BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Renowned directors and producers, including Ekta Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari, Aanand L Rai, Sajid Nadiadwala, Dinesh Vijan and Mahaveer Jain, have come together for #IndiaLetsMakeAFilm initiative, to inspire people to make inspiring one-minute films on mobile phones amid the COVID-19 lockdown.## The initiative is calling out for one-minute mobile video entries from people across the country. The ones participating have to make a film on the topics: 'The good side of quarantine', 'hum honge kamyaab', 'innovative lockdown tales', 'let's follow the safety norms', 'help, care and concern in lockdown' and 'thank you our frontline heroes'.## Sharing news of the initiative, filmmaker Karan Johar lauded the industry members.## He tweeted: "Glad to present this amazing initiative by my friends #IndiaLetsMakeAFilm Make a 1-minute inspiring film on ur mobile while staying home #ChangeWithin. What's amazing is that these films made at home will encourage the spirit of India."## The entries have to be in before April 21 and the winning films will be released on social media platforms.## The initiative is promoted by Change within the initiative, along with Mukesh Chhabra, Montoo Bassi and Maulik Bhagat.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) "Hum Paanch" is back on the small screen, and actress Shoma Anand is enjoying seeing the younger version of herself in the sitcom.## "It felt really good to know that after nearly 15 years, the 'Hum Paanch' family is back to make people laugh, that too during such a testing phase of life. A lot of people who are at home were starting to feel depressed, but now they can forget everything and can have at least 30 minutes of fun and laughter with the 'Hum Paanch' family," she said.## Now, she sits with her family and watches the show on Zee TV.## "Just a few days back, while watching the show, I and my family were observing how much I have changed since the show went on floors. I really enjoy seeing the younger version of myself and all my other co-actors because when we used to shoot, we couldn't see the episodes. So while watching the show, we are reminded of all the good old memories," said Shoma, who played Veena in the show.## A story of an ordinary yet amusing middle-class family, "Hum Paanch" revolved around Anand Mathur, his second wife - Bina Mathur and his five daughters, who are constantly plotting plans to turn his world upside down. Adding more chaos and confusion to his life is the photo frame of his late wife, who occasionally talks to him and nags him on certain decisions.## Will she do comedy shows again? "Yes, of course! If I find something that I think will be liked by the audience, then I will definitely do it. In fact, we as artistes always keep learning and for us to come back, the writer needs to write a script that is strong and we fit into the script too," she said.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) National award-winning actor Paresh Rawal shares an insight into what challenges him as an actor, and how a performing artist grows.## "I have been working for so long and after a point, the audience knows the kind of actor you are. Then, the drive changes for an actor. Now, I want to look for a script and play a character that challenges me. I want to push my limit and I want to ask myself, ‘yeh mujhse hoga kya'? If it challenges me then that excites me as well!" Paresh told IANS.## The veteran actor added: "I look for an opportunity where I am scared and challenged, and a character that puts me out of my comfort zone. It is the challenge that drives me to get up and go. As a professional actor, I do accept projects that are easy to do. An artiste grows when he is challenged. There are various shades of emotion within emotions. Bringing that nuance is the task, is the art and an artiste looks for that."## Rawal's notable films include "Woh Chhokri", "Sir", "Mohra", "Raja", "Chachi 420", "Hera Pheri" to, in the recent time, "Tiger Zinda Hai", and "Sanju".## So what was that one character that challenged the actor? " I will take more than one name. To start with, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the film ‘Sardar'. It was an iconic character and we all read about him. So I had to do it right. I also think characters like Tikku (a transgender character) from ‘Tamanna', the characters I played in ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan', ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!', in which I played double roles -- those are well-written characters but challenging. You can say those are quite against my grain. I had to work hard to get there to portray the character."## His son Aditya Rawal recently made his acting debut with the ZEE5 original film "Bamfaad" and according to Rawal senior initial films are the only opportunities to prove the potential of an actor.## "When new talent comes, initially, everyone is graceful -- as in, he or she is good as a ‘new actor'. But within two to three films, if the youngster cannot improve his skill, he or she will not be able to sustain their career. That is why talent matters. The ‘hit', ‘flop' and box office numbers are not in the hands of an actor but delivering performance is. I hope Aditya manages to do that," Paresh signed off.## Stay tuned...

