Bollywood
Two days after bail, Shah Rukh Khan's son walks out of jail
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan walked out of Mumbai's high-security Arthur Road prison to a rapturous welcome on Saturday morning, more than three weeks after his arrest in a cruise-on-drugs case.
Aryan was received outside the jail gate by none other than his father, and greeted by thousands of Shah Rukh's fans. He had been in judicial custody since October 8.
The 23-year-old and his two friends -- Arbaz Merchant and Mummun Dhamecha -- were granted bail by the High Court in Mumbai on Thursday, as Shah Rukh roped in some of India's top legal minds to argue for bail for Aryan in the drugs case.
On Friday afternoon, Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh's close friend and co-star in many movies, went to the sessions court in Mumbai and signed Aryan's bail bond of Indian rupees one lakh.
Also read: Shah Rukh Khan's son gets bail in drugs-on-cruise case
Among the 14 bail conditions listed by the Mumbai High Court are that Aryan, Arbaz and Mummun can't leave the country and make any attempt to influence any witness in the drugs case. They were also asked to submit their passports to the court.
Aryan, particularly, has been asked to visit the federal anti-narcotics agency's Mumbai office every Friday and join investigations whenever required. If any of the conditions is violated, his bail could be cancelled.
Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 after hours of grilling in connection with a rave party the federal agency busted on board a cruise ship off Mumbai coast a day before.
During arguments in the High Court, the federal prosecutors told judges that this was not a case of drugs consumption only, "but that of conspiracy too", and that Aryan had tried to sell narcotics in commercial quantity after procuring the same.
On Tuesday, India's former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was roped in by Shah Rukh, argued in the court that Aryan was a "young man who should be sent to a rehab centre rather than jail". He also crushes the federal prosecutors' theory of conspiracy.
On the evening of October 2 evening, some 30 NCB sleuths, disguised as passengers, boarded luxury cruise liner 'Empress' which departed Mumbai port for the neighbouring state of Goa.
The cruise ship was carrying mostly celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began, the NCB sleuths swung into action and claimed to have caught red-handed those having drugs.
Also read: ndia's anti-narcotics police raid Shah Rukh Khan's house
Aryan, his close friend Arbaaz, and eight others were soon detained. While two of the detainees had been freed after questioning, Aryan and seven others were subsequently arrested by the NCB.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Shah Rukh Khan's son gets bail in drugs-on-cruise case
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was on Thursday granted bail by the High Court in Mumbai, more than three weeks after the 23-year-old was arrested by the federal anti-narcotics agency in a drugs-on-cruise case.
Apart from Aryan, his two friends -- Arbaz Merchant and Mummun Dhamecha -- were also granted bail in the case. But the court added a rider to the bail -- the trio can't leave the country without its permission.
However, the three are unlikely to walk out of jail by Thursday night, as the High Court's detailed order will be issued Friday only.
Also read: No bail for Shah Rukh Khan's son as HC adjourns hearing in cruise drugs case
During arguments, the federal prosecutors told the court that this was not a case of drugs consumption only, 'but that of conspiracy too", and that Aryan attempted to sell narcotics in commercial quantity.
On Tuesday, Aryan's lawyer Mukul Rohatgi argued in the court that the 23-year-old was a "young man who should be sent to a rehabilatation centre rather than jail".
Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 after hours of grilling in connection with a rave party the federal agency busted on board a cruise ship off Mumbai coast a day before. He has been in judicial custody since October 8.
Acting on a tip-off, some 30 NCB sleuths, disguised as passengers, boarded luxury cruise liner 'Empress' on October 2 evening, which departed the Mumbai port for the neighbouring state of Goa.
The cruise ship was carrying mostly celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began, the NCB sleuths swung into action and claimed to have caught red-handed those having drugs.
Also read: Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan arrested after rave party raid
Aryan, his close friend Arbaaz, and eight others were soon detained. While two of the detainees had been freed after questioning, Aryan and seven others were subsequently arrested by the NCB.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan arrested after rave party raid
India's narcotics police Sunday arrested Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan after hours of grilling in connection with a rave party it busted on board a cruise ship near Mumbai.
Acting on a tip-off, some 30 sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), disguised as passengers, boarded 'Empress' Saturday evening, which departed Mumbai for the neighbouring state of Goa late at night.
The ship was carrying mostly celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began, the NCB sleuths swung into action and caught red-handed those consuming drugs.
Also read: Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan detained after rave party raid
"Aryan, his close friend Arbaaz, and eight others were soon detained with drugs. The cruise ship was forced to return to the port of Mumbai. While two of the detainees were freed after questioning, Aryan and seven others have been arrested," an official said.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
Also read: Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana to make Bollywood debut soon?
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan detained after rave party raid
India's narcotics control authority has detained Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in connection with a high-profile rave party that it busted on Saturday night on board a cruise ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the city of Mumbai.
"Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is questioning Aryan Khan in connection with the rave party. Aryan Khan has not been booked on any charges, neither has he been arrested so far," Sameer Wankhede, NCB zonal head, told the media.
