PAD MAN’S NOBLE WISH

National Award-winning actor Akshay Kumar, who is addressing the issue of menstrual hygiene in his forthcoming film Pad Man, says women should get sanitary napkins for free of cost as it is a basic necessity for them.

Asked if the Toilet: Ek Prem Katha actor wants to reach out to the government to cut down on GST rate of sanitary napkins, Akshay said, “Why just cut down on GST? I think women should have free access to sanitary napkins. This is their basic necessity. It is about menstrual hygiene and not luxury.”

“It is unfortunate and I am ashamed to say that 82 per cent women in this country have no access to sanitary pads and they are mistreated during those five days of their menstruation period. This is unfortunate,” he added.

Pad Man is a biopic on Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad making machine in India. The subject of Pad Man is considered a taboo or a sensitive issue. So what are the elements that he has kept in mind while promoting the film?

“First, do not call it a sensitive issue. It is a natural process of a human body. It is time to get rid of those taboos attached to it. It is time to treat the issue maturely. Also from the women’s end, they should not shy away from talking about the issue, and certainly should not whisper about it,” he said.

He feels that the way festivals like Holi and Diwali are celebrated, people should also “celebrate when a girl meets with her puberty.”

“When you celebrate it, the girl who is already going through a physical and hormonal transition, will feel confident and secure. But we excluded our women from the normalcy of life during those five days. So from the first experience, women feel that period is something they should hide. So you know where we should start from,” he added.

Produced by Akshay’s wife Twinkle Khanna and directed by R. Balki, Pad Man is slated to release on January 26.

Padmavati To Release As Padmavat On 25 Jan

After months of uncertainty, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial Hindi film Padmavati will release on January 25 as Padmavat with a U/A certificate. It will clash with Akshay Kumar’s Pad Man “It will release as ‘Padmavat’ on January 25. The film has got U/A certificate,” sources said.

Padmavati - now Padmavat - was earlier slated for release on December 1 but the studio had voluntarily deferred it following a long-stretched controversy.

The movie, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been mired in a row after the Shree Rajput Karni Sena claimed it distorted historical facts related to the Rajput community.

The group has been persistent in its demand for a ban on the movie despite Bhansali’s clarification before a Parliamentary committee that the row over the movie was just based on rumours.

Last month, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) - in consultation with a special advisory panel -- decided it will grant U/A certificate to the movie but subject to five modifications, including title change.

The makers were asked to add disclaimers -- one of them regarding not glorifying the practice of Sati and also relevant modifications in the song Ghoomar to befit the character portrayed.

Sallu Gets Death Threat

His fans fondly call him ‘bhai,’ but Salman Khan has received a death threat from a real-life bhai (gangster). Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi of Rajasthan issued a death threat to Salman Khan, saying the Bollywood actor will be killed in Jodhpur.

“Salman Khan will be killed here, in Jodhpur... Then he will come to know about our real identity,” Bishnoi told media persons while being taken to a Jodhpur court in police security.

Bishnoi was being produced in the court following his arrest on charges of terrorising traders and extorting money from them.

The gangster claimed that he had been framed in false cases and that to date, not even a single witness had deposed in the court to prove the charges.

“Now, if police want me to do some major crime, I shall kill Salman Khan and that too in Jodhpur,” he added.

Bishnoi’s death threat to Salman is being linked with the black buck killing case of 1998, in which Salman and his co-actors are accused. It was the Bishnoi community which had brought up the black buck hunting case, and ever since the community considers the Bollywood actor a “villain”.

However, some onlookers felt that the gangster talked of killing Salman just to create a sensation.

Rajput Outfit Firm On Padmavati Ban Demand

Despite a series of modifications being made in the controversial film Padmavati including its renaming as Padmavat, Rajput outfit Karni Sena has again raised a demand for a complete ban on film.

Speaking to media, Karni Sena observer Lokendra singh Kalvi said that filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali should forget dreaming about the film’s release. “All efforts of Bhansali and CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) shall go down the drain as we will never allow the screening of Padmavati anywhere in India or abroad.

“We are still adamant on our demand. Let there be a complete ban on the release of Padmavati,” he added. Kalvi also demanded a complete ban on the Ghoomar song. “We don’t want any changes in the said song - we demand a complete ban on it,” he said.

He also questioned the ‘authenticity’ of the panel formed by the CBFC to review the film.

Not all of them were historians, hence, their suggestions hardly make a difference, he said, adding that the CBFC proposed to bring in nine historians in the panel but ended calling only three historians “which speaks volumes on their seriousness to justify our demands”.

IN FILM INDUSTRY FOR MARATHON, NOT RAT RACE: RAJKUMMAR RAO

He debuted in the Hindi film industry with Love Sex Aur Dhokha and went on to grab the limelight by delivering powerful performances. Geared up to enthrall cinema lovers with more thought-provoking projects, Rajkummar Rao says he is here for a marathon and not a rat race.

