Latest Bollywood News Today Transcript at 11:30 AM on 22 August 2023
In our top story. Filmmaker Karan Johar attended the Express Adda in Mumbai on Monday, 21st August. In a conversation with the Executive Director of The Indian Express, Anant Goenka, and The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta, the filmmaker spoke about how his recent film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was a true expression of his soul. The filmmaker shared – “When I was a child, I was raised by very progressive parents. They gave me the freedom to be who I was. I sang Hindi songs loudly and danced to those songs in my room. I don’t want to apologise for it to anybody. And I think this film is an expression of that.”
Meanwhile, Karan Johar also expressed his happiness for the success of Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar 2. The film is nearing the Rs 400 crore mark in the domestic market. Reflecting on the film’s success at the box office, and the return of the audience to single-screen cinema halls, the filmmaker shared – “Gadar has blown everyone’s brains away because it was a film which was hugely successful back in 2001. And, now in 2023, it is breaking every record. I have been so glad for the single screens.” When asked whom he’d message if he hypothetically got his hands on Sunny’s phone, Karan joked that he’d text the entire film industry and tell them that ‘this is how it’s done’.
Streaming giant Netflix on Monday, 21st August dropped the trailer of their latest film Friday Night Plan, headlined by actor Babil Khan. The movie, billed as a “heartwarming tale” of self-discovery and companionship, will mark Babil’s second on-screen project after last year’s acclaimed film Qala. In Friday Night Plan, Babil, son of late actor Irrfan Khan, will be seen playing the nerdy older brother while his partner-in-crime is his mischievous younger brother, played by Amrith Jayan. The film also features Juhi Chawla in a special appearance as their mother. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Kassim Jagmagia and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, Friday Night Plan is directed by Vatsal Neelakantan. The film will release on September 1st.
Moving on. Screenwriter Sumit Arora is gearing up for the release of the biggest film of his career, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan. He told indianexpress.com – ” When you are in the moment, you don’t feel anything. It is only when the outside world points it out that you realise the magnitude of your work. I love what I do, it gives me an opportunity to collaborate with some of the sharpest minds in the industry. I am on a spinning wheel which I am enjoying right now.” Sumit’s filmography this year already includes Amazon Prime Video’s highly acclaimed web series Dahaad and Netflix’s crime comedy Guns & Gulaabs.
Filmmaker Mani Ratnam‘s first Hindi movie, Dil Se, turned 25 on 21st August. Despite its popularity, Ratnam revealed in a recent interview that he hasn’t watched the film since its release. Ratnam told Scroll, “I haven’t seen the film in 25 years, so I don’t know how it has stood. I have only seen bits and pieces, and that too on mute – or any of my other films, for that matter.” The film starred Shah Rukh Khan as an All India Radio employee and Manisha Koirala as a member of a North-East terrorist sleeper cell. Although the film garnered mixed reviews and moderate box office success at that time, its soundtrack, composed by AR Rahman, became a massive hit.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s spokesperson has denied that the OMG 2 actor has stepped in to help Sunny Deol pay off his loan repayment to save his home in Juhu. Bank of Baroda on 20th August published a notice on the e-auction of Sunny’s bungalow in Mumbai’s Juhu after the actor reportedly failed to repay a Rs 56 crore loan. BoB on Monday, 21st August withdrew the notice citing “technical reasons”. A report had claimed that Akshay Kumar came forward to bail out Sunny Deol by offering him a huge chunk of money–around Rs 30-40 crore–to settle his loan. However, Hindustan Times quoted Akshay’s spokesperson, who said, “All such claims are absolutely untrue.”
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut took to her Instagram stories and penned a heartfelt note for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Kangana wrote, “I deeply admire Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an artist, he never fakes success or glory. He is the most genuine and indulgent artist living in the film industry right now. Nobody that I know is so helplessly in love with the magic of cinema and so driven by his passion. Above all, he minds his business, with intense creativity and rare integrity. He is a living legend. Over the years some songs/roles were offered to me by his SLB production, for some or the other reason I couldn’t do them. He is simply wonderful.”
Lastly, in some distressing news. Actor Pankaj Tripathi’s father Pandit Banaras Tiwari passed away on Monday, 21st August. He was 99. He died due to age-related issues. Pankaj’s team shared a statement that read, “It’s with a heavy heart to confirm that Pankaj Tripathi’s father, Pandit Banaras Tiwari is no more. He lived a wholesome life of 99 years. His last rites will be performed amongst his close family. Pankaj Tripathi has now returned to his village in Gopalganj.” Pankaj Tripathi had previously shared how his father never watched his films. In an interview with Mashable, he said – “He is not too proud of my achievements. My father does not even know what I do in cinema.”
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