Family, friends and several Bollywood personalities bid adieu to actor-director Rajiv Kapoor, son of celebrated filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, as he was cremated yesterday. Rajiv, the youngest among five siblings died after suffering a heart attack. He was 58.

Randhir Kapoor and nephew, actor Ranbir Kapoor led the funeral procession. Actor Neetu Kapoor arrived with son Ranbir at the late actor’s residence. Aadar Jain, son of Rajiv’s sister Rima Jain, along with Tara Sutaria, and Alia Bhatt were spotted. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, actors Sanjay Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Sonali Bendre, and Neil Nitin Mukesh were also in attendance at Rajiv Kapoor’s residence.

Rajiv made his acting debut with 1983 film Ek Jaan Hain Hum, but made first appearance as a leading man in blockbuster Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), which was Raj Kapoor’s last directorial venture. He went on to feature in films like Aasmaan, Lover Boy, Zabardast and Hum To Chale Pardes.

Rajiv’s last film as a hero was 1990’s Zimmedaar. He then made a switch to production and direction with films like Henna, Aa Ab Laut Chalen, and Prem Granth respectively.

He was set to make a comeback to the screen with the sports drama Toolsidas Junior, starring Sanjay Dutt.

Chunky Pandey on Ananya, working with Prabhas and Rana Daggubati and affinity for villainy
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 28, 2019)

Chunky Pandey is quite pleased with the way he has approached the character of Don Kaali in his next, Prassthanam, which is the Hindi remake of the eponymous Telugu original. More so because he was told not to watch the film, which allowed him to interpret the character in his own way. He even had an idea in mind for his look as soon as Deva Katta (the original’s director who is also helming the remake) finished the narration. “I hate to say it, but I am not original. I modelled the look after Guy Pearce’s in Lawless. I always wanted to wear glasses and look unreadable, which was perfect for this film,” he shares.

At the same time, the actor is not exactly in love with Don Kaali’s characteristics. “He is a kingmaker, an opportunist and quite the slime ball,” Chunky states, quickly switching gears, as he goes on to equate shooting for the film (with Sanjay Dutt, Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff in Lucknow) with time-travel. “Sanjay and I get along like a house on fire. Young kids like Ali (Fazal), Satyajeet (Dubey) and Amyra (Dastur) were amused to see us behave like kids on the set,” he laughs, adding, “The part that scares me the most is... (whispers) we haven’t changed at all; we are wild. We have that streak that the newcomers lack.”

In a stark contrast to Prassthanam, shooting for Sujeeth’s Saaho required Chunky to isolate himself to channel the evil. “Most of the characters in the film are grey but my guy is black. I was in a bad mood throughout the shoot. I wouldn’t interact much with anyone and since I was holed up inside Ramoji Film City, it was easy to play this horrible character,” he recalls.

After focussing on comedy for most of his career, the actor seems to be enjoying playing the baddie. “I’ve been a huge fan of Amrish Puri, Amjad Khan and Shakti Kapoor. It is so much more interesting than the hero’s role,” he insists. Ask him if he regrets not playing negative characters in the 1990s and he remarks, “I didn’t look like a villain in those days. Now, whenever I get into an argument with my wife, she keeps telling me, ‘You’re a real-life villain. Why don’t you play one on screen?’ I started doing these roles to win the argument,” laughs Chunky. In his second innings, Chunky is taken up by how organised film sets are now. “We never had scripts. Films were made on the sets. I still don’t read a script and tell them to explain the role. Why should I know what the others are doing?” he reasons. Point out that with Housefull 4, Saaho and Prassthanam, he will have three releases this year, and Chunky quips, “This is my Bahubali year,” referring to the fact that he has worked with the hit franchise’s hero, Prabhas, in Saaho and its antagonist, Rana Daggubati, in Housefull 4.

The advent of social media has revolutionised the concept of fan interaction and Chunky feels it’s a mixed bag. “Back in the ’80s-’90s, we’d do stage shows, the only way we could witness public reaction. Now, everyone has become a critic. I am used to it now and I am trying to teach the same to my daughter (Ananya); at their age bullying is rampant,” he shares, adding that as a father, it was difficult to let his little girl work. “Ananya had been a part of the industry socially but to work in it is a different ballgame altogether. That said, Bhavana (wife) has brought her up well and she’s equipped to be a good employee.”

The assurance still gave way to anxiety every now and then, especially before Ananya’s debut, Student of the Year 2, hit the marquee. “I’d see her return home depressed sometimes but I let her be. When I saw the film’s trial show, I was sure she would make it,” he smiles.

