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Alia on ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’: She’s sunshine but there’s sadness in her

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Every time she comes on screen she gives her all to the role she plays. Actress Alia Bhatt, who currently awaits the release of her upcoming film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, has talked about how emotionally draining it was to play an intense character like Gangubai in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial and described her as “sunshine” but with “sadness”.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ tells the tale a young girl named Ganga who becomes Gangubai, a madame in the red light area of Kamathipura. It is loosely based on the true story of Gangubai Harjivandas, popularly known as Gangubai Kothewali, whose life was documented in the book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ written by S. Hussain Zaidi.

In a conversation with IANS, Alia spoke about the emotionally draining part of playing a real life character like Gangubai, who was sold by her suitor to a brothel.

Alia said in the candid chat: “One of the things that maybe you’ll also get to see in the trailer that there is a constant anger in her eyes so that comes with what happened to her and the situation she was put in. I remember whenever we used to play out scenes and there would always be that layer sir would ask me to bring in the character and maybe I didn’t understand it while I was doing it and bringing it I was understanding it but when I saw the film in a flow I understood what he was trying to do and that is something … that all adds up.”

“That was one of her biggest sensitive points that what happened to her was not fair and which world she had to enter is not fair but the beauty is what she does with that anger… She has it in her body and soul but how she turns it around.”

So how would you describe Gangubai?

“She is sunshine but there is sadness in her that is emotionally draining…to that to do what she did… “

The 28-year-old actress added: “Her picture was on every girl’s wall in Kamathipura for 50 years. That was the impact she had for women so put yourself out for other people and not really be there for yourself that is another weight to carry. Even when I was dancing, walking or laughing… Sanjay sir said ‘weight’. ‘Weight’ doesn’t mean physical weight… It means in the heart and head and that’s what translates hopefully in the screen.

Asked how much is too much an actor to invest in intense roles, Alia, who has given power-packed performances in films such as ‘Highway’, ‘Raazi’ and ‘Udta Punjab’ to name a few, said: “Well, it depends in your personality I am that kind of a person where I will give everything.”

“That’s how I think sir and I connected. I kind of feel we had a sould connect by the end of it. We are both number 6… I could hear him without him saying things to me.. That’s the kind of connect we have formed and I have seen how he gives everything.”

Alia added: “He does not even rest even when his back was hurting he would be standing in pain and would not let his crew down. It is a very soldier like attitude. You have to soldier on there is no excuse. So, I am that kind of person and so is sir.”

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Salman Khan gets irritated with paparazzi on sets of ‘Bigg Boss 20’ promo shoot

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Mumbai, September 5: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan kickstarted the shoot of the upcoming 20th season of Bigg Boss ahead of its premiere on September 6.

The actor was spotted on the sets in a striking cowboy-inspired look and appeared visibly irritated with the paparazzi at one point while posing for photographs.

In a video from the sets, Salman can be seen posing for the paparazzi while asking them to maintain a proper distance from the stage.

When the situation continued, he told them, “Yeh mera kaam nahi hai. Mujhe camera ke aage aane ki koi zarurat nahi hai” (This is not my job. I don’t need to come in front of the camera).

Towards the end of the clip, when the paparazzi continued asking him to pose, the actor appeared irritated and responded with an irritated tone saying, “Photos… photos… photos.” Though what exactly triggered him is not clear.

For his appearance on the sets, Salman opted for a cowboy-inspired ensemble. He wore a dark brown leather cowboy hat, along with a navy T-shirt and olive-green vest. He paired the look with denims, a silver-accented belt and his trademark turquoise bracelet.

After posing solo, the actor also obliged to the request of the paparazzi and posed with them.

Talking about the new season of Bigg Boss, it marks the 20th edition of the Hindi reality show, with Salman returning as its host. The season is scheduled to premiere on September 6.

For the uninitiated, Salman has been the face of Bigg Boss ever since he took over as host with Season 4 in 2010, replacing Amitabh Bachchan.

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Shehnaaz Gill on exploring Bengali culture through ‘Singh Vs Kaur 2’: ‘I enjoyed it a lot’

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Mumbai, Sep 3: Actress Shehnaaz Gill has opened up about her character Jasneet Kaur in “Singh Vs Kaur 2.”

Speaking exclusively to media, she shared what made portraying the Bengali-rooted character an interesting experience for her. Jasneet Kaur comes from a Bengali background, while the story of the film travels across Punjab, Kolkata, and Canada. Speaking about the character, Shehnaaz shared that the role gave her an opportunity to explore different cultures, languages, and personalities.

Gill stated, “It was a lot of fun, and it was a very interesting character. And I enjoyed living in that culture. And seriously, when you watch the film, the way we have presented Kolkata so beautifully, you will find it very interesting. When you watch the film on 11th September, you tell me how much you found my character interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Shehnaaz has opened up about being part of the ‘Singh vs Kaur 2’ franchise and addressed the possibility of comparisons with the first film. The actress said she does not feel any pressure, as her character Jasmeet is different from the one portrayed in the original. The actress explained that while the first installment featured a different character named Jasmeet, the sequel introduces her in the role.

“I think, as far as comparisons are concerned, in Singh Vs Kaur, the first character was a girl named Jasmeet, who was someone else. Now, it’s me. So, I don’t have any pressure about this at all. And I don’t think there will be any point of comparison because, of course, some things have a lot of impact on the audience’s minds. But when people see me, trust me, they will fall in love with me too,” said Shehnaaz.

Directed by Navaniat Singh, ‘Singh Vs Kaur 2’ stars Gippy Grewal and Shehnaaz Gill in the lead roles. The film is slated for a worldwide release on September 11, 2026.

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Priyanka Chopra recalls summer of 2017 when she gave Nick Jonas her number

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Mumbai, September 3: Global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas took a trip down memory lane as husband Nick Jonas and his brothers Joe and Kevin released their latest song “Listen When Sad”.

She shared a nostalgic compilation of their relationship and recalled the summer when she gave Nick her number, in the summer of 2017.

Priyanka shared a video featuring a series of pictures capturing happy moments from her journey with Nick, including their early days together, travels and family memories. The actress captioned the post as,“Oh yes!

I do remember, the summer, I gave you, my number… circa: summer 2017 Sound on New Song Out Now | #ListenWhenSad @jonasbrothers.”

For the uninitiated, the post comes as the Jonas Brothers’ new single “Listen When Sad” was released on August 28.

The song nostalgically revolves around memories of young love, including the line about a summer when a girl gave someone her number.

Priyanka’s compilation also included a picture from a family holiday in Goa, featuring her cousin and actress Parineeti Chopra, brother Siddharth Chopra and other family members posing together.

Parineeti, who seemed thrilled, also took to the comments section to reminisce about the trip, writing, “Dayum that Goa trip was THE ONEEEE”.

Talking about the Priyanka and Nick’s love story, while the couple’s first face-to-face meeting took place at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party in February 2017, Nick apparently had already made the first move months earlier.

On September 8, 2016, he had sent Priyanka a Twitter DM saying, “I’m hearing from a few mutual friends that we should meet.” Priyanka replied asking him to text her instead considering her team had access to her social media account, which is how Nick got her number.

The two later met for drinks in New York and were subsequently invited to attend the 2017 Met Gala together by Ralph Lauren.

Their relationship eventually turned serious in 2018. Nick proposed to Priyanka and the couple tied the knot in a lavish wedding ceremony in Jodhpur in December 2018.

The couple are parents to their daughter Malti Marie.

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