In the week since Russian President Vladimir Putin began the military invasion of Ukraine, its effects have been strongly felt around the globe. India has since ramped up its evacuation efforts to get countless students back home. Even as the government aims to bring back over 6,300 Indians from Ukraine by March 8 under Operation Ganga, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has now joined forces to aid the initiative.

Over the past few days, several stranded students — from Kyiv to Lviv — reached out to the actor on social media, seeking help. Sood Foundation reacted promptly to the distress messages and initiated contact with the Indian embassies in Romania and Poland. The members of the foundation teamed up with Ukraine’s neighbouring countries with a two-fold objective — first, to determine alternative routes for students to cross the Ukrainian border and reach safe territories.

For this, the team is heavily relying on the embassies’ knowledge of the local region and is constantly tracking the situation at the chosen exit points. Secondly, the foundation is also arranging transport for students in certain areas.

A source says, “They have teamed up with local Indian bodies in Poland and are sending taxis to take Indian students to the airport.” Yesterday, Sood wrote on Twitter that his foundation had helped 300-plus students cross the border, so far.

mid-day got in touch with Laxman Agarwal, a Lviv National Medical University student, who landed in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon by one of the flights under Operation Ganga. He said that while some of his friends were stuck at the Shehnyi border, he was guided by Sood’s team to take an alternative route, thus making it safely to Poland. “They suggested a safe route to cross the border. They were constantly in touch with us, and were aware of the ground reality. His team gave us hope when we had lost it.”

In 2020, amid the pandemic-induced lockdown, Sood helped numerous migrant workers reach their hometowns.

Raaz Reboot has generated curiosity ever since the first teaser was launched online. Given that the makers have called it curtains on their hit franchise after the fourth instalment, here's looking at four reasons why audience shouldn't miss this Emraan Hashmi-Kriti Kharbanda-Gaurav Arora-starrer that is written and directed by Vikram Bhatt.

ROMANIA
One of the locations that top the imagination of horror aficionados, the country, famed for its countless tales of Dracula, has been aptly explored by Vikram. From shooting in Romania's most haunted forests to other spine-chilling yet exotic locales, the film promises to be a visual treat.

RAAZ
The film's makers revolutionised the horror genre with a different story that also gave audiences something to take back with them. Not to forget, every franchise in this series has been a box office hit. What's the raaz this time for Kriti's possessed avatar to send shivers down the spine is what the producers and director keep the viewers guessing.


ROMANCE
This is a significant ingredient that makes the franchise unique in the genre. Toplined with talented names in the music industry, the haunting and soulful soundtrack has only added to the romance and mystery of Raaz Reboot.

REUNION
This film also brings together producers Bhushan Kumar and Bhatt brothers - Mahesh and Mukesh - a formidable combination, who prove it yet again with the soundtrack. Emraan teams up again with his Raaz 3 director, Vikram, in a role he owns with trademark ease.


BEHIND THE SCENES
- While shooting at the Bucharest Palace, Emraan, Kriti, Gaurav, Vikram and the team could sense a eerie vibe. What's more, they would get gooseflesh each time they walked down the hallways and felt that they were being watched.

- Besides steamy intimate scenes with Emraan, Kriti also performed the action scenes herself. Not only does the film mark her Bollywood debut, but also her first in doing stunts, dubbing her own lines and mouthing expletives as part of her character.

- According to Emraan, this is the scariest of the Raaz films. The actor, who has been associated with the franchise from the first, on which he was assisting Vikram, says the locations and the atmosphere added to the chilling moments.

- After having played a painter in Raaz 2 and a director in Raaz 3, Emraan turns a photographer for Raaz Reboot. He experiments with a different look, sporting a man-bun, which has got him a lot of attention.


- Gaurav, who plays a banker, looked to Hollywood star Harrison Ford for inspiration and adapted his sophistication and mannerisms for his role.

- The first intalment featured a raven and the director has brought the bird back in the fourth outing as well. The scene in which a raven flies straight into the windshield of Gaurav's car spooked the crew at the shoot, too.


