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Karishma Tanna to play journalist Jigna Vora whose book inspired Scoop

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Journalist Jigna Vora’s book ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison’ is set for a screen adaptation helmed by ‘Scam 1992’ director Hansal Mehta.

The said project co-created by Reema Lagoo’s daughter Mrunmayee Lagoo (‘Thappad’) is a fictional series titled ‘Scoop’, and will trace the biographical journey of its lead after she gets charged with the murder of senior crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey in 2011.

Jigna was sent behind bars following her involvement in the murder. As per the sources, Karishma Tanna will play the lead character of Jagruti Pathak based on Jigna in the series that will show how incidentally, the lead character ends up in the prison with a set of dreaded criminals whom she once reported on, after she is charged with the murder.

Jyotirmoy Dey was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Powai area of Mumbai. After the shoot-out, underworld don Chhota Rajan took the responsibility for the killing as he was annoyed that Dey was reporting against him. According to the CBI chargesheet, Jigna had complained against Dey to Chhota Rajan out of professional rivalry with Dey.

In 2018, the trial court acquitted Vora. However, her acquittal was challenged by then government of Maharashtra in the Bombay High Court.

Matchbox Shots has taken the onus of running the production of the series, which is inspired by the book ‘Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison’ written by Jigna Vora, and will stream on Netflix.

Speaking about the series and associating with Netflix, Hansal Mehta said, “Reading Jigna Vora’s book – ‘Behind The Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison’ piqued my interest and compelled me to bring this story alive on screen. We’ve already begun filming and I’m excited about this story being my first collaboration with Netflix.”

He added, “Great stories can only benefit from a service that can make it reach a wider set of audience, ‘Scoop’ is that kind of a story and with Netflix, we will be able to take it to audiences across the globe. With my co-creator Mrunmayee Lagoo and producers Matchbox Shots, I am seeking to delve deep into a tale of our mediatised times and the human cost of stories that we consume on a daily basis.”

Sanjay Routray, producer at Matchbox Shots, said, “When we first laid our hands on Jigna Vora’s book ‘Behind the Bars in Byculla’, we were astounded and instantly knew that this inspirational story of grit and courage needs to be told on a wider medium. Netflix was the obvious choice for us because filming it as a series gives us the opportunity to nuance the characters and their emotions further.”

“For a tale with such a gut-wrenching narrative, only a mastermind like Hansal Mehta would be able to do complete justice. He’s a natural when it comes to bringing such hard-hitting, real-life stories to life. Honestly, our collaboration with Hansal and Netflix just aligned seamlessly, and it’s the perfect combination for stellar storytelling”, he concluded.

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Shekhar Kapur explores the deep connection between creativity and mental health

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Mumbai, June 23: Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur shared his thoughts on the relationship between creativity, mental health, and the nature of artistic genius.

Taking to Instagram, Kapur reflected on Vincent van Gogh’s iconic painting Starry Night, calling it “the world’s most valued painting,” and marveling at how it was created during one of the most turbulent phases in the artist’s life. In his post, he revealed that Gogh painted Starry Night while admitted to a mental asylum, a time marked by severe emotional struggles. He further reflected on the fact that while he can return to his “normal” self after storytelling, many legendary artists like Van Gogh struggled with mental illness, sometimes unable to make that switch.

Calling for a broader understanding of mental health, Shekhar Kapur challenged conventional definitions of normalcy and illness. Sharing photos of Vincent’s paintings, the Mr. India director wrote, “This is the world’s most valued painting. Starry Nights was painted by Van Gogh while he was in the mental asylum and at the height of his ‘mental illness.’ Van Gough’s bold, expressive brush created swirling patterns in the night sky. Physicians have long tried to solve the equations of fluid dynamics. Fluid dynamics represents the true nature of the universe. And according to them, apparently Van Gogh painted a true representation of fluid dynamics!” (sic)

“How does an artist reputed to be suffering from schizophrenia manage to capture the true nature of our universe?? Quite apart from examining the relationship between art and science, what I wonder about a lot is the relationship between schizophrenia and creativity. When I write a story, I am transformed into the world of my characters. To help me transport my readers/listeners to that world, I need to believe in that world myself. I need to transport myself to that world. I need to become my characters…. Am I then experiencing a schizoid state? When I am transported into different worlds, believing I am somewhere else and somebody else?”

