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Mahhi Vij recalls Kareena Kapoor replacing her in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Yuva’: Equations had gone sour

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Mumbai, Sep 16: Television actress Mahhi Vij revealed that she was originally selected by filmmaker Mani Ratnam for the role that Kareena Kapoor eventually played in the 2004 film Yuva, opposite Vivek Oberoi.

During a conversation with fellow Bigg Boss 20 contestant Kanika Mann, Mahhi opened up about her early days in the entertainment industry and recalled how she moved from music videos and South Indian films to what could have been her Bollywood debut.

Mahhi said that after arriving in Mumbai, she got her first music-video opportunity with the popular remix of “Tu Tu Hai Wahi”, in which she featured in a pink outfit.

“I went to Bombay and got a music video as soon as I arrived. It was the one where I wore the pink dress, ‘Tu Tu Hai Wahi’. That was my first music video,” she recalled.

“After that, I did a lot of music videos in my career, and all of them were hits,” Mahhi said.

Mahhi then also spoke about her transition towards films, saying she worked in South Indian cinema, including projects with Prabhu Deva and Malayalam superstar Mammootty.

“Then I did music videos, followed by South Indian films with Prabhu Deva. Then I did a film with Mammootty. From there, I was finalised for Yuva. Mani Ratnam selected me for Yuva,” she said.

According to Mahhi, she had been selected for the role of Meera, the character that Kareena Kapoor eventually portrayed in Yuva. In the film, Meera is the love interest of Vivek Oberoi’s character Arjun Balachandran.

The 2004 film was directed by Mani Ratnam and starred Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol.

Mahhi said that the opportunity eventually slipped away after her equation with someone involved in the project turned sour.

“For the role that Kareena played, opposite Vivek Oberoi. But some equations with someone had gone a little sour there so it did not materialise,” she added.

Mahhi further recalled that after returning to Delhi, she had discussions for two or three other films, but those projects too were cancelled at the last minute.

“After that, I returned to Delhi. Two or three films were discussed, but they were cancelled at the last minute. So I said, ‘I will do television,’” she recalled.

Her decision eventually led her towards a successful television career. Mahhi became widely recognised for her role as Nakusha in Laagi Tujhse Lagan and later played Nandini in Balika Vadhu.

She also participated in reality shows including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Nach Baliye 5, which she won with Jay Bhanushali.

Meanwhile, Yuva, which released in 2004, also starred Ajay Devgn, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Esha Deol, with music by A.R. Rahman.

Bollywood

Tiger Shroff firing case: 12th accused sent to police custody till Nov 6

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A Mumbai court on Saturday sent Amar, the 12th accused arrested from Haryana’s Sonipat in connection with the firing incident on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, to police custody till November 6.

On Thursday, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court had sent 11 other accused arrested in connection with the firing on Shroff’s car to police custody till November 6.

The latest accused was arrested from Rohna village in Sonipat.

Earlier in the day, the Mumbai Police had produced Amar before a court, which sent him to police custody until November 6.

According to officials, Amar is accused of having transferred money, allegedly used in the commission of the crime, online. The funds were reportedly used for various expenses, including the purchase of a motorcycle and booking hotel rooms linked to the case.

According to the preliminary investigation, Amar is a friend and neighbour of Kunal, who was arrested earlier in the case. Police investigations have revealed that Kunal allegedly transferred Rs 40,000 to Amar’s bank account.

Amar subsequently transferred Rs 12,000 to Radha’s bank account, another accused arrested earlier, allegedly on Kunal’s instructions.

The Mumbai Police are investigating these financial transactions to establish the purpose of the transfers and determine the connections between the accused. The money trail is being examined as part of the wider investigation into the firing incident.

Amar, who studied up to Class 10, works at a supplements shop. His parents reportedly earn their livelihood through daily-wage labour.

Meanwhile, Amar’s family has claimed that he is innocent and alleged that he has been falsely implicated in the case.

With nine of the 12 arrested accused reportedly belonging to Sonipat, the district has emerged as a key focus of the Mumbai Police investigation.

The police are examining the financial dealings and personal connections among the accused to establish the sequence of events and identify the roles played by individual suspects.

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Sanjay Dutt promises to fulfil Sanjay Gupta’s unfulfilled dream, says ‘will do everything to make ‘Kaante 2’’

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Actor Sanjay Dutt has promised to fulfil late filmmaker and dear friend Sanjay Gupta’s unfulfilled dream of making ‘Kaante 2’.

