Entertainment: Bhansali releases a video statement

Film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali released a video statement on the film’s official Twitter account calling the Deepika Padukone-Shahid Kapoor-Ranveer Singh starrer his tribute to the “sacrifice, valour and honour” of Rani Padmavati.

Actor Arjun Kapoor has come out in support of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose magnum opus Padmavati is in trouble even before its release, saying the people need to have faith in the director's vision.

Arjun defended the filmmaker in his tweet

In his video appeal, Bhansali said rumours about a romantic dream sequence between Rani Padmavati (Padukone) and Alauddin Khilji are not true.

Various Rajput groups have accused the director of distorting historical facts.

When SRK backed out of a film starring Dilip Kumar and Big B!

Director Subhash Ghai had planned an ambitious war film with three of the biggest Bollywood superstars -- Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan -- but he had to shelve it.

The director said he had even a title for the film, which was to be called Mother Land.

“ In 2003, I wanted to start a war film called Mother Land, where I had cast Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. The script was ready and three songs were also recorded, but at the last minute Shah Rukh backed out,”

The filmmaker, who has previously worked with Shah Rukh in the 1997 hit film Pardes, said the superstar wanted a solo-hero project back then and hence the dream project could not go on floors.

“He (Shah Rukh) felt there are so many characters in the film. He wanted to do a solo hero film then, but mine was not. It was a story of Dilip saab, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh. On my wish list were also Aishwarya Rai, Priety Zinta and Mahima Chaudhry for the film but that's destiny,” he added.

Mother Land did not take off but there was another film, called Shikhar, that Ghai had planned to make with Shah Rukh. However, that also got shelved, thus giving birth to Pardes.

“Before Pardes I had designed a film called Shikhar, starring Jackie Shroff and Shah Rukh, where we were to cast a new girl. It was a love story with a war backdrop. We had done our muhurat too and recorded a song after signing A R Rahman,” he says.

“Ishq bina kya jeena yaaro was a song from Shikhar (which eventually became one of the most popular songs from his Taal). But when Trimurti (1995) released and flopped, the media and distributors said ‘how could you give a flop after ten hits? You better retire’!” he says.

The phase put Ghai and his team in confusion, as they decided to scrap the ambitious war film and instead focused on making a “small film.”

“My team thought, since Shikhar was a very big war film with huge investment, let's make a small budget film. I thought let's make a small film, which happened to be Pardes, shoot within a year and come back to Sikhar later,” said Ghai.

The 72-year-old filmmaker recently showcased Pardes at New Excelsior Cinema, acquired by Mukta A2 Cinema, a branch of Ghai's Mukta Arts.

Women should speak up about sexual harassment in Bollywood: Neha

Actor Neha Dhupia says it is important for women who have suffered sexual harassment in the industry to come out and speak about it so as to save others from facing a similar fate.

Recently, Hollywood witnessed the Harvey Weinstein scandal which has put the spotlight on sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.

Two of Neha's co-stars, Irrfan Khan from Hindi Medium and Vidya Balan from Tumhari Sullu, also came out to share their experiences, where the former said he was asked to compromise for work.

“I think it's very important that safety begins at home. If anyone is facing that in the industry, they should come out and talk about it because by not talking about it, they are not protecting themselves and also hurting other women,” said Neha

The 37-year-old actor says it women who speak up need absolute support.

“If it is happening today with them, tomorrow it will happen to another woman may be to another degree. Speaking up about it is very, very important. They need immense support, whether it comes from the press or family,” she added.

The actor is currently gearing up for her next release Tumhari Sullu, directed by Suresh Triveni.

The comedy-drama is about a happy-go-lucky Mumbai housewife, Sulu (played by Vidya), whose routine life changes when she unexpectedly lands herself the job of a night RJ on a radio station.

The film is scheduled to release on November 17.

With inputs from PTI