Latest news with #MansoorKhan
Hans India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Ek Din: Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi Starrer to Release on November 7, 2025
Aamir Khan Productions' upcoming film Ek Din is all set to release on November 7, 2025. While the announcement isn't official yet, reliable sources confirm the date. The film stars Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi, and is directed by Sunil Pandey. This marks Junaid's major debut, while Sai Pallavi steps into Hindi cinema with high expectations. The film is co-produced by Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan, reuniting after 17 years since Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Mansoor, known for classics like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, brings strong nostalgic value to the project. The story is described as an emotional drama with meaningful roles for both leads. Though not released during a festival, the makers are confident. They believe strong storytelling and word-of-mouth will drive success. With a fresh lead pair, a powerful narrative, and the return of Mansoor Khan to production, Ek Din is already seen as one of the most anticipated films of 2025. An official announcement is expected soon.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Aamir Khan hated Josh': Mansoor Khan reflects on 25 years of Shah Rukh Khan-Aishwarya Rai-starrer, says film left him ‘disillusioned'
Steven Spielberg's recent rendition of the timeless West Side Story invited comparisons that inevitably fall short when held against Mansoor Khan's Josh, a film that transcends its musical roots to deliver a far more exciting exploration of gang rivalries and the torments of forbidden love. Josh recently completed 25 years, and after much pursuit and patient waiting, I finally had the chance to speak with Mansoor Khan about the Shah Rukh Khan-Aishwarya Rai-starrer. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, he reflected not only on the creative journey behind Josh, but also on his seminal coming-of-age classic Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, his evolving relationship with his cousin Aamir Khan, insights into Junaid Khan's craft, and the possibility of a long-anticipated return to filmmaking. What I find fascinating about Josh is that, unlike its source material, it's not a romantic tragedy. It has this almost rebellious energy and a very positive outlook on love and life. Was that a conscious choice, especially considering you had already explored a tragic love story with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak? So basically, see, I've always wanted to make a spirited musical with Josh. Every now and then, I think, 'Okay, this one is going to be a musical.' By musical, I don't mean in the literal sense of just having songs in the film. I mean a true musical, like Fiddler on the Roof, where the scenes themselves become musical, you know? Take me back to the beginning, when did the idea of adapting West Side Story strike you? Was it the popularity of the original that drew you in, or was it more about giving your own spin to a timeless classic and making it resonate with Indian audiences? I really liked the premise of West Side Story. It is basically Romeo and Juliet in a different form. Instead of parents and families, it's two brothers. So at its core, that's the premise. But when I saw the film, I was very disappointed. I thought the first half was okay, very stylish and all. It had that stage musical feel. But I lost interest in the film after the brother dies, which happens midway through. I honestly don't even remember the rest of it. Still, that premise stuck with me, brothers opposing the love of their siblings. I wanted to take that idea somewhere else, though. The Indian audience needs a little more than just that. And I didn't want to focus only on resolving the love angle, you know? And I've always been fascinated by Goa and its history, especially Portuguese history, which a lot of people don't know about. My wife is Goan, and I found that part of the history really intriguing. You co-wrote some truly iconic dialogues for Josh with the late Neeraj Vora. What was that process like? Neeraj was a storehouse of talent, and he was a very, very amusing and funny guy. He could be quite distracting, actually, because every time we sat down, and we had dozens of sittings, he'd come up with a new idea. Especially for the introduction, for a few weeks, he kept throwing in fresh thoughts that would totally throw us off. We'd be like, 'Wow, that's a great idea. Come on, we've written it now, we're going with this.' And then the next day, Neeraj would come in and say, 'You know, actually, I was thinking… if we do it like this, that could work too.' And we'd be like, 'Yeah, let's do it that way.' But, you know, I don't get distracted easily. So sometimes I did have to put a stop to it. But he had such a fertile mind, it was great fun to work with him. He didn't take things too seriously, and his sense of humour was wicked. You can see that, especially in Josh, but also in the kind of comedy he brought in. All those funny lines, even that bit about the bakery turning into a rat house, that's all him. There are so many wild casting stories around Josh! Is it true that you originally wanted Aamir and Shah Rukh together in the film? So after Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, I was looking for a script. And it was then I wrote a lot of Josh, and I had both Aamir and Shah Rukh in mind, Aamir for the romantic part, opposite whoever the actress would be, and Shah Rukh as Max. But when I narrated it to Aamir, I didn't tell him who was supposed to play which role. So he started imagining that he'd be playing Max. I thought, 'Oh no, now what do I do?' In my head, I was like, okay, don't jump the