1. Shah Rukh Khan begins shooting for TED Talks India season 2, details inside
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The second season of TED Talks India hosted by Shah Rukh Khan has finally gone on floors. The first one was aired in December 2017.
Initially, the makers had planned to telecast the second season in November-December last year, but the superstar was busy with his film, Zero. Now, sources say that it is being planned for mid-July, August this year. Says a source, “SRK will shoot for it continuously for the next 12 days at Filmistan.”
Information about the guest speakers is being kept under wraps, but we have learnt that Bani J is likely to be one of the speakers.
Last year, celebrities like Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor and Javed Akhtar had appeared on the show, and given a motivational talk on different issues. Comprising eight episodes, it was aired on Sunday at 7 pm, but this time the makers are contemplating a different time slot. “It will be telecast on Sundays only, but either in the morning at 11 am, the same slot which had Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate or in the evening at 8 pm. That’s because at 7 pm, they already have another property, the supernatural show Divya Drishti,” adds the source.
—Chaya Unnikrishnan
2. Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar head to Kanpur for 'Bala'
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Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, who share great chemistry on screen, have begun working on their third film together. The two actors will head to Kanpur this weekend for a month-long spell of Bala, helmed by Amar Kaushik (of Stree fame).
The AndhaDhun actor plays a man faced with premature balding in this slice-of-life film. “Both, Ayushmann and Bhumi, have a penchant for choosing unique yet entertaining scripts. Bala, too, should be a treat to watch, given its interesting subject. It’s a social satire about how a man’s receding hairline impacts his life,” says a production source, adding, “The previous two times they have collaborated, Ayushmann and Bhumi have been appreciated by the audiences and critics alike. Like their first two movies together, which were set in North India, Bala, too, sees a considerable portion of the action in Kanpur. The two actors will reach the Uttar Pradesh city around May 25 and soon commence their shoot there.”
3. Now Karan Johar to meet Rishi Kapoor in New York
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Jet-setting filmmaker Karan Johar was expected to fly to New York last night. The Takht director has plans to bring in his 47th birthday (May 25) in the Big Apple. Of course, first on his itinerary is a stop to meet his favourite Kapoor couple — Rishi and Neetu — who have been stationed overseas since last September.
Karan’s Dharma Productions have done some extraordinary work with Rishi, i.e.Agneepath (2012), Student Of The Year (2012) and Kapoor & Sons (2016). And they share ‘warm vibes’.
KJo is also close to Ranbir Kapoor as he has collaborated with the actor on a few projects. Wake Up Sid (2009), Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) and the forthcoming Brahmastra are all from the Dharma stable.
—Meena Iyer
4. Sexual assault case against veteran actor Jeetendra quashed by Himachal Pradesh High Court
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The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday quashed the sexual assault case filed against Jeetendra at the women’s police station in Shimla last February. The veteran actor was booked on charges of ‘outraging the modesty of a woman’ after his cousin alleged that he had sexually assaulted her 48 years ago when she, then 18, had stayed with him at a hotel in Shimla in January 1971.
Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, after perusing the case record, ordered the quashing of the FIR against Jeetendra under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. Calling the accusation baseless and ridiculous, the Bollywood actor’s counsel had challenged the FIR, saying the cops registered it without any preliminary investigation and evidence. He also submitted that his client had neither been questioned by the police nor provided with a copy of the FIR.
