After years of divorce rumours and relentless online chatter around his marriage, actor Abhishek Bachchan has finally addressed his relationship with wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In a recent interview with YouTuber-actor Lilly Singh, he emphasized that their bond has always been rooted in a “partnership”, even calling “severe ego” a defining aspect of how they function as a couple.

“Through our courtship, our engagement, and our marriage, it was always about partnership. There was no discussion like, ‘I will bring the food, and you take care of the house’. It flows very naturally. For me, I think it comes from severe ego,” he shared.

Explaining what “ego” means to him, he said, “I say ego because I am not the kind of person who believes somebody else has to give up or stop running for me to win that race. And that is my mental structure. I don’t want to be in a partnership or marriage where my wife has to stop doing something because I have to feel manly about myself. And thankfully, my wife is not someone who thinks like that either.”

Reflecting on the dynamic of success in their relationship, he noted that it was never unfamiliar territory. “When my parents got married, my mother was a bigger star than my father was. So, it wasn’t an unnatural thing,” he said.

Speaking about their early days, when Abhishek was paired opposite Aishwarya in his second film, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (2000), he shared, “We weren’t in a relationship together (then). We were just buddies. We were always friends.”

He reiterated the importance of partnership in their relationship, adding, “It was always about a partnership. I have known Aishwarya from the start of my career… So, there is no competition at home (about) who has to be the man, who has to be the woman.”

Speaking about raising their daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, Abhishek shared that both he and Aishwarya lead by example when it comes to parenting.

“We try to be the best example for Aaradhya. Instead of telling her this is right, or this is wrong, we show her what to do by being that,” he explained, adding, “In that sense, it has never been like I have to teach her self-defence. If you have seen my wife, she can take care of herself.”

He also admitted, “I think fathers are lousy teachers because our emotions get in the way and we don’t have that sensitivity chip that women do.”

Indian classic films are finding renewed life on the global stage, with restored versions travelling to major festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and now the Berlin International Film Festival. Organizers said the screening of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989) played to a packed house. The audience extended beyond cinephiles, with several attendees saying they came because they follow Arundhati’s work. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur noted that representatives from Criterion, Berlin Classics, and MoMA were present to discuss the renewed momentum behind Indian film restoration.

​The film has been making headlines over the past few days after its writer and lead actor, Arundhati Roy decided to withdraw from the Berlinale after the film festival’s international jury president, Wim Wenders, said that filmmakers must stay out of politics. Announcing her withdrawal, Arundhati described the remarks as unconscionable.

However, Wim Wenders joined the Indian team at the Berlin Film Festival for the film’s screening. Before it began, director Pradip Krishen – who is also Arundhati Roy’s husband – addressed the audience.

He said, “I know she has a very special place for Berlin in her heart. Based on the two book tours I accompanied her on in Berlin, I believe Berlin loves her as well. But she has strong principles and strong beliefs, and I stand with her.”

​As part of the festival’s focus on film heritage and preservation, a masterclass on Indian film heritage was organized in conversation with Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, moderated by Josh Siegel. Dungarpur began by reflecting on the limited awareness of film preservation in India. Recalling his early efforts to restore Kalpana, a 1940s film by Uday Shankar, he described his shock at the condition of the reels.

“At the time, people in India barely understood what film preservation meant. Despite producing over a thousand films a year, we were losing our cinematic heritage. That realization led me to document what was being lost, which eventually became a film itself, and later to founding a preservation initiative. It was Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan’s idea that I should establish a foundation to preserve our heritage.”

“The film was initially called Chapter 5 because it was about fifth-year students in that architecture school (as shown in the film). But we felt it was too generic a title. We wanted something that people in their 60s and 70s would relate to – and that’s why we chose the title we did. The film was screened on Doordarshan after 10.40 pm without any advance notice. It was almost as if the channel was ashamed to show it. After that, the film developed an underground following. It only lived on as a pirated, low-grade version on YouTube. It became a rite of passage for architecture students,” said director Pradip Krishen.

Josh Siegel placed the discussion in a broader institutional context. “MoMA has a long history of presenting Indian cinema dating back to the 1930s, particularly from the 1950s. I cannot overestimate the contribution you have made,” he said.

Dungarpur explained that the foundation chose to work across regions and languages. “We began restoring films across languages and regions – Malayalam, Odia, Manipuri, and others and also extended our work beyond India, collaborating on archival efforts in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. The focus has always been grassroots: training people, building smaller regional archives, and working directly on the ground.”

Days after actor-politician Jaya Bachchan’s widely-discussed remark about paparazzi, veteran actor-politician Shatrughan lent his voice in their support.

Appearing alongside actor Poonam Dhillon at a recent event in Mumbai, Shatrughan quipped, “Aap log pant bhi achhi pehente hain aur shirt bhi achhi pehente hain,” prompting laughter and cheers. Following this, Poonam can be heard saying that with such positive energy, it felt as though “the new year has already begun.”

