BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Bollywood star Mithun Chakraborty's father breathed his last in Mumbai on Tuesday, but the veteran actor is currently stranded in Bengaluru owing to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## Basanta Kumar Chakraborty, 95, reportedly died of renal failure after battling health problems for a while now.## Right now, the actor is trying to reach Mumbai to perform the last rites. He was in Bengaluru for a shoot, a timesofindia.com report stated. His eldest son Mahakshay, also known as Mimoh, is in Mumbai along with the rest of the family.## Mithun, whose real name is Gouranga Chakraborty, is the eldest among the four children of Basanta Kumar Chakraborty, who is survived by his wife Santimoyee Chakraborty.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Punjabi celebrities including Neeru Bajwa, Sargun Mehta, Afsana Khan and Rubina Bajwa have come together for a music video of the song "Jitange hosle naal", which is an attempt to give hope to Indians amid the testing times of COVID-19.## It is a tribute from the Punjabi film industry to health workers and policemen fighting against coronavirus.## The track has been sung by Afsana Khan, Rza Heer. It has lyrics by Veet Baljit and music by MP Athwal.## "The song is about love, hope, and spreading happiness. It says 'jitange hosle naal' which means if we have the courage, we will definitely win. I am thankful that the people of the Punjab industry have come forward for this effort of unity and togetherness," said Neeru.## The video features singers and actors singing from their respective homes, along with visuals of people cheering for their heroes like police, doctors, and cleaners, dancing, and spreading happiness, love, and hope.## The song is presented by Neeru Bajwa, and Speed Records.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Actress Tamannaah Bhatia says "today we are like caged animals", and says that the universe has given us a time to reflect on the fact.## "Lockdown is a need of the hour at this point of time and cases will multiply if we don't adhere to social distancing rules and limit outdoor activities until an effective medical solution is derived," Tamannaah said.## "This unprecedented crisis has taken so many innocent lives and the economy is majorly hit especially the small businesses. Maybe the universe is teaching us a lesson for all the harm we have caused nature and animals," she added.## Tamannaah along with Letsallhelp.Org has extended help to migrant workers in Mumbai. They have been successful in mobilising over 50 tonnes of food products and have catered to the needs of over 10,000 people across the slums, shelters and old age homes across Mumbai.## The actress feels "today we are like caged animals and the universe has given us a time to reflect on this".## "The team at Letsallhelp.org and I have taken a pledge that no one goes to sleep without food during the lockdown and we are utilising this time to help the migrant workers with basic utilities. Please start the practice of donation in any form as you deem fit until the situation gets under control. Don't just watch out for yourself, watch out for everyone else's well-being too," she added.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan wished her fans on the occasion of Earth Day 2020 and shared a stunning collage of her several breathtaking vacations.## From the beach to snow-capped mountains and camel rides in the desert, Sara's vacation collage on Instagram has impressed fans.## She explored her poetic side in the caption: "Happy Earth Day. About Mother Nature what to say... Snowflakes in December, Jungles in May On the beach, where the hair can sway... In the mountains, on my sleigh... In the desert, the camel leads the way... But for now, at home, we must stay... And with gratitude and appreciation thank Mother Earth every day.## However, there was a glitch in her Earth Day post, caught by actor Ishaan Khatter who reminded her that the Earth Day is on Tuesday while she posted the beautiful collage on Monday.## "Maine bhi yeh hi ghalti ki ..in one small detail the problem lay; Earth day is tomorrow, errbody thinkin we cray," replied Ishaan, matching Sara's poetic relish.## On the work front, Sara was last seen in Imtiaz Ali's "Love Aaj Kal", which also starred Kartik Aaryan.## Sara will be next seen opposite Varun Dhawan in the remake of "Coolie No.1". She will also be seen sharing screen space with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush in "Atrangi Re".## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, April 22 (IANS) Tom Hardys much-anticipated "Venom" sequel has been delayed by eight months amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.## The second installment in the action-fantasy series, directed by Andy Serkis, was slated to release on October 2, 2020.## The sequel, officially titled "Venom: Let There Be Carnage", will instead launch eight months later on June 25, 2021, reports variety.com.