BY IANS NEWS

The struggle was not a very inspiring word for those who landed in Mumbai in thousands, year after year to try their luck in films. If you asked an aspirant what he was doing, the answer would be "trying in films". Nobody said, "I am a struggler".## Here are some struggle stories of a few stars who were contemporaries in the same era.## The struggle became a glorious word for the ones who attained stardom. One loved to thrive on talking about "those days". While some took pride in talking about it to the point of romanticizing it, others thought it amounted to indulging in self-pity and never opened up. From Amitabh Bachchan to Dharmendra and Jeetendra to Sanjeev Kumar, every actor had struggled. Passed through various phases of making the rounds of film production offices to not reaching beyond the office boy. At best, they were asked to leave their pictures so the producer Sahab could see them as and when. Some ended up being exploited by petty staff (depicted aptly in director Hrishiksh Mukerjee's film "Guddi" -- check the Asrani-versus-Keshto Mukherjee scenes).## The ones who were emotional about their struggling days included Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar. If they could make it big, it was because of their determination and presence of mind. When a producer decided to give a break to a new actor, he made an exclusive contract with him/her for a certain number of films, to be made exclusively for his company. Dharmendra is said to have made the same exclusivity agreement with as many as three producers!## Sanjeev Kumar started with Gujarati plays and what was called B-grade costume dramas, which involved sword fights, in those days. But, his talent came out in two films, "Pati Patni Aur Woh" and "Sunghursh". In "Sunghursh", he had a brief role but he stood his ground against no less a star than Dilip Kumar. Yet, big time was far away, when he realized that the South-based veteran producer LV Prasad was looking to cast for his film "Khilona" where the actor needed to play a mentally-disturbed person.## Sanjeev grabbed the opportunity and arranged to show his Gujarati film, "Mare Javun Pele Paar", in which he had played a similar role, to Prasad. The film launched him as the best performing actor of his time.## Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra can be said to be lucky in their struggle. Not that things fell into their lap, they did the regular trying-for-work routine but were lucky because both at least had a home to go back to at the end of the day, since both hailed from Mumbai.## In the case of Khanna, he won the United Producers-Filmfare talent search contest and got signed up for a few films. But the films failed one after the other. An actor's struggle continues till he gets his first hit. Khanna got a hint of success with his sixth film, "Bandhan", followed by his first superhit, "Aradhana". The success of "Aradhana" coincided with the end of his contract binding him to United Producers and he was free to do films of his choice with other makers.## After the success of "Aradhana", Khanna's career was on a rollercoaster trail. One hit followed another. His hits meant silver or golden jubilee. The line-up went like this: "Aradhana" (1969), "Ittefaq", "Do Raaste", "The Train", "Sachaa Jhutha", "Aan Milo Sajana", "Safar", "Khamoshi", "Kati Patang", "Anand Andaaz", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Dushman", "Maryada", "Amar Prem", "Bawarchi", "Apna Desh", "Daag", "Namak Haraam", "Aap Ki Kasam", "Prem Nagar", "Aavishkar" and "Roti" (1974). He had about 22 hits back to back in five years with only a few hiccups. After this, the hits became intermittent.## In "Namak Haraam", Rajesh Khanna starred with Amitabh Bachchan. Though the film was a hit, it was an indicator that Bachchan was set to take over the mantle from Khanna.## Jeetendra had a kind of indirect connection with the film industry in that his family dealt in imitation jewelry, and Jeetendra would visit producers to show them the jewellery, which they used in films. On one such visit to veteran producer V. Shantaram's studio, he got an assignment in the film "Navrang" and, later, a break as heroin same maker's "Geet Gaya Pattharonne", but no success yet. From "Navrang" in 1959 to, finally, "Farz" (1967), which became a blockbuster, if that was not struggling, nothing is.## Jeetendra was a huge star but stardom often loses out to changing trends. His Jumping Jack romance era came to an abrupt halt when the Rajesh Khanna-type romantic era took over. Jeetendra's struggle began again as there were no films forthcoming. According to his own confession, the only time he put on makeup in over 18 months was when Manmohan Desai offered him a cameo in the Rajesh Khanna-starrer "Roti" (1974). Finally, he approached veteran South filmmaker, LV Prasad, for work. Prasad cast him in "Udhar Ka Sindoor" (1976). "Farz", a South film launched Jeetendra into stardom, while another film from South, "Udhar Ka Sindoor", gave him a new lease of life. It was makers from South who helped him retain his stardom over the years.## Jeetendra was back to his dancing hero form along with typical South Indian family social themes that were almost always remakes of hits in South languages. So much so that he had to stay in South for days on end and even invested in a posh bungalow in Hyderabad to reduce his commuting.## A line up of jubilee hits from the South followed in this phase with films like "Jyoti Bane Jwala", "Takkar", "Judaai", "Ek Hi Bhool", "Meri Aawaz Suno", "Himmatwala", "Justice Chaudhury", "Mawaali", "Sanjog", "Maqsad".