gun. Let me go see what Shah Rukh says first. Not that I ever intended to give Max's role to Aamir, honestly, I just wanted to see how the cards would fall. So I went to meet Shah Rukh and narrated the script to him. He really liked it. And by the end of the narration, he'd already started talking about the scenes, because his mind is very active. He was like, 'Yeah, in that scene, Max can do this, and in that one, Max can do that.' And I thought, 'Oh God, this guy also wants the same role' But anyway, I did want him for Max. So I asked, 'Shah Rukh, are you doing the film?' And he said, 'No, because I know Aamir will get Max's role.' At that point, I didn't really know how to respond. So I just left it there. I didn't say anything. But later on, Aamir himself said, 'No, no, I don't want to play this role.' He'd already done a lot of soft-boy, lover-boy parts. And he'd also done that tapori role in Rangeela, so he wanted to change his image. So he said no on his own. Anyway, in my mind, even to this day, there's only one Max, and that's Shah Rukh. He's got that panache, the humour, and that underlying threat needed for the role. He is a charismatic guy. Did Aamir ever see Josh? What was his reaction to it? He saw it at that time and said he hated it. So I said, okay, fine. I was pretty disillusioned after that too. I didn't watch it again for 15, maybe 17 years. I finally saw it about eight years ago, and honestly, I feel it's not a bad film. I told Aamir, 'You should see it now.' I said, 'See, back then, the wounds were still fresh.' Also Read | When Mansoor Khan asked Priya Gill to hit Shah Rukh Khan 'with force': 'It was most embarrassing part of my career, entire set was silent' How was it working with Anu Malik on the music of Josh? So my first choice was actually AR Rahman. I went and met him, but I suddenly realised, Rahman is excellent, no doubt, but his work style is very different, and he's quite elusive. I'm used to sitting with music directors and really being involved, because I play music myself. I record, I compose my own songs. In fact, that's a big part of my life now, which I had ignored for a long time. The thing is, I like to interact closely, right from selecting the tune, obviously, but even down to the instrumentation and arrangement. I want a certain sound. I want a specific drum sound, a certain electric guitar tone. I don't want screeching violins. They can definitely be used, but in the right way, not the overused, clichéd way they often are. And I knew that kind of hands-on process wouldn't happen with Rahman. So when I came back from Chennai, I called him and said, 'I'm sorry, Rahman, this is not working out.' He was very gracious and understanding. Now, Anu, since I had worked with him on Akele Hum Akele Tum, he was already pitching for this film. He knew I was about to start something new, and he was hoping I'd take him again. I had actually told him, 'No, Anu, this time I'm going to work with Rahman.' But when that didn't work out, I came back and called him, and he was thrilled. And honestly, Anu is really one of a kind. He's full of tunes, he's a melody guy. Whose idea was it to have Shah Rukh sing 'Apun Bola'? I'm so glad you brought this up. So, I had actually heard 'Aati Kya Khandala' way before anyone else had—way before any of the guys had heard it. But it just didn't fit into my film. I realised that Aati Kya Khandala, from a musical standpoint too, and also in terms of tone, just didn't belong. I really liked the song, it was exciting, but I don't like forcing things into a film when they don't naturally fit where I want them to go. Actually, maybe it's a good thing they took it, because they kept the original lyrics, which were perfect for what it was. If I had taken the tune, I might have taken the lyrics somewhere else, and maybe it would have worked, maybe not. So, coming to your question, I think, yeah, maybe I did get inspired because Aamir had sung Khandala. That's when I thought, 'Hey, let Shah Rukh sing, it should feel more like him.' Because that's really his only song in the film. I mean, not the only song, but the one that really needs to reflect his character. Like 'Sailaru Sailare', that one, honestly, anyone else could've sung it too. In fact, someone else might've done it even better. Were you disappointed with the way the film performed at the box office? The first thing is, reception never really affects me. When I finish a film, for me, it's all about whether I feel I've done a good job. Whether I've stayed true to the premise and rendered it the way I visualised it. And if I've done that, then I feel it's not bad. Of course, what's considered good or bad also depends on audience taste. But I go by my own judgment. So I never felt like, even when Aamir told me he didn't like Josh, that didn't affect me. Because, I don't know, I just felt that there's something about Akele Hum Akele Tum, Josh, and even Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, my films tend to take time for the audience to really get into them. Like, if you go on YouTube, I used to read comments there, when Akele Hum had just released, the internet was just starting to become a thing. And maybe 10 years after its release, I'd start seeing reviews that were like, 'Oh okay, decent film, nice story, this and that…' But if you read the comments now, of all my films, Akele Hum actually has the most engagement. On one particular channel alone, it's got nearly 70 million views. And it's not just about the number of views, people might watch and move on. But the comments, they're like, 'Oh my God, I cried my heart out,' 'What a film,' you know? Times have changed. So the taste and preferences also evolve. Finally, we've heard whispers that you may be returning to filmmaking after all these years. Is that true? Can you tell us anything about what you're working on? See, let