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Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

Articles Written By IANS News

Nakuul Mehta: Would rather be a web star than a Bollywood struggler
2286 days ago
TV

Nakuul Mehta: Would rather be a web star than a Bollywood struggler

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Popular television actor Nakuul Mehra finds the web entertainment space exciting and says that he would rather enjoy being the star on the web than a struggler in Bollywood.## Nakuul recently appeared in the ZEE5 web series "Never Kiss Your Best Friend" and the short film anthology "Zindagi In Shorts" that is streaming on Flipkart video. In both projects, he has received a positive response.## While earlier the natural career progression of a successful television actor was to try and find space in Bollywood films, Nakuul told IANS: "I think more exciting work is happening on the web, and there is honestly no difference in the value of production of a feature film and a well-made web show. If I think of reach, both the platforms have the widest reach across all age and socio-economic status of the audience. Both are accessible."## "I also think that people tend to look at a TV actor not as celebrated as a film actor. But an actor is an actor, isn't it? I would love to be a part of big Bollywood films but not because it is a ''Bollywood project'' but because I will not get such an opportunity on TV or web. I would rather be a celebrated talent on the web than a struggling actor in Bollywood," said Nakuul who is known for TV shows like "Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara" and "Ishqbaaaz".## For more and latest news about TV, stay tuned with us.

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Rajeshwari Sachdev: I take up many challenges
2286 days ago
Bollywood

Rajeshwari Sachdev: I take up many challenges

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Actress Rajeshwari Sachdev says she likes to take up many challenges and get out of her comfort zone, despite having anxieties.## "I am exquisite. Not to say I am fragile or unbreakable, but I have a quality to let things pass and I believe that everything turns out well. So I take up many challenges and get out of my comfort zone. I have my anxieties but I know I am persevering enough to sail through. So every moment of my life is a celebration for all that I achieve each day as a woman in all aspects of my life," said Rajeshwari, who is seen in Zee Theatre''s teleplay "Double Game".## Ahead of International Women's Day, Zee Theatre talents opened up about the importance of telling hidden stories of strength in womanhood.## Actress Himani Shivpuri, from the teleplay "Hamidabai Ki Kothi", said: "I am a winner because coming from a small town in Dehradun, I chose the profession of theatre, which was unthinkable in those days. Its been a wonderful journey - theatre, television."## "My husband had died when I reached Mumbai but I survived and brought up my son. It is important to celebrate yourself because I think each person is unique in themselves and we should appreciate what we are, how different we are from other people and appreciate others as well. Normally, we only appreciate the other people and we admire how beautiful someone is or how successful someone is but I feel that this is the time to celebrate yourself and look at all that you have achieved, enjoy life and live every moment beautifully. How I'd like to celebrate my story is by continuing to be what I am, continuing to be myself," she added.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Shanthipriya looks gorgeous as ever in new pics
2286 days ago
Bollywood

Shanthipriya looks gorgeous as ever in new pics

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) Those who grew up in the nineties would recall her as the heroine of Akshay Kumar in his 1991 debut film 'Saugandh', and also Mithun Chakraborty''s leading lady in the 1993 film 'Phool Aur Angaar'. Almost three decades later, Shanthipriya has lost none of that verve, as is obvious in a new set of wallpapers that have just been released.## Shanthipriya was last seen on the big screen in the 2011 release, "The Murderer", which also released as "Hamilton Palace" in parts. Her last appearance was on the TV show, "Dwarkadheesh: Bhagwaan Shree Krishna" (2011–2012).## In 1999, she married actor Siddharth, who was the grandson of V. Shantaram and who acted in films such as "Baazigar" and "Vansh". Siddharth died of a heart attack in 2004.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Dhanush's next not based on Kodiyankulam caste riots: Director
2287 days ago
Kollywood

