Entertainment

Akshay Kumar, Ananya Panday in ‘Kesari Chapter 2’

Dharma Productions on Thursday (April 3) launched the trailer for Kesari Chapter 2. Starring Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday, the historical drama is set during and after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

Kumar plays a lawyer, inspired by C. Sankaran Nair, who challenges the British crown and seeks to uncover the truth of Jallianwala. “We are suing the crown for genocide,” Kumar says in the trailer. Madhavan pitches up as a fearsome Indian-origin lawyer defending the actions of the British administration in Punjab. Ananya Panday, as a bright female lawyer, plays Kumar’s steadfast aide.

Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari Chapter 2 is based on the book The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. The film appears to combine several historical events into a single, streamlined narrative, spanning the findings of the Hunter Commission and a libel suit filed by Michael O’Dwyer against Sir CS Nair in England.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was one of the darkest chapters of British colonial rule in India. On April 3, 1919 in Amritsar, Reginald Dyer, a British Brigadier-General, ordered soldiers to fire upon an unarmed crowd of over 15,000 Indians gathered at Jallianwala Bagh on Baisakhi day. The crowd had gathered to peacefully protest the Rowlatt Act. The killings shook the world and became a rallying point for anti-British sentiment in India.

CS Nair was a distinguished Indian lawyer serving as the sole Indian representative in the Viceroy’s Executive Council during the time of the massacre. Anguished by the killings, he resigned from the prestigious post, forcing the British to implement changes such as the revocation of martial law in Punjab.

CS Nair later wrote a book, Gandhi and Anarchy (1922), where he criticized Michael O’Dwyer, the lieutenant Government of Punjab during the massacre. He accused O’Dwyer for abetting the atrocities through his repressive administration. This, in turn, invited a libel suit from O’Dwyer, who by then had returned to England after being dismissed from Punjab.

Kesari Chapter 2 is set to hit theatres on April 18, 2025.

Redin Kingsley and Sangeetha
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Tamil actor Redin Kingsley and his wife and actor Sangeetha V announced on Thursday the birth of their first child, a baby girl. Sharing an image of their child, without revealing her face, the couple announced via Sangeetha’s Instagram account.

Redin, best known for his performances in films like Doctor, Beast and Jailer, married television actor Sangeetha (of Anandha Ragam, Thirumagal fame) back in December, 2023.

Redin, who first made it as a dancer in the film industry, found his break in Nelson Dilipkumar’s Nayanthara starrer Kolamaavu Kokila. Since then, he has starred in all the subsequent films of the filmmaker, namely, Doctor, Beast and Jailer, with his stellar performance in Sivakarthikeyan’s Doctor making him a household name.

Some of the other notable titles that featured Redin include LKG, A1, Netrikann, Annaatthe, Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, Gatta Kusthi, Pathu Thala, Soppana Sundari, DD Returns, and Mark Antony. He was recently seen in films like Bloody Beggar, Kanguva, Sabdham and Perusu.

On the other hand, Sangeetha is known for her work in soaps such as Anandha Raagam, Aranmanai Kili and Thirumagal. The actor made her transition to the silver screen with the 2021 Vijay starrer Master.

Bharat Dabholkar
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Actor-director and writer, Bharat Dabholkar, started as a lawyer, before creative forces compelled him to take to theatre, advertising and films.

The common thread between theatre and ads is laughter, Bharat says over a call from Mumbai. “I find laughter the biggest connection to people be it the Amul ads or theatre.”

Bharat brings the musical, Blame It On Bollywood to Bengaluru. He has written and directed the musical and shares the stage with Anant Mahadevan and Jayati Bhatia. Produced and presented by AGP World in association with Yash Raj Films, the production has laughter as well as song and dance.

“Every play of mine begins with us making fun of ourselves. Once that is done, you are pardoned when you make fun of others.”

Scenes from the musical
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

There is a thin between freedom of speech and vulgarity, Bharat says. “I am a lawyer, and have studied the Indian Constitution. All these comedians who cite freedom of expression forget that there is a restriction of fundamental rights too. A simple way of putting it is my fundamental right to swing my hand ends where the other man’s space begins.”

Known for his political and social satires Bharat says, “I have made fun of everybody in my plays, and never got into trouble, because I know where to draw the line. You don’t get personal nor do you take sides. You have to always be objective.”

Bharat gives 99.99 % of the credit for the success of the Amul campaign to Verghese Kurien. “He was the world’s best client. He said, ‘I understand milk and milk products but not advertising. I have chosen you and cannot tell you what to do. Do whatever you want, but make sure my product sells.’ When you are given that kind of a brief, your responsibility also increases.”

 Bharat laughs off his titles of ad-guru and father of Hinglish. “I am no guru as I have not taught anyone and I believe no one learnt anything from me. But Hinglish happened, because I did my schooling in Marathi. When I came to Mumbai I joined a sophisticated South Bombay College. There were 145 of the prettiest girls in my class and five boys.

“If a girl came and asked me to go out for a film, I would respond in my head in Marathi, then translate it to English and then respond. By that time, the girl would have watched the film and returned too. That is when I started using Hinglish, just to talk to the girls.”

