Actor Sunny Leone distributes food to the needy at Behrampada, Bandra, on Sunday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Two warm initiatives started last month to feed the needy and the elderly who are stuck alone at their homes during the lockdown have got a massive boost. The owner of Earth Cafe at Waterfield Road, who distributes meals to the elderly who are incapacitated, or bed-ridden, or living alone in the suburbs, got support of Bollywood bigwigs, including actors Sunny Leone, Genelia Deshmukh and businessman Raj Kundra. A group of seven young friends, who used their own income to provide free meals to beggars and footpath dwellers in Bandra, are now getting help from Mumbaikars.

After mid-day published, on May 7, about the efforts of the friends, now known as The Bandra Youth, they received help from the general public, Marathi actress Sanika Gadgil and an NGO. Yusuf Shaikh, a struggling artiste and a Bandra resident, and his friends have been distributing meals to beggars, footpath dwellers and blind and deaf people who are struggling due to the lockdown-like curbs.

On Sunday, ‘The Bandra Youth’ distributed 22 packets of dry rations among blind and deaf people alone. “An NGO, Community Outreach Programme, helped us distribute dry ration on Sunday,” Shaikh said. “Each ration kit contained 10 kg rice, 5 kg sugar, 1 litre cooking oil, 5 pieces bathing soap, and pulses — 2 kg masoor and 2 kg arhar, 500 gm jaggery and 5 kg wheat,” he said.

“The story published in mid-day helped us a lot. Many people contacted us and gave us dry ration, while others gave cash so that we could arrange food for the needy people in Bandra and nearby areas,” said Shaikh, who is heading the group.

Vik Khatwani of Earth Cafe in Bandra got the help of an international NGO, Million Dollar Vegan, through which the Bollywood biggies extended help. “We initially distributed free food packets to elderly people in Bandra and Khar. The initiative has been taken to another level after Bollywood bigwigs joined hands together to support our campaign,” Khatwani told mid-day.

“On Sunday, we distributed 2,000 food packets in slum pockets of Bandra East, Dharavi and Kurla. Today, Sunny Leone and her husband visited our cafe where the food was prepared and distributed among the needy,” he added.

“The initiative is supported by Leone, the key ambassador, who is fronting the campaign, alongside Kajal Aggarwal, Genelia Deshmukh, Raj Kundra, Neha Bhasin, Joanna Lumley OBE, Bryan Adams, Digangana Suryavanshi, Sadha Sayed, Anushka Manchanda,” said Amy Aela, the outreach manager for Million Dollar Vegan in India. “The report published in mid-day helped us take the initiative to another level,” Aela added.

“In difficult times like this one of the biggest worries is, ‘how am I going to feed my family or children?’ We are doing the best we can with regards to the current situation so helping people feel the warmth of a full belly, love, and compassion goes a long way. Let’s heal together with one love for humanity,” said Leone.

Actress Genelia Deshmukh said, “India has been severely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and it is up to us to do whatever we can to help.” She added that they plan to serve 1,00,000 meals over the coming weeks.

Khatwani said, “The food packets will be distributed in slum pockets every Sunday. Next week, Raj Kundra is expected to join us.”

“Our goal is to feed 1 million people by 2022,” said Aela, adding, “Last month 5,000 meals were distributed among homeless people in Mumbai alongside Neha Bhasin.”

Digangana Suryavanshi could not appear for her final year exams in March as she was shooting. She was to take them in May-June
Divya Kaushik (BOMBAY TIMES; July 26, 2020)

Digangana Suryavanshi has been preparing for her final graduation exams for months now, but she has no information about when she will be able to give these exams.

The actress, who is pursuing her graduation from Mumbai University, could not appear for her final exams in March because she was shooting. “At that time I thought I would be able to sit for my final exams in May-June. But because of the Coronavirus pandemic, I have no update on the rescheduling of these exams. It’s very annoying to just keep waiting. People keep asking me ‘Arre graduation complete nahi hua abhi tak?’ and I feel so irritated when I tell them that I am yet to appear for my final exams for my last year. I just want to get done with my graduation now,” says Digangana, who was planning to go ahead with a master’s in Psychology after completing her graduation.

“If I am not able to appear for my exams this year, I will have to wait another year. I will be wasting one whole year. I am really sad about it. I would not have bothered so much if it was the first or second year of graduation, but this is the final year and I feel so frustrated that I might have to wait another year to finally be a graduate,” she shares.

Digangana adds that while she might start shooting next month, she will still make time for her exams if they are scheduled around the same time. “I am not going to miss my exams at any cost. I already regret not appearing for them in March. There are so many people who keep asking me why I bother so much about having a degree when I am already working, but for me and my family, education is important and I want to complete it while I am still working,” adds the actress.

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 15, 2019)

For many families, birthdays mean rituals and traditions which are followed every year, and in Digangana Suryavanshi’s family, the rituals include bathing her in milk. The actor, who turns 22 today, says she enjoys the ritualistic “abhishek” as her mum and grandmum love it. “In olden times, princesses would be bathed in milk and when I was born, the planetary position were auspicious. So, they started doing that since my first birthday. As I am an only child, the ritual has stuck since then. My mum believes that in today’s world, we might not be able to treat our kids like princesses everyday but can surely make their birthdays special.”

The Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera actor, celebrated her birthday two days in advance as she had to rush to Hyderabad for the shoot of her Telugu movie. “We had a grand lunch for close friends and family along with this ritual which is now special for all of us. We don’t use a lot of milk but just a little bit. I sit in a tub and my family pours milk, and water and later showers me with flowers. We use all of that later as a fertiliser. Nothing is wasted. I don’t see any harm in doing this ritual. I am happy doing this because my family is happy doing this for me. My birthday is special because my parents are enthusiastic about it,” says the birthday girl.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; October 10, 2018)

After proving her acting chops on the small screen, Digangana Suryavanshi, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, three years ago, is all set to make a foray into Bollywood. Making a double debut, she will been seen in the comedy FryDay, starring Govinda and Varun Sharma and the romantic drama Jalebi as well. In a chat with BT, the actress sounds all excited about the rare opportunity, as the audience will get to see her playing two different characters.

