BY SACNILK

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Freida Pinto feels there was a time when the world ridiculed Indians for speaking so many languages and celebrating so many festivals. The actress says the world needs to imbibe the ethos of Indian culture in this "dark time". ## The actress is excited about her new animated show "Mira, Royal Detective", weaved around with the Indian culture and traditions. She feels people will be amazed to look at the myriad colours and diversity of India. ## "I think the first thing is that the world is going to be absolutely enthralled by the fact that there are so many languages and festivals that we celebrate," Freida told IANS in an interview. ## "We, in the past, have been ridiculed for speaking so many languages and celebrating so many festivals. Now, they are going to see the beauty of these and then realise what they are missing on. They will want to celebrate a few of them here in America and I think they rightfully should, similar to celebrating Christmas, Easter or any other festival," she added. ## The US-based Indian actress, who found fame with the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire", continued: "I hope they celebrate Eid, Holi and Diwali and understand the significance of these festivals. All these festivals are tied to Mother Nature but also in good and evil, the same way all the other religious festivals are tied into. So, I think it will be a great learning and perception building as well. ## "Also, as a point of view of how much the Indian culture and tradition is weaved around family, friendship and togetherness. I think the world really needs it right now. We need this at this dark time," she added. ## Freida has carved out a niche of her own in world cinema through her roles in films like "Miral", "Day Of The Falcon", "Immortals", "Desert Dancer" and "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes". Freida was also seen with Christian Bale in Terrence Malick's film "Knight Of Cups", which brought to light Hollywood's underbelly. Her work resume also includes projects "Guerrilla", "Yamasong: March of the Hollows", "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" and "Love Sonia". ## The actress feels that lack of awareness of Indian culture led to stereotypes. ## "There's this beautiful thing about the Indian culture that it's very welcoming but because of the lack of awareness of the culture over the years, it has been reduced to stereotypes. And this show (‘Mira, Royal Detective') shatters all of these. No one speaks in a particular accent; we all just keep our own, just to make it universally understood. This will make people seen and heard and not make them feel ridiculous while watching a show like this," she said. ## Set in the fictional land of Jalpur, "Mira, Royal Detective" follows the life of Mira, a commoner who is appointed to the role of royal detective by the queen. Freida has voiced the character of Queen Shanti who appoints a kind, empathetic, intelligent and confident little girl named Mira to be the Royal detective to her kingdom. ## "Playing Queen Shanti in ‘Mira, Royal Detective' is extremely special because firstly, I never grew up watching a show like this. The fact that the show now gets made with a whole South Asian cast, theme, songs along with clothing, language etc just means that we get to normalise the South Asian and Indian culture. We get other people to watch this and be a part of it as well. It's like we all are invited to this one big party at ‘Mira, Royal Detective'," she said. ## The series features an all-star cast of prominent South Asian actors including Jameela Jamil, Kal Penn, Freida, Hannah Simone, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aasif Mandvi and Aparna Nancherla amongst others. It will also introduce 16-year-old newcomer Leela Ladnier as the voice of Mira. The show will premiere in the US on March 20 on Disney Channel. It will go on air on Disney Channel India on March 22. ## (Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at [email protected]) ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, March 19 (IANS) Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise never thought a "Top Gun" sequel would ever happen. ## "Everywhere I went, people would be like, 'Do Top Gun', and I'm like, 'Guys, I don't know how to do it'," the actor said in an interview to Empire, on the much-anticipated sequel of 1986 hit "Top Gun". ## "I don't know what the story is. I don't make movies just to make movies. I was like, 'Jerry (Bruckheimer, producer), it's never going to happen'. I honestly never thought I would make it," femalefirst.co.uk reports the Hollywood superstar as saying. ## Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the movie will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Studios. In the film, Tom will be seen reprising his role as pilot Peter 'Maverick' Mitchell. ## Currently, Cruise is in Surrey, UK, filming the crucial opening scene of "Mission Impossible 7", after the schedule had to be moved from Venice, Italy, reports the sun.co.uk. ## The shoot was shifted from Venice to Surrey owing to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Italy has been one of the worst-affected nations reeling under the global pandemic. ## In Surrey, the 57-year-old Cruise, reprising his role of super-sleuth Ethan Hunt, was spotted performing a few dangerous stunts featuring cars and bikes along a runway. He took part in an elaborate action sequence in an orange Fiat 500 that was engulfed in smoke. ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

