SCOOPS: Akshay Kumar's 'fascinating' wish for wife, Big B prays for Kader Khan and more..

Even as he’s currently holidaying with his family at a private island in Thailand, Akshay Kumar couldn’t help wishing wife Twinkle Khanna on social media. More so considering the fact that she shares her birthdate, December 29, with her father, the late phenomenon, Rajesh Khanna. While she turned 44, this is Kaka’s, as the superstar was affectionately called, 76th birth anniversary. 

The 2.0 actor tweeted, “While growing up I’d heard fascinating tales of his superstardom, never imagining one day I’ll marry his fascinating daughter... thank you for giving me this precious one Happy birthday to both of you. (sic)” 

Like many of those who have flown out of the country to ring in 2019, Ekta Kapoor has taken off to Cappadocia, a historical region in Turkey. The TV czarina and Bollywood producer is joined by her friends, including Karan Patel for the New Year celebrations. 

On the other hand, her brother Tusshar isn’t travelling anywhere. Reason being that the Golmaal Again actor wanted to ring in the New Year at home, with his adorable son Laksshya.

Vicky Kaushal’s upcoming release, Uri: The Surgical Strike, is based on the counter ops conducted by the Indian Army to avenge the killing of 19 soldiers in a shocking attack on a camp in Uri, Srinagar, in September 2016. Interestingly, the film, which is helmed by Aditya Dhar and also stars Yami Gautam and Mohit Raina in pivotal roles, features some of the real footage of the surgical strike across the LOC (Line Of Control) conducted by the Indian army men 11 days later. 

Says a source associated with the movie, “Given that the actual strikes were conducted during the night, the film was extensively shot in Serbia to match the topography. Even though Vicky, Mohit and others had trained with real men for the action, their characters do in the course of the movie, the impact of certain scenes from the real footage released by the authorities gives you the goosebumps. Our aim is to to portray reality as it is and showcase what actually happened during the military operation. How our soldiers risked their lives against all odds and inflicted heavy damage to the enemy camps. The real war footage incorporated in the final cut will be a visual treat for the audiences.” 

If all goes according to plan, AR Rahman will soon be making his Hindi TV debut as the judge of a singing reality show. Sources say that the Oscar-winning composer has been roped in to be a maha-judge on Voice India, which incidentally has shifted channels. 

Says a source, “Though it was aired on another channel first, the makers are treating it as a brand new show and making it on a grand scale. They will also promote it as the Indian adaptation of the international show, The Voice. While the original format has four judges, they are tweaking it slightly and also getting a maha-judge on the show.” 

Others who are likely to be on the jury as mentors are singers Kanika Kapoor, Harshdeep Kaur and musician Vishal Dadlani, with whom talks are on. The search for the fourth mentor is underway. The show is slated to start in February and is likely to replace Dance Plus 3 once it’s over.   

— by Chaya Unnikrishnan

Richa Sharma, who replaced Sona Mohapatra as judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, has been roped in for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs as well. The singer will be joining Shaan and Amaal Mallik on the panel. Richa says, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is the definitive platform for singing talent in the country and has churned out some quality singers. With Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs, I am looking forward to guide, groom and mentor the young talents and push them to best of their abilities. I will share the panel with Amaal who is a brilliant composer, and my dearest friend Shaan.” Shaan is her childhood friend and Richa feels that since they don’t get enough time to catch up with each other due to the nature of their work, the show will enable them to spend time together. “I am sure we will reminisce about our funny childhood memories and also create some new ones,” she smiles.

Ranveer Singh’s cop act in Simmba has been loved by the audience in the theatres and looks like social media users, too, are in awe of this avatar of his. During the promotion of the film and after its release, the actor shared some interesting and impressive artworks made by a few talented artists from across the country. The artists, all fans of Ranveer, recreated the posters of the Rohit Shetty-directorial in their own unique, colourful and quirky way. With the Padmaavat actor sharing their creations on his social media pages, it sure helped them grab a lot of eyeballs for their craft. The illustrations added to the engagement numbers of the Befikre actor this month, making him the most engaged celebrity on social media.

Years ago, Kader Khan was asked how did he always pen the best dialogues for Amitabh Bachchan, and the writer-actor had responded saying, something to the effect that, “I work equally hard for all my films. Maybe it’s the way Amitabh Bachchan says the lines that they come out looking and sounding so beautiful.” Khan has written the dialogues for many of Big B’s movies, including Lawaaris, Yaarana, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Angeepath.

Not surprising then that when he heard that the 81-year-old veteran actor-writer had been hospitalised, the Hindi cinema icon shared his prayers for his ailing friend online. Sharing a picture of Khan, Big B wrote, “KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know, taught Mathematics ! (sic)” 

Here’s wishing Kadar Khan a speedy recovery.