Before they get together for the third Dabangg film, the duo shot for a song that features in the actress’s upcoming comedy
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2018)

While her upcoming comedy-drama, Welcome To New York, features several cameos, including filmmaker Karan Johar in a double role as Karan and Arjun, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Rana Daggubati, Sushant Singh Rajput and Lara Dutta, Sonakshi Sinha admits that she had the most fun when she re-united with her Dabangg co-star, Salman Khan, in the Big Apple.

Last year, the two stars who have shared a great camaraderie since the actress’s 2010 debut with him, had performed together in Hong Kong and Delhi as part of the musical Da-Bangg tour. Now, Mirror has learnt that they will be seen in a song in Welcome To New York.

“Nain Phisal Gaye” has been composed by Sajid-Wajid with lyrics by Kaunsar Munir. “It was really exciting to be re-uniting with Salman for our third film together after Dabangg and Dabangg 2. We shot the song entirely in New York. It was nostalgic in many ways, the romantic, melodious song has been filmed beautifully,” Sonakshi gushed.

She was quick to point out that Dabangg 3 rolls in a short while and she’s already looking forward to shooting her fourth film with the 52-year-old actor. “I’m definitely a part of the next film in the Dabangg franchise. We start shooting this summer and our recent song together only makes me more excited about Dabangg 3,” Sonakshi exulted.

Meanwhile, Welcome to New York director Chakri Toleti was quick to add that the Salman and Sonakshi number is the perfect mood-setter for Valentine’s Day. “The film is about two youngsters who land up in New York for an awards ceremony and the roller-coaster ride that follows is all about love and laughter, songs and masti,” he informed, pointing out that when the producers approached Salman he immediately agreed to do the song. “Shooting was a delight because Salman and Sonakshi have such great on-screen chemistry. We were done in a matter of hours.”

Sonakshi points out that while filming for the song with Salman was a smooth ride, since it was an indoor sequence, another song, “Pant Mein Gun” shot during a live award show was complete chaos. “No one knew what we were doing and even the fans on the red carpet were thoroughly confused. First, Diljit (Dosanjh, co-star) and I came out in our costumes for the shot and spotting us, the fans started calling out to us. We had to stop and announce that we were shooting a film and requested them to let us continue filming. However, they failed to understand and continued screaming for us. Later, I changed and went back on the red carpet in a different outfit and that flummoxed them even further,” Sonakshi giggles as she recalls the incident.

She adds that she was just as surprised when she heard the film’s narration. “My initial response was that we would be introducing a genre called ‘stage-reality’ with this film and it struck me as a super-cool concept. I was really excited about shooting it live during a gala in New York. It’s been an all-out laugh riot.”

The 30-year-old actress adds that the script, written by Dheeraj Rattan, allowed scope for a lot of impromptu banter between her and Diljit’s character of a farmer’s son who refuses to follow the family profession as he wants to become an actor and travel the world. “He’s a really talented actor and his comic timing is impeccable. He had so much to bring to the table and it was such a wonderful experience filming with him. We were constantly feeding off each other’s energies,” Sonakshi signs off.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 29, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor knew he was in for a challenging ride when he signed on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati. The period drama that sees him portray Maharawal Ratan Singh has not only been mentally taxing, but also physically. The actor had suffered a ligament tear in July on the sets of the film. Now, as the unit is completing the last schedule, Kapoor’s health has suffered another setback. We hear his ankle injury has resurfaced after the actor shot for some strenuous action sequences over the past week.

A unit hand reveals, “Shahid had to perform a few stunts. It has taken a toll on him and his ankles are swollen.”

The source further adds that being the perfectionist that he is, Kapoor re-shot a few scenes as he was struggling to perform the stunts perfectly in the first go. “This, in turn, aggravated his injury.” At this juncture, Kapoor can’t afford to take leave in order to recuperate.

“The unit is racing against time to meet the deadline. It is impossible to halt the shoot at this stage. He has almost 10 days of shoot left.”

