Anil Kapoor graces the first edition of French Film Festival in Kolkata

Anil Kapoor added a touch of his inimitable aura to the inaugural ceremony of the first edition of the French Film Festival in Kolkata, captivating audiences with his presence. The event was a celebration of cinematic excellence and cultural exchange, marking a significant milestone in the city’s cultural calendar. The ceremony, hosted by Alliance Française du Bengale Kolkata in collaboration with Nandan, was a testament to the enduring bond between Indian and French cinema. One of the highlights of the evening was the thoughtful gesture by the French Counsel General, who presented Anil Kapoor with a special behind-the-scenes photo from his acclaimed film Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaya. Captured by the legendary photographer Nemai Ghosh, the photograph offered a glimpse into the creative process behind the movie, serving as a poignant reminder of the artistry and dedication that define cinema.

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In his address to the audience, Anil Kapoor expressed his gratitude for being a part of the festival and emphasised the importance of promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema. He lauded the efforts of the organisers in bringing together filmmakers and cinephiles from different parts of the world, fostering a sense of unity amidst diversity.
As the curtains rose on the first edition of the French Film Festival in Kolkata, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in the city's cultural landscape. With Anil Kapoor's star power and the collective enthusiasm of the attendees, the festival promised to be a resounding success, paving the way for future collaborations and cultural exchanges between India and France.

Perfect Moment, the luxury outdoor clothing company, files IPO on NYSE

As shareholders in luxury outdoor clothing company Perfect Moment since 2022, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas have been closely involved in the brand's journey. Now, with Perfect Moment having debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last week, the couple shares their excitement and pride in the company’s progress. For Priyanka and Nick, their partnership with Perfect Moment was more than just financial—it reflected their admiration for the brand and belief in its potential.
As Perfect Moment entered the public market, Priyanka and Nick anticipated the brand’s future. They emphasise their pride in being part of the company's journey during this transformative phase and their confidence in its continued success. In a joint statement, the couple shares their enthusiasm for Perfect Moment's IPO, stating, “This IPO signifies the commencement of an exciting new chapter for Perfect Moment, and we take immense pride in being part of the family during this pivotal phase of their journey. Our admiration for the brand has grown deeper over the years, evolving us from being long-time admirers into dedicated shareholders. As we celebrate this significant milestone, our anticipation for the brand's future is filled with boundless excitement."

Somy Ali saves 18 Indian girls from being sold

Actress Somy Ali, who runs a US-based NGO called No More Tears, recently saved 18 Indian girls from being trafficked. Somy, who works  to save victims of domestic rape and human trafficking, says that there are various ways to lure these girls that human traffickers use. “There were 18 girls and the youngest was 11 years old. The police got a lead that they were about to be sold, so they were saved right when they landed and were under our care for five days. We provided therapy, food, shelter, and clothing to all the girls. They were from various parts of India. Many were sent plane tickets by recruiters who essentially work for the human trafficking ring. Particularly, nowadays it’s become women who lure these girls, as a young girl is more likely to trust another woman rather than a man. This is all done via the Internet. They are offered jobs and their parents deem this to be the best thing that could have happened to their sons or daughters,” she says.
She adds, “We got lucky given our funds are significantly lower than usual, and a donor paid for all 18 tickets. Last night they were on a plane thanks to this donor who wants to remain anonymous and is originally from India as well. He paid for 18 tickets and we were completely ecstatic. He was an angel for these young girls who were duped under the guise of getting sponsored through corporations giving them jobs. It’s completely insane how common this is universally and the pattern is typically the same. Either someone from within the family tries to sell a girl or a boy or there are fabricated job offers which these vulnerable people consider a blessing. It’s extremely horrible as it’s growing quite rapidly and it has no prejudices. It doesn’t matter how old one is or where they come from. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and exists everywhere. The clients are lawyers, police officers, laypeople, teachers, women, and men. Thus, it impacts all of us. This core fact needs to be ingrained into our society. Perhaps then people will begin to educate themselves on the sudden growth of this industry."
Ask her how she feels that human trafficking can be stopped, and she says, “That’s contingent upon how much anyone cares to get involved hence educating themselves on the prevalence of trafficking. Additionally, how to spot signs when one is being trafficked. For example, all these 17 girls flew on their own except the eleven-year-old girl was with a man and she looked terrified. One has to be vigilant and more than anything one has to care. The issue in general is that people don’t believe this is happening and even if they do know they tend to look the other way since it’s not happening to their family members. So essentially it boils down to educating oneself and caring for others.

