Shilpa Shinde was known by THIS name; read on to know more

MUMBAI: Today Bigg Boss 12 winner Shilpa Shinde turns a year older. She has a crazy fan following on social media and here are some awesome facts about her:

Shilpa Shinde hails from a middle-class Maharashtra family. Shinde’ was a psychology student was smitten by acting bug at the young age.

Shilpa Shinde started her Bollywood career 15 years ago, and was known as Akansha! She was launched in the year 2000 in a movie titled Le Chal Mujhe Sang, but the film didn’t do well.

After her disastrous debut in Hindi films, she went on to feature in Telugu films like Chinna backed by famous Telugu producer Dasari Nayayan Rao. She was still Akansha when she starred in another Telugu film Shivani by Suresh Verma, but failed to make a markdown south.

Shilpa Shinde had also quit famous comedy show Chidiya Ghar, where she was played a housewife Koyel and by the way, Shubhagi Atre replaced her there too like Bhabhiji.

Looks like Shilpa Shinde has been a prima donna all along. Be it her personal life or her professional life the lady has lived life on her own terms.

KBC a ‘rewarding experience’ for Amitabh Bachchan

MUMBAI: As Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is gearing up for the new season of the iconic television game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), which has clocked 18 years, he says it has given him the opportunity to connect with common people closely and so, the journey has been very rewarding.

“I think meeting the contestants and knowing their story is really special. That is how we develop a personal bond with the common people. I feel happy when the participants win a good amount of money because we really want them to win as much money as possible. That really is a rewarding experience,” said the legendary actor during a media interaction here on Tuesday.

He was present along with the show’s consultant Siddhartha Basu and Sony Entertainment Television’s Business Head Danish Khan, for the launch of the show.

Differentiating the experience of working on the show from the shooting of a film, Amitabh added, “In a film, someone writes the script, someone puts make-up on my face, someone clicks my picture and everything is very controlled and instructed. In this show, it is more of interaction, connecting with people and my reactions are based on only their action.”

The show started in the year 2000 and this year, with its tenth season, it is completing a remarkable journey of 18 years on Indian television.

Is the Indian TV industry matching global standard, Big B was asked.

He said, “I do feel that the Indian film industry is a valuable industry as is the Indian TV industry. But every time when we compare ourselves with the western country, we should consider the fact that they are at least 100 years ahead of us. Not maybe with their talent perhaps (as compared to our talent), but they got independence before us.

“I think in the past 70 years, the amount of success that we have achieved is (one of the) very few examples for the rest of the world.”

The new season of KBC will start from 3 September on Sony Entertainment Television.

Pooja Banerjee celebrated rakhi despite an erratic schedule!

MUMBAI: Actress Pooja Banerjee is juggling between her work and personal commitments. Recently she was in Jakarta as her husband swimmer Sandeep Sejwal was participating in the Asian Games.

It was rakhi and she was lucky as her elder brother was accompanying her to Jakarta. She says,”I have two brothers, one is elder to me and the other one is younger to me. The elder one works in Nagpur and had accompanied me to Jakarta. He was returning to Nagpur and I was heading to Mumbai since I had shoot. Thankfully I was carrying the Rakhi with me and tied the Rakhi at the airport and gave him protein bars and chocolates as a rakhi Gift!

(Also Read: Pooja Banerjee hangs out with ‘Chandrakanta’ co-star Urvashi Dholakia)

My younger brother studies near Mumbai so he came home after his exam that too late in the night. After I packed up, I tied him the rakhi and Video called my mom as well. He got me Ice creams since he knew I love them and got lots of Junk food as well. Altogether we three had a good Rakhi celebration despite our hectic travel schedules.”

(Also Read: Pooja Banerjee to play ‘heartbroken’ girl in Dil Hi Toh Hai)

That’s sweet, isn’t it?

‘She’ is the OTHER woman in Mohsin Khan’s life…

MUMBAI: Star Plus show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is one such show which celebrates each and every Indian festival. It brings to light the importance of the occasion with a grandeur celebration and ofcourse, more drama which only screams entertainment, entertainment… ENTERTAINMENT!