You are debuting in Bollywood with two films —FryDay and Jalebi— releasing on the same day. That’s unusual.
It’s crazy. It’s almost like taking two competitive exams at the same time and deciding which course to pursue. I can’t say whether it’s good or bad. I called up Abhishek Dogra, director of FryDay, when I learnt about it. He told me not to overthink and soak in the fact that I was making history. What’s nice is that the two films belong to different genres and I will be seen in diverse roles. So, it won’t result in overlapping with the audience, as every genre enjoys a different set of viewers. This is a big opportunity for me, because there will be more reactions to my performances since I am dabbling with two genres. For me, the bigger responsibility was to be sincere and responsible during the shoot, as everything else that follows the release of the film is beyond my control. I am excited about two of my films releasing on the same day.

How diverse are the two characters that you play, considering both films are from different genres…
They are like chalk and cheese. In FryDay, my character is that of a quirky and spontaneous girl. She is opinionated and leads life on her own terms. In Jalebi, my character has more depth. She is responsible and though she is aware that she has no control on life, she knows how to emerge stronger from a difficult situation.

You are paired opposite two actors from different generations — Govinda in FryDayand Varun Mitra in Jalebi. How was the experience of working with them?
It doesn’t make any difference whether I shoot with a senior actor or an artiste of my age. I stop dealing with the person after a point. I only think of the character. I haven’t attempted comedy before, so, I was excited about shooting with Govinda sir. I have been a huge fan of his comic timing, however, I couldn’t let the fact that he is a superstar ruffle me up. He is a spontaneous actor and that’s an approach I am comfortable with, too. He brings in his experience with comedy in to every scene, which helps bring out the best in his co-actors. I approached our scenes together without any hesitation. I am extremely comfortable with whoever I shoot with. Having said that, when you are shooting with a younger actor, you are in a different space. It takes time to get into the skin of the character, because you’re relatively new to the setup.

What’s the plan ahead for your career?
At 20, I am one of the youngest actors to make a transition from TV to films and now, I just want to focus on my career. I want to play diverse characters. For me, it’s not just about looking good on screen. I want to take up roles that require me to slip into characters that are completely different from how I am in real life. That’s the challenge I am looking forward to. I have signed two films, one of which is with Pahlaj Nihalani, in which I will be reuniting with Govinda sir. I am not at liberty to talk about the second film at this point.

Bharati Dubey (DNA; April 12, 2018)

Twenty-five years after their blockbuster Aankhen (1993), producer Pahlaj Nihalani and actor Govinda are teaming up again. However, unlike their past collaborations, which he only produced, the former chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is also directing their new venture.

Talking about his film, which he has been shooting for the past one month at ND Studios, Pahlaj says, “Govinda will play a triple role in Raju Rangeela. I will also be introducing three new girls in it.”

Incidentally, one of them is Digangana Suryavanshi (of the television serial Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera fame), who has already worked with Govinda in FryDay that is scheduled to release on May 11.

Interestingly, Pahlaj has been working on this movie while he was the CBFC chief. And after he was replaced by Prasoon Joshi, he had said that he will go back to making films. Having produced 19 movies in his 35-year long career, he was also the president of the Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers (AMPTP).

GOVINDA’S DOUBLE ROLES
A Gentleman (1989)
Jaan Se Pyaara (1992)
Aankhen (1993)
Hathkadi (1995)
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998)
Anari No. 1 (1999)
Waah! Tera Kya Kehna (2002)
Sandwich (2006)

Urmimala Banerjee (DNA; February 9, 2016)


Digangana walked out of hairstylist Colleen Khan’s salon having reduced the length of her mane by 19 inches! The TV actress was thrilled, “Salman Sir told me to cut my hair during the show. At the time, I took it in jest but later, again he told me that it would make a world of difference to my look and also my career. I am so happy that I cut my hair. I’m loving the new look. Everyone is liking my new look, too. Whatever Salman Sir suggests, he’s pretty bang-on. He has also told me to get fitter and build a more toned body. I am not overweight but yes, I can be fitter. Sir is very transparent in his opinions. In this world, where no one gives a damn, such advice is heartwarming. I am truly thankful to him.”

It was a huge decision because this is the first time she has ever cut her hair. Diggie, as she is fondly called by friends, reveals, “I’m 18 and have never cut my hair in all these years. In fact, my mother has been working to ensure I had great hair from even before I was born. It is said that if a pregnant woman eats a baasi roti (cooked overnight) with ghee in the morning, the child born is blessed with great hair. So, my mom did that when she was carrying me. When I was considering Salman Sir’s suggestion, I spoke to my parents and they were convinced about the decision too. After the cut, Ashley Rebello sent him a picture and he said it was superb.”

All these years she has been adamant about not cutting her hair and had even refused to trim her hair when had to sport shorter hair for her daily soap, Veera. “I used to fold my hair to make it look short. I tried to avoid wigs as much as I could in those two years,” she says.

Tell her that her new hairdo is similar to that of Bhagyashree in Maine Pyaar Kiya and she laughs, “I feel Bhagyashree had bouncier hair than me. I feel my do is similar to Ayesha Takia’s.” Ask if she fancies a role opposite Salman and she laughs, “I am hoping for the best. As of now, there is nothing to talk about. I don’t want to lie (laughs). I am focusing on my look. He told me on the show that I was a sensible lady and could do better. And that’s what I want to work towards.”