## In 2018, "Venom" introduced Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom. It follows the popular Marvel anti-hero as he transforms from a go-getter journalist to the powerful alien symbiote. The film put the conflict of good versus bad in the center stage.## Serkis is directing Sony's follow-up to "Venom", which sees Hardy again assume the alien symbiote. The first film became a surprise box office hit, earning $855 million globally. Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Reid Scott and Naomie Harris will also appear in the sequel.## By postponing "Venom" until next year, Sony has reshuffled nearly every movie scheduled to release in 2020. The studio already pushed back many of its major films, including "Morbius" (from July 31, 2020, to March 19, 2021), "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" (from July 10, 2020, to March 5, 2021) and Tom Holland's "Uncharted" (from March 5, 2021, to Oct. 8, 2021).## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Alia Bhatt features in Mumbai Police force's latest effort in their ongoing campaign exhorting people to stay indoors, in these times of COVID-19 pandemic.## On their official page, Mumbai Police have shared a meme featuring a smiling Alia in her "Gully Boy" look. "That face when he says he is going out for a walk during the lockdown," reads the meme.## Mumbai Police tweeted the meme with this caption: "Abort mission. We repeat - Abort Mission! #StayHome #StaySafe."## Lately, Mumbai Police have been posting quirky tweets featuring Bollywood stars, their films, and popular on-screen characters, while advising people to stay at home during the lockdown.## This is not the first time Alia features in a tweet by Mumbai Police. Recently, they had created a message using the names of her popular films while urging people to stay at home. "Mumbaikars, we hope you all are 'Raazi' with this advice of Ms @aliaa08 to not venture out in any ‘Gully' unnecessarily and take care of ‘Dear Zindagi' for all!" they had tweeted.## Other stars who have featured in Mumbai Police's quirky tweets include Ajay Devgn, Shahid Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, and Arjun Kapoor.## Recently, Mumbai Police tweeted mentioning Abhishek Bachchan's character in the "Dhoom" franchise, ACP Jai Dixit, as an inspiration. Their official handle shared: "Just taking the 'ACP Jai Dixit' route to ensure that the city gets back to normalcy soon -- that too, with a 'Dhoom'! All Mumbaikars need to do is not make 'Dus Bahaane' about going out unnecessarily!"## They even tweeted using Ajay Devgn's popular movies: "Dear Singham, Just doing what khakee is supposed to do to ensure that things return to how they were - Once upon a time in Mumbai! #TakingOnCorona."## Their tweet featuring Shahid Kapoor's films read: "The most ‘Shaandaar' support Mumbaikars can provide right now is to stay at home. And make plans for what all we would do together ‘Jab We Meet' post #lockdown #TakingOnCorona."## Tweeting with the names of Arjun Kapoor's movies, Mumbai Police had shared: "Taking no ‘half' measures to ensure safety from #corona in Mumbai - a city with millions of ‘Ishaqzaades' in love with it!"## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, April 22 (IANS) The cast of the iconic sitcom "Friends" launched a contest for fans to attend their reunion special, through which they will raise funds to help people dealing with food scarcity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.## They have joined the "All In Challenge". Stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry announced the contest on their social mia platforms.## The stars are offering six tickets to the taping of their forthcoming HBO Max reunion special as well as a cup of coffee at "Central Perk" as part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, reports hollywoodreporter.com.## "Hey, it's us…your FRIENDS. And We Are All In! Some of you may have heard about a reunion special that we are doing for HBO Max? Well… We want YOU and five of YOUR Friends to join the 6 of us on Stage 24," the stars posted on their respective social accounts.## "Be our personal guests in the audience for the taping where you'll get to see us all together again for the first time in ages, as we reminisce about the show and celebrate all of the fun we had. PLUS, sip a cup of coffee with us in Central Perk, and get the Friends VIP experience on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour," read the post further.## The reunion tickets and studio tour auction are part of the "All In Challenge", which is uniting celebrities, athletes and sports leagues to raise funds.## In addition to the cast of "Friends", others participating in the challenge include Madonna, Russell Wilson and Ciara, Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Reynolds. The funds raised from the various auctions will go to several organizations working towards relief work.