Sunny Leone will soon be seen in MX Player's upcoming series 'Anamika'. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, it also features Samir Soni, Rahul Dev and Ayaz Khan. Sunny Leone will soon be seen as an agent gone rogue in MX Player's upcoming series, Anamika. The eight-episode gun-fu action series will portray an edgy, engrossing, and entertaining spy thriller directed by Vikram Bhatt. It also stars Samir Soni, Sonnalli Seygall, Rahul Dev, Shehzad Shaikh and Ayaz Khan in pivotal roles. While revealing details about her role, Sunny says, “Action is a genre that I haven’t really explored in the past and when I read the script of Anamika, I was both amazed and excited to play this power packed character under the guidance of the very talented Vikram Bhatt. The way I was trained for my character and engaging with the entire cast has been a great experience. I can’t wait to see what the audience has to say about the series.” The trailer highlights the chase of an intelligent agent who has allegedly gone rogue. It shows that Anamika suffers from amnesia and has no memory of her life, except that three years ago, Dr Prashant saved her from a lethal accident. He gave her a place in his home and heart as well as giving her a name. Finding no answers to her forgotten past, Anamika decides to move on with her life and marry the doctor. But, no one seems to know the ultimate truth about her. Will Anamika be able to save herself from these powerful forces? It’s time for Anamika to fight her past but as she solves one riddle after another. Anamika is being dubbed in Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. It will stream from March 10.

The British born singer-songwriter spills the beans on her new song and the struggles she faced to be a singer. There’s nothing that can stop Arzutraa to bring new hits for audiences. After ‘Marjaavan’, the song that released last Christmas, the British born singer-songwriter is set to launch her third album with her new song titled ‘Raks’. Talking about her upcoming song, she said, “My third album will be inspired by evergreen Bollywood – a gift to all artists of the modern age.” Just like her previous numbers, Raks is also a romantic pop song. It has been shot in the UAE’s tallest mountains, Jebel Jais. Arzutraa’s journey as a songwriter was a path full of thorns. She revealed that she was being criticised for her Hindi vocabulary but she worked hard to gain proficiency in it. “I have practised Hindi for 10 years by singing along to the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Shreya Ghoshal after being ridiculed for my Hindi vocabulary and being laughed at whenever I conveyed that I wanted to become a singer. I hope my Hindi is close to authentic in my new song ‘Raks’. I’m sure the audience will love the vibe,” she shared. The song was recorded in Dubai and Atif Ali has produced it. It will release on March 3.

The show will feature Pakistani stars Nauman Ijaz and Hindi Medium fame Saba Qamar. It will premiere globally on 11 March on Zee5. Pakistani actors Saba Qamar and Nauman Ijaz will soon be seen in ZEE5’s Zindagi original 'Mrs. & Mr. Shameem'. The show paints a real picture of love, the one that originates from a sense of belonging and friendship. Directed by noted director Kashif Nisar, who has helmed several artistic drama series including shows such as Dumpukht - Aatish E Ishq, and O Rangreza, it is written by Sajjad Gul (Saji). Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said, “Continuing our successful collaboration with Zindagi to present real and relevant stories but with a twist, we are happy to announce our next Original series, Mrs. & Mr. Shameem. It’s an unconventional love story explored through a new lens as it shatters age old gender roles and boundaries defined by the society. It also has a stellar team behind it, and we are excited to bring this forth to our viewers across 190+ countries”. Speaking about the series, Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer, Special Projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “Mrs. & Mr. Shameem aims at redefining the meaning of true love and at the same time challenges society’s preconceived gender biases. It is an uncommon bond of two people based on nothing superficial.” Shedding light on the series, Director Kashif Nisar shares, “It is the story of Shameem who embodies effeminate traits while Umaina is outspoken and bold in her ways. Despite their significant personality differences, there develops a beautiful bond between them of love, respect and companionship.” Sharing his thoughts on the show writer Sajjad Gul (Saji) says, "It is a contemporary story which traces the journey of Umaina and Shameem aka Mrs. & Mr. Shameem who discover love in its unusual ways and the show challenges the gender barriers that exist in society. We hope that the audience connects with the story as it presents a fresh perspective on love."