Since the mishap in July, Kapoor’s ankle has been a cause for worry. Close on the heels of the injury, he had to perform at the IIFA Awards in New York. He had to be rushed to the emergency room right after his act because of the excruciating pain. It was only after undergoing regular physiotherapy sessions that Kapoor had resumed work on Padmavati in August-end.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 25, 2017)

Given that the fashion police is usually up in arms against Tinsel town celebrities, particularly during awards galas, it was unusual, bold even, for Sonakshi Sinha to sport a multi-coloured floral nine-yard for the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in New York earlier this year.

Sinha received flak for her unusual outfit until it was later revealed by a celebrity photographer that the look was part of her upcoming Vashu Bhagnani project, Crazy Hum, based on the coveted awards night. Responding to the criticism, Sinha tells mid-day, "There was a lot of confusion over my outfits, because, one was for the shoot and the other was what I chose for the event. When people will watch the film, it will make sense."

The IIFA film, believed to be India's first staged reality film, pairs Sinha alongside Diljit Dosanjh. Sinha says she couldn't refuse the film owing to her long-standing association with IIFA organisers, Wizcraft. "Also, the concept is interesting, yet borderline bizarre. Nobody knew that an actual film was being shot live on the green carpet. It was funny as fans were calling out to us and we couldn't react because we were in character."

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 24, 2017)

It may have been over a week to the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards that was held in New York, but the award ceremony continues to hit headlines.

A day after filmmaker and CBFC Chief Pahlaj Nihalani sent a five-page legal notice to the IIFA and Wizcraft International [the organisers of the event] asking for a public apology for the defamatory remarks passed against him by Riteish Deshmukh and Maniesh Paul, the organisers have termed the whole episode a “misunderstanding”.

Speaking to mid-day, Sabbas Joseph [director, Wizcraft International, pictured on the right] said, “There is no statement or event in the show that warrants any notice. Pahlajji will get a better understanding of the show once he sees it. We have always respected Pahlajji, who has originally been on the IIFA advisory board, and has always been [of tremendous] help. I am sure it is a misunderstanding that will be corrected once Pahlajji sees the show on television again.”

In the legal notice sent to IIFA, Nihalani’s lawyer Suren Uppal stated that his client’s picture was misused at the awards ceremony. It further stated that Nihalani was referred to as a ‘watchman’ during a sketch performed by Deshmukh and Paul at IIFA Rocks, with the intent to “create an adverse atmosphere in the public against Nihalani” and “to increase the TRP of the show”. The notice also pointed out how defamatory remarks were passed against the CBFC by hosts Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar during IIFA 2016 as well.

The notice demanded that IIFA immediately withdraw the defamatory remarks made against Nihalani, under their authorisation. Nihalani also demanded an unconditional apology across media outlets and a pledge to not malign him in the future with such “frivolous remarks”. Last week, Nihalani had slammed the award show for not nominating Aamir Khan’s Dangal (2016) and Akshay Kumar [Rustom and Airlift, 2016]. IIFA had clarified then that Khan had not filed nominations in the first place.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 22, 2017)

It looks like the recently-concluded IIFA Awards 2017 in New York had more sparks flying behind the scenes than on stage. While on stage Saif Ali Khan, Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan were all about brotherhood, it is being whispered that all was not well between Karan and Saif.

Apparently, Saif, who hosted a major chunk of the awards function with Karan, had “major issues” on their stage collaboration. Says an actor, who saw the events in NY unfold firsthand, “Initially, Saif and Karan got along very well. They had rehearsed their lines, skits and acts. Saif is very particular about their lines together on stage. He wanted their on-stage time to be equally divided with an equal number of jokes, punchlines, etc.”

Everything went smoothly during the rehearsals. There is an easy camaraderie that Saif and Karan have shared over the years because of Karan’s closeness to Kareena. All of it evaporated on stage for the actual event. Says the source, “On stage, Saif suddenly found Karan changing the lines. He took it in his stride for a while, but his resentment at being upstaged couldn’t be concealed.”

Saif, who is not very skilled at hiding his feelings, spoke to his friends from Bollywood about what happened with Karan on stage, and Saif’s grievances reached Karan’s ears.

A source close to Karan says, “It’s not clear how this happened, because the hosts always read from the teleprompter. Karan is so comfortable on stage, so he may have said some spontaneous things to improvise, which may have disturbed his co-host. But I doubt he did that to steal Saif’s thunder.” Hopefully, they will sort it out soon.

