SRK movie shoot fetches USD 5m for UAE: report

October 7, 2013

SRK_movieDubai, Oct 7: The shooting of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Happy New Year" has brought an estimated USD 5 million to the UAE.

The film commission said that its USD 5 million estimate for "Happy New Year" will be followed by a more precise figure this month or next.

According to a report in The National, benefits to the Emirate's economy would have included spending on hotel rooms, flights and equipment and space rentals.

"Happy New Year" took three weeks to shoot and is the first full-length feature film to be shot almost entirely in the Emirates. The film is to be released next year.

The film commission expects more interest from Bollywood now with two more films already confirmed. The commission did not provide details of the additional films.

The commission worked with Shah Rukh's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment for about a year to organize the shoot.

Bollywood films earlier used to choose Dubai as a location only for one or two scenes.

"This is not just a dance scene, but about 80-90 per cent of the whole film that was shot in Dubai. We had to learn the logistics. Normally we've only dealt with a maximum of 40 people who come to do a dance scene in two to five days," chairman of the film commission, Jamal Al Sharif, said.

The Red Chillies team was given many incentives from Dubai International Airport, Emirates Airline and immigration authorities. The entire movie crew booked 180 rooms at the Atlantis hotel on the Palm for 25 days.

"This will impact culturally on what they're doing. They're creating jobs and we're hoping that further Bollywood films will support (our) GDP. We are expecting the next door to open for Bollywood to be in Dubai and the Middle East," Al Sharif said.

Rebates and incentives are one of the key areas of focus for the film commission as it works to attract productions to the Emirate, not just from Bollywood, but from all over the world."We are putting together plans for the years to come to provide soft and hard incentives and rebates. Dubai is a tax-free destination and we have to take advantage of that.

"We're looking to improve many things. We have a project in Studio City which is part of a

Tecom investment to build a 50,000 square foot site with a water tank. These will benefit the filmmakers," Al Sharif was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"Dubai needs to let the world know it has the infrastructure. It is comparable to any place in the world. It is high time a lot of Indian films, not just Bollywood, should be encouraged to come here and this will be a stepping stone to showcase the beauty of Dubai and how wonderful and easy it is to shoot (here)," Shah Rukh said in Dubai last month.

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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: After Amitabh Bachchan, it is actor Akshay Kumar, who has come forward to support Bhumi Pednekar's initiative -- Climate Warrior -- urging the people to plant trees.

Bhumi Pednekar has sought to bring Bollywood together to spread awareness about mother nature through her campaign in view of the coming World Environment Day (June 5).

The campaign endeavours to get leaders from the entertainment industry to tell what is the 'one wish they have for the earth.'

Following the thread, the 'Kesari' actor was seen raising his voice on issues, and have taken steps to bring awareness to important causes like climate change.

"Our Beautiful Planet that has sustained us now needs us to protect it more than ever. During this time we as a community must tread carefully and act immediately" Akshay Kumar was seen saying in a video posted by Pednekar on Instagram.

"A lot of damage has been done and climate change is a grave reality that all of us are facing," he added.

Explaining his one wish to rebuild mother nature, is, as he says: "The simplest act of planting trees."

"I consider this as one of the most basic and efficient deeds that we can exercise individually and also urge others to do so. Let us do our bit to heal and rebuild the only planet we have. So join me and become a Climate Warrior," the 'Padman' actor concluded.

Ahead of the World Environment Day, and in support of Bhumi's initiative, legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan earlier in the day also pledged to be 'climate-conscious' in a bid to protect nature.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Washington, Mar 11: Pop star Selena Gomez made some revelations about her personal life in a recent interview.

While explaining the lyrics of her song "Rare" on the 'Genius' YouTube channel, the 27-year-old said that there are times when she feels that she will ever be able to find a suitable partner for herself, reported Fox News.

"Some days when I wake up and I am annoyed and I am like, 'I am going to be alone forever.' But after that 15 minutes go away, I say to myself, 'I know that there is someone for everybody," the singer told in the seven-and-a-half minute long video.

However, she remains optimistic as she is still young and "this isn't the end all be all".

Elaborating upon the chorus of her song, Gomez opened up and said, "self-esteem and confidence is a constant struggle".

"It's getting better with time and age, but it will always be something that I'm working on," she added while explaining the lyrics further.

"So what I think is so important about this chorus is that it's acknowledging, 'Hey, I don't have it all. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do know that I'm special,' and I think that is a humble approach of saying, 'Why don't you see that I am different?'" the singer added as reported by Fox News.

Touching upon her experiences from past relationships, she commented: "In certain relationships, I've heard and I've experienced and whatnot, I think men and women do it -- especially teenagers and young people in love -- is there's this satisfaction out of hurting someone because you know that they care. Purposefully putting someone down because they want to keep them at a level. I've had someone actually say that to me before".

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News Network
July 2,2020

Mumbai, Jul 2: The Mumbai police have summoned noted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for questioning in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case. According to several reports, casting director Shanoo Sharma too might be questioned in connection with the star’s death.

Reports also state that Kangana Ranaut and Shekhar Kapur, who are not directly involved with the investigation, are likely to be asked to record their statements.

The development comes days after the cops had asked for the details of SSR’s contract with Yashraj Films. The MS Dhoni actor had starred in Shuddh Desi Romance and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, which were backed by the banner. He was supposed to team up with YRF for Paani, directed by Kapur, but the movie was on hold due to creative differences between the Mr India helmer and the production house.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, leaving his near and dear ones in a state of shock. Following his demise, fans alleged that several Bollywood biggies had tried to sabotage his career as he was an ‘outsider’, reigniting the nepotism debate.

SSR, who hailed from Patna, made an impact in the TV industry before entering Bollywood with the sleeper hit Kai Po Che. He impressed fans with his performances in PK and Shuddh Desi Romance, consolidating his standing in the industry. It was, however, MS Dhoni that established him as a bankable star. Chhichore was his last theatrical release before his death. Drive, backed by Karan Johar, released directly on Netflix. His last film Dil Bechara is slated to release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24.

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