The singer added fusion to Spanish poems and added Indian classical sargam while singing them as songs. The Embassy of Spain organised the event to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. In 1931, when FedericoGarciaLorca travelled through Spain in search of popular music for his poems, no one knew that more than 90 years later, his poems would get an Indian classical touch. But thanks to the Embassy of Spain, music lovers in Delhi could go back in time and enjoy the works of this Spanish poet. To mark India’s 75 years of independence, the Embassy of Spain kicked-off the nationwide celebrations. The embassy chose folk singer Minu Bakshi to recreate the magic of Federico’s poems. The singer took this opportunity to pay her tribute to the renowned poet and fused the authentic Spanish music with the Indian sargram. The embassy’s choice for this collaboration came after it learnt about Minu’s background as a Spanish professor. She shared, “The Spanish Embassy knew I sing ghazals and Punjabi folk songs. So, when they decided to collaborate with the Indian ministry under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Spanish ambassador requested me to sing Federico’s work. He knew that I teach Spanish and am aware about Federico’s work. That's how it all started.” Minu sang 10 of Federico’s poems. Though the beats remained Spanish and the flamenco feeling was kept alive, she added sargam of the songs as an element of fusion. “The idea was to add a classical touch to the original composition, without compromising the original Spanish flavour. It was important to keep the balance,” she adds. Before adding classical music to the performance, Minu took no stone unturned to learn the basics of the poet’s works. Despite studying Federico as a student, she confessed that she wasn’t aware about his poems till she was chosen for the event. So, she took upon herself to study his original poems carefully. For this, she referred to the original recording to understand the poems’ meaning. The original composition also enabled her to learn about the beats, pause(s) and emotions with which Federico recited the poems. This helped her to replicated these transitions while singing. Minu also added several transitions in the songs. Talking about some that were made at the time of preparation she said, “In the original recording, Lorka played the piano. We kept the melody as it was, but being an Indian, we changed the entire feel of the poems. We also added classical fusion music. That is why, we also used table instead of castanets.” However, transitioning Spanish music to Indian classical fusion was a daunting task. The traditional Spanish language made it difficult for her to understand the meaning of the poems. “Since Federico recorded the poems long ago, most of the words were in the language spoken by the people living in that era. It was not in modern Spanish. Understanding their meaning was an issue. Then, fitting all the words while singing also became a task because the poems were recited in one go. But here, we were adding music to them. So, memorising the lyrics took me some time,” she said. The singer took upon the task wholeheartedly and practiced the songs day and night. “I’ve been sleeping, eating and living these songs for about a month now and practicing every afternoon for about three hours for the last 15 days,” she said. Minu Bakshi performed the event at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. She added the melody on the tunes of Sahil Vasudev on the piano and Ghulam Sabir Khan on the tabla.

Fierce, powerful and emotional are some of emotions that will fill your heart while watching Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film chronicles the life and struggles of women in the red-light areas through Gangubai’s story, who rises as a phoenix and transforms the lives and rights of prostitutes in Kamathipura. Rating: 4/5 Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Cast: Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Vijay Razz and Shantanu Maheshwari Ever wondered how women land up in brothels and why do they continue to live like that, despite the stigma attached to their profession? Several documentaries have explored this theme in the past. However, it has never been presented in its purest form in the commercial cinema, considering the sensitivity of the subject. However, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has done full justice in Gangubai Kathiawadi. Based on ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’, a book written by S Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges, the film explores the story of women who are brought to brothels on pretext of fake promises.It sheds light on the dark lives of women living in the red-light areas through the life of Gangubai Kathiawadi. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has captured the nitty-gritties of their lifestyle and the conditions in which they are kept with utmost sincerity. Be it in the form of the dark and crampy environment in which they live, the atrocities that prostitutes face and the mafias behind the business, it presents a true picture in the most unfiltered form. Unlike his previous films that throw us in the world of imagination, the scenes depicted in this film are real and can make you feel severely uncomfortable to watch. The set designs are also a work of perfection. The film is set in hustling by-lanes of Kamathipura, a prominent red-light area of Mumbai. Both screenplay and editing is spot on and some scenes bring out the traumatic and aggressive conditions that young girls are forced to live in. The film begins with the Ganga (played by Alia Bhatt) narrating her story to a 14-year-old girl who has been forced into prostitution by her fiance. Ganga shares how she gets conned by her lover ‘Ramneek’ (played by Varun Kapoor), who compels her to travel from Gujarat to Bombay on pretext of giving her a big break as an actress. But, as she reaches Bombay, she discovers that she is sold to a brothel, where she gets tortured by the brothel’s owner (played by Seema Pahwa). After being compelled to sleep around with men, she accepts brothel as her new her home and changes her name to ‘Gangubai’. As she changes her name to Gangubai, she also becomes rebellious and a local representative of hundreds of women. She then rises as a phoenix, thanks to the support she receives from the fellow prostitutes who live at the brothel and eventually builds political and underworld connections outside. She not only rules the brothel and becomes the President of the entire red-light area of Kamathipura but also recognises herself as the mafia of Bombay, thanks to the support from Rahim Lala (played by Ajay Devgn). Ajay has, as usual, acted brilliantly in his supporting role. In his short and special appearance, the actor has delivered a power-packed performance. He has left a striking impression with his acting skills and as a saviour of Gangubai. The film also introduces Shantanu Maheshwari as Gangubai’s love interest. He has delivered a good performance, adding an element of fun and romance. Besides this, the film stars Vijay Raaz and Jim Sarbh. Though Jim has also done justice to his role of a journalist, who helps Gangubai to highlight prostitutes’ challenges, Vijay’s character as a trans woman 'Razia Bai' has not been utilised properly. In fact, Vijay’s role ends abruptly. The film's running time of two hours and forty minutes also seems a bit stretched. However, the flaws are too less to count. Do watch Gangubai Kathiawadi in theatres for Alia’s exceptional performance and powerful dialogues that have the power to melt your heart. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration if we tell you that the actress has delivered her career best performance in this film. She has proved that there is more to her than acting in rom-coms. Gangubai Kathiawadi releases on 25 February.