Nishi Tiwari (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 18, 2017)

It’s been over four months since Kangana Ranaut caught Karan Johar off-guard on his eponymous chat show by calling him the flag-bearer of nepotism, a “movie mafia” who turns up his nose at outsiders. Back then, the filmmaker, known to revel in his relevance, even in the aggressively youth-centric digital age, seemed to have taken it on the chin even as Kangana’s Rangoon co-star Saif Ali Khan shifted uncomfortably next to her on the couch. “What am I even doing here,” the 44-year-old Nawab had wondered aloud.

KJo would subsequently take to various social media to justify his stance on the subject (pro-film dynasties) while every star kid out to promote a film at the time was asked to pick sides on the raging debate. Recently, just when we thought the storm had died down, the filmmaker resurrected it with a not-so-subtle dig at Kangana with protégé Varun Dhawan and Saif at the recently-concluded IIFA Awards 2017 show. On stage, the trio indulgently reminded each other that they were famous because of their respective parents. The self-deprecatory routine was topped off by Varun’s cheeky rendition of the song, “Bole Chudiyan, Bole Kangana” from KJo’s 2001 family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and the director quipping, “Kangana bahot bolti hai. Vo na hi bole toh achcha hai.” The jibe ended with the chant of “Nepotism rocks!”

In its aftermath, Twitter typically blew up with outrage as users challenged the trio to perform the gag in Kangana’s presence, while several others pulled them up for their seemingly unabashed sense of entitlement. One user went so far as to label them “overgrown kids” and their act “man-tastic.” There are many ways to win your fans over. Waving your silver spoons in their faces is probably not at the top of that list.

Kapoor fights ligament tear to keep his word; hits awards show in New York supported by painkillers
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 18, 2017)

Even as wife Mira Rajput chided him for overexerting himself despite an injury, Shahid Kapoor remained his dedicated self at a recently held awards ceremony in New York. The actor had suffered an injury while shooting an action scene for Padmavati. It had got better with medication and rest, but the injury resurfaced and Kapoor suffered the ankle injury on the first day of rehearsals for his dance performance.

A source tells mid-day that he was rushed to the emergency room and the doctors suggested that he rests. “Since it was a ligament tear, Shahid was told not to perform. But he didn’t want to go back on his word. He made his act compact and less exerting. It was smartly choreographed. Some songs were also dropped,” says the source.

Kapoor, who bagged the best actor award for Udta Punjab, danced to the chartbusters Gandi Baat, Saree Ke Fall Sa, Bismil, Nagada, Dhan Te Nan, etc. “He was on painkillers for the entire day,” says the source.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 17, 2017)

Glamour, grandeur and gumption - Bollywood is an interesting and somewhat, heady mix of these. And the recently concluded 18th edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards celebrated Bollywood in all its glory, raising a toast to the best in the industry.

After the two-day gala that included IIFA Rocks and a ceremony honouring technical excellence, the stage was set for the grand finale that was held on July 15 at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey. Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan played perfect hosts as they left the audience in splits with their wisecracks.

Alia Bhatt, who had twin wins (Style Icon and Best Actress for Udta Punjab) kick-started the evening with her superlative act. The actor even pulled Varun Dhawan from his front row seat to join her in dancing to Badri Ki Dulhania.



If Alia celebrated the best of her career, rumoured couple, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, brought back the swinging '70s as they grooved to chartbusters of the era. Dhawan paid tribute to his father David, who completes 30 years in the industry.

Shahid Kapoor took to the stage with much enthusiasm as he showed off his exemplary dance moves. His wife Mira was heard complaining good-naturedly how the actor was too busy with his rehearsals to show her and baby Misha around in New York.


You may complain about her acting chops (or the lack of them), but Katrina Kaif showed that when it comes to shaking a leg, there's no one quite like her. Flaunting her perfect 10 body in a yellow top and black pants, Kat set the stage on fire with Kamli, Dhoom Macha Le and Kala Chashma. The birthday girl had a surprise waiting for her - as the clock struck 12, Bhatt and Dhawan took to the stage to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Kaif, who blushed crimson.

