Shirley Setia, who hopes to translate her social media equity on the big screen, on being an accidental celebrity
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2019)

When YouTube star Shirley Setia shot her first AMA (Ask Me Anything) in July 2013, someone asked her if she had been “contacted by Bollywood”. Then the resident of Auckland, who was known for her sprightly covers of popular Hindi film numbers, had a regretful response: “No, not yet,” she said, and added, “I am not even sure if I am good enough yet.”

Today, the 24-year-old has leveraged her social media clout and talent to bag her big Bollywood debut in the forthcoming Nikamma opposite Abhimanyu Dassani. She will even be seen in a web series that also stars Manisha Koirala. And to think it all began on a whim six years ago, when Setia uploaded her first video — a cover of “Tum Hi Ho” (Aashiqui 2). Shot in Setia’s sparsely furnished bedroom at 1.30 am, the video has her crooning away in her PJs. “I showed it to a friend and she said I should upload it,” says Setia. It took a fortnight before Setia’s creation went viral; the video went on to garner over three million views. The New Zealand Herald even dubbed her ‘Pyjama Popstar’. “If I knew it would reach so many people in so many countries, I would have shot it differently,” she admits.

Setia’s self-edited music videos have acquired much cinematic flair since; they’ve evolved from blurry webcam renditions to those shot in scenic outdoor settings, sometimes even backed by a storyline. But like her favourite YouTuber, Superwoman Lilly Singh, she’s retained even those videos that don’t boast of enviable production values. “It’s all a part of my journey, so why be embarrassed by it? I’ve never deleted a single video that I’ve uploaded,” she says.

Growing up in a “Bollywood-obsessed home” in Auckland, Setia inherited a healthy appetite for Kishore Kumar and R D Burman hits. But to consider professionally covering their music was never on the cards. In fact “singing just randomly happened” for her. In 2015, when she shared her career plans with her father, he felt she had lost her lid, given she had hardly any training. “When I’d watch TV shows like Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, I would feel ‘inhe toh music aata hain... I don’t even know how to play a musical instrument or the lingo... what ‘taal’, ‘chords’ or ‘octaves’ meant’.”

Setia’s insecurities were amplified when she started putting up content on the internet. Given the nature of the medium, she was served with love and hate in equal measure. “People would comment saying, ‘She doesn’t know how to sing’; ‘She uses Autotune’; ‘Why are we making someone who doesn’t even live in India so popular?’.”

By the time Setia made her debut as a playback singer in Sachin Jigar’s A Gentleman, she had already opened for Armaan Malik on his US and UK tour, and even performed “Waada Raha” on stage along with Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna at an event in Hong Kong — videos of these gigs went just as viral as most of Setia’s covers.

At the brink of a career transition, Setia recalls that bagging her acting debut wasn’t as easy. Following a string of rejections, including for Punit Malhotra’s Student Of The Year 2, Setia decided to hone her craft. “When you’re constantly gig-ing, there’s only so much mind space that you can allocate to try something new. So I decided to take time out and went to New York to learn acting for two months.” Now, she’s become “more attentive to the surroundings” when on camera. “But the biggest challenge is hiding that you’re tired when you’re on camera,” she says. “When the audience sees you in a film, they shouldn’t be able to tell that it has been shot at 5 am, after a grueling day of shoot.”

While her staggering social media following keenly awaits Setia’s big screen debut, she says, “I don’t think I’ve ‘arrived’ yet. When people appreciate my work, it will be worth it. It’s what I’ve always worked for.”

For her first Valentine's Day celebration after marriage, Priyanka Chopra to host bash in 10 cities around globe; party kicks off in Auckland, ends in LA
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 14, 2019)

It's her first Valentine's Day after her fairytale wedding to Nick Jonas last December, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas wants the world to join her in the celebration of love.

Turns out, the actor - in association with Bumble, the social networking-cum-dating app that she backs - has planned an elaborate 24-hour Valentine's Day party that will travel across several countries. Termed the Domino Effect Valentine's Party, it offers users across the globe a chance to party with Chopra.

A source close to the actor informs, "Since it is her first Valentine's Day after marriage, Priyanka wanted it to be special. The actor's team came up with the idea of her hosting a party that begins in one part of the world and ends in another. While the first bash will kick off in Auckland, it will then move to Sydney followed by Manila and Mumbai. The other cities on the itinerary include London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Toronto, with the final destination being Los Angeles. While Priyanka will join the guests at the other parties through live streaming, she is expected to attend the Los Angeles soiree with Nick by her side."

Besides supervising the preparations for the Los Angeles leg, Chopra has also taken a keen interest in the Mumbai do. "The bash will be held at a Worli hotspot and the guest list includes Dino Morea, Manushi Chhillar, Shibani Dandekar and Milind Soman, among others."

The Mumbai bash will be hosted by real-life couple Karan Kundra and Anusha Dandekar. Dandekar says she agreed to be part of the do as the networking site empowers women by giving them the power of choice. "I have believed in pushing women to the forefront to be able to make their own choices. Since the party represents that, it was an immediate yes from my end."

