Latest Bollywood News Today Transcript at 11:30 AM on 23 May 2023
In our top story. Sudipto Sen’s controversial film The Kerala Story is defying all odds and achieving unprecedented success. The film, which has already emerged as the second biggest hit of the year, surpassed the lifetime collections of Ranbir Kapoor-Shraddha Kapoor starrer Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar in less than two weeks. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film’s net box office collection crossed the Rs 200-crore mark on Monday, 22nd May, making it only the second Bollywood film after Pathaan to cross the coveted number in 2023.
Moving on. The teaser of Huma Qureshi’s upcoming film Tarla is out, and it promises a feel-good story of Tarla Dalal, the celebrity chef and food writer, who has written over a hundred cookbooks. Directed by Piyush Gupta, the film has Huma playing the titular role. The teaser shows a glimpse of a moving tale about an ambitious but novice chef, who would go on to become a culinary expert and television celebrity. Talking about Tarla, Huma had earlier said, “Tarla Dalal reminds me of my childhood. My mom had a copy of her book in the kitchen and would often try many of her recipes for my school tiffin.” Tarla will premiere on ZEE5.
The ongoing 76th Cannes Film Festival has witnessed the debut of numerous Indian celebrities on the prestigious red carpet. However, two Indian filmmakers have stepped forward to express their discontent, pointing out that the event has become excessively fixated on glitz and glamour. The first to comment was renowned actor-turned-director, Nandita Das. She wrote on Instagram – “Sometimes people seem to forget that it is a festival of films and not of clothes!” Controversial filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri expressed his sorrow too over what he perceived as the demise of the Cannes Film Festival. He tweeted – “So sad to see the death of Cannes. Most of these are not even actors or have any film showing at Cannes.”
Meanwhile, Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Monday, 22nd May said he sustained a hairline fracture while shooting for his upcoming film “Vijay 69“. Kher wrote on Twitter, alongside a photograph clicked after he underwent treatment – “You do a sports film and you don’t get injured! How can this be possible? It is painful, but when the brother who put the sling on my shoulder told me that he had decorated the shoulders of SRK and Hrithik, then don’t know why the feeling of pain subsided!” ‘Vijay 69’ bankrolled by YRF Entertainment, will be directed by Akshay Roy. It tells the story of a sexagenarian, who decides to compete in a triathlon contest at the age of 69.
On Sunday, 21st May, actor Sara Ali Khan visited Ajmer Sharif Dargah, to seek blessings for her upcoming film Zara Hatke Zara Bachke. The romantic comedy also stars Vicky Kaushal and is directed by Laxman Utekar. Photos and videos from her visit show the actor being mobbed by other devotees at the shrine. In a video shared on social media, the actor was seen completing rituals, as she tied a thread to a wall at the dargah and prayed with her hands folded. Fans were seen gathering around her as she walked inside the dargah. Her security walked close by, trying to keep the crowd away from her.
Meanwhile, the struggles of superstar Shah Rukh Khan are widely known, and his journey to becoming the reigning king of Bollywood serves as inspiration for countless aspiring actors. Actor Manoj Bajpayee recalled watching Shah Rukh emerge from difficulties and prove himself like no one else. In an interview with The Lallantop, Manoj said, “We worked together when we were 19-20-year-olds. We have mutual respect. I feel very happy to see him achieve this level of success. He had lost his family and yet, rebuilt everything, from his career to his personal life.” They starred together in the 1989 TV film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones. Years later, they reunited in the epic 2004 film Veer-Zaara.
Before Rani Mukerji took on the role of Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, many popular female actors of the time rejected the role and Raveena Tandon was one of them. But, in Raveena’s case, the reason she chose not to do the film was because she was coming back after a sabbatical. She told ETimes, “When Karan Johar came to me for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, unfortunately, it was at a time when my career was zero. I was restarting entirely after the sabbatical and I was quite messed up. I regret that to date.” Raveena also shared that had she done the role, she would have only been offered second leads in other films.
Lastly, Actor-turned-author Jugal Hansraj began his acting career at 10 with the film Masoom. He went on to star in a few more films as an adult, including Mohabbatein. Hansraj also composed a couple of songs, one of which was the title track of Shah Rukh Khan’s superhit film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. In a recent interview with the Times of India, Hansraj revealed filmmaker Karan Johar, who is also a good friend of the actor, approached him with the script of the film and sought his feedback. He couldn’t sleep that night and ended up composing a tune in his head. He shared – “Little did I know that Karan would use it as the movie’s title song.”
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