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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Actors Mrunal Thakur, and Kushal Tandon cannot seem to stop gushing about each other lately.## On Friday, Kushal took to Instagram and posted a lovely post for Mrunal, saying she is his soul mate.## "Mrunal, love of my life ....they say your soul mate is ur lover ....that's wrong ...... soul mate can be your bestie too....sullu this life and till eternity you will always be my soul mate baby," he wrote.## Along with it, he posted a picture in which the two are seen sharing smiles with each other.## Reacting to the post, Mrunal commented: "Kushal ...blessed to have someone who annoys me to death and doesn't value me even a bit. Still love you."## On the work front, Mrunal, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in "Super 30", will be seen sharing screen space with Shahid Kapoor in "Jersey" and Farhan Akhtar in "Toofaan".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Actor Abhishek Bachchan has taken to Instagram to share a heartwarming video where he thanks all essential service employees who continue to serve the nation amid the COVID-19 lockdown.## The video shows a hand quickly making a sketch of the people who continue to do their duty towards society at a time when the world is fighting the global coronavirus pandemic, and says "Thank you" to such people. The list includes medical workers, pharmacy workers, delivery persons, journalists, first responders, military personnel, civil service employees, sanitary workers, factory workers, and bank employees among others.## While the hand shown in the video makes a sketch thanking the above section of people, a couple of lines from the song "Teri mitti" from the film "Kesari" plays in the background.## The lines "Aye meri zameen afsoss nahi / Jo tere liye sau dard sahe/ Mehfooz rahe teri aan sada / Chaahe jaan meri yeh rahe na rahe..." would aptly describe the conviction of essential service employees who remain unabated in their duty towards the nation under these circumstances.## Abhishek has shared the video from filmmaker Goldie Behl who originally posted it on Instagram yesterday.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Writer-filmmaker Tahira Kashyap Khurrana on Friday started her series, "The Lockdown Tales", to cheer up the mood of people amidst the coronavirus lockdown.## The stories depict emotions and moments from the everyday lives of people and how they're affected by the lockdown. The video series will be shared by Tahira on her social media handle. She just posted her first lockdown tale, "6 feet Durr".## "I'm really excited to bring these special stories from everyday life to the people out there. They are really simple stories about humanity but in complex times. I love writing and honestly, without any agenda, these stories just started flowing. These lockdown tales are a mere moment or thought taken out from our lives and at times we just need to cherish that," Tahira said.## Apart from this, Tahira recently directed a short film titled "Pinni", which features veteran actress Neena Gupta.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan feels homeopathic medicine may come up with ways to counter the coronavirus. At the same time, he is hopeful that India will lead the world in finding a treatment for the deadly virus which has turned into a pandemic.## Big B took to Twitter on Friday to express: "As a beneficiary of homeopathy I'm encouraged to see the efforts of the AYUSH Ministry to counter Corona. I pray that India leads the World in finding preventive & curative solutions for such epidemics."## However, a section of netizens didn't agree with the actor's thoughts.## A user commented: "Sir I request you to only go for homeopathy treatment if you get infected. The world would be a better place."## Referring to his recent social media post which became a subject of controversy, another user trolled: "According to him makkhi can spread #coronavirus."## However, some users agreed with the veteran actor's point of view. A fan commented: "India will surely find the solution for this epidemics sir. AYUSH is doing a great job in providing the correct and necessary information to the general public during this epidemic."## Amitabh Bachchan recently faced flak in the virtual world for sharing a video where he talked of Chinese experts discovering that the common housefly, which sits on excreta, can transmit the coronavirus -- a fact which was denied by the health ministry.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Model-actor Sushant Divgikar has become India's first drag artiste to feature the esteemed Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List, for Class 2020. He features in the list of 'The Arts' honorees as well as in the ‘Celebrities category.## Sushant, possibly the first and only Asian drag artist to be on the list, is also a singer and a video jockey, and was crowned Mr Gay India in 2014. He represented India at Mr. Gay World and is also popularly called Rani Ko-He-Nur.