London, March 19 (IANS) English actress-model-television personality Jameela Jamil feels chat show empress Oprah Winfrey would have "never made it" if she gave the calling a shot in the United Kingdom, because of the lack of diversity in the country's showbiz scene. ## Jamil, 34, said this was also the reason she herself shifted to the United states, in order to pursue a career in television. ## "We're still behind in giving women important jobs that lead to long standing, dignified careers, the rest of us either get pushed out or get pushed into being nothing more than sex objects, whether we want that or not. I remember coming to America five years ago and seeing (black US broadcaster) Robin Roberts hosting 'Good Morning America' and knowing that Oprah is a really big deal (in the US). Oprah would never have made it in the UK," Jamil said, opening up in an interview with Playboy magazine. ## "I couldn't believe that I was seeing women in their fifties and sixties of different races on the biggest shows on US television. That was a big moment," she added, about her first impression of the American entertainment industry, according to a report in dailymail.co.uk. ## Jamil claimed she had to fly off to the US because had she stayed on in the UK, she would be sent to the "glue factory". ## She left London for Los Angeles after a breast cancer scare. According to Daily Mail, Jamil initially had no plans of acting or facing the camera. She intended to work as a screenwriter in Hollywood. ## Before trekking Hollywood, Jamil started off as the host of a popular "T4" at the age of 23, and went on to become the host of "The Official Chart" on BBC Radio 1. She also co-hosted "The Official Chart Update" with Scott Mills on the channel. Jamil would be the first solo female presenter of the BBC Radio 1 chart show. ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) As the cases of COVID-19 outbreak keep growing in the country, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan shared a photograph of his hand with a "Home Quarantined" stamp on it.## The actor tweeted the photograph on Tuesday and captioned the image: "Stamping started on hands with voter ink, in Mumbai .. keep safe , be cautious , remain isolated if detected."## Big B has been actively spreading awareness on social media to curb the spread of COVID-19. He recently announced that he would be cancelling the ritual of Sunday meeting with fans to keep everyone safe.## The iconic star had earlier also penned a poem and posted a video of his rendition of the same on Twitter.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Los Angeles, March 18 (IANS) Pop singer Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Baldwin have chosen to practice social distancing miles away from Los Angeles.## After urging followers to exercise self-isolation to fight the global spread of coronavirus pandemic, Bieber and his wife are reported to have flown back to his native country Canada, reports aceshowbiz.com.## The married couple, according to PEOPLE, took a private jet on Monday, March 16 for the trip.## "They plan on socially distancing themselves," a source close to the "Baby" singer said that their departure which was done on the same day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the closing of Canadian borders to foreigners, restricting it only to its citizens, permanent residents, and US citizens.## On why the pair decided to isolate themselves in his native country?## The source said: "In Canada, their home is very secluded and they are able to be out in nature still... They plan on staying in Canada until it's safe for everyone to resume their regular lives."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) The Instagram-based web series "Firsts" has created a record by garnering 26 million views including YouTube and Facebook till date. On Instagram alone, the show has 16 million views. "Firsts", a show dealing with innocent school romance, stars Rohan Shah and Apoorva Arora.## Talking about the series, director Nayana Shyam shared: "Seeing the show perform so well, just makes me feel proud of all the efforts the team has put in. I'm truly humbled that the audience loved Rohan and Apoorva's Firsts as much as we did while making it."