me tell you that I have written two books. The first one is non-fiction, called, The Third Curve, and it's about the concept of perpetual economic growth. It questions whether such growth is truly possible or sustainable, and explores how we've built an entire global belief system around the idea of endless growth, treating it almost like a religion. It critically examines how symbolic financial instruments like hedge funds and stock markets contribute to an illusion of growth, disconnected from real productivity. The second book is fiction, titled, One: The Story of the Ultimate Myth. It deals with deep ecological and cultural themes. It argues that it's not all of humanity, but specifically the culture of civilization that is responsible for the destruction of the planet, through its values of expansion, dominance, and consumption. The book explores how civilisation behaves like a virus, converting or wiping out other cultures, and how our understanding of 'progress' and 'advanced' cultures is flawed. And I'm in the process of adapting this book for the screen and hoping to collaborate with Aamir on it.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Time of India
Body of youth found in bushes in Aurangabad
Aurangabad: The body of a 25-year-old man was discovered near a field at Chandi village under Haspura police station area in Aurangabad district on early Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Mansoor Khan alias Pappu, son of Hayat Khan, a resident of Haspura Deeh village. According to police sources, the body was found dumped in the bushes near the field. While no visible injury marks were found on the body, preliminary investigations suggest that the victim may have been strangled before being abandoned at the spot. The victim's family has filed a complaint with the local police, naming a youth from Chandi village, Pushkar Raj, as the prime suspect in the alleged murder. Based on the complaint, police have initiated an inquiry. Haspura SHO Dinesh Kumar said that the body has been sent for postmortem. "Further action will be taken based on the autopsy report," he added. Following the incident, local residents staged a protest and blocked the Patel Chowk in Haspura, demanding swift justice and immediate arrest of the accused. Investigation into the matter is underway. Police have not made any arrests till the time of reporting. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Khaleej Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'No one wants war': Indian, Pakistani expats in UAE stay up all night as tensions escalate
Mansoor Khan, a Pakistani expat from Mirpur in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, spent the night on his phone, his eyes glued to the news and his ears listening for calls from relatives in his hometown and other places. 'I couldn't sleep. I was looking through news websites and videos every few minutes just to see if my family was okay. We live in a peaceful area, but when missiles are flying, nothing feels safe,' he said. Mansoor works in a car rental company in Dubai and has lived in the UAE for eight years — but his heart is back home. As soon as he heard that India had fired missiles and Pakistan had responded with airstrikes, he went into panic mode. 'I am not interested in politics or who is right or wrong. I just want everyone to be safe. I want my Indian friends to be safe too. War benefits no one.' India attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday, targeting 'terrorist infrastructure'. At time of publishing, eight civilians — including at least one child — were killed in the strikes, while 35 were reported injured. Pakistan has called the attack an 'act of war' and promised it won't 'take long to settle the score'. The strikes come as India blamed its neighbour for the violence in Pahalgam last month in which 26 tourists were killed. Pakistan has denied responsibility. News of military strikes between India and Pakistan started circulating early on Wednesday morning. By 1am, social media was flooded with photos, updates, and messages of concern. Many expats from both sides of the border stayed up all night, texting family and friends or just scrolling. Several flights from Pakistan to Dubai were either cancelled or delayed for hours on Tuesday, increasing the sense of anxiety that expat communities in the UAE were feeling. Rameela Ahmed, a Pakistani mother of two who lives in Sharjah, said she was crying herself to sleep. 'We had our dinner and family time and slept around 10.30pm. When my husband got up to drink water, he saw a notification on a news app of a military strike between the two countries. I just kept checking on my parents in Lahore. We have seen this kind of thing before, but now I have kids, and the fear hits differently,' she said. 'Even my Indian neighbour came over to check in on us. We were both shaken,' she added. Fears of war The fear of an all-out war is what's making many people from both sides of the border nervous. Amardeep Singh, a finance professional from Amritsar, said he stayed up till dawn. 'I was supposed to sleep early because I have a meeting today, but how can I? We don't know what's going to happen next,' he said. The Indian expat has been working in Dubai for over 12 years. He believes that dialogue is the only way forward. 'We may have different governments, different histories, but people on both sides are the same. No one wants war. Everyone just wants peace, safety, and a normal life. I have many good Pakistani friends here and we all are praying that this stops soon.' Of all the expats Khaleej Times spoke to, the overwhelming sentiment was clear: neither side wanted conflict. 'We have lived as neighbours here in the UAE for decades,' said Singh. 'We celebrate Eid together, work in the same companies, and our kids go to school together. No one here wants war.'