- Vikram was impressed that his lead actress had no qualms about looking ugly in the scenes her character gets possessed. He says, “Kriti was the first actress who insisted on being made to look ugly.“

- Emraan calls Lo Maan Liya from this film his 'all-time favourite' song. He says, “The tunes are haunting and have an element of mystery about them.“

- While shooting for the scene that required her character to be nude, Kriti insisted that every crew member in the room would strip down, too, despite minus 10 degrees temperature. “Why would I freeze alone?“ she joked, making sure all present were stripped down to their basics.

Salman Khan was in Leh Ladakh to shoot for Kabir Khan's period war-drama, Tubelight. After wrapping up the first schedule on Friday, the 49-year-old actor toured the region, visiting hospitals and monasteries with his Romanian girlfriend Iulia Vantur who'd accompanied him and while he worked 14-hour shifts, she busied herself with shooting a documentary exploring the beauty of the region.

On Saturday, the couple visited the Thikse Monastery to meet the Dalai Lama and seek his blessings. The spiritual leader was clicked holding both their hands as the trio shared a laugh. Buzz is, Iulia and Salman are set to tie the knot later this year.

Born in Romania in 1980, Iulia completed her schooling with specialization in law at 15, going on to work as a TV presenter and model. An only child of social worker parents who run the Hope Foundation in Romania, Iulia went on to work full-time with Europa Nova, a local channel in Eastern Europe.

At 29, she moved out of her family home to work as a news anchor, doing morning shows in Bucharest. She eventually went on to bag her first show as a VJ, Dancing with Stefan Banica. The blonde beauty was on vacation in Ireland in mid 2010 when she heard that a big-budget Bollywood film, Bodyguard, was being shot in Dublin. She was introduced to Salman by her then boyfriend, Marius Moga, a Grammy nominated Romanian producer, composer and singer. Salman had just broken up with Katrina Kaif and took an instant liking to Iulia, promising to recommend her to his B-town friends.

Iulia and Marius flew down to India the following year and broke up soon after. Iulia returned to India in 2012, this time alone, and Salman opened the doors of his Karjat farmhouse to her. She stayed there for a month and-a-half, auditioning for TV shows and Hindi films. She was also a part of Guy Moshe's Hollywood film, Bunraku, featuring Demi Moore, Josh Hartnett and Woody Harrelson.

Her Bollywood career didn't quite take off but she did manage to land a seven-figure remuneration for just a special appearance in Salman's sister, Alvira and hubby Atul Agnihotri's 2014 film, O Teri. The film tanked but served as a catalyst to Salman and Iulia's blossoming romance.

Iulia grew close to Salman's inner circle, especially Daisy Shah who debuted in Jai Ho, while maintaining a calculated distance from him in public. She was among the audience at the trailer launch of Salman's 2014 Eid release, Kick, and might have gone unnoticed had it not been for a hawk eyed Indonesian Sallu fan who posted a picture of her on social media.

More recently, Iulia struck up a friendship with Arbaaz Khan's wife Malaika Arora Khan who turned up at a Bandra eatery when she heard that Iulia was dining there alone. Last month when Salman was in Budapest to shoot a promotional song, he met her parents. On May 13, his lady love was with his sister Alvira when they arrived for Preity Zinta and Gene Goodenough's wedding reception.When quizzed about their first public appearance, Salman had shot back, “Was I with her or was she with my sister? I ran away in front. I don't want to keep the press so busy. My private life may be national news but it's not that important.“

Iulia's presence at all Khan dos attracted wide media attention, forcing her to turn all her social media accounts private three months ago. Her pictures with Marius splashed all over the Indian web rattled her in particular and Salman prodded her to release a statement which read, “Dear friends, I didn't feel the need to react to any rumours, ever. But now, I think I should state clearly that I was never married and I am in no hurry to wear my wedding dress. God bless us all!“

Sallu mentioned Iulia publicly for the first time this July, sharing a link to the song she'd sung for his wrestling-drama, Sultan. But he has consistently maintained that if he ever got engaged or married, he'd announce it himself and not hide it like those yesteryear stars who hid their wives thinking that it would lessen their fan following. “I know the whole country would be happy for me,“ he'd asserted to Mirror (May 21). Salman loves kids, so does Iulia. When quizzed about whether he wants kids of his own, Salman had said, “I'd like to have a child but the problem with that is with the child the mother comes along. If I can avoid the mother and have a child I wouldn't mind two or three.“

When prodded on the rumours of their upcoming wedding he'd laughed and said it'd have to be at night because he wouldn't have the guts to get married in light of the day. He'd quipped, “Earlier, it would have been okay, but marriage, at my age, is a big step.“

Maybe it is a big step for Salman, however, as far as the Romanian media is concerned, their leading tabloid, Click, has already taken to addressing Iulia as “Doamna Khan“ which translates as “royal Mrs Khan“.

