Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Friday evening mourned the death of veteran choreographer Saroj Khan on social media.
“ALL my Love Always too, Saroj ji. May your Soul Rest in Peace. Much respected, admired and adored as our Dance Guru in our Film Industry…truly a Legend…Such a privilege to have had so many memorable experiences dancing under your guidance…THANK YOU for All your Duas and Blessings always… and so much LOVE You will truly be missed. Prayers and much Strength to all your family,” the actress posted on Instagram.
The actress shared a still from the set of her 1999 film Taal where Saroj Khan can be seen choreographing a dance move for Aishwarya.
Saroj Khan choreographed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for iconic dance numbers like “Nimbooda” (“Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”), “Dola re dola” (“Devdas”), “Ramta jogi” (“Taal”), “Barso re” (“Guru”) among others.
Earlier in the day, Abhishek Bachchan posted on Instagram Story, remembering the legendary choreographer.
“The first song I ever performed to in films was under her tutelage and choreography. She taught me so much. Will miss you Saroj ji. RIP,” the actor shared.
Three-time National Award-winning choreographer Saroj Khan passed away due to cardiac arrest in Mumbai early on Friday. She was 71.
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the crime drama also featured Abhishek Bachchan and Kay Kay Menon in pivotal roles, with Katrina Kaif essaying an impressive cameo.
The success of the film spawned sequels. Varma went on to make Sarkar Raj in 2008 and Sarkar 3 in 2017.
Speaking of Big B’s upcoming projects, he will be seen in Rumi Jaffery’s Chehre, Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra and Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund.
He was last seen in Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo, with Ayushmann khurrana. Written by Juhi Chaturvedi, it was the story of a landlord and tenant. The film was the first film to be released on an OTT platform, after its release was postponed due to the Coronavirus lockdown in India.
Abhishek Bachchan is making his digital debut with the Amazon Original series Breathe: Into The Shadows. The psychological crime thriller sees him playing a doting father in search of his missing daughter.
The series also sees the return of acclaimed actor Amit Sadh in his role as senior inspector Kabir Sawant. South actress Nithya Menen is also making her digital debut with this show, which also stars Saiyami Kher.
The trailer follows the journey of Avinash Sabharwal (Abhishek Bachchan), as he and his wife delve into the case of their kidnapped daughter, Siya. The kidnapper wants Abhishek to murder people in order to get his daughter back.
In the pursuit for justice, senior inspector Kabir Sawant takes the lead of the case, amidst the hostile environment of the Delhi Crime Branch. Obstacles come in the way of the investigation at every turn, and as the couple get closer to the truth, the kidnapper’s unusual demands place them in a series of grievous situations.
The series is produced by Abundantia Entertainment and created and directed by Mayank Sharma. The show has been written by Bhavani Iyer, Vikram Tuli, Arshad Syed and Mayank Sharma. Breathe: Into The Shadows will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 10.
Actor Akshay Kumar on Monday said theatres have the “first birth right” over movies and though he”s excited his upcoming “Laxmmi Bomb” will stream digitally, he feels sad it couldn”t release on the big screen.
The horror-comedy is set to stream on Disney+Hotstar, bypassing a theatrical release as screens remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The streamer announced its slate of seven film which will have a direct-to-digital release, including Ajay Devgn’s “Bhuj: The Pride of India”, Abhishek Bachchan starrer “The Big Bull”, and “Sadak 2”, featuring Alia Bhatt.
In a virtual press conference, Akshay said OTT release was the only wise option in the current scenario.
“To be honest, today I am excited for this platform. But yes, I’ll say that I am also sad for theatres. After all, movies are theatres first birth right. But in the current situation, everyone’s safety is of utmost priority.
“Today with theatres being shut and people watching movies on OTT platforms, if I can make my fans happy by releasing film on Disney+Hotstar— which is a big platform with a massive reach—then I am glad,” Akshay told reporters.
“Laxmmi Bomb” would be the actor’s first digital release in a career of nearly three decades.
His “Sooryavanshi” co-star and longtime friend, Devgn, said he was equally thrilled to see his patriotic drama “Bhuj: The Pride of India” release on the platform.
“First thing that you want when you make a film is that more and more people get to watch it. The base of Disney+Hotstar is so huge that when ‘Bhuj’ will come every person will try to watch the film, besides the fact that the film should be good. We have tried to make a good film,” the actor told reporters.
Adding to Akshay’s comments, Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star and Disney India, said no one but only fans of artistes have the right over films.
“If anyone has birth right over films, it’s the film goers and film fans. Fans of the actors, directors who want to see these films and it is our duty to show them films.
“What’s going to happen now is that our industry will grow bigger, be more successful, more people will be able to work, we will be able to produce more films. Theatres as well digital screens will survive and grow together with films.”
Shankar was of the view that a similar debate arose when TV first started airing films, with many fearing that people would stop going to cinema halls.
“But that didn’t happen. Cinema halls grew, more people started watching films, our screens grew, the economics of our films also grew.
“The digital premiere will give industry a new lease of life. It”s going to create a completely new world. Theatres will continue to be very important because it”s an experience in itself to go there,” he added.
As theatres continue to remain shut, release of many films have been affected.
Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi biopic were among the first films to opt for a digital release on Amazon Prime Video, a move that had irked theatre owners and exhibitors.
Shankar said the digital medium will become an essential outlet for the industry.
“People visit a cinema hall maximum five times a year but watch more number of films on their TV and mobile phones… This will become a huge outlet for our industry to showcase more work. We should see this as big leap for our film industry today,” he added.