In an earlier conversation with journalist Barkha Dutt, Jaya had said some paps are not fully trained and behave unprofessionally: “Bahar drain-pipe type gande-gande pants pehen kar, haath mein mobile le kar… they think just because they have a phone, they can take your picture and say whatever they want, along with the kind of comments they pass.”

At ‘We The Women’ event in Mumbai earlier this week, Jaya Bachchan expressed her displeasure with the paparazzi as she said, “Yeh gande gande pant pehen ke, mobile leke [aa jaate hai]… They think that because they have a mobile, they can take your picture, say what they want. The kind of comments they pass!” While the senior actor’s sharp comments were deemed as “elitist” by several industry voices, the issue has now escalated further. Some of Bollywood’s paparazzi agencies are preparing to file a formal complaint with the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) against the veteran actor’s remarks. They are said to be in discussions before submitting their official complaint.

Bachchan’s statements, where she questioned the background and attire of paparazzi, have left many in the community feeling demeaned, with some photo syndicates considering boycotting her.

Speaking to mid-day, Manav Manglani, who runs an entertainment photo syndicate of about 20 stringers, said, “She doesn’t want to be clicked; we won’t click her. Jaya ji is not someone who gets eyeballs anyway. If she is with her family and wishes to pose happily, then we may [photograph her].”

Leading photographer Varinder Chawla, who runs an agency employing 15 stringers, told mid-day that the remarks were uncalled for. “We should have some self-respect and not cover her. Every time we have clicked her pictures, we have referred to her as Jaya ji. She hasn’t been disrespected. It’s not okay for the privileged to insult those who are doing an honest day’s work. Jaya ji’s comments need to be responded to and sternly so. Why couldn’t Jaya ji have a conversation with us? We always listen. Ranbir [Kapoor] and Alia [Bhatt] asked us not to click Raha [their daughter], we don’t.”

Besides the complaint, the agencies, in association with CINTAA, are hoping to establish a code of conduct that addresses actors’ concerns about intrusion and safety, and paps’ concerns about mistreatment. Chawla admitted that zealous fans sometimes blend in with photographers, leading to incidents of verbal run-ins or crowding at events. The sentiment is that there is an urgent need for formal guidelines governing interactions between celebrities and photographers.

“There is no unity among paps today; anyone with a camera gets clubbed with us and we get a bad name. There are fans posing as us, trying to get inappropriate with actors. Between Yogen Shah and me, we want to ensure that a meeting takes place with actors where we can discuss the issues. Earlier, we had requested Suniel Shetty sir to facilitate this,” added Chawla.

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I like Jaya Bachchan more than I do Amitabh Bachchan because I’m like her — I’m straight-forward, I say whatever is in my heart and that sometimes gets me in trouble. Jaya ji has been very sweet to me, and at times, she has snapped at me as well. You have to understand her mood. Every time I would ask her politely for a picture, she wouldn’t deny. 

What she said is partially true, especially when she mentions that paps pass [disrespectful] comments. If you look at the history of paparazzi [in India], there were very few in the beginning. We had ethics and responsibility towards our work, and respected everyone. We maintained decorum. [We were mindful] about our language. Also, we weren’t loud. Patience is important in our profession. But today’s kids don’t have patience. They start screaming and get anxious when an artiste doesn’t come on time.

What has happened now is that the pap [culture] is not regulated. There are a lot of kids who just take phones and pretend to be paparazzi. In case they make a comment at a celebrity, we wouldn’t know. I’ve seen this happen outside some restaurants in Bandra. It’s awful.

Some of them click women if they are wearing short clothes. That has created a bad image of us. Paparazzi is not supposed to be running after semi-naked women. We are interested in good content and good celebrities.

We try to educate our [employees] about how to cover funerals as well. We tell them to cover it in a dignified manner. We should have a moral code, a shared sense of responsibility within the community on how to cover celebrities and events. For instance, I have a rule that nobody in my team will click selfies with celebrities. If you’re seen posing with your arm around a female celebrity, you’re out of my office.

But what I didn’t like is Jaya ji speaking about someone’s poverty. Anyone can be poor. Everyone works hard. Don’t underestimate anybody. I have also risen from a poor background. We change things with our hard work and determination. You can also not comment on someone’s attire. It’s not right to make such statements on clothes or someone’s appearance. Jaya ji works well on social media, but she does not like being filmed. That is her choice, and we can respect that. If at any point she feels [comfortable] with it, we’ll happily film her. There is no ban on her or her family.

As told to Priyanka Sharma

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Actor-politician Jaya Bachchan recently revealed during a panel discussion that she does not want her granddaughter, entrepreneur Navya Naveli Nanda, to marry.

When asked whether she would be comfortable seeing Navya, 28, give up her career after marriage like she did, the 77-year-old responded, “I don’t want Navya to get married.”

Pressed about whether she considers marriage an outdated institution, she said, “Yes, absolutely. But I’m a grandmother now and Navya turns 28 in a few days. I’m too old to advise young girls on how to raise children.”