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Persivia Powers the Next Era of Digital Health with Strategic $107 Million Investment and AI Innovation Patent
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Persivia, the company behind one of the healthcare industry's most advanced digital health platforms, today announced two major developments—a $107M investment from Aldrich Capital Partners and the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,254,975 B2 for its Health Data Processing System. This dual milestone signals a new era for healthcare, as Persivia prepares to scale its proven AI-first platform and transform how care is delivered, measured, and managed across the continuum. The newly granted patent protects the core AI capabilities behind CareSpace®, Persivia's modular digital health platform. Unlike typical platforms that merely surface data, CareSpace® uses Soliton®, a now-patented AI engine to ingest, analyze, prioritize, and deliver actionable insights in real time. This allows care teams to respond to the most urgent needs, manage complex patient populations, and streamline workflows—all from a unified interface. Aldrich's investment—completed at the end of February—provides the financial firepower to expand quickly and invest deeply in platform innovation, client success, and go-to-market execution. It also puts Persivia in a position few companies can claim: deeply funded, clinically validated, and now legally protected as the innovator of a patented AI-driven platform. 'This isn't just a win for Persivia, it is a great day for US healthcare as a whole,' said Dr. Mansoor Khan, CEO of Persivia. 'With the industry-leading platform, new capital and a newly issued patent, we're ready to deliver on a vision that's been 20 years in the making—solving healthcare's toughest challenges with an AI core that is now patented, proven, and deployed at scale.' At the heart of this transformation is CareSpace®, a digital health platform designed to help organizations thrive while transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care. It supports a wide range of use cases – from data, care, quality and population health management to analytics, virtual care, risk adjustment and many more. Built on a modular architecture with the Soliton® AI engine at its core, CareSpace® gives healthcare organizations the flexibility to deploy exactly what they need, when they need it—without the overhead of point solution sprawl. 'Most healthcare AI solutions today are point solutions that bolt on to existing platforms,' said Dr. Fauzia Khan, CMO of Persivia. 'The CareSpace® platform is built around the Soliton® AI engine which resides at the heart of the system. This vision of AI at the heart of all data flows, analytics and workflows forms the basis for our patent, which was applied for in early 2020, long before AI was the buzzword it is now.' As the healthcare industry faces mounting pressure to do more with less, Persivia is delivering a platform that combines speed, intelligence, and interoperability—driving better outcomes, lowering costs, and reducing burnout. With the issuance of this patent, the company is sending a clear message: the era of intelligent, AI-driven care has arrived, and Persivia is leading it. To learn more about Persivia and the patented AI system powering CareSpace®, visit About Persivia Persivia delivers an AI-powered platform that helps healthcare organizations work smarter. By unifying clinical, claims, social, and operational data into one intelligent system, Persivia turns complex data into real-time insights that drive decisions, streamline workflows, and improve performance across the board. Whether it's powering value-based care, optimizing risk, improving quality, or managing cost and utilization. Learn more at . The platform gives payers and providers the tools to move faster, act earlier, and operate more efficiently. Headquartered in Marlborough, MA, Persivia supports 200+ hospitals and 12,000+ clinicians nationwide. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Persivia Inc.