Urvashi Rautela celebrates pre-birthday bash on the sets of 'NBK109'

Urvashi Rautela, Indian film industry's youngest superstar is also the youngest to be featured in Forbes Top 10 and that's quite incredible indeed. She's got a humongous Instagram fan following of more than 70.3 million which is almost at par with PM Narendra Modi and Virat Kohli and her staggering net worth of 550 crores only validates the fact all the way that she's the highest-paid actress in the Indian film industry. Urvashi's list of achievements is truly never-ending as her family is officially the first full family to be given the prestigious Golden Visa by the UAE.
Urvashi Rautela is perhaps the only actress in the Indian entertainment industry in today's time who enjoys humongous craze both in the Hindi film industry as well as in South cinema. To tell you all a bit about her upcoming South endeavour, the expectations are really high from her end for 'NBK109'. The movie stars Urvashi Rautela in the lead role alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna and the project is directed by the wonderful KS Ravindra. The movie also features actors like Dulqueer Salman and Bobby Deol. Urvashi is someone who manages to win hearts effortlessly in literally no time and well, that exactly seems to be the case with her cast for NBK109. Well, that's why, the team actually planned a special pre-birthday celebration in advance to make her happy way ahead of her big day. Yes that's right.
Urvashi who is actually born on the 25th February celebrated a special and heartwarming pre-birthday bash on the sets of NBK109. When it is Urvashi Rautela, things truly needed to be opulent and grand and no wonder this time as well, it was no different. Urvashi is grabbing eyeballs all over the internet for getting treated with a special royal cake worth a whopping 25 lakhs which is equivalent to 30k USD. In a video shared by Urvashi Rautela that's now going viral all over social media, Urvashi Rautela is seen cutting a massive and super expensive three-tier cake which she's also seen feeding to her director KS Ravindra. The diva looked absolutely scintillating and jaw-dropping in beautiful denim pants paired with a satin shirt and to add a cool vibe to her hairdo, she tied her hair in a neat bun.
The makers of the cake aka Platinum Cake by Nobue Ikara spoke regarding Urvashi's magnanimous cake and we quote,"The royal cake was three feet tall and was decorated with sugar paste bows, ribbons, flowers, etc., giving it an intricate and detailed look. The fruitcake flavour of the cake and the culinary craftsmanship that went into it made it fit for royalty.The beautiful cake was dressed with platinum chains, but what makes it special is the presence of edible platinum flakes covered in plain fondant and frosting."
On the work front, global Indian superstar Urvashi Rautela has massive projects like Welcome 3 with Akshay Kumar, 'NBK109' with Bobby Deol, Dulqueer Salman, Nandamuri Balakrishna, 'Baap' (remake of Hollywood blockbuster Expendables) with Sunny Deol & Sanjay Dutt, Inspector Avinash 2 with Randeep Hooda, Black Rose. Apart from this Urvashi Rautela will also be seen in an upcoming biopic titled 'JNU' where she's playing the role of a college politician along with a very special music video with 'Jalebi' fame Jason Derulo & many more. Stay tuned for more updates.