Looks like singing was the order of the day. Besides Bhatt and Dhawan's impromptu singing act, Salman Khan too showed off his skills behind the mic as he crooned 'Main Hoon Hero Tera'. He also dished out the perfect closing act as he danced to his chartbusters.

Nepotism Rocks?
Host Karan Johar took his war with Kangana Ranaut a step further as he took a dig at the actor with co-host Saif Ali Khan.

When Varun Dhawan picked up his award, Khan joked, "You're here because of your papa," to which Dhawan replied, "You are here because of your mummy." KJo joined them and said he was in the industry because of his father.

The trio then shouted, "Nepotism rocks." Taking the joke further, Khan and Dhawan then started singing Bole Chudiya Bole Kangana when Johar cut in and said, "Kangana nahi bole toh achcha hai."

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 15, 2017)

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif may not be a couple anymore, but they continue to share a close bond. Of late, Kaif shares pictures with the superstar on Instagram, proving how Bollywood celebrities manage to stay friends, despite parting ways as couples. The camaraderie of the duo was evident at a recent meetand- greet session in New York.

Khan, who is set to enthrall the audience with a performance at the IIFA, forgot the date of the event. “Katrina’s birthday is on July 16. That’s all I remember,” said the actor, as he gave the actress a peck on her cheek. Kaif couldn’t contain her happiness when Khan requested everyone join him in singing the Happy Birthday song for her.

Talking about his upcoming dance act, Khan said he considers himself a bad performer. “It’s difficult to perform on stage. Although I have been doing it for years, I always forget the steps. I remember them only after my act is over.”

Khan added that not winning awards doesn’t bother him, because he only cares for rewards. “I remember, for Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), an editor promised an award if I attended the event. They gave it to Jackie Shroff instead. Since then, I don’t take awards seriously. In fact, I love to perform at such ceremonies kyunki mujhe kuch bhi nahin karne ke paise milte hai (because I get paid for not doing anything),” says the actor.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 15, 2017)

In 2006, Sushant Singh Rajput attended the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Dubai as a background dancer, a part of Shiamak Davar’s troupe. Over a decade later, he is set to take centrestage at IIFA 2017 in New York. He will perform with rumoured ladylove and Raabta co-star Kriti Sanon to a medley of chartbusters.

Rajput dropped out of engineering college in his third year in 2006 to pursue a career in acting and dancing. In his initial years, before he bagged his claim-to-fame TV show Pavitra Rishta in 2009, he would travel with Davar’s troupe.

After his Bollywood debut in Kai Po Che! (2013), Rajput has been attending the film awards gala, but this year is special. Life has come full circle for the actor, as he now takes to the stage at the MetLife stadium in New York. Sushant will dazzle the audience with his performance at the same awards event that marked his humble beginning.

Sushant says, “I was studying engineering, but dropped out in my third year. I joined Shiamak’s group and performed at IIFA with them in 2006 as a background dancer. So it feels great to step on the stage again as a performer now.”

He has been nominated in a category alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 14, 2017)

Have you heard of the big party in New York once the IIFA awards is wrapped up? We’re talking about Shahid Kapoor’s bash for his darling daughter Misha. While the tiny tot turns one on August 26, the actor is all set to kick off her birthday celebrations a month in advance in the US. Shahid has already jetted off to New York with wife Mira and Misha for the awards gala, where he is toplining an act.

An insider present in New York informs, “It was a surprise for everyone when Mira and Misha were seen accompanying Shahid to the awards show. With the gruelling schedule of Padmavati, he hasn’t been able to spend much time with his family. So, Shahid decided to make a holiday out of this work trip.”

The source adds that while the actor will be busy with rehearsals till his big act on July 15, it will be strictly family time for him, post the gala. “Shahid will host a party kickstarting the celebrations of Misha’s first birthday.”

We hear, it will be an intimate affair with close friends in attendance. “From the film fraternity, Shahid has invited Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt [Shahid’s co-star from Shaandaar] for the do. Shahid will also spend the next few days showing Mira and Misha around,” adds the source.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 14, 2017)

While the who’s who of Bollywood is headed to New York for the 18th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, Priyanka Chopra slipped into Mumbai on Thursday morning. Considering PeeCee has made the Big Apple her home over the last two years, it’s surprising that she flew back to Mumbai at a time when the awards are happening in her backyard.

