Popular Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan, who was rumoured to be making her debut in Bollywood soon, is now officially confirmed as a cast member of Indian filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's next project. The actress was seen in photographs with her co-actors including Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi, actress Sanjana Sanghi, Malayalam blockbuster film ‘Charlie’-famed actress Parvathy Thiruvothu and others, alongside the director and producer on Wednesday. Read more: Jaya Ahsan bags 'Black Lady' again! Jointly written by Viraf Sarkari, Ritesh Shah and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, shooting for the film began on Wednesday. The film is being shot in Mumbai and Kolkata. It is an investigative drama with a heart-warming story, centred around the coming together of a dysfunctional family. Regarding her Bollywood debut, Jaya Ahsan said to the Times of India that she is excited to be a part of the film. “This is my first film in Hindi and my character is an integral part of the movie. When this offer came to me, I was thrilled and said yes immediately because Aniruddha is the director, and I have Pankaj Tripathi as one of my co-actors. I have always wanted to work with them and the fact that it’s my first Hindi film doubles the delight.” Read more: Is Jaya Ahsan making her debut in Hindi cinema? Director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury said, “This film has a story layered with intrigue which reveals itself over time - how faced with odds, people come together to form a strong unit. I am so happy to collaborate with Wiz Films and an eclectic cast like Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjana Sanghi, Parvathi Thirovothu and Jaya Ahsan along with crew Avik Mukhopadhyay, Ritesh Shah, Shantanu Moitro and Arghyakamal Mitra.” The yet-to-be-titled film is produced by Wiz Films, KVN and HT Content Studio, in association with Opus Communications.    

Renowned Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal has said that the people of Gujarat will bear inflation but not "Bangladeshis and Rohingyas" living next door, and his stereotyping “cooking fish” remark has also infuriated Bengalis in India. The actor made the remarks while campaigning for BJP in Gujarat a week ago, reports NDTV.  On Monday, Paresh Rawal  was called for questioning by the Kolkata Police over his comments on Bengalis after former Member of Parliament and CPI(M) leader Md Salim filed a complaint against him. Read more: Indian beauty pageant celebrates transgender life Md Salim wanted Paresh Rawal to be charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for promoting enmity, intentional insult, public mischief etc. "Gas cylinders are expensive, but their price will come down. People will get employment too. But what will happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around you, like in Delhi? What will you do with gas cylinders? Cook fish for the Bengalis?" — Paresh Rawal was quoted as saying last week in Valsad. Read more: Protesting ‘Hindi imposition’, South Indian man burns himself to death Paresh Rawal's statements sparked outrage in West Bengal, with the ruling Trinamool Congress strongly condemning him. The veteran actor’s efforts to explain his comments with an apology later fueled the controversy more as he claimed he meant “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas” when he used the word “Bengalis”.

From makeup artistes and hair stylists to dancers and junior actors, the Indian film industry seems to be increasingly banking on foreign talent -- a trend common in sectors like telecom and information technology. But film artiste unions claim that the trend is depriving eligible Indian nationals of job opportunities in the domestic film industry and that too at a time when Bollywood is struggling to make a comeback following two years of the pandemic. Moreover, nearly 90% of the foreigners employed in the Indian film industry do not have valid work permits and the country's police usually choose to turn a blind eye to such illegal immigrants, according to the film artiste unions. Read: Shah Rukh Khan completes 30 years in Bollywood Indian cinema is made up of numerous regional language film businesses -- from Tollywood in Bengal to Kollywood in Tamil Nadu -- that employ a number of people.  The Indian film industry generates USD 2.7 billion in revenue annually. "But the Indian film industry is now facing a major issue with the foreign crew replacing their Indian counterparts," a union member told an Indian media outlet. "Many of these foreigners are working illegally in India in violation of visa norms." Bollywood is also going through a bad patch -- 15 of the 20 big Hindi films released so far in 2022 have performed horribly at the box office, including Kangana Ranaut's Dhaakad, Akshay Kumar's Rakshabandhan and Aamir Khan-acted Lal Singh Chaddha. Read When Bollywood actor Padmini Kolhapure kissed King Charles