His post further read, “Fortunately I am able to switch those characters off. And return to my normal state (whatever normal might be) … and yet artists like Van Gogh, who painted some of the greatest poets/artists in the world, have suffered from mental illness. not being able to switch back to normal (whatever normal might be)”

Shekhar Kapur ended his post adding, “In that case we need to redefine mental illnesses… we need to redefine what normal is… if all creativity happens beyond the normal… in a state that so many artists, dancers, musicians, and actors define as the ‘zone’ they tap into… Where is this zone? What do we tap into when we tell stories we believe in? When do we paint the nature of the universe as we see it? Is it a schizophrenic act? #Art #Schizophrenic #Schizophrenia.”

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Sanjay Kapoor sings ‘Aaja Meri Gaadi Main Baith Ja’ as he takes tuktuk ride with Chunky Panday

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Mumbai, June 20: Actors Chunky Panday and Sanjay Kapoor accompanied with their wives Bhavna Panday and Maheep Kapoor are currently vacationing in Thailand, where the quartet enjoyed a tuktuk ride.

Chunky took to his Instagram stories, where he shared a video of him along with Sanjay, Bhavna and Maheep sitting in a dimly lit tuktuk.

Chunky could be heard saying: “In Thailand. We are in a tuktuk. This is too much fun and where are we?”

Sanjay then starts singing the song “Aaja Meri Gaadi Main Baith Jaa” originally sung by Baba Sehgal from the 1998 film “Miss 420” Directed by Akashdeep Sabir.

The video was captioned: “A singing Tuktuk from @chivasomhuahin.”

Talking about Miss 420, the action thriller stars Sheeba Akashdeep, Baba Sehga, Shakti Kapoor, Aashif Sheikh, Mohan Joshi and Tinnu Anand. The release of the film was delayed for several years and it was eventually released in cinema halls four years later on January 23, 1998.

Sanjay too shared a video of the two men running to their respective wives and captioned: “Runaway Grooms”.

Talking about Chunky, he was recently seen in the fifth installment of “Housefull 5”, which boasts a massive star cast including names such as Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Dino Morea, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nagis Fakri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer, and Akashdeep Sabir.

Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the film released in theatres on June 6 with two climaxes. The film is bankrolled by Sajid Nadiadwala under his home banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.

The first installment of “Housefull” was released in 2010. The second installment came out in 2012. The first two films were directed by Sajid Khan. Housefull 3, which was directed by Sajid-Farhad, hit the screens in 2016. The fourth film came out in 2019 and was directed by Farhad Samji.

Meanwhile, Sanjay was last seen in the 2024 digital film “Murder Mubarak” directed by Homi Adajania. The film features an ensemble cast, including Pankaj Tripathi, Karisma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Suhail Nayyar and Tara Alisha Berry.

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Here’s how Hema Malini kept her promise to the people of Mathura during her tenure as MP

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Mumbai, June 20: Veteran actress and BJP MP Hema Malini recently took to social media to share an update on a long-pending development project in her constituency, Mathura.

Sharing photos from her site visit, the BJP MP announced the completion of a major road project, which she said was initiated following her repeated appeals to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to address severe traffic congestion in Raya. In her post, Hema revealed that the completed stretch includes a 66-km section from Mathura to Hathras, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,700 crore, and a broader 256-km road from Mathura to Bareilly built at a whopping Rs 4,500 crore.

Taking to Instagram, the ‘Sholay’ actress shared pictures featuring her inspecting the completed road alongside officials. For the caption, Malini wrote, “The beautiful road depicted in the photos below have been completed by the Hon minister Nitin Gadkari ji, after my almost daily appeals to ease the traffic jams in Raya. I hope this solves the problem now and the people are happy. It has been completed under heavy cost – 1700 cr only for 66 km that is, Mathura to Hathras section and Mathura to Bareilly 256 km at a cost of 4500 cr.”

“I have kept my promise to the people of Mathura to do whatever I can during my tenure as MP, to improve the city and its traffic woes. Here I am inspecting the completed road with the officials concerned #mathura.”

On June 19, the veteran actress had shared a glimpse of a heartfelt day she spent with the widows residing at Krishna Kutir, a shelter home in Vrindavan. Describing the visit as emotionally stirring, Hema Malini had engaged with both the elderly and younger residents, listened to their stories, and extended her support. The actress and politician interacted warmly with the women and even gifted them a golf cart to ease their visits to nearby temples in Mathura and Vrindavan. She had also assured them that their concerns would be addressed.

Sharing her photos, Hema wrote, “Yesterday was a heart-wrenching time spent with young and old Vrindavan widows in the shelter built for them – Krishna Kutir. I have gifted them with a golf cart to take them to the temples in Mathura-Vrindavan. They were so happy to interact with me and I promised to help them with their complaints. #mathuravrindavan.”

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