She added that times have changed and that children today “are so smart, they will outsmart you”.

Reflecting on her own five-decade marriage to actor Amitabh Bachchan, she described the idea of marriage with a familiar saying: “Woh Dilli ka ladoo; khao toh mushkil, na khao toh mushkil. Just enjoy life.”

Navya is the daughter of businessman Nikhil Nanda and author Shweta Bachchan-Nanda, and the niece of actor Abhishek Bachchan. She graduated from Fordham University in New York in 2020 and is currently pursuing the blended MBA programme at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A). She is also the host of a podcast in which her mother and grandmother regularly appear as guests.

Ramesh Sippy with Hema Malini and Amjad Khan on the sets of Sholay

Sholay, the 1975 blockbuster that redefined Indian cinema, turned 50 earlier this year. Touted as the greatest Indian film ever made, the film was honoured at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a recognition that speaks volumes for its timeless appeal and cultural influence.

Director Ramesh Sippy says, “Making a film is a lot of hard work. So, when it receives appreciation at the end of the day, it feels good. After all, being appreciated is an important aspect of moviemaking.”

Sholay created characters that became a part of popular cultural lore. However, Sippy dismisses the notion that the cult film helped him crack the formulaic moviemaking code in Indian cinema.

He says, “No one makes a good film with the thought that it must have some good songs, action that hasn’t been seen before, or a romantic scene that stands out. You begin with what you have, a bunch of writers who give you a strong storyline that you build up with good characters.”

Sippy says, “I was fortunate to have fine writers like Salim-Javed on board. Together, we were able to develop a powerful script. Casting the right actors was equally crucial. With music by R D Burman and lyrics by Anand Bakshi, we had a fabulous score.”

Surprisingly, Sholay did not open to a great start at the box office initially. He recalls, “Sholay was a very expensive film. It would normally cost Rs. 50-60 lakhs, but Sholay cost Rs. 3 crores, and trade pundits felt the movie would not be able to recover the money that was spent on it. No film had recovered that kind of cost, so they felt, what’s the point of it being a well-made film? We discussed the excessive criticism surrounding the film, but finally decided to leave it as it is. We thought time would tell and it did tell.”

The casting process of Sholay is the stuff of legends, with stories about Dharmendra initially wanting to play Thakur, while Sanjeev Kumar eyeing the role of Gabbar Singh.

Sippy shares, “If one character is more colourful, the other one seems to have more depth. Jaya Bachchan, playing the silent Radha, was just as important as the chatterbox Basanti, played by Hema Malini. It was the same in the case of Mr Bachchan as Jai, the silent and calm contrast to Dharam ji’s flamboyant and outspoken Veeru. It all worked out beautifully. However, it was not easy to make a film like Sholay. Most films are made in 40-50 days, but for Sholay, it took us 300 days to shoot it. We put our shoulders to the wheel as a team and plodded on.”

Sippy is firm in his belief that Sholay should never be remade. He says, “I will never make Sholay again. If the film is still being remembered after 50 years, does it make sense to make it again? Films like Sholay become timeless, which is why 50 years later, we’re still talking about them. If somebody else wants to remake Sholay, they can, but I personally would not want to.”

In 2007, Ram Gopal Varma attempted exactly that, with Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, but the film failed to resonate with the audience. Sippy recalls, “Ram Gopal Varma had come to me wanting to remake it, and I very politely suggested to him not to. However, every maker has a right, and I told him it’s entirely his decision.”

Ruthless dacoits had been on the screen before Sholay, but Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh turned the stocky villain into a pop culture phenomenon. Such was the charming menace of Gabbar that he not only became an unlikely ‘hero’ of the film but effectively created a preand-post-Gabbar era.

“Villains in Indian cinema history can be divided into Gabbar BC and Gabbar AD,” says film historian Gautam Chintamani, adding, “Until Sholay , most dacoit characters followed a formula – exaggerated menace and theatrical delivery. Gabbar changed all that. In earlier films, like Mother India (1957), Ganga Jumna (1961), or Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), the dacoit was either tragic or a menace. Gabbar was realistic, terrifying, and oddly charismatic.”

However, Amjad Khan wasn’t the first choice, Danny Denzongpa was initially cast. But the latter was shooting Dharmatma in Afghanistan and had to step away. Khan, once on board, read extensively about Chambal’s dacoits, including Abhishapta Chambal – written by Jaya Bachchan’s father, Tarun Kumar Bhaduri – to make Gabbar authentic, not a caricature. Before the release, some doubted his soft voice and even suggested dubbing. But Ramesh Sippy refused. “Thankfully, the original voice stayed,” recalls Chintamani, “and those dialogues became some of the most iconic ones in Hindi cinema.”

Gabbar’s entry, too, is masterfully delayed – viewers only hear of him in fearful whispers for nearly an hour before he appears.

