Suyyash Rai’s Trims his beard

For the royals of Rajasthan, there is nothing manlier than their moustaches and beards. The Rajasthani men take great pride in growing and taking care of their moustache. Suyyash Rai, who is portraying the role of Abhay Kunwar Singh in Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya, though not a Rajasthani, but shares an equal amount of love and passion for his beloved beard. His heavy beard look has been a talk of the town for quite some time. But for the character of Abhay, Suyyash had to trim his beard to complete the quintessential Royal Rajput look. Initially, Suyyash was bit hesitant but then he decided to give in and not only trimmed but also changed the colour of his hair from Ash Brown to Basic Brown. When contacted Suyyash, he said, “When I got the offer to play the character of Abhay Kunwar Sa I was really excited and was looking forward to it. But when I was informed to trim the beard, I almost had a nervous breakdown. But on Kishwer insistence, I went ahead with it. As they say, there is ‘No Gain without Pain’ so I gave in as it was important. I do miss my heavy beard but I am equally quite excited about my new look.”

Sumeet Mittal to debut as an actor on his own show

The show ‘Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai’ on Sony Entertainment Television is undoubtedly one of the most loved shows of today cutting across age groups. The story set in the golden era of the 90’s has not only brought back some good old memories for those born in that era but has also resonated well with the audience for its simple coming of age love story of Sameer (Randeep Rai) and Naina (Ashi Singh). An artistic adaptation of the real-life love story of Shashi and Sumeet Mittal of Shashi Sumeet Productions, Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai will now have Sumeet Mittal making his debut as an actor on Indian television! The producer has already completed the shoot for the scenes and the episode will be aired on Wednesday, 20th December 2017. Till date audiences have been enthralled with the rhythmic narration of the romantic story through Naina’s viewpoint, wherein the makers will now bring a new twist in the tale with a switchover of the narration via Sameer’s point of view. A different outlook through the lenses of the male protagonist of the show will offer a fresh perspective to viewers. Sumeet Mittal, Founder and Director, Shashi Sumeet Productions says, “Well, you’ve heard it right that I have had a debut of sorts on my own television show, Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai. I will be portraying the older Sameer and the entire visual has been shot in silhouette, with glimpses of me here and there. As you all know, the storyline of our show is coming of age love story set in the 90’s and inspired by the real-life love story of me and Shashi. Therefore, I feel it was only natural to portray myself in the show. But frankly speaking, it was not a planned move but happened just by chance as I was on the sets during the sequence and the team came up with this suggestion almost instantly on the spot and I gracefully accepted it.”

Salman Khan calls Shilpa Shetty Kundra as Meena Kumari!

Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty have worked together in Bollywood films and know each other for a long time now. However, when Salman recently visited the set of Super Dancer Chapter 2 to promote his upcoming film, he revealed something that no one knew. Interestingly, Salman mentioned that he calls Shilpa Shetty as Meena Kumari. Salman, who is the special guest along with Katrina Kaif this weekend, mentioned that Shilpa is extremely emotional and can cry immediately if anything wrong happens or if she is upset. When Salman noticed that Shilpa sheds tears every now and then, he started calling him as Meena Kumari to embarrass her. Salman kept her Meena Kumari because the popular actor has done many emotional scenes in several Bollywood films. A source from the set reveals, “Shilpa has in fact cried many times on the set of Super Dancer Chapter 2 as well. She can break shed tears if anything emotional happens on the set. Be it a contestant’s dramatic journey or emotional moment. When Salman revealed that he calls her Meena Kumari, Shilpa started laughing.”

Black Panther will be the first superhero movie to feature a predominately black cast and change the way people think

Lupita Nyong’o will be seen making her superhero movie debut with Black Panther. When asked recently about her upcoming movie she said that movie Black Panther could unite Americans and perhaps the rest of the world. 'Black Panther' is based on the character introduced by Marvel in 1966, the first black superhero in mainstream American comics.

Historically, the superhero movie genre has always shown a way for diverse kinds of people to come together and support good versus evil. Black Panther will be the first superhero movie featuring a predominately black cast. The film follows the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), known as T’Challa, as he leads the fictional African country of Wakanda during national security threats and an impending uprising sparked by his nemesis Erik Killmonger.

“The beauty of cinema is you all go into a room together and agree to suspend your disbelief and share this experience of another world," said Lupita Nyong’o. "For that moment, you are all one in that space, experiencing the same thing. It reinforces our sense of community. These big blockbuster superhero films appearing in moments when we’re so polarized are some of the few chances we all get to be on the same page.”

The Academy Award-winning actress stars as a warrior in the upcoming superhero movie. Nyong’o plays one of Wakanda’s expert assassins, Nakia, who is also T’Challa's love interest. The actress equates superhero movies with what used to unite people in the past. "Its modern folklore," she said, "and folklore is important. It informs our sense of oneness."

“In our story, there are so many different women holding their own space," Nyong'o said. "Women may be in competition with each other, sure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s an absence of love or respect. You see the female Wakanda warriors work together, and you see a dynamic that is really encouraging. Making this film awakened me.”

The superhero flick is slated to release in 16th February 2018.

Year end musings

As the New Year looms closer, our telly actors talk about all those who helped them get through this year.

Vahbiz Dorabjee: I can’t name any one person..but I want to thank all my friends and family, who supported me. I have been going through one of the toughest phases of my life and of course, want to thank my family. I am also grateful to all the guests who came on my show, Showbiz with Vahbiz.

Jasmin Bhasin: I want to thank Suraj my friend, because this one year was full of roller coaster rides for me personally as well as professionally, and he was there for me. I was at the verge of going into a depression and couldn't make decisions and didn't know how to deal with so much going on. During those times, he understood me, guided and helped me deal with everything in a great way. I could cope up with this because of his guidance and support.

Ssharad Malhotraa: I want to thank my mom for being so understanding and giving me unconditional love. She has been my forever friend. Her role in my life is forever.

 Shashank Vyas: I want to thank my father, who lives with me and is very understanding. He is my friend too besides being my father, who has given me excellent values

Arjun Bijlani I want to thank my wife Neha, who has been my support system. She manages everything perfectly.

Yuvraaj Malhotra: I want to thank my parents, who stood by me through thick and thin. Life is all about loving your parents.

Ankush Bali: I would like to thank my brother (cousin ) as he has guided in a lot, where ever I got stuck. I feel lucky to have him in my life