Zeenat Aman, who made a starry return as the new-age Instagrammer, has been garnering ample of fans as she shares anecdotes and memories of her glamorous life in Bollywood. The yesteryear diva is unafraid to confront affair rumours and gossips that were doing the rounds in abundance and has taken to the platform to state her opinions and set the record straight in some cases. Among them, she recently addressed the much talked about gossip about her affair with the legendary filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, which started after she bagged the iconic film Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978).
Starring Shashi Kapoor, Satyam Shivam Sundaram featured Zeenat Aman as the leading lady in the film. In the biography of Dev Anand, the late legendary actor had opened about an incident about Zeenat’s alleged ‘closeness’ with Raj Kapoor which had added fuel to the fire, about her affair with the filmmaker. Taking to her Instagram, Zeenat addressed the rumour saying, “To be honest, I was livid. I felt humiliated, hurt and disconcerted that Dev saab, my much older mentor, a person I loved and admired platonically, would not only believe such a story devoid of a shred of truth, but would then go on to publish it for the world to read. For weeks my phone rang incessantly as friends inquired about “what really happened” and shared excerpts from the book. I never did read it though, and in my anger I consigned the copy I was sent to storage in the basement!”
In the same post, the actress confessed that she wanted to set the record straight. “This episode embarrassed me deeply. For years I felt unable to talk about it to set the record straight. But now, time has granted me perspective and peace. Human folly is an eternal truth, and we all fall victim at one point or another,” she added.
For the unversed, Dev Anand’s book had recalled an incident when Raj Kapoor met Zeenat Aman at a party where she was seen embracing and speaking to him in a ‘closer proximity’. In the book, Dev Saab had confessed that he was heartbroken because he was in love with Aman and couldn’t see her behaving the way she did with the filmmaker.
In one of the tragic moments in the music industry, South Korean music Moonbin of the K-pop group ASTRO passed away on April 19, 2023. The 25-year-old was a powerful performance, a multi-talented singer, lyricist, actor and also a reality TV participant. Having been in the industry since childhood, his career spanned 14 years. As a member of ASTRO, Moonbin would often contribute to lyrics in the group’s discography. As a member of the subunit Moonbin&Sanha, the singer showed his musical prowess by participating in song composition and lyric writing. Let’s take a look at the songs which possess Moonbin’s artistry, and remember him fondly for the memories that he gave his fans through his music and powerful lyrics.
1. YOU AND ME – WINTER DREAM (2017)
‘You and Me’ is one of the first songs by ASTRO for their lovely fandom, Aroha. The song is a smooth flowing pop RnB track featuring the members singing words of gratitude – “Wanna walk together, one step, two steps, three steps? / I can only be happy if you’re by my side” – for their fans for their undying love and support. ‘You and Me’ is a song that feels like a warm hug on a wintery night.
2. BY YOUR SIDE – RISE UP (2018)
‘By Your Side’ is another heartwarming track from the boy group. This romantic R&B track features a larger than life instrumental piece which accentuates the emotional lyrics. Moonbin contributed to writing the lyrics for this track and his emotions clearly show as the group croons – “With my red heart / I’m so excited, I call out your name / With a smile like a happy ending / Please accept my heart for you.”
3. MERRY GO AROUND – ALL LIGHT (2019) ‘Merry Go Round’ is a joyous festival themed track. The song is replete with a happy vibe from the start to end. ASTRO brought out their charms once again and delivered a soft romantic number with honest lyrics like, “I like you, for real, I confess to you every day / Even if you don’t care, I wear clothes I think you’d like / I’d like to go on a date with you / Once again, I’m saying I love you.” There is also a Christmas edition of this song which is a whole new vibe in itself.
4. ONE AND ONLY – ONE AND ONLY (2020)
ASTRO’s ‘One and Only’ from the EP of the same name is a buttery soft romantic number. The track is a joyous ballad that shines a light of love and gratitude on one’s lover. One and Only is a perfect track to listen to when you want to unwind and indulge in some feel good ASTRO music as the group croons, “Light permeates my heart / The beginning that shined shyly / The tears that were shed helplessly/It’s all because of you.”