It was a kiss that hogged media limelight in India and Britain in the early 1980s when social media was a distant dream. Bollywood actor Padmini Kolhapure posted the kiss on the cheek of King Charles, then a Prince and heir to the British throne, after garlanding him as the latter visited the sets of her 1981 film 'Ahista Ahista' in Mumbai. Read: After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne The kiss not only became the talk of the town in India and also made the Bollywood actor famous in Britain as the "woman who kissed Prince Charles". "It was just a peck on the cheek...the media took it somewhere else. It was no big deal," Kolhapure had later said in an interview with a local media outlet. Kolhapure began acting as a child artiste in 1972 at the age of 7. In 1976 and 1977, she acted in two hit flicks -- 'Zindagi' and 'Dream Girl', respectively. But she hogged limelight for her role in 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram'. Read: At age 73, Charles becomes King She became a sensation when iconic filmmaker Raj Kapoor cast her as the lead heroine in 'Prem Rog' in 1982 opposite his son Rishi Kapoor. Kolhapure went on to give box office hits with her performances in 'Vidhaata' (1982), 'Souten' (1983) and 'Pyar Jhukta Nahin' (1985). She later forayed into the regional Marathi films.

After much speculation about Azmeri Haque Badhon’s debut in Bollywood, fans got to see her first look for Vishal Bhardwaj’s spy thriller ‘Khufiya’ in a teaser released today. The teaser was released by Netflix on Monday in the form of a blurred image where the mystery is maintained, even if Badhon's character can be made out to be in saree. Besides Badhon, fans got similarly stealing glimpses of her Indian co-actors in the film, the extremely highly regarded Tabu and relative newcomer Ali Fazal, on the day without unveiling much about the story itself. Also read: Azmeri Haque Badhon: Starring the Title Role of 'Rehana Maryam Noor' Film Premiered in 74th Cannes The spy thriller’s screenplay is based on writer Amar Bhushan’s ‘Escape to Nowhere’ which was inspired by true events. Badhon's acting was rarely talked about till her formidable turn as the title character in Rehana Maryam Noor, which was selected in the 'Un Certain Regard' section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Also read: Cricketer Shakib, actor Badhon become ISHO brand ambassadors Soon after that she was seen in an episode of the thriller web series, Rabindranath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni (English: Rabindranath never came here to eat), directed by Srijit Mukherji.