After over three decades of dating actresses, mostly co-stars with whom he'd shared screen space, sources believe that Salman has picked Iulia to be his life partner because she is extremely discreet, gets along with his family and shares his love for kids and animals. Ms Right? We'll know soon enough.

On December 20, 2015, Emraan Hashmi tweeted, “Azhar almost done! Next 1... Raaz Reboot in nail biting -15 degrees in Transylvania. Off to Dracula Castle!“ A month later, he took off to snowy Romania, the seventh most populous member of the European Union, for almost two months, to film the fourth instalment of the horror franchise in the dead of winter. Over to Emraan:

BRRR, IT'S COLD!
Raaz had taken off in the hills of Ooty, moved to Mumbai and continued to create horror in the heart of the city through Part 2 and 3. It was time to give the series a new look. The snow took the Mukesh Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar production into The Omen and The Shining zone, giving the characters an eerie air and enhancing the sense of aloneness of the characters. January is the peak of winter in Romania, when I landed, it was minus 16 degrees centigrade. My jacket meant for the Arctic climes, leather gloves and snow cap kept me warm till it was time for a shot. Then, the layers of woollens would come off because you can't look obese on camera, and at times, I'd have to give a retake simply because my teeth were chattering too much.

Occasionally, when it was freezing, urged on by the local crew, I'd take a swig of Tucia, a plum drink. One shot and I was good to go out into the winter chill. But unsure of its alchohol content, I was careful not to drink too much as I didn't want to look tipsy on screen.

IN DRACULA'S CASTLE
Having seen the Francis Ford Cappola's 1973 classic, Bram Stoker's Dracula, I was excited about visiting the Bran Castle, an hour's drive from Sibiu our first stop, between Transylvania and Wallachia. It was snowing. We didn't get permission to shoot inside Dracula's castle, so we took a few shots from outside. Then, I took the guided tour, climbing the stairs, gawking at the art and furniture collected by Queen Marie, and buying a knife as a memorablia.

GREAT DICTATOR
I couldn't film in the Hoia-Baciu Forest near Cluj-Napoca as I had to return to India midway through the shoot. Romania's Bermuda Triangle is supposed to be the world's most haunted forest following reports of ghost sightings, unexplained paranormal events, strange-looking trees with charred stumps and branches. Locals who have gone in have come back complaining of rashes, migraines, burns and other physical discomfort. Some never returned. I'd have risked meeting a ghost had I been around. The only ones I've met so far have been in reel life. We filmed in the mansion outside which dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was apprehended while attempting to flee with his wife in a chopper. He was handed over to the army, tried and shot. The story gave us the shivers and so did the property where we were staying. You reached it after a 15-minute drive through the woods and some of its many rooms were said to be haunted. But I'm still waiting for my first paranormal experience!

BEAUTIFULLY SERENE
Sinaia and Sibui where we shot initially, are small towns, beautiful but boring after sundown. I was writing my book, The Kiss of Life: How a Superhero and my Son Defeated Cancer, so scribbling furiously between shots and burning the treadmill early morning and after pack-up. But Bucarest, the capital city and the sixth largest city in the EU, has its clubs and restaurants. I went out a couple of nights but if I go to Romania on vacation, it'd be for the sking and winter sports.

BOLLYWOOD CALLING
We had a line crew, and they were of big help. The Romanians are friendly, hardworking and professional, interested in world cinema and familiar with Bollywood because Akshay Kumar filmed a song for Singh Is Bliing here and Salman Khan was here for Jai Ho! A gentlman turned up on the sets with some DVDs of my films, including Murder, and was talking of releasing Azhar there.