(Also Read: Mohsin Khan and Shivangi Joshi give us major Mills and Boons goals)

Yesterday, the country celebrated the purity of the brother-sister bond. The siblings quarrel for silly things, the brother plays pranks on his sister and the latter cannot stop beating him and complaining to parents but yet, there is so much love between the two. The upcoming episodes of Yeh Rishta… will soon highlight this bond through its Rakshabandhan special episodes.

While shooting for the same, the team got together to pose for a festive picture. Mohsin posted a few pictures giving us a glimpse of what awaits us next in the show!

How excited are you excited to watch the upcoming episodes of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai? Let us know in the comment section below!

Manish Singh’s short film “Season’s Greetings” to be screened at Chicago South Asian Film

MUMBAI: Manish Singh’s short film “Season’s Greetings” to be screened @Chicago South Asian Film Festival. The film has already bagged the prestigious “DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD” and is being acknowledged internationally too.

Manish Singh, the writer-director of the film started his career with a hit show CID and later penned for FIR, HEROES and the list goes on. The title of the film sounds very catchy and the script is just flawless and keeps the audience intrigued. The film deals with a serious issue Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) but it doesn’t miss to entertain.

Season’s Greetings is now in the list of award-winning films and is very special to the writer-director for various reasons. He took more than two years to complete the 14 minutes short film and yet he says “Ye film mere baayein hath ka khel tha”. On being asked the reason behind this statement he reveals the secret which is quite amazing. He was so engrossed while writing the script that he didn’t realize he started writing it with his left hand. His passion for films is so strong that he kept waiting for different seasons to shoot and continued working on it for more than two years. He started shooting it in the monsoon but wasn’t satisfied with it. So he asked the monsoon for a 2nd take and shot it again the next monsoon. The film is also blessed with the seasoned actor R Madhavan who has given his voice for the film.

Earlier he had tasted success with his short film “Sucks’ story” which won the Talentrack Award in 2017. The film was highly appreciated by the audience and among the film fraternity.

On being questioned about his next project he didn’t reveal much. He said “well it’s too early to talk about it. I am working on my feature script along with a few more short stories.” His style of scripts will never fail to amuse the cinema lovers and we wish him best for his future projects.

Radha and Krishna will come alive this Janmashtami

MUMBAI: The most awaited mythological show, Radha Krishna, has been in the news for quite some time now. Finally, the series will see the light of the day. Producer Siddharth Tewary and Star Bharat are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that it is launched on a grand scale.

And what better than to launch the show on the occasion of Janmashtami, Krishna’s birth anniversary.

(Also Read: Newbie Mallika Singh to play Radha in Star Bharat’s Radha Krishna)

According to our sources, a stellar press conference of Radha Krishna will be held 2 September.

We have heard that Radha Krishna will hit the TV screens on 1 October at 9 PM, replacing Shakuntalam Telefilms’ Saam Daam Dand Bhed.

The series will feature Sumedh Mudgalkar and newbie Mallika Singh in the lead roles.

The longest running TV series “The Big Bang Theory comes to an end

“The Big Bang Theory”, which stars Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, Melissa Rauch, Mayim Bialik, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco, will end in 2019 after season 12.

CBS and Warner Bros TV made the decision because Parsons was ready to move on from the hit sitcom, reports ew.com.

With a reported salary near $1 million per episode, Parsons — along with his four original co-stars Cuoco, Galecki, Nayyar and Helberg — stood to make more than $50 million including profits if he agreed to stay on the show for two more years, which is what CBS was trying to negotiate.

But Parsons was ready to say goodbye to the ensemble sitcom that made him a household name. Since there is no show without Dr. Sheldon Cooper, next spring’s 12th season finale of “The Big Bang Theory” will mark the end of the longest-running multi-camera series in TV history in the US.

In a joint statement, Warner Bros Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions, said: “We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ during the past 12 seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show’s success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to an epic creative close.”

“The Big Bang Theory” universe originated with the story of how four nerds — Sheldon Cooper (Parsons), Leonard Hofstadter (Galecki), Howard Wolowitz (Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Nayyar) — react when a girl Penny (Cuoco) enters their lives as a friendly neighbour.

