BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Amid rapidly the spreading coronavirus pandemic, Bollywood celebrities have taken up the responsibility to appeal to everyone to stay safe, take precautions, stop panicking and desist from spreading rumours. ## Sharing a selfie where she wears a mask, Sonakshi Sinha wrote on Instagram: "As the world battles #coronavirus, let's ensure we do not add to the pandemic by circulating unverified information. Be safe, take necessary precautions and also be responsible. Don't add to the panic. Last but not the least, try and make the most of the compulsory 'me' time!" ## Kartik Aaryan shared a video from an outdoor set in Lucknow, where he can be seen walking in a mask along with other crew members. The actor captioned: "Stay safe guys. Can't stress this enough. #WashYourHands #CoronaStopKaroNa" ## Earlier in the day, as reported by IANS, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan expressed his thoughts on the outbreak with a self-composed poem about coronavirus. The actor took to Twitter to recite the short poem. In a video tweeted by Big B, he says in Hindi: "Over the past few days, people have been discussing a lot about coronavirus. People are suffering losses and everybody is scared and worried. This morning I had a feeling that I should also say something on the issue. So I have penned a few lines which I want to share with you all." Saying this he recites the poem. ## Sharing a couple of pictures where he can be seen holding some documents, the actor wrote in a separate tweet: "T 3469 - Getting set to advocate the preventions necessary about CoVID 19, ... this is for UNICEF, and the Health Ministry of GOI.. the message should be out soon.. Be safe.. be careful." ## Anupam Kher shared a video on Twitter and Instagram where he appeals to everyone to stop panicking and discover the joy of being alive. ## In the video, the veteran actor says: "Worry should not kill you before a virus kills you... There is fear everywhere and unfortunately, this fear is very real. But more than anything else, it is impacting our daily lives, it is affecting our minds, our psyche in a very frightening manner. Suddenly the whole world seems to be depressed and rightfully so because maybe for the first time in modern times, we are collectively feeling helpless...Maybe, unknowingly, we are also discovering the importance of being alive. I think one of the only ways to deal with this crisis is to change our attitude towards life. We can't do anything about it except being careful...One virus has made us unimportant, extremely vulnerable and to some extent ordinary and lonely human beings. So why don't we enjoy every single moment and discover the joy of being alive?" ## Pooja Hegde also shared her picture wearing a mask from Istanbul's new airport. The actress arrived at the Turkish Capital to shoot for her upcoming film with Prabhas. "The things I do for the love of films... Georgia, here I come...(Rocky Theme song playing in the background)," she wrote. ## "Thappad" helmer Anubhav Sinha tweeted: "Just checking... If someone is working towards stopping the spreading of this shit... Or we are too busy panicking???" ## Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri tried to boost morale with his tweet: "Italy looks the worst hit while everywhere else #Corona is more or less in control. I am sure the success rate should give hope and confidence to worried people." ## Sharing a workout video in a separate tweet, he wrote: "Let others panic, you keep making yourself strong - Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Eat healthy, home-cooked, satvik food. Don't indulge. Stay happy.". ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 12 (IANS) Actor Karan Singh Grover has postponed his art exhibition as a measure of precaution during the coronavirus outbreak.## On Thursday, Karan took to Instagram to let his followers know that he has decided to postpone the art exhibition and its preview that was earlier dated March 17.## "In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Star Infinity Art Exhibit and its preview have been postponed. This is in keeping with the government's mandate to avoid gatherings. Fresh dates will be scheduled. Most importantly, be careful and stay safe.## On his birthday on February 23, Karan came up with the art website starinfinityart.com and his YouTube channel 'Starinfinityart' to share his artwork among his fans.## For more and latest news about Bollywood and TV, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) Irrfan Khan won't be arriving at the big screens in Delhi with 'Angrezi Medium', neither will Akshay Kumar's latest biggie 'Sooryavanshi'. 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' featuring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor will be affected, too. The impact of restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the Capital will be felt at the box office as Delhi cinemas will be shut till March 31.## With the Delhi government officially announcing all cinema halls, schools, colleges in Delhi will be shut until March 31 due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the film trade in the city is bound to feel the impact. After the postponement of "Sooryavanshi", the massive shuffle of release dates is expected.