“Baahubali: The Beginning”

Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli’s latest magnum opus “Baahubali: The Beginning”, which has turned out to be India’s biggest opener, has taken the box office by storm by crushing many existing records.

Said to have been made on a budget of Rs.250 crore, including the upcoming second part in the franchise, the film collected between Rs.60 crore to Rs.70 crore on the first day worldwide.

“The actual box office gross collection on release day worldwide could be between Rs.60 crore and Rs.70 crore. This is the biggest ever opening for an Indian film, surpassing even Bollywood blockbusters like ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Dhoom: 3’,” trade analyst Trinath told IANS.

“Going by the early estimated figures for the second day, the film could have already entered the Rs.100 crore club worldwide,” he said. On the first day, the film collected Rs.50 crore in India, with an additional Rs.16 crore coming from overseas. With the distributor nett share of Rs.42.3 crore on the first day in the country, “Baahubali” has surpassed “Happy New Year” (Rs.42 crore), “Dhoom: 3” (Rs.32 crore), “Singam Returns” (Rs.31.8 crore), “Chennai Express” (Rs.31 crore), “Ek Tha Tiger” (Rs.30.3 crore), “Bang Bang” (Rs.28 crore), “Kick” (Rs.26 crore), “PK” (Rs.25 crore) and “Agneepath” (Rs.22 crore). Released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi parallelly, “Baahubali” has surprisingly performed extremely well in all the languages. In its Hindi version, it netted Rs.5.15 crore on the first day, making it the highest opening for a dubbed film.

“The record was previously held by Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Robot’ with Rs.2.2 crore and Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroop’ with Rs.1.9 crore. Going at this rate, the Hindi version of ‘Baahubali’ is looking at Rs.15 crore nett in its opening weekend,” Trinath said. “Baahubali” is also the biggest earning south Indian film on the opening day. The previous best opening was held by Rajinikanth-starrer “Lingaa”, with Rs.22 crore and followed by Shankar-directed “I” with Rs.20 crore.

It’s not only in India where the film has raked in the moolah. In US, it has set the cash registers on fire. “’Baahubali’ Telugu version collected a whopping Rs.14.96 crore from Thursday premieres and Friday,” according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh. In its opening weekend in the US, the film is expected to touch $5 million.

“Aamir Khan’s ‘PK’ had collected $3.1 million in its first weekend in US. ‘Baahubali’ has already crossed $2 million from Thursday and Friday,” Trinath added. Producer Dil Raju, who distributed the film in Nizam area, is extremely happy with the numbers “The film has showcased the true potential of Telugu cinema. It has shown the world we can produce films that are content driven and still commercially successful. The film is doing extremely well and is on its way to become the biggest blockbuster in Indian cinema,” Raju told IANS.

“Baahubali” released on as many as 4,000 screens across the globe. “The wide release worked in the film’s favour. And since it released in multiple languages, it could cater to large number of audiences. Had the film only released in Telugu, it would’ve been impossible to recover the high cost,” Trinath said. The film, which stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannah Bhatia and Anushka Shetty in the lead roles, is about two brothers fighting over an ancient kingdom.

It has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. Heaping praise on Rajamouli, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said other filmmakers should be as courageous as him. “Filmmakers from South India are showing far more courage than the North. Where are the courageous filmmakers like @ssrajamouli in Mumbai? (sic),” Kapur wrote on his Twitter page.

With 9.4 IMDB rating, “Baahubali” is the highest rated Indian film on the site.

Priyanka Chopra, who turned 33 on Saturday

Priyanka Chopra, who turned 33 on Saturday, was left surprised by a party that her mother Madhu threw for her. The actress said she was “shocked”.

“I was busy shooting ‘Bajirao Mastani’, and I had no idea when mom planned this party. All my friends have come and I am a bit shocked. But I am feeling extremely happy and would like to thank all my friends,” Priyanka said here. The actress is running super busy nowadays with “Gangaajal 2”, “Bajirao Mastani” and the American TV show “Quantico”. She is also shifting into a new house.

“We have shifted to our new house, but not completely. Once I come back from the ‘Quantico’ shoot, we will shift the remaining stuff,” said the National Award winner. The party was a close affair with only select guests. Her cousin and actress Parineeti Chopra tweeted an image after the party with the birthday girl and posted: “Happppyyy bday behna!!!!! @priyanka chopra whatttaa party!!!”

Seen at the party were Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vikas Bahl, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia D’Souza, Kangana Ranaut, Ranveer Singh, Anurag Kashyap, Krishika Lulla, Arpita Khan Sharma and Aayush Sharma, among others..

Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s “Raees”.

On the occasion of Eid, superstar Salman Khan displayed true brotherhood by sharing the teaser of his contemporary Shah Rukh Khan’s “Raees”. Earlier, Shah Rukh had come forward to unveil the first look of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", which released on Friday. And on Eid, it only seemed fit that the "Dabangg" star chose to respond to the gesture.

Staying true to the values of his “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, which hinges upon brotherhood, Salman asked his fans and followers to turn their attention to the teaser of SRK’s “Raees”.

“RAEESSSSSSS ah raha hai. Filhaal teaser dekho aur enjoy karo behaad,” Salman tweeted on Saturday, after sharing the film's name via a string of posts.

Moved by the act, Shah Rukh, who is currently in Bulgaria to shoot “Dilwale”, asked Salman to send some home cooked biryani to his family here on the occasion of Eid. “@BeingSalmanKhan abhi Bulgaria mein hoon aa nahi sakta. Thodi Biryani bhijwade ghar mein bachhon ke liye. 

Eid Mubarak & love to family,” SRK posted to Salman. It’s interesting to note that Salman's “Sultan" will be clashing with “Raees” on Eid next year. And both the actors have emphasised on several occasion that they are looking at the competition positively. Shah Rukh has turned into a liquor baron for the Rahul Dholakia directorial, which is set in 1980s Gujarat, and tells the story of a bootlegger whose business is thwarted by a tough policeman. The film also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and marks the Bollywood debut of Pakistani actress Mahira Khan. Meanwhile, Salman's “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” is off to a good start at the box office by raking in over Rs. 27 crore since its release on Friday. The Kabir Khan directed film, which also features Kareena Kapoor Khan and Nawazuddin, is the story of a man's journey from India to Pakistan in his endeavour to take a dumb and mute girl across the border.

Actress Alia Bhatt, who will be seen in “Shaandaar”

Actress Alia Bhatt, who will be seen in “Shaandaar”, has shared with the Twitterati that the wait for her forthcoming film will hopefully be worth it.

“Heheh woke up to #ShaandaarWaitIsKillingUs!! Coming up veryyyyyy soon guys..sorry for the wait but hopefully it’ll be fully worth it!!!!,” Alia tweeted on Sunday. In response to her tweet, Karan Johar, one of the producers of the film, wrote “#ShaandaarWaitKillingUs is trending!!! Well not for long...coming up really soon!!! @aliaa08 @shahidkapoor”. “Shaandaar” is a romantic comedy film, directed by Vikas Bahl. It also features Shahid Kapoor, Pankaj Kapur and Sanjay Kapoor.

Playing simple character ‘challenging’ for Salman

Superstar Salman Khan, who has essayed action-packed roles in films like “Kick”, “Dabangg” and “Wanted”, says he found it hard to break his macho image in “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

“It was a difficult thing for me right now to play after the ‘Dabangg’, ‘Wanted’ and other films. It was challenging to come back to play a simple character,” Salman said here.

The 49-year-old actor, however, said that “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” does have action to some extent.

“There is action and everything (in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’) but it is simple and all heart. We’ve shown a typical Hindustani (Indian) character where people get a feeling, ‘What a nice guy’, ‘bechara’ (innocent).” “All the action films we do, they need to be backed with emotions. Otherwise, action is pointless,” he added.

Released on July 17, “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, which is co-produced by Salman Khan Films (SKF) with Rockline Venkatesh, is about the bond shared by a Pakistani mute girl, essayed by young and beautiful child artist Harshaali Malhotra, and an Indian man. The film has entered the Rs.100 crore club in its opening weekend itself.

Uttam Kumar, the great actor of the Bengal,

Thirty five years ago on this day, one of the most powerful stars left a void in the Bangla movie scene. Uttam Kumar, the great actor of the Bengal, passed away on 24 July in 1980 at the age of 53 and he was then at the peak of his popularity and influence on the audience.

In the beginning, Uttam Kumar had to wade through a rough road. He did not become ‘Uttam Kumar’ overnight. Born in his maternal uncle’s home in north Kolkata, Uttam Kumar was known as Arun Kumar before he entered the star-studded world.

His first few movies were not commercially successful. However, it was his passion which kept him gunning for his dream.

Then in 1952, his movie Basu Paribar earned massive success. And the rest is history. He did not have to look back from that point.

Uttam Kumar paired up with Suchitra Sen in numerous movies as the pair became synonymous with Bangla films.

This multitalented star was a film actor, director, producer, singer and music composer and playback singer. In his 30-year acting career, he performed in about 200 movies.

