Latest Bollywood News Today Transcript at 11:30 AM on 18 August 2023
In our top story. The satirical comedy-drama OMG 2, featuring actor Akshay Kumar in an extended cameo, crossed the Rs 100 crore gross mark globally. After a decent Rs 10 crore opening, the film gained traction with positive word of mouth. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the total collection of the film now stands at Rs 80 crore nett domestically. Starring Akshay Kumar, Yami Gautam and Pankaj Tripathi, the film is helmed by Amit Rai. OMG 2 clashed with Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, Rajinikanth’s Jailer and Chiranjeevi’s Bhola Shankar. OMG 2 is produced by Cape of Good Films, Ashwin Varde, Vipul D Shah and Rajesh Bahl.
Meanwhile, actor Akshay Kumar took to social media to express gratitude towards moviegoers who turned up in huge numbers not only for his movie OMG 2 but also for Sunny Deol’s actioner Gadar 2. Gadar 2 has minted Rs 263.48 crore in less than a week. The actor called the phenomenon – ‘Oh My Gadar’. He wrote on X, formerly called Twitter – “A big thank you to our audiences for all the love for #OhMyGadar and for giving us the greatest week in Indian Film History!” Along with it, Akshay shared a video showing the positive response to his film. In the background, the actor is heard crooning the Gadar 2 song “Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava”.
Ahead of his film’s release, Dream Girl 2, Actor Ayushmann Khurrana danced with the original “Dream Girl of Bollywood”, Hema Malini on the song “Dream Girl” from her 1977 film of the same name. Sharing the video on Instagram, the veteran actor wrote – “Had an amazing time reminiscing my old days with the new Dream Girl.” Dream Girl 2 is scheduled to hit theatres on August 25. Produced by Ekta Kapoor, the film also stars Ananya Panday, Annu Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Seema Pahwa, Manjot Singh and Abhishek Banerjee.
Moving on. In a new Instagram post, veteran actor Zeenat Aman recalled how a gentleman once tried to woo her. Zeenat wrote, “We had wrapped for the day, and I had returned to my makeup room. I found a sizeable ribboned box on my table. The card simply bore my name. I opened the box to find another smaller box within it, and then yet another and another, all nested like Russian dolls. The last box had some weight to it. I popped it open and in it lay a tennis ball. Stuck to it was a handwritten note – the ball’s in your court. Unfortunately, I didn’t give the sender the pleasure of my company, I was flattered!”
On Thursday, 17th August, a star-studded premiere event was held for the docu-series AP Dhillon: First of a Kind. Tracing the journey of Punjabi singer AP Dhillon, the series was released on Prime Video today. Several Bollywood personalities attended the red carpet event including actors Salman Khan and Ranveer Singh. Other artists such as Badshah, MC Stan, Shinda Kahlon, and Harrdy Sandhu were also in attendance. Indian rapper and singer Arpan Kumar Chandel, popularly known as King, was also seen arriving at the event. Featuring unseen personal footage and unique behind-the-scenes access, the documentary series sees Dhillon taking his fans on a journey starting from early days in his village.
Meanwhile, veteran singer Asha Bhosle, whose iconic song ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ was recently remixed in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani as ‘What Jhumka’, has opened up about the remixing of old songs. The song was picturised on Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. In a conversation with India Today, Asha shared – “If the music directors or the singers, want to bring something new, they don’t have that ability. That’s why they are recreating old songs.” She then brought up ‘What Jhumka’ and said, “For example, today ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ is working so well. It has come in a new film. But it is a popular old song.” The song is from the 1966 film Mera Saaya.
Abhishek Bachchan said that he has no qualms about living with his parents, legendary actors Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. In an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Abhishek was asked about his take on Indians living with their folks even as adults. He said – “I get it. Society, culture, values, everything changes and adapts. In today’s fast-paced life, if you’re living in a city like Mumbai, you have very little time for family. I cannot think of not living with my parents, especially at the age at which they are now. You want to be around them, you want to take care of them if you can. Both my parents are thankfully very active and independent. “
Lastly, veteran actor Farida Jalal recently spoke about starring in the iconic films Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Farida told Rajshri Unplugged how she was cast for both these films. She shared that she was shooting in Hyderabad when she got a call from Yash Chopra who told her that Aditya Chopra wanted to cast her for the role of Kajol’s mother in DDLJ. As soon as she came back, she agreed to star in the film. She recalled meeting Karan on DDLJ’s set. She said – “He told me, ‘I’m making my film and you have to be in that. Later, I teared up at his narration.”
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