Explaining her absence from the awards gala, a source says, “With [American series] Quantico and some international films, like Isn’t It Romantic? and A Kid Like Jake in her kitty, Priyanka now considers herself a Hollywood star. She perhaps thought it best to stay away from IIFA this year.”

When mid-day got in touch with her spokesperson, she said, “Priyanka had not made any commitment to the awards show organisers, so there’s no question of her skipping it. She’s in Mumbai as her Marathi production, Kay Re Rascala, releases today. PeeCee and her mother Madhu will address the media at a Juhu five-star this evening.”

The actress is slated to leave Mumbai on Sunday, well after the awards event wraps up in New York.

Reshma Shetty Bali (DNA; June 9, 2017)

Like last year, this time, too, Shah Rukh Khan will be missing the IIFA Awards in July. The actor will not be at the award function because he will be busy promoting his next release Jab Harry Met Sejal, which releases in August.

But there is another reason why the actor is skipping the ceremony.

SRK has to travel soon after the awards, for personal reasons, and he doesn’t want to do two trips so close to each other. His elder son Aryan suffered an injury, and he needs medical care. Reveals a source, “Shah Rukh’s son Aryan broke his nose while playing football at school. Aryan is already on medication, but the doctors have advised him to undergo surgery. SRK will be travelling abroad for that. It has been scheduled around the same time as the award function, and his priorities are very clear. The concerned father will obviously prefer being by his son’s side.”

Reuniting with ex-flame and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on reel after five years, actress Katrina equates the experience to watching a soap that leaves her happy
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 3, 2017)

"Please leave Alia Bhatt for Varun Dhawan, and Salman for me," Katrina Kaif declared, quite uncharacteristically, at the announcement of a film awards gala on Thursday night in Mumbai. This was in response to a question by a journalist who asked Bhatt when fans could expect her to collaborate with Salman Khan. Kaif jumped the gun, playfully displaying a possessive streak. She is reuniting with ex-beau Khan on screen after five years with Tiger Zinda Hai, and by her own admission, he's the most funloving co-star she has worked with.

"It is interesting to be back on set with him. Working with him is always entertaining. His presence promises a lot of entertainment. It's like a continuous TV show, which you watch and feel happy about. He always tries to make everyone smile. People on set, who interact with him, always go home happy," she said of Salman at the IIFA 2017 press conference.

Salman Khan jumped in to clarify that he takes great care not to offend anybody in the name of entertainment. "My humour is above the belt, always clean. I don't like to crack stupid jokes or make unnecessary comments," he said.

Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt are among a handful of B-Town names who will hit the stage for the awards show in New York this year. Katrina said she hopes to make her act memorable for fans, and Sallu chipped in, "She doesn't need to worry about it. She is one of the best dancers in the industry."

Humouring Alia, he added, "In fact, it is a tie between Katrina and Alia." Disagreeing with him though, the young actress said, "Please, I am a terrible dancer. I am just cute," to which Salman added in jest, "You can't be worse than me. And I am not even cute."

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; April 15, 2017)

The pre-inaugural ceremony of Donald Trump earlier this year saw a 45 minute Bollywood dance routine led by former Miss India Manasvi Mamgai. Come July, the US President could be treated to more — at the IIFA Awards in New York.

A source close to the event management team says, “The IIFA festival (July 14-15) will be an extravaganza of entertainment. There is a plan to send out an invitation to the White House and we hope the President can attend the event. A few other top American politicians are also on the guest list.”

Andre Timmins, director of Wizcraft International, which hosts the annual awards, refused to confirm the news, but said several big names from Bollywood and Hollywood are expected at the gala. “In recent years, we have had many Indian celebrities going to the West and working in films and television series. At the same time, a lot of Hollywood celebs are also coming to India to shoot or promote their film. So, we thought New York is the ideal place [for both industries to come together]. This edition will have a great mix of people from Bollywood and Hollywood. We will announce the entire line-up soon,” added Timmins.

Besides a bunch of top movie stars, a few cricketers will also be part of the star-studded event. “Movie stars and cricketers are worshipped in India. This time, our aim is to make IIFA bigger and better, and so, we have decided to do something different,” Timmins said.