## Sharing the experience of shooting, the director added: "Directing ‘Firsts' was honestly a nostalgic experience for me. It transported us back to the time when we were teenagers. Nothing was too childish, even romance was enjoyed in the most innocent way and moments were created naturally. The videos are just one minute each but Pranav (writer) and I along with our actors Rohan and Apoorva really challenged ourselves to bring the best out."## The makers of "Firsts" target teenagers with its story of high school romance, and also hope grown-ups will accept the show with a tinge of nostalgia about their school days and first crush!## That the web series is currently enjoying immense popularity is evident from a quick scan of the comments section of each episode. The series has garnered over 8,000 comments, of which most are fan requests demanding a second season soon.## For more and latest news about Digital Media, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Singer Poorvi Koutish has sung a song titled "Jwalamukhi" in AR Rahman's debut film production "99 Songs", and she feels lucky to get a chance to work with the Oscar-winning composer.## Recalling her experience of working with Rahman, Poorvi said: "After finishing my Performance Majors from KMMC (2 years of studying Opera- Western Classical), I got to intern at AR Rahman sir's Panchattan studios in Chennai, as a music producer and a recording artist for almost a year. I'm grateful to sir to have provided me with a wide field of multiple musical aspects, to choose and experiment with. Surprisingly, I didn't get to sing quite a lot in that one year, but experienced many live sessions which helped me recognize many different elements/processes behind the production."## She added: "I'm grateful to sir to provide such spaces for artists to meet and collaborate, which I believe is the biggest gift you can give to anyone today. The first time I ever got a call to perform with sir was back in December 2017, as a part of his Encore Tour. I wasn't quite sure if I was too numb to be excited or too excited is why I was numb.## "I had just finished my course in Chennai KMMC and was moving back to Mumbai. I was given two songs ‘Mayya Mayya' and ‘Jiya Re', which were one of my favorites anyway. From there on I performed with sir multiple times for different events with his extraordinary team of musicians and artists, presenting a lifetime experience for the audiences. From Encore tour to Amabani weddings, quite recently, it was Pune as a part of '99 Songs'- movie's promotions. It has been and continues to be quite a blessed and thrilling ride."## Poorvi was also part of the singing reality TV show "Indian Idol 6".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Marathi actress Manasi Naik has been enjoying social media attention for her resemblance to Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.## Several of Manasi's pictures are doing the rounds on the Internet and, looking at the snapshots, many netizens feel that they are reminded of Aishwarya in her early days in the film industry.## "Aishwarya's duplicate," a user commented.## Another user wrote: "Aishwarya's carbon copy."## Earlier in 2005, actress Sneha Ullal, who has paired opposite superstar Salman Khan in "Lucky: No Time For Love", made similar headlines for her striking resemblance to Aishwarya.## However, "Lucky" fared way below expectations at the box office, and Sneha could not quite make her mark in Bollywood in the years to come.## Will the resemblance with Aishwarya work for Manasi? Time will tell.## For more and latest news about Social Media, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) The Hindi sci-fi film "Cargo", starring Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi, was screened at MAMI film festival last year, and will now have its international premiere at SXSW (South by Southwest Film Festival) 2020.## " 'cargo' is a very special film. Last year, we were struggling with this movie because we did not know what to do with it.. which direction this film would go. but being selected in over 15 festivals across the world is really heartwarming news for us. It's a very small film to represent your country and cinema.. so it's a great thing. It is a proud moment for us because it is a first sci-fi first Indian film to achieve this," Vikrant said.## The film will also open the Miami Scifi festival. Amongst the other noted film festivals where the film is scheduled to play are the Chattanooga Film Festival in Tennessee, Sydney Scifi, Revelations in Perth, and the London Scifi.## Directed by Arati Kadav, "Cargo" traces the journey of a female astronaut who meets a reticent astronaut on a spaceship. With the struggles of her job piling on, she gets better acquainted with the mysterious cargoes that land on the ship.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Ayushmann Khurrana on Thursday took to social media to share some self-composed Shayari about the families that have been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak.