Kangana as Rani Laxmi Bani was key reason to do the film - Prasoon Joshi

Prasoon Joshi is undoubtedly one of the best writers that the Hindi film industry has. Prasoon has not only written the dialogues of the film but also the lyrics for the magnum opus.

Talking about his experience of working on the film he says, "Working  on Manikarnika has been full of challenges and great moments,it’s a great team.The extraordinary life of Rani Laxmi Bai is something which has always inspired every indian,and was the reason for all of us to work together on this project. For me Kangana as Rani Laxmi Bani was another key  reason to do the film. She has the inherent emotion and talent required to play this role.And then the enriching interactions with Vijayendra Prasad ji and great moments with producer Kamal jain. To add to that exploring  musical landscapes with S-E-L is a joyride. The team has worked hard against many odds and I hope that will reflect .But I believe for any project to be truly successful and touch people’s hearts it also needs to be blessed. As a team, I hope we are."

Writing dialogues for a historical film certainly requires a lot of research. He further adds, "The production team had done their research and were ready with material. From my perspective the idea was to make the  words resonate. Will not say that authenticity  to the dialect  of the time was the focus, it was  more about conveying  the sentiment and connecting with the audience at large."

Richa Chadha launches the quirkiest calendar with the most hilarious cheekiest fictional movie posters for Shakeela!

What does “Paapi Pappi”, “Maneater”, “Mard Ko Dard Hoga” and “Chatri Ke Peche Kya Hai” have in common? They’re each representing a different t month in this one heck of a unique calendar that the makers of the Shakeela biopic have presented to the world. This year of 2019 got even more interesting as the 12 months of The year will now have a quirky visual representation for each month.

The poster has been designed as a fictional movie poster for each month with hilariously cheeky titles and Richa in a different look for each, as a ode to the pulp movies of the late 90s, the era in which Shakeela herself dominated the screens. Based on the life of the adult film star of the south film industry, the film helmed by award winning director Indrajit Lankesh becomes the first film to have a calendar of its own.

The calendar comes with a fun hashtag calling it #2019ShakeelaKeNaam and that truly is this case, given the high anticipation surrounding the film so far.

The film will be releasing this summer and has been produced by Sammy's Magic Cinema and Yoddhas Entertainment.

Legendary Lata Mangeshkar presents versatile singer-composer-performer Reewa Rathod

Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Amruta Fadnavis, Juhi Chawla, Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar, Usha Mangeshkar & many others at Reewa’s concert and single launch

“Today, I am presenting to you a very talented artiste. Her name is Reewa Rathod. She plays the piano beautifully, sings in multiple languages, also, she composes music as well. She has all the right talent for music. I hope that you all will like her and also compliment to her zeal. Reewa, I give you my blessing and I hope you are successful.” Words from the legendary Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar presenting Reewa, daughter of the ace classical musical duo - Roop Kumar Rathod and Sunali Rathod, reverberated her voice in an audio-visual at Deenanath Mangeshkar Natyagraha.

After the legendary lyricist Gulzar penned the lyrics to her first single, Maula (One Above), Reewa is back with her new music video and single. Saanwal, a Saraiki traditional folk song is craftily blended with verses in Spanish, the music for which is produced by Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and Michael Mennart. The chief guests of the exclusive musical evening, Padma Shri Hridaynath Mangeshkar and the First Lady of Maharashtra Amruta Fadnavis, launched the music video and the single in presence of Juhi Chawla, musical geniuses Usha Mangeshkar, Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar, Jatin Pandit, Shravan Rathod, Ismail Darbar, Adinath Mangeshkar, Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and many other dignitaries.

With Dhrupad exponent Late Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod as her grandfather, Roop Kumar Rathod - Sunali Rathod as parents, and singer Vinod Rathod and music director Shravan Rathod (of Nadeem-Shravan) as uncles, music flows through the Rathod family veins!

Said Hridaynath Mangeshkar who is her Guru, “I have taught Sunali and I have heard Roop, but Reewa has embedded the qualities of the two so beautifully. And she sings with grace and divinity. I am proud of her.”

