Entertainment: Pahlaj Nihalani’s ‘Julie 2’ to finally release

Erotic thriller Julie 2, which was caught in a legal battle, will now release on November 24, says producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who is livid over the financial losses he and his director Deepak Shivdasani had to suffer due to the copyright case lodged against their film by producer NR Pachisia.

Nihalani and his director had to cough up a compensatory amount to be able to release the film.

“ What we gave him was even less than the lawyer's fees. But what Pachisia has taken away is our faith in people from our own fraternity. Pachisia knows what producers have to go through when their films are stalled legally or otherwise at the last moment,” said Nihalani.

“ He still went ahead and filed a bogus case against our film claiming Julie 2 infringed on the copyrights of the film Julie which Pachisia had produced in 2004. We kept shouting and vowing that Julie 2 had nothing to do with the film that he had produced,” added the former CBFC chief.

Now, Julie 2 is finally freed of legal obstacles and ready for release.

“We had to postpone the release thrice. We are now releasing on November 24. But we want action taken against all litigants who try to stop a film's release at the last minute. This is done only to make quick money or to gain instant publicity,” he said.

Julie 2 now comes against Kapil Sharma-starrer Firangi. Nihalani isn't perturbed. “Kapil has the laughs. Julie 2 has the oomph.”

Salman, Katrina ‘stand for peace’ in Tiger Zinda Hai trailer

There are gunfights, there’s horse riding, there's muscle game, mind game, punches and punchlines -- the trailer of Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai shows that the superstar, along with Katrina Kaif, is back with a vengeance to delight his fans and give a message of peace.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the movie brings back the Ek Tha Tiger on-screen couple Salman and Katrina.
“There are many hunters, but no one can hunt like Tiger,” says one of the punchlines in the action-packed trailer, launched on Tuesday.

The story of the film revolves around a mission to rescue 25 Indian nurses who are kidnapped by the world's most deadly terrorist organisation headed by Abu Usman in Iraq. Interestingly, in this film, Indian agent Tiger and Pakistani spy Zoya work together to release the hostages.

In a pertinent statement, Katrina’s character Zoya says: “Our mission is not just to save these 25 nurses, but to tell the world, we stand for peace”.

For Salman, message-based cinema seems to be the way to go now, as he did the same with Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tubelight.

The trailer of Tiger Zinda Hai looks quite promising not only for Salman's fans, but also for the audience who love watching action-packed war films. With its stunts, visual effects and exotic locations, the film, which has been shot across five countries, seems to have a lot to offer.

During the launch of the trailer here at the Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studio on Tuesday, Zafar was asked if he feels the pressure to deliver the best in one of the most anticipated films of the year.

He said: “Yes, there is a pressure on me because it is a successful franchise and I have worked with Salman Khan in Sultan, and we succeeded. So even people have a high expectation. The story is based on a real-life incident, and it's an impactful story. Let's just hope that this Christmas, we can all have a great time in the theatre.”

Asked about Salman and Katrina's chemistry in the film, Zafar said: “It's different from the first one. It is not a love story between Katrina and Salman but two people on a mission to stand for peace. This film has more action and the story is realistic and topical, that we can all relate with.”

Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film also features Angad Bedi and Girish Karnad. It is releasing on December 22.

Shakira dragged into Paradise Papers row

Singer Shakira has been dragged into the Paradise Papers row after it was revealed that she transferred 30 million pounds in musical rights to an offshore firm in Malta.

Shakira is the latest celebrity revealed to have used tax havens abroad after 1.34 million papers were leaked to the German press, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Shakira's company Malta Tournesol Limited is based on the Mediterranean island of Malta, known for its tax incentives.

On papers, Shakira is listed as a Bahamas resident, despite her living in Barcelona with her footballer boyfriend Gerard Pique.

Her lawyer stressed that the activity was legal and in accordance with laws.

Shakira's lawyer Ezequiel Camerini told Spanish website El Confidential: “The Maltese company Tournesol Limited fulfills all legal requirements to operate as such. All of the corresponding information relative to this entity is public and transparent.”

with inputs from IANS