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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actor Lakshya Kochhar, who is playing an important role in the upcoming short film "Second Hand", says that the story of the film quite realistically shows a modern-day relationship.## Sharing insight into his character, Lakshya said: "The film explores the dichotomy in modern-day relationships through its turbulent journey, dotted with ups and downs. Till what level can you push yourself to make a relationship work? What role does your past play in being the best self in your current relationship? And how do people react when they have no options left in the relationship. Either all in or out?"## The short film is directed by Navjot Gulati and releases on the OTT platform ZEE5 on Wednesday.## Lakshya, who earlier appeared in the Akshay Kumar-starrer "Gold" said that in the upcoming film his character looks very "non-glamourous", and he stopped working out for a while to put on a few kilos to look the part.## He added: "To reach the psyche of the character, it was very important to browse through my own experiences. Insecurities come with love and hence the balance between being possessive and insecure is the thin thread we walk on, to make any relationship work. We live in a very complex world and too many interlinked dynamics are at play. Manoeuvring your relationship through this chaos and surviving the ride can be very challenging. So in that sense, I feel most people will relate to the film and draw something from it."## The short also features Abhishek Banerjee and Parul Gulati.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actress Tisca Chopra has dedicated her role of Dr. Mira Anand in the series "Hostages" to first responders and caregivers amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.## Tisca took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of herself dressed in a doctor's gear.## "#DrMiraAnand in #Hostages on @starplus... From tonight at 10:30 pm. I humbly dedicate this role to all our first responders - doctors, nurses, hospital staff, delivery and logistics workers.. doing our little bit to entertain you, with our dream team: @madhoknikhil @sameern #sudhirmishra @ronitboseroy @d_eepak_dhar @segaldeepak @castingchhabra @aashimgulati @disneyplushotstar @applausesocial @banijayasia @starplus @surya_sharma_09 @malhaar_rathod," she captioned the image.## "Hostages", a crime thriller, is directed by Sudhir Mishra. It is an official adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name. It also stars Ronit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Aashim Gulati and Mohan Kapoor.## Amid lockdown, Tisca is using her time to hone her filmmaking skills. She has been taking online classes on how to direct feature films.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) With shooting stopped and everybody confined to their homes amid the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown, South actors and actresses can be seen utilizing the time doing household chores. While some can be seen trying their hands at cooking, some are busy cleaning the house. However, those who have pets, are utilizing their quarantine days to try and spend maximum time with their furry friends who have now become a favorite on social media.## One such social media favorite is Pranitha Subhash's husky Blu. The dog's photos and videos where he can be seen sitting in front of a laptop wearing a pair of spects as he "works from home", trying to catch food from the actress' hands, barking from outside a glass window or playing with his favorite "corona squeeze toy" is absolutely adorable. In a recent post, Pranitha shared: "It was love at first sight" for her after meeting Blu!## Another pet winning heart on social media is actress Keerthy Suresh's dog Nyke. A picture of the dog sitting alone on the terrace and watching sunset has captured hearts of netizens who are showering it with love!## One more social media star is actress Nidhhi Agerwal's labrador Boozo, who loves to eat idli and toast and hates it when he is not given a share while the family dines together!## Actress Payal Rajput's pet dogs Bunny and Candy define the word "cute" and we bet you cannot stop staring at them! In a recently shared video, the actress can be seen trying to put Candy to sleep while the lullaby "Rock-a-bye baby" plays in the background.## Payal captioned: "Finding my inner peace. The steadiness of her breath brings peacefulness and a feeling of warmth. Watching them play with each other, relax with a chew toy, sleep soundly, or explore their surroundings on our walks provide me "ah ha" moments."## Actor Sushanth's golden retrievers Thor and Leia are a visual delight! The actor recently took to Instagram to share a photo of the two sleeping together on the floor and captioned: "Twinning during quarantine times! #Thor #Leia #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #retrieversofinstagram #StayHomeStaySafe". The actor also urged citizens not to abandon their pets reminding everyone that the virus doesn't spread from animals.## However, not just south stars, Bollywood celebs are also spending time with their furry friends and keep sharing their photos and videos on social media. The pets who are enjoying immense social media attention of late include Preity Zinta's pet dog Bruno, Raveena Tandon's pet cat Puma and Kriti Sanon's pet dogs Disco and Phoebe among others.## While actors are spending quality time with their furry friends, they have also taken up the responsibility to remind people time and again not to abandon their pets as the virus doesn't spread from animals.## Stay tuned...

