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Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says art and cinema can do a lot to change mindsets.## He opened up on the subject in the context of his last-released film, "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan".## "This movie (�Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan') is very close to my heart. It has been a while since same-sex love was decriminalized. However, I believe we have a long way to go before society accepts it," Ayushmann said.## " �Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' is a lighter take on the reality of homophobia that exists in India and also an attempt to bring such unconventional stories to the fore. Art and cinema, in my opinion, can do a lot to change mindsets. With �Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' that was our intent -- to bring the conversation on same-sex love to all of India," he added.## Directed by Hitesh Kewalya, "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" is a love story between two young men in smalltown India, played by Ayushmann and Jitendra Kumar. The film also features Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta among many others. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 18.## "I am happy to have been a part of it and excited for the film to digitally premiere on Amazon Prime Video where it will reach a global audience," Ayushmann added.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) The nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has been harsh on many, and actress Richa Chadha is doing her bit. She has taken to donating food to a Gurudwara here and has urged others to follow suit.## The actress came to know that the Gurudwara had been providing meals to the needy. Then she decided to offer help.## "It's the time when our humanity is being tested and I believe in the goodness in people. People have really come together. This pandemic is bringing out the worst and best in humans. While some are making racist, communal comments, civil society is going out of its way to care for animals, along with humans. It's not about the big gestures or who donated how many crores (of money). I am only talking about this, because I urge others to do the same, take baby steps," said Richa.## When she contacted the people at the Gurudwara, they said they will accept ration and not money.## "So I went with the number of groceries I could procure nearby, which was little, like 10-20 kgs. Now I have learned that they need as much as 250 kgs every single day, so I am figuring out a wholesale place that can get me food grains and pulses in that large quantity," she said.## She understands that many people can't afford to donate lots of money, but that shouldn't stop them from doing their bit.## "Even if you can support one person, or one family at this time, that's good. People may ask 'how does it make a difference? It's just one person'. But it makes a difference to that one person because that person is no longer hungry. We must be kind to each other in these times," she concluded.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) The popular children's cartoon series, "Chhota Bheem", is all set to be back on the small screen amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## The animation, which has originally airs on Pogo and features the superhero Bheem, will go on-air on Doordarshan National from April 17 to May 3.## Currently, the Doordarshan channel is re-telecasting some of its old shows in order to keep people entertained amid the coronavirus lockdown. And with the return of over three-decade-old Hindu mythology show "Ramayan ", Doordarshan reportedly garnered over 170 million viewers in four episodes last week.## Announcing the partnership between Pogo and Doordarshan to rerun "Chhota Bheem", Siddharth Jain, managing director of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks in South Asia, said: "These are challenging times and we believe that POGO's fun-filled, relatable content will keep kids engaged and entertained. We are very pleased to collaborate with a platform as distinguished and popular as Doordarshan. The agreement ensures that an even larger number of young viewers across the country will be able to enjoy ‘Chhota Bheem'."## For more and latest news about TV, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Singer Shankar Mahadevan feels there is too much noise amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and feels music can bring a sense of positivity and comfort.## "These are tough times for everyone, there is so much noise around the pandemic which instills a sense of worry and chaos," Mahadevan said.## "But, Music is one such source which has the power to make everyone see a silver lining in the dark clouds that have engulfed the nation. It brings a sense of positivity, a sense of comfort and maybe a song dedication could brighten up someone's bad day and some level of assurance that we will get through this together," he added.## Mahadevan will be performing live on April 19 through Asian Paints' #LiveFromHome initiative.## He said:" Me and my sons -- Shivam and Siddharth -- are glad to be a part of the #LiveFromHome initiative by Asian Paints where we can all come together, have a good time and truly connect even in this phase of social distancing."## On the initiative, Amit Syngle, MD and CEO, Asian Paints Limited said: "We believe music has a way of erasing distance, especially when our lives seem disorderly at the moment with the lockdown and social distancing. #LiveFromHome initiative will find a way to bridge the gap and spread positivity amidst the lockdown."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Actor Abhilash Chaudhary feels blessed to have worked with ace director Neeraj Pandey in the thriller web show "Special Ops".## "Working with Neeraj sir gave me a wonderful experience and I seriously look forward for a chance to work with him again. It was completely schooling for me and I'm a blessed student of him now.## "As an actor I got to learn many things from him. As of now I'm just writing all the pointers I got to learn from him and Salman khan sir in past. I'm using my free time to make me more fine actor. I'm blessed to have work in all the three mediums Bollywood, television and web respectively," he said.## "Special Ops" has Kay Kay Menon leading the cast as special agent Himmat Singh, who traces a pattern in terror strikes over the years, and draws the conclusion that one person is behind all the attacks. The story is inspired by several real-life espionage missions over the last two decades.## Abhilash has earlier featured in films like "The Zoya Factor" and "Dabangg 3".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) As a "Bigg Boss 13" contestant, actor Sidharth Shukla had to get his hands dirty by doing the dishes and other household chores including cooking. With the nationwide lockdown on, many have brought out the inner chef in them but Sidharth is not one of them.## The "Bigg Boss 13" winner engaged in some Q and A with fans on Twitter on Friday.## One of his fans asked him: "Do u still cook at home daily? "## "Well, fortunately, mom didn't like it much and thought it was better if she did the needful, so I am exempted," the actor replied.## There is one thing he likes to do the most during the lockdown period - "Sleep".## Although he is yearning to get back to work.## When one of his fans asked him where he would like to go after the lockdown ended, the "Balika Vadhu" actor said: "To some set for work."