The actors, who were recognised as a hit jodi of the 90s, last shared the screen space with each other in K.G.F: Chapter 2. Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon are set to recreate the magic of the 90s on the silver screen. The duo will soon share the screen space in the upcoming romantic-comedy, Ghundhchadi. Sanjay shared the film's teaser on Instagram and called it a fun-packed film. the teaser features the song 'Punjabi munde paye Bhangra' in the backdrop. The film will see the debut of actor Parth Samthaan as well as director Binoy Gandhi. It will also feature actor Aruna Irani. Ghudchadi is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nidhi Dutta and Binoy Gandhi. The shooting of the film has already started in Jaipur.

After stealing hearts in Tollywood, actress Laxmi Raai has made her debut in Bollywood with Mika Singh’s ‘Majnu 2’. We spoke to the actress to learn more about her. Excerpts… How was it to work with Mika Singh? We had such a great time shooting. Both Shaman and Mika are dear friends. It felt like we were a bunch of friends who had gone out for a picnic in Malta. In fact, it never felt that I was doing work because we got along well. One of the best things about Mika is that when he sings, his voice is enough to create the magic. But I always tell everyone that there's more to Mika than his singing. He is just not a great singer but a wonderful person as well. What’s you take on Pushpa becoming the biggest hit since the pandemic? I think Pushpa (Pushpa: The Rise) has given hope to the film industry that theatrical releases can succeed during the pandemic. As actors, we felt that the theatrical release market has ended. But Pushpa has given all the film industries and actors around the country the hope that a film released in theatres can succeed during the pandemic. It was difficult for all film industries to decode the way to bring audience to the theatre because everyone prefers to sit at home due to the pandemic. South (Indian film industry) was one of the industries to take a trial and see if a film can succeed simply for its good content. Pushpa’s release proved that if content is the king, films can do well. It also gave hope to everyone that theatrical release is here to stay, against all odds. How is the south Indian film industry different from Bollywood? Both the industries’ style of working is quite distinct. South Indian film industry’s style of working is much simpler than Bollywood. Bollywood is a much bigger industry as compared to the south Indian industry. The working pattern of both the industries is different. My roots are from south that’s why I work there. In Bollywood, I have just started my journey.

After learning that he has a rare blood type 'B-' which is not easily available for donors, Hrithik donated his blood. He later took to Instagram to spread the message on blood donation. From being a superhero in the reel world, Hrithik Roshan turned out to be the one in the real world as well. The actor recently learnt from his doctors that he has a rare blood type 'B-' that is not easily available in blood banks. Understanding the need and the urgency, the actor donated his blood in Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. Later, he took to Instagram to encourage his fans to participate in blood donation drives, as its good for the donor's health. In his Instagram post, the actor said, "I was told that my blood group B-negative is a rare type. Hospitals often fall short of it. Pledging to be an insignificant part of the very significant blood banks. Thank you @kokilabenhospital for allowing me to contribute. Thank you Dr Rajesh Sawant, Dr Raees Ahmed and Dr Pradnya for the impeccable care and professionalism. P.S: Do you know that donating blood is, in fact, good for the donor's health?". Hrithik will be next seen in Vikram Vedha, a Hindi remake of the Tamil film with the same name.

