BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) On the third death anniversary of Bollywood legend Vinod Khanna, his son, actor Akshaye Khanna, took to social media to pay homage to the former.## "There is no expiration date on the love between a father and his child. We will always remember you #VinodKhanna," Akshaye tweeted.## Along with it, he shared a picture from his childhood days in which he and his brother Rahul Khanna are seen holding their father's hands.## Many others in Bollywood joined Akshaye in remembering the iconic star who was known for his rugged image as a macho-man.## Actor Ali Fazal shared his experience of meeting the late Vinod Khanna. "Met Vinod ji once. I have never been able to take photos with people I look up to. Always thot kabhi kaam karoonga saath toh.. but this one I regret. Its just how it is. Managed very few in life. Thank you Vinod Khanna for being," Ali wrote along with a black and white picture of Vinod Khanna from his younger days," Ali recalled on social media, posting a black-and-white picture of Khanna from his younger days.## Vinod Khanna, who is known for his numerous performances of various shades in films like "Mere Apne", "Parvarish", "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", "Achanak", "Inkaar", "Khoon Pasina", "Insaaf", "Qurbani", and "Amar Akbar Anthony", died in 2017 after a prolonged illness.## The actor had married his college friend Geetanjali in 1971 and the couple was subsequently blessed with sons Rahul and Akshaye, both of whom would go on to become actors. But the marriage didn't survive for long as the two divorced in 1985, after which Vinod Khanna married Kavita Daftary, daughter of industrialist Sharayu Daftary.## One of the most enigmatic actors of Bollywood ever, Vinod Khanna left the film industry at the peak of his stardom in 1975 to become a disciple of Osho and in the early 1980s, shifting base to the godman's ashram in Oregon, United States, for about a decade.## When he returned to India in the late eighties and resumed work as an actor, he once again started scoring at the box office with hits such as "Insaaf" and "Satyamev Jayate".## In his later years, Khanna forayed politics. He was the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Lok Sabha from the Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab.## Not only this, Vinod Khanna believed in spirituality a lot. In 1982, he had shifted to US to explore the spiritual sphere with Osho.## Marking Vinod Khanna's third death anniversary, his wife Kavita shared that she has donated a day's cooked food to the needy in Mumbai.## "My husband, my love @VinodKhanna LOVED his city and was committed to doing Seva till the very end. Today, on his 3rd Punya Tithi, we are donating a day's cooked food to 45,000 needy in Mumbai," she tweeted.## Incidentally, Vinod Khanna's death anniversary falls on the same date as actor-filmmaker Feroz Khan's. Khan was a close friend of Khanna, and the two had co-starred in the former's 1980 blockbuster "Qurbani". Khan passed away on April 27, 2009.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Actress Lara Dutta says that irrespective of their profession, all women have faced sexism at some point or the other.## The actress plays a police officer in the new comedy-action web series "Hundred".## The former Miss Universe had a question-answer session with fans on Twitter where one of them asked: "It was great to see the series portray the difficulties in the life of women. Was that something that attracted you toward the series?"## Lara replied saying: "As women, we all have faced sexism in our life at some point or the other, regardless of which field we belong to. So yes this thought was an imp part of the narrative but not the only thing that motivated me to do this series."## She also opened up about her quarantine time.## "Can't complain! It's been good. Family is healthy and we've been able to spend a lot of time with each other. I've been studying, cooking, and doing fun indoor activities with my daughter," she said.## She also revealed her fitness regime.## "My routine varies according to my schedules and lifestyle. I've always worked out. Pilates, strength training, and yoga have been constant favorites. I'm vegetarian mainly and eat a balanced diet and I meditate," said Lara.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Los Angeles, April 27 (IANS) Hollywood star Vin Diesel has claimed that he is trying to "mitigate a war" between Universal Studios and the "prejudiced" Producers Guild of America.## The actor wasn't active on Instagram for some time, and he returned on Sunday to explain the reason behind his absence. He shared a bizarre poster for his upcoming "Fast & Furious" movie, titled "F9", along with a mention of a "war" between Universal Studios and the Producers Guild of America, reports dailymail.co.uk.## "Happy creative Sunday everyone... sorry I haven't posted much lately, I have been trying to mitigate a war between Universal studios and the p.g.a. Prejudice guild of America," Diesel posted.