## He also gave his fans some advice.## When one asked the best way to overcome failure, Sidharth replied: "Is to know that after every night there is a day."## As for the driving force that made him who he is today, he gave credit to his "strong upbringing and the want to be different"## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) The Producers Guild of India has decided to donate fully-equipped tents and vanity vans of Bollywood stars to the police force, particularly female cops, across 22 key locations in the city, as the uniformed personnel battle it out to protect Mumbai from the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is called Mission Suraksha.## "We are delighted to launch 'Mission Suraksha' to protect our caretakers, especially women cops on bandobast duty. Fully equipped tents and vanity vans used by cine stars have been provided across 22 key locations as restrooms for breaktime," a statement issued by the guild reads.## The gesture comes just a few days after Bollywood stars took to social media to express their gratitude to Mumbai Police for their tireless efforts during the ongoing lockdown.## Even before the nationwide lockdown was announced, the Producers Guild of India had set up a relief fund for daily wage earners associated with the film industry, to ensure these workers and their families get sustenance during the novel coronavirus pandemic.## The Producers Guild of India, along with Indian Film and Television Producers Council and Federation of Western India Cine Employees, recently came together to support the most impacted daily wage workers through direct bank transfers.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has shared some words of wisdom along with a gorgeous picture of herself on social media.## Priyanka took to Instagram where she shared a selfie, where the sunray hits her face and adds glow to her skin.## "There is always a light at the end of the tunnel... Hang in there world," she captioned the image, which has received 1.1 million likes on the photo-sharing website.## Last month, Priyanka and her American pop singer husband Nick Jonas contributed to several charities to lend support to the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.## Priyanka took to Twitter to announce that the couple has donated to organizations like the PM-CARES Fund, Unicef, Feeding America and Goonj among many others.## She also pledged to donate $100,000 to women doing their bit in health crisis.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) South actress Sanjjanaa Galrani, who was also seen in the television show "Mujhse Shaadi Karoge", has taken to a new hobby -- learning the guitar -- and she is absolutely loving it.## "I love the guitar and it has been a long time wish to learn to play. I had been busy with my professional commitments for the longest time and I couldn't take time out to learn. But since the quarantine there is nothing much to do than sit at home," said Sanjjanaa, who is learning the craft from her neighbor.## She added: "I laid my hands on the guitar I had bought to learn. Now I am making full use of the time. I urge all the people globally to stay indoors and stay safe."## Sanjjanaa made her film debut in the Tamil-Telugu bilingual film "Oru Kadhal Seiveer" in 2006, and shot to fame with her controversial role in the Kannada film "Ganda Hendathi". She was then seen in "Bujjigadu" and later in the bilingual crime drama "Dandupalya 2".## Sanjjanaa urged everyone to keep their hands sanitized.## "We would have to stand united to defeat this pandemic," she concluded.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, tourism within India will boom "like never before", feels Shoojit Sircar. The filmmaker took to Twitter to express the idea and also explain his prediction.## "After all this is over, possibly this year-end I have a feeling our own internal tourism will boom like never before... no one travels out of country and desi travel will skyrocket," he tweeted.## The filmmaker feels this way because people will refrain from traveling to other countries due to fear of contracting the virus, and they will opt to spend vacations in different tourist spots across the country, which will lead to a tourism boom in India.## Netizens agreed with the filmmaker and predicted that along with the tourism industry, the aviation industry, which is also experiencing a huge loss with fleets grounded, will bounce back.## Earlier in the day, Shoojit Sircar asked netizens if there is any country which has "escaped the virus" till now. While most users came up with names of several such nations, one user offered a witty reply.## The user replied: "North Korea. Everyone reporting a cough is executed."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Actor Kushal Tandon is totally against the use of TikTok application in India, especially amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Not only this, but he has also demanded a ban on the app that originated in China.## "While the whole world is f****d coz of China, but still guess what are Indians and many others are giving them the revenue from s*** #tikTok, while China made TikTok for people who were useless and who had nothing to do, and look at us all haha, everyone is on TikTok, ban TikTok ...proud of never using TikTok," Kunal wrote on Instagram.## Kushal's post comes after Vivek Dahiya showed his support for the application.## "For those suggesting we should ban made In China. remember -- the mobile phone you use to express your thoughts about banning an app was also assembled in the same part of the world so are 7 out of 10 products in every average household. China is branded the manufacturer of the world, whether we like it or not. I am pretty sure the founder of this app was not responsible for conspiring the coronavirus. Additionally, Hydroxycioroquine used for recovery is either made In India or China. The bottom line is. we are all interdependent in this global marketplace. II one nation is a Buyer, then the other is a Seller. and both need one another to move forward. towards a single goal of prosperity. Unless of course, we are fully self-sufficient in everything but no such example exists," Vivek had said.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone has shared pictures of hand-written letters sent to her by her followers, which reveal the bond she shares with her fans.## One such letter mentions it was Deepika who made the particular fan "fall in love for Bollywood". The letter also mentioned that it was because of the actress that the fan opened up on depression to her mother.## Deepika took to Instagram and shared pictures of these handwritten letters.## In the second letter, a fan praised Deepika for her efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness in the country.## The actress captioned the images: "#fan #love"## The photograph currently has won over 677K hearts on the photo-sharing website.## Recently, Deepika posted a childhood image to prove that her career "started young", leaving her fans amused.## In the image, Deepika as a little girl looks cute in a glamorous black dress with matching shoes and a hat and poses like a pro with a big smile.## "Started young…," she wrote as a caption for the picture.## Amid the lockdown, the actress has turned into a "Masterchef" too and is treating her husband, actor Ranveer Singh, to scrumptious meals. They keep posting a glimpse of life amid lockdown on social media.## Stay tuned...