Our Bollywood celebrities always manage to grab headlines with their films, promotions, looks and sometimes with their antics as well. As Headlines are not choosy – they reflect extremes; either the absolutely adorable or the downright despicable. 2019 saw its share of both.
Discounting the controversies that go hand-in-hand with the celebrities here’s a roundup of the NEWSMAKERS of 2019:
February
Jonas Brothers and Sucker Video
Our national jiju Nick Jonas and his brothers Kevin Jonas and Joe Jonas got together after six years and regrouped their Jonas Brothers band. The Jonas Brothers came out with the track called Sucker that featured their better halves (or J Sisters as they call themselves) in the music video. Sucker got Kevin’s wife Danielle Jonas, Joe’s then fiancée-now-wife Sophie Turner and Nick’s wife our very own Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the video. The song became No.1 soon upon its release. The Jonas Brothers also came up with their documentary titled Chasing Happiness that had their fans weeping happy tears. The song won the 'Video of the Year' award at 2019 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video!
Taimur Addresses 'Media!'
Kareena Kapoor Khan’s and Saif Ali Khan’s adorable little son Taimur Ali Khan who turned 3 years-old on December 20 is one of the most popular star kid today. In fact, he can give any actor a run for his money with his popularity on social media and amongst the paparazzi. So it was a pleasant surprise when the little toddler proceeded to address the flashbulbs outside his house and playschools as 'Media'. His one little wave at the paparazzi almost broke the internet and made every lensman out there happy. Well, we certainly can’t blame them.
March
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt love story
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are the latest Bollywood couple that professed their love for each other this year. The actors went on record to claim that they are extremely happy with their personal life and looking forward to translating their real-life chemistry onscreen as well. Ranbir and Alia are currently shooting for Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra which also stars Amitabh Bachchan. Alia visited New York several times during the year as Ranbir’s father Rishi Kapoor was undergoing treatment for his cancer in the city and gave ample support to the family. Neetu Kapoor and Alia’s mother Soni Razdan also spoke highly of their respective ward’s choice and welcomed them into the family. With every media interaction, Alia was asked about her wedding with Ranbir and everyone kept waiting for an official announcement from the two.
Deepika Padukone’s look as an acid attack survivor in ‘Chhapaak’
After Padmaavat’s release in 2018, Deepika did not sign a single film and eventually got married to Ranveer Singh in November 2018. However, when she finally gave her assent to a project it was Meghna Gulzar’s directorial Chhapaak where she plays the role of acid attack survivor Malti and also came on-board as the film’s producer. Her first look from the film gave everyone a surprise as well as a jolt as it showed Deepika’s scarred face. It was difficult for her fans to come to terms with the fact that one of the most beautiful actresses of Bollywood is wearing heavy-duty prosthetics and playing an acid attack survivor with a scarred and hideous face.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ ‘If I Could Tell You Just One Thing’
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been pushing the envelope for quite some time now and this time around once again the former beauty queen surprised everyone by announcing a new digital show that will be hosted by her. Titled If I Could Tell You Just One Thing Priyanka interviews notable achievers on the YouTube original series. American gymnast and Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles and Belgian-American designer Diane von Furstenberg are some of the few eminent personalities who will feature on her show.
April
Irrfan starts Angrezi Medium shoot
Irrfan sent shockwaves in the industry when he revealed that he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor in March 2018. For the better part of 2018 and 2019 he underwent treatment in London. Everybody finally breathed a sigh of relief when he came back to India and started shooting for the sequel of his 2017 film Hindi Medium. Titled Angrezi Medium the film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Radhika Madan who plays Irrfan’s daughter in the film.
Akshay Kumar interviews PM Narendra Modi
Akshay Kumar sure knows how to wear different hats. What can the man not do, you ask? He has worked in restaurants, can cook, knows martial arts, does his own stunts, and can flit from one genre of films to another right from drama, action, thriller to comedy. However, this time he turned a journalist and interviewed none-other-than Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a non-political interview. The interview was a massive hit and showed the PM in a different light altogether where he revealed varied facets of his personal life.
