A YOUNG KASHMIRI BOY MEETS A CRPF TROOPER….

The coincidence of it all is spooky. Hindi film Hamid, scheduled to be released on 1 March, will now be delayed.

Hamid is the story of a relationship that develops between an eight-yearold Kashmiri boy and a CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) trooper.

In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the makers of the film have pushed back its release of the film, which explores the conflict in Kashmir through the perspective of the little boy.

"The film was made with the attempt to bridge the gap of alienation because that is the very root cause of what is happening in the valley," director Aijaz Khan said.

"At this time, we feel that the very attempt of peace and the work that our jawans are doing is being undermined," Khan added.

Hamid, which is produced by Yoodlee Films, is a sensitive portrayal of the fragility of the human condition in the conflict-ridden Kashmir. The film stars Talha Arshad Reshi as the young protagonist, Rasika Dugal, Vikas Kumar and Sumit Kaul.

In the film, a little boy rings the “phone number of God”, 786, to ask after his father, who his mother says has “gone to Allah”. One day, his phone call is answered…

Yoodlee Films had been planning a special screening for CRPF troopers in Srinagar, scheduled for four days after a suicide bomber rammed his SUV packed with explosives into a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pulwama district. 49 soldiers lost their lives.

Siddharth Anand Kumar, Producer at Yoodlee Films, said, "The attack to the CRPF troopers in the Pulwama district can only be termed as a heinous and dastardly act by those who have negated all sense of humanity within them. We at Yoodlee Films stand in solidarity with the families of the soldiers whose lives have been so cruelly erased."

Kumar said the film carries a message of peace and hope in the most unlikely circumstances.

"We are under attack now and this is neither the time nor the right atmosphere for us to release our film or for people to absorb the narrative of the film. We will take a call on the subsequent release date shortly," he said.

BOLLYWOOD TO JAWANS: WE STAND WITH YOU

It’s been amazing to learn of the entertainment industry’s response to the Pulawama tragedy. The team behind Total Dhamaal, this week’s new release, have announced a Rs 50 lakh donation for Pulwama martyrs' kin

"It is a sad thing to see the Indian soldiers suffer through this event and we are keen to do our bit in support," a spokesperson of the film unit said.

Actor-producer Ajay Devgn as well as colleague Riteish Deshmukh announced that the film will not release in Pakistan.

Total Dhamaal is the third instalment of the successful franchise Dhamaal, which originally starred Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey and Riteish alongside Sanjay Dutt.

Amitabh Bachchan has announced he will be donating Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 49 CRPF troopers who died in Pulwama. Akshay Kumar made a Rs 5 crore donation, and Daljit Dosanjh announced Rs 3 lakh tothe CRPF Wives Welfare Association.

Salman Khan swung into action at his Being Human Foundation to mobilise funds for Bharat Ke Veer, the Indian Government’s fund for soldiers (bharatkeveer.gov.in)

Shabana Azmi and husband Javed Akhtar, usually proponents of close artistic ties with Pakistan, cancelled an upcoming tour of Karachi to take part in centenary celebrations of Shabana's poet-father Kaifi Azmi.

Singers Rekha Bhardwaj and Harshdeep Kaur have withdrawn their names from Shaan-e-Pakistan 2019 gala in Lahore next month. Rekha's multi-faceted husband and filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj was also planning travel to Pakistan for research on the Netflix series Midnight's Children, based on Salman Rushdie's novel. However, as of now the plan of the web series' showrunner stands cancelled, said a source in the know.

Music labels are also dropping works by Pakistani artistes and stopping collaborations with them. T-Series has already removed Pakistani artistes' videos from their various channels including some recently released songs - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's single and Atif Aslam's Baarishein from YouTube. The promotions of these songs on television and radio have also been stopped.

Meanwhile the All Indian Cine Workers Association announced ban on Pakistani artistes in the country. The announcement comes a day after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) said Indian filmmakers must not work with Pakistani artistes and must not release their films in Pakistan.

GOING DIGITAL: ARJUN RAMPAL, EMRAAN HASHMI

Binge-watchers, get ready for more Indian content.

Actor Arjun Rampal is set to make his debut on a digital platform with a web series titled The Final Call. He plays the role of a pilot with a dark past, a psychological thriller that talks about mental illness, spirituality, and destiny.

The show is based on Priya Kumar's novel I Will Go With You: The Flight of a Lifetime.

The Final Call also features actors like Javed Jaffrey, Anupriya Goenka, Neeraj Kabi, Sakshi Tanwar, Bipin Sharma and Pradeep Rawat in pivotal roles.

