Latest news with #Aashirwad
Hans India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Smita Bansal bids farewell to ‘Bhagya Lakshmi,' calls the journey fulfilling and rewarding
Mumbai: Television actress Smita Bansal has officially wrapped up her journey on the popular show 'Bhagya Lakshmi.' Bansal, who played the role of Neelam Oberoi in the show, described her time on 'Bhagya Lakshmi' as both fulfilling and rewarding. She shared that the role gave her immense creative satisfaction and allowed her to grow further as an artist. Speaking about bidding goodbye to Bhagya Lakshmi, Smita Bansal said the experience left a lasting impact on her as an actor. She shared, 'Bhagya Lakshmi will always hold a very special place in my heart. Over these four years, I've not only had the privilege of playing a wonderfully written character but also built lifelong bonds with my cast and crew. This set became my second home, and everyone here became my extended family. The production house and the creatives of the show made my journey so comfortable.' 'Playing Neelam has been nothing short of an amazing journey; it challenged me, inspired me, helped me learn so much from the people around me, and gave me immense satisfaction as an actor. Working with Zee TV after almost 18 years was a wonderful experience.' Smita Bansal joined the cast of 'Bhagya Lakshmi' in 2021, bringing to life the character of Neelam Oberoi—a strong-willed matriarch caught between tradition, authority, and heartfelt emotions. Her impressive body of work features prominent roles in popular TV shows such as Zee TV's 'Amanat,' 'Aashirwad, Sarhadein,' and Sony SAB's 'Aladdin – Naam Toh Suna Hoga.' Additionally, she has appeared in the 2008 Bollywood film 'Karzzzz,' showcasing her versatility across both television and cinema. Smita rose to prominence with her acclaimed performance in the popular TV series 'Balika Vadhu.'
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Geeta Dutt ‘believed in ghosts', forced Guru Dutt to demolish their ‘haunted' Pali Hill bungalow because she felt it was bringing misfortune
One afternoon, Geeta Dutt was sleeping in the guest house of the Pali Hill bungalow that she shared with husband, Guru Dutt, and was awoken by loud banging noises. It was around 4 pm. She was greeted by the sight of labourers demolishing the house before her eyes. She immediately called her husband, who was at work in the studio. She told him what was happening 'Let them do it! I've asked them to raze it to the ground,' he told her. This story was recounted in Yasser Usman's biography of the Bollywood icon, who struggled with mental health issues and addiction for the majority of his celebrated career. According to the book, Guru Dutt was heartbroken about having to raze his dream house, but his wife had forced his hand, because she felt that it was haunted. His sister, Lalitha Lajmi, was quoted in the book as saying, 'She believed that the bungalow was haunted. There was a particular tree in the house and she said there's a ghost who lives in that tree, who is bringing bad omen and ruining their marriage. She also had something against a Buddha statue that was kept in their huge drawing room.' According to Lajmi, it was Geeta who suggested that they vacate the house, and it broke her husband's heart. 'I always wanted to be happy in my household. My house is the most beautiful among all the buildings in Pali Hill. Sitting in that house, it does not look like you are in Bombay. That garden, that ambience—where else can I find it? Despite this, I could not stay in that house for much longer,' the book quoted him as having said. Also read – Rajesh Khanna's 'cursed' sea-facing bungalow Aashirwad once belonged to another star; it was purchased for just Rs 3.5 lakh and sold for Rs 90 crore Geeta had started blaming the bungalow for her disintegrating relationship with her husband. Some people suggested to her that the rift only began after they moved into the Pali Hill bungalow, and she took them seriously. The bungalow of Dutt's dreams soon became a source of insomnia for him. He would retire to his studio, where his man Friday would unlock a small room for him to rest his 'sleep-deprived eyes' in. 'It was a seven feet by seven feet room with a precious small bed. This is where Guru Dutt would lie down quietly and finally find sleep,' the book mentioned. 