I was on a strict diet of grilled fish or meat, and with an Indian chef on board, I didn't sample local delicasies like meaty Caltabos, desserts like Amandine, not even my director Vikram Bhatt's birthday cake.

THE LAST GOODBYE
I'd wrapped up the shoot and had a day to explore. That morning, I learnt my mom who was suffering from cancer, had been rushed to the ICU. Just before I boarded the flight, I was told she was gone. I remember nothing of the long journey home but I hope to go back some day...

Bangalore girl Kriti Kharbanda who is foraying in Bollywood as a model in Raaz Reboot seven years after she made her acting debut with the Telugu actioner, Boni, reveals that Hindi films were never on her agenda. “I started off really early so my parents insisted that I finish my studies first. Initially, I was scared of living alone in a big city like Mumbai which is nothing like Bangalore. I'm more comfortable now; it feels like a home away from home,“ says the 27-year-old actress.

The first meeting with producer Mukesh Bhatt and director Vikram Bhatt allayed her anxieties. “I was excited about the script since I heard it but, for me, it's more about the people I am working with. Mukesh sir and I talked about life and cinema at length, which made me very comfortable, but he didn't say anything about me bagging the film then. I got a call from them four days later, Raaz was happening and I was thrilled,“ Kriti reminisces, saying she liked the first Raaz the most.

Ask her about puckering up to the resident serial kisser, Emraan Hashmi, in her first Hindi film, and Kriti retorts, “Who doesn't kiss on screen today? For me, it's all about emoting correctly. People don't come to the theatres to watch a kiss. It's the story that appeals to them. I would have been apprehensive if anything was forced into the script.“ She admits that she gets spooked easily and is never going to shoot a song sequence in a cemetery again. “After that shoot in Romania, I couldn't sleep for a few days,“ she shivers. Apart from her screen kiss with Emraan, an alleged linkup with her other co-star, Gaurav Arora, have been creating buzz but Kriti is quick to refute it with the clichéd line that “he is a good friend, there is nothing more to that, and we just laughed it off“. She also rubbishes rumours of her dating actor-producer Sumanth Kumar, nephew of Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, saying he is her best friend and like family. “As of now, I am single and only concentrating on my work,“ she says shortly.

Does Raaz mean she's bidding South films goodbye for Bollywood? Kriti insists South films are a priority and she will never give up on them. “In fact, I am currently working on four projects. I would love to do more Hindi films but I am very laid-back that way and wouldn't go looking for more films,“ she admits.

Prod her on Bollywood role models and she says she really likes Kareena Kapoor's performances. “But what I like the most about her is that she doesn't give a damn about the world. And, like her character, Geet, in Jab We Met, main bhi apni favourite hoon,“ she chuckles, adding that Deepika Padukone is another B'town actress she's impressed with.

Presently, the actress is on a lookout for a house in Andheri and plans to move in by August. “I will be shuttling between Bangalore and Mumbai. I was brought up in a very protective environment and have never lived alone so this will be a good learning experience for me,“ she concludes.

Buzz is, the latest South import, Kriti Kharbanda who is being launched in Bollywood with Vikram Bhatt's Raaz Reboot, was dating actor-producer Sumanth Kumar, nephew of actor-filmmaker Akkineni Nagarjuna and one of the partners of Annapurna Studios, since 2011. The two have reportedly been in an on-and-off relationship for over four years. Kriti even bought a home in Hyderabad in 2012 to spend some quality time with Sumanth who had married Telugu actress Kreeti Reddy in 2004, but within two years, they had divorced. “We're the best of friends, I don't mind going for coffee or talking for hours with him,“ Kriti had said in 2014 when questioned about her relationship with Sumanth.

Two years later, seems he is not the only actor Kriti is willing to sip coffee with. Mirror has learnt that the 27-year-old actress was cosying up with another Kriti's ex. Gaurav Arora, reportedly Kriti Sanon's ex-boyfriend (Mirror, August 12, 2015), till last week was filming the fourth instalment in the Raaz franchise in Romania with Kriti. He plays a debonair banker heading the East European Finance Consortium, while Emraan Hashmi, without whom a Raaz instalment is incomplete, is a fashion photographer. The shoot flagged off in snow-covered Sinaia, a mountain town in Romania's Prahova county, with Gaurav and Kriti nothing more than cordial co-stars. On January 23, the unit was travelling from Sinaia to Sibiu, a Transylvania town located 200 km away. It was a long journey through the hills in minus 20 degrees. Eyebrows raised when Kriti chose to travel with Gaurav instead of her designated car.