## As the change in trend brought to the fore Rajesh Khanna, come mid-1970s romance was not so much in the air as was disenchantment and simmering anger. Another struggling actor, Amitabh Bachchan, and a film he was assigned, "Zanjeer", clicked. Bachchan had references from Delhi but that could only guarantee him a decent reception from filmmakers, not work.## Bachchan's attempt to join All India Radio failed as his voice was found unsuitable for radio! What an irony, because his first connect with films was as a narrator in the much-acclaimed "Bhuvan Shome". Soon the baritone was also used in the film "Bawarchi" and hundreds of films and other programs since. It was about 15 films, except for an odd "Anand" and "Namak Haraam", that a line-up of failures continued.## Finally, a role came to him that was rejected by many top heroes with "Zanjeer".## There was no looking back for Bachchan, till the point of diminishing returns started with his kind of films. The superhit record was soon turning into mediocre fare and films just passing muster by the late 1970s.## Films like "The Great Gambler", "Jurmana", "Kaala Paththar", "Manzil", "Immaan Dharam" did not meet with the expectations of Bachchan fans who lined up at 6 am on the day of a new release. Just when his status was being relegated to being just another star, came to the "Coolie" on-set accident, which broke the star-fan barrier and made Bachchan a legend.## But, his struggle was to start again. Achieving stardom is tough enough but maintaining it is even tougher. More flops than mediocre films followed, with "Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi", "Toofan", "Jaadugar", "Main Azaad Hoon", "Agneepath", "Ajooba", "Indrajeet", "Akayla" -- and the list went on. The Bachchan draw was over.## The misjudged decision to launch a company and encashing his brand equity backfired on Amitabh Bachchan. He was made to believe that he had a brand value that would be worth capitalizing on. A corporate entity, ABCL, was created that landed Bachchan at the doorsteps of bankruptcy.## Facing a phase of no films in the offing, Bachchan sought work from Yash Raj Films, which brought back him into the reckoning. A lot of mediocre films followed but then came "Kaun Banega Crorepati" along with a horde of brand endorsing assignments -- all making Amitabh Bachchan into a living legend.## There are many stories of struggles that inspired many more to land in Mumbai to try their luck in the tinsel town. But, there have been many who could not make and had no stories to tell.## There are many more struggle stories. How about the new generation of aspirants, do they have to go through the same struggle? It would be interesting to take a look.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Director Vivek Agnihotri's "The Tashkent Files" released a year ago on April 12, and he recounted the experience of making the film on Saturday.## The story of the film claims to address the mysterious death of late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri by weaving fiction with facts, and it features Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Basu Prasad, Rajesh Sharma, and Vinay Pathak among others.## Agnihotri confesses bringing Naseer and Mithun together in his film was a "big deal" for him. Incidentally, the two veterans had already worked together in four films before "The Tashkent Files" -- in "Khwab" (1980), "Hum Paanch" (1981), "Swami Dada" (1982), and "Ghulami" (1985) -- but that was 33 years ago.## "Actually, that could have gone against the film if all these huge talents were not utilised correctly. Every actor who came on board, came with conviction. Of course, bringing Mithun da and Naseeruddin sir was a big deal for me. Initially, I was scared. They did not work together for 30 years for whatever personal reason. But when I went to them with the script, we were fortunate that they did the film. Naseer sir smiled when I said that Mithun da will be there in the film. Mithun Da did not say anything when I said that we also cast Naseer sir," Agnihotri recalled.## In the film, the two senior actors played a pair of seasoned fictional politicians.## The director added: "Both of them are genius and we know that, but their acting styles are very different. Naseer would come preparing every single dialogue, and he likes rehearsing. Mithun da likes to bring spontaneity in his performance. Since their approaches are different I was thinking how would I match up -- what if there was tension between two veterans?"## Remembering the first scene both actors that he directed, Agnihotri said: "That scene did not have much dialogue. I realised that as a director I have to make sure I directed them in a way to bring out the best from them. Once I started talking more, there was fluidity among three of us and that translated in their performance. Rest, we can see in the film!"## Agnihotri claims his film is being highly viewed on OTT during the ongoing lockdown. "I think it happened because when the film released, it had a difficult release. We got a limited number of screens because the big-budget multistarrer 'Kalank' also released around the time. Our film was a serious one, and many film critics refused to review the film. Surely that affected initially. The bigger win happened with its digital release. People, especially the youth, started talking about the very essence of the story -- search for truth and right to truth," claimed Agnihotri, adding: "Unless you question the system and debate, we cannot remain as thinking individual."## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 12 (IANS) Actress Tisca Chopra is using her lockdown time to hone her filmmaking skills. She has been taking online classes on how to direct feature films.## "It's tragic whatever is happening around the world and in India, but somewhere we all were craving for a much-needed break. So now when we have finally got it, we all should make the best use of it. I am spending time with my family... I have set up my exercise routine. And of course, I am watching a lot of movies. I am even working on a few scripts and taking a master class on how to direct feature films," Tisca told IANS.## She also shared how she has started giving value to the little things in her life.## "This phase has made me realize the importance of several things in my life. I am grateful to be surrounded by my family...I am grateful to have all basic necessities -- be it water or electricity facility. I have realized that we all have spent so much money on many useless things instead of paying heed to our medical infrastructure," she added.## On the work front, Tisca was last seen in the crime thriller, "Hostages", which will now be televised on Star Plus from April 13.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Even after business activity resumes in a couple of months, assuming the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, some sectors like entertainment, tourism, hospitality, electronics, retail, gems and jewelry, and logistics are likely to take a big hit, with recovery possible only in the medium to long term.## According to an analysis by Dun & Bradstreet, entertainment will see a severe impact and recovery could only be seen in the long term as the biggest concern is the likely continuation of social distancing measures to avoid the risk of any relapses. The revenues from advertisements will be dependent on the revival of the aggregate demand in the economy.## The Dun & Bradstreet assumes that the Covid-19 pandemic subsides in India from its peak level and all businesses resume operations from June 2020 onwards, although in a staggered manner, and businesses across the globe (excluding China) also resume operations from the same time, in a staggered manner.## Tourism will also take a severe hit with long term recovery even when the travel bans are lifted, as both foreign tourist arrivals and domestic tourist movements are expected to remain very low because of heightened risk aversion, and measures related to social distancing and lower disposable incomes, according to the analysis by Dun & Bradstreet.## Hospitality is in the same category as the slowdown in the tourism sector will have knock-on effects on hospitality. Occupancy rates may remain very low until Q1 2021. In an effort to increase and improve the bottom lines, many businesses are expected to cut down travel and accommodation costs for their employees.## The logistics sector will also see a severe impact with recovery in the medium term as the slowdown in the tourism sector will have knock-on effects on passenger traffic. Heightened risk aversion will prolong the recovery.## Cargo traffic is expected to pick up once businesses start resuming operations across all countries. However, low consumption expenditure will delay the recovery.## Electronics will also see a high impact and recovery in long term, as demand for white goods and other high-end consumer durables will remain impaired as consumers are expected to postpone their purchases because of lower disposable income, and uncertainty over growth prospects.## About 50-60 percent of the products and 70-80 percent of the components are imported, and a shortage of components of electronic goods from China is likely to keep prices higher and hence will impact demand.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has urged citizens to stay at home after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown would be extended in the state.## On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with state chief ministers via video conferencing. Although an official announcement is awaited at the time of publishing this story, it is being speculated that after today's meeting the lockdown will be extended across the nation by another couple of weeks.## Taking to Instagram on Saturday evening, Kareena wrote: "Now that the lockdown has been extended, the one thing we must do to help overcome this is STAY AT HOME. We need to be strong, now more than ever. We've come this far... let's not stop! Together with @unicefindia and @unileverdiariesindia, I urge you to #BreakTheChain #WeCanAndWeWill #VirusKiKadiTodo #StayHomeStaySafe #CoronaVirusIndia."## Her appeal came soon after the Maharashtra chief minister announced that lockdown in the state would continue till April 30.## At the time of publishing, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Telangana are the three states that have officially declared an extension of the lockdown.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Smartphones would have to be the invention of the times, feels Amitabh Bachchan.## "The 'wheel' has been dubbed as the greatest invention of all time.. in today's times I would say the 'smartphone'.." the actor opined on Twitter.## In a blog entry, Big B shared his reasons. "The smartphone would have to be the invention of the times.. it is running everything in the World today.. whatever would we have done without it," he wrote.## Traveling down memory lane Big B shared memories of landline phones and, how these were the primary means to communicate with before cellphones came along.