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New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Actor Chris Hemsworth found shooting in India "overwhelming" because of the positivity and enthusiasm that he experienced while filming the upcoming Netflix film "Extraction" in the country.## "I loved shooting in India. The people were incredible. I didn't realize how popular the Marvel films were in India. So that was, at times, overwhelming," Hemsworth told IANS during a special video call before the release of his Netflix movie.## "There was such positivity and enthusiasm for all of us and our crew… During shooting, we had hundreds and thousands of people on certain days lining up on the streets and up on top of bridges and in buildings, you know, after everyone takes, cheering and applauding. I've never experienced anything like it. And as I said, I have such fond memories of India and the people there," he added while recounting his time in India.## Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. He shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The "Thor" star was scheduled to be in Mumbai on March 16 to promote the film that has been shot in India. The promotional tour was called off due to the global coronavirus outbreak.## Earlier in an interview to IANS, Hemsworth, whose daughter is named India, revealed the reason behind naming his daughter after the country.## "My wife (Elsa Pataky) spent a lot of time in India and that was where the name originally came from," Hemsworth said in that interview, adding: "I love the place and the people. It was sort of intimidating as it was exciting because there were so many people… We felt like rock stars in a stadium. But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good."## Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyulli, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. The film, directed by Sam Hargrave, will release on Netflix on April 24.## Talking about working for a streaming platform for the first time, Hemsworth said: "It's my first time working on a streaming platform. I was excited to do it, strangely enough, you know, it's probably the best place to be at this point.## "We put in, you know, the same amount of commitment and passion and enthusiasm as we would with anything else, whether it was a cinema release or a streaming space. I am beyond proud of the film. From the very beginning, I loved the script. I love the story that we were able to tell and the opportunity to shoot action, unlike anything I'd certainly been a part of before."## Stay tuned...

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New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) One of contemporary Bollywood's most talented actors, Pankaj Tripathi, who has been outstanding in almost all his roles, says he's whatever he is today because of the experiences he has had.## "There are no regrets. Those have been just experiences. I am made of the experiences I have had. I have no regrets at all," Pankaj told IANS.## Pankaj debuted in 2004 with "Run" and has since then has worked in more than 40 films and 60 television shows. His breakthrough role came in 2012 with Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs Of Wasseypur" film series.## He has received appreciation for his roles in films including "Fukrey", "Masaan", "Nil Battey Sannata", "Bareilly Ki Barfi", "Newton", "Fukrey Returns" and "Stree" among many others.## On the OTT platform, Pankaj has gained a major fan base as Guruji in "Sacred Games" and Kaleen bhaiya in "Mirzapur".## Talking about how he still remains so grounded, Pankaj said: "A man who sees a lot of highs and lows in life doesn't need yoga to stay grounded. Because when you see ups and downs, you understand the meaning of life, and then you don't have to make an extra effort."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Bollywood filmmaker Shoojit Sircar predicts that the production of children will get postponed as marriages are getting shelved due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. His prediction comes at a time when the entire nation is experiencing a lockdown owing to the pandemic. However, netizens disagree with the filmmaker and have offered him reasons why his prediction won't come true.## The filmmaker tweeted on Thursday: "Between Feb/Mar/Apr 2020 approx. 2.5 million (25 lakhs) Marriages will get postponed... That means the production of children will also get shelved or postponed."## Netizens commented on his tweet explaining to him why his prediction will not come true.## A user wrote: "The ones forced to stay at home will fill that production gap."## Another user commented: "Are you sure about that? Last year's married couples will not waste time."## Another user predicted: "Wait for population rise in December and January."## Meanwhile, in a hilarious tweet yesterday, Shoojit Sircar suggested that since the world has been hit by an economic crisis, we should head back to the barter system as a means for exchanging goods and services. He suggested that people can give him their unused items, clothes, ration, vegetables and other things in exchange for watching his movies!## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actor Karan Wahi has decided to donate the money he receives through promotional activity and endorsement on his social media accounts to various NGOs, as his contribution in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.## "I am hopeful that my contribution in India's battle against the coronavirus will help save lives of many people out there. I'm happy to be there for those who are in need of our support in these difficult times. I will be sending all my money to these NGOs in different corners of the country which give out meals and health facilities to the locals," Karan said.## The donations coming in from Karan's social media will cover NGOs in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.## On the professional front, Karan recently hosted a chat show, featuring cricketers in a candid mood.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actress Zareen Khan, who has a sizeable fan following on Instagram and Twitter, has now come up with her YouTube channel.## "I had been planning to start my own YouTube channel for sometime now. A lot of people have been messaging me asking me to get it done but call me technologically challenged, it took time. Now, I have finally launched it so that makes me happy," Zareen said.## With her channel, she wants to give her fans a sneak peek into her personal life, as well as work.## "My YouTube channel will be all me - it won't just showcase my life as an actress but also emphasise on other aspects of my life. This is who I'm in real. This is just a chance for me to connect with my fans and for my fans to know who Zareen really is, as a person," she added.## Zareen made her debut in Bollywood in the 2010 film "Veer" opposite Salman Khan. She has featured in films like "Housefull 2", "Hate Story 3", "Wajah Tum Ho" and "Aksar 2".