## He also shared a photoshopped poster of "F9". The edited poster has a look of a Halloween movie with a jack-o-lantern and a dark house in the background.## According to dailymail.co.uk, the poster was actually designed by an Instagram user dubbed as Mommy Torretto, a photo editor whose Instagram is filled with "Fast & Furious" poster parodies.## The reason behind Diesel using the poster in his post is unclear. While Diesel did crop out the bottom featuring the old release date and Universal Pictures logo, the Made by Mommy Torretto watermark is still visible on the poster.## With regard to Diesel's cryptic post, there is no indication why he is referring to the Producers Guild of America as the Prejudice Guild of America.## Diesel has been a part of the franchise since the beginning, starring in 2001's "The Fast and the Furious". He was not in 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious" had a cameo in 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". He returned to the franchise to star in 2009's "Fast & Furious", and also backed the project as a producer.## The ninth installment is more of a personal affair for Diesel's Dominic Toretto as he has to face off with his brother, Jakob, played by John Cena. "F9: The Fast Saga" sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of the series. It also stars Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron.## The release of the ninth installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise has been rescheduled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

BY IANS NEWS

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Actor Vatsal Sheth turned director with a short film during the ongoing lockdown period, and he thinks the effort is no less than his child.## Vatsal's short film "Kahaa Toh Tha", running over six minutes, stars the actor with his wife Ishita Dutta and explores love in the times of quarantine.## "I was having a chat with a friend of mine and I was telling him how much I miss shooting and the regular schedule. While talking to him, I realized, I am an actor, Ishita is an actor. We have phone cameras and basic stuff to shoot. I called a friend, he wrote this story for us, then we sat down on storyboarding, shot division and everything came together. That's how this film came to life," Vatsal told IANS.## Vatsal plays Abir, a restless but loving husband to Myraa, a thoughtful and caring wife. The middle-class working couple realise that their marriage is not that perfect, while they are stuck together in the lockdown.## "We settled for this story because it's a sweet, nice, and feel-good short film. We as a couple were able to relate to it and we thought a lot of couples might feel the same way," he said.## The film was completely made during the lockdown.## "We used our phone cameras to shoot the film. It was just Ishita and me, we were moving the furniture everywhere. We would shoot the scene, run back to the frame to check if everything was done right or if we had fumbled or if we needed to do a retake. Lots and lots of hard work have gone into it. But it was definitely a lot of fun," said the actor about its making.## Vatsal has also launched his production house Vatsal Sheth Films.## "After we made the film, I roped in a lot of good technicians who made the movie as it looks now. We got Mehul who has done music for 'Tanhaji' to do background score for us. We bought in an editor, we brought in someone to make creatives and do color correction. It was a lot of to and fro but in the end, I am really happy with how it has turned out! And none of us have stepped out of the house to do anything, we all have done the work from our homes and made sure that the film reaches you the best it can," he said.## He is very happy with the final product.## "It's like a child to me. It's my first film as a director. I am very excited, although it's a short film, I have worked as hard on it as I would on any other project. I am also thankful to the team at Times Music, they have taken over the project and they are releasing it. I am very excited about this journey," he said.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Actress Bhumi Pednekar will share health and nutrition tips to tackle emotional eating during the novel coronavirus lockdown.## "I have always strived to lead a balanced lifestyle and believed in the synergy of how nutrition, what we eat directly impacts our health and fitness. This lockdown, though extremely challenging for all of us because it has changed how we live life and exist, is also impacting our minds and that can throw off diet and nutrition in a big way," said Bhumi, who will initiate the effort with her nutritionist.## "What we eat has a lot to do with how we feel - it's connected and it's mostly emotional. This will create health and fitness issues and I want to share with everyone my nutrition journey through COVID-19 and I hope that people will find this useful."