May
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Cannes debut with Nick Jonas
She came, she saw and then she conquered. Not one to stay in someone’s shadow, Priyanka Chopra Jonas finally made her Cannes debut this year, not alone but with her equally powerful husband Nick Jonas. She rocked the red carpet and made heads turn with her appearance not to mention the extremely caring husband who held an umbrella for her and ensured that she gets dazzles in the limelight. Their love, chemistry, and understanding made everyone go ‘aww’ and rekindled our faith in love that can transcend boundaries and religions.
Deepika Padukone’s citizenship row
Indians are generally a peace-loving lot but we are very susceptible to rumours and hearsay. Something similar happened during the Lok Sabha elections when a publication came out with the celebrities who could not vote. Although, it had the usual names like Katrina Kaif (as she is a British citizen), Akshay Kumar (who holds a Canadian passport) and Alia Bhatt (who is also a British subject since her mother Soni Razdan is one) it did a folly when it included Deepika Padukone’s name in the list too as she was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. The news went viral on social media but soon Deepika refuted all the rumours by exercising her voting rights. Fortunately, this entire ruckus educated the public on the fact that just because one is born in a foreign country they do not lose Indian citizenship and there are a number of clauses on which Indian citizenship is given.
Lok Sabha Election results- Sunny Deol wins Urmila Matondkar loses
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 saw two new candidates join the political fray. Sunny Deol contested elections from Gurdaspur in Punjab on a Bharatiya Janta Party ticket. He won by a record margin, whereas Urmila Matondkar who had joined Indian National Congress and contested elections from Mumbai North constituency, faced loss. She ended up resigning from the party!
June
Malaika Arora’s and Arjun Kapoor’s relationship
After playing cat-and-mouse with the media for the better part of 2018, Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor finally accepted their relationship at the private screening of the latter’s film India’s Most Wanted as they posed for the shutterbugs. After that, the two painted the town red and posted quite a few adorable pictures of their vacations on social media and displayed their PDA for the world to see. They are not bothered about trolls and its a breather to see them in a happy relationship where the woman is older than the man and not vice-versa which is generally the societal norm.
Ananya Panday’s social media initiative ‘So Positive’
Ananya Panday wowed everyone with her spoilt brat portrayal in Student of the Year 2. She revealed that she was supposed to pursue higher studies at the University of South Carolina but since she got a call to star in SOTY 2 her academic dreams were put on the backburner. However, this did not go down too well with some people who mercilessly trolled the actress and stated that she is propagating a lie over her college admission. Countering the allegations, Ananya shared her acceptance letters from the University and proceeded to start a social media initiative called ‘So Positive’ that would help combat cyberbullying. She was highly appreciated for launching this initiative and even received the ‘Initiative of the Year’ award at Economic Times Awards this year.
Kareena Kapoor Khan’s TV debut in Dance India Dance
Kareena Kapoor Khan made her TV debut as a judge on the popular show Dance India Dance 7. She shared the judges’ table with choreographer Bosco Martis and rapper Raftaar. Her association with the show brought in more glitz and glamour and also increased the TRP.
July
Kartik Aaryan’s and Sara Ali Khan’s makeup & breakup
Kartik Aaryan’s and Sara Ali Khan’s relationship sent the gossip mills on overdrive when it was reported that the two young actors had found love in each other. They had become Bollywood’s ‘IT’ couple and their love was for all to see till the news of their break-up started doing the rounds. It all started when Sara revealed that she has a crush on Kartik. After that Imtiaz Ali announced his next romcom Aaj Kal featuring the two actors. They posted mushy posts for each other on social media but soon love went out of the window as soon as they wrapped the film’s shoot. Now, the situation is such that they try to avoid each other and maintain a safe distance. Kartik is reportedly moved on to Ananya now while Sara is happily self-partnered.
Deepika Padukone joins Ranveer Singh’s ’83 as actor and co-producer
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have done several films together but unfortunately always ended up having a sad love story. However, this time around DeepVeer are playing the role of real-life husband-wife Romi Dev and Kapil Dev respectively in Kabir Khan’s sports drama ’83. Deepika will not only feature as Ranveer’s better half in the film but has also lent her support to the film financially as well and come on board as a co-producer.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and smoke picture
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has often gone on record to state that she is asthmatic and is against Diwali fireworks. She even supports a cause regarding this. However, a picture of her with husband Nick Jonas where he can be seen smoking a cigar and she has a cigarette in her hand fueled a controversy as people questioned that if she is asthmatic how can she be smoking and also bear the smoke from a cigar. Well, the actress did not respond to the netizens about the issue.