It worked, Bharat says in college, later in plays and advertising. “I realised when you speak the language of people, they relate to it better. We would try and make a local connect too. For instance, for one Amul ad in Tamil Nadu, we punned on a title of an MGR film, Unnai Veda Matten. We created an image of MGR holding Amul butter in his hand and used the tagline ‘Vennai Vida Matten’. That’s how those ads worked. We call it empathy in advertising.”

About his musical, Blame it on Bollywood, Bharat says, “I realised regardless of which community you belong to, every wedding has this Punjabi Bollywood wedding influence. The play was originally called, Blame it on Yash Raj, which ran for 12 years. Yash (Chopra) is a good friend of mine, we got his permission too for the title. Later, we changed the title to Blame it on Bollywood, added new songs and dances.” 

Blame it on Bollywood tells the story of a Punjabi father, Bengali mother, and a daughter who wants to marry a Muslim. “The apprehensive bride’s family discovers that the Muslim family is more evolved and sophisticated than them.”

The play, Bharat says, is a tribute to Yash Chopra, who is regarded as the father of romance in Bollywood. ”It is humorous, and breaks the stereotypes. The weddings get bigger, there is a sangeet, where we get the audience to dance with us. It is about having a good time while we make fun of everything related to weddings.” 

Blame it on Bollywood will be staged on April 5, 7.30pm at Prestige Centre for Performing Arts. Tickets on https://bit.ly/BIOB_Bangalore_BookNow

Singer-songwriter Johnny Tillotson, best known for his 1960s hit Poetry in Motion, has sadly passed away at the age of 86.
The news was made public a day after his passing by his wife, Nancy Tillotson, who, in a heartfelt social media post on Wednesday, April 2, revealed that he died following a battle with Parkinsonism. .
PEOPLE put up Nany’s statement that read, “It is with a broken heart that I write to let you know that the sweetest, kindest man I ever met, Johnny Tillotson, left earth for Heaven yesterday. He was my best beloved, Champion of my realm, Knight of my heart.”
She continued, “Someone said, that sometimes right in the middle of an ordinary life you get a fairy tale. The day I met him I got mine. He was funny, generous and kind. A gentleman through and through. He loved and was grateful to his fans, as he once said, they made every dream I ever had come true. Once again on his behalf I say thank you for that.”
In her note, Nancy reflected on their life together, and paid tribute to his remarkable career, calling his achievements a “testament to his undeniable talent.” Tillotson was known for a string of hits, including Talk Back Trembling Lips, You Can Never Stop Me Loving You, and It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin’, which was later covered by music legends like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Elvis Presley. He earned two Grammy nominations—one for Best Country and Western Recording in 1962 and another for Best Contemporary (R&R) Vocal Performance in 1966.
Tillotson is survived by his wife of 45 years, Nancy; his son, John, and grandchildren.
Nancy concluded her heartfelt tribute saying, that he will be missed every day for the rest of her life. “He was simply the best. With all the love I have in my heart for a wonderful man gone too soon from this world,” she wrote.
News of Tillotson’s passing comes just days after the release of ‘Everything I Touch Turns to Blue’, leaving behind one final musical gift to his fans.

Val Kilmer died on April 1, 2025. He was 65. Fans, friends, and well-wishers have been sending in their heartfelt condolences for the loss of the Top Gun star, as it’s a tragic loss to comprehend.

Now his ex and good friend Cher, has taken to X, to share her grief. She recalled fond memories of him and his incredible work, and also highlighted how brave he had been all through his illness.

VALUS
Will miss u,U Were Funny,crazy,pain in the ass,GREAT FRIEND,kids💜U,
BRILLIANT as Mark Twain,
BRAVE here during ur sickness

— Cher (@cher) April 2, 2025

The post read, “VALUS. Will miss u. U Were Funny, crazy, a pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND, kids (love) U, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness.”

For the unversed, Cher and Val Kilmer dated for two years, back in the 80s. They had met at a birthday party. Even after parting ways, there was no animosity between the two as they continued to be good friends and colleagues. They would often talk lovingly about each other in interviews.

In a 2021 People Magazine interview, Cher mentioned, “We became friends because we laughed at the same things constantly. It went from madly in love and laughing hysterically to respecting each other’s ability.”

She further elaborated how it initially started off as friendship, but the two soon fell in love with each other.

However, things started falling apart because of their clashing strong personalities, Cher added, “We had unbelievable times and then put up with some times when they weren’t because we were both Alpha males.”

Cher concluded by saying that she had no idea how they continued to remain such good friends. It was difficult, but they just did it.

Some of Val Kilmer’s most notable works include Top Gun (1986),  The Doors (1991), Tombstone (1993), and Batman Forever (1995). It put him on the map as he rose to fame, and then there was no looking back.

It’s been more than 25 years of Kareena Kapoor Khan and the diva continues to rule hearts and the box office.

Last year she delivered commercial hits like Crew with Kriti Sanon and Tabu, and then Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again alongside Ajay Devgn and Arjun Kapoor, and cameo roles by Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff, and Akshay Kumar.

