Brett Lee to show his dance skills in ‘UnIndian’

Mumbai, Jul 25: Movie theatres have been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country, but the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has now recommended that the Union Home Ministry allow cinema halls to reopen in August. 

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla at the Home Ministry would take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1, or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant, and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry's recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25% auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan's Gulabo Sitabo, have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.

Washington, Jun 13: American actor Gwyneth Paltrow is opening up about her experience during the coronavirus quarantine.

According to Fox News, the 47-year-old star explained to Shape magazine, the July-August cover issue of which she has graced -- that she hadn't realised just "how much the normal pace of life was overburdening our bodies, our minds, and our nervous systems."

The Goop founder explained, "As we have been forced into the confines of our own homes, that has brought up a lot of emotional distress for some, and for others, it has been very peaceful. In my case, I have experienced both."

The 'Iron Man' actor said that she has now started to "settle down" in her "brain and body."

She added of the lockdown, "It has given me new perspective about how much I will take on going forward."

Paltrow noted that before the quarantine, she was always trying to get "wellness moments" in, but she wasn't "really decompressing" until the weekends or on vacations.

"Now I feel different, letting my body go to sleep and wake up in its natural rhythm, having my kids around all the time, eating meals together and having meaningful conversations," she said of her children,16-year-old daughter Apple, and 14-year-old son Moses, whom she shares with ex Chris Martin.

Paltrow noted, "We linger at the table; our dinners are an hour and a half long. My heart feels fuller, and my mind feels calmer in that respect."

For how she de-stresses, the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' actor said, "I try to do exercises every day for my back and neck because of all the Zoom calls I'm on."

In addition, Paltrow says she and her husband Brad Falchuk go for walks at least three to four times per week. She also takes online fitness and yoga classes.

Mumbai, Jun 24: Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan has been admitted to a hospital here after she complained of breathing problems.

According to a source close to her family, the 71-year old choreographer was rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on Saturday.

Following her hospitalisation, a mandatory Covid-19 test was done, which turned out to be negative.

"She is fine now and recovering. She had breathing issues and was taken to hospital for that. Her Covid test was done which turned out negative. She doesn't have any symptoms. She is likely to be discharged in a day or two," the source told PTI.

In a career spanning over four decades, Khan is credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs.

The three-time National Award winner has choreographed for some of the most memorable tracks, including "Dola Re Dola" from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas", "Ek Do Teen" from Madhuri Dixit-starrer "Tezaab" and "Ye Ishq Haaye" from "Jab We Met" in 2007.

She last choreographed for "Tabaah Hogaye", featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar's production "Kalank" in 2019.