Kangana Ranaut never shies away from speaking her mind. At a promotional event of her upcoming show ‘Lock Uup’ in the capital, the actress expressed her desire to see her ‘best friend’ Karan Johar locked up in her jail. Here’s what she said… Kangana Ranaut was recently in Delhi to unveil the trailer of her upcoming reality show ‘Lock Uup’. While interacting with journalists, she expressed her desire to see Karan Johar, among other celebrities, locked up in her jail. She said, “In my lock up, I would love to put my best friend, Karan Johar. Besides him, I would like to put Ekta (Kapoor). I am also a great admirer of Aamir Khan and Mr Bachchan and it will be fun to have them too in the lock up. Apart from them, I would also like to have some politicians.” Lock Uup also marks Kangana’s debut as a host. “My role will be to engage and interact with contestants and mentor them,” she said. The show will feature 16 contestants who would be challenged with compelling tasks and complex situations to fight to survive in the jail. This is the first time that Kangana has tried her hand with this format. Calling it a ‘different’ role, she said, “I am excited as I have never done this before. I took this opportunity because I liked the concept and realised that Ekta is behind it.” Ekta Kapoor defines the idea of the show as one-of-a-kind experience for contestants. She said that tasks and situations would bring out true personality of the contestants. She said, “The unique thing about this show is that contestants will not be able to prepare anything because it is not based on any tried and tested format. I feel the society compels people to be fake. So, I wanted to make a show where we could bring human psychology to the forefront and compel people to show their true identity. I believe that this show will capture all shades of their personality with audiences.” To make the show interactive, the makers have developed a fantasy game for viewers to play along while the show is being telecasted. Lock Uup will start on February 27. It will stream 24X7 on ALTBalaji and MX Player. Endemol Shine India has produced the show.

For someone who has remained an advertiser all his life, venturing into the film industry can be a new adventure. But not for producer Sandiip Kapur, who has already proved his mettle with the national film award winner Bhonsle. Now, he is back on the silver screen but this time with two short films, namely, ‘Pattern’ and ‘The Turban’. In a tete-a-tete, the producer spilled the beans on both the films. Excerpts… 1. Why did you made ‘The Turban’ into a short film instead of a feature film? Honestly, I wanted to make a feature film on ‘The Turban’ but I realised that the censor board will not pass it as the film is based on the 2020 East Delhi riots. But then I realised that the idea showcased in this film is not an Indian problem. I have seen racism across the world. That’s why I thought of making it as a short film. Since the subject is global, I plan to showcase it at film festivals across the world. 2. Films are called as a reflection of the society. Do you always look at things with an agenda to bring out a distinctive story? I have been running an advertising agency for the last 20 years. As an advertiser, when we launch a brand, we do a research. I follow the same process before making films. I observe people and my surroundings which helps me understand the complexities in the society. For ‘Pattern’, I did a case study. I came across several people in their late 20s and early 30s whose behaviour is directly proportional to the atmosphere they witness in their homes. That’s how my ideas develop into films. 3. What makes a short film short enough to be categorised into the short film category? Just like advertising, the rule of short and simple applies to short films. The problem with shooting is its timeline. If you make a 30-minute film, it cannot be categorised as a short film. It is important to keep the message powerful while shooting a short film so that the film can be completed within a few minutes. 4. How did your experience of working in the advertising industry helped you to make this film? Advertising changes the science of seeing things and perception. As a producer, I always have an input because of that perspective. Though advertising and filmmaking goes parallel, both fields are creative. My 20-year experience in advertising has helped me realise that anything can be made into a film if you have the knowledge of projecting it differently. 5. How long did it take you to shoot both the films? We shot Pattern in first week December 2021 in four days. The Turban was shot in three days in the last week of December 2021. 6. When are you planning to release these films and will they get theatrical release? The films will first be released at film festivals before making an OTT debut. We have realised that there is a big audience for these kind of films. We will make two more short films and will release all four films together to OTT platforms in 2023. 7. What next is in the pipeline? I am making a musical feature film with T-Series but can't reveal details about it.