Dhanush's next not based on Kodiyankulam caste riots: Director

Chennai, March 5 (IANS) Tamil superstar Dhanush's upcoming film 'Karnan' is not about Kodiyankulam caste riots, the film's director Mari Selvaraj has clarified, in a recent interview to the Tamil publication Vikatan.## Controversy erupted since it was speculated that ''Karnan'' is about the 1995 Kodiyankulam Maniyachi communal clash. The crew of the film was even threatened to stop shooting in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi or face consequences. Members of the political party Mukkulathor Pulipadai demanded that the permission for the shoot be cancelled. The organisation's leader, actor-turned-politician Karunas, even went on to say that the film is overtly critical of a particular community, and portraying a similar episode might disturb peace in the region. Party members also urged the police to arrest the director.## In an unrelated controversy, fans of late actor Sivaji Ganesan had earlier requested the film's producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu to change the film's title because Sivaji's 1964 mythological film had the same title.## Chandrasekharan, President of Sivaji Social Welfare Association, wrote a letter to the producer stating: "We all know that Karnan is legendary Sivaji Ganesan sir's classic film. Now we have come to know that your film with Dhanush is titled as Karnan. It would be great if you could add a prefix or suffix instead of using the exact title of Sivaji's classic film. It hurts the sentiment of ardent fans."## Although the producer still hasn't changed the film's title, Dhanush recently took to his social media account to declare that he has completed 90 percent of the film's shoot. He shared the news with a photograph from the film, which showed him holding a sickle in his hand. Fans were quick to notice that his look was similar to his recent hit "Asuran", and expressed their anticipation for ''Karnan''## Said to be an action entertainer, which is set in Tirunelveli, the film also stars Malayalam actress Rajisha Vijayan as the female lead, cinematographer-turned-actor Natarajan aka Natty and Malayalam actor Lal among others.## "Karnan'' will release in mid-2020.## Meanwhile, Dhanush's film by director Karthik Subbaraj titled ''Jagame Thandhiram'', has been wrapped. The film will release on May 1. The first look poster of the film resembles the 15th-century, mural painting, The Last Supper by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci.## In a tweet, Dhanush wrote: "It was a pleasure to work with such a quirky, sensible and visionary filmmaker like @karthiksubbaraj this one is going to be special.''## The film features Malayalam actors Aishwarya Lekshmi and Joju George.## For more and latest news about Kollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Big B shares Jaya's pic in avatar of Swami Vivekananda
2287 days ago
Bollywood

Big B shares Jaya's pic in avatar of Swami Vivekananda

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday shared a throwback picture of his wife Jaya Bachchan in which the latter could be seen dressed as Swami Vivekananda.## "Jaya .. in film 'Dagtar Babu' in Bengali playing Vivekananda .. film could not be completed," Big B captioned the image.## Reacting to the picture, a user commented: "incredible."## Another one wrote: "Beautiful."## A day ago, Amitabh posted a black-and-white picture from the sets of Shoojit Sircar's upcoming film "Gulabo Sitabo", co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana.## "In the world of this Gen Abr., conversation .. for Gulabo Sitabo .. GiBo SiBo ..Last time did something like that his was for 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' ... K3G," he wrote.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Alia, Zoya Akhtar among celebs at premiere of Kiara's film
2287 days ago
Bollywood

Alia, Zoya Akhtar among celebs at premiere of Kiara's film

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Makers of the Netflix film 'Guilty' hosted a premiere of their film here. The guest list included Alia Bhatt, besides the film's cast members Kiara Advani, Gurfateh Singh Pirzada, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Taher Shabbir.## Alia, along with sister Shaheen Bhatt and mother Soni Razdan, was there to show support to her childhood friend Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor.## Celebrities like Zoya Akhtar, Rinku Rajguru, Makrand Deshpande, Athiya Shetty, Vaani Kapoor, Gauhar Khan, and Shashank Khaitan also attended premier of the film.## Alvira Khan-Agnihotri, Aditya Seal, Pragya Yadav-Kapoor, Nitya Mehra, Patralekhaa and Karan Tacker were also spotted at the launch of the film.## The film's director Ruchi Narain, and producer and CEO of Dharma Productions Apoorva Mehta, were also spotted at the event.## Also on the guest list were Akansha's sister Anushka Ranjan Kapoor and Gurfateh's sister Mehreen Pirzadaa.## "Guilty" is written by Narain, Kanika Dhillon, and Atika Chohan. The film follows the story of a songwriter whose boyfriend is accused of rape.## The film is the first production venture of Dharmatic, the digital arm of Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.## It is slated to release on March 6.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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'No Time To Die' pushed to November amid coronavirus scare
2287 days ago
Hollywood