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Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Actress Gal Gadot, who will return for Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman 1984", shared how Wonder Woman's alter ego Diana has "evolved" in the upcoming installment .## "The first movie was a coming of age, it was Diana becoming Wonder Woman. She was very naive and she didn't understand the complexities of life. A fish out of water. In this movie, that's not the case whatsoever. Diana has evolved. She's much more mature and very wise," Gadot told Empire magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.## She said that "something crazy" will happen involving Chris Pine's alter ego, Steve Trevor.## "However, she's very lonely. She lost all of her team members and she's guarded. And then something crazy happens."## Gadot opened up about how she and Jenkins were keen on working with Pine again.## "Chris was an integral part of the movie, and of its success. And because he and I and Patty really enjoyed working together, we all wanted to have him back. And Patty and (co-writer) Geoff Johns found the best way that serves the narrative to bring Steve back."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Great acting in itself is never enough for an artist to reach out to the masses. While stardom and glamour do matter, an important role in modern-day showbiz is played by promotions.## Acting powerhouse Taapsee Pannu would be aware of that, but she would tell you promotional activities is hectic and can cause a lot of stress. To beat the stress, Taapsee says she has always fallen back on meditation.## "This might easily pass off as latest quarantine time picture but this is how I beat the stress of the promotion. With 4 releases in a year this makeshift meditation while getting my hair done became the need of the hour. #Archive #QuarantinePost," she wrote on Instagram along with a throwback picture that shows her meditating while getting her hair done.## On the film front, Taapsee's latest role in Anubhav Sinha's "Thappad" has been widely acclaimed. The actress will be seen in "Haseen Dillruba", "Rashmi Rocket" and "Shabaash Mithu" in the coming months.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) On Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar's 129th birth anniversary on Tuesday, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar recalled the time was fortunate to meet the Father of the Constitution of India in person.## Mangeshkar took to Twitter on Tuesday and paid her tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar, who was also a social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards untouchables.## "Namaskar. Bhartiya samvidhan ke janak mahamanav Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ji ki jayanti par main unko koti-koti vandan karti hoon Main unko pratyaksh roop se mil saki yeh mera saubhagya hai (On the anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ji, father of the Indian Constitution, I offer him a million prayers. I met him in person and that is my good fortune)," tweeted @mangeshkarlata.## Mangeshkar's tweet currently has 506 retweets and over 7.7K likes on the micro-blogging website.## Meanwhile, Mangeshkar earlier donated Rs 25 lakh to the Maharashtra CM Relief Fund to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.## The 90-year-old singer, fondly called Nightingale of India, joins a growing list of celebrities from the Hindi film industry who have extended support in the battle against the coronavirus.## Stay tuned...

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London, April 14 (IANS) Actor Kristofer Hivju, who shot to global fame playing Tormund Giantsbane in the blockbuster series "Games Of Thrones", is "fully recovered and in good health" after battling COVID-19.## The actor took to Instagram to share the health update, saying he and his wife, Gry, who he believes was "most likely" infected too, are finally "free of all symptoms".## "Hi! We are fully recovered and in good health after I was infected by the coronavirus, and most likely my wife @grymolvaerhivju… After several weeks in quarantine, and also a couple more indoors after being free of all symptoms, we are finally safe and sound," he posted, along with an image with his wife.## The actor feels they were "lucky to only have mild symptoms of the COVID-19".## "We send our love and thoughts to all of the people where the virus has hit much harder, and to everyone who has lost their loved ones due to the coronavirus. Thank you for all of your support, and please remember to stay vigilant and keep your distance, wash your hands, and most of all; take care of each other in this strange time. Lots of love from us," he added.## Last month, he had shared that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus through a post on his Instagram account.## "Greetings from Norway! Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID-19, coronavirus. My family and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health - I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for who this virus might be a devastating diagnosis," he said.## Stay tuned...

