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Ponniyin Selvan-1 characters wear real gold jewellery
Director Mani Ratnam says the characters in the Tamil period film Ponniyin Selvan-1 are supposed to be royalty, so he got actual gold jewellery with details reflective of the Chola period designed for them.
"We gave special emphasis to the costumes to make them believable, lend a period-specific authenticity and evoke that sense of royalty," he said.
"We were very lucky to have Kishandas (the jewellery designer) on board and we worked with actual gold jewellery."
Huma does a Helen in Monica, O My Darling
The teaser of Huma Qureshi's upcoming movie Monica, O My Darling starts with the actress in a red dress, dancing to the sound of saxophones.
She then breaks into a cabaret number, reminiscent of actress Helen, who was one of Bollywood's most popular nautch dancers in the 1960s to 1980s.
"Ek Zindagi is a foot-thumping retro number that will have everyone ready to break into a dance. This cabaret number is a prelude of what is to come," said Huma.
Kajal grateful to be learning kalaripayattu
Kajal Aggarwal, who revealed that she had been learning kalaripayattu for more than three years, described the ancient Indian martial art as "a beautiful practice that empowers the seeker physically as well as mentally".
"It translates into practice in the arts of the battlefield," said the actress, who gave birth just four months ago.
"The magic of this art form evolved into the birth of shaolin, gongfu and consequently karate and taekwondo, among others. Kalaripayattu was typically used for guerrilla warfare.
"I am grateful to have been taught it."
Raveena pays tribute to mum for 10 years in voice acting
Voice artist Raveena S.R., who has dubbed for 91 heroines in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films, thanked her mother for showing her the ropes.
"First and foremost thanking the Supreme for my 10 years of voice acting in 150-plus films," she said.
"Also my guru, my mother (voice actor Sreeja Ravi), who has in her career a list of more than 2,000 films in over 45 years and five state awards. I'm glad I can walk the path she laid out for me."
Richa's wedding jewellery to be custom-made by renowned jeweller Khajanchis
Actress Richa Chadha will wear custom-made jewellery during her wedding with actor and model Ali Fazal on Oct 4.
The signature pieces will be designed by the Khajanchis, a 175-year-old family of jewellers from Bikaner revered for their statement heirloom jewellery.
The jewellers are descendants of Moti Chand Khajanchi, one of the earliest art collectors in Rajasthan, and their patrons include the royal family of Bikaner.
Siju 'worked like a beast' in physical transformation
Actor Siju Wilson, who has been praised for his fantastic performance as Aarattupuzha Velayudha Panicker in director Vinayan's critically-acclaimed Malayalam film Pathonpathaam Noottaandu, posted on Instagram a video of the challenges he faced in transforming into the legendary warrior character.
"Long and hard days give you moments to thrive for a better tomorrow," he said.
"The journey from Vinayan's call to the release date was hard and I'm proud I worked like a beast to pull it off."
12-hour shifts give Pratiksha little time for personal matters
Shooting for a daily TV show has been challenging for actress Pratiksha Rai.
"You don't get time to focus on your personal life," she said.
"You don't get time to groom yourself, you don't get holidays and you end up shooting for more than 12 hours each day. But you also get a lot in return, especially recognition. So, one must learn to balance work with personal life."
