Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2020)

Ganesh Chaturthi is just 11 days away, but the ongoing pandemic has put a damper on the 10-day revelry this year. With the government banning all public gatherings, the festival will be limited to a family affair. However, TV is doing its bit to give Bappa a rapturous welcome, virtually. Star Plus kickstarted celebrations over the weekend at Film City Studios. Star Parivaar Ganeshotsav 2020 will be aired during the festival week.

Sonu Sood, who has become a real hero during the Coronavirus-triggered lockdown, by helping thousands of migrants from across the country and even abroad get back to their homes, is going to host the show. The actor, who shares a special bond with Ganesh, will welcome him with a puja. “There won’t be many Ganpati pandals this year. So, this is the best way to welcome the Lord,” says Sonu, who celebrated the festival for the first time when he had just moved to Mumbai and didn’t know how to serve Ganesha. “I learnt and now we have developed such a bond that he comes to my home every year. He has answered all my prayers and shown me a new path to follow every year.”

Sonu plans his shoots around the 10-day celebrations in a way that he can spend maximum time with Bappa. “My in-laws come to my place during the festival and these 10 days of family time is something we look forward to every year,” he says, insisting that it was Ganesh who gave him the power to help so many people during this crisis. “I have done many movies, but this is the best role I got to play. I want Bappa to help all the people who have suffered during the pandemic and I am sure he will listen to my prayers and make everything right.”

TV actors Surbhi Jyoti and Siddharth Nigam will perform on “Sukhkarta Dukhharta” on the show while Divyanka Tripathi, who bid goodbye to the channel in December last year when her long-running show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein went off the air, returns with a Lavani performance. Shivangi Joshi from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Rupali Ganguly from Anupamaa and Aditi Sharma from Yehh Jadu Hai Jinn Ka! will send video messages seeking Bappa’s blessings.

Shilpa Shetty will pay tribute to the frontline workers, with a medley of songs, from Lagaan’s “Chale Chalo” and Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl’s “Jazba” to “Shambhu Sutaya” from ABCD - Any Body Can Dance and “Nainowale Ne” from Padmaavat. Harshad Chopda, who featured with Sushant Singh Rajput in the 2008 show, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil, will remember the late actor by shaking a leg to his popular songs.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 8, 2020)

It's refreshing to see the most menacing gangster of the web world aka Guddu Bhaiyya stepping out of his tough image to turn into a romantic hero for a music video. Ali Fazal is all set to woo his on-screen lady love, Surbhi Jyoti in the upcoming music video, Aaj Bhi. Crooned by Vishal Mishra, who gave the hit numbers of Kabir Singh last year, will be collaborating with the actor for the single. Helmed by Mirzapur creator Gurmmeet Singh, the song will feature on Vryl Originals' YouTube channel.

"It is the first time I am working with Vishal," starts off Fazal and adds that the he was blown away by Mishra's "mesmerising voice". "His voice is soulful and we bonded over our Lucknow connect." The Fukrey actor says that while it was his first time working with Jyoti, he had a blast in the Chandigarh shoot. "Surbhi is super cool and we kept chatting about movies and food. The four days in Chandigarh were such a blast."

The actor says he felt at home as he was reuniting with his other family — the Mirzapur team Singh and Sanjay Kapoor (DoP). "It was like a reunion working with Guru and Sanjay. Considering I spent so much time with Guru last year, we got each other's vibes and cues. This is something that Guru and I have never explored together.  In a span of three minutes, we told an entire story. As an actor, it's hard to pull this off. I have never been so excited about a music video. It evokes a feeling that everyone at some point or the other goes through. It's a unique take on unrequited love."