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Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson's "Batman" may get lucky in love and be depicted as a married man with a child in the future "The Batman" sequels.## The portal We Got This Covered, who first broke the news about Batman's reported love story in the upcoming movie, claimed to have got the news from a reliable source, reports aceshowbiz.com.## According to the source, the first film in the planned new trilogy will establish Batman's romance with Catwoman, played by Zoe Kravitz.## Apparently, the sequel to the Matt Reeves movie will feature its version of the Joker taking center stage, along with the beginnings of a full-on love story.## The portal also added that the future sequels will see the pair getting married and having a baby.## It also said that the plot will be familiar to readers of the comics, though it remains to be seen if this will adapt the storyline directly from the comics, in which their first rooftop wedding plans were ruined when Catwoman jilted Batman.## In the comic-book, Batman #85, which was released in 2019, the pair eventually tied the knot in a low-key ceremony.## In the 1992 film "Batman Returns", the caped crusader's romance ended with Catwoman apparently dying in order to get revenge on her former boss.## Meanwhile, filming on Reeves' "The Batman" has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Amid the coronavirus crisis, actor Amitabh Bachchan has penned his feelings on humans and humanity.## Big B shared a throwback image from his young days in which he was seen talking to somebody over the phone. In another image he posted alongside the old black-and-white picture, the thespian is seen signaling a phone with his hands.## "Of this, there is no doubt at all, that during this pandemic.. irrespective of caste color creed or belief.. friend, acquaintance or unknown... never before and perhaps never after has one human shown so much concern and sympathy for another... there is but one common refrain on every lip.. be safe, be protected," he captioned the image.## The image currently has 450K likes on Instagram.## On the work front, Amitabh will next be seen in films like "Chehre", Gulabo Sitabo", Brahmastra" and "Jhund".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is deeply disturbed after reading about the growing violence against police personnel in various cities across India amid coronavirus crisis.## Ayushmann took to social media to condemn such violent acts.## "I feel terrible reading about the heinous attacks on cops and security personnel that is happening across the country. The police force is risking their lives every single day to keep us, our families and our friends safe and I condemn such attacks on them," he wrote.## Lately, several incidents of violence against cops have occurred in many parts of India -- notably, a cop's hand being chopped off in Patiala while on duty to prevent people from stepping out of their homes. Mob attacks on policemen in Bhopal and Cuttack, Ahmedabad have surfaced in the last couple of days.## Ayushmann urged all Indians to appreciate the hard work that our police force is putting in.## "They are putting us and our lives before theirs and we should respect how they are fighting for us to keep us all protected. All Indians should celebrate the police force and salute them! Jai Hind!" he concluded.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) The Chris Hemsworth-starrer digital film "Extraction" casts Priyanshu Painyuli as a drug lord. The actor feels nailing the look of the character is important, because the way you dress up for a particular role can make you behave in a certain way.## For "Extraction", Priyanshu has tried nailing the gangster look with chunky gold jewelry, gold neck-pieces, armlets, and bracelets. He wore a lot of local fabrics including kurtas and silk shirts, which are characteristic of Bangladeshi locals. His attire comes in deep-hued monotones.## "I have always felt the way you dress up as a character makes you behave in a certain way. For me, mainly my shoes matter a lot, what footwear I use to walk or sit changes my body language a bit," Priyanshu said.## "When Sam (Hargreave), my director, asked me how I felt with my costume and look, I smiled and said I was really enjoying the gold, but I especially loved my shoes -- shiny, pointed with hard heels. They made a presence when I walked, at least to me," he added.## Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. In India, he shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and informed citizens that the nationwide lockdown is being extended till May 3 in an attempt to battle the deadly COVID 19 pandemic. Bollywood celebs welcomed this decision and took to social media to urge people to cooperate with the government's decision.## Veteran actress-politician Hema Malini wrote: "We have completed 3 weeks of nationwide lockdown successfully &controlled the spread of the virus to a large extent. Let us follow our PM @narendramodi Ji's behest to the nation to observe the next 3 weeks also in strict lockdown. For our own welfare & benefit, we shouldn't break rules."## In a separate tweet, she also suggested people utilize their time finding out their hidden talents rather than getting bored at home.## "Find ur hidden talents! U might have an artist within u waiting to be encouraged. A dancer who has always loved to dance but too busy to take it up. A nature lover who didn't have time to even look at our own garden. A storyteller, a writer-the list is endless. Time to discover urself!"## Actress Nimrat Kaur also shared on Twitter: "These last 21 days stay valid and effective only with patience and discipline every single day of the next 19 coming up. Each decision at every individual level matters like never before. #TogetherAtHome #StaySafeStayHome #Lockdown2 #IndiaFightsCarona."## Urging citizens to cooperate in the extended lockdown period, Rajeev Khandelwal tweeted: "Let's respect what our Prime Minister just said. It is in the interest of the entire country. Stay indoors, stay safe. #CoronaUpdatesIndia"## Lyricist and censor board chief Prasoon Joshi tweeted: "#ModiMangalMessage Time to Stay firm&united. India under the leadership of PM @narendramodi has set an example of decisiveness, self-belief, and welfare in the face of the Coronavirus crisis. Let's keep staying responsible for the sake of all and not get distracted by any negativity."## Actress-politician Kirron Kher tweeted: "In order to ensure that India's fight against #COVID19 continues and we will be victorious, Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has decided to extend the lockdown by 3 May. Stay where you are, be safe."## Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri expressed: "Friends, You can achieve all this before 3rd May:## - lose weight/ be fitter## - learn about food## - learn a new skill## - throw away what you don't need/live light## - discover new ideas and be ready for #NewWorld## - discover your #CreativeConsciousness## - be successful## #Lockdown2"## Singer Adnan Sami, who became an Indian citizen a while back, tweeted: "#Lockdown2 #NoProblem #IndiaFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCoronavirus."## Stay tuned...