Big B, Kangana receive National Awards

May 4, 2016

New Delhi, May 4: Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan was on Tuesday accompanied by his family members to the 63rd National Film Awards ceremony here, where the megastar received the best actor honour for his role of a hypochondriac father in Piku.

Actor Kangana Ranaut too turned up with her father, mother, sister and brother to receive the best actress award for Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

Kangana

Veteran film actor and director Manoj Kumar was given the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Known for featuring in films with patriotic themes, Manoj Kumar presented a Sai Baba idol to President Pranab Mukherjee.

The 78-year-old looked frail in a wheelchair, but was in high spirits as he waved to the cheering crowd when he got on to the stage. The President honoured the cine icon, whose career began in 1957.

A five-member jury — Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota — unanimously recommended Manoj Kumar for the prestigious award this year.

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is given by the government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh and a shawl.

Bachchan’s moment

It was Big B’s fourth National award. His son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, wife Jaya Bachchan and daughter Shweta Nanda turned up at the ceremony to cheer for the actor. His previous National awards were for his performances in Agneepath, Black and Paa. One of the most sought-after stars in Bollywood, the actor will next be seen in Te3n and Shoojit Sircar’s Pink.

Kangana’s father ‘proud’

Kangana’s father Amardeep Ranaut said it was a proud moment to see his daughter receive her third National Award from the President. “I am very happy. I am a proud father and it is a matter of great pride,” Mr. Ranaut said.

The 29-year-old actor stood out in a pink off-shoulder gown from Beirut-based Lebanese designer Georges Chakra. Kangana teamed her gown with a classic bob, which is similar to the look she will be seen sporting in her upcoming film Rangoon.

Unlike the traditional attire opted by Indian celebrities for such events, Kangana usually goes for international couture. She had opted for a dusty pink gown by India-born designer Bibhu Mohapatra at the 2014 National Awards where she was honoured for her role in Queen. Her first National award was in the best supporting actress category for Fashion. Underlining unity: Pranab

Lauding film-makers for making movies that truly reflect Indian character, President Mukherjee said India had never allowed divergence to create disunity as its people always found unity.

“We did never believe in exclusion, always in inclusion. We did never allow divergence to create disunity. We celebrated divergence because it always finds an underlining unity,” he said.

He expressed his gratefulness to Indian cinema and its doyens from past to present who are also contributing to make “Indian films truly reflective of Indian character of unity amidst diversity.”

Mr. Mukherjee also noted that the Indian film industry, though it has had its ups and downs, has made progress technologically and was also doing well financially.

The President said he had learnt that the domestic revenues of the film industry have risen to Rs. 138 billion in 2015, up from Rs. 126 billion the year before. Even the overseas revenues have grown from Rs. 8.6 billion in 2014 to Rs. 9.6 billion in 2015.

“I am very happy that this time there are a lot of newcomers, who have won awards and what makes it more special is that there are legends, living legends, like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, who have been honoured too,” the President said.

Mr. Mukherjee said he sometimes marvelled at the varieties of Indian films, adding that managing India in itself was a challenge as it is country with 1.2 billion people who everyday speak 122 languages, 1,800 dialects, follow seven religions and belong to three major ethnic groups. It is a huge diversity living as one administrative system, under one Constitution and one national flag, he said.

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News Network
May 8,2020

London, May 8: Actor Florence Pugh says the most terrifying aspect of starring in the upcoming superhero film "Black Widow" was doing the Russian accent.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe's stand-alone film, the Oscar-nominated actor plays Yelena Belova, a sister-figure to Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff/ the titular Black Widow who was trained in the Red Room.

"I was scared because my Russian accent was going to be out there and I didn't know what it sounded like.

"I'm also playing a character who no-one's seen before but they've read about her. I didn't know whether people were going to hate me!" Pugh told ELLE UK for its June issue.

The 24-year-old actor also said the idea of joining the MCU itself was quite "daunting".

"When you think of Marvel, it's big and daunting. Especially being a relatively small actor to look at it and go, 'Oh! I'm going to be a part of this', that's a big decision," she said.

"Black Widow", which was scheduled to hit the theatres on May 1, will now release on November 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Directed by Cate Shortland, the film also stars David Harbour and Rachel Weisz.

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News Network
June 19,2020

Mumbai, Jun 19: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s memories will continue to be celebrated as Instagram has memorialised his account, adding “remembering” to his bio.

Rajput, 34, known for films like "Kai Po Che!", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Chhichhore", was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

Days after his untimely demise, Instagram added “remembering” to his account bio and memorialised it as a place to remember the actor’s life.

According to the photo-video sharing website, no one can log into a memorialised account. The posts the deceased person shared, including photos and videos, stay on their page and are visible to the users they were shared with.

Also, once the account is memorialised, no one will be able to make changes to any of the existing posts or information.

The actor’s last post on the social media platform was a tribute to his late mother on June 3.

Rajput’s death is being investigated by the Mumbai Police and so far statements of over 13 people, including actor’s family members and close friends, including actor Rhea Chakraborty and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, have been recorded.

The police have also sent a letter to Yash Raj Films seeking details of the contracts it had signed with him.

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News Network
April 6,2020

New Delhi, Apr 6:  In an attempt to pump up Indians with positivity amid the testing times of coronavirus, Bollywood's most prominent actors like Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan, Tiger Shroff, Taapsee Pannu, Kiara Advani, joined hands and launched a hope anthem - 'Muskurayega India.'

The song is set on the optimistic theme that sends out the message that the country will smile again if the country supports each other in the current crisis situation.

An initiative of Akshay Kumar's Cape of Good Films, the video of the song features all the lead actors of the industry including Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sidharth Malhotra, Vicky Kaushal, Raj Kumar Rao, Ananya Panday, Kriti Sanon, Jacky Bhagnani, and Rakul Preet.
Curated by Jackky Bhagnani's music label JJust Music and composed and sung by the talented Vishal Mishra, 'Muskurayega India' is a symbol of India's spirit of solidarity, battling against the coronavirus pandemic.

The soulful song penned by Kaushal Kishore also features cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and famous Mumbai based Radio Jockey Malishka.
The video of the song starts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's televised address in which he is seen assuring the country that every Indian will come out victorious from the coronavirus crisis.

The video then features all the prominent faces of the cinema industry giving out the message of hope from their balconies, terrace and other spots of their houses.

The song urges people to stay home and support the people who are working to combat the virus, like police officials, and medical practitioners on duty amid the lockdown.

A locked-down view of some of the most prominent spots in the country like the India Gate, Hawa Mahal, and Mumbai's beaches are also featured in the video.

The song also spreads the message of social distancing and washing of hands to keep the infection away.

The video ends with a rhythm of the national anthem with the celebrities standing still to honour it and finally fades away with the Indian national flag.

As the country battles the novel coronavirus, the song is an attempt to uplift the spirit of togetherness of every Indian during the unprecedented crisis.

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