Bollywood Today

The Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar film, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha was featured in the number 3 position on a list of inspiring tweets from 2017 by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The 62-year-old took tweeted “There’s no denying that 2017 was a really tough year… but it also delivered some amazing moments of hope and progress. Here are some inspiring tweets that you may have missed…”

The Bollywood film is about a new bride who leaves her in-laws house and husband when she finds out there is no toilet in the house. In India, one in 10 deaths is due to poor hygiene and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha educates the audience about the challenging sanitation problem in the country.

Meanwhile, the director of the film, Shree Narayan Singh is over the moon about the impact it has made. First, it was Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and now Bill Gates who have appreciated the film highly.

The film was inspired by Modi’s Swachch Bharat Abhiyan and is based on a real-life incident. In a village, a woman left her husband after learning there was no toilet in the house. The film grossed Rs 100 crore and is Akshay Kumar’s eighth high earning film of 2017.

The Rajkummar Rao film Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aanaa was screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan Saturday evening.

Vinod Bachchan, producer of the film, said they got a phone call and an email from the President’s office stating the ministry wanted to watch the film as they had heard good reviews of it.

“I am overwhelmed by receiving such an email, so we are hosting a screening today at the President’s house. And tomorrow (Sunday) we will be screening the film for a different ministry. It is a family drama set in small town,” he said.

The story is about the struggle and journey an IAS officer, the male protagonist. The producer said maybe it was a relatable link for the ministers. Bachchan added stories set in small towns such as – Bareily Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aanaa are easier for the audience to relate to. He believes that people can relate to such films and hence they click at the box office.

Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana released on November 10 and is still running in single-screen theaters in a few small cities.

Pinkvilla has come up a list of actresses who have brought their A-Game to red carpets, airports, gyms and even international events.
These nine Bollywood beauties made their mark as fashionistas in 2017 (as compiled by Pinkvilla).

Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt brought us the pajama trend and experimented with sarees.

Sunny Leone’s inspiration and role models are well-known names in Bollywood – actresses Madhubala, Sharmila Tagore, Zeenat Aman, Rekha, Dimple Kapadia and Mandakini. She said Sharmila, Madhubala and Dimple taught her to be herself.

The 36-year-old actress took to Twitter Wednesday and shared photographs of Zeenat, Dimple, Sharmila and Mandakini, dressed in bold clothes, from their films.

The 1970s and 1980s actresses dared to go against societal norms with their outfit choices. These Bollywood beauties broke the image of the traditional sari-clad female and raised many eyebrows and led the way for today’s actresses to follow.

“A few women in Bollywood who have taught me that it’s perfectly okay to be myself Sharmila Tagore, Mandakini, Dimple Kapadia, Rekha, Zeenat Aman and Madhubala,” Leone captioned the images. She said these actresses have inspired her not to make any changes in her personality.

The Canadian-born actress is known for playing bold roles in films. She entered the adult film industry in 2005 where she worked her way to the top. Sunny appeared in Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss in 2011 where she was offered the lead role in Jism 2 by Mahesh Bhatt.

She also starred in Bollywood films Ragini MMS 2, Hate Story 2, Mastizaade and Baadshaho. She was last seen opposite Arbaaz Khan in Tera Intezaar, released in December.

Virushka Wedding

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli tied the knot in Italy on December 11. It was a close-knit gathering at a countryside resort in Tuscany. The couple announced the news in an identical tweet the same day.

The wedding of the year was preceded by their engagement the video in which showed the Indian skipper kissing and hugging his ladylove. The entire haldi, mehendi, engagement, wedding and reception outfits and jewelry were done by celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

“Today we have promised each other to be bound in love forever. We are truly blessed to share the news with you. This beautiful day will be made more special with the love and support of our family of fans & well-wishers. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey,” tweeted Virat and Anushka.

Though their wedding was an intimate affair, the couple treated their friends and colleagues to a lavish reception in New Delhi on December 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also in attendance. The wedding reception invitations were grand.

Virat and Anushka will host another reception for Bollywood and cricket stars at the St. Regis hotel in Mumbai on December 26. The couple spent some quality time in Finland from where they shared pictures on social media.

The Indian skipper will start preparing for the upcoming series for two months in South Africa where he will travel with his wife on December 27. Anushka will begin shooting for her next film opposite Shah Rukh Khan and also prepare for Sui Dhaaga with Varun Dhawan.