For outstanding performance in movies such as Hrid, Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Nayak, Chiriakhana, Antony Phiringi, Grihodaho, Ekhane Pinjar, Stri, Omanush, Bonhishikha and Anando Ashrom - Uttam Kumar bagged numerous prestigious awards, including Bengal Film Journalists Association Award, Certificate of Merit, Filmfare Award, Cultural Journalists Award, Prosad Potrika Award and Bhorot Award.

Legendary film director Satyajit Ray once said, “There is no hero like Uttam. I was mesmerised by his acting skill.”

Prolific actress Suchitra Sen said, “He is great, a great artiste.”

The great actor himself revealed the secret of outstanding acting skill. In his words, “The key is - be natural. I never actually ‘act’ in the movies. I tried to remain as natural as possible on the screen.”

Hrithik Roshan stumped by Freida’s dancing skills

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, whose own dance skills are impressive to say the least, has praised “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto for her “amazing” talent in “Desert Dancer”.

“Has anyone out there seen ‘Desert Dancer’? Pure passion ignited. Most incredible film I have seen. Such amazing actors. Bravo to d entire team. “N how amazing is Frieda Pinto. Nver seen anyone dance like that. Wanted 2 wish her but she doesn’t pick up my phone! Maybe she’l get this,” Hrithik posted on Twitter.

Directed by Richard Raymond, “Desert Dancer” is a biographical film and tells a true story of a young, self-taught dancer in Iran, Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.

Freida is said to have undertaken intensive training for the role of Elaheh in the movie.

“I’m glad you asked that but I’m definitely not engaged.

Actress Katrina Kaif on Saturday sought to dispel rumours that she had got engaged to Ranbir Kapoor and said she had no marriage plans for now.

“I’m glad you asked that but I’m definitely not engaged. I know you guys are so sweet and you seem to want me to get married but there are no such plans now. So please bear with me being not married for some more time,” said Katrina, who was making a public appearance after a long time at the trailer launch of “Phantom”. She was responding to queries about if she had got engaged.

All engagement rumours were sparked on the occasion of Katrina’s birthday on July 16 when reportedly she and Ranbir had set off to Alibaug to celebrate, and it was there that Ranbir proposed to her and gifted her a platinum and diamond eternity band. There have been numerous rumours of their alleged engagement or break-up over the years. Ranbir and Katrina are said to have got close during shooting of their romantic comedy, “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani” in 2009.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan urged India’s top court Sunday

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan urged India’s top court Sunday to spare the life of a convicted bomb plotter due to be hanged this week, declaring him innocent and sparking a political furore.

The Supreme Court is expected on Monday to hear a last-ditch appeal from Yakub Memon, convicted of being a key plotter of a series of bomb blasts that killed hundreds in Mumbai two decades ago—the deadliest such attacks in India’s history.

The court had last week rejected what was believed at the time to be a final appeal from Memon, paving the way for his execution on Thursday after more than two decades in jail.

But his lawyers lodged the last-minute appeal, saying his execution date of July 30 had been set unlawfully back in April, before all legal avenues to appeal were exhausted.

Khan, a hugely popular actor who was himself convicted in May of a deadly hit-and-run accident, described Memon, an accountant by profession, as innocent, sparking protests outside his house.

“One innocent man killed is killing the humanity,” Khan said on Twitter where he has 13.1 million followers.“Get Tiger, hang him. Parade him not his brother,” Khan said referring to Memon’s brother Tiger, whom police say masterminded the attacks and who is still on the run.

The actor later retracted the comments after uproar from the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition and a prosecutor involved in the case.

“The Supreme Court gave its verdict on hard core evidence and none of us are in position to undermine the verdict,” said a BJP spokeswoman, Shaina NC. The attacks are a religiously contentious issue in India because they are believed to have been staged by Mumbai’s Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

The Bombay Stock Exchange, the offices of Air India and a luxury hotel were among the targets of the March 1993 blasts, which killed 257 people in India’s commercial capital.

Eleven people have been convicted over the attacks, but alleged masterminds Tiger and Mumbai gang boss Dawood Ibrahim have not been caught. Dozens of angry protesters, some waving BJP flags, converged outside the star’s house in Mumbai, demanding he apologise to the victims’ families.The actor said on Twitter he was retracting the comments because they have the potential to “create misunderstanding”, adding “I respect all faiths”.

