SCOOPS: Salman Khan's 53rd birthday plans revealed, Aanand L Rai on 'Zero' and more

Salman Khan turns a year older on December 27 and as the day nears, his family and close friends from the industry will head to Panvel. The Bollywood superstar will celebrate his 53rd birthday at his farmhouse, as has been the tradition in the past several years.

We hear, the celebrations will begin a day earlier, to bring in the janam din and will continue until the day after. Even as more details are awaited, one thing is sure to be constant — the Khandaan’s mehman-nawazi and lip-smacking delicacies, including the b’day boy’s fave dishes. With these Khans, the party never stops.

The much-awaited trailer of Zee Studios and Kamal Jain’s Manikarnika — The Queen of Jhansi, which released recently, has received a great response. Right from trade pundits to the industry, everyone has been raving about it. 

The film showcases the journey of one India’s fiercest warrior queens — Rani Laxmibai — and stars Kangana Ranaut as the protagonist. 

From the high-octane action stunts to the powerful dialogues and background score, every aspect has been appreciated. Elated with the response, Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios, says, “We are overwhelmed with the amazing reactions and the love the audiences are showering on Manikarnika’s trailer, and can’t wait to bring it to cinemas on January 25, 2019. It also motivates us to bring more such exemplary and powerful stories to the viewers and give the audiences a true cinematic experience.”

Produced by Zee Studios and Kamal Jain, Manikarnika — The Queen Of Jhansi will hit the screens in over 50 countries. It will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and IMAX worldwide on January 25, 2019.

Katrina Kaif had been in discussions for Zero with Aanand L Rai since the time the filmmaker first conceived the subject of a vertically-challenged man, and it was tentatively titled Katrina Meri Jaan. During a promotional interaction for the movie co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, we asked her if she thinks having an equation with the director helps in portraying the role. Katrina reasoned, “I think when a director comes to the set as a director and an actor comes to the set as an actor, the interaction between the two is from that perspective. So, the director comes across as the director he is and an actor comes across as the actor he/she is — whether it’s Ali Abbas Zafar who is one of my closest friends, or Aanand who is a colleague. I know him decently well. We’re not social friends. That doesn’t have much bearing when you’re working, it’s down to the dynamics of that person as a director.”

When pointed out that the Zero director had told in an interview to After Hrs that he met friends in her and Anushka Sharma, she said, “I think now Aanandji considers us to be friends, after working together with us. He is definitely someone whose opinion, advice,  and guidance is wonderful. He’s making very good cinema. What’s coming out of his production house is good cinema. He’s got his finger on the pulse of the audience. He knows his audience, he’s connected with audiences. He’s out there and he’s passionate to tell different kinds of stories.”

Even though he believes and does his bit in keeping his surroundings clean, Sonu Sood is looking to beautify his neighbourhood. The Simmba actor, who has acquired a property near the ISKCON temple in Juhu, has reportedly joined hands with the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) for a drive to keep this area clean.

“Often, people litter the area, throwing things carelessly. Sonu is working with the BMC to ensure there are enough bins to avoid garbage piling up around the place,” says a source close to the actor, adding, “Moreover, he also wants the area to look attractive, so he’s looking for painters to create murals on the walls. He believes that when the neighbourhood looks attractive with the vibrant murals, people will have all the more reason to maintain cleanliness.”

On his part, Sonu maintains, “The idea is to not just keep our surroundings clean, but also more appealing for others around. I think wall murals are a good way to motivate people to keep our neighbourhood clean and beautiful.”

Ever since Zero’s teaser was out, there was palpable excitement among viewers. They were eager to see Aanand L Rai, who is known for his unique style of storytelling, team up with their favourite superstar, Shah Rukh Khan. The trailer and songs increased the anticipation further.

While SRK plays the vertically-challenged Bauua Singh in the film, Anushka Sharma is a scientist, Aafia Bhinder, battling cerebral palsy. Katrina Kaif essays the role of Babita Kumari, an alcoholic superstar.

Talking about the plot, Aanand says, “This story is in a commercial space, it’s about incompleteness. The male protagonist is vertically challenged, the female leads are incomplete one way or the other. For me, it’s a tough movie, but I’m so excited and I’m really trusting my audience.”

From the trailer, it’s evident that Zero is a marked departure from his earlier films like the Tanu Weds Manu (TWM) franchise and Raanjhanaa. Aanand elaborates, “Zero is an extension of where I belong. In this movie, maine kuchh halka sa apna orbit chhodte hue kiya hai. I’m taking a small flight, ek confidence dikhake. A filmmaker has to do that, otherwise, you will say that you know what I’m going to write in my next scene. I’m learning from my films and moving ahead. It’s from the same book, but a new chapter.” 

Red Chillies Entertainment and Colour Yellow Productions come together to bring Zero. Produced by Gauri Khan, starring Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan, the Aanand L Rai directorial releases tomorrow.

Sonnalli Seygall, who was seen in Pyaar Ka Punchnama and its sequel PKP2, will be seen in a dynamically different avatar in her next, Setters. She plays a cop with a Banarasi twist in Ashwini Chaudhary’s film, which features Shreyas Talpade and Aftab Shivdasani.

Based on the exam papers scam in Uttar Pradesh, the thriller is currently under production. Playing a cop was fun for Sonnalli, who shot a long schedule in Varanasi, She says, “Of course, it was a different and pretty much a challenging role, also considering the action sequences. Nonetheless, I love challenges and had a lot of fun working on this film. Moreover, shooting in Varanasi was in itself so overwhelming. And, especially for the number of mouth-watering delicacies I got to try throughout the schedule, I would surely love to visit the holy town again.” 

Neha Dhupia, who has a one-month old daughter Mehr, is already in work mode. After shooting for a commercial recently, the feisty actress is now gearing up to return to TV with the adventure-reality show Roadies Real Heroes. There was speculation that Bani J would be replacing the new mom as she is on a maternity break, but we have learnt that Neha, who has been part of the last three seasons of the show, will continue to be one of the gang leaders. 

Says a source close to the development, “Neha will surely be a part of the upcoming season of Roadies. She will not only be back on the show but will also be travelling for all the auditions with the other gang leaders starting from January 4 in Delhi. We are looking forward to her being part of the show.”