Ananya was recently quoted as saying that she tries to “behave like a normal teenager”. Ask Chunky about his own wonder years and he chuckles, “I was wild; my daughter is nothing compared to me. I had a lot of wrong pressures on me. Being the son of two doctors, I was expected to become one too.”

Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 21, 2019)

After featuring in the qawwali song “Wallah Re Wallah” alongside Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan in the 2010 film, Tees Maar Khan, Akshay Kumar is ready to revisit the musical format. Mirror has learnt that Sajid Nadiadwala’s upcoming reincarnation comedy, Housefull 4, features a qawwali sequence with the actor and his co-star Rana Daggubati taking centrestage. According to a source close to the development, the song sequence is a face-off between Akshay and Rana and an important elememt that takes the story forward. “It appears at a crucial juncture and is on the lines of a fun conversation between the protagonist and the antagonist,” the source informed. While Akshay and Rana are at the centre, other key characters played by Bobby Deol, Riteish Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon, Pooja Hegde, Kriti Kharbanda, Johny and Jamie Lever, Chunky Pandey and Ranjeet joining in the jugalbandi.

The Farhad Samji directorial is spilt in two eras—the present and the past—wherein the latter is a comic take on S S Rajamouli’s epic saga Bahubali. Farhad has also penned the lyrics and composed the basic tune for the qawwali. “The song is set in the present era and was shot at a studio in Mumbai,” the source added. For the shoot, Akshay and Rana were dressed as qawwals and were joined by 200 back-up dancers. Touted to be the costliest Bollywood comedy ever made, Housefull 4 went on the floors last year. While the present era is majorly set in London, the costume-heavy flashback portions were shot in Rajasthan. Akshay plays a barber residing in the Queen’s City but details of other characters have been under wraps. The film also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a special turn as an exorcist in a song which was shot earlier this year.

For newly-divorced Hrithik-Sussanne, and Arbaaz-Malaika, who are officially separated, family bonding with their boys continues
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 31, 2016)

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 20, 2016)

Chunky Pandey talks about his much-awaited evil and ugly avatar
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 1, 2016)

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2015)

MUMBAI MIRROR (May 1, 2014)

On December 14, 2013, Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan announced the end of their 13-year marriage. Around 10 am yesterday, the couple arrived at the Bombay Family Court in Bandra in separate cars, accompanied by their respective advocates, Dipesh Mehta and Mrunalini Deshmukh, and filed for divorce by mutual consent.

A senior official at the court (name withheld on request) told Mirror, “The paperwork was done before the general public started trickling in. The divorce should come through in six months. Since it is by mutual consent, no hiccups are expected.”

While Deshmukh remained unavailable for comment, Mehta revealed that the next hearing will be on October 31, when the couple will be asked to confirm their decision. “If they don’t change their minds by then, the divorce will be granted on the same day,” she said.

Hrithik and Sussanne had been together for 17 years and have two sons, Hridhaan and Hrehaan. Since the separation, the children have been living with their mother at her flat in Versova. According to Mehta, Sussanne will have custody of the kids. The lawyer, however, refused to disclose how much alimony she has been granted, saying, “That’s strictly confidential.”

The buzz is that Hrithik tried his best to reconcile but Sussanne was adamant that they go their separate ways. If she’d had her way, she would have filed for divorce three months ago, when she had told Hrithik they should be “just cordial” with each other. Hrithik made one last-ditch attempt when he turned up for Hrehaan’s birthday at her Versova home earlier this month, but she showed little interest in reconciliation. 
Hrithik, however, refused to give in, and his car was often seen parked outside Sussanne’s father Sanjay Khan's home, where he met her sisters Farah Khan Ali and Simone Arora and discussed the possibility of a patch-up. The decision to file for divorce was taken just a few days before the actor left for Florida to attend an award function last week.

Hrithik and Sussanne were once Bollywood’s picture-perfect couple. In 2011, when newspapers were abuzz about Hrithik’s alleged closeness with with his Kites costar Barbara Mori, his wife, in an exclusive interview to this newspaper, said, “there is nothing wrong in our marriage”.

