Cannes 2022: Pooja Hegde brings her Pan-India queen energy to the red carpet

While the most prestigious film festival, the Cannes Film Festival 2022 celebrated India as the country of honour, our very own Pan India queen Pooja Hegde graced it with utmost dignity and pride. Making a debut to remember, the Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo actor represented the cinematic force of India and stepped onto the festival's red carpet in a beautiful gown by Geyanna Youness.

 

The jaw-dropping glamour she worked with the resplendent ensemble was the star attraction of the Cannes red carpet. With an unrivalled filmography spanning across languages to her credit, Pooja has charmed her way into everyone’s heart with her onscreen prowess. Aligned with that, her presence at the annual festival not only underlined her contribution to Indian cinema, but also extended a lens into her take on its future.

 

In the presence of the brightest stars of Indian cinema Pooja said, “I've not come (to the Cannes Film Festival) with a brand, but I've come with brand India. I've come (here) as a representative. There cannot be a bigger honour for me to be very honest to come (here) as an Indian actor celebrating Indian cinema.”

 

She added, “Representing Indian cinema at a global platform as prestigious as the Cannes Film Festival is a dream come true. It's a great validation of the direction I'm heading in my career.”

 

Post the Cannes Film Festival, Pooja will continue shooting for Salman Khan's Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali while also promoting Rohit Shetty's Cirkus. She also has SSMB28 with Mahesh Babu on her schedule.

Payal Rohatgi christened Lioness of OTT!

The Tigress of Lock Up, in front of whose roar all the prisoners used to sweat, in front of whose vicious game, the conspiracies of the worst used to fail, Payal Rohatgi has truly emerged the real winner of Lock Upp.

 

 Yes, after the show, everyone's eyes are on actress Payal Rohatgi, what is she doing different now?  Let us tell you, that a lot is happening in Payal's life after  Lock-upp.  Recently Payal Rohatgi was honored with the Cinema Aaj Tak Award as the Tigress of OTT.  Post the show, actress Kangana Ranaut and producer Ekta Kapoor's favorite Payal Rohatgi are still getting the love of the people.

 

 Payal is extremely happy to receive so much love and respect and says, "I played Lock Upp with all sincerity and integrity. The Lock Upp experiences opened my eyes. It is said that every experience takes you forward. I  have learned a lot from this show. Some life lessons, I will always remember and carry forward in my journey. I strongly believe in Yoga. It has helped Gay steady through the worst   I have tried my best to keep the faith that my mother and Sangram had in me. I am very happy at this time, I am with my family. And there is so much more to do in life. The best is yet to come," she avers.

Rahul Khanna lends voice to a video highlighting “Being Comfortable in one’s own skin” featuring people from different walks of life!

Rahul Khanna has lent his voice for in for a brand new video for a campaign to communicate being comfortable in one’s skin. This is an initiative by the apparel brand Cottonworld which is synonymous with comfortable clothing, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. To make this milestone memorable, the brand has launched a unique video ‘It’s My Nature’, with the voiceover of actor Rahul Khanna. Shot by Gautam Kohli, this new brand film in every true sense epitomizes a celebration of comfortable clothing.

 

Rahul Khanna was the perfect representative of an individual to lend a voice to the campaign that speaks strongly of comfort in one’s own skin. The videos featured individuals who are living their life on their own terms, on their own rules, and reflect the promise of the brand of absolute comfort. Featured in the video are students, MMA fighters, people in the professional and creative world, and creative artists like dancers and content creators.

 

Shedding light on this importantly unique video, actor Rahul Khanna said, “Comfort is deeply rooted in the foundation of the brand. Their new collection features timeless garments, characterized for their comfort and versatility, which offer us style in our daily routines. Their new film titled “It’s my nature” is narrated by me. It’s a liberating message that states no matter who we are & what we do, to be comfortable with ourselves. The narrative is compelling & everyone cast in the film is real, and relatable & staying true to themselves & their part of the story. Lending my voice to this film & celebrating these unique individuals was a great experience.”

Double excitement, double action and double entertainment in ALTBalaji's Apharan 2 trailer

After leaving the audiences on a cliff-hanger with the astounding global success of Apharan season 1 on ALTBalaji, the streaming platform is back with yet another sizzling, action-packed season of the thriller drama, Apharan 2. ALTBalaji dropped the trailer of the much-loved series on Thursday, 19th May and it promises a livewire season. A mix of quirky humour, big-ticket action sequences and foot-thumping music, Apharan 2 is all set to revive the success of its first season.