'No Time To Die' pushed to November amid coronavirus scare

Los Angeles, March 5 (IANS) The release date for the upcoming James Bond film 'No Time To Die', starring Daniel Craig in his final 007 outings, has been postponed until November amid fears around coronavirus. The film was due to be released in April.## Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have now said that "after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace" the film has to be delayed, reports dailymail.co.uk.## The film will release on November 12 in the UK and on November 25 in the uS, with other release dates worldwide to follow.## The news of the delay was announced on the film's official Twitter account, and it comes amid growing concerns over the threat of deadly coronavirus, which has infected more than 92,000 worldwide and killed 3,110 globally according to the latest figures by World Health Organisation.## Earlier this week, prominent James Bond fan site MI6-HQ.com wrote an open letter requesting the delay of "No Time To Die", the upcoming installment in the British spy series that brings back Daniel Craig as Agent 007 for a final time.## The makers had also scrapped the Chinese press tour and premiere due to the coronavirus epidemic. The world premiere for "No Time To Die" was scheduled to take place on March 31 in London.## "No Time To Die" is Craig's fifth portrayal as James Bond. He has essayed the role in "Casino Royale" (2006), "Quantum Of Solace" (2008), "Skyfall" (2012) and "Spectre" (2015).## It is being widely speculated that Craig will make way for a female Bond, to be played by Lashana Lynch, in the next film of the series.## "No Time To Die" is the 25th film in the Bond series. It has been directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and also stars Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek and Ana De Armas.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Coronavirus scare: Salman Khan prefers salaam, namaste over handshake or hug
2287 days ago
Bollywood

Coronavirus scare: Salman Khan prefers salaam, namaste over handshake or hug

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is the latest public figure to endorse the idea of greeting people the India style with a namaste or salaam, rather than shake hands or hug.## Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and India's Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar have been personalities who have lately supported the idea that people should greet each with folded hands under the present circumstances.## Salman wrote on IOnstagram: "Namashkaar... hamari sabhyata mein namaste aur salaam hai! Jab #coronavirus Khatam ho jaye tab Haath milao aur gale lago... @beingstrongindia".## The actor also shared a picture of himself where his hands are folded in a namaste. Meanwhile, with the threat of COVID-19 looming large, the government has tightened the entry into India for nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan with immediate effect. Indian citizens have also been advised to refrain from travelling to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and other affected countries.## In dia, 29 people have been quarantined owing to coronavirus scare so far.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Kriti Sanon wraps up 'Mimi'
2287 days ago
Bollywood

Kriti Sanon wraps up 'Mimi'

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Actress Kriti Sanon has finished shooting for 'Mimi', the upcoming heroine-centric film where she essays a surrogate mother.## Kriti on Thursday took to Instagram and posted a lengthy note, thanking the crew and cast for making a "beautiful film".## "#Mimi has been such an experience!! The most satisfying schedule ever with a super passionate and hardworking cast and crew!! It's such a lovely feeling when everyone just wants to put in their best effort to make a beautiful film! #Mimi-- this one's too close to my heart," she wrote.## "Mimi" marks the return of director Laxman Utekar, who made his Bollywood directorial debut last year with the Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon hit "Luka Chuppi". Shot mainly in Jaipur, "Mimi" also features Pankaj Tripathi, Sai Tamhankar, Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak. The film is a remake of Samroudhhi Porey's National Award-winning Marathi film "Mala Aai Vhhaychy!" (2011).## After "Mimi", Utekar is scheduled to reunite with Kriti and Kartik for "Luka Chuppi 2".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Chris Evans to star in thriller 'Bermuda'
2287 days ago
Hollywood

