Entertainment

Isha Koppikar shares Alia’s embrace of motherhood

Isha Koppikar Narang is well-known as Bollywood’s Khallas girl’. She has carved a niche in the film industry through her choice of films and performances. She has done it all, from singing in Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Company’ song to playing the love interest in Bollywood’s King Khan ‘Shah Rukh Khanin Don’ to playing the role of a gangster on ‘Shabri’. The actress is now ready to play a politician on ‘Love You Loktantra’ as well as a banker in her new web series ‘Suranga. She also spoke out about her opinions on actresses becoming mothers at the height of their careers, being a mother and wife at home, and the co-stars she is excited to reunite with. Excerpts… Actresses today, even as young as Alia Bhatt, are embracing motherhood at their peak. This was not the case a few years ago, when marriage and having children meant the end for an actress’ career. What is your perspective as an actor on this change?
This decade has seen a lot of change. The taboo surrounding actresses being mothers has been lifted. Many great examples have shown that it is possible to get your body in shape after having a child. It is great to hear Alia Bhatt embraces motherhood at this stage of her career. It is her decision and we should respect that. Pregnancies among actresses now are celebrated and not frowned upon. That is the good news. As an actor, I welcome this change.

You have been open about your experiences in the industry, both good and poor. What advice would your advise to budding actors aspiring to be big stars?
It is important to be focused and diligent about your goals in life. There will be many ups and downs, but that’s part of life. You have to be able to accept the changes. Positive attitude is essential. You must be determined, work hard, and have a positive attitude. You can only achieve this if you work hard. Spiritual strength is essential. You must believe in God and have strong family support so that you can feel disillusioned and there is someone to help you.
Did you ever feel that your success was hindered by the ‘first mover advantage,’ which is associated with actors who are from film families? Is it possible to be an outsider, like yourself, and still succeed?
Yes! Yes, there is. If my daughter decides to go into the industry tomorrow, I will do my best to help her. It is the child’s talent that will make them/her successful. Parents can give an initial push to get momentum, but it is up to the child to keep it going. It’s all about how they move forward.
Are you regretful of taking on any role in your career?
I don’t regret anything. I feel fulfilled and overwhelmed by any role in my professional life. There are no regrets!
Everyone knows all about Isha Koppikar, an actress. What is your role as a mother and wife at home?
As a mother, my approach is not too strict or too soft. I believe that the child should be allowed to express his/her creativity while still adhering to the rules of discipline. My daughter is taught independence and individuality by me not micromanaging her tasks. Family values are very important to me and all children in my family are taught them. Children learn best from observation so it is my responsibility as a parent to show my daughter all the characteristics of living a happy and healthy life.
Timmy is protective and not possessive. I’m not possessive, either. Timmy is comfortable in his skin. Timmy is not someone who feels threatened by anyone. I always wished for someone like that. He loves his space as much as I love mine. He is a blessing in my life.
Who, out of all the actors with whom you have worked so far?
Shah Rukh Khan is the only co-star with which I feel completely at ease on and off screen. He is a gentleman who has a great sense of humor. He is a very generous actor. He is a wonderful actor and I would love to see him again on screen.
Please tell us about your film, Love You Loktantra. What attracted to you about the character?
“Love You Loktantra” is a political satire. It’s a light-hearted movie. I play the role of a politician. Gulab Didi is a strong, ruthless politician. She doesn’t see anything but her politics, power, and work. The movie is a political comedy based on the fight between two Chief ministers. You will be astonished at the humor in the movie. You will see what is happening in politics today in our film. This is the film’s USP.
How did you prepare to be a politician? Did you look at anyone to inspire your appearance or body language?
Gulab Didi’s fictional character is not based on any real politician. Kangana Ranaut’s portrayal of Indira Gandhi is a different character than the one I played in “Love You Loktantra”. Gulab didi was my character and I had to gain a few pounds. It was frightening for me to gain weight, as you all know how hard it is for actresses to lose weight and stay healthy. I had lost a lot during the first lockdown. However, when shooting began a year and half ago today, my weight had increased and I had lost weight in one lockdown.
Also read: Tamannaah Bhattia: Today’s film industry offers far more opportunities and acceptance – #BigInterviewYour character is full of shades of grey. How was it to see the other side?
Yes, it does have grey shades. It was, however, different from my personality, as I mentioned earlier. I’ve played roles such as ‘Shabri’ or ‘Chandni in ‘Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi. These characters were very different from one another. Recently, I was a cop in the series Dhahanam’. As an actor, I can feel overwhelmed when playing various characters, whether they are negative or positive. I love taking on new challenges.
You are also part of the multilingual film ‘Alien’. How was your experience working alongside Rakul Preet Singh & Sharad Kelkar?
This is the film I am currently making down South. Although I don’t have many scenes with Rakul Preet, Sharad Kelkar, Sivakarthikeyan and Sivakarthikeyan are my co stars in the film. It’s a science fiction movie. It is a unique concept. There have been many Alien movies that have used a lot more prosthetics and makeup than this one. However, we will see a lot more graphics and CGI effects in this movie. It was an amazing experience. The film was shot in 100 days.
Please tell us about your upcoming web series, Suranga.
Suranga is an investigative drama series that is based on a bank heist. I play a banker. Dakshiyani is the character I play. It is very unique. I cannot reveal much about the character. I can only say that she is an employee at the bank. The story centers around heists and various characters at the bank. It was shot in Haryana.
Also read: JD Chakravarthy: Shah Rukh Khan, after watching Satya, said that he would remove JD Chakravarthy from the film and place him in the film. #BigInterview

