NEW DELHI: After announcing the launch of her production house Outsiders Films on Thursday, Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu has now unveiled the first look of her banner’s first production venture ‘Blurr’.

Taapsee, who herself has starred in thrillers like ‘Haseen Dilruba’, ‘Badla’, among others revealed that the movie will be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The film co-written by Pawan Sony and Ajay Bahl will be helmed by Bahl who has directed films like ‘Section 375’ and ‘BA Pass’.

Making the big announcement, Taapsee tweeted, “And here’s the first one of the slate. The chill to match the thrill ! #BLURR! @ZeeStudios_ #OutsidersFilms & @echelonmumbai come together for an edge of the seat thriller. Directed by #AjayBahl. @itsvishal_rana @pranjalnk #PawanSony.”

Speaking about turning a producer with her partner Pranjal Khandhdiya and producing ‘Blurr’, Taapsee shared, “Blurr is the just kind of script I was waiting for. I’m delighted to be finally turning a producer with this film and with the support of co-producers and team, I’m sure it’s going to be an enriching journey. Collaborating with Ajay is as exciting as it gets as I’ve seen his work. He is the best to bring the gripping story of Blurr on-screen.”

Stating that ‘Blurr’ will be a thought-provoking and intriguing story for him as a director, Bahl, who is known for his critically acclaimed films also shared that this association between Zee Studios and Taapsee will surely make the film a memorable one.

He added, “With the massive scale it promises and the narrative it brings along I believe BLURR will not only be a power-packed entertainer, but it will stay with the audience too. The reason being, it is not only an arresting psychological thriller but it also has an intriguing social context.”

This isn’t the first time that Taapsee has delved into entrepreneurship, the 33-year-old actor additionally also owns a wedding planning firm and a badminton team known as 7 Aces Pune. The 33-year-old-actor is set for a season chock-a-bloc with her next Looop Lapeta, Rashmi Rocket, DooBaaraa and Shabaash Mithu.

Ahead of the release of ‘Hungama 2’, Shilpa Shetty Kundra opened up about her experience of working with filmmaker Priyadarshan and her co-star Paresh Rawal.“I can’t tell you how excited I am, I always wanted to work with Paresh ji in a comedy with Priyadarshan. This is really a tick on my bucket list. This has always been a lethal combination with Paresh, Priyadarshan and with a franchise that has been extremely successful before,” she said in a statement.

Shilpa also expressed happiness on reuniting with Johny Lever, who was a part of her debut film ‘Baazigar’.“Johny bhai, Rajpal ji these are all fabulous artists. Johny bhai – he is a stalwart; he was a part of ‘Baazigar’. Just to come back on screen with all of these amazing artists who really are on the top of their craft. “I got to learn so much from all of them. You know people are just going to love ‘Hungama 2’. Comedy is really a need of the hour in these depressing times so I am really happy that ‘Hungama 2’ is releasing in a time like these where people will really enjoy it,” she added. ‘Hungama 2’ is a sequel to 2003 released hit ‘Hungama’. The new version also stars Meezaan Jaffey, Pranitha Subhash, Rajpal Yadav and Ashutosh Rana. It will be launched on July 23 for subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar VIP and Disney+ Hotstar Premium.

MUMBAI: Actor Dia Mirza has been blessed with a baby boy. On Wednesday, Dia took to Instagram to share the news with her fans. She also revealed that her son, whom he shares with businessman Vaibhav Rekhi, was born prematurely and is currently being cared for in a Neonatal ICU. Also, her son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi, was born on May 14.

In an emotional post, Dia wrote, “’To have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body’. These words perfectly exemplify Vaibhav and my feelings right now. Our heartbeat, our son Avyaan Azaad Rekhi was born on May 14th.”

“Having arrived early, our little miracle has since then been cared for by tireless nurses and doctors in the Neonatal ICU,” she added. “A sudden appendectomy during my pregnancy and a subsequent and very severe bacterial infection could have led to sepsis and proven to be life-threatening. Thankfully, the timely care and intervention by our doctor ensured the safe birth of our baby via an emergency C-section,” she said, speaking about her pregnancy.

She also thanked people for supporting her in such hard times.“As we watch this tiny being, this Zen master in awe and wonder, we learn from him, in all humility, the true meaning of trusting the universe and of parenthood. And to not be afraid, and so we humbly take the lead from his resilience and courage. We do not have enough words to thank all those who continue to help us live this story of hope and faith and create a safe, healing, nurturing space for Avyaan and I. He will be home soon and his elder sister Samaira and grand parents are waiting to hold him in their arms,” the actor said.

“To our well-wishers and fans, I just want to say – your concern has always meant a lot to me and if it was possible to share this news before, we would have. Thank you all for all the love, light, faith and prayers. We extend them back to everyone who is struggling to hold on to hope right now or is praying for a loved one,” Dia added. Along with the lengthy post, Dia shared a picture of her holding the little fingers of the newborn. It was in April when Dia had announced her pregnancy. Congratulatory wishes poured in for the couple on social media. Actor Anushka Sharma commented, “Congratulations to you guys and love to the little one.” — Correspondent

MUMBAI: Aamir Khan’s production house (AKP) took to their official Twitter handle and revealed the littering news during the shoot of Laal Singh Chaddha to be false and rubbished all the allegations against them. The production house issued a statement saying that the actor and his crew were falsely accused and nobody was guilty. In Fact, every member on the sets followed protocols and took measures to retain the clean surroundings.

