BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Celebrated television actor Karan Tacker, who made his digital debut with the web series "Special OPs", says he learned three very important lessons from the director of the show, Neeraj Pandey.## "I would say dedication, discipline and clarity are the three things I have learned from Neeraj sir. He really knows what he wants as a storyteller, what he wants from his actors, and how he will use it in post-production. The clarity he has in his mind is really worth learning from! After the shoot, when we would rest, he would sit with the production guys to discuss the next days' shoot. I think during production, he slept for about four to five hours because he was working constantly," Karan told IANS.## "Also, he is an emotionally sensitive person with a sense of humor. One should really work closely to understand him! It's fun!" added the actor.## "Special OPs" is spy-thriller streaming on Hotstar, and the show also features Kay Kay Menon, Meher Vij, Sana Khan, Saiyami Kher, Vinay Pathak, and Vipul Gupta. The story of the show is set against the backdrop of Parliament attack in Delhi that took place in 2001.## Giving an insight into his role, Karan said: "My character Farooq Ali is a RAW agent recruited by Himmat Singh (played by Kay Kay Menon). He is always on the field with clarity on what he wants and has his strategy. The character is very well written -- in fact, not just mine but of all of us. Neeraj sir is such a great scriptwriter. We all see the kind of vision he has, in all his films. But as an actor, it is great how one can deliver so much just by following the script when it is well written."## The show has been shot across various locations including Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Jordan.## Asked about the difficult part of shooting such an action-packed show, the actor replied: "I have to mention one of the outdoors we were shooting in Jordan. In the show, it shows summer but we actually shot in the winter. The temperature was around minus two and I was just wearing a shirt and pants and no winter gear, as we were showing summer. In the extreme cold, it was tough to mouth dialogues because I was shivering!"## He added: "I have a fear of height, and there is this scene where my character Farooq attempts suicide. I did that stunt by myself! It was a 25-story building and I did the scene. Although there was a team of people along with the stuntmen, I thought if I do it myself it would look real. But when I stood there -- Oh God! Overcoming the fear of height was a thing for me."## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Despite the coronavirus lockdown, singer Akhil Sachdeva, who is best known for his songs "Sun mere Humsafar" ("Badrinath Ki Dulhania") and "Tera ban jaunga" ("Kabir Singh"), has managed to spread a smile on an ailing fan's face.## Akhil on Wednesday took to Instagram and posted a video that shows him singing "Tera ban jaunga" and playing the guitar, sharing that the fan had requested him to sing for him and that too with a smiling face.## "One of my fans since the last 10 years is now going through a major Illness from last year and sent me a message that he wanted me to sing this one with a smile on my face. So here I am smiling throughout and singing this and I hope I make you feel better in your toughest of times. God bless you always and may you get out of this phase sooner and stay healthy forever," Akhil wrote.## Apart from singing in films, Akhil has recorded for OTT shows such as "Dil Hi Toh Hai 3" and "Broken But Beautiful 2".## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Actors Jackky Bhagnani, Riteish Deshmukh and Puja Gupta along with director Remo D'Souza celebrated nine years of their film "F.A.L.T.U" by having a virtual reunion.## The comedy film, which had hit songs like "Chaar baj gaye" and "Le jaa tu mujhe", had released on April 1, 2011.## The Pooja Entertainment's film followed four friends who almost fail their examinations and take to desperate measures to save their dismal futures.## Jackky, Riteish, Remo, and Puja got together on a social media live, reminiscing about the film and its success.## "It was wonderful to connect with everyone, especially in the current lockdown situation. It brought back a lot of fond memories. I think 'F.A.L.T.U' is a film that is relevant even today and connects with a large number of youngsters," Jackky said after the online session on Wednesday.## Remo, who had helmed the movie, recalled: "Back in 2011, we were able to create magic with a film like 'F.A.L.T.U'. I think the very fact that it can connect with youth today as well as testimony to its storytelling and its relevance as a concept."## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS) Popularly known for his songs like "Shotgun", "Blame it on me" and "Paradise", singer George Ezra and his mother have offered British fitness instructor Joe Wicks free use of his tracks for his online workouts for children, who are missing school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.## Wicks' daily YouTube workouts have taken over social media as he keeps children active while they are forced to stay at home due to lockdown, reports aceshowbiz.com.## The fitness instructor, who is also known as The Body Coach, said that he had to conduct his makeshift sessions in silence, as he couldn't pay to license music due to his YouTube royalties from the show going to Britain's National Health Service.