BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) The government's Ayushman Bharat scheme has started providing free testing kit and treatment for COVID-19 to over 50 crore poor people in India. Bollywood actress Chitrangda Singh has taken the initiative of spreading the word.## On Tuesday evening, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan tweeted a video where Chitrangda Singh is speaking about the same.## In the video, the actress says in Hindi: "We get a lot of takes to make a shot perfect while shooting films, but this coronavirus pandemic will not give you a second chance. One mistake can make us, our families and neighbors pay the price. Please don't step out of your homes unless it is extremely necessary."## "In such difficult times, we need to stand by our poor brothers and sisters who are extremely vulnerable. Also, people who serve us throughout the year -- such as our watchmen, vegetable vendors, washermen, cooks, and drivers -- we must help them," she added.## "Under the government's Ayushman Swasthya Yojana, over 50 crore poor people get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh every year. Under this scheme, testing and treatment for COVID 19 will be completely free," said the actress.## Sharing the video, the minister wrote: "Thank you, @IChitrangda Ji! #COVID__19 treatment is free under #AyushmanBharat for its 50 crore beneficiaries! I request @ayushmannk @TheShilpaShetty @Neenagupta001 to #PassItForward & help us #SaveLives".## Chitrangda Singh also shared the video on Twitter and wrote: "With you in all the efforts #SpreadTheWord #NotTheVirus."## On the work front, Chitrangda Singh will next be seen alongside Abhishek Bachchan in the movie "Bob Biswas".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) K-soap czarina Ekta Kapoor jogged down memory lane to share a throwback picture from the days of "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", the show that made Smriti Irani a household name as the nations favorite telly-bahu, Tulsi.## A snapshot shared by Ekta that has been trending on Instagram has the producer with Smriti Irani and Zee top boss Tarun Katial.## Sharing the throwback picture, Ekta wrote as a caption: "Three of us! Wat e throwback #tarunkatyal @smritiiraniofficial n Moi! #thenandnow."## Over the years, Smriti Irani has moved into public service is now Minister of Women and Child Development in the Narendra Modi government. She reacted to the picture without wit. "Patle huya karte they kujh log (some people used to be slim)," she wrote.## Fan reactions were varied, though everyone loved the picture.## Thrown into a whiff of nostalgia, one fan wanted Ekta to bring back her K-soaps on TV, in the wake of so many reruns owing to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## "Bring kyunki saas b kabi bahu thi and kahani ghar ghar ki too @ektarkapoor," wrote the user.## Another user agreed, and felt "Kasautii Zindagi Kay " and "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", should both be revived during the lockdown: "Ab to Ekta mam ko kzk kskb tv series start karni chaiye, stay safe stay home @ektarkapoor."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actress Kanisha Malhotra, who has featured in shows such as "P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke" and "Ye Hai Mohabbatein", is utilizing her lockdown time to create short films at home.## "During this difficult time, when COVID-19 has hit the world hard, keeping a positive mind is very important. And that is what I feel. I'm keeping myself busy by creating content-driven short films online," she said.## Kanisha has acted, written and directed the films, "Empty Roads" and "Dear Baba".## "I have created the films with limited resources at home, depicting the current scenario world is facing due to the novel coronavirus. I am creating more and more content as social media is a big ground right now and I will be exploring more web series and web film space once lockdown is over," Kanisha added.## Kanisha is also known for her roles in the web series "Bombae" and "Dance Bar".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Art director-turned-filmmaker Omung Kumar B. shot to fame directing "Mary Kom" in 2014 and has made a few other films since then. But did you know that he has his first brush with showbiz as a child actor way back in the seventies?## The year is 1979 and the film is "Guru Ho Jaa Shuru", an action comedy-drama starring Ashok Kumar, Mahendra Sandhu, Prema Narayan, Deb Mukherjee, and Ranjeet.## "Guru Ho Ja Suru' movie 1979, me as child star Full drama..... my god I was so young, and yes remember the rain scene... and my hair... wah," Omung wrote on social media, reminiscing about the film directed by Shiv Kumar.## In the film, Omung played the younger version of hero Mahendra Sandhu. In sync with trends of the time, he was credited as Master Omung Kumar.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actress Gul Panag will serve as a narrator of the podcast "Special Mission", which is a tribute to India's armed forces.## "As a daughter of an army officer, this theme is extremely close to my heart. Growing up, I have seen how unpredictable life can be for those who serve the nation, and I am so thrilled to narrate their stories of courage and valor on this new Spotify podcast," said Gul.## "I've known Sidin (the show's producer Sidin Vadukut) for years now, so when he reached out with this project, there was only one answer - yes! I grew up listening to these stories, and I think podcasts are a great medium to pass on the legacy of those heroes, capturing the challenge they overcome," she added.