5. FOOTPRINT – SWITCH ON (2021)
A song that literally talks about leaving one’s footprints behind, ASTRO’s track ‘Footprint’ is a fun foot-tapping number. Moonbin’s creativity finds an outlet once again as the co-writer for this song. This holiday themed number boasts of lyrics which tell the listener to shed their worries and embrace their life – “Even if big waves come crashing down on us, it’s okay / Because we left everything in the place only the two of us know / Even if we’re blown away by the big wind, it’s okay / Because we left everything in the place only the two of us go to.”
6. LET’S GO RIDE – DRIVE TO THE STARRY ROAD (2022) ‘Let’s Go Ride’ is one of the tracks which showed Moonbin’s strengths as a soloist. The song sports minimalistic instrumental composition which matches the mood of the lyrics as Moonbin croons, “I need you / It’s just this moment / Don’t let go of it / I need you / It’s just the two of us / Don’t walk on eggshells”.
7. CANDY SUGAR POP – DRIVE TO THE STARRY ROAD (2022)
One of ASTRO’s latest releases, ‘Candy Sugar Pop’ is a funky bright number. The song incorporates fantasy-like elements as the members saunter around a visually appealing candy land. As a co-writer in the song, Moonbin proved his singing and writing prowess as he sang, “My candy sugar pop / Tell me wherever / Take one step closer / Tell me to take you tonight”.
8. MADNESS – INCENSE (2023)
In January 2023, Moonbin and Sanha made a comeback with the danger and seduction laced EP Incense. The title track Madness sports an idea of love that is so lethal that it borders on madness. Moonbin contributed to writing the lyrics and showcased his smooth vocals as he sang, “This heart that is unseen / Until it becomes all yours / It will spread more to you”.
9. DESIRE – INCENSE (2023) ‘Desire’ is one more track from Incense which sports Moonbin’s touch not only as a singer but also as a co-writer and co-composer. ‘Desire’ mirrors the idea of ‘Madness’, but takes a softer approach in expressing the sultry emotions, “Your continuous scent lingers in me / I’m drunken on your charming voice / I don’t know what’s wrong with me”. From the beginning to the end, the song boasts of an effervescent musicality which only further highlights Moonbin’s artistry.
Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, who have come together for many films, including the recent mega blockbuster Pathaan, have always shared a camaraderie. Salman recalled his Karan Arjun days with the superstar and opened up about a prank gone wrong. The actor confessed that he was playing with a blank gun and shot SRK for fun but the latter ended up falling down which left everyone on the sets shocked.
Opening up about the incident on the sets of Karan Arjun, Salman Khan said, “I got a blank gun from action director Bhiku Verma. A party was going on and there were Rajasthani folk dancers. I told Shahrukh, I’ll call you for dance, you refuse, then we will engage in scuffle, and here’s a blank gun. I will fire a shot and you will fall down. Shahrukh refused. ‘I am very tired’, he told me.”
Further, he continued, “My brother Sohail was there. I pulled Shahrukh’s hand, and he snatched it away. He pushed me, so, I pushed him, and a scuffle ensued. I took out the gun and fired a shot at him. Shahrukh did a somersault and fell down.”
The incident had left everyone on the sets in shock and Salman recalled how everyone had reacted and that some of them even wanted to escape the scene thinking that SRK was actually injured. “Javed Saheb’s wife Honey (Irani) Aunty was there. She said, I know him since childhood, he’s not that type of boy. One journalist Nishi Presm was there. She said, I always knew this boy to be like this. Time Video owner Pravinbhai Shah said, we will all be in a soup, let’s rush out,” added Salman.
He concluded the incident, “For ten minutes, I stood with red eyes, and said, ‘Koi Nahin uthega, Sabko Maar Doonga (Nobody will get up, I will kill everyone)’. Rakesh ji’s hands started trembling. I said, ‘Shahrukh Uth, Shahrukh Uth (Shahrukh wake-up)’. When Shahrukh didn’t wake up, Sohail and Bhiku Da panicked. I checked my gun. Suddenly Shahrukh started snoring. So, the Pathaan was at last alive. I again fired 3-4 shots, and everybody started laughing.”
The actor also appreciated his friend’s acting chops as he added, “I think Shahrukh is the best perform of the industry. There’s no need to say this. This performance was much better than the performance in Karan Arjun. Everybody was convinced and many were trying to flee the set. It was a good experience.”
In March, Rani Mukerji was seen on the big screen in the film Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, and even received some highly positive feedback for her performance. While the actress is still enjoying the success of the film, we hear that Rani has already moved on to her next venture. If that we hear is true, then apparently Rani Mukerji has locked her next film which will be directed by friend Vaibhavi Merchant.