Bollywood's highest-paid actress Katrina Kaif and her actor-husband Vicky Kaushal have received death threats on Instagram, prompting the celebrity couple to seek police protection. "Based on a complaint from the two actors, an FIR has been registered at Santacruz police station in the western Indian city of Mumbai. We have also initiated a probe," a police officer told the local media. Katrina and Vicky Kaushal tied the knot in December last year. And Katrina had shared the first pictures of her and Vicky as newlyweds on Instagram only. "Only love and gratitude in our hearts for everything that brought us to this moment. Seeking all your love and blessings as we begin this new journey together,” Katrina wrote, sharing the photos. Read:It's official. Katrina Kaif & Vicky Kaushal are now husband and wife Basically a model, the Hong Kong-born actress began her Bollywood career with 'Boom', an action film, in 2003 that flopped. Two years later, she earned commercial success -- thanks to the romantic comedy 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya'. What followed was a series of hits -- 'Namastey London' in 2007, 'New York' in 2009, 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' in 2009, 'Raajneeti' in 2010, 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' in 2011, 'Ek Tha Tiger' in 2012, 'Dhoom 3' in 2013 and 'Bang Bang!' in 2014. Katrina's other highest-grossing Bollywood films are 'Tiger Zinda Hai' in 2017 and 'Bharat' in 2019, co-starring Salman Khan. Her last action flick was 'Sooryavanshi', co-starring Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan. Born to action director Sham Kaushal and his wife Veena, Vicky ventured into Bollywood as an assistant to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in the crime drama 'Gangs of Wasseypur' in 2012.  His first leading role was in the independent drama 'Masaan' in 2015, but Vicky shot to limelight in 2018 with supporting roles in 'Raazi' and 'Sanju', two hits. A year later, his lead role as a military officer in critically acclaimed action film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', got him the National Film Award for Best Actor.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday shared a new look from his upcoming big-ticket movie Pathaan to mark 30 years in the Hindi film industry. "30 yrs and not counting cos your love and smiles have been infinite. Here's to continuing with Pathaan. Celebrate Pathaan with YRF50 on 25th January, 2023. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu," Shah Rukh wrote on social media. Considered the most talented Bollywood star, "King Khan", as he's popularly known as, has acted in over 80 films in his career. He has a net worth of USD 700 million. Also read: The King is Back: Upcoming Movies of Shahrukh Khan in 2022, 2023 Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in the 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe. Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic. Also read: Shah Rukh Khan is back on social media! The 55-year-old, who owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Aryan, they have a daughter and a son.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and leading actress Katrina Kaif are the latest Bollywood celebrities to have contracted coronavirus. Both are currently in home isolation in the city of Mumbai.   Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to wish Shah Rukh a fast "recovery".   "Just came to know that our Brand Ambassador Shahrukh Khan has been detected covid positive. Pray for the fastest recovery for the superstar," Mamata wrote.   Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years. And he has a net worth of USD 700 million.    Basically a model, Hong Kong-born Katrina began her Bollywood career with 'Boom', an action film, in 2003 that flopped.    Two years later, she earned commercial success in the Hindi film industry with her romantic comedy 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya'. And what followed was a series of box-office hits.   In December last year, the 38-year-old tied the knot with Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal at a fort in the princely state of Rajasthan in northwestern India.   A number of Bollywood celebrities, right from singer Kanika Kapoor to actors Aamir Khan, Sunny Deol and Amitabh Bachchan, have tested positive for Covid since the pandemic broke out in March 2020.   Also read: Shah Rukh Khan's son gets clean chit in drugs case

Love knows no boundaries, and 22-year-old Bangladeshi woman Krishna Mandal's story is the perfect example -- one that has all the ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster. Suffused with courage and filled with hope, Krishna swam across the border to marry her boyfriend in India. However, her quest for love eventually landed her in jail in the eastern Indian state of Bengal. Also read: Bangladeshi women choosing trained midwives for safe childbirth: Studies In fact, the duo recently met on Facebook, fell in love and decided to tie the knot -- a tale that will make Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg a happy man. As Abhik did not have a passport, Krishna reportedly decided to take a strenuous journey to meet him. She swam across the Malta river for over an hour and made her way to the Sunderbans to finally reach India. Abhik, who was waiting for her in Kaikhali village of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, whisked her off to the 'City of Joy' (Kolkata) in a car, where they got married in a temple. Also read: It is better to have loved and married, than surrendered to cancer As the news became viral on WhatsApp, Kolkata Police soon took her into custody for illegally entering India. "She has been remanded in judicial custody by a court and we will soon apprise the Bangladesh High Commission of the arrest," a police officer told the local media.

Leading Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, died of a suspected heart attack in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata late on Tuesday night. He was 53. Local media reports said that the 53-year-old singer fell down the stairs of a private hotel in Kolkata where he was staying, hours after a concert in the city's Nazrul Mancha auditorium. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the reports said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to express their condolences on KK's demise. READ: Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo quits politics "Saddened by the untimely demise of noted singer Krishnakumar Kunnath popularly known as KK. His songs reflected a wide range of emotions and struck a chord with people of all age groups. We will always remember him through his songs. Condolences to his family and fans," Modi wrote. "Extremely sad and shocked to know of the sad demise of KK. What a loss! Om Shanti," Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar tweeted. Regarded as one of the most versatile singers of his generation, KK recorded songs in a number of Indian regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Assamese apart from Hindi. He shot to fame in the late 1990s for songs like 'Pal' and 'Yaaron'.