Read:Coming soon: A documentary series on Bollywood's Salman Khan?
The drug bust came on a tip-off. NCB sleuths boarded 'Empress' that departed Mumbai for the state of Goa. The ship was carrying celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began, the sleuths swing into action and forced the ship to return.
"Not only Aryan (23), many others have been detained in connection with the rave party. Drugs and banned substances have been seized from their possession," another NCB official said.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Read:How OTT platforms saved India's film industry during the pandemic
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
Read:Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty's hubby walks out of jail on bail
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty's hubby walks out of jail on bail
A day after getting bail in a pornographic films case, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra walked out of a jail in the Indian city of Mumbai on Tuesday.
Raj was arrested on July 19 by the crime branch of Mumbai Police for allegedly making and uploading on OTT (over-the-top) platforms several pornograhic films. Last week, Mumbai Police filed a 1,400-page chargesheet in the case.
In an inspirational social media post, Shilpa wrote: "There are always going to be moments that push you to the ground. In times like these, I truly believe that if you fall seven times, make yourself strong enough to be able to stand back up eight times."
"This rise will demand a lot of courage, grit, will-power, and strength during some of your most difficult moments. But, these qualities will only make you more resilient and robust in this journey called life. You will come back with renewed determination and motivation," she added.
After hours of grilling, Raj was arrested on July 19 by the crime branch of Mumbai Police in connection with the pornograhic film case. A total of 21 people have been arrested in the case so far.
According to Mumbai Police, the pornograhic films were shot in India by Raj's movie production firm and then transferred to Britain via a UK-based company.
"There was a case registered with the crime branch Mumbai in February 2021 about the creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps. We've arrested Raj Kundra in this case as he appears to be the key conspirator of this," the police said then.
The 45-year-old British-Indian businessman insists he is innocent.
In 2013, Raj hogged the media limelight after he was grilled by Delhi Police in connection with a betting and spot-fixing scandal that rocked the country's multi-million dollar cricketing tournament, the Indian Premier League. He's a co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals team.
Shilpa and Raj tied the knot in 2009, after dating for a couple of months. They have two children -- a son and a daughter.
A former model, Shilpa made her Bollywood debut in the thriller Baazigar (1993) starring Shah Rukh Khan as an anti-hero in the lead role. She went on to act in many other hit flicks, including action comedy Main Khiladi Tu Anari and romantic film Dhadkan.
Shilpa is also a celebrity endorser for several leading brands and products as well as a number of fitness campaigns such as the Fit India Movement, launched by the Indian government.
Indian tax police raids Bollywood actor Sonu Sood
Indian tax police Wednesday raided Bollywood actor Sonu Sood's properties in the western city of Mumbai over alleged tax evasion charges.
Sources told UNB that the residence and five other premises of Sonu -- who helped thousands of migrant workers stranded by the Covid-19 lockdown in Mumbai return home last year -- were raided by tax sleuths.
The raids were in connection with a recent deal between the 47-year-old actor's firm and a real estate company based in the city of Lucknow in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the sources said.
The raids come days after the actor met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the national capital, fuelling rumours of his political debut with Aam Aadmi Party.
"Sonu Sood a Messiah who helped millions of poor who were orphaned by the govt. This Income Tax raid shows Modi Govt's insecurity," Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party tweeted, in the wake of the tax raids.
Though he started his acting career in regional language films on southern India in 1999, Sonu began starring in Hindi films in 2002. He earned accolades for his role in Mani Ratnam's Yuva in 2004 and in Aashiq Banaya Aapne a year later.
In 2010, the former model played the lead villain in Abhinav Kashyap's blockbuster Dabangg, co-starring with superstar Salman Khan. He also owns a production house.
When a Bollywood celebrity ad adds to the woes of a unicorn
Building brands is not a child's play these days -- they have to be bold to be heard. But crossing the line can backfire.
An Indian unicorn, for instance, is facing backlash on social media over its decision to promote its brand via an advertisement that many perceive portrays the workplace exploitation of its workers.
The ad featuring Bollywood stars Hritwik Roshan and Katrina Kaif has definitely given leading food delivery giant Zomato an edge over others in the competition for attention, but it has triggered widespread derision.
Read: India's first food delivery unicorn fires up start-up ecosystem
The first ad shows Katrina opening the door for a Zomato delivery professional. After taking the delivery of a cake, she asks the Zomato man to wait for a slice, but he gets another notification for delivery and leaves.
The second ad is almost similar, only that the Zomato delivery executive has to forgo an opportunity to take a selfie with Hritwik after handing him over a food bowl. "For us, every customer is a star," says the tagline.
While the Twitterati has slammed Zomato for glorifying the poor working conditions of the delivery professionals, the unicorn says the ad is aimed at making the delivery men "the hero".
"This ad disturbed me. We don't need to glorify people rushing to deliver food. Or condescend to them and make it out to be heroic. Service providers need to come back to Earth," K Srinivasan tweeted.