## "It is going to put a full stop to the forthcoming releases. Delhi is a huge market. If you look at the business of two releases -- 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' and 'Thappad', they were fantastic in Delhi and NCR. Even otherwise, Delhi-NCR is a huge market," trade analyst Taran Adarsh told IANS.## "The losses will be worth crores. Why would you even want to release when you know that the film will not be released in Delhi? Delhi is a big territory. Producers will now pay attention and think about changing release dates," he added.## The new announcement will ruin box office takings of Irrfan's "Angrezi Medium" (scheduled for March 13) and Parineeti Chopra-Arjun Kapoor's "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar" (March 20).## "The producers will strongly think to delay the release. I think they will have to defer releases," trade expert Girish Johar told IANS.## According to Johar, shutting down of theatres in Delhi will have a "huge impact to potential revenue".## "Delhi is a very important market. It is one of the topmost cities among revenue earners for Bollywood films across the country. In some cases, Delhi is the number one city among all regions, and sometimes Mumbai is the number one city. Delhi is one of the topmost crucial markets. If Delhi is shutting down theatres, it will have a huge impact on Bollywood's potential revenue," Johar told IANS.## "We also need to keep in mind that overseas, too, we are losing a major chunk right now, with the US under a lockdown, parts of Europe and Australia also under lockdown. All these are big potential markets. Now, Delhi cinemas will also be closed. It will be a big loss," he added.## The fate of the Ranveer Singh-starrer "83" (April 10) is also undecided. Other big films slated in the first quarter include the Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer "Gulabo Sitabo", Varun Dhawan-Sara Ali Khan's "Coolie No.1", Salman Khan's action drama "Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai", Akshay Kumar's "Laxmmi Bomb", "Bunty Aur Babli 2" and Kangana Ranaut's "Thalaivi".## "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl", "Roohi Afzana", "Ludo" and "Chehre" are also lined up in the first half.## Talking about the impact, Raj Kumar Mehrotra, general manager at Delite Cinema, told IANS: "Around 10 to 12 films are doing good business in Delhi-NCR right now. Shutting down the halls will affect the business of all these films. By a rough estimate, if halls are asked to shut down till the end of the month, it could even pile up a cumulative loss of around Rs 100 crore in this territory"## Sanjay Suri, who was set to bring the Oscar-nominated drama "Les Miserables" to India on March 13, hopes the situation improves soon.## "We shall wait for the situation to improve and see if a phase-wise release is possible or not when the shutdown is lifted. Safety is most important," Sanjay said in a statement.## On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians not to panic, but remain vigilant to keep the coronavirus outbreak at bay. "Say No to Panic, Say Yes to Precautions," the Prime Minister tweeted.## Of the 73 coronavirus cases in India, 17 are foreigners.## For more and latest news about Box Office, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Corona Virus Effect: One of the biggest action movies of 2020, Sooryavashi get postponed due to coronavirus outrage which was earlier scheduled to release on 24th March 2020. ## Here is the official statement from Rohit Shetty Picturez shared by Akshay Kumar on Twitter. ## "Sooryavanshi is an experience that we have created for you with over a year of dedication and hard work, and hard work, and the response we received for its trailer was nothing less than electrifying and made it clear that this film truly belongs to its audience... ## We have been as excited as you are to present the film to you and your family, but due to the recent outburst of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we, the makers, have decided to postpone the release of your film Sooryavanshi, keeping in mind the health and safety of our beloved audience... ## And therefore, Soryavanshi will be back for you just when the time is right... ## After all, safety comes first... ## Until then, keep the excitement alive, take good care of yourself and stay strong... ## We shall pull through this... ## - Team Sooryavanshi". ## Because our safety always, always comes first. Stay safe and take care of yourself 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/CnNfMT6Kck— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 12, 2020 ## This film is directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Dharma Productions, Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Productions, Cape Of Good Films. ## Sooryavanshi stars Akshay Kumar, and Katrina Kaif in key roles. