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Sidharth’s first director recalls his rise from ‘a non-actor to a TV star’

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Sidharth-Shukla

Ratna Sinha is the director who launched late actor Sidharth Shukla in the television series titled ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’, released in 2008. And since then, there was no looking back for Sidharth.

After his sudden demise, Sinha recalled the upcoming model who had that spark that turned him into a successful actor. Here’s her first-person account, shared exclusively with IANS, of her first meeting with the late actor:

It was around 2007 onwards when I think I saw him in a shopping mall. Sidharth was a ramp model back then when me and my team was looking for a new face for a new show that I was working on.

One of my assistants walked towards him and approached him for acting and he was so skeptical about the idea of acting. He really was a non-actor and when we auditioned, even the channel rejected the audition.

He was actually quite happy with modelling. But we thought there is something in him that will work! We kept on working on his skill and eventually I cast him as the male protagonist for my show ‘Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na’.

As the show received a good response, since then the world of acting opportunities grew for Sidharth. You know I really have seen Sidharth growing from a model, non-actor to a television star that he became. I had a mixed feeling of pride and happiness that this fellow is growing from strength to strength.

It is not easy at all to make it big here in the industry and staying relevant for 13 years! There were many youngsters back then started as a model and stepped into acting but maintaining success is a task that Sidharth was doing successfully. I think ‘Balika Vadhu’ was the breakthrough for him.

When I spoke to him last time, before lockdown, he was saying how keen is he to do more films. He was very keen on expanding his horizon in Bollywood. He did one film (‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’) and he nurtured the hope of acting in more films.

In the morning, when I woke up to the message of his sudden demise, I was numb. Just numb.

In the past one year, we lost so many young talents really. This is hard to process … life is so unpredictable really. I knew how emotionally close Sidharth was to his mother … my heart goes out to her.

Bollywood

Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty starrer ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ to be out on June 26

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Mumbai, Jan 27: The makers of the highly-discussed laughter ride “Welcome To The Jungle” have locked in on a release date for the drama.

The latest instalment in the popular ‘Welcome’ franchise will be arriving in the cinema halls on June 26th.

Made under the direction of Ahmed Khan, “Welcome to the Jungle” boasts a massive ensemble cast of over 30 actors including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny lever, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Daler Mehndi, Farida Jalal, Krishna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda, Kiran Kumar, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Vindu Dara Singh, Nawab Shah, Urvashi Rautela, Puneet Issar, Arjun Firoz Khan, Late Pankaj Dheer, Sudesh Berry, Hemant Pandey, Zakir Hussain, and Sayaji Shinde, along with others.

AA Nadiadwala and Star Studio18 present in association with Cape of Good Films and Seeta Films, “Welcome To the Jungle” is a Base Industries Group and Seeta Films Production.

The first instalment of the series, “Welcome” was released back in 2007. In 2015, the makers came up with the sequel “Welcome Back”.

Previously, choreographer and filmmaker Ahmed Khan reflected on his 33-year friendship with Akshay Kumar.

Revealing what it is like to work with Akshay, he shared a statement saying, “Akshay’s enthusiasm, his energy, and the best thing, which I learned from him, is that he’s got everything he wants, what he deserves, and what he achieved, but one thing is that he’s never been aggressive. He’s such a humble person; he never shows his anger. If things go wrong with anybody around him, he just takes it with a pinch of salt and moves ahead. He always looks at the positive side, and he’s been a very good support as a friend to me, and I have enjoyed all my work with him till date. So that young Akshay from Suhaag till Welcome to the Jungle, the superstar, I have had a great journey with Akshay.”

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Bollywood

Mumbai BMC Elections Style: What Shraddha Kapoor, Tamannaah Bhatia, Hema Malini Wore To Cast Their Vote; Minimal Fashion Reigns On Polling Day

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Mumbaikars are heading out today to cast their votes as BMC elections are underway in the State of Maharashtra alongside several other municipal elections in surrounding regions. Celebrities from Akshay Kumar, Shraddha Kapoor, Aamir Khan, to Hema Malini, Tamannaah Bhatia, were spotted at their respective polling stations to cast their votes. Here’s a look at who wears what:

Always marking his presence in the early hours of the voting day, ‘khiladi’ Akshay Kumar opted for a simple yet classy look with a formal shirt, baggy jeans, and sneakers.

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor cast her vote near the polling station in Bandra. She opted for a simple look, wearing a white kurta for the voting day.

Soon after husband Akshay Kumar cast his vote, Twinkle Khanna was also spotted casting her vote at her polling station. She was spotted wearing a Zimmermann Maxine paisley print, high waist, wide fit, cropped palazzo.

Veteran actor & member of the Lok Sabha, Hema Malini, was also spotted casting her vote. She was seen wearing a yellow suit.

Bollywood’s dance queen, Tamannaah Bhatia, was spotted casting her vote with her family in Bandra. The actress was spotted in a pink suit while keeping her look simple.

Actor Aamir Khan was spotted posing for paparazzi, showing his inked finger after casting his vote in the BMC elections. He was spotted in a chic look with a black t-shirt, cargo pants, and boots.

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Bollywood

Drishyam 3 Release Date: Will It Be Ajay Devgn Starrer Vs Shah Rukh Khan’s King At The Box Office?

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Ajay Devgn is starring in back-to-back franchise movies. This year, we saw him in Raid 2, Son of Sardaar 2, and De De Pyaar De 2. Next year, he already has Dhamaal 4 lined up, and on Monday, the release date of Drishyam 3 was officially announced. The movie will hit the big screens on October 2, 2026.

Ajay took to Instagram to inform his fans about it. He posted an announcement video and right, “Aakhri hissa baaki hai. In cinemas on 2nd October, 2026 (sic)” Check out the announcement video below…

While the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer King has not been officially announced, there have been reports that the movie will be releasing during the Gandhi Jayanti weekend. So, will be Ajay Devgn vs Shah Rukh Khan at the box office?

If the clash happens, this won’t be for the first time when Ajay’s film will be clashing SRK’s movie. In 2012, Ajay starrer Son Of Sardaar and SRK’s Jab Tak Hain Jaan had hit the big screens together during Diwali.

Both movies had done well at the box office, but Jab Tak Hai Jaan had collected a bit more than Son of Sardaar. The former minted Rs. 120.87 crore at the box office, the latter collected Rs. 105.10 crore.

We are sure now everyone is keen for the official announcement of King’s release date. For now, all the Holidays have been booked by other films. So, let’s see if King will clash with any movie, or will opt to release on a non-Holiday weekend.

Apart from Ajay, Drishyam 3 also stars Tabu and Shriya Saran. The part 2 also featured Akshaye Khanna, but in the announcement video his name is not mentioned.

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