## "The finger dialing within rounded hole numbers was the luxury of the times.. that and the Frig.. it was 'the' possession if you had that line land phone in the house.. difficult to afford for us at the time, and a privilege we never enjoyed for years.." he reminisced.## "When you never had it, it was manual communication.. a bicycle ride to tell or inform or get from the market... and in an emergency, a brisk run to the neighbors -- at times pretty distant, for, not all had the facility," he added.## The veteran actor also shared how their family used to wait for letters from his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan when he was pursuing his Ph.D. in Cambridge and the experience when they heard his voice after two years over the phone.## "When Babuji was in Cambridge for his Ph.D. the phone was unheard of.. it was the letters that commanded information and connect.. on the one occasion I remember when we were able to hear his voice after a gap of 2 years, he wrote a letter to say which day and time he would be able to afford a call from England.. letters took almost 7 to 10 days, if you were lucky, to get to their addressed destination.. and the call was to a friends phone, that lived a good half-hour bicycle ride away .. the anticipation of the wait.. the excitement of a phone call coming through.. the moment of its connect.. the nervous quivers.. the emotion.. and within a few minutes.. over," he wrote.## Drawing a comparison between landlines and smartphones, he wrote: "In the times of yesterday, when the phone rang the entire household would run from different parts of the house to pick up that receiver.. such as the importance and excitement of its ownership."## He added: "Now you control what comes in.. whether it should come in.. who will be permitted to come in.. and a zillion other factors that go along in the acquisition of the marvel.## However, times change and with the changing times, the new generation often fails to comprehend many things belonging to the bygone era, he contended. "This generation will never understand those times.. just as our generation was never able to understand the times before us," he commented.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) What happens to hugs and kisses on the screen once the COVID-19 storm passes? Will actors be confident about intimate scenes, or cautious? Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar cannot help mulling over the matter, in the course of a weekend spent at home doing precious little, amid the ongoing lockdown that looks all set to be extended by two more weeks.## "How the cinema world conducts shooting intimate scenarios in the film to be seen and planned after all this is over. Especially the intimate kissing/hugging scenes. How close or how far.. or cheat storytelling in those intimate scenes for some time," the "Piku" director wrote on Instagram.## Actress Dia Mirza commented: "Guru, the entire process of making a film is intimate! So many people all coming together to create moment after moment in unity and synchronized effort. Aap intimate scene ki baath kar rahe ho, how will all that change? Will we be masked and gloved as a crew? Only time will tell."## A user had this witty quip: "Go back to the 60s/70s, show two flowers swaying."## Another pondered over the very future of film shoots, and not just intimate scenes. "How will the industry shoot at all, if they ban gatherings of 50 or more people?" the user wondered.## Another user suggested performing a health check-up for actors before shooting intimate scenes: "Probably all the actors involved would be asked to go through a medical test first."## "I think the time has come for virtual intimacy till we find the corona vaccine," opined another user.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has taken to social media to share the plight of migrants who have started walking from Mumbai, Pune and other big cities to their homes in other parts of Maharashtra as well as other states of the country amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## Most of these migrants are daily wage laborers who are desperately attempting to get home during this period and have resorted to walking because lockdown does not permit traveling in vehicles and passenger trains are also closed.## The filmmaker tweeted informing about one such group which he spotted this morning at Malavli station, near Pune.## In a series of tweets posted on Saturday afternoon, he shared: "Was near the railway station buying medicines. The tracks are filled with migrants walking home towards Osmanabad, Aurangabad, Hyderabad and to so many villages in and outside Maharashtra. They begin walking at 5 am. They stay at platforms late evening hoping to find some food."## "They find drinking water on the way, go hungry all day unless somebody helps out with biscuits or if they're lucky, food. Many of them have left the city without being paid their wages by contractors/employers. This is the India story. The exploitation of the poor."## The director also shared that he is helping them with food, water, and other necessities for their journey.## "These people work hard to keep our cities running. They are the nameless, faceless other that we desperately need but give a f**k about when their usefulness has gone past its expiry date. We try to help her with food, water, and basic supplies for their onward journey."## "But it is very little help. And very late," regretted the filmmaker in a separate tweet.