Have you heard? Catherine’s son loves Om Shanti Om

Shah Rukh Khan

Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was in Goa with her actor-husband Michael Douglas, revealed that her son loves the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Om Shanti Om. The duo attended the ongoing International Film Festival of India, where Douglas will be conferred with the Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award. Talking to the media, Jones said, "When my son, Dylan was really young, we showed him Om Shanti Om. And when his friends came over, he used to tell them, ‘Do you wanna see a movie from India?'." She then asked Dylan, who was sitting in the audience, "How many times have we seen that film?" He said, "I've seen that over 50 times, it's one long movie." She then spoke about her favourite Indian movie - the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan-starrer The Lunchbox. "I really love that film. I watched it by chance on a long international flight and fell in love with it. I watched it twice, back-to-back. That movie touched me in the sense of being an Indian movie. I also got to meet Ritesh Batra in London. I'm waiting for him to write The Lunchbox 2 for me so that I can work with him."

Music and memories

Lyricist Javed Akhtar will host a session titled Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon, which will see him share trivia about his collaborations with composers, musicians, singers, directors, and actors. "With the passage of time, memories gain a certain compelling power, and ever so often, I find myself reliving musical sittings, conversations, and moments of serendipity that led to the songs that are now considered iconic. Usually, songs are part of a film's story, but many a time, they too have a story of their own, and it will be a joy to share some of them with the audience. This will be a lively, free-flowing conversation that will celebrate stalwart composers, singers, producers, and actors that I have had the pleasure to closely collaborate with," he said of the event that will take place in Mumbai on November 29.

Onto new ventures

Bridgerton star Charithra Chandran will headline the cast of Arzu, a drama series based on the novel of the same name by Mumbai-based Riva Razdan. Geetika Lizardi, whose writing credits include Bridgerton, Mira, Royal Detective, and Outsourced, will write the series and also serve as show-runner. Canadian YouTuber Lilly Singh is also associated with the project. Arzu follows a brilliant, young heiress who escapes scandal in Mumbai and lands in New York City. But while training to enter the glamorous Manhattan high society, Arzu risks throwing it all away for the adventure of living life on her own terms. "I am delighted to be part of a show that fearlessly touches on societal issues," Chandran said.

A league of its own

Sharad Kelkar, who plays the role of coach Rane in Slum Golf, shared that Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De India is his favourite sports film. "While Hollywood has produced a handful of sports dramas, I believe Chak De India and Lagaan, have their own fan base in India," he shared. Slum Golf is a story of a young boy, Pawan, who leaves no stone unturned to fulfil his dream of playing golf. It is based on true stories of caddies who turned golfers.

Keep running

Nikita Dutta is gearing up to participate in the marathon in January. The actor, an ardent fitness enthusiast, says, "My routine is an amalgamation of dedication and discipline. Fuelling myself with nutritious meals and getting ample rest are non- negotiables. It's not just about the physical fitness; it's about cultivating mental resilience too." Dutta has participated in several marathons in the past.

Kangy meets Indira Gandhi

Kangana Ranaut, who will be seen portraying former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the biographical historical film Emergency, visited the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, and shared a glimpse of herself with the AI-created version of Gandhi. She subsequently shared the pictures on social media and wrote: "It was lovely chatting with IG. Since I made a film on Mrs Gandhi, IG was our crew code name for her." The string of photos also shows Ranaut posing with an AI-created image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "What an incredible step in the revival of our great history and Shakti spirit. Also, many chapters of history unfolded before my eyes through various narratives, some through age-old methods and some through futuristic techniques," she wrote of the space.

Indian cinema unparalleled

Shekhar Kapur said that India's unparalleled content and technological prowess enrich global cinema. "India has the world's largest base of content and technology, and [film] festivals help the rest of the world understand the culture of India," he said. Speaking about the growing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking in India, he said, "There is no final authority in a creative work."