## Talking about his latest achievement, Sushant said: "I'm above and beyond the moon, stars, the entire galaxy right now and cannot contain my excitement! I am elated and feeling proud to be featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list which is of such an International repute. All the struggle and hard work I put in seem to be worth it. I would like to thank the Forbes Asia team for recognizing the 14years of my life that I have given to make the performing arts and arts, in general, more conducive for diverse participation and recognizing one's true authentic self! I hope that my journey and body of work inspires every young and ambitious person out there to spread your wings and fly high!"## In the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, Sushant features among 300 young leaders from the Asia-Pacific region. These young entrepreneurs and change-makers were selected from among over 3500 nominations vetted by an A-list panel of judges who are leaders in their respective fields.## Currently, Sushant is focusing on his singing career and is working on releasing original music in the coming month. The versatile singer is known for singing in male as well as a female voice. He shot to the limelight as a singer when he appeared on the reality show "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge" in 2018.## An LGBTQ+ activist and drag queen performer, Sushant mentors, and trains younger drag queens and aims to make drag a more accessible art form in India. In 2019, he made his international debut with the artiste collective Rainbow Riots - House of Wallenberg in Sweden. The same year he released the single "I'm coming out" at Stockholm Pride.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Actress Debina Bonnerjee, who has been urging people to stay home and practice basic hygiene, has donated Rs 1 lakh to PM-CARES.## "I come and stand @narendramodi. Contributed my share to the #PMCaresFund. I did my bit for supporting the nation we live in. We shall overcome this crisis together and hopefully sooner if we just #StayHome," tweeted Debina.## Apart from lending financial support to the cause, she has been also updating fans about her quarantine time.## She has been sharing videos and photos of her workout regime, time spent with her pet and her chilling moment in balcony.## In her latest Instagram post, she has asked her one million followers to "make your own coffee and send me".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Actor Kartik Aaryan on Friday posted a hilarious picture that shows him in his old version.## The image was created with FaceApp, which enables users to edit their own or someone else's face to make it appear older or younger.## And it seems the coronavirus lockdown has made Kartik feel like he is growing old, going by his caption. "Ageing gracefully in lockdown," he wrote.## He also joked, saying that it's time to remake "Baghban".## "Let's remake 'Baghban' now. Casting for heroines role... please send in your entries, "Kartik quipped.## On the work front, Kartik will be seen in "Dostana 2" and "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Stand-up comedian and actor Vir Das, who is looking forward to his upcoming web series "Hasmukh", says performing in front of a live audience is extremely different from being in a fictional film or series.## In the show, he will be seen as Hasmukh, who works hard to bring a smile to everyone's face.## "Performing in front of a live audience is extremely different from being in a fictional film or series. I'm back on screen playing a strange and unusual character, so I'm excited," Vir said.## The trailer of the show was released on Friday. The series follows the journey of a young man from Saharanpur who wants to be the greatest comedian in the world. While he is a great writer, he lacks comic timing. It is a story of untamed ambition.## Talking about the role of Hasmukh, he said: "He's super awkward, soft-spoken and always mild, until he murders or gets on stage. Stand-up comedians will relate to Hasmukh's journey --- well, most of it at least. We're all looking for innovative ways to make people laugh, but this guy takes it to the next level. The trailer should give you a sneak peek into what I'm talking about, but just wait and watch!"## Also featuring Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Ravi Kishan, Amrita Bagchi, Suhail Nayyar, Inaamulhaq and Raza Murad, "Hasmukh" is directed by Nikhil Gonsalves and will release on April 17.## The Netflix show is produced for Applause Entertainment by Emmay Entertainment.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Popular producer Ekta Kapoor is giving up her one-year salary of Rs 2.5 crore at Balaji Telefilms to ensure her employees don't suffer during the lockdown, which was announced last month owing to the coronavirus pandemic.## Ekta took to her social media on Friday to make the announcement.## "The impact of the CORONA crisis is huge, unprecedented and multi-pronged. We all need to do things that will ease the hardship of people around us and of our country at large," her note read.