The actor said he will do everything possible to bring the project to life in memory of his close friend.

Sanjay Dutt took to X to mourn Sanjay Gupta’s demise and shared an emotional note, remembering their years of friendship, the memories they shared and the conversations they had about cinema.

Sharing a series of pictures with the late filmmaker, Sanjay Dutt wrote, “Gupts, my brother. I still cannot believe that you are gone. We have shared so much together, so many memories and so many years of friendship. You have always been family to me, and that will never change. I will miss you, our conversations and all the times we spent together.”

He added, “We were just discussing Kante 2 recently, I will make Kaante 2 your dream, in memory of you my brother, I will do everything for this dream of yours to come true, love you forever and always. Life will not be the same without you, brother. May God bless your soul.”

The pictures shared by the actor include a throwback picture from what appears to be a celebration, with Sanjay Dutt feeding cake to Sanjay Gupta. Amitabh Bachchan can also be seen standing beside them.

For the uninitiated, Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta shared a long professional association, having collaborated on many films, including ‘Aatish: Feel the Fire’ (1994), ‘Kaante’ (2002), ‘Musafir’ (2004) and ‘Zinda’ (2006).

Their association also extended to ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ (2007), in which Sanjay Dutt was part of the ensemble cast.

One of their most memorable collaborations remains ‘Kaante’, the 2002 action thriller directed by Sanjay Gupta and featuring Sanjay Dutt alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav.

Sanjay Gupta passed away on October 30 at his residence in Mumbai at the age of 59. According to reports, he reportedly slipped in the bathroom during the night and sustained a head injury.

As per reports, his family members were at home but were unaware of the incident, which reportedly took place late at night.

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Sai Pallavi reveals portraying Sita Maa in ‘Ramayana’ taught her to handle stress with dignity, says the film will become history

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Actress Sai Pallavi, who is set to portray Sita Maa in the upcoming film ‘Ramayana’, opened up about her preparation for the revered character.

Appearing on the popular quiz reality show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sai said that she relied on prayer and meditation to approach the role with the dignity it deserves.

During a conversation with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Sai Pallavi spoke about the immense responsibility of portraying a figure as revered as Sita Maa.

She emphasised that the film would go beyond being a cinematic experience and become a part of history for generations to come.

Emphasizing the reverence attached to the role, Sai Pallavi shared by saying, “Maine iss patra ke liye sirf prayer kiya aur prarthana kiya ki main jitne bhi obstacles ho mujhe voh patra karne mein, voh saare obstacles nikal jaaye. Kyuki hum jo film bana rahe hain, voh sirf film nahi hain voh itihaas bhi banega aur aage ka generations bhi dekhega, aage ka future dekhega tab hum sab yaha nahi honge. Uss samay voh dignity honi chahiye, toh main sirf prarthana hi kar rahi thi for this role.”

(For this role, I only prayed and asked that whatever obstacles I might face in portraying this character would be removed. Because the film we are making is not just a film; it will also become a part of history, and future generations will watch it. People in the future will look back at it when none of us will be here. At that time, the portrayal should have dignity. So, I was simply praying for this role)

Speaking on how mindfulness helped her navigate high-pressure filming, Sai Pallavi added by saying, “Aisa nahi hain, actually agar main meditate nahi karungi toh mujhe aur saare thoughts aate hain. Toh most of the times, even when I was playing this character of Sita Maa, I believed in doing meditation. During playing this character, I learnt ki main jabhi bhi koi stressful situation mein hoon, I realised you should just witness it rather than just acting towards it. Whenever I used to come across a stressful situation, I started thinking how Sita Maa would have reacted so this is what I feel I learnt from Sita Maa’s character.”

(It’s not like that. Actually, if I don’t meditate, I end up having even more thoughts. So, most of the time, even while playing the character of Sita Maa, I believed in practising meditation. While portraying this character, I learnt that whenever I am in a stressful situation, I should simply observe it rather than react to it. Whenever I encountered a stressful situation, I started thinking about how Sita Maa would have reacted. This is what I feel I learnt from the character of Sita Maa)

For the uninitiated, Ramayan stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Ravie Dubey as Lord Lakshman and is directed by Nitesh Tiwari.

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