SCOOPS: Why Shah Rukh Khan protected Anushka Sharma's look in 'Zero', Farhan Akhtar-Shibani Dandekar's couple pact

Anushka Sharma’s character in Zero was a very closely guarded secret. A glimpse of her character revealed via a poster of the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer was enough to trigger off conjectures as the actress was shown sitting on a wheelchair. While it is evident that she tackles a disability in the Aanand L Rai directorial, we realised why SRK was fiercely protective about her look in the film. From the time they started shooting last year till date, not a single picture of Anushka from the movie made it to the media or social media. Not only were mobiles barred from the sets, but extra security was also put in place to protect her look from prying eyes. 

Now, we hear that the actress plays a spunky scientist who refuses to be bogged down by her impairment. The poster also gives a dekko of the relationship her character shares with SRK’s Bauua Singh. Looks like Anushka, who has impressed cinegoers with her choice of roles and movies, is set to wow audiences with yet another reinvention with Zero. 

It’s not just a great learning experience that Amyra Dastur is taking back from her shoot with Rishi Kapoor for Rajma Chawal, but a new name as well. What’s more, the nickname was given to her by the veteran actor himself! Recalling how that came about, she says, “While many people find it difficult to pronounce my name correctly, Rishiji pronounced it correctly the first day itself. But then instead of Amyra, he gave me a new name or shall I say, a nickname, ‘Bawi’ on the sets of the movie.

It reminded me of my boarding school days, as Bawi was my nickname back then, too.” Working with the cinema icon has been like a dream come true for the youngster. “The first time I met him was when he came on the set before our first scene in Delhi. He’s outspoken and someone who I grew up admiring as an actor,” she adds. 

Sonam K Ahuja has been shuttling between India and London for the last two years, ever since she and husband Anand S Ahuja started dating. Even after their wedding, the Veere Di Wedding actress makes sure that she takes a few short trips to UK after completing her work assignments. Currently, she is holidaying with her hubby. 

Says a source, “Sonam completed the first schedule of The Zoya Factor sooner than expected. Major portions of the slice-of-life movie have been filmed and only 15 days of shoot remain. She will return to India in a few weeks and complete these sequences with a second and final schedule.” Now, that’s how one balances work and marriage. 

It’s not uncommon for couples to come up with interesting nicknames for their other half. But we were surprised to know what Bipasha Basu calls her husband Karan Singh Grover. ‘Monkey’! 

A source who happened to overhear the couple’s interaction from the set of their film Aadat in London tells us, “When Bipasha first uttered the word ‘monkey’, we thought maybe one had actually landed at the shoot. But it turned out that it was her nickname for Karan as she often called him ‘My Monkey’, ‘Monkey Darling’ during the schedule.”   

Fatima Sana Shaikh seems to be fast becoming a familiar face on the advertising circuit. The actress, who debuted with Dangal and will be seen next in Thugs Of Hindostan, has bagged three endorsement deals in the recent months. Interestingly, her newest assignments are one different from the other — a chocolate, a watch and a hair oil brand each.

Fatima has even shot for two of her new endorsements. While she travelled to Europe for the chocolate commercial, she shot the watch campaign with Varun Dhawan in Mumbai. She enthuses, “It’s been a lot of fun shooting the brand campaigns along with my next film. While it is creatively similar to a movie, it’s different in its own way.”

A few days ago, Farhan Akhtar shared a picture online with singer Shibani Dandekar. Incidentally, it was the same picture she had put up online over a month ago. No wonder then, it was seen as a hint that they are in a relationship. 

However, when the songstress was asked about it by the media recently, she had reportedly replied, “I don’t need to make an announcement about who I’m dating.

It’s up to me to decide when and what I want to share about my personal life, and it is up to the audience to decide how they look at it. How much information I want to put out in the public domain is my prerogative.” 

Interestingly, when the actor-filmmaker was questioned about it on another day, he too, apparently, gave a similar reply. Looks like both Farhan and Shibani have made a pact to give similar responses to the fourth estate when probed about their relationship status.