Bipasha Basu & Karan Singh Grover tie the knot

Kolkata, Jun 2: Artistes of the Bengali film industry are trying to get the best out of their creative side amid the lockdown, with many of them giving shape to innovative concepts and ideas to hook the audience.

A short film 'Grub Ne Bana Di Jodi', with RJ-actor Mir Afsar Ali in the lead, transcends boundaries to bring couples from around the world together on one platform, as they engage in discussions on food and culture.

The shot-at-home film, directed by Satrajit Sen, has Ali giving couples tasks to test their culinary skills.

"This is the time to try new concepts and that, too, without the usual technical support. There is no box office pressure, and people can take their own sweet time to watch the film on YouTube," he said.

Actor Vikram Chatterjee, who recently completed the shoot of 'Pabitra Puppies', a web series about seven friends bonding over video games, said it was an "altogether different experience" with no crew to assist him at home.

"The shooting process was complicated but we had a lot of fun. I was in Mumbai when the lockdown was imposed.

Coordinating with the director and other cast members wasn't easy, but this phase has taught us how to overcome challenges," Chatterjee said.

The series, also starring Sohini Sarkar and Saayoni Ghosh, will be streaming on Hoichoi soon.

Director Shieladitya Moulik's third outing on YouTube, amid the lockdown, has garnered good reviews.

The short film 'Eye Candy' tells the story of a blind couple who had been finding ways to connect with each other.

"I wanted to talk about long-distance relationships, and the problems faced by couples in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but not without a twist. I hope the viewers enjoy the short," Moulik said.

New Delhi, April 4: Extending a helping hand to curb the spread of coronavirus, superstar Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri Khan have offered their personal office space in Mumbai for quarantine purpose for children, elderly and women.

The information was tweeted by the official Twitter handle of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) on Saturday that thanked the couple for the gesture.

"Stronger together. We thank Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan for offering their 4-storey personal office space to help expand our quarantine capacity equipped with essentials for quarantined children, women and elderly, Indeed a thoughtful and timely gesture!" the tweet read.

Earlier the 54-year-old superstar and his group companies had pledged to donate to a number of relief funds, including the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund and the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund to combat the coronavirus.

The 'Devdas' actor had taken to Twitter on Thursday and shared that his companies -- Kolkata Knight Riders, Red Chillies Entertainment, Meer Foundation, and Red Chillies VFX -- are taking several initiatives to support the relief efforts.

The Padma Shri awardee also announced that his initial efforts will be focused on three cities -- Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi, "with the realisation that this is a start and we stand ready to contribute in whichever way possible going forward".

Meanwhile, India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated. The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

Chennai, Feb 5: The popular cine actor Rajinikanth has defended the Union Government on the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying it will not affect the Indian Muslims.

In a brief interaction with reporters this morning in Chennai, the matinee idol said if the Muslims are affected by the CAA, he would be at the forefront in their defence. He asked how will the legislation affect the Indian Muslims when they chose to stay back in the country to make it their motherland. Mr Rajinikanth also supported the National Population Register saying it has been in force even in the past.

On the NRC, Mr Rajinikanth said the Government has already made it clear that its nationwide rollout has not been even discussed so far. Mr Rajinikanth is nourishing political ambitions and has made it clear that he would plunge into politics ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections in the state which is due in 2021.