Gabbar became a synonym for fear says writer-director Hitesh Kevalya. “Unlike many villains before him who still feared the law or had a shred of accountability, Gabbar was a psycho lone warrior – no parents, no family, no moral compass. Kaanoon ke haath bahut lambe hote hain, but Gabbar chopped off Thakur’s arms, signalling he was above the law,” he adds.

Writer Saurav Dey feels it is Gabbar’s unapologetic evilness that makes him believable. “You’re not traumatized by the villain’s villainy, because it has that “oh, this could never really happen” feel. Even his most brutal acts, like chopping Thakur’s hands, entertain because you know retribution will follow. And unlike most villains, he doesn’t have a tragic backstory or an apology. He’s bad because he enjoys being bad and that freed the writers from inventing reasons for why bad has to be bad.”

Meanwhile, writer Deepak Kingrani credits Gabbar’s dialogues for his staying power. “After Sholay released, his lines were repeated in every household. Even today, people know them word for word. Villain jitna hum bada banate hain, hero utna hi bada hota hai.”

In the film, Gabbar brags, “Yahan se 50 kos door gaon mein jab bachha raat ko rota hai, toh maa kehti hai – bete so ja, nahi toh Gabbar Singh aa jayega.” Dey notes, “Usually, it’s the heroes who are narcissistic; here, the villain has that swagger, which in a way makes Gabbar the hero of Sholay.”

For screenwriter Anjum Rajabali Gabbar’s “pure, unrepentant evil” with a stylish edge makes him memorable. “Villains like Ajit or Pran had a caricature-ish style, but Gabbar didn’t.” Rajabali believes Salim-Javed tapped into a universal truth: cruelty often stems from insecurity, and control comes from instilling fear. “Gabbar enjoyed his evil, he took pleasure in it.” He says that Gabbar’s character, who keeps saying ‘jo dar gaya samjho mar gaya’, also had a very human quality – fear.

Before Sholay, villains were expected to be towering men with booming voices. But Gabbar defied stereotypes and proved that menace couldn’t be defined by just size or loud, threatening voices. “Amjad Khan was a man of average-build with a soft voice, yet he terrified audiences. His performance proved that menace can come from characterization, dialogue, and acting, not just physical presence. After Gabbar, casting became freer – a villain didn’t have to look like a giant to scare people,” says Dey.

When Sholay released, audiences kept returning to the theatres for rewatches, repeating Gabbar’s iconic dialogues loudly.

Chintamani says, “Villains who came after Gabbar, like Shakaal (Shaan), Mogambo (Mr. India), or Kancha Cheena (Agneepath) could never match his mix of realism and menace. Gabbar remains a pop culture icon because he was terrifyingly real and completely fresh in 1975 – and because audiences had no preconceived image of Amjad Khan. That shock factor still works today.”

Filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s breezy comedy of errors, Chupke Chupke (1975), which completes 50 years today, is nothing less than a cult classic. A Hindi adaptation of the Bengali film Chhadmabeshi (1971) is timeless for its simplicity, witty dialogues, situational comedy, and evergreen songs. Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Asrani, Jaya Bachchan and Om Prakash make up the ensemble cast.

The plot follows a botany professor, Parimal Tripathi (Dharmendra), whose wife Sulekha (Sharmila Tagore) is in awe of her brother-in-law Raghav’s intellect (Om Prakash). A jealous Parimal takes it upon himself to break this aura, by fooling Raghav. He poses as a driver, Pyaare Mohan, who is obsessed with the purity of the Hindi language. Amitabh plays Parimal’s friend, an English professor named Sukumar.

Amitabh once shared that the song Chupke Chupke Chal Re Purbaiya and a few other scenes were shot at his current Mumbai residence, Jalsa. The bungalow was previously under the ownership of producer N C Sippy.

Hrishikesh was quite a taskmaster on set. For the song Sa Re Ga Ma, music composer S D Burman had recorded three antaras (verses). But the director snipped the second antara because he was furious with Dharmendra reporting late for the song’s shoot. In another case of Dharmendra’s tardiness, Hrishikesh chose to retain a shot of the actor adjusting his trousers after exiting the washroom as “punishment.”

Much to Jijaji’s exasperation (Om Prakash), Dharmendra’s Pyaaremohan is fluent in pure Hindi. However, in the latter half of the story, Pyaare stammers and ends up speaking in Urdu instead. To this Jijaji observed, “Gusse mein naacheez haklata hai aur Urdu bolta hai.” This dialogue was spontaneously added by Dharmendra.

In 2013, there were reports about filmmaker Umesh Shukla working on an adaptation with writer Sajid and Farhad Samji. Paresh Rawal was set to star. Then, in 2019, it was reported that producers Bhushan Kumar and Luv Ranjan had acquired the rights to the original title and would remake it with actor Rajkummar Rao in the lead. There were also rumours of filmmaker Farah Khan returning to direction with actor Varun Dhawan playing Pyaare. But none of these movies have materialized.