Shah Rukh Khan-Aryan Khan giving voice over for The Lion King
Shah Rukh Khan and his elder son Aryan Khan teamed up after twelve long years to give voice-over for the Hindi version of Disney’s live-action film The Lion King. SRK played Mufasa while Aryan played Simba. The father-son duo had previously teamed up for The Incredibles where SRK had voiced Mr. Incredible and Aryan was Dash. The netizens were floored as soon as the teaser of the film released because Aryan sounded exactly like SRK and the uncanny resemblance in their voice sent King Khan’s fans into a happy song-and-dance routine.
Ranveer Singh’s look in ‘83
Ranveer Singh’s upcoming and much-anticipated film is Kabir Khan’s directorial ’83 that is a sports drama and biopic on Kapil Dev and India’s first World Cup win of 1983. On the actor’s 34th birthday his first look from the film was released and everyone went gaga over his striking resemblance to India’s greatest all-rounder and captain, Kapil Dev. ’83 also stars several actors in pivotal roles as well as Deepika Padukone who plays the role of Romi Dev in the film.
Judementall Hai Kya name change
Kangana Ranaut’s and Rajkummar Rao’s film was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2019. However, the film was mired in controversy as the Indian Psychiatric Society strongly objected to its former title, Mental Hai Kya, and wrote to the Censor Board seeking a change. In their letter, they claimed that it violated many sections of the Mental Health Care Act 2017. The title was then changed to Judgementall Hai Kya.
Arjun Rampal and Gabriella Demetriades baby boy
Arjun Rampal and former wife of 20 years, Mehr Jessia, went their separate ways after getting divorced. Arjun, who has two daughters with Mehr once again, became a father when his girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades gave birth to a baby boy in July. The actor was overjoyed and so were his daughters who went to visit Gabriella in the hospital as well.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Honorary Doctorate
Thank u for the honour @universityoflaw & my best wishes to the graduating students. It will encourage our team at @MeerFoundation to strive ‘selfishly’ to share more. pic.twitter.com/IBI1I6UlFY
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 4, 2019
Shah Rukh Khan received yet another honorary doctorate from The University of Law (London) in Philanthropy. He was awarded the merit during a graduation ceremony for more than 350 students at the University. SRK already has honorary doctorates from The University of Bedfordshire and The University of Edinburgh. The actor shared pictures from his felicitation on social media.
August
Ranu Mandal
Social media is a funny little thing; it makes kings out of vagabonds and pulls down celebrities by trolling them needlessly. Ranu Mandal became an internet sensation after her video went viral on social media. So much so, that she found herself appearing on a singing reality show and even collaborated with Himesh Reshammiya for a track. She even became one of the most googled people in 2019.
Ayushmann Khurrana- National Award
Ayushmann Khurrana finally got his due when he won the National Award for Best Actor for playing a blind pianist in AndhaDhun. The actor was on cloud nine and received accolades from all quarters who hailed the government’s and the jury’s decision as perfect. Ayushmann wrote a lovely poem thanking for the National Award and describing his Bollywood journey.
Akshay Kumar and the Mission Mangal poster
Akshay Kumar played a phenomenal role in this year’s hit Mission Mangal. The film that was made on India’s successful Mars Orbiter Mission had five leading ladies and was supposed to be lead by them as MOM had a predominantly women team. However, when the film’s first poster was released it had Akshay in a more prominent position than Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menen and Sharman Joshi. Many called out the inherent sexism in the poster as even though Akshay was supposed to play a smaller role compared to Vidya he was given more prominence, but the leading ladies came to the rescue and stated that the film will obviously sell because of Akshay’s name and it made more sense to give him more footage.
September
Rishi Kapoor comes back from New York
For the greater part of 2019, Rishi Kapoor stayed back in New York with wife Neetu Kapoor as he was undergoing treatment for his cancer that was diagnosed in 2018. He kept correspondence with his fans via social media and Neetu ensured that she posted regular updates from NYC. The Bollywood brigade visited Rishi and Neetu in NYC and it was a mini-reunion every now-and-then. The Kapoor clan also took time off to pay him a visit that kept us entertained throughout the year. Thankfully, on September 10, the veteran actor came back to India having defeated cancer and got back to the grind in his hale-hearty and boisterous ways reprimanding shutterbugs during Diwali and trolls on social media.
Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday start dating
Kartik Aaryan’s and Sara Ali Khan’s relationship went kaput as soon as they wrapped Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming film Aaj Kal. However, Kartik found love in his Pati, Patni Aur Woh co-star Ananya Panday. The rumour mills went into overdrive talking about their relationship as the two had eyes only for each other at several parties and get-together. Recently, Ananya and Kartik very slyly even reached out for each other’s hands at the success bash held for the success of their film.
Gully Boy Oscar entry and exit
Everyone was elated and started proclaiming that Ranveer’s time has finally come when Gully Boy was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars. The film based on the life of Mumbai rappers Naezy and Divine scored high in moolah as well as performance this year. Ranveer’s rap, Alia Bhatt’s bluntness, Siddhant Chaturvedi’s debut act and Zoya Akhtar’s direction made the film a hit not only with the masses but with the critics as well. However, the film couldn't feature in the final list to compete for the top honours.
Prernaa Arora out of jail
Producer Prernaa Arora was riding high on the success of her films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Pad Man and had been announcing films left, right and center. However, her newfound joy was shortlived when she had a public tiff with John Abraham on Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran and Anil Kapoor starrer Fanney Khan. Later she got embroiled in another controversy with producer Vashu Bhagnani who alleged that she had duped him of Rs 31.6 crore. As a result of which she was arrested by the Mumbai Economic Offences Wing (EOW). She was granted bail after spending more than 8 months in jail. She was released from jail on September 16 and since then has kept a low profile but has vowed to continue producing films.
October
Amitabh Bachchan hospitalized
Amitabh Bachchan sent shock waves around the country when it was revealed that the megastar was hospitalized. His treatment was all hush-hush and news came out of his illness only when he was about to be discharged. It was rumoured that Big B was hospitalized for his recurring liver ailment, but our exclusive reports claimed otherwise. He was hospitalized due to intestine complications and was discharged on October 19. The actor managed to throw his famous Diwali party for Bollywood celebs as well after coming back home on October 27 and everyone right from fans to the Hindi film industry took a collective sigh of relief.
Shah Rukh Khan on sabbatical
2019 is probably the only year where Shah Rukh Khan has not had any film releases. After back-to-back flops in the form of Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero, Shah Rukh has been keeping a low profile and taking time to choose his next project. He has taken a sabbatical and is enjoying spending time with family and reading up scripts. However, the actor has been quite busy as he hosted the second season of TED Talk India: Nayi Baat, appeared on David Letterman’s show and produced a couple of films for Netflix. He also gave voice over for Disney’s The Lion King playing Mufasa. SRK is yet to announce his next project but we’re sure whenever he does he will definitely come back with a bang.
Suhana Khan’s short film
Shah Rukh Khan’s and Gauri Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan is a budding actress. In September this year, the teaser of her 10-minute long short film The Grey Part of Blue was released and only recently, the director Theodore Gimeno took to his YouTube channel to release the entire film. Starring Robin Gonella with Suhana, the film is about a couple who is on a two-day trip to the girl's home. During this trip, they face the realities of their relationship.
Watch the film here:
Salman Khan announces Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai to clash with Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb
After the shelving of Inshallah, Salman Khan announced Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai to release on Eid 2020. The film also stars Disha Patani and Randeep Hooda and is being directed by Prabhudheva. However, the film will clash with Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb and will be a major fight at the box office. The two superstars had averted a clash with Sooryavanshi and Inshallah previously but are going ahead with this now and there’s no backing down.
Deepika Padukone to play 'Draupadi', co-produce three-series film
Deepika Padukone surprised everyone when she revealed that she has come onboard Madhu Mantena’s Mahabharat as not only 'Draupadi' but also as a co-producer. The magnum opus will be a three-part series and will be told from the female point of view. Expressing her joy at the project, Deepika had said, “I'm absolutely thrilled and honoured to be essaying the role of Draupadi. I truly believe that it is the role of a lifetime. While the Mahabharat is popularly known for its mythological tales and cultural influence, many of life's lessons are also derived from the Mahabharat but most often from its men. Telling it with this fresh and new perspective will not only be interesting but also very significant.”