## The actress has maintained a routine and stuck to her nutritious way of life all through the coronavirus pandemic. She credits her nutritionist Dr. Siddhant for her fit body and will be doing a live chat with him to share health and nutrition tips with everyone.## "I have ensured that I'm mobile, I have been working out, I'm on a nutrition-rich diet and I have not resorted to binge and junk eating. My nutritionist Dr. Siddhant is a genius and has a wealth of knowledge which has helped me shape my life. I want him to share his knowledge with as many people as possible because he has kept me going despite the lockdown challenges," she said.## On the professional front, Bhumi will next be seen in the films "Durgavati" and "Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare".## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Hyderabad, April 27 (IANS) Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda has raised over Rs 40 lakh through his Middle-Class Fund and says he has "reset" the goal of his charity, what with such generous donation coming in from fans. While he had earlier planned to help 2000 families, Vijay now hopes to help over 4000 families.## The "Arjun Reddy" star took to Twitter, where he shared a spreadsheet showing the amount of donation that has come in, and how many households have so far been helped.## Alongside the spreadsheet, the actor also penned an emotional thank you note.## "Today what I saw was magical. Mass care, Mass love, and Mass generosity. Each one of you this missed class fund and its success belongs to you. I promise I will not let you down, we will reach out to each and everyone who reaches out to us and we shall all enjoy the happy smiles that shine back at us.## "In a day you made 25 lakhs into 40+ lakhs. Together we have now reset our goal of 2000+ families to 4000+ families. Today our team was 4, tomorrow we make it 34, so we can reach more people faster."## "Below is an update of day 1 broad numbers. Every day at 9 PM we will share with you a sautés update, so we can witness the impact of what we all are together doing. #TDF #MCF. Note- Households funded today were affected by our training session and 11 AM-12 Noon closure of stores. We will see a jump in families reached from tomorrow on."## Vijay also shared a tweet from a person, who donated Rs 1 lakh to The Deverakonda Foundation.## The actor replied saying: "Darling, 100+ Families will be reached with your support to #MCF. Bigg hugg"## On Sunday, Vijay took to social media to make two important announcements.## He wrote: "None of us were prepared for this. But we are fighters. We shall survive this and come out of it strong. This thing hit me hard as well, but I am here now. I am here with my incredible team that never says no to a fight and we are happy to announce a Rs 1.30 cr fund to help as many as we can. All we need is some love, kindness, and support and I am sending you all, my love and strength."## He even posted an 11-minute video clip in which the actor assured that he will provide employment opportunities and take care of the immediate requirements such as groceries and medicine through his foundation.## He also added that he will take care of the immediate needs of more than 2,000 families.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Known for his chiseled frame and fitness fetish, Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan wants to decimate the last cigarette on the planet.## The subject came up on Twitter after a user asked him he had a cigarette in his hand while he was standing with his sons in the balcony of his home, in a recently-posted picture shared by the actor's Fanclub.## "Does @iHrithik have a cigarette in his hand or am I seeing wrong? I hope you don't @iHrithik. It makes me very very very sorry," the user wrote.## The actor replied: "I am a non-smoker. :) and if I was Krrish, the first thing I'd do after eradicating this virus would be to decimate every last cigarette from this planet.## Recently, Hrithik shared some 'lockdown tips' with fans. He suggests a daily dose of vitamin D to take care of mental health even as we continue to be confined at home.## Hrithik Roshan has been spending the lockdown with his ex-wife Sussanne Khan, who has temporarily moved in with him, to take care of their two sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan.## Talking about mental health, Hrithik has recently started learning piano, which he feels is "great for activating both sides of the brain".## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji may have been single when she played a mother of two in the 2007 film "Ta Ra Rum Pum", but the role brought her motherly instincts out.## Rani, who was paired opposite Saif Ali Khan in the film, said: " 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' was a very, very lovely shooting experience for me because we shot in America, in New York, for nearly three months. I was there for three months at a stretch and it was lovely living in New York around that time shooting the film. We had two little angels - Ali and Angelina (who played Saif and Rani's on-screen kids). I was single at that point of time but to actually play a mother of these two children really got my motherly instincts out."