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) It's National Pet Day and on the occasion, many Bollywood celebrities have taken to social media to express their love towards their pets.## Madhuri Dixit Nene posted a video that shows her dancing in ghungroos and playing with her dog, Carmelo.## "The one who's always by my side, the one who always entertains me, my favorite dancing partner and the one who always brings a smile on my face - My mellow Carmelo. #NationalPetDay," Madhuri captioned the video.## Preity Zinta also shared a picture of her "best friend" -- her dog Bruno.## "My partner in crime... #NationalPetDay #bruno #dutchshepherd #dutchie #ting," she wrote.## Actor Randeep Hooda posted a loving message for his horse Cuba, saying he is missing him.## "Missing Cupa, blue skies and evening sun," he wrote along with an image in which he is posing with Cuba.## For the uninitiated, Randeep Hooda is a great horse lover. Reportedly, in 2016, he had adopted 9 dying horses.## "Bigg Boss 13" fame contestant Mahira Sharma, who owns a cat, too took a moment to introduce her pet on social media.## "I'm spending my quarantine time with my pet Duggi," Mahira wrote, appealing her fans to be kind to animals amid the coronavirus pandemic.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Even as talk has been rife all through Saturday that the ongoing Covid-19 induced lockdown is likely to continue for two more weeks, there is good news for couch potatoes.## Given the good response to the re-telecast of several old popular TV shows among new-age audiences, Sony SAB has decided to re-run its hit sitcom "Office Office".## The show stars Pankaj Kapur as retired schoolmaster Mussaddi Lal Tripathi and narrates his struggles to get work done in corrupt offices in a satirical manner.## On hearing the news of the show's return, actor Deven Bhojani, who played a pivotal role in the show, got nostalgic.## "It's a great feeling that 'Office Office' is coming back. We made the show in 2001-2002, and after almost two decades it will go on air again. The show is still relatable the way it was then. It is about how a common man suffers when he needs to get something important done amidst the offices of corrupt people.## "In the period of lockdown, when the whole world is going through tension, pain, and sadness, the re-run of 'Office Office' will divert their minds and bring smiles to their faces. I myself am looking forward to such a show," Bhojani said.## "Office Office" will re-run on Sony SAB from April 13.## For more and latest news about TV, stay tuned with us.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Here is the movie Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri box office collection which is an Indian comedy action film. This film is directed by Aziz Sejawal and produced by Iqbal Baig.## Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri stars Kadar Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Farha, Aditya Pancholi, Gulshan Grover, and Asrani in key roles. ## Here is Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri Day Wise Collection DayIndia Net Collection Day 1 [1st Friday] ₹ 0.08 Cr Day 2 [1st Saturday] ₹ 0.10 Cr Day 3 [1st Sunday] ₹ 0.13 Cr Day 4 [1st Monday] ₹ 0.09 Cr Day 5 [1st Tuesday] ₹ 0.07 Cr Day 6 [1st Wednesday] ₹ 0.07 Cr Day 7 [1st Thursday] ₹ 0.06 Cr Week 1 Collection ₹ 0.60 Cr Week 2 Collection ₹ 0.55 Cr Week 3 Collection ₹ 0.47 Cr Week 4 Collection ₹ 0.40 Cr Week 5 Collection ₹ 0.30 Cr Week 6 Collection ₹ 0.20 Cr Week 7 Collection ₹ 0.10 Cr Week 8 Collection ₹ 0.03 Cr ## Total Net Collection ₹ 2.65 Cr ## Worldwide Collection Gross ₹ 5.30 Cr ## Overseas Collection ₹ 0.0 Cr ## India Gross Collection ₹ 5.30 Cr ## Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri Budget: ₹ 2.00 Cr ## Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri Verdict: HIT## Release date: 26 January, 1990 ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood Box Office Collection, Stay tuned to us.

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 11 (IANS) Bhuvan Bam, Prajakta Koli, and Ashish Chanchlani are among a slew of Indian YouTube stars who feature in "The Lockdown Rap", a peppy track inspiring people to keep their morale high in the battle against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.## The rap song is sung by SSD (Shubham) and is inspired by the "Asli hip hop" number in Zoya Akhtar's 2019 film, Gully Boy", starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.## "The melody of the song is already hit but the lyrics are completely new. I am glad to be a part of this video which is our little contribution towards spreading awareness in society. I am grateful for all the people who are putting their lives at risk for our country. I urge people to stay at home and practice social distancing," Bhuvan Bam said.## Internet sensations Be YouNick, Mumbiker Nikhil, Harsh Beniwal, Tanmay Bhatt, Beer Biceps, Technical Guruji, Anmol Sachar, Kunal Chhabhria, and Akash Dodeja are among many others who feature in the video, shot individually by each artist in their respective homes.## According to Ashish Chanchlani, it "is the best way to reach out to the masses and tell them how important it is to stay at home in a situation like this".## "When you listen to the lyrics it is relatable to our situation of lockdown. The music video gives out a very important message without being preachy and in the correct lingo like the line 'Saath Milkar Hatao Iss Haiwaan Ko'," Ashish said.## "The Lockdown Rap" is written by YouTubers Kunal Chhabhria and Anmol Sachar.## Stay tuned...