probe, the police took Shehzad to the Bandra Railway Station from where he had fled. Police are trying to find out how he reached the station.

The police were trying to record the chain of events starting from Shehzad’s entry to the building to his fleeing before being arrested.

Saif Ali Khan was stabbed six times by Shehzad inside his apartment in the early hours of January 16. The actor underwent emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital and was discharged on Tuesday. Three days after the attack, the police arrested the accused from neighbouring Thane city.

A court in Mumbai on Sunday remanded the accused in five-day police custody.

Shehzad, a native of Jhalokathi district in Bangladesh was residing in Mumbai for over five months. He had been working odd jobs and was associated with a housekeeping agency, the police have said.

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