Have you heard? Loving the challenge

National Awardwinning actor Vidya Balan believes that women are way ahead of time in todayrsquos world Speaking at an ongoing film festival Balan addressed the subject of the portrayal of women in Indian cinema ldquoWe all need to shed the stereotypes regarding women that are ingrained in our society Women are way ahead of time in todayrsquos world All the exceptional characters played by female actors in Indian films in the past and their desire to do more pushed us to reach a stage where we are telling womenoriented stories in movies now Taking up unconventional roles and being yourself while playing those characters is crucial I love the idea of getting out of my comfort zone for each film that I do and that requires a lot of hard work which is liberating for merdquo she saidComing upPankaj Tripathi announced that his upcoming movie Main Atal Hoon based on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayeersquos life will be released in theatres on January 19 The National Awardwinning actor shared the news on Instagram and unveiled a new poster of the movie ldquoHeart of gold man of steel A versatile poet and visionary behind New India Witness the story of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in cinemas on January 19 2024rdquo Tripathi wrote of the film that has been directed by Ravi Jadhav who has also cowritten it with Rishi VirmaniThe dark side of PunjabThe trailer for the upcoming series Chamak has been unveiled and follows the story of a young aspiring rapper Kaala who returns to Punjab from Canada to uncover the events that led to the death of singer Taara Singh The trailer which makes a reference to the plot device of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khanrsquos upcoming film Dunki shows Kaala pulling off a reverse Dunki to reach India and trace the murderers of Taara who was shot dead in the midst of a packed performance The musical thriller features 28 songs and stars Paramvir Singh Cheema Manoj Pahwa Mohit Malik and Isha Talwar Gippy Grewal makes a special appearanceTaking a dig at Shah RukhHe may have been the voice of Shah Rukh Khan in several desi offerings but Abhijeet Bhattacharya appears to hold grudges against the actor In an interview he revealed ldquoThere is ego and then there is selfrespect Shah Rukh Khan is a selfmade person the selfrespect that he has I have the same We donrsquot have an ego we have selfrespectrdquo he said and subsequently addressed their fallout in 2009 ldquoShah Rukh is a very commercial person He will sideline any person for his success and career and will use themrdquo he claimedWe have a dateAnanya Panday Siddhant Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gouravstarrer comingofdigitalage story Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is all set for an OTT release the team announced A celebration of unadulterated friendship it follows three friends as they navigate life in the world of social media Set in Mumbai it has been directed by Arjun Varain Singh Talking about it producers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti said ldquoThe film holds a special place in our hearts The process of writing and collaborating on this story with Arjun was exciting Itrsquos a comingofdigitalage film that will hopefully resonate with the younger generationsrdquo It will release on Netflix on December 26Setting standardsAmid a round of promotions for Tiger 3 Katrina Kaif reflected on the fame she has achieved in Bollywood Asked what she looks forward to at this stage of her career she said ldquoYou see ups and downs as an actor And you need to know how to ride that wave You need to have perseverance to perform and deliver in each film no matter what the outcome is My desire is to make sure I do not fall into my own trap of repeating myself or trying to maintain any image because I have done something before That is where my future liesrdquo Kaif who expressed gratitude for the love she had received over the years has reprised her role of Zoya in the recently released third edition of the franchise that is fronted by Salman KhanRohit Bal admittedFashion designer Rohit Bal is in the intensive care unit ICU of Gurugramrsquos Medanta Hospital and is undergoing treatment for cardiac issues The doctors treating him said he was in a critical condition Bal a trendsetter in Indian fashion with designs that challenged established norms is under the supervision of a team led by cardiologist Praveen Chandra at the hospital ldquoHe is in a critical condition He was admitted a few days ago He came with a heart condition that is getting stabilised but he also has an infection that is creating the troublerdquo Dr Chandra saidSuccess down southNupur Sanon who shared screen space with Ravi Teja in the Telugu film Tiger Nageshwar Rao is gradually understanding how she can contribute to the evolving Indian cinema landscape ldquoGlobal films are breaking barriers with Indian stories gaining recognition at the Oscars and Emmys In my third film venturing into Telugu cinema has been a valuable experience in fostering growth and learning It allowed me to understand a different demographic and contribute to the evolving Indian cinema landscaperdquo she said Sanon added ldquoDespite cultural differences emotions connect us and stars now play a vital role in reaching diverse audiences nationwide making films a universal language Doing a panIndia film and moving away from the typical Hindi film heroine role is a gamechanger It brings diversity to my work and mirrors the changing narrative where actors go beyond stereotypesrdquo says the actor who is Kriti Sanonrsquos sister