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, March 12 (IANS) Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced that they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while filming in Australia. ## Hanks and Wilson, both 63, sought medical advice after experiencing symptoms of a cold in Queensland, the BBC quoted the actor as saying in an Instagram post on Thursday. ## Hanks wrote on Instagram: "We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that come and went. Slight fevers too. ## "To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive." ## He said they would keep the world "posted and updated". ## "We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?" ## The couple will now spend time in isolation, he added. ## They had been on the Gold Coast, where Hanks was working on a film about the life of Elvis Presley. ## According to the Guardian newspaper, the cast and crew attached to the film received an email early Thursday morning instructing them to stay away from the set after a member of the production tested positive for the virus. ## In a statement the US production company behind the film, Warner Bros, said that it was "taking precautions" to protect its employees. ## According to the New York Times, production on Baz Luhrmann film, which currently does not yet have a title, was set to begin on Monday. ## Warner Bros added that it spans "over 20 years, from Presley's rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America". ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Actress Urvashi Rautela has cancelled her event n Athens, Greece due to the outbreak of COVID-19.## Urvashi, who represented India at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, was supposed to perform at a grand wedding in Athens, Greece.## Till March 5, mainland China reported 139 new cases, up from 119 a day earlier, as well as 31 new deaths. More than 92,000 people globally have tested positive and 3,100 have died.## The number of confirmed cases outside China were reported in South Korea (5,766), Italy (3,089), Iran (2,922), Japan (1,023, including 706 on Diamond Princess), France (285), Germany (262), the US (154), Spain (151), Singapore (112), Hong Kong (104), the UK (85), Kuwait (56), Norway (56), Australia (52), Malaysia (50), Bahrain (49), Thailand (47), Taiwan (42), Switzerland (37), Canada (33), Sweden (32), Austria (29), India (29), the UAE (27), Iraq (26), Netherlands (24), Belgium (23), Iceland (16), Vietnam (16), Lebanon (13), Oman (12), Algeria (12), San Marino (10), Israel (10), Macau (10), Croatia (nine), Greece (eight), Qatar (eight), Finland (seven), Ecuador (seven), Ireland (six), Mexico (five), Pakistan (five), Czech Republic (five), Russia (four), Senegal (four), Romania (four), Portugal (four), Belarus (four), Philippines (three), Azerbaijan (three), New Zealand (three), Georgia (three), Brazil (two), Indonesia (two), Slovenia (two), Hungary (two), Estonia (two), Egypt (two), and one each in Poland, Latvia, Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Luxembourg, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Andorra, Jordan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Armenia, Argentina and Chile, according to figures issued by the South China Morning Post.## The deaths outside China were recorded in Italy (107), Iran (92), South Korea (35), Japan (12), the US (11), France (four), Hong Kong (two), Australia (two), Spain (one), San Marino (one), Taiwan (one), Thailand (one) and the Philippines (one).## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Bhopal, March 6 (IANS) The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award ceremony, to be held for the first time in Bhopal on March 21 and in Indore on March 27-29, is most likely to be postponed due to Covid-19 scare. The new dates would be announced soon, say state government sources.## Preparations have been going on in Indore and Bhopal. Recently the films to be nominated at IIFA have been announced, and its invitations were also released. The Madhya Pradesh government is fully backing the preparations for the gala event to take the state on the international tourist map. It is only for the second time that the event is to be hosted in India. The previous event was held in Mumbai.## Meanwhile, there is no positive case of coronavirus reported in Madhya Pradesh, according to Additional Director of Health Services Dr Veena Sinha. The Chief Minister and Health Minister held a review meeting on Thursday to monitor the measures being taken to check the occurrence of coronavirus in the state.## Dr Sinha said 484 passengers arriving from the affected countries have been screened for the virus as a precaution. Of these 107 have asked to stay in isolation at their homes. Samples of 15 suspected cases were sent to Pune for examination and all have been reported negative, Dr Sinha said. Airports at Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, and Jabalpur have been equipped with screening facilities.## Two new suspected coronavirus patients have been identified -- a 23-year-old youth who has returned from Dubai and a 23-year-old girl from Italy. They have been admitted to a hospital for investigation.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) Films are being delayed, stars are skipping multi-city tours, there are appeals to postpone big franchises and tours are being rescheduled. These are some of the coronavirus scare effects, with the deadly virus fast turning into a potential threat for showbiz the world over.