Ihana Dhillon wins hearts with her simplicity and desi style game 

Actress Ihana Dhillon is someone who's always known to be a fan-favourite for all the right reasons. She's extremely grounded and humble as a performing artiste and that's what makes her such a star for real. The best and most wonderful thing about the actress has to be the fact that she keeps things really organic and real and doesn't look forward to following trends just for the sake of it. Well, netizens seem to be feeling exactly the same after having seen her recent avatars during the promotional stint of her upcoming movie 'Je Paisa Bolda Hunda'. Yes, that's right.
Ihana plays the role of a simple and desi girl in the film although that's quite different from how she is in real life. However, despite being extremely modern and stylish when it comes to her style, Ihana has decided to opt for simplicity without going overboard in terms of her looks. Recently, Ihana has been dazzling and winning hearts like a queen in her desi, ethnic avatars and all of them seem so relatable to her character in the film. It is this particular factor that the audience has been able to relate to her work is what makes it all the way more special for her and her fans. Her legion of fans feel that she truly symbolises realism and that's what makes her such a likeable performing artiste.
Well, kudos to Ihana for projecting her natural-self in front of the audience so confidently without fearing any judgement. 'Je Paisa Bolda Hunda ' is all set to be released in cinemas on 23rd February, 2024 in cinemas near you. Stay tuned for more updates.

Seerat Kapoor talks about playing Mannat in Prateek Sharma’s 'Rabb Se Hai Dua'

Seerat Kapoor has joined Prateek Sharma’s “Rabb Se Hai Dua” as Mannat for the post-leap sequence. It is taking a leap of 22 years, and she will play one of Dua’s daughters. The show revolves around a Muslim family and the actress reveals that it wasn’t easy to adapt to the mannerism and tone of the Urdu language.She said, “I did a lot of homework as I wanted it to be very natural and authentic. I did not want to make any mistakes in speaking this beautiful language. We had workshops and I read and listened to a bunch of stuff. It wasn’t a cakewalk, but it was so much fun. The difficulty makes it interesting, you get to learn so many new things.”
Speaking about her character, she shared that Mannat is a very strong and confident girl, who is clear of her goals and aspirations. She added, “She is ambitious but also childlike, which I really liked about her. She is very multi-layered and has many shades. She fights for the rights of others as well as for herself so she is different from everyone.” Seerat had earlier revealed that she relates to her character a lot, but is trying not to take her character home. “As an actor, I am learning not to do it. It is something that requires practice, so I am learning to be self-aware at all times.”
The show is already quite popular among the audience and the cast is deeply loved. Asked if there is any kind of pressure as far the performance and feedback is concerned, she said, “The show has garnered a lot of praise and appreciation from the audience and we just hope that we can also do our best and bring it to the next level.”
She also went on to appreciate Prateek Sharma and said that he was one of the reasons she wanted to do the show. “The first reason that I wanted to do this show was Prateek Sharma sir, our producer. I had already heard such good things about him and his team and I had also watched the amazing shows he had previously made. It honestly feels like a new family has welcomed us and that makes us want to work harder too,” Seerat ended.

Crackdown actor Saqib Saleem and celebrity team practice for an upcoming cricket league

Recently, 83 actor Saqib Saleem shared his cricket practicing session for the upcoming Celebrity Cricket League, with his team on his social media account. The 83 actor took to his social media account to share some candid practicing moments with his fans. The post is captioned: “The best time of the year . The time when I get together with the boys to play cricket.First game on the 23rd Feb . Practice in full swing.

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Saqib, once a cricketer for Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir during his formative years, boasts a commendable cricketing background. His portrayal of Mohinder Amarnath in the film "83" further solidified his bond with cricket. Hence, his participation in this event doesn't come as a surprise to fans and audiences. The occasion garnered substantial attention as these talented and versatile actors, renowned for their acting finesse.
As Saqib’s involvement in this much loved sport transcends cultural boundaries, it also reflects the enduring appeal and unifying power Cricket, as a game has across diverse communities, leaving a permanent mark on the minds and hearts of Cricket enthusiasts worldwide. On the workfront for Saqib anticipation mounts up for his upcoming projects "Crime Beat" and "Citadel India”, where fans and audience will see him in yet another never-before-seen avatar.