The statement circulated by Aamir Khan Productions (AKP) reads as follows, “To whomsoever, it may concern, AKP would like to clarify that as a company we follow strict protocols for cleanliness in and around our shooting spaces. We have a team that makes sure that the location is kept trash-free at all times. At the end of the day, there’s a recheck of the entire location. At the end of the entire schedule, we make sure that when we leave a location, we leave it as clean as, or cleaner than we found it. We believe that there are some rumours/allegations about our location not being kept clean. We strongly deny such claims. Our location is always open to relevant local authorities to carry out checks anytime they like”.

A social media user named Jigmat Ladakhi had posted a video of the littered place and called out Aamir and the crew of Laal Singh Chaddha for their negligence and careless behavior. He even accused the actor of being a hypocrite as on one side he creates awareness on his talk show, Satyamev Jayate, and on the other side litters the beautiful landscape of Ladakh.

Laal Singh Chaddha is one of the most anticipated films of 2021 starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Naga Chaitanya, and Mona Singh in main roles. It is directed by Advait Chandan and produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Viacom18 Studios, and Paramount Pictures. 

The nominees for the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced. The awards night will be held in Los Angeles on September 19, 2021. Now, some of the Indian shows have tasted some success at the International Emmy Awards in the recent times but some media outlets have failed to distinguish them from the Primetime Emmy Awards. So, let me clarify that the Primetime Emmys are bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. These are different from the International Emmy Awards bestowed by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition to the best television programs initially produced and aired outside the United States.

In recent times, we are witnessing some of the most fascinating experiments taking place in American television space. In fact, American television today is far ahead of American cinema. Looking the 73rd Primetime Emmy nominations, the first thing that one notices is the open-mindedness of the Television Academy voters. Can there be anything more exciting than seeing The Mandalorian top the list with 24 nominations (tied with The Crown) followed by WandaVision with 23 nods. While Lovecraft Country got 18 nods, Mare of Easttown ended up with 16. Another offering from Disney in the superhero space, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has scored 5 nominations.

In terms of numbers, HBO and HBO Max are clear winners here with a total of 130 nominations (94 and 36, respectively). Netflix finished close second with 129 nominations. Apple TV’s comedy show Ted Lasso has also emerged as a favourite with 20 nominations. Hacks, also in the comedy space, picked up 15 nominations. Hacks and Ted Lasso will be competing against Black-ish, Cobra Kai, Emily in Paris, The Flight Attendant, The Kominsky Method, and Pen15 for Outstanding Comedy Series.

One feels really happy to see The Queen’s Gambit getting acknowledged with 18 nominations and would be a frontrunner for Outstanding Limited Series along with WandaVision, The Underground Railroad and Mare of Easttown. Among the new entries, Netflix’s Bridgerton has emerged as a strong contender with 12 nominations. It would be vying with The Boys, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Crown, The Mandalorian, This is Us, Lovecraft Country for Outstanding Drama Series.

Also, Perry Mason scores deservedly in the departments of acting, cinematography, and production design. Essaying the eponymous part in the series, Matthew Rhys seems to have picked up from where he left in The Americans. Also, it’s heartening to see Cobra Kai getting some much-deserved attention. Ewan McGregor is always a delight to watch and his nomination for Halston is certainly well deserved.

However, The Underground Railroad put up a rather disappointing show. While Barry Jenkins’ mesmeric work did pick up a nomination for Outstanding Limited Series, Thuso Mbedu failed to get the nod for Outstanding Lead Actress which is really a travesty. But given its scathing criticism of white supremacy as well as the philosophical undertones it was always going to find it hard to win any major awards. Also, Steve McQueen’s Small Axe is totally overlooked which is just unacceptable. Further, it’s very disappointing to see Raised by Wolves getting just one solitary nomination and that too for Main Title Design. It’s really the definitive Sci-Fi show on offer right now and certainly deserves a lot more praise and appreciation for its actors and creative/technical members.

The Good Lord Bird is another important show to get snubbed with Ethan Hawke’s brilliant portrayal of the abolitionist John Brown getting completely overlooked. Fargo is another important show to have missed out this time around. Also, I would have been happy to see Pedro Pascal get a nomination for The Mandalorian. Yes, his character is always wearing a suit and a helmet but there is no denying that Pascal owns the part. But it’s heartening to see Giancarlo Esposito scoring a much deserved nomination for his supporting part in The Mandalorian.

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is here again as if it’s customary for the Emmy voters to reserve sports for the Elisabeth Moss show out of sheer respect for what it has achieved over the years. But as good as Elisabeth Moss has been as Offred, I believe that Amanda Collin as Mother in Raised by the Wolves is better than her this year. Sarah Paulson and Judy Davis also deserved nominations for Ratched but clearly the show is not a favourite of the Emmy voters.

Clearly, this year’s Primetime Emmy nominations are far from being spot on with several notable omissions but overall I am not too disappointed as I see progression which is always pivotal to any medium’s growth.

Bollywood buffs of the thriller genre are all set to be entertained soon with a new film called ‘Mystery of Tattoo’ that has been announced. The film went on floors with its ‘Mahurat’ shot filmed by well known filmmaker Anees Bazmee.

The film sees actors Daisy Shah & Ameesha Patel team up with Arjun Rampal for the project. The film’s producer Kashish Khan is excited for the shoot to begin with covid cases on the decline. He said “I am glad that we are heading towards normalcy and soon our industry will be witnessing a theatrical rush like before. We would take all necessary precautions while we would be shooting and everyone’s safety is our utmost concern.” Ameesha Patel is making an extended guest appearance in the film while actor Daisy Shah is reportedly excited to explore the thriller genre with this movie.