Taimur Ali Khan says ‘No’ to media
It was just waiting to happen and finally, in October 2019 it happened, Taimur Ali Khan had enough and stamped his feet down and told the media, “No.” Kareena Kapoor Khan’s and Saif Ali Khan’s adorable little munchkin has been constantly hounded by paparazzi ever since he was born and now finally the little toddler said no to the shutterbugs. He is not keen to get photographed and from now on only has sullen expressions and frowns for the media persons stationed outside his home and playschool.
Hrithik Roshan’s back-to-back hits
Hrithik Roshan came back with a bang in 2019. The superb actor was undergoing a pretty lean phase with not giving blockbuster hits, divorce and the whole feud with Kangana Ranaut. However, he proved his detractors wrong who had almost written him off and gave not one but two back-to-back hits in the form of Super 30 and War. Playing the role of mathematician Anand Kumar in Super 30 he lapped up praise, moolah as well as accolades while in War he blew everyone away including Deepika Padukone with his acting skills and drop-dead-gorgeous looks.
Anushka Sharma hits back at former cricketer for his tea remark
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are a power couple, period. However, the two are much loved for shelling out relationship goals, they are trolled as well whenever team India fails to perform on the field. Recently, former cricketer Farokh Engineer made a crass remark about Anushka stating that BCCI selectors were serving her cups of tea during the ICC World Cup held in England in June this year. Anushka, who had maintained silence over this controversy and several others that tarnished her image, broke the ice and issued a statement on her Twitter account that had Bollywood celebs, former cricketers and netizens praising her. Check out her statement below.
— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) October 31, 2019
Suniel Shetty’s Hollywood debut in Call Centre
After making a successful comeback in Pehlwaan, Suniel Shetty started shooting for his Hollywood debut in which he plays the lead role in a film titled Call Centre. Call Centre is being directed by American-Chinese filmmaker Jeffery Chin. The film will see Suniel essay the role of a Sikh police officer who uncovers a multi-million dollar call center scam. He also has been signed on as the brand ambassador of NADA in December. The country’s anti-doping body roped the actor hoping his celebrity status will help its efforts to clean up sports in the nation from the drug menace.
Sushmita Sen on mental illness and boyfriend Rohman Shawl
Sushmita Sen opened up about her near-fatal illness where her adrenal glands had stopped working properly and she was put on steroids. She revealed that in 2014 she had collapsed on set after which she was diagnosed by a rare and serious health issue where her adrenal glands had stopped making cortisol and had gone into an adrenal crisis. Sushmita revealed that she had to take steroids every eight hours to stay alive because her body no longer made that. However, she bounced back from her ordeal rising like a phoenix and is back on her feet. In fact, her body started making cortisol once again that literally surprised her doctors. Sushmita also opened up about her love for boyfriend Rohman Shawl who has become a permanent feature now on her social media posts. Word is that the two might get hitched soon.
November
Lata Mangeshkar hospitalized
Another ailment sent the country into panic mode when news of Lata Mangeshkar being hospitalized started coming in. The 90-year-old veteran singer was admitted to the hospital following pneumonia symptoms but was soon discharged and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Amitabh Bachchan Diwali Party
Amitabh Bachchan hosted his annual Diwali party after getting discharged from the hospital. His bash had the who’s who of Bollywood in attendance. During the party, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s manager Archana Sadanand’s lehenga caught fire that was put out by none-other-than Shah Rukh Khan. Archana sustained burn injuries but was saved in the nick-of-time.
@iamsrk mohabbatman to the rescue ! Praying for Archana ‘s speedy recovery pic.twitter.com/jbbRhU40lL
— Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) October 30, 2019
Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha poster
Kya pata hum mein hai kahani,
ya hai kahaani mein hum... pic.twitter.com/mDMA21J51z— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) November 6, 2019
Aamir Khan’s ambitious project Laal Singh Chaddha’s poster was unveiled in November. The film is the official Hindi remake of Tom Hanks’ iconic film Forrest Gump. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead and is being directed by Advait Chandan while the screenplay has been bought and written by Atul Kulkarni.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Parineeti Chopra team up to voice Frozen 2 Hindi
Acclaimed actresses and sisters Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Parineeti Chopra finally got a project to star alongside each other. They got onboard to give voice over for Disney’s Frozen 2 in Hindi. Priyanka gave voice to Queen Elsa while Parineeti was Anna. The sequel was a hit at the box office and appealed to kids as well as adults and the sisters finally got their heart’s desire to star with each other in a film.