## She hopes people are inspired by these individuals to 'live fiercely, value life, and of course, honor those who sacrifice so much to keep us safe".## "Special Mission", an original podcast on the platform, will have episodes full of true yet unheard stories of valor.## The episodes will cover a diverse list of topics like international rescue missions, stories of regimental legends, music and even the animals that serve in the forces.## The one thing that connects all these stories is their broad emotional scope. These are stories not just of the soldiers themselves but also their families, friends and personal lives.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actress Sobhita Dhulipala wants to continue her journey as a risk-taker and does not want to live a predictable life.## "I am committed to taking a risk in career and in life. What scares me is what if I lose out on the confidence to take new challenges. Hopefully, that never happens. I do not want to live a predictable life. Perhaps that is why change does not worry me, stagnancy does. Every change that is happening now is teaching us something. For us actors, vanity, popularity, beauty -- all these things at times hold us back to take risks. That's the only thing I do not want. I do not want the vanity to take away my enthusiasm to take a risk and that joy of acting, the joy of performing!" Sobhita told IANS.## Starting her Bollywood career with Anurag Kashyap's "Raman Raghav 2.0", she has acted in films such as "Kaalakaandi", "Goodachari", and "Moothon". On OTT platforms, she has been seen in the shows "Made In Heaven" and "Bard Of Blood" and the digital film, "Ghost Stories".## Recalling her first-ever audition, she said: "That was my first audition and I bagged the role. That was the moment I realize that I actually love acting! This is my true calling! I did not know it before. Otherwise, I would have directly looked for such an opportunity instead of participating in beauty pageants and modeling. I always had a love for storytelling, it is a sacred thing to me. But I think all is a part of my journey and I learned a lot about makeup, camera, and many things during my modeling days."## Sobhita participated in Miss Earth 2013 and the general assumption could be that she always had an inclination towards acting. However, she says she was quite the "teacher's pet" in school.## "I spent a good amount of time in the library because I loved reading books and was busy earning grades! I was not at all a 'cool kid' in school, so nobody even imagined, including me, that I could be someone in the glamour industry. At the end of my college days, I just thought of participating in a beauty pageant. Since I had to plan and it was just a 'karke dekhte hai, kya hota hai' type attitude, there was a certain innocence, too. Perhaps that is why I am not the 'heroine' type, you know! But I am happy the way my career has panned out so far," Sobhita signed off.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Vijay Varma's acting in "Bamfaad" has left filmmaker Anurag Kashyap impressed.## "Vijay and I started our careers with the same films as 'Chittagong' and 'Monsoon Shootout, in which he was the lead and I was the producer. When I saw the first cut of 'Bamfaad', I immediately called up Vijay and told him that with this role, a new aspect of him has come out. I think it's one of the best approaches to a performance by an actor," Anurag said.## In the Zee5 original film, Vijay plays the antagonist. The film marks the debut of veteran actor Paresh Rawal's son Aditya Rawal. It is presented by Anurag Kashyap and directed by Ranjan Chandel.## Vijay will be next seen in Mira Nair's "A Suitable Boy".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Music composer, and singer Jasleen Royal points at the fact that there are few female composers in the Indian music industry.## "I want to see more women in key roles in our music industry. I want to see them taking the Indian music scene to a higher level. Today, the situation is better -- more female solo singers have come up, but there is still a lack of female composers. I really want to see that change in the upcoming time," Jasleen told IANS.## Jasleen, who is the voice behind hits such as "Love you Zindagi" ("Dear Zindagi") and "Nachde ne saare" ("Baar Baar Dekho"), had created singles like "Panchhi ho javan", "Mai ni" and "Din shagna da" before stepping into Bollywood. She had also appeared in the first season of the reality TV talent hunt show "India's Got Talent". One the show, she was given the tag of a one-woman band as she is able to collectively play different musical instruments while singing.## On recalling her journey so far and how she carved a niche for herself, Jasleen got emotional.## "I am really grateful for all the opportunities and for the people who gave me work. It's been a long journey. I got a chance to work with Karan Johar sir and Zoya Akhtar ma'm at such an initial stage of my career. That was really something big for me," she said.## Jasleen believes in creating good music and paying less attention to the result. "There were days when I felt like my songs were not working. I started doubting myself. I remember when 'Din shagna' came out, initially it didn't do well. It hardly reached out to the masses. Then, suddenly a few months later when Anushka-Virat got married, the song was playing in the background of their videos and it became viral! It was playing everywhere. I made a jingle for Paytm and it became viral after demonetization. So, I believe one should do their best and not worry much about the result. Everything takes time to flourish," Jasleen added.## Stay tuned...