## With the global film industry facing losses of over $5 billion, will the coronavirus scare have a trickle-down effect on India as well, particularly Bollywood?## The anxiety around the outbreak is growing with people deciding to stay away from places of large public gathering. This makes cinema halls and lives show arenas a natural target. In India, does it signal a slump for the entertainment industry?## Bollywood has decided to wait and watch on stalling release of films, although our stars are significantly canceling multi-city promotional tours.## "It is not a very aggravated situation in India right now, but people are getting the jitters. I am sure it will be controlled soon. If it spreads further, it will affect collections and cinemas. I think at the moment distributors and producers must be thinking of insuring their films. If we talk about moviegoing, I think the effect is coming in gradually because people will have reservations about going out," trade analyst Rajesh Thadani told IANS.## Globally so far, a total of 90,893 cases of COVID-19 infections and 3,110 deaths, mostly in China, have been reported. In India, at least 25 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported until Wednesday.## Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor's "Baaghi 3" is slated to hit the theatres on March 6, and its box office performance will give a glimpse of how the moviegoing audience is reacting to the outbreak in India.## The season is crucial for Bollywood after all, with several biggies lined up. The fear of coronavirus could ruin box office takings of Irrfan Khan's "Angrezi Medium" (March 13), Akshay Kumar's "Sooryavanshi" (March 24), Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor's "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar" (March 20) and the Ranveer Singh-starrer "83" (April 10).## Other big films slated in the first quarter include the Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer "Gulabo Sitabo", Varun Dhawan-Sara Ali Khan's "Coolie No.1", Salman Khan's action drama "Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai", Akshay Kumar's "Laxmmi Bomb", "Bunty Aur Babli 2" and Kangana Ranaut's "Thalaivi".## "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Gunjan Saxena", "Roohi Afzana", "Ludo" and "Chehre" are also lined up in the first half.## Bollywood might be waiting to understand the impact of the virus outbreak on its business, but stars are not taking a chance. Many have been skipping travel to multiple cities for the promotion of their films -- a reason why the "Baaghi 3" team and the "Angrezi Medium" cast probably skipped coming to Delhi.## "There is nothing to panic as of now. People are vigilant because no one wants to take a risk. Having said that, I don't think as of now it is on the level where the entertainment industry will be affected. It is a little too far for anyone to get scared thinking about its effect on the entertainment industry. It has impacted internationally and scared away people across the globe," trade expert Girish Johar told IANS.## "There are big blockbusters slated for release in the upcoming months and we are hopeful that the situation will improve over a course of time, allowing consumers to visit their favorite cinemas. At this point all our focus is on taking preventive measures and offering a clean and disinfected environment," said Devang Sampat, CEO at Cinepolis India.## Cinema halls insist they are working towards giving audiences a safe environment.## Raj Kumar Mehrotra, general manager at Delite Cinema, told IANS: "There is no impact at the moment but if it spreads then it will have an impact. We are taking precautionary measures to ensure safety."## "We are on an alert and keeping a close watch on the situation. Routine facility management protocol ensures all our cinema premises are up to appropriate hygiene standards. We are working promptly towards creating ample awareness amongst our teams with regards to the symptoms and precautionary measures to deal with coronavirus," read an official statement by INOX.## According to hollywoodreporter.com, analysts believe COVID-19 could already result in a loss of at least $5 billion from diminished box office revenue and impacted production. It has started having an impact on moviegoing worldwide, particularly in China, South Korea, Italy, and even Japan.## Earlier this week, James Bond fans came together to urge the makers to delay the release of the upcoming film of the franchise, "No Time To Die". It is scheduled to release in April. Disney is also likely to delay the release of its live-action "Mulan" remake in China.## Along with Bond, "Black Widow", "Wonder Woman", "F9: The Fast Saga" and "Top Gun: Maverick" is the most speculated films coming from Hollywood in the first half of 2020.## Box office slowdown can mean more profit for streaming platforms, and it will be interesting to witness how they seize the moment.## At a time Hollywood is taking serious note of coronavirus and a shadow of doubt having fallen on major sporting events such as Tokyo Olympics and Euro football, even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have declared they will stay away from Holi Milan parties. Bollywood, it seems, is yet to understand the gravity of the situation.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.