Chris Evans to star in thriller 'Bermuda'

Los Angeles, March 5 (IANS) After exiting as director of the 'Doctor Strange' sequel, filmmaker Scott Derrickson is expected to team up with Marvel Studios alum Chris Evans for the upcoming thriller 'Bermuda'.## According to hollywoodreporter.com, Derrickson is set to helm "Bermuda" for Skydance, with Evans eyed to star in the project.## Ironically, Sam Raimi was at one time attached to direct "Bermuda". Now, Raimi is set to helm "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".## "Bermuda", about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, had a script from Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard when Raimi was attached. Derrickson and his writing partner C. Robert Cargill will rewrite the script.## Derrickson rose to prominence with 2005's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", and went on to direct "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Sinister" and "Doctor Strange", the 2016 Marvel film which brought Benedict Cumberbatch into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.## Derrickson remains an executive producer on "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness".## Evans, who retired the role of Captain America with "Avengers: Endgame", will also be seen in Greg Berlanti's upcoming "Little Shop of Horrors" remake.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Saiyami Kher on getting role of undercover agent right
2287 days ago
Bollywood

Saiyami Kher on getting role of undercover agent right

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Actress Saiyami Kher says she did in-depth research to get her role as an undercover agent in the espionage thriller 'Special Ops' right.## "To prepare for this role, I read a number of journals and tons of articles online about undercover agents and their lives. I also read a book called 'Inside RAW', which was absolutely great because it gave an incredible bird's-eye view into the way the operations function without risking national security," Saiyami said.## "It's so interesting to learn their stories since they lead normal lives while they're actually undercover agents. They are so well informed and have so much knowledge on various subjects, most of which we as regular individuals are completely unaware of," she added.## Directed by Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair, the eight-episode Hotstar Specials spy action-thriller series is based on the role of Indian intelligence in a series of real terror attacks that India faced over the last 19 years.## It also features Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Divya Dutta, Vinay Pathak, Muzammil Ibrahim, Vipul Gupta, Sajjad Delafrooz, Parmeet Sethi, Gautami Kapoor, Sana Khan, Sharad Kelkar, and KP Mukherjee. It is slated to go live on March 17 in seven languages on Hotstar VIP.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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When SRK, Virat Kohli influenced 'MC Sher' Siddhant Chaturvedi
2287 days ago
Bollywood

When SRK, Virat Kohli influenced 'MC Sher' Siddhant Chaturvedi

Mumbai, March 5 (IANS) Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who has been signed up as a brand ambassador of a men's grooming range, feels celebrity faces truly influence consumers to buy products. Being a fanboy of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, Siddhant says he also did the same in his years of growing up.## "Being a Shah Rukh Khan fan, as a kid, I would go for anything that SRK endorsed. If I saw an ad on TV, I would ask if I could get that (product)," Siddhant told IANS.## On Virat, he added: "Being a huge cricket fan, I felt anything that Virat does, I have to do!"## Now that the actor has become the face of a men's grooming brand, the subject of his signature style naturally came up. "I believe in finding my own comfort. Those days when everyone found growing beard cool, I wasn't doing it only because everyone was doing it. I grew a stubble. Holding on to my signature style that defines my personality is important to me rather than following a trend. I am an actor. So, most of the time I am portraying someone on-screen who I am not. If I have to be someone else off camera too, where will I show the real me?" he chuckled with a wink.## Is grooming as important for men as women? "It is important to be well-groomed, especially when you are going out for a date, a professional meeting or attending an occasion. Personally, I am lazy by nature to groom myself every day, but I am an actor and I am in showbiz. That is why I prepare myself to get used to the practice of being presentable at all times," he replied.## Being signed up to sell products, they say, is the first sign that you've arrived as a star. Siddhant is clearly excited selling the grooming range, Ustraa.## "Who would have thought that one day I would become the face of a brand!" he gushed.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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