The director had originally imagined having new faces playing Sukumar and Vasudha. But when Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan heard about the film, they insisted on being cast and even chose to forgo payment. Hrishikesh said the roles were too small, but they didn’t mind it.

Shatrughan Sinha, who worked with Manoj Kumar in films like Kranti and Santosh, shares, “Manoj Kumar was a Bharat Ratna in the true sense. He was rightly called the son of the soil, and he was the pride of the nation. He was not only my co-actor and director, but also a very good friend. We were regularly in touch for the last three decades. He used to fondly call me Ramayanvasi because my house is called Ramayan and when my kids Luv and Kush were born, he had come to visit us at the hospital. He had named my kids and he would say, 'Main unka mama hoon'. He used to love Poonam's cooking and we would regularly send his favourite dishes to his home. Around four months ago, we met him at his home, and I asked him about his health and homeopathy medicines because he knew a lot about it. He said, 'Arre Shotgun chhodo woh baatein, I am very fine and strong'.”

Sharing how he regretted not doing his film Shor with Jaya Bachchan, he says, “Sir had offered me a film Shor with Jaya ji, but we had date issues. Jaya ji wanted to complete the film in 4 months and I needed 8 months. So Premnath ji, who was also a very good actor, did the role. I could not act in Shor and it is my biggest regret till date.”

Sinha shared further, “We all actors would agree that there were two most handsome guys from those days - Manoj Kumar and Dharam ji. We had never seen such good-looking men who were also talented.”

Recounting their time together on the sets, Sinha says, “I was perennially late on the sets, but he never scolded me. He used to say, 'There must be a genuine reason why you are late. Let's finish our work on time now’. I remember him as a complete artiste - a talented actor, even better director and editor, and he had passion for Indian cinema. He used to sometimes write scenes on the set and shoot a song at one go. A positive mind, great sense of humour and fun-loving. Manoj sir had deshbhakti ingrained in him and I will always fondly remember him.”

Navya Naveli Nanda – Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda’s daughter – comes from an illustrious legacy. Her father’s side boasts four generations in business, and her mother’s family is steeped in cinema, with nana Amitabh Bachchan touching the 55-year milestone in the film industry this year. She tells us that as a family, “We believe and stand for the same things.” Yet, she has found her own voice, and a path that’s different from them all. Excerpts from a conversation with Navya, that’s honest, real, and yes, so refreshing:

My upbringing has shaped who I am, like it does for everyone. When we talk about being an entrepreneur at 21, I owe a lot of that to the privilege and where I come from. A lot of opportunities that I got are because of my privileged background, and I hope in my own way and through my hard work, I can create those opportunities for myself one day.

I am very grateful for everything I have been given, I think I’ve more than I deserve at times, so for me, it is important to see how I can turn around those opportunities and resources I have available and share those with others and maximize it.

I grew up in Delhi, where my dad’s side of the family lives and has been in business for four generations. My dadi, who passed away a few years ago, had a huge influence on me. She was an entrepreneur and an amazing woman. She would talk about her work with such enthusiasm, and always emphasized on women being financially independent, being able to work and having a sense of freedom in their profession. That heavily influenced me as I spent a lot of time with her. A lot of who she was and the way she was has shaped my ideas and thoughts when it came to what I wanted to do with my life.

Our conversations at home are similar to the podcast – unfiltered. We thought it would be nice to discuss the themes and kind of conversations we were having at home in a public forum. We wanted it to be as raw and organic as possible…It’s almost like you are sitting in our living room and hearing us talk. That’s what people really like – an insight into who we are as people rather than what we are supposed to be. Some of these topics are not spoken about with as much transparency, so we wanted to have three different generations put forth their opinions. In hope that by doing this, we can encourage more such transparent conversations amongst people.

When there is diversity of thought at home, there’s so much to learn from each other. My nani and mom are from different generations and their life experiences are very different from mine. There’s so much wisdom that I seek from them. They learn from me as well because what I say is new and different for them. They are very open to learning, especially my nani, who is still able to work at her age as she has adapted to the times. She has reinvented herself and she is open-minded, flexible, and curious. She is always keen to know what the youth is thinking. She always emphasizes how the youth should voice their opinions.

She was very enthusiastic and excited about it. She is the real star of the show. People really enjoy listening to her as she comes with so much wisdom, experience, and knowledge. She was a big driving force in making this possible, as she believes that these conversations should be had.

I don’t consider myself a celebrity, I think I have a lot more to do and achieve in life before I can be given that tag. Even if you see the work that I do or my social media, I always try to keep it real, organic and be myself. Being ourselves is the greatest gift we have, and I think being honest to who we are, where we come from and having respect for that is very important. I have tried to use my platform and my voice for things that are important to me and our society. So, it’s not a challenge (to be real), as I know what I am speaking up for is a genuine cause.

I have a lot to do in life. I have just started my work, I have a long, long way to go, a lot more to achieve and a lot of hard work to put in before I can even think about calling myself a celebrity or having an air about myself. I still believe that I need to do a lot more to prove myself and make my family proud. So, I don’t think of myself as a celebrity. I am working hard to make a change in the world.