## The "Friends" reunion was among the productions that were forced to suspend work amid the near shut down due to the virus crisis. The special, featuring all six "Friends" stars, was scheduled to be recorded in March. A new date for the special has not yet been announced as it remains unclear when it will be safe for the productions to resume.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Wednesday is Earth Day, and at a time when the world battles the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Bollywood took to social media to remind us of our responsibility to keep the planet clean and green.## Sonakshi Sinha tweeted: "When you realize "Heart" and Earth are spelled with the same letters, it all starts to make sense! Happy 50th #EarthDay!## Bhumi Pednekar shared a beautiful poem on how to make the earth cleaner and more beautiful. The actress wrote: "You can save water & plant a tree. Say no to single-use plastic & make her free. Recycle your things, Don't make more trash, We have really abused her, let's not be rash. I love you Earth is all I can say, every day should be Earth Day #HappyEarthDay #EarthDay #ClimateWarrior"## Kajol tweeted: "The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth. If that has not been proved categorically to us at this time I don't think it ever will be. Happy #EarthDay2020 to all the remaining species."## Madhuri Dixit Nene suggested: "This lockdown has shown us how little nature needs for it to revive and thrive. On the 50th #EarthDay let us all pledge to #DoOurBit by switching off appliances when not in use, plant trees, use fuel & water conservatively. Together we can build a better world, one we all are proud of."## Rakul Preet Singh shared on Instagram: "Get lost in the beauty of nature to find yourself! We haven't really been responsible enough to nurture the planet that feeds us all. It's time we realize the same and strive to be better citizens of earth. They say nature has its ways to teach a lesson, maybe this is a warning to preserve our habitat. If we truly surrendered in Earth's intelligence we could rise up rooted like trees! Happy Earth Day."## Sidharth Malhotra expressed on Twitter: "Today, while we are locked in our houses, nature continues to thrive. We all need to remember this when we get out that we are just guests on this beautiful planet, not the owners. This #EarthDay2020 let's do our bit to heal our planet and build a better future."## Richa Chadha shared a video where she offers suggestions regarding how we can make a difference to the planet. The actress suggested growing some of our own food like she has grown aloe vera and Curry leaves, segregating dry and wet waste, saving electricity, saying no to plastic, saving water, and using recycled products. She concluded with a message: "Give love to mother earth. This is the only home we have. Nature doesn't need us, we need it."## "It's EARTH DAY! I woke up and made a video, (simple enough for a 6-year-old, but we all tend to forget the basics)! While everyone is busy sharing pictures of peacocks on roads, dolphins in the sea, birds, and clear blue skies… Let's not forget that nature is healing and we must not get back to our old ways once the lockdown is relaxed! Every day is Earth Day!" Richa captioned.## Tamannaah Bhatia shared a message on climate change and wrote: "The Earth Does Not Belong to Us: We Belong to the Earth. -Marlee Matlin. Climate change is real and currently, we are experiencing it first hand. Let pledge to protect our planet and make it green and clean, once again! #earthday2020".## Dia Mirza tweeted: "The world needs a 'Satyagraha' a movement of non-violence against nature. Respect nature's DEMOCRACY for the sake of ALL people. The planet provides and nurtures life. #ForPeopleForPlanet"## Neha Dhupia shared a beautiful collage of photographs with husband Angad Bedi and daughter Mehr with the message: "Stay home save our home".## Malaika Arora shared on Instagram: "Mother earth is a living organism too. Love, honor, and respect her."## Saurabh Shukla expressed: "Happy Mother Earth Day. Maa bless us all! #EarthDay2020 #EarthDay #environment #PLEDGE #socialresponsibility."## Esha Deol shared a message which reads: "Make everyday earth day".## Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar shared: "Go green and let's make our Earth a beautiful place to live. #HappyEarthDay #EarthDay2020."## Film producer Bhushan Kumar tweeted: "Nature is our biggest blessing, let us do our bit to preserve it & build a better future for all. #EarthDay2020".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Amitabh Bachchan's Marathi film "AB Aani CD" released at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to impact India, due to which theatres had to be shut down. Now, the film is all set for a digital premiere on May 1.## Produced by Akshay Bardapurkar, the dramedy is directed by Milind Lele and also features Vikram Gokhale. The film was one of the first few theatrical releases to impacted by the nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak in India.