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has taken to social media to express his gratitude for sanitation workers, who are working relentlessly to keep our surroundings clean amid the COVID 19 pandemic. Being frontline workers, they have to be on the streets daily, risking their lives to keep the nation safe.## The actor shared pictures of sanitation workers on Instagram and wrote: "This one is for all the sanitation workers deployed on our streets to make sure the surroundings are kept clean and sanitized. While we are safe in our homes, they come out everyday leaving their own to ensure we remain out of harm's way... A constant battle with this menacing virus is a challenge beyond all in their frontline jobs and they do it for us... My heartfelt gratitude, immense respect and endless love and blessings to each and every one of you. #InItTogether #wearewithyou #OneWorld."## Recently, the superstar thanked Telangana police for their continuous service during the lockdown. He wrote: "I want to take this moment to wholeheartedly thank the Telangana police force for spearheading the battle against COVID-19. Their relentless hard work is absolutely outstanding. Immense gratitude for safeguarding our lives and the health of our families during these most challenging times!"## Earlier, Mahesh Babu suggested his fans to practice "fear distancing", which means they should maintain distance from all kinds of fake news being circulated about the COVID-19 pandemic.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actor Priyanshu Painyuli plays a Bangladeshi character in the upcoming digital film "Extraction", and he says the film's director Sam Hargrave did not want to take chances with the way his character spoke on the screen. A diction coach was hired for Priyanshu so that he got his Bangladeshi dialect right.## "The director, Sam Hargrave, was very particular that I speak in the local Bangladeshi language and look like one. So, I was given a dialogue coach from Dhaka named Raffael Ahsan when the preparation was on," Priyanshu said.## "To nail the part, I used to sit with Raffael every day for a few hours over video chat and the process continued over a couple of months. Also, the practice of learning languages comes from a Bollywood musical show I had previously been a part of. It traveled around the world and was called Taj Express, where I had spoken in the native languages of different countries like China, France, Russia and so on," he added.## For "Extraction", Priyanshu watched a couple of documentaries to see "behavioral patterns and demeanor".## "The dialogue coach was with me throughout the shoot. The prep and comfort that Sam and the crew gave me the confidence to play a role like this. I don't remember much of the Bangladeshi language except the lines I am speaking in the film but every learning comes to good use," he added.## Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, and Rudraksha Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Chris Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. In India, he shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The film will release on Netflix on April 24.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actress Bhumi Pednekar will discuss the importance of staying positive amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.## The chat session will see Bhumi speak to the spiritual leader on the need to focus on mental health during the lockdown, and the social and economic fallout thereafter.## "At times like this, we need to be deeply connected with your inner self, our spiritual side to tide over the difficulties, the anxiousness that we all are facing at various levels. The thought of having a conversation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose pioneering work with Art of Living is an inspiration to so many, stemmed from the feeling of discussing how we can look at this moment and steer ourselves towards positivity," Bhumi said.## Bhumi added that mental health is a "huge challenge" during the lockdown.## "I will be looking to ask Gurudev to impart his suggestions which I'm sure will be enriching and enlightening for us," she said.## Bhumi will request Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, to guide people on how to focus on climate justice post the coronavirus pandemic.## "I will also be discussing climate change with Gurudev and understand his point of view on this burning issue and how we will all need to refocus on this post coronavirus. Through our discussion, I'm sure I will learn how to be a much more conscious citizen of our nation and I'm hoping many like me will find this session extremely beneficial," she said.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) India's first micro web series shot during the COVID-19 lockdown will be out soon. "Mardaani 2" actor Sunny Hinduja, who features in the series, says the project was challenging as well as fun to work on.## Titled "A Viral Wedding", the series had its pre-production, shooting and post-production work done entirely during the lockdown, with none of the individuals who are involved in the series stepping out of their homes.## The series is directed by Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sunny's co-star in the 2019 OTT show, "The Family Man". It tells the story of a social media influencer who refuses to cancel her wedding owing to the lockdown.## "We had our shares of fun on video and phone calls during the making where people were located in different states and cities. It also brought along shares of struggles with it. But I must admit it was harder than we anticipated, we had nobody to help us, no equipment, no setup, we had to become the lightmen, cinematographers, art directors, and everything," said Sunny, who is playing a primary part in the series," said Sunny.## "Taking care of the sound was another task, as people would be cooking so there were cooker whistles at random times, sometimes there were birds, crows making noise. But with all this, we still managed to complete the shoot in just a week. From start to finish everything was done during the lockdown period. It's a light-hearted attempt to make people smile during this time," he added.## On working with Shreya Dhanwanthary, he said: "When Shreya asked me, I said a yes without thinking. The idea in itself was so unique that it was difficult to say no. We even discussed various ideas about the character and worked together to come up with something real and very different from my own personality. But after reading the script which was penned in 24 hours, I was bewildered at how good it was."## "Even if it wasn't for the lockdown, I would have agreed to do it. The cast and crew are based in different cities and they are working at different timelines, knowing the kind of hard work put into it, feels like a humbling experience to be a part of a first-of-its-kind web series," added Sunny.## Besides Sunny and Shreya, the show also features Amol Parashar, Aishwarya Chaudhary, Aritro, Sharib Hashmi and Mohit Raina, among others.## The shoot is over and the team is giving final touches to a few episodes. The series is likely to come out later next week.## Stay tuned...