In Sibiu the growing closeness between the two was apparent, with Kriti hanging around on the sets, waiting to have lunch and dinner with Gaurav, keeping him company between shots. Quiz co-producer Mahesh Bhatt on the secret romance and he laughs, “I seem to always let the cat out of the bag, but I believe there are no bags, only cats.“

He admits that he heard the rumours too. “There are stories that play out on the film sets. This is one such story. We are living in the 21st century and when a young man and young woman are pushed together in an unforgiving place, far from home, pushed against the wall by the harshest work schedules, it's not surprising that they're drawn to each other,“ he says, adding that while watching the rushes he noticed a certain electricity between the two. “I thought it was the genius of my director Vikram Bhatt, until I realised that it was a hormonal dance playing out.“

But it was not all love and no war in Romania. During the final schedule in Bucharest, which began on March 2, the unit heard the couple arguing at the top of their voices in the wee hours. “Yes, it reached my ears too and I learnt that all was not well in Romania,“ Bhatt confirms.

However, according to our source, the two quickly patched up before the unit returned to Mumbai on March 14. Kriti flew back to Bangalore for her South commitments while Gaurav is promoting his upcoming film in the city. “Film sets have been cradles for some great romances. We'll have to see if this one has the power to go beyond a shoot. Time will tell,“ Bhatt concludes.

Three years after Raaz 3D, the fourth instalment of the horror franchise is gearing up to kick off in Romania during Christmas. It will be a hat-trick for Emraan Hashmi, the heroine is yet to be finalised.

Confirming this Mahesh Bhatt told Mirror, “Yes, Raaz Reboot will roll in Europe towards the year end. Vikram Bhatt is currently in South Africa filming Love Games but the screenplay is locked. It's a horror-cum-love story, which needs snow. Snow has a certain texture which will take it into a different spatial world which is different from any of the earlier films.“

The film was earlier supposed to go on the floors in the first quarter of this year and filmed in UK, US and parts of Mumbai. But a source close to the production told Mirror that the theme lies in snow-clad Romania. “It is a different take on horror and will be shot like an international film, adds the source. The film will open on June 1 next year."

Raaz took off in 2002 with Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu playing a couple who is desperate to save their marriage and move into a new house in Ooty, only to find themselves in the grips of a ghostly conspiracy.

Seven years later, the sequel directed by Mohit Suri, Raaz: The Mystery Continues, drew the Bhatts blue-eyed boy, Emraan Hashmi, into the franchise. He played a painter whose art predicts the future of a model (played by Kangana Ranaut).

This was followed by Raaz 3D, on September 7, 2012, which projected in 3D, brought the original director, Vikram Bhatt, and Bipasha back to the 'Secret' series. Bipasha excelled as a fading movie star, a prisoner of fame, who uses black magic to destroy her younger rival, Esha Gupta, and hold on to her love, Emraan Hashmi.

Vikram Bhatt, who has been posting a story a day on Facebook and Instagram, has, for the first time, penned the narrative. The Bhatts are careful not to divulge any details that could give away the suspense. However, buzz is, Emraan, is the villain of the story, this time. Prod Mahesh on this and he quips, “Well, there's no smoke without fire.“

After the success of Murder (2004) and Murder 2 (2011), it was a given that Emraan would kill to be in Part 3. But he made way for Randeep Hooda in the Valentine Day-release and the film, which marked the directorial debut of Mukesh Bhatt's son, Vishesh, tanked. There were many reasons given for his absence, from date clashes to wanting some changes in the script. But the actor himself had rationalised that he believed a franchise could be at best stretched to a trilogy. After Part 3, he believed, that it was better to experiment with a new franchise than get lazy with an old one and dilute the brand. However, he's obviously changed his mind about Raaz 4.

Mahesh Bhatt has the last word, “There can be no Raaz without Emraan. And this year, Raaz Reboot will be a quantum leap forward, both in terms of content and presentation, from the previous film.“