## The film, which was released 13 years ago on April 27, is a sports drama set in the backdrop of car racing in the USA, with Saif playing a racing prodigy. It was directed by Siddharth Anand.## "Today, when I look back and watch the film when I have Adira with me, it just feels so amazing. When 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' released, I had a lot of children and parents really watching the film with a lot of love. I still get a lot of people telling me that they watched 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' and it's one of their favorite films because it has car racing and it has the story about the children," she added.## Rani feels the film's universal theme of family coming together to overcome all odds is what connected with the audiences.## "It's a very nice warm lovely story and I think I connected with the film and the story a lot at that time. It was a very sweet story about this couple who has children and how they fight the odds. I think crisis like these brings families closer and I think that's a very special part of the story," she says.## Rani says she had a blast acting with actor Saif Ali Khan, with whom she also worked in films like "Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic" and "Hum Tum".## "Of course, having Saif with me as a co actor was wonderful! Also, Victor Banerjee played my father in the film and it was wonderful having him on set and to be working with him. It was overall a great experience and I remember being really, really happy on the sets of 'Ta Ra Rum Pum'" she said.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

New York, April 27 (IANS) Joining the growing body of evidence for social media being the primary source of fake news around coronavirus, a new study has found that people who relied on social media or conservative news outlets in early days of the COVID-19 outbreak were more likely to be misinformed about how to prevent the virus and believe conspiracy theories about it.## The Annenberg Science Knowledge (ASK) survey on COVID-19 was conducted in early March, among a nationally representative sample of 1,008 US adults, the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US said.## The study, published in the journal Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, found that there were notable differences in views about the coronavirus that correlated with people's media consumption.## According to the researchers, conservative media usage (such as Fox News and Rush Limbaugh) correlated with higher levels of misinformation and belief in conspiracies about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.## The survey found that more than 23 percent people thought it was probably or definitely true that the Chinese had created the virus as a bioweapon (there is no evidence of this).## More than 21 percent of participants thought taking vitamin C can probably or definitely prevent infection by the coronavirus (it does not).## Social media and web aggregator usage was associated with lower levels of information and higher levels of misinformation, the researchers added.## People who used social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) were more likely to believe that taking vitamin C can prevent infection with the coronavirus; that some in the CDC were exaggerating the threat to harm the president and that the virus was created by the US government.## People who used web aggregators (such as Google News, Yahoo News) were less likely to believe in the effectiveness of handwashing and avoidance of symptomatic individuals as ways to prevent transmission of the virus (in early March, the asymptomatic transmission was less clear).## Mainstream broadcast and print media usage correlated with higher levels of the correct information and lower levels of misinformation, the study said.## People who reported using broadcast news (such as ABC News, CBS News, NBC News) were more likely to say, correctly, that the novel coronavirus is more lethal than the seasonal flu, it added.## People who consume mainstream print news (such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal) were more likely to hold accurate beliefs about the virus.## They were more likely to report that they believe that regular hand washing and avoiding contact with symptomatic people are ways to prevent infection with the coronavirus; and less likely to believe that vitamin C can prevent infection.## "Because both information and misinformation can affect behavior, we all ought to be doing our part not only to increase essential knowledge about SARS-CoV-2, but also to interdict the spread of deceptions about its origins, prevention, and effects," said study co-author Kathleen Hall Jamieson.