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Madhur Bhandarkar making Covid-themed film ‘India Lockdown’

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 After getting positive response to his comedy-drama ‘Babli Bouncer’, national award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar, is set to direct another film, and no marks for guessing, it will be Inspired by true events like his earlier films like ‘Chandni Bar’, ‘Page 3’, and ‘Fashion’.

Titled ‘India Lockdown’, the film will follow four parallel stories and the repercussions of the covid pandemic on the people of India, and is the first Indian feature film on covid pandemic.

The movie stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar and Prakash Belawadi in key roles.

Commenting on the occasion, Madhur Bhandarkar said, “Lockdown was a tough phase for many as people struggled to make ends meet and that gave seed to a thought to make a film on people affected by the lockdown. ‘India Lockdown’ is a product of my observations, and it depicts raw stories of real people across various walks of life. This is a film that will resonate with many in some or the other way and I am glad that it will be released on ZEE5 and reach out to so many people across the world”.

Written by Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah with Madhur Bhandarkar, ‘India Lockdown’ explores the lives of disparate characters who are catapulted into an unforeseen dramatic situation instigated by the lockdown due to the corona pandemic.

The four parallel stories explored are that of a father-daughter duo who are stuck in different cities during a crucial high point in the daughter’s life; a sex worker and the hardships she goes through in her personal and professional life due to the lockdown, a migrant worker who barely manages to provide bread and butter for his family and an airhostess who for the first time has some downtime compelling her to introspect.

The film will be produced by Dr. Jayantilal Gada of PEN Studios, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Bhandarkar Entertainment and Pranav Jain’s P J Motions Pictures.

Dr. Jayantilal Gada, Chairman & MD of Pen Studios said in a statement, “We at Pen Studios have always associated with great content and talented directors. ‘India Lockdown’ is just that. It has a very relevant story, and everyone shall identify with it in one way or another as no one is a stranger to pandemic. Madhur Bhandarkar is a master storyteller, and we are happy to associate with him and such content driven cinema.”

‘India Lockdown’ will exclusively premiere on OTT platform ZEE5.

Bollywood

Allu Arjun welcomes sister-in-law Nayanika to the family after engagement with brother Allu Sirish

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Mumbai, Nov 1: Allu Arjun welcomed his sister-in-law Nayanika to the family after her engagement with his brother Allu Sirish on Friday.

Uploading a couple of photos of the lovebirds from the engagement ceremony, the ‘Pushpa’ actor penned on his X (Previously known as Twitter), “Grand celebrations at home begin! A new addition to the family! We’ve been waiting for this joyful moment for a while…(sic).”

Congratulating his brother on his new journey, AA added, “Congratulations to my sweetest brother, @AlluSirish, and a warm welcome to the family, #Nayanika! Wishing you both a beautiful new beginning filled with love and happiness! (black heart emoji).”

On Friday, Allu Sirish used social media to share the happiest news of his life – his engagement with Nayanika with the netizens.

He posted some dreamy photographs from the engagement ceremony and penned, “I am finally & happily engaged to the love of my life, Nayanika (sic).”

The post immediately went viral, garnering a lot of love from the cybercitizens.

The engagement – an intimate yet elegant family affair was attended by the various members of the Allu and Konidela families.

The festivities were graced by Allu Arjun with his family, Megastar Chiranjeevi and his family, Ram Charan and his wife Upasana, and Varun Tej with Lavanya, along with others.

Both Sirish and Nayanika made for a beautiful couple on the occasion. While Sirish wore a customised Manish Malhotra outfit for his special day, Nayanika was all elegant in a Sabyasachi lehenga.

On October 1, Allu Sirish announced his engagement to Nayanika on the birth anniversary of his grandfather, the legendary actor and comedian Allu Ramalingaiah.

He took to social media and dropped a picture of himself holding Nayanika’s hand during their romantic getaway in Paris.

Sharing the personal update, Allu Sirish penned a heartfelt note that read, “Today on the birth anniversary of my grandfather, Allu Ramalingaiah garu, I feel blessed to share something very close to my heart- my engagement to Nayanika. (sic)”

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Vivek Oberoi to play Aurangzeb in Rishab Shetty’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, say reports

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Mumbai Oct 31: Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi has been roped in to play Aurangzeb opposite Rishab Shetty’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sandeep Singh’s upcoming historical epic, ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’, according to reports on Friday.

While there is no official confirmation as of yet.

The film will depict the journey of history’s greatest warrior king, highlighting the courage, strategy, and devotion that shaped the foundation of Swarajya.

With Rishab Shetty as Shivaji Maharaj, Shefali Shah as Jijamata, and now Vivek Oberoi stepping into the role of Aurangzeb, the stage is set for a compelling narrative that explores both conflict and conviction at an epic scale.

Vivek Oberoi’s inclusion will add another remarkable chapter to his strong slate of upcoming projects, which includes Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’ with Prabhas and Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’.

Helmed by Sandeep Singh, ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ is shaping up to be one of Indian cinema’s most ambitious historical productions, with a team comprising multiple National and Academy Award-winning technicians.

The magnum opus is slated for a never-seen-before mega global release in more than 40 countries worldwide on January 21, 2027, in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and English.

Talking about Vivek, the actor is all set for his upcoming movie ‘Mastiii 4’. The movie also stars Aftab Shivdasani and Ritesh Deshmukh in the lead.

Talking about Rishab Shetty, the actor is currently riding high with the humongous success of his recently released movie, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’. The movie also stars Rukmini Vasanth.

‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ released last month on October 2.

It competed with Janhvi Kapoor-starrer ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ at the box office.

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Bollywood actor Mukesh Rishi watches J&K Assembly proceedings from Speaker’s Gallery

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Srinagar, Oct 29: Bollywood actor Mukesh Rishi on Wednesday watched the proceedings of J&K Assembly from the Speaker’s Gallery as members cutting across party lines welcomed his presence.

The Assembly warmly welcomed Rishi, who was present in the Speaker’s Gallery during the ongoing session.

Members across party lines greeted the actor with applause as Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced his presence in the House.

Rishi belongs to J&K and was born on April 19, 1956, in a Gujjar Chaudhary family in Kathua district.

Growing up in Jammu, graduating from Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and working for two years in Mumbai, Rishi moved to Fiji for work, where he met his future wife, who is of Indo-Fijian ancestry. Her family ran a traditional departmental store. He has a lucrative investment portfolio, including warehouse investments.

He later worked as a model in New Zealand before beginning his acting career in India.

An actor known for playing villainous and supporting roles and a film producer, he has worked in Hindi, Telugu, and other films. Among his better-known Bollywood movies are “Gunda” (1998), “Sarfarosh” (1999), and “Koi… Mil Gaya” (2003).

The Autumn Session of the J&K Assembly will end on October 31. With its conclusion, all the top offices of government, including those of the Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues, the Chief Secretary, administrative secretaries and the Director General of Police (DGP) will move to the winter capital Jammu.

The move is called the “Dabar Move” and will see the offices functioning for six months from the winter capital, Jammu.

The over one and a half century old practice of shuttling offices between Srinagar and Jammu was stopped by the Lt Governor in 2021, but has been restored by the elected government headed by Omar Abdullah.

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