## On March 31, Ezra shared with his mother, a teacher, had heard of Wicks' problem, prompting her son to call up record company chiefs to waive his own royalties.## He wrote on Instagram: "My mum suggested I offer Joe and the kids my songs to use. I got in touch with Joe and we made it happen. The coolest thing is that all royalties made from the songs being used are going directly to the NHS!".## "I'd like to say a huge thank you to Joe for being the world's fitness coach throughout all of this and an even bigger thank you to my amazing mum and all the other incredible teachers up and down the country for everything they're doing."## Wicks thanked the singer, saying: "Now listen, I've got some great news. I've got to say a massive thank you to George Ezra's mum, who is a teacher at school and George Ezra found out that I had no music, so he's given me his permission to use his music on the workout today."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman on Wednesday took to social media to make an appeal to all his fans that they must listen to the government's advice and maintain self-isolation, pointing out that "this is not the time to cause chaos by congregating in religious places".## Rahman's appeal comes in the wake of the news that the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat held a congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area defying authority guidelines in mid-March, which has resulted in a rapid spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus all over the country.## The musician in his Twitter appeal also thanked "the doctors, nurses, and all the staff working, in hospitals and clinics all across India, for their bravery and selflessness". He also appealed for unity among all people and spoke of the beauty of humanity and spirituality.## Rahman wrote this on his official Twitter handle @arrahman:## "Dear Friends, This message is to thank the doctors, nurses, and all the staff working, in hospitals and clinics all across India, for their bravery and selflessness. It fills one's heart to see how ready they are to deal with this most dreadful pandemic. They risk their lives to save ours.## "It's time to forget our differences and unite against this invisible enemy that has turned the world upside down. It's time to bring the beauty of humanity and spirituality into action. Help our neighbors, senior citizens, the underprivileged and migrant workers.## "God is inside your heart (the most sacred shrine), so this is not the time to cause chaos by congregating in religious places. Listen to the government's advice. Self-isolation for a few weeks may give you many more years. Do not spread the virus and cause harm to fellow humans. This disease does not even warn you that you are a carrier, so don't assume you are not infected. This is not the time to spread false rumors and cause more anxiety and panic.## "Let's be kind and thoughtful, the lives of many millions are in our hands."## Rahman's appeal received ready to support on Twitter by many of his followers, including actress Shraddha Kapoor who used the platform to encourage people to contribute generously in the various COVID-19 funds.## "Your small contribution is also important to fight. Donate to poor people directly or donate to CM Relief Fund or PM Relief Fund," tweeted @shraddhakapooro.## Fans thanked Rahman, and appreciate his gesture.## "Let's fight this battle together! But by social distancing," wrote @amGSKsakthi.## "Thanks a lot, Sir for spreading positivity," tweeted @keerthi94rsk.## Stay tuned...

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Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS) Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has decided to donate $100,000 along with the organization BON V!V Spiked Seltzer to the women out there who are working for the betterment of society amid the coronavirus pandemic.## Taking to her Instagram Story, Priyanka revealed that she was supposed to launch a promotional campaign with the brand in the next few weeks, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, she decided to halt the plan. She will now use the resources for the four women who are in need.## She posted a video in which is seen requesting her users to nominate such women.## "Our worlds changed quickly, and needless to say, we couldn't go forward with our original plans to launch this campaign. Each week I'll go live with @BONVIVSeltzer to share the stories of four women who are overcoming the struggles of our new realities in their own powerful way. If you know a woman we should highlight, visit the link in my bio for the next steps. We are all in this together. #togetherwomenrise #partner," Priyanka wrote.## The actress also issued a statement, which read: "We will be donating $100,000 in total to women who are rising above everything during this crisis. If you know a woman we should highlight, share her story with us, whether she is in the service industry, from a large business, small business owner, or first responders on the front lines. We want to commemorate her. #TogetherWomenRise."## Priyanka and her husband Nick Jonas have also donated to organizations like the PM-CARES Fund, Unicef, Feeding America, and Goonj.## Stay tuned...

