Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actress Sumbul Touqeer expressed gratitude as her show ‘Kavya – Ek Jazbaa, Ek Junoon’ has completed 200 episodes and said this means a lot, especially looking at how uncertain and unpredictable the television industry has become.

Sumbul said she is grateful for all the love the audience has given the show and her character, Kavya.

“It feels so good. Completing 200 episodes is a big achievement. This shows that all our hard work is paying off, and I am grateful to the audience for loving and supporting us on this journey. This means a lot, especially looking at how uncertain and unpredictable the television industry has become. So I am truly honoured, and it feels like a big celebratory moment,” she said.

Sumbul shared: “I am sure the audience will love the upcoming episodes too, and before we know it, we will be done with 2,000 episodes and more.”

Speaking about her fun chemistry with co-star Mishkat Varma, Sumbul shared, “He is very helpful and very supportive. The only thing that I find annoying about him is that he forgets things (laughs). But we have come a long way, and I am grateful for this opportunity and his friendship.”

“We often make dance reels, which makes our work more fun. He is a great guy, and it is so good to share the screen with him,” she added.

Regarding the challenges she faced in portraying her character, Sumbul said: “To be honest, in reality, I am a very chill, happy-go-lucky person, but if you see, Kavya is someone who is always very focused, very serious, and strict with her work and career. She is the opposite of me, so that poses a challenge sometimes, but it’s been 200 episodes now, and I have learned so much from her. I feel truly blessed to be able to play this role.”

The actress also believes that the character resonates well with the audience, as women today are very career-oriented and focused.

“I feel that women are more focused on their careers and education now. And when they see Kavya managing everything, including her career, professional life, and personal life, they relate to her and get inspired by her,” Sumbul concluded.

The show airs on Sony.

–IANS

sp/prw

Thiruvananthapuram, July 3 (IANS) Veteran Malayalam director Priyadarshan is fresh from a full-fledged ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy as he gets ready to do two Hindi films this year.

In a chat with IANS, Priyadarshan said that the first one to roll is the Hindi remake of the Mohanlal blockbuster film ‘Oppom’.

“Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol and Samudrakani play the lead roles and the shoot will begin next month,” said Priyadarshan, who is now based out of Chennai.

“We have made certain changes to the Malayalam version of the film and that’s to suit a wider audience, but the thrust of the film remains the same. Khan plays the role of Mohanlal,” said Priyadarshan, a three-time National Award winner.

He said the ayurveda break that he takes is a yearly affair but this time, it took place after a gap of three years on account of the Covid pandemic.

“Look, I am getting old and my target is to reach 100 films. The upcoming film with Khan is going to be my 97th. The 98th film is also ready and it will be with Akshay Kumar, which is planned for the end of the year,” added Priyadarshan.

He shared that the plan is to do the 100th film with Mohanlal.

“Of course, that’s what we have been planning for a while and though at the moment, there is nothing on the drawing board on what sort of film it’s going to be, one thing is decided: the century film of mine would be with Lal,” said Priyadarshan.

67-year-old Priyan, as he is popularly known, burst into the tinsel world with a slapstick Malayalam comedy ‘Poochekoru Mukuthi’ in 1984 and has no reason to look back as he, along with Mohanlal, brought out some of the biggest blockbusters in the Malayalam film industry and hence, he has made elaborate plans for his century film — but prefers to keep that under wraps.

–IANS

sg/kvd

Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actress Bhakti Rathod, who is known for her work in the hit television show ‘Pushpa Impossible’, will next be seen in the film ‘Journey’ and has started dubbing for the film.

The actress will be seen along with veteran actor Nana Patekar in the film, which explores themes of perseverance, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Talking about the dubbing process, Bhakti told IANS: “After the success of ‘Gadar 2’, director Anil Sharma offered me ‘Journey’ as he was impressed with my skills and dialogue delivery. The dubbing process involved the same team and the most senior dubbing director. They experimented with my voice and dialogue delivery, making it an open opportunity and a magical experience.”

Bhakti also shared an interesting anecdote from her experience working on ‘Gadar 2’.

The actress said that the director of ‘Gadar 2’, Anil Sharma, reworked the teaser of the film as he wanted to incorporate her voice in the teaser.

“This all began in ‘Gadar 2’ when I was asked to dub for my scenes. After my dubbing, Anil sir loved my dialogue delivery in dubbing, so he reworked his idea of the teaser and decided on my dialogue in the first teaser. He asked me to come again to separately dub my lines for the trailer. When the trailer came out, it had only one line, but it was accompanied by impactful visuals,” she added.

–IANS

aa/prw

Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actress Shefali Rana, who plays the role of Poonam Khanna in the show ‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’, has shared her experience of shooting in Chandigarh, Punjab, and given insights into her character.

The show is being shot in Chandigarh, which is close to Delhi, where Shefali grew up.

“My hometown is Delhi, and I’ve been settled in Mumbai for years. As a Punjabi, I always wanted to visit Chandigarh but never had the chance. Now that I’m filming here, I’m looking forward to exploring the city,” said Shefali, who is best known for her role in ‘Mariam Khan – Reporting Live’.

Shefali said that she loves being part of the project.

The actress said that the title is so inspiring.

“In my opinion, ‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’ means the sky’s the limit. We shouldn’t limit ourselves when it comes to our growth. My character’s name is Poonam Khanna. She’s a very loving and dedicated mother and housewife who has accepted her life’s reality and finds happiness in it.”

The show is produced by Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey under Dreamiyata Entertainment Pvt Limited.

Talking about working with them, Shefali said: “Ravi and Sargun are the kind of producers every actor wants to work with. Being actors themselves, their perspective is completely different from other producers. And the cherry on top? They’re wonderful human beings.”

Shefali also discussed her approach to her roles: “First, I discuss the character with the creative team. We talk about their vision for the character, how she thinks, and her relationships with others. Then, I offer my own input and how I connect with the character.”

“I prefer to connect with my director, co-stars, and the creative team first. It helps me feel comfortable enough to shoot on set. When you truly enjoy what you do, it’s hard to feel monotonous. It’s all about finding that joy in the process,” added Shefali.

The show stars Amandeep Sidhu in the lead role and Aakash Ahuja in a pivotal role.

‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’ airs on Sony SAB.

–IANS

sp/prw

Mumbai, July 3 (IANS) Actor Vicky Kaushal never misses a chance to groove to Punjabi music, and this is exactly what he did in the song ‘Tauba Tauba’ from his upcoming film ‘Bad Newz’.

On Wednesday, Vicky shared the music video of the song ‘Tauba Tauba’, where he is seen executing some intricate dance moves with ease.

“Punjabi gaana aur main dance na karu?! Let’s go! #TaubaTauba song out now,” he captioned the clip.

This isn’t the first time Vicky has danced to a Punjabi number.

Last year, Vicky went viral dancing in an all-black outfit to Riar Saab and Abhijay Sharma’s song ‘Obsessed’.

His dance moves even helped the song reach the second position on the Top 50 Hits from India on the music streaming platform Spotify.

‘Tauba Tauba’ from ‘Bad Newz’ is by Karan Aujla, who is known for hits such as ‘Players’, ‘Gangsta’, ‘Mexico’, and ‘God Damn’.

Directed by Anand Tiwari, ‘Bad Newz’ is a comedy-drama that also stars Ammy Virk, Neha Dhupia, and Triptii Dimri.

The film tells the story of two Punjabi boys and a Christian Hindu girl. One of the boys has a one-night stand with the girl, who ends up getting pregnant.

–IANS

dc/prw