## The film will be released on Amazon Prime Video on Maharashtra Day.## Talking about its digital premiere, Bardapurkar said: "In the current circumstances, public safety and health is of paramount importance. It, therefore, made absolute sense to digitally debut this beautiful movie with our streaming partner Amazon Prime Video. In association with Prime Video, we are thrilled to release the film to mark Maharashtra Day and Labor Day as an ode to our all frontline heroes in the battle against COVID. It is our humble tribute to an enormous effort which will be remembered for a long time."## "AB Aani CD" is a coming-of-age film that follows two playschool friends Amitabh and Vikram who meet almost after 70 years at a birthday party.## "After facing a great amount of revenue loss, this time around the makers would not like to take any chances and they are in talks with a few insurance companies to understand that if all types of calamities/ pandemics are covered in it along with almost all unforeseen circumstances. Once we have clarity, the idea is to secure the film right from the inception, it's high time we give importance to such important things and not to leave everything to destiny, as producers live on the fact that the film will get its full release everywhere be it theatres or any other platforms," said Bardapurkar while talking about losses incurred due to the removal of the film, and post COVID-19 era.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan says Prime Minister Narendra Modi will always be remembered for saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.## Lauding PM Modi's decision to announce nation-wide lockdown, the Ustad said: "Our beloved PM Narendra Bhai Modi Ji will also be remembered for saving lives of so many Indians suffering and fighting with the coronavirus disease."## Khan feels the COVID-19 pandemic is a "big attack on the human race as well as the future of the world as we know it", saying: "I never realized that the world will ever suffer a disease in such a way."## He continued: "As a young boy in my school, I used to play 'We Shall Overcome' on the sarod, and slowly and gradually, realized that every country has its own rendition in their own language. Till today, we still sing 'Hum Honge Kamyab'. I am grateful to HMV, now known as Sa Re Ga Ma', that recorded the video at our historical monuments."## "Our prayers and thoughts are always with the people of the world who are suffering and fighting the coronavirus today. ‘Khuda Haafiz'. It means ‘May God Almighty' always be with you and protect you," he added.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Actor Vicky Kaushal feels the phenomenon of sleep paralysis is scary.## On Instagram, Vicky recently conducted an interactive session with fans. When a user asked him if he has ever seen a ghost in real life, Vicky opened up on the subject of sleep paralysis.## "I have experienced sleep paralysis a couple of times. It's damn scary," he wrote.## Sleep paralysis is a medical condition where a person, on waking up from sleep, experiences a temporary inability to move or speak.## The actor also shared that he is scared of watching horror films.## Incidentally, he recently starred in the horror film, "Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship". The film performed below expectations.## Vicky will next be seen in Shoojit Sircar's "Sardar Udham Singh". He has also signed Meghna Gulzar's film biopic of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. He will be essaying the title roles in both films.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) At a time when singer Sonu Nigam faces trolling from a section of netizens over his three-year-old tweet comments on 'azaan', singer Adnan Sami has come out in his support.## Calling Sonu Nigam his "true brother", Sami claimed that the singer respects all faiths.## "As far as Sonu Nigam is concerned, forget about his singing which is incredibly beautiful; he is a true brother who has always been by my side and loved me like my own!! I know for a fact, personally, that he respects all faiths!! Kindly leave him alone... #WithYouSonuNigam," Sami tweeted.## All through Tuesday, Nigam trended on social media after certain tweets he had posted in 2017 criticizing the 'azaan' started going viral. A section of the media also erroneously reported that Nigam weighed down by the trolling, had deactivated his Twitter account. The truth is the singer had deleted his Twitter account back in 2017.## Sonu Nigam is currently in Dubai with his family and is unable to return to India because of the lockdown.## Sami apart, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also tweeted in support of Sonu Nigam. He wrote: "One should have a right to comment on #SonuNigam the day you connect and heal as many hearts as his music has."## Stay tuned...