 

Mounted on an epic scale, Apharan 2 has Arunoday Singh, aka Rudra Shrivastava, travelling from the ghats of Haridwar to the icy locales of Serbia to accomplish a super-secret mission that will leave the viewers wanting for more. The trailer also features Nidhi Singh as Ranjana Srivastava who plays Rudra's wife battling drug addiction. Also featuring in the trailer is Snehil Dixit Mehra as Gillauri. Again, a mysterious yet entertaining character wins us over with her funny punches! 

 

Saanand Verma as Satyanarayan Dubey Ranjana's ex-lover also provides comic relief as he joins forces with Rudra in Serbia.

 

Besides the gripping narrative, whistle-worthy dialogues, and breath-taking performances, the show has also been hugely appreciated for its music, with a 'retro' feel that ups the excitement level. Featuring popular songs from the 70s, the show's creators have tried to uplift every scene and dialogue graph, making it an exciting watch. If you don't believe us, dialogues such as "Khudko jiss 'Deewar' ka Amitabh Bachchan samajhte aaye hai, aaj pata laga, ki saala hum toh uske Shashi Kapoor bhi nahi hai." and "Aap aadmi bohot ache ho, par gaali kam diya kijiye!" will get you up to speed on the roller-coaster ride.

 

Talking about playing Ranjana, Nidhi Singh said, "My character Ranjana finds herself in a world of trouble this season, and her husband Rudra will move heaven and earth to help her. Be it complex plot twists, exciting characters, or a foot-thumping soundtrack, the makers have outdone themselves this time. The show takes off from the very first episode itself! I am thankful to Ektaa for casting me again in the second season of this brilliant show. Viewers are in for a treat with this second season."

 

Talking about her role, Snehil Dixit Mehra aka Gillauri, said, "From being a creative director in the first season to essaying such a fun, quirky yet important role in the second season, this has been an absolute joyride for me. Playing Gillauri was a lot of fun! My character is very irreverent and funny adds to the show's entertainment. Besides, the twists and turns in the show this season will take the viewers by absolute surprise. I can't wait for ALTBalaji viewers to embark on this binge-worthy journey of action, drama and adventure. Also, I would like to thank Ektaa R Kapoor for trusting in me. She was the one who made this possible."

 

The second instalment of the super successful Web series Apharan has double the threat, double the edge, and double the risk. Is baar sabka katega, dobara as Rudra reaches Serbia to kidnap Bir Bahadur Singh (BBS), a dangerous criminal which has never been seen before in the OTT space. Menacing and ruthless, Rudra seems to have found his biggest challenge in life as he faces Bir Bahadur Singh. To find out what happens in Serbia, who is bbs and why Rudra is being kidnapping?

 

Produced by Ding entertainment, directed by Santosh Singh. The trailer for Apharan 2 makes clear that ALTBalaji viewers can expect something exceptional.

 

Watch all the action unfold in the thriller drama Apharan 2 streaming from 24th May on ALTBalaji.

Paloma to debut in a lead role for Rajshri’s next!

Rajshri Productions announces the debut of Paloma in a lead role for their upcoming film opposite Rajveer Deol. The film will be iconic filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya’s son – Avnish S. Barjatya’s directorial debut. The film, currently untitled, will be Rajshri’s 59th film production and will go on floors in July 2022, in Mumbai.

 

Paloma, daughter of the evergreen Poonam Dhillon and eminent producer Ashok Thakeria, joins the cast of the film - a coming-of-age love story, that explores modern relationships set against the backdrop of a lavish destination wedding.

 

“Paloma is a powerful performer and has tremendous screen presence,” says Avnish. “She is the perfect fit for my character. Her immense work ethic and enthusiasm makes it so exciting to be working with her everyday. Paloma and Rajveer share a great chemistry together on screen and play off each other really well. They have both seamlessly blended into their roles.” The casting of Rajveer and Paloma is a beautiful throwback to the pair of Sunny Deol and Poonam Dhillon in many classic films.

 

The film is Avnish’s take on millennial relationships and their complexities and simplicities. Rajshri is known to launch newcomers. In its 75 years of legacy, Rajshri has given successful breaks to many known stars today. With Rajveer and Paloma starring in Avnish’s film, this legacy will be taken forward.