Sacred Games and Lust Stories get Emmy Nominations
Netflix’s screen adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s novel Sacred Games was a huge draw for the audience. The web series saw mainstream A-list stars Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui foray into the digital medium and make way for other celebs and other web shows. On the other hand, four mainstream directors Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap, and Zoya Akhtar came up with a Netflix original film Lust Stories that was a runaway success. Both Sacred Games and Lust Stories received Emmy Nominations. Lust Stories was nominated for International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie or Miniseries while Sacred Games was also nominated in the Best Drama category at the International Emmy Award 2019.
Kangana Ranaut’s look in Thalaivi as J Jayalalithaa
Kangana Ranaut’s first look poster as Tamil Nadu CM and veteran actress late J Jayalalithaa was released in November 2019 and was received with mixed reactions. The poster was also accompanied by a teaser of the film. She was trolled for ‘looking fake’. Many netizens called her look as ‘disaster’. However, Kangana’s fans hoped that the upcoming posters of Thalaivi will do justice to the actress as well as the charismatic leader. A user wrote, “Make-up achcha nahi kia. Baaki acting will be the key. She is my favourite. So hope other posters will do justice."
The legend we know, but the story that is yet to be told!
Presenting #KanganaRanaut, in & as #Thalaivi. A film by #Vijay, arriving in cinemas on 26th June, 2020@KanganaTeam @vishinduri @ShaaileshRSingh @BrindaPrasad1 @KarmaMediaEnt @TSeries @vibri_media pic.twitter.com/lTLtcq0bsd— Team Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) November 23, 2019
A superstar heroine, a revolutionary hero. Watch her story unfold!
Presenting #KanganaRanaut, in & as #Thalaivi. A film by #Vijay, in cinemas on 26 June 2020 https://t.co/qzfa7RKwyj@KanganaTeam @vishinduri @ShaaileshRSingh @BrindaPrasad1 @KarmaMediaent @TSeries @vibri_media— Team Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) November 23, 2019
December
Akshay Kumar applies for Indian Passport
Akshay Kumar’s Canadian citizenship has often come under public scrutiny. The actor has never hidden the fact that he holds a Canadian passport instead of an Indian one and is not eligible to vote. He is often trolled for this and questioned on his patriotic films, but he has always maintained that he is an Indian at heart. However, at a recent media conclave, Akshay finally revealed how he came to acquire a Canadian passport. He revealed, “There was a time when I had 14 flops in a row and I was wondering what to do. One of my closest friends who stays in Canada told me ‘come here and we will work together’. I started the process to get a Canadian passport because I felt my career was finished and I won’t get more work here. But my 15th film worked and I never looked back. I never thought of changing my passport.” Finally, in December 2019, Akshay confessed that he has applied for an Indian passport now as he has no plans of relocating to Canada.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas Sangeet Series Acquired by Amazon
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ and Nick Jonas’ wedding in December 2018 was one of the most gala events of the year. The couple’s sangeet ceremony was equally thrilling as Nick along with his brothers and family proved that they are no less than their Indian counterparts when it came to singing and dancing. Now, the couple have decided to convert their sangeet ceremony into a web series and Amazon Prime Video has greenlit the project. Confirming the news, Priyanka, on Instagram, told that they are still working on the script and are yet to give a title to the series.
Taapsee Pannu’s film signing spree
2019 has been Taapsee Pannu’s year. The actress had some tremendous films releasing in the year that was matched by superlative performances by her. She was seen in Badla, Game Over, Mission Mangal, and Saand Ki Aankh. Now, the actress has quite a few lucrative projects in hand that she has greenlighted to be released in 2020. She will be seen in Anubhav Sinha's Thappad, Tadka, Haseen Dilruba, Rashmi Rocket, Shabaash Mithu (a biopic on Indian cricketer Mithali Raj where she will be essaying the titular role). Taapsee has Aanand L Rai’s Haseen Dilruba, a romantic thriller that also stars Vikrant Massey in the lead. She will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s yet-untitled production venture which will see her in a double role for the first time. The film is said to be a musical entertainer with a comedy of errors and will have two leading heroes romancing Taapsee.
(Source: PeepingMoon)