## "It is my first & foremost responsibility to take care of the various freelancers & daily wage workers who work at Balaji & who are going to suffer an immense loss due to no shootings in the current scenario and uncertainty over the indefinite period to follow.## "I would thus forsake my one year's salary that is Rs 2.5 crore at Balaji Telefilms so that my co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis and complete lockdown. The only way ahead is Together. Stay safe, stay healthy," concluded the producer, who has given several hit daily soaps such as "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii", "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" and "Naagin".## Apart from this, the producer has already made donations to various relief funds to fight the effects of the pandemic.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Veteran actor Paresh Rawal's son Aditya is all set to make his acting debut with the ZEE5 original film "Bamfaad".## The movie, directed by debutant filmmaker Ranjan Chandel, will also mark the OTT debut of "Arjun Reddy" star Shalini Pandey.## "I am glad that I got the chance to be a part of such a thrilling film. Though the driving force of the film is the love story, it has many more layers to it. I want to make my own mark as an actor in the industry, and it feels great to begin my journey by playing Nasir Jamal, a character that fascinated me ever since I read the script. I hope that people watch the film in huge numbers on Zee5, and I am eager to hear their feedback," Aditya said.## Presented by Anurag Kashyap, the film about passion, friendship, betrayal, loss, and love will go live on April 10. Set in Allahabad to a romantic volatile backdrop, the film promises to "bring out an unusual yet raw and edgy love story on the screen".## Talking about her character of Neelam, Shalini said: "Neelam is a bold and strong 24-year-old girl, but has that vulnerability to her which spoke to me instantly."## "As an artist, I look forward to projects that challenge me and this project really pushed me and I learned a lot while playing this part. 'Bamfaad' has a phenomenal storyline and it is getting the perfect exposure with a massive video streaming platform," she added.## Chandel asserts that "Bamfaad" is a heartfelt script to be brought to life on the screens.## "Aditya and Shalini are the perfect matches for the characters we envisioned. I still remember the casting director Taran Bajaj and I reached out to many experienced actors as well but Aditya and Shalini just made it feel apt and looked refreshing together. While we are currently living in challenging times with the pandemic, I feel like releasing this film on a digital platform like ZEE5 will give it the reach it deserves. This film is made with a lot of love and will touch many hearts," Chandel said.## On Friday, Kashyap presented the character poster of Nasir and Neelam on his social media. "Bamfaad" is produced by JAR Pictures and Shaika Films, and also stars Vijay Varma and Jatin Sarna.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan has taken to social media to laud the selfless performance of doctors and paramedical staff across the world in the battle against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.## Big B on Friday morning, shared a cartoon that shows a doctor holding the globe on his shoulders, like Atlas. The veteran actor shared that the efforts of the medical community in these times of crisis remind him of his song from the film "Coolie" that goes, "Saari duniya ka bojh hum uthate hain".## Netizens agreed with the actor saying that doctors are indeed doing a great job amidst all the difficulties.## A fan commented below his tweet: "True sir Ji. My son and daughter in law are in the medical field. Appropriate song."## However, another fan quickly reminded the actor that not only doctors but the police and sanitation workers also deserve respect.## The fan commented: "Sir including doctors their also police and sanitation workers too... We should not forget their contribution."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 3 (IANS) Actor Hrithik Roshan is all pumped up, and the reason is his father Rakesh Roshan.## On Friday, Hrithik took to Instagram and shared a video of his father doing an intense workout at the age of 71.## "Damn! That's My Dad...N.E.V.E.R. G.I.V.E.S. U.P. . This is the kind of Resolve and Determination we all need to have to fight in times like these," he captioned the video.## He also quipped wittily that the coronavirus should be afraid of his filmmaker father as the latter bravely fought cancer last year.## "Ps: He'll be 71 this year and works out 2 hours a day. O and he just survived cancer last year. I think the virus should be afraid of him. Very very afraid," Hrithik added.## Amidst the ongoing serious health crisis, the "Super 30" actor has been seen spreading awareness among people about COVID-19. Recently, he even shared a 1 minute, 42-second video message on Instagram, appealing his fans to stop the spread.## Stay tuned...