'I remember it was his birthday. He loved that house and he was heartbroken when it was demolished,' Lajmi said, adding, 'Guru Dutt had agreed to what Geeta wanted but it broke his heart. He used to blame Geeta for the house. Geeta was suspicious and also believed in ghosts. Guru's stars were bad. He did not give a second thought to it. The beautiful bungalow was destroyed. Ever since the bungalow was pulled down, Guru Dutt's home went to pieces gradually.' The writer Bimal Mitra, who penned Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, was curious to learn what made Guru Dutt demolish the house. He was also concerned about his wellbeing. Guru Dutt offered to take him to the site. 'We had descended down the steep slope of Pali Hill. We went back towards his bungalow. Taking several turns, our car reached the bungalow,' Mitra recalled. He was stunned at what he saw. 'The majestic bungalow where he had been a guest during his multiple script writing visits to Bombay had been razed to the ground. The room where Guru used to sleep now just had rubble in its place. Broken Italian blue marble was lying in place of the exquisite bathroom. All he could see was splintered timber, chunks of plaster and shattered pieces of a dream,' the description in the book reads. They walked back to their car in silence, but Mitra still wasn't sure what had made Dutt take this step. 'But what is the real reason for demolishing the bungalow? That bungalow was…?' he began, and the legendary filmmaker replied in a whisper, 'Because of Geeta.' He added philosophically, 'Ghar na hone ki takleef se, ghar hone ki takleef aur bhayankar hoti hai.' It came as no surprise that Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam opened with a scene in which Dutt's character, an architect, has a haveli demolished. The family moved to an apartment down the road, next to Dilip Kumar's bungalow. A few months later, they realised that there was no fixing their relationship, and Dutt moved out once again, and began living alone in the Ark Royal Apartments on Peddar Road in central Bombay. Geeta and their kids moved into a house next to Mehboob Studios. Guru Dutt died of a suspected suicide at the age of 39. Geeta died eight years later. Theirs remains one of Bollywood's most tragic stories.
India.com
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actress who used to call Rajesh Khanna 'uncle', his girlfriend 'aunty', one meeting ruined everything and then…, she is...
Rajesh Khanna, who was a superstar of the Hindi film industry, used to be in the news for his personal life. Apart from marrying Dimple Kapadia, who was 15 years younger than him, he was also in the news for his love story with Anju Mahendru. They met in 1966 and their relationship created a stir. This relationship remained in the news until the actor's death in 2012. Let us know an interesting story. Let us tell you an incident related to this, which you might not know. When Anju did not invite Dimple, Rajesh got very angry at her and Dimple also taunted Anju! Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendru's relationship started with a theatre play. Rajesh had won a talent hunt and Anju was already an emerging model. As Rajesh became famous, Anju's career did not take off. Rajesh bought a house named Aashirwad. Anju used to take care of everything from the programs to the parties held there. Some people also said that Rajesh had gifted this house to Anju. Well. While Rajesh's career was on the rise, he had reportedly started interfering in Anju's acting projects. It is said that he had become possessive in their relationship. He would create such a situation that Anju had to leave the project even after working on it for several weeks. It is said that in 1971, Rajesh proposed to Anju, but Anju turned him down to focus on her career. This soured their relationship. Around the same time, Anju's name was also linked to West Indies cricketer Gary Sobers, whom she met at a friend's house. Gary proposed and Anju accepted his proposal. In an interview with Stardust, Anju recalled the first time she met Dimple Kapadia. Dimple used to call her 'Uncle' and 'Aunty', but later her attitude changed. Anju said, 'When Rajesh and I met her for the first time, Dimple called us uncle and aunty and then I suddenly saw a change in her attitude. She pretended to be innocent, but she used to taunt me behind my back.' There was talk of Rajesh Khanna's affair with Dimple Kapadia. Meanwhile, Rajesh organized a big party and asked Anju to invite guests. Anju invited everyone except Dimple. This made Rajesh very angry and he called her to the party to apologize. This created tension between Dimple and Anju. Dimple taunted Anju and asked her if she could come inside. Anju said, 'I also lost my temper and told her 'If you are invited then definitely, if not then please go back.' Then Rajesh proposed to Dimple and they got married in 1973. At that time Dimple was only 15 years old. Half the age of Rajesh. They have two daughters- Twinkle and Rinke Khanna.