From performing on the stage at Shri Ram Centre in Delhi to picking up the nuances of acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, the 33-year-old actor started in the industry with no godfather. In a span of eight years, he has cemented his space with his work in films like Kai Po Che!, Shahid, Aligarh, CityLights, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Newton.

Rajkummar believes the times are changing for outsiders seeking a break in Bollywood.

“Being an outsider, I know it is not easy for an outsider to (get a break) in the industry; but I think times are changing. Writers in this generation are coming with some wonderful stories. Our directors too are experimenting with their storytelling and that is the reason why actors like me and so many of us are getting great characters to portray on screen,” Rajkummar said.

“I just hope this journey continues and I keep challenging myself. I just want to push the envelope with every film. I really do not want to find any comfort zone. It is just a very humble beginning. I have just started and it feels like Love Sex Aur Dhoka is just released... It has been seven years and there is a long way to go. I am here for a marathon actually, not a rat race,” added the actor.

He says there was never a Plan B for him.

“This is the only thing I have always thought of doing since my school days. I always wanted to be a film actor. I always chased that dream and I started by doing theatre in Delhi. Then I went to FTII from where I landed in Mumbai in 2008,” said Rajkummar, who says FTII gave him the confidence to face the camera.

“Somewhere, I feel that people take FTII actors seriously because we commit two to three years of our lives to learn acting,” he said.

The struggle began when the

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Gurugram boy landed in Mumbai.

“For me, the first two years in Mumbai were a bit tough. As Mumbai is an expensive city, it was not easy for me to cope up with a lot of expenses here. But my family really supported me.”

Rajkummar’s popularity has also not affected his attitude. Besides his performances, people often compliment him for his humility.

Brushing that off, he said: “I just be myself as I am doing this (acting) for myself. I wanted to work all my life in films, not because I wanted to prove a point to anyone. I genuinely fell in love with acting. When there is true love, there is no other feeling. I think this is what I breathe for every day, to act in front of the camera.”

Rajkummar’s Love Sonia, 5 Weddings, Omerta and Shimla Mirchi are slated to release this year.

TV STRONGER MEDIUM THAN FILMS: KARAN JOHAR

Filmmaker Karan Johar says that there should not be a divide between the small and the big screen as television is a stronger medium than cinema.

Karan has been a part of the small screen with shows like Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and India’s Got Talent and will be now be seen co-judging a reality show titled India’s Next Superstars

The filmmaker, 45, says the digital platform and television has become huge.

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“Today it reached out to at least nine times the audience... If three million people watch cinema and 27 million people watch television. So what is a bigger platform? Today digital and television is going to be huge. I respect those who earn name and money from television,” he added.

SANJAY DUTT’S BIOPIC TO RELEASE ON JUNE 29

For those awaiting to see how Ranbir Kapoor brings alive the story of Sanjay Dutt on the big screen, the wait has become a little longer. The biopic on the Khalnayak star will now release on June 29 instead of March 30.

Apart from Ranbir, who even put on weight to fit Sanjay’s shoes for the biopic, the film stars Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Dia Mirza, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Karishma Tanna, Vicky Kaushal and Jim Sarbh.

Presented by Fox Star, the untitled Dutt biopic is co-produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.

Meanwhile, actress-producer Dia Mirza, who will be seen playing the role of Sanjay’s wife Manyata in the biopic, says she is excited to work on the project.

“I’m very very excited about the Dutt biopic and my work in it. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself by thinking about the fact that it might take my career as an actor in a new direction,” Dia said.

After winning the Miss Asia Pacific 2000 title, Dia made her Bollywood debut in 2001 with the film Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.

Despite having a successful debut, she could not sustain the golden run in the Hindi film industry. She featured in Bollywood films like Deewaanapan, Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge, Dum and Kurbaan that bombed at the box office.

Apart from acting, Dia has stepped into the filmmaking business. She coowns a production house, Born Free Entertainment, with her husband Sahil Sangha. Her last production venture was Bobby Jasoos in 2014.

The actress hopes to evolve as an actor and a producer with each project.

“As an actor and a producer, I hope I can continue to evolve, grow and contribute. That’s what my primary focus is... to just keep making better choices, keep learning and growing,” she said.

What’s the chitchat here between SAIF ALI KHAN and his son TAIMUR?

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What’s the chitchat here between ANUSHKA SHARMA and VIRAT KOHLI?

Vishal Degaonkar

Anushka: I wish you a long innings

Virat: I wish you a blockbuster

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Another good one by Kanchan Katoch

Virat: Get ready Anushka, we are gonna play a long innings.