Writers of Akshay Kumar's Toilet: Ek Prem Katha to file a defamation case against 'Manini' documentary makers

Toilet: Ek Prem Katha Starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar is in the news for   Plagiarism.A documentary film maker, Praveen Vyas, has alleged that the idea behind the film has been lifted from his 2016 documentary, Manini

But , the writers of the film, Siddharth and Garima, say that they had registered the script with the Film Writers Association in August 2014. Garima says, “The script was commissioned to us by Neeraj Pandey (film-maker) in 2013 itself, so we have been working on it since December that year,” says Garima.

According to the writers, the same real-life story had been reported around that time, so they decided to “fictionalise the rest of the story” and come up with their own version. Siddharth says, “Neeraj sir liked that and asked us to go ahead with it. After that, we left for research to places like Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Nandgaon, Barsana, Jhansi and Bahraich, which is near Lucknow.”

In fact, the two writers had asked the film’s makers to set the film around the Mathura area. “We were very happy when they chose to base the film in Mathura, as that’s the milieu that we were also looking for,” says Garima, adding that the allegation of plagiarism has “come out of the blue”.

“It’s not possible to pick up a story from any documentary and take a film to the floors within a few weeks’ time. Is it plausible, especially with a film that stars mainstream actors? If our work is subjected to criticism, we are fine with it. But it’s ridiculous, frustrating and insulting for us to hear that we have copied someone’s work,” says Garima. 

Now, Siddharth and Garima plan to hit back. “Right now, we are verifying the facts and other details. Once we are done, we are, in all likelihood, going to file a defamation case. It’s amazing how people come up with such allegations at the last minute for their 15 minutes of fame,” says Garima.

Sabse Bada Kalakar with the cast of Mubarakan

MOM: a story of vengeful mother seeking answers between wrong and very wrong

God could not be everywhere, so he created MOM. Yes, MOM, the forthcoming film starring Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna is creating a lot of buzz and curiosity in the viewers that was quite visible when they were last seen in the capital.  Bonny Kapoor seemed very excited and satisfied regarding his forthcoming film MOM. He also praised the staircase and said, "This film has been very closed to all of us. Akshaye after a long time will be seen on the screen and we were fortunate enough to have him on board. His entire contribution to the film was tremendous and he was so motivated that he memorised the whole script. He's an asset to the film and film industry and a great human being." 

On being asked about Nawazuddin he commented, "It took me a lot of persuasion to have Nawazuddin on board but the kind of effort and work that he put in was an extra mile. The appearance that he has was an incentive and shocked all but it was his patience that helped him to carry the character after the 4 hour make up." He also praised Sridevi and said, "There is nobody like my wife who can handle this role with this much of sincerity. I have admired her from ages but she still surprises me with her sincerity and hard work. I was on set as a producer and nothing else." He then concluded and said, "This film is special and memorable for me for various reasons as it is special and will be picked and talked about. It has enough content for the viewers." 

 Sridevi on being asked about the difficult moments during the film said, "It was difficult to understand what the character wanted but there was no moment when I thought about my kids, husband or house. It was not a conscious division but I just wanted to be in different form of mind. I didn't communicate with my family or friends but just had a communication with my co-star, producers and directors. But it was a very satisfying experience." 

Nawazuddin on being asked about his characters said, "Every character has a different demand and asks for altogether different preparation. Most of the times, it depends on the director. So if you know what director wants then the work is almost done. I enjoy more in doing grey shaded roles as they have mix traits with some good and bad traits and also they are more close to human beings." Akshaye Khanna when questioned about his role said, "I am playing a cop and I don't do much preparation. I just follow the script and the director. The script of this film was beautiful and right. And there are very few films that do not have any loop holes and that's what I realised when I signed this film." 

The film is slated to hit the silver screens on 7th July 2017.

Karan Patel and Anita Hassanandani spiced up Jaipur'a culinary life with Cook Studio

Judged by popular television actors Karan Patel and Anita Hassanandani, culinary event Cook Studio was a rocking affair. Held in Jaipur on the 29th of June, the event, a special initiative by producer Ashish Sabalawat, housed the best cooks in Jaipur under one roof. Presented by JK Masala, the finale was held at The Gulmohar by Taluka's. The Line production was by Notorious Owl Pictures. 

Karan and Anita were joined by celebrity chefs Vicky Ratnani and Abhishek on the judges panel. Comedian Rajiv Thakur and actress Roopal Tyagi hosted the glittering evening with their fun- filled jibes and entertaining anecdotes. 

While there was entertainment through out the event, the excitement level grew as the evening approached its end. After a close competition, the winners were Anirudh Singh and Haroop Singh. The couple cooked amazing gulab jamun ki sabzi and mirchi wale lacha paratha. 

"It was truly a mind blowing evening and every bit of it was enjoyed by everyone. I had always wanted to do a culinary show as I felt that everyone could relate to it and this was once again proved right through our event. I could see how everyone had put in so much thought. Right from the hosting to the judging to the cooking, here are three cheers for everyone who made this event a grand success," says Ashish. 

The evening also had a beautiful musical performance by singer Abhijeet Sawant and a mesmerising dance performance by actress Sezal Sharma. Young rapper Parry G also gave a special rap performance and had the Jaipur audience on their feet and dancing to his tunes in no time.

East India Comedy collaborates with Taapsee for a fun Bollywood ride

East India Comedy, group of Indian stand-up comedians that perform comedy shows has now come up with a new series called EIC vs Bollywood where every week they do a panel discussion with a Bollywood celebrity in front of a live audience. The audience is unaware of who the celebrity is and this time it is Taapsee Pannu collaborating with the team.

They usually chose different topics with each celebrity and this time with Taapsee and EIC will have a discussion on 'Outsiders in Bollywood' given the fact that she does not come from a filmy background and has made up on her own in the Bollywood industry.

EIC is known to tackle topics in a comedy way but yet highlight the seriousness of the topic. It is the same this time where Taapsee would join them to have fun around the topic and give insights on her experiences regarding the same.

Speaking about it Taapsee said, "It is nice to see that people have started catching on to the goofy, funny side of me as it's quite unlike what image my movies have made of mine. I love the idea of laughing at your own self as that's what makes u really funny I believe. We touched upon topics very close to me in my personal n professional life and presented them in a humorous way, I am really excited to see how the people will react as it's again something they haven't seen me like before."