Entertainment

‘Jawan’ to mint Rs 70 crore on opening day

With a 5 am show in Kolkata, a 6 am one in Jaipur and tickets flying off the proverbial shelf, Bollywood theatrical releases — most recent being “Gadar 2” and “OMG 2″ — are raking it in.Mumbai-based trade expert Komal Nahta agreed with Biji’s estimate.”The situation is crazy across single-screen theatres and multiplexes both. It is difficult to predict the business. It will at least do Rs 70 crore on day one (in India),” Nahta told PTI.In Delhi, the film releases ahead of the G20 Summit on September 9-10 with several heads of state, including US President Joe Biden, set to attend the event. While the city will remain open during the weekend, restrictions will be imposed on a small part of the NDMC area.Bijli said he is not worried about the theatrical business taking a hit in central Delhi because of G20 restrictions. It would mean four PVR theatres — PVR Plaza, Rivoli, Odeon and ECX Chanakyapuri — shut during the summit.”They are single screen theatres with a total capacity of about 2,000 seats so that really wouldn’t have much of an impact because the loss for that will be compensated by the fact that Delhi has a four-day weekend,” he said.About 30-35 per cent of the film’s business will come from the South, which again is bigger than the numbers made by “Pathaan”, added Bijli.The buzz around “Jawan” is also high in south India as a majority of the cast and crew hail from the region, said Chennai-based trade analyst Ramesh Bala.”The advance booking is looking good all over India, certainly so in the South as well. There are early morning shows in the south. It is a big release here for all the states combined because the cast and crew are from the South.”So the buzz is more. Looking at the advance booking response for the film, I think on day one, the film should do Rs 20 to 25 crore from the South market, and overall, it should do Rs 70 to 75 crore across India. If the movie is reasonably good, then the lifetime business of the movie will be Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 crore,” Bala told PTI.It’s not just in the South.Theatre chain Miraj Cinema, which has 182 plus screens across India, said it has already sold 28,000 tickets.”Due to overwhelming public demand, we’ve broken new ground by adding a 5 am show for a Hindi film in Kolkata, a first in our cinema’s history. Jaipur will experience the earliest screening at 6.05 am in Hindi, setting a record for the city,” Amit Sharma, MD of Miraj Entertainment Ltd, said in a statement.Senior distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal, said many theatres in Rajasthan will also hold early morning shows of “Jawan” due to the unprecedented response.”After almost 30 years in Rajasthan, we are having 6 am shows for ‘Jawan’. In the past, this happened with Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Hum’,” Bansal, director of Jaipur’s three-screen multiplex Entertainment Paradise, told PTI.In Mumbai, Gaiety-Galaxy, a prominent single-screen theatre, about 90 per cent of its seats are sold out.”Almost 80 to 90 per cent booking is done so far; by Thursday it will be houseful. We are happy with the golden run of movies in theatres, especially in single-screen theatres. I think because of ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Gadar 2’, the business in single screen has revived. The industry has bounced back in a big way. With ‘Jawan’ things are looking positive,” Manoj Desai, executive director of Gaiety, Galaxy and Maratha Mandir Cinema, told PTI.As screens open up for advance bookings in various cities, the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film are also seeing enthusiastic support although the Hindi version is naturally taking the lead, Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, said in a statement.”What is interesting to note is that the Hindi language version of the film has seen maximum interest from markets in South and East India such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai amongst others,” he added.According to Bijli, 2023, particularly the months of July-August, have been great for the exhibition sector with the back-to-back successes of both Hollywood and Hindi movies such as “Mission Impossible 7”, “Oppenheimer”, “Gadar 2”, “OMG 2” and “Dream Girl 2″.”Movie going (experience) has come back. ‘Jawan’ has a lot going for itself. The film has Shah Rukh Khan, who has delivered ‘Pathaan’, a Rs 525 crore movie,” he said.That film releases on Janmashtami, when many people celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, and a weekend follows one day later is expected to boost sales.Rajkot-based distributor Ajay Bagdai said the advance booking for “Jawan” looks promising as Gujarat will have a holiday weekend due to Janmashtami.”At my theatre in Rajkot, we have 1,100 seats and so far we have sold about 750 tickets, only for September 7. On the first day, the pan-India business should be at least around Rs 50 to 60 crore,” Bagdai added.