“Yes, Rani Mukerji has decided on her next venture. It will be a small budget film produced by Yash Raj Films itself. Interestingly, the venture will be directed by Rani’s good friend Vaibhavi Merchant,” reveals a well-placed industry source to Bollywood Hungama. Ask for details on the script and story of the venture and the source reveals, “Right now it is still too early to say anything, besides the entire team is keeping details under tight wraps.”
While it is certainly heartening to know, that Rani has locked her next cinematic venture there has been no official talk about the same. However, another source claims, “There are projects but nothing has been greenlit as such, and nothing has been locked as her next venture.”
On April 28, Sooraj Pancholi got acquitted in the Jiah Khan case, 10 years after he was accused of abetting her suicide. Followed by this, Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan has expressed her desire to challenge the court’s verdict by moving the High Court. On the other hand, a thrilled Sooraj not only expressed his happiness on social media by sharing posts about ‘Truth winning’ but he also decided to celebrate this moment with the media by distributing sweets to them, hours after he received clean chit.
On Friday, Sooraj Pancholi visited the court along with his mother and actress Zarina Wahab for the final hearing on the Jiah Khan suicide case. Followed by the verdict in favour of the Pancholis, the actor’s team decided to distribute sweets to the media standing outside the Pancholi residence in Mumbai to get a statement from the family. Besides that, Sooraj also issued a statement where he said, “The verdict has taken 10 long painful years and sleepless nights, But today I have not only won this case against me but I have also won my dignity and confidence back, it took a lot of courage to face the world with such heinous allegations.”
Readers would recall that Sooraj Pancholi was dating Jiah Khan when she committed suicide in June 2013 at her residence in Mumbai. Soon after the incident, Sooraj Pancholi was accused of abetting her suicide by the actress’ mother Rabia Khan and later, the latter also pushed CBI to investigate the case as a homicide. However, while the homicidal investigation got dismissed, now the court has given Sooraj Pancholi clean chit on the grounds of paucity of evidence.
In an earlier statement to PTI in 2015, the Hero actor had mentioned that he is glad to have Jiah’s name associated with him, “My name will always be associated with her and I have no guilt for that. I am happy that something at least stays with me. I am sad that she ended her life. But at least her name is with me and I have no problems with it.”
The dashing Siddhant Chaturvedi celebrates his 30th birthday today, that is, April 29. The actor appeared in two web series in the initial days of his career. But he became a household name with his performance in Gully Boy (2019). Ever since, he has done 6 films till now, 2 of which are yet to release. And now, Bollywood Hungama has learnt a fascinating trivia about Sidhant which will surely be worth a read.
A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Siddhant Chaturvedi was the first choice to play the role of the antagonist Jim in Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan. The blockbuster was produced by Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films. The maverick producer had signed him for Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021), co-starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji and Sharvari Wagh. He felt that Siddhant Chaturvedi is a fine actor and can be an apt choice for the villain’s role in Pathaan. Also, he’s physically well-built and would look convincing in the face-off scenes with Shah Rukh Khan.”
The source continued, “Siddhant Chaturvedi, obviously, was floored by the offer and felt honoured that a producer like Aditya Chopra offered him such a plum role in such a big film. However, he declined Pathaan after much thought and deliberation as he felt that he wanted to do hero-based roles. He was not sure if playing an antagonist so early in his career would be a good idea. Therefore, he decided to let go of the offer.”
John Abraham was then approached for the role of Jim. He accepted it and got immense praise for his performance. Pathaan also starred Deepika Padukone and was directed by Siddharth Anand. It was released on January 25, 2023, and broke several box office records. It is the highest Hindi film grosser ever.
Coming back to Siddhant Chaturvedi, he debuted with the web series Life Sahi Hai followed by Inside Edge. In Gully Boy, he played the role of MC Sher. Despite having a supporting role in this Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt starrer, the actor left a huge mark. Siddhant was then seen in Bunty Aur Babli 2 followed by Deepika Padukone-Ananya Panday starrer Gehraiyaan (2022) and Phone Bhoot (2022), co-starring Katrina Kaif and Ishaan Khatter. Siddhant Chaturvedi’s upcoming films are Yudhra, co-starring Malavika Mohanan and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, co-starring Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav.
Follow Us