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Actress Archana Singh Rajput, who was seen in the TV show "Bahu Humari Rajni Kant", will be seen making her Telugu debut with the film "Mahaprasthanam", starring Tanish and Kabir Duhan Singh.## "The film is a gangster drama based in an action backdrop. I'm playing the lead and have done two item numbers in this film. The first song is 'Kummu kummu nene neeku zyummu' and the next song is 'Billi choosa'. My experience was really amazing working with all of them," said Archana.## The actress said it was great sharing screen space with Kabir Duhan Singh, Tanish, and Muskan in the film directed by Jhony, who had earlier called the shots on the horror thriller "Anthaku Minchi".## "Altogether it was great tuning and chemistry. About the director, Johnny sir is very creative and supportive. It is my first Tamil film and I really enjoyed working!" he said.## She said she had never done an item number before.## "It was an amazing experience. I never did item songs and worked for the Telugu industry before and it's for the first time. It was a challenging role because language is very different. As I'm very hardworking I have done lots of rehearsals before shooting. Kapil sir was my Choreographer who supported me a lot," she said.## The music is given by Sunil Kashyap. The motion poster of the movie has been released.## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Folk Singer Swaroop Khan says folk music is like a vast ocean that has been in existence for thousands of years, and he does not think that it's threatened by remix or any other type of music.## Known for his hit songs in "PK" ("Tharki chhokro") and "Padmaavat" ("Ghoomar"), singer Swaroop believes that every kind of music deserves its due credit.## "Folk music is like an ocean. It is vast and huge. I don't think folk music is being threatened by the remix market or any other type of music. This whole thing about one type of music being threatened by other needs to stop. Folk music has been in existence for thousands of years and it is well appreciated and loved in India and overseas," said Swaroop.## He had been part of "Indian Idol" season 5 and thinks that folk music is a way of connecting with god. "Different kinds of music cater to different kinds of taste, there are rap, classic, rock, folk, fusion, filmy songs, all of which exist because people love them. I don't think folk music is threatened by anything. Folk music is a way of connecting with god. It has been here from long before and will remain till long after," he said.## Swaroop Khan says "Indian Idol 5" changed his perception about singing.## He also talked about his childhood dream of becoming a singer. He said: "Some people are forced into their respective professions, but as far as I can remember, I'd always wanted to be a singer. I come from a family of singers, so it's been part of my upbringing. Singing made sense to me, it appealed to me and I followed it".## Swaroop Khan's hits include "Mehandi", "Bahut hua samman", "Jai ho pehlwaan", and "Crazy lagdi".## Stay tuned...

BY IANS NEWS

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) "Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi" actress Aparna Dixit says that the web has provided a lot of opportunities to actors, so no one should be insecure of the medium.## "I am not at all insecure because I am very sure of the loyalty of the TV audience. I feel that the TV audience is still a huge number and both the platforms are very different. It's like how people used to compare TV and films and now one more thing has been added," she said.## "Actors who used to sit at home, with no work, have got more opportunities. Also, it provides every one of a new way to display their talent. I think it's a great thing. There is some content which we can't show on TV, so now that can be shown on the web. If your story is good, you get the audience, irrespective of the platform," she added.## Aparna said there must be different content on TV as well, to keep the viewers engaged.## "I feel that content is supposed to be very different from each other as the audience loves watching different genres. We have to give them different kinds of stories. Also because actors also like to explore different genres," she said.## Meanwhile, during the period of lockdown, Arpana is missing shooting for her show "Pyar Ki Luka Chuppi".## "I miss shooting so much and I miss Rahul and Sheetal so much they are such amazing co-actors and I used to have blast on the set. I am missing making Instagram stories on the set. I am the one who makes many Instagram stories on the set, so I think my audience is also missing that," she said.## "In the evening, I used to have fruit sessions with Rahul and we would make fruit platters. I am also missing all the gossip sessions. Most importantly, I am missing delivering new episodes to the audience. I am getting so many messages from our fans asking when the next episode would come," she added.## Stay tuned...