You may not have heard about him but soon you will. Mohit Madaan, born in Delhi but raised in New Zealand, is slowly and steadily making a mark as an actor. His debut film Love Exchange might not have worked but that didn’t really dampen his spirits. He’s all set to give his best in Aksar 2, the second part of the musical-thriller Aksar franchise. Over to the dashing actor:

How did you manage to bag a role in Aksar 2?
Well, I was called in for an audition. I tried out different characters – all pure-actor based ones. I tried different clothes. And finally, I bagged the role of this very interesting character.

How important is your role in Aksar 2 considering that there are 3 other actors in the film besides you – Gautam Rode, Zareen Khan and Abhinav Shukla?
Well, I have a pretty important role. I am there throughout the film. In fact, all characters in the film are quite strong and register an impact. As for my character, it goes through a shift in the second half and it’s quite interesting. I can’t reveal much as we are months away from the film.

So when is the film releasing?
It should release in the first half of 2017. The principal shooting of the movie is done, including the schedule at Mauritius. We just have 1 or 2 days of shooting left.

The music of Aksar was quite a hit. It is still remembered. Do you think the music of Aksar 2 will be able to match up to that?
I understand that there would be comparisons with the first part. There is and will be a lot of pressure in that regard. But we do have a great music in our hands. The music of Aksar 2 definitely will be on the top of the charts!

Will any chartbuster track of Aksar will be used in Aksar 2? For instance, recently Rock On title song’s recreated version was incorporated in Rock On 2…
I don’t think the makers have any plans as such. Since the story of Aksar 2 is different from the first and hence, even the music is different. Only the genre and base is the same.

How was it working with director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan?
He’s a great guy to work with. He knows how to extract a fine performance from an actor. Also, he’s a very fine person – I used to trouble him a lot by asking him a lot of questions. But he answered them all very patiently!


Tell us about your journey. I believe you took up acting a little late. Why is that?
Yeah I took up acting a bit late although it is recommended that you take it up as early as possible, more so for an actor like me, who has no backing or godfather. However, there were a certain responsibilities on my head. Finally, when the time was right and everyone was okay with it, I got into acting. I am still trying to understand things and get in the groove as everyday, something or the other happens that changes the rules of the industry.

You hail from Auckland, New Zealand. When you relocated to Mumbai, did you face any culture shock?
Not really as I have always been in touch with my roots, thanks to my parents. So there was no culture shock as such. But yeah, adapting took some time. However, I was determined and it was not much of a problem.

Your debut film, Love Exchange (2015), sank without a trace. Did that affect you? Also, do you think that the release date of the film was wrong? It released with almost half a dozen films and that two weeks before Diwali, considered a dull period for movies.
Ups and downs are a part of life. You have to move on. It’s easier said than done but you have no choice. You have to be strong and keep moving. And yes, I agree that the release timing was wrong. Some 8-9 films released along with Love Exchange, on October 30, 2015. We just couldn’t get enough screens.

Do you have a wish list of actors and directors with whom you’d like to work?
Well, there are many great actors in the industry and I’d like to work with all of them. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan – all are good. From the new age actors, Ranbir Kapoor & Ranveer Singh are doing great.

And what about actresses? Who are there in your wish list?
Well, right it’s too early for me to comment as I am just starting out. In a few years, hopefully, I’ll be able to answer the question!

Do you have any other films signed besides Aksar 2?
Yes, I have a couple of projects which will roll in 2017.

A lot of actors are working on web series. Would you be open to doing one if you get an opportunity?
I haven’t really given a thought to it but why not? It’s all about doing good work and at the end of the day, web series also requires you to act, which is what I am here for.

Mehul S Thakkar (MID-DAY; February 7, 2014)

Recently on Karan Johar's TV talk show, Koffee With Karan Seaon 4, Anushka Sharma admitted that Virat Kohli is her favourite cricketer. But when Anurag Kashyap good-naturedly ribbed her asking Karan, "Don't you think Virat and she look good together", she blushed and protested, "I'm feeling naked right now."

The actress who has vehemently denied being in a relationship with the cricketer, recently flew down to New Zealand to spend some quality time with her 'good friend', before leaving for Sri Lanka to film Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet mid-February.

After the fifth one-day international in Wellington which India lost, surrendering the ODI series to New Zealand, the squad left for Whangarei for a practice match. Skipper MS Dhoni and Virat reportedly gave this match a miss and went to Auckland instead where the first of the Test matches began yesterday. Anushka joined them there and the couple spent a few quiet days together, strolling hand-in-hand through the picturesque streets where they were clicked and their love story blown open.

Casually dressed and wearing a carefree smile, Anushka posed with some fans too during her stay in the city and according to an eye-witness, both she and Virat looked happy and relaxed together.

The duo grew close while shooting an ad together. Mirror had revealed how on his return from the South African tour, Virat drove directly to Anushka’s apartment where he stayed till he left for New Zealand.