One has to acknowledge it (privilege) and respect it. People often try to brush it under the carpet and shy away from it. I think it is important to recognize your privilege and know that there are certain things you have been given in your life which allow you to do what you do, and I am very grateful for that. It pushes you to make the most of what you are getting, because many are not getting that opportunity. I am trying my best to make the most of it, and not just use it for myself but also optimize it for others.

No, never! Even if I create content, it is centered around what I do. I am happy to be doing what I do. The podcast is my voice. It’s my way to express myself and stand up for what I believe in.

We (mom, nani and I) are largely on the same page. That is a testament to who we are as a family. Even during our conversations, we eventually come to the same conclusions. We believe and stand for the same things.

Podcaster Navya Naveli Nanda asserts that disagreements among the three women in her family — mother, author Shweta Bachchan and grandmother, actor Jaya Bachchan — keep them “aligned”. The 26-year-old recently launched the second season of her podcast What The Hell Navya, where the Bachchan women engage in discussions about varied topics, including financial independence, careers, love, parenting, friendship, etc. 

Addressing the dynamics, Navya shares, “There are issues and different life experiences. We are from three different generations. What I say is very Gen Z. That keeps [our relationship] exciting. The relationship between the three of us is the crux of the show.”

The podcast unveils a candid side of Jaya and Shweta, providing a glimpse rarely seen. When questioned about balancing Jaya’s strongly worded opinions in public, Nanda defends her grandmother, stating, “No one can have one side to them. Every time she’s spoken — professionally or personally — that’s her. She’s the most real person I’ve met. Everything we see is on her side. She always speaks her mind.”

Describing the three women as “very vocal and confident in our opinions”,  Nanda expresses her satisfaction that such shows ensure an “unfiltered and organic conversation”. She adds, “In that sense, there was no filter or barrier that we kept,” stating that they “rarely do any preparations before the camera rolls”.

Karan Johar’s family drama film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham turned 22 on Thursday. To mark the occasion, KJo shared, “My annual reminder of “It’s all about loving your family”... and my audience who have kept the spirit of #K3G alive even 22 years later. Eternally grateful to magnificent & magnanimous cast Amit ji, Jaya ji, shahrukh bhai, kajol, duggu and bebo and all other special people in the cast and crew for just making this journey the most memorable one! Thank you today and always (sic).”

The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in lead roles.

Apart from Karan, Kajol also reminisced about shooting for the film. In a long note she wrote, “22 years to #k3g ..Another acronym but yes another long lasting memory!!! Yash uncle actually renovated and made new makeup rooms in Filmistan studios permanently just for the shooting of this film because even with the vanity vans it was not going to be enough for this gigantic starrer! @karanjohar collapsed and fainted on set because of dehydration in the first few days... it was really, really hot! And this was @___ aryan___’s debut on screen! It was also I think my first comeback (not sure about this part tho) too many comebacks ago. And the first and only time I stood in front of the pyramids and truly felt them with my soul... so yes this was a truly HUGE film in every which way, in life and cinema (sic).”

During a recent discussion on initiating change and becoming the poster girl for substantial films with women in lead roles, Vidya Balan said that it was never a conscious choice to play certain kinds of characters. “I didn’t see the glass ceiling, I saw the sky,” she said.

Discussing how films like Bandini (1963) and Sujata (1959) had women in lead roles, and why female-led movies suddenly disappeared from the big screen, Vidya said, “Because women were not seen in society. It is as simple as that, so they were not visible in films. Society is not a mirror of films, but our films mirror society. It is as simple as that.”

Vidya added that now that women are taking centre stage in their lives, they want to see that reflected on screen. “We don’t want to see women (on screen) as sacrificial mothers, the wife who puts up with everything for her husband or a daughter who is pious. We are not defined by relationships with the men in our lives anymore. We are our own people and because we are our own people that’s what we are seeing in cinema. That’s why we are willing to go and buy tickets and watch those films,” she said.

“For me, it was never a conscious decision to break the glass ceiling. I didn’t see the glass ceiling; I just saw the sky. We had Meena Kumari, Rekha, Jaya Bahaduri, Sridevi, Hema Malini, Smita Patil, Tabu – Invariably, every female actor had one or two of those (lead) films in their entire career, spanning decades. I wondered, ‘Why can’t it be the mainstay? Why can’t women be just doing substantial films? Why can’t women be doing not just serious and intense but comedy roles too?’… I think maybe the world was moving in that direction, and that’s why I had the desire in me too. It all aligned. The universe responded with great opportunities. And today, we have a situation that is far better for women.”

Responding to a question on doing films with a social message, Vidya said, “Sandesh dene ka kaam politicians ka hai aur hum yahaan keval manoranjan karne baithe hain. If along with that we can compel you to think about any particular issue, then that’s a win for us. Like audience, we are also a part of the society. Yes it’s said that people learn smoking, drinking, vulgarity from the films, but then why don’t they learn when a film is telling good things? I don’t think films have the power to influence society; society influences films.”