Shah Rukh Khan’s next movie “Jawan” is expected to outperform the opening day grossing of “Pathaan” from earlier in the year. It is projected that Jawan should reach nearly 70 crore in earnings on its premiere day at the theaters.

Entertainment

Salman Khan warns against fake casting agents

Shah Rukh Khanfor an action packed spy drama, titled ‘Tiger vsPathaan’.

In a recent post on social media, Salman Khan cautioned his followers to beware of phony individuals, vowing to give innocent persons roles in his movies. The actor released a declaration on behalf of his studio as well. Soon, audiences will be able to witness Salman Khan’s performance in ‘Tiger 3’, the movie also featuring Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi.

Entertainment

Aamir enjoys Wimbledon 2023 finals with kids

Aamir Khan was spotted at the Wimbledon 2023 finals in London with his children, Junaid, Azad and Ira, where they enjoyed the match together. Popular Bollywood celebrities such as Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas also attended the event.

Aamir Khan and his kids, Junaid, Azad, and Ira, could be seen at the 2023 Wimbledon finals in London together, savoring the match. Celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas who are superstars in Bollywood were at the occasion.

Entertainment

With Katrina, it is always a ‘Merry Christmas’

CELEB LOOKS

Nature’s girl

Katrina is known to be a huge nature lover and here she is seen sitting pretty amidst flora and fauna

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Mornings like these

We think the diva looks flawless even when she wakes up in the morning. Don’t you agree?

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Festive fervour

The actor, who looks as gorgeous in Indian wear as Western, strikes a pose in this pastel salwar kameez

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Girl next door

Sultry diva or girl next door? Katrina, who recently turned 40, aces many avatars with elan

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Click happy

The actor posted this pic thanking her insta family that now boasts of 74 million people!

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Glam girl

Katrina, who carries off the glamorous look with panache, looks stunning in this shimmering golden dress

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Floral fantasy

Katrina shows you why a good floral pant suit is a must in your wardrobe

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Rock and roll

This zig zag chic dress with thigh high slits on either side is perfect for the summers

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Cozy corner

Katrina looks so radiant and fresh in this pic as her eyes do all the talking. Don’t miss her luscious locks!

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Green brigade

The actor poses in a green swimsuit atop a yacht and does she not look mesmerising?

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Entertainment

Prasoon Joshi to watch ‘OMG 2’ today

AfterCBFCwas slammed recently for passing Om Raut’s ‘Adipurush’ with zero cuts, Amit Rai’s ‘OMG 2’ was referred to the Revisting Committee by the Examining Committee, ahead of its release.Prasoon Joshi, Chairperson of CBFC will reportedly be watching the film today. According to reports, usually the Chief Executive Officer of the CBFC, Ravinder Bhakar, awards the certificate.His signature is seen on almost all the censor certificates. However, in the case of ‘OMG 2’,Prasoon Joshihimself will go through the film and make a decision accordingly, the report inBollywoodHungama stated.

The report added that he has decided to spearhead the Revisting Committee as the CBFC wants to be fully sure that ‘OMG 2’ doesn’t have any scene or dialogue that can cause a problem.

Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan starrer received a huge backlash from the audience for its dialogues and scenes. The film received mixed reviews from the audience and the critics alike.

Meanwhile, ‘OMG 2’ stars <a href=”https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/akshay-kumar” class=”” data-ga=”Click-Hyperlink