Vijay Sethupathi to return as host on ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’ with season premiering on September 6

Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Veteran actress Hema Malini has expressed her gratitude to the Government of India for conferring the Padma Vibhushan award, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, to her late husband, Dharmendra.

On Sunday, the veteran actress took to her X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “So so proud that the govt has recognised Dharam ji’s immense contribution to the film industry by bestowing on him the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award”.

On Sunday, Dharmendra was posthumously announced as the recipient of Padma Vibhushan along with Satish Shah, who was posthumously honoured with the Padma Shri. Other members of the fraternity to receive the Padma Awards include the Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty, who will also be lionised with Padma Bhushan, veteran playback singer Alka Yagnik, and the late advertising legend Piyush Pandey, who have been selected for Padma Bhushan.

Both Dharmendra and Satish Shah passed away last year. While Dharmendra left for his heavenly abode in November, Satish Shah departed a month prior to Dharmendra.

Dharmendra was one of Bollywood’s most enduring and beloved stars. He was born in 1935 in Punjab, and began his career in the early 1960s, after he was discovered through a talent hunt competition.

In the late 1950s, Filmfare magazine, in collaboration with Bimal Roy Productions, organized a nationwide talent contest to find new faces for Hindi cinema. He entered the competition and was selected as the winner in 1958, chosen for his striking looks and natural charm. This victory opened the door to the film industry for him.

Dharmendra passed away in November last year at the age of 89. The actor was earlier admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai, but was discharged after he showed recovery. However, a few days later, the actor was reportedly put on a ventilator, as he was suffering from breathing difficulties. As the news spread through the Bollywood circles, members of the fraternity paid their last respects to him. Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan reached the crematorium in the Vile Parle area of Mumbai Bollywood multi-hyphenate Karan Johar remembered the late actor in his social media post.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 23 (IANS) Legendary actress Julie Andrews is all set to be the subject of a new documentary, with acclaimed filmmaker RJ Cutler attached to direct the project.

The news was announced by Andrews’ team on Instagram and mentioned that the project is slated for release in 2027, with more details expected in the coming months. The veteran star’s team also shared a picture of the actress along with the filmmaker.

“We are delighted to announce that Julie will be the subject of a new documentary, directed by RJ Cutler (“Martha”), to be released in 2027! More details to come… – Team Julie,” the caption read.

Julie Andrews has been feted with an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, three Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards and nominations for three Tony Awards.

One of the biggest box-office draws of the 1960s, Andrews has been honoured with the Kennedy Center Honours in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2000 New Year Honours.

Andrews rose to prominence in Broadway musicals starring as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Queen Guinevere in Camelot .

She has starred in various films, working with directors including her husband Blake Edwards, George Roy Hill, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Her film credits include The Americanization of Emily, Hawaii, Torn Curtain, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!, The Tamarind Seed, 10, S.O.B., Victor/Victoria, That’s Life!, and Duet for One. She later returned to films with The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Eloise at the Plaza, and Eloise at Christmastime. She has also lent her voice to the Shrek and Despicable Me franchises.

Meanwhile, Cutler is known for his work in The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, American High, The September Issue, Listen to Me Marlon, Belushi, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Martha, Elton John: Never Too Late, Fight for Glory: The 2024 World Series, Marc by Sofia and BTS: The Return.

–IANS

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Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) Actress Anupama Solanki, who is currently busy shooting for her latest show Jagriti – Ek Nayi Subah, said that she’s very choosy when it comes to selecting TV projects. However, she agrees sometimes, it is very risky to be choosy but she waits for challenging roles.

Sharing more on her role, she says, “This is the first time I am playing a positive Dabang character in any show. My character name is Sudha. Most of the time I have done either positive or 100 percent negative roles.”

“Sudha has come back to India after residing in Dubai for a while. Aarya Babbar is playing my husband in the show. Sudha is extremely strict with her husband, her rules are very strict and she is extremely volatile.”

She added that Jagriti is a running, successful show on television.

“The storyline has recently changed a bit in which Kalikant will die. As the audience knows, Aarya Babbar is playing double role in the show — Shashikant and KaliKant are twins. Shashikant is polite, humble and down to earth. He knows how to keep Sudha calm and happy.”

She added that the story is going to take a twist in the upcoming episodes between Sudha, Kalikant and Shashikant.

“I am sure people will love this new twist in the story.”

Talking more about her choices of roles, Anupama says: “I am very choosy when it comes to selecting my TV projects. Sometimes, it is very risky to be choosy but I wait for the challenging roles. It takes time to materialise but I am patient.”

“In Nath, my role as Kalawati was totally a village girl. In “Kuch Reet Jagat ki aisi hai”, I played a greedy character. So the main focus is playing various roles which are different from each other.”

She said that in her previous TV show “Jamuniya”, she was highly fashionable and intelligent, a character who does lots of planning and plotting.

“But in Jagriti-Ek Nayi Subah, I’m a very strong and powerful lady, I don’t do silly things, whatever I do, I do in “Danke Ki Chot Pe”. I don’t care about what others think.”

But isn’t it tough to enter a show midway?

Anupama said: “It’s always challenging to enter a show midway, but I am confident that with the new storyline, the audience will be hooked to it. I am excited since my fans will be seeing me in a new avatar.”

–IANS

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