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, renowned figures in Bollywood, have gifted their lavish bungalow, Pratiksha, in plush Juhu locality of Mumbai to their daughter Shweta Nanda.

The transfer of ownership was formalized through two distinct gift deeds, each corresponding to a specific plot on which the bungalow stands.

The deeds for the bungalow spread over a total 16,840 sq ft were executed on November 8th and registered the next day.

The Bachchan family has paid a total stamp duty worth Rs 50.65 lakh for both the gift deeds, showed the documents accessed through Zapkey.com. The market value of the bungalow is shown as over Rs 50.63 crore.

As per the current regulations, a residential property gifted by father to either daughter or son in Mumbai attracts stamp duty of nominal Rs 200 along with metro cess of 1% per deed.

One of the two plots the bungalow is built on is spread over 9,585 sq ft and was jointly owned by Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, while the other plot spread over 7,255 sq ft was owned by Amitabh alone.

ET’s email query and text message to Amitabh Bachchan's team remained unanswered until the time of going to press.

The Bachchan family owns several properties in Mumbai including bungalows Jalsa, Pratiksha, and Janak in Juhu.

Recently, Amitabh Bachchan bought four offices spread over nearly 8,400 square feet in a commercial project in Oshiwara locality of Mumbai’s Andheri suburb for nearly Rs 29 crore.

Several Bollywood actors, producers and directors including Bachchan himself, Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai have invested in properties.

Many deals of high-end luxury properties acquired by Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherji, Alia Bhat, Disha Patani and Janhvi Kapoor have also been reported in the last few quarters.

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There is tremendous excitement in the Bachchan household as the family’s third generation will begin its innings at the movies. Later this year, Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda will make his acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies. The newcomer has already made actor-mamu Abhishek Bachchan proud.

“We are immensely proud of him. He is such a good boy, he works so hard. I get to learn so much from his work ethic. He takes nothing for granted and that’s an amazing quality to have,” he begins.

In his 23-year career so far, Abhishek has seen the different facets of showbiz—the highs and lows, the burden of expectations, and the resilience to emerge stronger than it all. The actor, who tries to pass on his wisdom to Nanda, marvels at the openness with which his nephew reacts to his feedback.

“I give him honest feedback because that’s the way I learnt. My father always told me, ‘I will be brutally honest with you.’ But when there’s a father-son dynamic, you are a bit on the guard. Agastya is like a sponge; he absorbs everything. He will say, ‘Oh, you don’t like this. Why?’ I find his way of dealing with feedback amazing,” he says, admitting that he is eager to watch The Archies.

There might be some time before he witnesses his nephew in action on screen, but Abhishek thoroughly enjoyed watching mother Jaya Bachchan pull off a grey role in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. There’s a slight difference, though. The son in him is unable to react to the veteran as an actor. 

“She is the only member of my family whom I don’t react to as an actor because it’s maa! I am emotional about her. I am sure she doesn’t like [this aspect] too much because she is an actor at heart. But to me, she is maa. With my wife [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], we were co-stars first. So, we have that [actor-to-actor] relationship. With dad too, I manage to [view him] as an actor. But with mom, I am unable to do that.”

Usually one to use her stature to make a case for pertinent issues on screen, Shabana Azmi took fans aback when news of her joining Karan Johar’s family entertainer, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, hit headlines. Known for her offbeat roles in parallel cinema, Azmi’s previous mainstream offering was the 2015 film, Jazbaa. However, the five-time National Award-winning actor, seen as the Bengali matriarch and Alia Bhatt’s grandmother Jamini Chatterjee in this film, makes a case for the subjects it addresses.

“It takes on many issues hitherto believed to be anathema to mainstream cinema. This is a new genre in Hindi cinema, because, within the mainstream format it tackles gender politics, cancel culture, and body-shaming — matters that were, until now, relegated to independent cinema,” says the actor, adding that her writer-husband, Javed Akhtar also appreciated the subjects that it touches upon.

“I have always felt that if we shake the status quo in mainstream cinema, the chances of it bringing about change in society is greater.”

Putting her faith in director Johar, she says, enabled her to pull off an act that earned praise from fans and critics alike. “He kept telling me to trust him. For me, it was a willing suspension of disbelief, which is the only way I could have done justice to my part. I gave Jamini all I could within the mainstream format but tried to keep her core real. Karan is a director who is happy to give his actors space to interpret the characters,” she says, crediting him for choosing artistes like Tota Roy Chowdhury and Churni Ganguly to act in the film, even though “he could have taken anybody from Hindi cinema”.

Johar may be among the most influential people in Indian cinema, but, for Azmi, collaborating with him was special for more reasons than one. “I’ve known Karan since he was a chubby little child. His father Yash Johar has been one of Javed’s favourite people. Earlier, we were to do a film together, but it didn’t materialize because I was working in an English film. Karan was gracious about it. On this film, I submitted myself to the director, because I believe a film is a director’s medium, theatre is the actor’s medium, and television is the writer’s medium.”

