An old friendship renewed
Sanjay Dutt recently had the good fortune to spend time with one of the biggest super stars in the country — Rajnikanth. Apparently, he was shooting in Chennai for his upcoming film Policegiri, which is the remake of the Southern hit Saamy.
While he was there, he got an invitation from Rajnikanth inviting him over for some tea. Ravi Kumar, the director of Policegiri, happens to be a good friend of the super-star and so, was invited as well.
And apparently, the trio had a great time together.
Sanjay and Rajnikanth, who worked together in Khoon Ka Karz, chatted pleasantly about kids, family, work and movies. A source reveals, "Rajnikanth has always had the highest regard for Sunil Dutt and his whole family. In fact, when he was unable to personally meet Dutt's children, he sent over unique and exclusive gifts for the kids from Chennai. They had a long and stimulating conversation, bonding over topics close to both."
'Birthdays are very special'
When it comes to Bollywood, the one star who has always been associated with staying fit and toned is Bipasha Basu. Apart from her fitness videos, the actress is candid about her dedication to staying trim. In fact, she usually abstains from oily and fatty foods as well as sweets.
But recently, the diva decided to bend her own rules a little bit. This was because of a special occasion — her 34th birthday. Bipasha was in Goa to celebrate and for once, she wasn't too fussy about what she ate. In fact, she actually indulged in some of her favourite rice dishes — despite the fact that she normally avoids rice like the plague.
"I think all my friends know that I don't eat rice the whole year round, I only eat it on my birthday. This year, also, I had a lot of it. In Goa, we ate prawn curry, rice and biryani. It was just like a full feast," the 34-year-old says frankly.
Bipasha, who turned 34 on January 7, believes in pampering herself — she celebrates her birthday for a full month and thinks it is important to celebrate this very important day. "Generally, for me, it is a birthday month," Bipasha says. "For me, birthdays are very special. Not just mine but everyone's because it was the first day or our lives and you need to celebrate that. If you love life, it is important that you acknowledge this day very strongly in your life," she adds.
'Society has opened up'
Veteran actress Deepti Naval — who is known for portraying strong characters on screen — says that Hindi cinema is going through its best phase right now, where strong content is part of the mainstream.
Deepti, 55, who was one of the prominent faces of parallel cinema in the 70s and 80s, says contemporary cinema often talks about the social and political issues, which were never discussed earlier. "In our times, cinema used to be innocent and didn't have a technically sharp language. But now, content is strong in films
and they have become mainstream. Cinema is experimenting with subjects. Films like 'Vicky Donor' and Inkaar have discussed those issues which we never thought of bringing on the silver screen. The society has opened up now. Issues about a person's sexuality are coming out of the closet. People are ready to
acknowledge it and address it. Relevant issues are being talked about in films," Deepti opines.
The actress will be seen in a lead role after a long time in the upcoming 'Listen Amaya'. Directed by debutant film-maker Avinash Kumar Singh, the film is about the relationship between a widow and her daughter and what happens when the mother falls in love with another man. Deepti says she agreed to be a part of the film because it has explored an untouched subject in Hindi cinema.
"The premise of the film is very interesting. Since nobody has tackled the subject before, I decided to be a part of the project. It is a subtle, sensitive film about the bond between a mother and daughter. It's a new area to explore when it comes to Hindi films. It's the day-to-day story of our life, told in an interesting and light vein," she states.