The furore came as a petition signed mainly by lawyers and politicians was given to Indian President Pranab Mukherjee urging clemency, partly on the basis that Yakub Memon has been languishing in jail for more than 20 years, the Press Trust of India news agency said. A former Supreme Court judge, Harjit Singh Bedi, also said the court should take notice of reports Memon had cooperated with investigators and returned voluntarily from Pakistan where he fled after the blasts.

In a letter in the Sunday Express newspaper, Bedi said the court should examine whether these count as mitigating circumstances and refer the case back to the trial court for consideration.

Shahrukh Khan new Look for Fan film present by Yash Raj Films.

Shahrukh Khan new Look for Fan film present by Yash Raj Films. The film directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra. Shahrukh Khan is lead role play with he is double role play one is Bollywood king Shahrukh Khan and another is 17 year old teenage boy.

Shahrukh Khan to play 17 year old boy in the film. Waluscha De Sousa was selected Shahrukh Khan’s fan movie heroine. she is an Indian supermodel and Fan movie her big debut film. Fan movie shooting is started in Delhi.

Shahrukh Khan new look for fan movie. Shahrukh Khan is 49 age but he will be playing 17 year old in Fan movie. Shahrukh Khan was said to reporter he is create a different look help by makeup man and VFX system. Shahrukh Khan upcoming Fan movie has now been postponed. Fan movie all sound track composed by double Oscar winner A. R. Rahman

Dilwale first look: SRK, Kajol remind us of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai's Rahul and Anjali

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are perhaps one of the most iconic lead pairs of Hindi cinema of this generation. And even though the Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai  generation has grown up since, the fact that DDLJ is still playing in Mumbai's Maratha Mandir shows how obsessed we are with the onscreen couple. Now, 20 years after DDLJ and 22 years after their first film together and many films after that, SRK-Kajol are coming back again for Rohit Shetty's Dilwale and we've been hearing great things about the film. Currently, the cast (which includes Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon) are shooting song sequences in Bulgaria.

Shah Rukh Khan has been active on Twitter and has been sharing regular updates of the film for his fans. He recently shared the first look of the film, along with the confirmed release date, which is December 18 2015.

The poster gives you instant nostalgia. There's SRK doing what else - but smiling and showing off his dimples. And there's Kajol who seems to be in a very deep conversation with him. Both actors look their age but still as fresh as they did back in the 90s.

Shah Rukh is in cargo pants and a white shirt, while Kajol is in a flowing printed skirt and fitted denim top: stylish and contemporary. They seem to walking through the streets of a European city.

SRK and Kajol in Dilwale. Image from Twitter.

However, in an industry when SRK has been playing the male lead opposite much younger women like Deepika and Katrina, resulting in forced, cosmetic onscreen chemistry, his pairing with Kajol is refreshing and real.

It also makes a strong case for intelligent casting even in romcoms. Here's hoping Shah Rukh and Kajol will lead the way.

" I'm Still Learning" -Alia Bhatt

Actress Alia Bhatt said that as a viewer she likes reality shows, but feels she is too young to judge them as of now.

"I don't think judging is something I can do now as I am too young, I am still learning it. I can't judge but creatively I will be part of singing and music stuff (shows)," Alia told PTI.

"Whenever the time is right I would do it. When I am not doing films and have time, then maybe I can do reality shows. But I also think I need to explore the singing space to be on a show and judge someone," she said.

Alia along with filmmaker Karan Johar will now be seen as a co-curator of Viacom18's English entertainment channel Colors Infinity.

When asked if she would be doing a show for the channel in near future, Alia said, "Not right now, but never say never, let's see. For me reality television is something I get hooked on to, like Bigg Boss. I get attracted to it. So doing something like that will be a great idea on Colors Infinity."

Alia said that people are wise enough to choose what they like to see and there are particular slots for bold shows.

"I think there is a particular time slot for that. We all are wise enough to make our choices. There are some shows that will be very interesting for the children to see, like the superhero show and other shows," she said.

Alia and Karan have curated shows for the channel that span across genres like drama, superheroes, comedy, fantasy, crime and thrillers.

"Not often in life you get to be on the creative panel of such a large medium like television. So I believe me being very young is a demerit as people say she is so young what does she know," the actress said.

"After a long time a youth representative has helped as being the co-curator and bringing the insights of what youth want. I am the kind of representative of what the youngsters want to watch," she said.

Alia feels television is a huge medium, but due to her busy schedule she doesn't get time to watch the shows.

"I travel most of the time and so I don't get time to catch up on TV. I feel through Color Infinity you get to watch not one but three back-to-back episodes," she said.

"All the content that you missed you get to see. There are re-runs. So it is quite feasible for those who are travelling. Also there are lots of different types of shows," she said.