The manner in which Azmi nabbed the Bengali language for the role, she admits, enabled her to truly do justice to the part. “My diction teacher Husne Shabnam worked hard. We had more scenes in Bengali in the original cut, but we played it down. While learning Bengali was not difficult, the ability to blend it with Hindi was.”

Her co-star Jaya Bachchan was an actor she has “always been fond of”, and she praises Alia Bhatt for being “in top form”. As for Ranveer Singh, she says, “He inhabited the world of Rocky completely. He is an intelligent and well-read person, and is also a joy to work with because he is affectionate and appreciative.”

Last September, Karan Johar had announced that his talk show, Koffee With Karan, had been renewed for another season. It looks like we’ll be getting our weekly dose of celebrity banter and gossip soon. We hear that the eighth edition of the filmmaker-host’s popular chat show is scheduled to begin streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from June-end.

So, who will grace the couch in the upcoming season? Sources say that the chat show regulars — from Kareena Kapoor Khan to Ranveer Singh, from Akshay Kumar to Johar’s ‘students’ Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra — are on the guest list. But it is heard that Johar is keen to open the season with actor-couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.

A source reveals, “Karan wants to feature new combinations in this instalment. Ranbir and Alia top his list. While Alia opened the last three editions, Karan knows that the audience is keen to know more about the couple’s married life and parenthood. So, he is hoping to bring them on the couch. He would also love to have Shah Rukh Khan, who was conspicuous by his absence in the last edition, feature in the opening episode or the season finale.”

The director’s next, Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, is slated to release on July 28. So, there is a possibility that a special episode will be shot with the principal cast of Singh, Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

Political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar has sent a legal notice to streaming giant Netflix over an episode of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, that he claims uses a “derogatory term” against actor Madhuri Dixit Nene.

The concerned scene, from the first episode of the second season, involves an exchange between the characters of Raj Koothrapalli, played by Kunal Nayyar, and Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, in which they compare actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit Nene. Cooper calls Aishwarya “a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit” and Koothrapalli responds, “Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute.”

In the legal notice, the streamer has been asked to remove the episode in question or face legal action for promoting discrimination against women. Kumar tweeted, “Recently, I came across an episode of the show Big Bang Theory on Netflix where Kunal Nayyar’s character uses an offensive and derogatory term to refer to the legendary Bollywood actress @MadhuriDixit. As a fan of Madhuri Dixit since childhood, I was deeply disturbed by the dialogue. I found it highly derogatory and offensive towards Indian culture and women.”

Reacting to the scene, actor-MP Jaya Bachchan, who is Aishwarya’s mother-in-law, told a portal, “Is this man (Kunal Nayyar) insane? Badi gandi zubaan hai. He needs to be sent to a mental asylum. His family should be asked what they think of his comment.”

Netflix India didn’t get back to us till the time we went to the press.

What would be a fitting way to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of Indian cinema’s giants? While many would opt for a grand celebration, Amitabh Bachchan thinks otherwise. The megastar has chosen to mark his milestone birthday today with the two things he cherishes the most — devotion, and family. On Monday afternoon, he flew off to Tirupati to ring in his big day on an auspicious note. The veteran actor, along with his family, will offer a special puja at the Venkateswara Temple today.

Bachchan, who has been filming Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) 14, has taken a few days off from the shoot. A source reveals, “After spending Monday night at Tirupati, the family will have a special puja early in the morning, and are likely to fly back to Mumbai later in the day. They have decided against a celebration due to the demise of Samajwadi Party chief and family friend Mulayam Singh Yadav.”

Bachchan is known to have a birthday ritual — when in the city, he begins his day with a puja at Jalsa, after which he heads to Pratiksha and spends a few hours in his late parents’ room. His day is incomplete until he meets his legion of fans who throng his Juhu residence for a glimpse of him. For the evening, a quiet dinner has been lined up with wife Jaya, children Abhishek and Shweta Nanda, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, and grandchildren Navya Naveli, Agastya and Aaradhya.

To mark the occasion, the makers of KBC have shot a special episode that sees actor-wife Jaya, and Abhishek take the hot seat opposite Bachchan. 

Among Bachchan’s biggest fan clubs, the AB EF Team Worldwide is celebrating its idol’s landmark birthday over two days across Mumbai and Chennai. The function will start with a prayer at the ISKCON Temple in Juhu.

Sanjay Jumani, administrator of the fan club, says, “We had a round of cake-cutting for 2,350 kids of the Gold Heart Foundation in Chennai. We also sponsored [essentials] at an old-age home in Mahakali Caves.”

A special van featuring Bachchan’s looks from his various films will do the rounds of Juhu today. On Monday, Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan Nanda attended a special screening of Don at PVR Juhu, with the megastar’s fans.