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London, April 1 (IANS) Actress Emma Watson has confessed that she is fascinated with kink culture.## In an interview with Teen Vogue, the actress, 29, discussed her interests and explained why she coined the phrase 'self-partnered', reports dailymail.co.uk.## "I've also kind of become slightly fascinated by kink culture because they are the best communicators ever, they know all about consent," Watson said.## The "Harry Potter" star also discussed the debate -- which she sparked with the term "self-partnered" while talking about the pressures, about settling down and starting a family, by the age of 30.## Last year, the actress hit the headlines when she announced she is not single but "self-partnered".## Reflecting upon the term, Watson said: "There was no word for this kind of subliminal messaging and anxiety and pressure that I felt building up but couldn't really name, so I used the word self-partnered."## "For me, it wasn't so much about coining a word; it was more that I needed to create a definition for something that I didn't feel there was the language for, and it was interesting because it really riled some people up," she added.## The actress went on to say it was "less for me about the word but more about what it meant", and felt that the term allowed her to express herself.## She might insist that she is happy being 'self-partnered', but the actress was spotted kissing a mystery man outside a London bakery two weeks before her British Vogue interview last year.## The "Beauty and The Beast" star was last romantically linked to Dominic Piazza. She also had a brief fling with former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe. Last August, it was also rumored that Watson was dating her former "Harry Potter" co-star Tom Felton, who played the villain Draco Malfoy.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) The cast of the superhit TV comedy series, "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah", aims to continue spreading happiness by entertaining fans on the show's social media platforms.## Like many other TV shows, the family comedy show has been airing reruns during the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Now, the producers have come up with a plan to continue spreading joy and positivity in a unique way.## "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" team will post a daily chore or activity that they are practicing at home including yoga, playing indoor games, cleaning up the home, watching their favorite movies or shows and reading books.## They will appeal and inspire their audience to post a video of their routine and the same will be streamed online on the show's social media platforms.## "We are at home for a week now and while it is nice to be spending quality time with the family, we are also missing our work family. This will be a great opportunity for us to keep in touch and share our lives at home with each other and also with our audiences. I have already created a set of videos that have me trying my hands at cooking, also a little bit of cleaning and not many people know that there's a 'Shayar' in me. So, for anyone who enjoys a little Shayari, I hope they will enjoy watching my videos," said Samay Shah, who plays the role of Gogi in the show.## Actor Mandar Chadwadkar, who is seen as Bhide in the show, shared that in over the last decade, there have been very few occasions when they haven't seen each other for so long.## "The set of 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah' is like a second home for us and I am already a little nostalgic within a week of being away from the set. This opportunity to reconnect cheers me up and I am looking forward to reuniting even if from our own homes. I just pray that lockdown phase ends and we get to go back to work or as I see it, to having fun at work soon," he added.## The show is produced by Neela Film Productions Private Limited.## For more and latest news about TV, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Actor Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife, author-filmmaker Tahira Kashyap, have come out in support of women ragpickers in New Delhi during the coronavirus crisis.## The two have for years supported a non-profit organization in Delhi named Gulmeher, a women's collective of waste-pickers turned artisans. The NGO works with about 200 women ragpickers and this contribution will help them look after themselves and their families.## "Coronavirus has impacted people from every strata of life. But it has hit the lower-income groups the hardest and it is our duty as citizens of this nation to come forward and support the people in dire need.## "Tahira and I have been associated with Gulmeher, a non-profit organization, for years and we are doing every bit possible to support these women who are absolutely distraught now," Ayushmann, who has already donated to PM-CARES Fund, said.## The actor, who has changed the way Hindi cinema is viewed, said his interactions with them taught him a lot about India.## "(It) taught me a lot about the existing caste divides and they are real-life inspiring figures. My interactions with them were my inspiration behind signing 'Article 15'. A crisis like these impacts people like them the most and we need to protect them. In this critical moment, Tahira and I are doing our best to ensure they have all the basic requirements to sustain and stay safe by being at home."## "Along with donating for PM-CARES, we are also doing our small bit to take care of these incredible women of Gulmeher," he said, without disclosing the total contributions made by the couple.## Tahira says that how Indians support each other in this moment of crisis will define us as a nation.## "While us Indians are impacted with COVID-19, for some people the impact will be much more destabilizing, especially economically. We have to protect the lower-income, daily wage-earning community like our brothers and sisters in this time of crisis."## She added: "How we support our fellow citizens of the country at this hour will define us as human beings and Ayushmann and I are doing our bit to support these wonderful women who are braving the coronavirus impact. We are doing whatever it takes for them to support their families and stay at home with them."