Last evening, Kareena was present at the launch of her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar’s book The Commonsense Diet, where she spoke about how she wants to balance work and family life for as long as she can.

The 44-year-old actress said, “Age is just a number. I want to always be fit to take on whatever old age brings. I want to be able to do what I have to do, whether I have to go to set also at the age of 70, or 75. I want to keep working all my life. I want to be able to bend to pick up my grandchildren. So for that, I need to eat right with her guidance.”

Speaking about the importance of yoga, eating right, and exercising in her life, the actress stated, “That’s what for me, ageing and life is. I love it, I’m embracing it, but I’m taking all these particular things like eating ghee, eating khichdi, doing a little bit of weight training for muscle strength, walking a little, my Surya Namaskars, doing my little work on my own rather than skin treatments and Botox.”

Kareena has always been loved the most for her character Geet in Jab We Met, which fans believe is very true to her off-camera personality.

Citing the dialogue of  “Main Apni Favourite Hoon“, the actress said that every woman should live by that mantra and nothing works magic life self-belief. Irrespective of how one feels, reassuring yourself every day is the only way to be.

The much-awaited trailer for ‘Kesari 2’ has finally dropped, offering a thrilling glimpse into this powerful historical drama. Starring Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, the film brings to life the tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the brave legal battle that followed. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, the film is set to hit cinemas worldwide on 18 April 2025.
Taking to Instagram, Karan Johar shared the trailer with the caption, “One man, his courage, his words—that shook the entire empire. Uncover the most shocking lie ever told. Uncover the darkest chapter of our history. Uncover the truth behind the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.”

The trailer: A glimpse into the drama

The trailer for ‘Kesari 2’ offers a glimpse into the film’s emotional depth and historical significance. It opens with a gripping sequence, setting the tone for an intense courtroom drama following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The trailer showcases a fierce legal battle and intense courtroom confrontations filled with sharp dialogues between Akshay Kumar’s character, C. Sankaran Nair, and R. Madhavan’s Neville McKinley. Ananya Panday, playing a determined lawyer, Dilreet Gill, also appears in a promising role, contributing to the narrative’s emotional impact.
A tribute to unsung heroes
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 was one of the darkest days in India’s history. While many know the horrors of that day, few are aware of the fearless legal fight that followed. ‘Kesari 2’ sheds light on this untold story, honoring those who refused to stay silent against injustice.
Earlier, Akshay had shared his thoughts on his character, writing, “He held his head high. He beat them at their game. He told them where to go. A genocide India must know about. A revolution painted in courage. #KesariChapter2teaser out now! In cinemas 18th April, worldwide.”

Actress Anupria Goenka, known for her roles in films like ‘Tiger Zinda Hai,’ ‘Padmaavat,’ and ‘War,’ as well as hit OTT shows such as ‘Sacred Games,’ ‘Abhay,’ and ‘Criminal Justice,’ recently opened up about losing out on a major role in ‘Sultan.’ Despite auditioning over ten times for the part, she lost it to Anushka Sharma.

Anupria’s intense audition process for ‘Sultan’
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, recalling her audition process, Anupria shared, “I auditioned for ‘Sultan’ for the main part. Tab woh log naye logo ko dhoond rahe the. Mere kuch 11-12 test hue the… pehle ek audition hua tha, phir doosra audition hua, phir there was a music video test, phir there was a dance test with Vaibhavi (Merchant), and then there were readings with Ali (Abbas Zafar).”

Anupria further revealed that she did not initially know she was auditioning for ‘Sultan.’ “That one-month process was beautiful. Thankfully mere liye voh poora process ek mahine ka tha. Agar woh 6-7 mahine ya ek saal chalta toh insaan anxiety main hi reh jaata na… Jab tak main Ali se nahi mili, mujhe pata bhi nahi tha ki ‘Sultan’ ki baat ho rahi hai because YRF main they don’t give you the actual script. They give you some other script, and they make you audition on that… It was only when I met Ali and he kept referring to ‘Mr. Khan’ that I realized ki this is for ‘Sultan’ and the main part.”
“Ek toh I’m dusky, which I’m very proud of…”
When she did not get the role, Anupria admitted it was difficult to accept. “The whole process was very heartbreaking when I didn’t get it, of course… Ek toh I’m dusky, which I’m very proud of. I love being dusky. But I’m not a typical YRF heroine, right? I do not have the most shapely legs…”

Mrunal Thakur was also considered for Anushka’s role
Interestingly, Anupria was not the only actress who almost played Aarfa in ‘Sultan.’ During an episode of ‘Bigg Boss 15,’ Salman Khan revealed that Mrunal Thakur was originally considered for the role. “Mrunal had come to my Panvel farmhouse. Ali (Ali Abbas Zafar) had brought her,” Salman recalled. However, he explained that Mrunal did not have the required physique for a wrestler’s role. “She did not look like a wrestler at the time,” he said. Ultimately, the role went to Anushka Sharma, who delivered a powerful performance, impressing audiences with her chemistry with Salman Khan.