With all the idiosyncrasies, quirky behaviour, cultural one-liners — including a lot of Indian references courtesy British-Indian actor Nayyar — as well as dating fundas, the story that highlights the personal life of scientists and geeks was loved by one and all, making it a phenomenon.

The 12th and final season of the show will debut in the US in September.

You have the right to lead a life the way you want to and dream big: Director, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

MUMBAI: The first campaign directed by Nitesh Tiwari which showed a father’s struggle to give his child the education that he needs to be received rave reviews and following him was his wonderful wife, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari who directed the second promo. Ashwiny’s promo beautifully showcases the resilience of an aspiring woman who wants to become a pilot. Shirked by family and friends, she does not give up her hopes on achieving her ambition and reached the hot seat to further enable her moto.

When asked Ashwiny to share her experience while directing the promo she says, “I have been working on Kaun Banega Crorepati from the inception of the show years back. As a creative director in the agency, we used to write and give a look and feel to the brand. The client and we together have been churning out ideas for the love of Kaun Banega Crorepati and Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.”

(Also Read: KBC to replace Dus Ka Dum and Zindagi Ke Crossroads on Sony TV)

Ashwiny has been working hand-in-hand with her husband Nitesh Tiwari for all the campaigns of Kaun Banega Crorepati and considers every project associated with the show close to her.

When asked Ashwiny what does ‘Kab Tak Rokoge’ mean to her and if she has ever experienced a Kab Tak Rokoge moment in her life she adds, “No matter who you are, where you come from, you have the right to lead a life the way you want to and dream big. And yes, when I intended to make my first feature film and wanted to direct it, there were lots of restrained reactions from people who thought I was joking to myself and that I am not capable of direction. Lot many told me, ‘No one will trust you with an ad film, forget feature’. I had trust and my dearest ones to support me. That is my, ‘Kab Tak Rokoge’ moment.

(Also Read: Kangana to star in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s ‘Panga’)

Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is about the power of knowledge. A knowledge that empowers the common man & woman to achieve what they aspire for, despite unsurmountable obstacles. In its 10th season, KBC with its iconic host Mr. Amitabh Bachchan will applaud the undying spirit behind every struggle. Celebrating the spirit of resilience, Sony Entertainment Television, is proud to unveil the theme for this year’s KBC campaign – Kab Tak Rokoge.

After crying Bahus’ TV to showcase women fighter pilots

MUMBAI: A series titled “Women Fighter Pilots” exploring the lives of India’s female combat aircraft pilots will soon beam on Indian television.

Discovery, an infotainment channel, will bring forward the story of the first batch of three women fighter pilots — Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh.

“I am doing my job; something which I have always wanted to do — serving the nation as a fighter pilot. If people are getting inspired; why should I feel any pressure, I am still doing my thing,” Kanth said in a statement.

To this, Singh, added: “The development of women opting for the fighter stream has been highlighted to create awareness and to inspire more women to join the forces.”

Chaturvedi said “being famous made it a little difficult to adjust in the squadron initially”.

“This popularity and over appreciation of things was a little difficult for us because fauj (army) is all about working in a team. So, if the entire team is not getting highlighted then why only three of us?”

“The women fighters have become a modern symbol of women empowerment — they have broken the last of all barriers by becoming a fighter pilot. We are excited to showcase this amazing story to our viewers,” said, Zulfia Waris, Vice President and Digital Networks, Discovery Communications India.

The two-part series will premiere on Friday on Discovery Channel and Discovery World HD.

“We have explored this captivating human story of ambition, of not saying no, in a manner that has not been done before,” Waris added.

Congratulations: Shraddha Arya is INSTA Queen of the Week!

MUMBAI: This week’s INSTA Queen is a beauty in true sense. She began her career with popular shows like Tumhari Pakhi, Dream Girl, and Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki. The beauty has left no stone unturned to woo her audience with her charm.

Shraddha has also been part of cinema. The diva has worked in and been appreciated for films such as Paathshala and Nishabd.

Currently, she is seen as Preeta in Zee TV’s Kundali Bhagya opposite Dheeraj Dhoopar. Shraddha not only enjoys a huge Indian fan following but also a massive Indonesian one.

With almost 130K likes and 120 comments on her posts, we crown Shraddha Arya as INSTA Queen of the Week.