## "Due to their financial instability, they are at serious risk because of even a single day without earning throws their life out of gear. Ayushmann and I are ensuring we stand with them and support them at this time."## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Los Angeles, April 1 (IANS) Actor Idris Elba said he and his wife Sabrina are "asymptomatic" after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, but are still feeling the effects of the global pandemic.## "We've passed the quarantine period, but we're a little bit in limbo -- we can't get a flight back home," he said in a video while sharing his health update on Twitter on Tuesday, reports etonline.com.## "So we just have to sit still for a little bit."## "Other than that, we're OK and we're so thankful that I think the worst of it is probably past," Elba added, noting that the worst thing for the couple at the moment is a bit of "cabin fever".## He was on location about to begin production on a movie when he learned he had coronavirus and has been quarantined ever since.## "We're both good mentally, just trying to stay optimistic. I hope you guys are too, keeping yourselves sane and not getting too worried and too panicked," he told fans.## "Take it from me, man, I thought I definitely was gonna see the worst of it, as an asthmatic, but I got through it. And you can too."## Elba concluded his message by sending a "big shout out" to everyone who is struggling at the moment and all the people helping to fight the global pandemic, "especially the doctors and nurses, and the healthcare people that are doing their thing. You lot are amazing, and you should be fully appreciated".## The actor was one of the first celebrities to announce he had tested positive for the virus.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has posted a cryptic tweet on the uncertainty of what might happen tomorrow. Even though he did not mention any particular event or incident, his tweet has left netizens speculating if he is referring to the ongoing Tablighi Jamaat row in the wake of the escalating COVID-19 crisis.## "Aaj ye hua kal kya kya hona hai? That is why I said we need the military out. Emergency," posted Kapoor on Tuesday night.## A few days ago, the actor had insisted on Twitter that India needs to enforce Emergency in these times. In his latest tweet, he reiterates the stand.## Netizens interpreted that the actor might be referring to the large religious gathering at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz, which happened earlier this month amid the coronavirus pandemic.## Commenting on Rishi Kapoor's tweet, a user wrote: "We need to have a lockdown on Muslims."## Another user commented: "Time to come heavily on #TablighiJamaat and impose BAN on it. Confiscate all its wealth and put behind bars all these errant mullahs incommunicado down south UTs. Needed Law against #ReligiousConversion (main foray of JAMAT). Enough of #Article14 excuse."## While a section of netizens supported the actor's idea of emergency rule, most opposed it.## One user wrote: "Why would you expose our armed forces to #coronavirus? They are not trained to fight their own civilians. What if the contagion spreads in the military?"## Another user opined that this is just the beginning of World War III. The tweet reads: "This is the beginning of the Third World War which China has started against the world and the whole world is suffering due to some foolish and illiterate people now India will start suffering. we all need to fight."## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mumbai, April 1 (IANS) After being deluged with plagiarism charges by netizens over his latest track "Genda Phool", rapper Badshah has defended himself saying he has been trying to reach out to the creator of the original track but to no avail.## Badshah's new song mixes rap with lyrics from an old Bengali folk hit, "Boroloker biti lo", created by Ratan Kahar and originally sung by Swapna Chakraborty. Clarifying his situation on social media, the rapper claimed that he has been trying to contact Kahar but has not managed to do so owing to the ongoing nationwide lockdown.## "After receiving so much information from the Bengali community, I have been constantly trying my best to reach out to him and connect with him and be able to do justice to the situation to all my might. However, the lockdown situation has not been very helpful, it has been difficult to get through to the village that Shri Kahar is in and I am still trying," Badshah tweeted.## The rapper has also requested anyone who might have any knowledge of how to contact Kahar to help him get connected. "I urge and request any of the representatives who have been speaking on his behalf, to help me connect with him so I can do whatever possible on my part on humanitarian grounds to put this right."## He further stated: "A couple of days after the song release, I started getting feedback on my social media that the Bengali lyrics are originally from a song 'Boroloker Beti Lo' that were penned by the veteran artist Shri Ratan Kahar."## Claiming the original creator of the 1972 song has not been given due credit in any of the previous versions, Badshah further wrote: "We had however done our due diligence before releasing the song, and nowhere on any copyright societies or on any of the previous reprises/versions of the song was Mr. Ratan Kahar credited as a lyricist. Information all across say that 'Boroloker Beti Lo' is a traditional/folk song from the Bauls of Bengal. Just for general information, traditional songs are open for recreations/reprises/sampling globally."## Meanwhile, veteran folk artist Ratan Kahar lives amid poverty in the town of town Siuri in West Bengal's Birbhum district.## "All I want is love from the people. I am a selfless person. I don't have any greed for money, food or anything else. But I live with a pain that even though many people sing my songs, they don't know the proper style of singing it, neither do they know the story behind why I created the songs. I want the artist Badshah to at least give me recognition for my song. I share my best wishes for him," Kahar told news18.com.## Talking about the inspiration behind his classic hit "Boroloker biti lo" the veteran singer revealed that in his initial days, he used to sing songs for sex workers of a brothel in Siuri, who admired his music. The story of one such woman inspired him to pen the melodious track.## Stay tuned...