## "Ab ameer ka har din ravivar ho gaya, aur gareeb hap apne somvaar ke intezaar mein. Ab ameer ka har din seh parivaar ho gaya hai, aur gareeb hao apne rozgaar ke intezaar mein," he wrote.## Ayushmann even shared a video of how he is spending time with family members during self-isolation.## In the video, he is seen painting along with his kids and wife Tahira Kashyap.## Apart from this, Ayushmann's brother Aparshakti Khurana urged people to try not to panic.## "Do you remember the last time your life was as slow as it is today? We've been part of the rat race for so long that we barely got time to connect even with ourselves. Today, I can't help but see the bright side of this pandemic. A side which is telling us to slow down, to reflect, to introspect, to connect with others while connecting with our own selves.## "Also, let's try not to panic. As the most intelligent species on earth, we definitely will find ways to tackle it, cure it and come out of it stronger, as we always have. Till then, let's remember - we are all in this together," Aparshakti wrote on Instagram.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Chennai, March 18 (IANS) With World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, cinema, OTT and television production the world over have been adversely hit, and the thriving south Indian film industry is no exception. The Tamil and Telugu film industries, which account for a sizeable chunk of box-office revenues annually, have witnessed the postponing of film releases and shooting, with artistes, filmmakers, and technicians ensuring caution over commerce.## Theatres are shut, and films will release only after the situation is calmer. Among films that have been directly hit is Mohan Krishna Indraganti's film "V", starring Nani, Sudheer Babu, Nivetha Thomas and Aditi Rao Hydari, which was set to hit the screens on March 25. The makers will now announce have to announce a new release date.## Hemanth Madhukar's "Nishabdham", starring Anushka Shetty and Madhavan is another film that has been pushed. Rana Daggubati's ambitious jungle adventure, which was to release as "Kaadan" in Tamil and "Aranya" in Telugu was scheduled to open on April 2. The film, which also had a Hindi version titled "Haathi Mere SaathI", now stands postponed indefinitely.## Shooting schedules have been badly hit, too. Naga Chaitanya's "Love Story" as well as his father Nagarjuna's "Wild Dogs" are both said to be put on hold.## A major shoot that has been canceled for now is the "Baahubali" franchise director SS Rajamouli's next biggie, "RRR". The ambitious film stars Ram Charan and Jr. NTR with Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn. Irish actors Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody also feature in prominent roles in the film. The film might not release in January 2021, as was being said.## Films that were already released have also suffered. In Tamil Nadu, Harish Kalyan's "Dharala Prabhu", which released last Friday, will be re-released when the theatres reopen. The actor took to social media to pen an emotional note thanking the audience for the love and support given to his film, which managed to get a theatrical run of only a few days.## The Tamil industry is indeed concerned because the weeks ahead had a big line-up for the fans featuring several superstars. These include Vijay's "Master", Suriya's "Soorarai Pottru", Dhanush's "Jagame Thandhiram", which were set to release in April. These films will now have to settle for fresh release date.## The Tamil Nadu government on Monday declared a complete shutdown of educational institutions, malls, theatres, bars, swimming pools, museums and zoos across the in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.## For more and latest news about Kollywood and Tollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) Actress Bhumi Pednekar has been on a roll as she has had a series of hit films, such as "Saand Ki Aankh", "Bala" and "Pati, Patni Aur Woh". She feels blessed to see her work getting noticed by people, and now she wants to compete with herself to do better on screen.## "My journey in cinema has recently begun and I feel blessed and fortunate that my work has got noticed by some of the best film-makers of the industry. I'm thrilled about my performances being highlighted...As an actor, I can only aspire to do better from here on. I want to compete with myself and do better with each film," Bhumi said.## She added: "It has been an incredible year for sure and I have to thank my incredible directors for choosing me to be a part of their vision. Their confidence in me is a huge validation for an artist like me who wants to be a part of the best films that are being made today. I'm cherishing this moment and all the success and it is making me a lot more motivated to only do better work and deliver better performances on-screen."## Bhumi will next be seen in "Durgavati" and "Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.