Arjun said recently that he would like to explore all the avenues of film making, including directing. Arjun begun his career as a model and then forayed into Bollywood as an actor. He has recently turned producer with the film Daddy Meanwhile Emraan Hashmi is on the final schedule of his maiden Netflix show show Bard of Blood, an adaptation of Bilal Siddiqi's novel of the same name. Set against the backdrop of the Indian subcontinent, the multilingual series will tell the story of an expelled spy Kabir Anand, who is recalled from his new life as a Shakespeare professor in Panchgani to save his country and long lost love.

On making his debut in the web world, Hashmi said, "It's different. Through a web show, we are not only pitching the content to the Indian audience, but to audiences in over 180 different countries. Web shows can't be only Indianised versions... A fair balance should be maintained in terms of performances and content."

He added, "I am sure our audience will like it and I hope international audience like it too."

SRIDEVI'S SARI BEING AUCTIONED A YEAR AFTER HER DEATH

A handwoven Kota sari, one of Sridevi's favourites, went to auction online, just ahead of her first death anniversary in late Feb. The collected funds will be directed towards a charitable cause.

According to Parisera, a Chennaibased online platform, which specialises in Indian handicrafts and is hosting the auction 'Being Generous, With Sridevi', the Kapoor family has decided to donate the proceeds from the auction to Concern India Foundation, a charitable trust which has programs for the benefit of women, children, the differently abled, the underprivileged and the elderly and works in the fields of education, health and community development.

The bid started at Rs 40,000, is underway and had reached Rs 130,000 by the time of going to press.

A description of the Kota sari reads: "It is light, bright and emanates the perfect essence of Sridevi."

To mark a year since Sridevi left, Boney and his daughters - Janhvi and Khushi - held a puja in Chennai earlier this month.

Sridevi, Bollywood's first female superstar, died aged 54 on February 24, 2018, by way of accidental drowning in a bathtub in a Dubai hotel, leaving the film industry, her family and legions of fans in a state of shock.

AND NOW, A MODI BIOPIC

Regular reports are coming out of the production house that is planning the film PM Narendra Modi.

You probably know by now that actor Vivek Anand Oberoi will be playing the title role of Modi.

Veteran actress Zarina Wahab will be seen playing the role of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi. Television actress Barkha Bisht Sengupta will be playing Modi's wife Jashodaben.

Actor Prashant Narayanan has been roped in to play the antagonist.

"His role is a fictional character of the biggest business tycoon of the country called Aditya Reddy," said a source close to the film.

The film also stars Manoj Joshi (as BJP chief Amit Shah), Prashant Narayanan, BomanIrani, Darshan Kumar, Akshat R. Saluja, Anjan Shrivastav, Rajendra Gupta and Yatin Karyekar. PM Narendra Modi, the biopic will discover the journey of Narendra Damodardas Modi from his humble beginning to his years as Gujarat Chief Minister onto his landmark win at the 2014 general election, finally becoming the 14th Prime Minister of India.

It is being directed by National Awardwinner Omung Kumar and produced by Sandip SSingh and Suresh Oberoi. The biopic will be shot extensively in Gujarat and across locations within the country.

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE!

Bipasha Basu will be making a comeback on the big screen after four years with Aadat, which stars her husband Karan Singh Grover. The pair was last seen together in Alone, which released in 2015.

Directed by Bhushan Patel, Aadat is a romantic thriller. The film also stars former Miss India Natasha Suri and former Bigg Boss participant Sonali Raut. Singer Mika Singh has turned producer with the film.

Bipasha claimed she enjoys working with hubby Karan, and says he is a dream co-star.

"He is a wonderful spontaneous actor and a live-wire on set,” she said recently. “He can make any boring day exciting on set. He keeps the energy levels up for everyone and every unit member."

Hmmm, okay. Let’s see if this onset bonhomie translates to on-screen success…

Meanwhile in Saand Ki Aankh, Tapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar will bring us the story of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar - the country's oldest women sharpshooters.

Tapsee claims it is being one of the most intense roles of her career. “I am taking each day as it comes and trying to give my best,” she revealed recently.

Oh, in case you’re wondering about that esoteric sounding film title, it means ‘Bull’s Eye’.

On Twitter This Week

Match the following stars to the tweets below

Priyanka Chopra, Twinkle Khanna, Rishi Kapoor

Congratulations Greg Cannom for your fourth Oscar for the film 'Vice'. You did 'Kapoor & Sons' with me. Bravo.

Congratulations to the team of @ NoShamePeriod for winning the #AcademyAwards". Your machine @ murugaofficial has made it to the Oscars!

This... right now, is a proud moment for me & for team @PurplePebblePic. Our latest production, #Firebrand, is the first-ever @NetflixIndia original in Marathi. Do watch and I'd love to know what you think!

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