But according to sources close to the couple, that was the beginning of the end. The final nail was Sussanne’s alleged friendship with a model-turned-actor. Insiders privy to details of the marriage say that Sussanne’s relationship with Hrithik’s parents, Rakesh and Pinky Roshan, had also been troubled for very long, and she had long wanted to move out of the family home—Palazzio at Juhu Scheme. However, Hrithik was not keen to leave his parents and sister Sunaina. When he eventually zeroed in on a flat, on the same property as Akshay Kumar, it was too late. Sussanne had walked out not only from Palazzio but also his life, four months before Krrish 3 hit theatres. Rakesh Roshan has been telling acquaintances that he was shocked when his daughter-in-law knocked on his door and announced that she was leaving. He has also been saying that Hrithik pays the rent for Sussanne’s Versova apartment, and claiming that a certain common friend caused fissures in the marriage. Sussanne’s father Sanjay Khan, when contacted, said, “I am sorry. I cannot comment on this matter.” However, Chunky Pandey, a friend of the couple, said, “I am shocked beyond words. They looked so cute together. I expected them to reconcile. In fact, I still do.” Hrithik and Sussanne remained unavailable for comment.

WHAT HRITHIK DID ON TUESDAY NIGHT:
The actor danced the night away at the birthday party of Sanjay Kapoor’s wife, Maheep. The bash was also attended by Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Seema Khan, Kanika ‘Baby Doll’ Kapoor, Anna Singh, Chunky Pandey and his wife Bhavna, and many others. On the other hand, Sussanne, who is Maheep’s close friend and business partner, chose to stay home with Hridhaan and Hrehaan.
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Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; May 1, 2014)

Hrithik Roshan flew down from Florida to Mumbai late on Monday night. On Wednesday morning at around 10.30am, he and wife Sussanne Khan came to the Bandra family court where they filed for divorce. The couple, whose companionship spans a period of 17 years, was married for 10 years, and they recently (December 2013) went their separate ways. It has emerged that another hearing has been scheduled for six months from now.

When contacted, lawyer Dipesh Mehta divulged a few details. He said, “I am representing both Hrithik and Sussanne; they have filed for divorce by mutual consent. The counsellor has submitted the report and the next hearing will take place on October 31. The custody of their kids, Hrehaan and Hridaan, has been awarded to Sussanne.”

With the couple filing for divorce, rumours about their getting back together have been put to rest. Says a source close to the couple, “As their friends, we support their decision, but we had hoped that things would end differently. The kids will now be with Sussanne and Hrithik did not object to this. In fact, no allegations have been made by either party. The divorce is expected to come through by October end.”

Upala KBR (DNA; March 22, 2014)

Chunky Pandey’s is a spirit in his latest release Gang Of Ghosts - a first for him. Here he talks about his ghostly aspirations and more. Read on...:

What kind of ghost would you make - one like Casper or the one from Ragini MMS?
I would like to be the ghost of Ragini MMS 2. Who wouldn’t want to be in THERE with Sunny Leone! But if I were a spirit I want to possess Ranbir Kapoor’s body as I want to be a bachelor all over again!

What kind of ghost are you playing in GOG?
I play a ghost who died in 1935 so I come in black and white. But I play a bechara ghost and not an evil one. I speak with a nasal twang in the film — a la KL Saigal.

Do you believe in ghosts?
I’m married to one (Bhavna Pandey). I’m joking. But I do believe in spirits - like Grey Goose and Black Label (winks).

Ever have a ghostly experience?
Yes. I actually saw a female ghost in my bedroom a few months before I met Bhavna. She was very beautiful, dressed in white and looked like a princess. At that time I was broke, my films were not working and I had made some bad investments so I was very depressed. She walked into my cupboard and it spooked the crap out of me but from that day I never had money troubles again. I met Bhavna and married her. I think seeing that ghost was a good omen for me.

Three people you’d want to be your friends when they become ghosts?
Sajid Khan who constantly makes me laugh, Dhirubhai Ambani and Marilyn Monroe are the people I would want to know in the afterlife. But I’m in no hurry to kill Sajid as he has given me a new lease of life in films.

If you could choose whose ghost could haunt you, you would choose?
Bhoothnath! The one and only Amitabh Bachchan. He is so talented and what a beautiful voice.

As a ghost, whose bedroom would you like to haunt?
Karan Johar. I would love to share his wardrobe and the information he has on everyone.

Three celebrity ghosts who would frighten you?
Dev Anand. I still think he’s alive. Bhavna Panday because I’m so scared of her in real life and my dear friend Gulshan Grover as the characters he plays are so frightening! Imagine his ghost!

As a ghost how would you scare girls?
I don’t think girls are scared of ghosts so I’d turn into a cockroach. Sure shot girly heart attack!

Why do ghosts only wear white?
I will ask Abbas-Mastan.

Why are there more female ghosts?
Many females without make up look like ghosts.