"So the message here is what? That @zomato delivery guys work under such pressures and time constraints that one can't even wait 10 seconds for a selfie with a superstar. And that's a work culture they are proud of having?" tweeted Gaurav.
"Zomato spends crores on Hrithik instead of giving raise to deliver personnel," wrote another social media user.
Zomato has also put out its version of the controversy. "We believe that our ads are well-intentioned, but were unfortunately misinterpreted by some people," it said in its statement on Twitter.
Read: Indian economy grows by 20.1%, raising hopes of recovery
The controversy erupts barely a month after Zomato became India's first new-age technology unicorn to list on the bourses, scripting a stellar debut that could lute similar consumer start-ups to go public.
The company, backed by Jack Ma's Ant Group, in fact, rode on the Covid outbreak that has prompted a trend of people moving to order food items online the world over.
Such was the fantabulous listing on July 23 -- true to hype -- that Zomato's market capitalisation breached 12 billion US dollar mark in the first hour itself, making it one of the 50 most valuable traded firms.
Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana to make Bollywood debut soon?
Grapevine is abuzz that superstar Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana is all set to make her debut in Bollywood this year.
Director Zoya Akhtar will cast Suhana in her upcoming romantic comedy 'Archie', an Indian version of the international comic book of the same name, if rumours are true.
Read: Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan invests in American cricket
Suhana is, however, not new to acting. She had earlier worked in the popular 'Romeo and Juliet' play in London and also acted in a 10-minute film, 'The Grey Part of Blue'.
Though Suhana has an interest in films, the 21-year-old is a football freak.
Suhana's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Read: Shah Rukh Khan to produce horror series for Netflix
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
Read: Shah Rukh Khan: Our parents always live within us and their teachings never go away
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
Read Shakib Khan at odds with acting association's stance on Pori Moni
Holey Artisan Victim Faraaz's Heroism is Now on the Silver Screen
Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain gave his life rather than leave behind his friends. A movie is being made in Bollywood portraying the heroism and sacrifice of Faraaz. On July 1, 2016, a brutal militant attack took place at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan. A total of 26 people were killed in the attack, including 17 foreigners, two police officers, and six gunmen. According to the T-Series, one of the largest production companies in India, the movie "Faraaz" will feature the story of the Holey Artisan massacre.
Dhaka's Holey Artisan Cafe Attack at a Glance
On the night of the incident, five militants Rohan Imtiaz, Nibras Islam, Mir Samih Mobasher, Khairul Islam Payel, and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, went to Gulshan Road No. 79 from a house in Bashundhara residential area. Five people entered the restaurant with weapons and bombs in their bags at around 9 pm. As soon as they entered, they randomly fired at foreigners sitting at various tables there. Further, the terrorists also hit them in the neck and body with a sharp weapon to ensure death.
The militants shot and killed the Italians as they entered a large room downstairs. They then shot and killed the foreigners sitting on chairs and tables inside the rest of the rooms. The militants took hostage more than 50 local and foreign men and women inside the cafe. They then search for the foreigners hiding in bakery bathrooms, toilets, ceilings, kitchens, chiller rooms and shoot them dead. Moreover, those with serious injuries were also stabbed to death with sharp knives.
Read: Coming soon: A Bollywood film on Dhaka cafe massacre!
At the same time, they took hostage the family of a man named Hasnat Karim sitting at the bakery table, an Indian citizen named Saat Prakash, Tahmid, and his two friends. Later, they took about 15 bakery workers hostage.
Bollywood's Ranbir, Alia to get married this year: Lara Dutta
Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor and his actress-girlfriend Alia Bhatt are all set to get married this year only. The confirmation has come from none other than another leading actress, Lara Dutta.
"I believe they (Ranbir and Alia) are getting married this year," Lara said in a media interview aired in India on Monday night. The 38-year-old Bollywood hunk and 27-year-old Alia have been dating each other for three years now.
Read: Bollywood: Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt to tie the knot?
In February this year, a widely shared online photo of Alia wearing a wedding dress for an advertisement shoot first fuelled speculation of the couple's plan to tie the knot.
A month prior to that, Ranbir and Alia made their New Year travel to the western state of Rajasthan with their families. And just before the trip, Ranbir had reportedly said that he wanted to get married to Alia soon.
The son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, and the grandson of veteran actor-director Raj Kapoor, Ranbir made his acting debut with noted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tragic romance Saawariya in 2007, a commercial failure.
Ranbir rose to prominence in 2009 with his performances in the coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid, romantic comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. One of the highest-paid actors of Bollywood, he also supports charities.
Read: Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor tests positive for COVID-19
Alia, on the other hand, is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Shw made her acting debut as a child in the 1999 thriller Sangharsh. Her debut as an adult actor was with filmmaker Karan Johar's teen drama Student of the Year (2012).
Alia won the Best Actress award in 2014 for playing a kidnapping victim in the road drama Highway. In addition to acting in films, Alia has launched her own line of clothing and handbags, and is the founder of the ecological initiative CoExist.