In the current concert presented by Lata Mangeshkar, Reewa presented a bouquet of songs. Her music launch featured performances including Piano recitals, Thumri, Tappa, Marathi Bhavgeet, Carnatic, old film classics, English Pop, Punjabi music among others. That is not all, the budding pianist-vocalist-composer Reewa also enchanted the audience with her own compositions.

Proud parents Roop Kumar Rathod and Sunali Rathod averred “We feel blessed knowing that our little angel Reewa is being presented by the living legend Lata didi, music produced by Ustad Zakir Hussain and Michael Mennart and her work being launched by Baba (Hridaynath Mangeshkar), Waheeda ji and the First Lady of Maharashtra, Amruta Fadnavis."

Said Reewa, “It is indeed a blessing to be launched by legends. I feel truly ecstatic.”

Zee Entertainment organizes Manikarnika’s special screening for the President of India

Media & Entertainment powerhouse, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., has organized a special screening of its upcoming magnum opus, Manikarnika—The Queen of Jhansi, for the Hon’ble President of India, Shri. Ram Nath Kovind, and members of the cast and crew of the film, among others. Led by the Global Content Company’s Movies Business – ZEE Studios, the screening will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre tomorrow, January 18.

Speaking on this occasion, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., said, “Right since its inception, ZEE has always been at the forefront of showcasing our rich legacy, culture, traditions and most above, our nation’s history. It has been our earnest endeavor to present our glorious history to the nation and the world at large. Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi is our yet another strong step in this direction. We are extremely honoured, glad & proud, that the Hon’ble President of India will be watching this film before its theatrical release. I congratulate team ZEE Studios for getting this opportunity and I wish them all the success.”

The trailer and songs of this new banner from ZEE Studios have already received an overwhelming response from the audiences. Ahead of its release, the film gets its first honour, as the President of India is all set to watch the film.

Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios added, “It is an honour and a matter of pride for us that the First Citizen of India will be watching our work, before its theatrical release. We are extremely excited to present this labour of love to the Hon’ble President of India.” 

Kangana Ranaut who plays the title role of Rani Lakshmi Bai and directed the film said, “Rani Lakshmi Bai is a national hero. Our entire team is really looking forward to present Manikarnika, a story about Rani Lashmi Bai’s strength and bravery for an Independent India, to the most important entity of the Republic of India, our Hon’ble President”.

A ferocious warrior, a beloved queen, and a loving mother—Rani Laxmi Bai is a historical icon who was an epitome of courage, and sacrificed her life for her motherland, her beloved Jhansi. Zee Studios’ magnum opus Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi will bring alive the extraordinary story of valour and sacrifice for our motherland on the celluloid on January 25, 2019.

Kabhi Sautan Kabhi Saheli moment on the set of Ladies Special

It is generally noted that actors have different bonding on-screen and off-screen. Ladies Special on Sony Entertainment Television has three female leads who share a very good camaraderie off-screen as well. Apart from the three ladies, Bijal Joshi and Jia Mustafa playing the role of Bindu and Kangana respectively are seen having one such very twisted bitter rivalry on screen but their social media narrates a different story! In Sony Entertainment’s most popular show Ladies Special, Kangana (Jia Mustafa) is in love with Bindu’s (Bijal Joshi) husband Amar (Ojas Rawal) and tries her best to not let the duo get close to each other. But, Bijal and Jia gel a lot with each other in real life. They are seen joking and trying to pull each other’s legs. Above that, their social media is full of their off-screen fun moments together.

Upon asking Bijal said “I came here knowing no one and I found a very good friend in Jia, surprisingly it did not even take much time. It was Jia with whom I had to spend a lot of time on screen because she was against my relationship with Ojas as she loved him. And we had to understand each other’s role to fit in the shoes of our characters and give our best whilst shooting. Hence a lot of interaction gave rise to this amazing friendship. The more we fight on-screen the more we gel off screen.” 

To the same question Jia said “It is fun working with Bijal. It all started with the on-screen drama. The on-screen relationship is so bitter that after the shoot gets over, we laugh over it. And soon did we start getting to know each other better. We sort of share a lot of similarities. But no one can believe this fact of our friendship after seeing us on the television.”