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Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Model Chrissy Teigen said she hopes her favorite TV shows don't make her relive the experience of being in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic.## Teigen, who is married to musician John Legend, wrote on Twitter: "One thing I hope doesn't happen is all our reality shows airing themselves in quarantine when this is all over and better. Like the next season of housewives being them in quarantine. I don't wanna live all this over again."## She has remained active on social media during her time in lockdown, recently saying she loves listening to "murder podcasts", reports femalefirst.co.uk.## She also said that she struggles to sleep without listening to a crime story before she goes to bed.## "none of my favorite murder podcasts are updating and I can't sleep without their terror I don't really like murder podcast commentary shows :( I like just hearing the story end the calls. You can tell me your favorite but I promise I've tried it and I just don't like the silly giggling"## Teigen shared that she likes "Casefile", "Dateline", "Sword and Scale", "Dr. Death", "To Live" and "Die in LA", T" he Thing About Pam" on murder podcast.## "The first 3 are single episode stories but the others are fantastic podcast series," she tweeted.## Prior to that, Teigen said she's been feeling a little "emotional" due to the coronavirus pandemic.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actor Arshad Warsi has revealed that as a child he was fascinated with the world of "Benji", the fictional mixed-breed dog that has been the central character of many films since it first appeared on screen in 1974.## "The first movie that I ever watched was a very, very long time back. I was in a boarding school and every second Sunday, we would get to see a film, so we would watch ‘Force 10' from Navarone. There is one film that I remember, as a child which used to fascinate me. It was called ‘Benji'. I used to love dogs, and I remember as a child, ‘Benji' was one of the films that I completely loved," said Arshad.## The actor also confessed his love that he can watch the iconic sitcom "Friends" again and again. "I can watch ‘Friends' over and over again. I like it, my children like it too," he said, during an interview for IMDb.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Punjabi star Jassie Gill has unveiled his latest track "Ehna chauni aa". He got creative during the ongoing lockdown period and shot the song's video on a phone.## According to a source, the song was ready and they had to release it with a video. As it's not possible to gather the whole team now, he shot it on phone.## "This song just like every other song of mine, is pure melody and is all about love. It was a different experience, having shot the whole video on an iPhone 11 pro and we are sure the fans will love it," said Jassie.## The romantic single has received a lot of love on YouTube. Many of his fans have left hearts in the comments section and appreciated him for shooting a video on a phone.## The singer and actor has also urged people to stay home, stay safe and take the required precautionary measures that one needs to.## Meanwhile, after making his Bollywood acting debut in "Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi" in 2018, he starred in "Panga" this year.## Stay tuned...

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Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Pop star Selena Gomez has admitted that there was a time in her life when fame "got out of control" and gossip was "killing" her.## Gomez opened up about dealing with media scrutiny from the time she was a teen during a conversation with Amy Schumer for Interview magazine, reports hollywoodreporter.com.## "My intention was never to become a tabloid," the 27-year-old said while talking about living life under constant media scrutiny, adding: "So when things kind of happened that way, it got out of control. And then I was like, 'Wait, none of this is true'."## Gomez got stardom in 2007 at age 15 through "The Wizards of Waverly Place". She said that "the way the media has sometimes tried to explain things has made it sound really bad".## "When in reality, there's nothing wrong with the fact that I needed to go away or that I fell in love," she said, referring to her stints at mental health facilities and her relationships with former boyfriends like Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.## "I had to start opening up because people were taking away my narrative, and it was killing me," she said, adding: "I'm so young, and I'm going to keep changing, and no one has the right to tell me how my life's going."## Gomez confessed that she makes a conscious effort to raise awareness for causes that are meaningful to her. As a survivor of lupus and her recent bipolar diagnosis, Gomez said she wants to help those who have suffered similar experiences.## "I've gone through a lot of medical issues, and I know that I can reach people who are going through similarly scary things -- an organ transplant, or being on dialysis, or going away for treatment," said Gomez, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 due to lupus complications.## "A huge part of why I have a platform is to help people. That's why I think I'm OK with the magnitude. I mean, I'm not really OK with it -- but I'm going to say that I am because it's worth it. I know that I'm making someone somewhere feel good, or feel understood or heard, and that's worth it for me," she added.## Gomez also spoke about returning to music, with her third album, "Rare".## "I wrote it at the beginning of last year and had just gotten out of treatment," she said, adding: "It was a moment when I came back, and I was like, 'I'm ready to go into the studio with people I trust and start working on songs.' There was an air around it where people were very happy because it was like I was going to finally be me. But I didn't necessarily see it that way at the time. When I wrote the song, I was basically saying that I needed to hit rock bottom to understand that there was this huge veil over my face."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.