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Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
World Emoji Day: Emojis are a cute way to communicate, says Aishwarya Lekshmi
On World Emoji Day, we catch up with Aishwarya Lekshmi for an emoji-filled chat filled with faces, feels, and her favourite emojis — from what they mean to her to how they sum up her vibe... On World Emoji Day, we catch up with Aishwarya Lekshmi for an emoji-filled chat filled with faces, feels, and her favourite emojis — from what they mean to her to how they sum up her vibe... Are you aware that there's a World Emoji Day? Honestly, no! What's the emoji that sums up your journey in cinema and where you're headed next? It has been magical. What are the emojis that you use the most while texting? I use them all. is my most favourite emoji. I'm a very expressive person in real life. I'm not at all subtle, unlike how I act in my films. What's the emoji you would use to describe your life right now? Have you ever wrongly used an emoji, thinking it had a different meaning? Even if I did, how would I know? You are making me worried. Do you think people use emojis less these days? Emojis are a cute way to communicate. I like using them, and I think people like sending them. But honestly, never have I thought of emojis so much like I'm doing today! Let me think… Aishwarya's emoji version of her onscreen roles: Poonguzhali from Ponniyin Selvan is . Her love is as deep as the ocean. Keerthi from Gatta Kusthi is . She represents raw power. Rekha from Maaman is . She is all heart and all love, and unconditionally so. An emoji tour of Aishwarya's personality: I learnt somewhere that we are the designers of our own life, and we are responsible for our emotions. So, I make it a point to choose my happiness in everything I do every day. I'm a silly person. I don't take myself seriously unless I'm working or taking responsibility of some kind. Then, it's pro max seriousness. People acting without thinking about others, in any given scenario, make me annoyed. I'm a very emotional person, and I send kissy smileys all the time to my friends and family whenever I feel so. Sometimes, I send extra kissy faces when I'm overwhelmed with love. As far as my career is concerned, my brain is always sure where I should go and what I should and shouldn't do. But when it comes to personal life, it's still buffering.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Stunt artists mourn death of SM Raju during ‘Vettuvam' shoot
Stunt artists, including veterans Sham Kaushal, Ram Shetty, and Aejaz Gulab, on Monday mourned the death of popular stuntman S. M. Raju during the shooting of an action scene for director Pa Ranjith's film Vettuvam. The 52-year-old stuntman, whose real name was Mohan Raj, was driving an SUV in an action sequence for the film in Nagapattinam on July 13 when he suddenly collapsed. His colleagues pulled him out of the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. A video of the incident, now viral on social media, shows crew members frantically rushing to help him as he is extracted from the car. According to stunt directors and artists, car stunts in films are inherently more dangerous and unpredictable than most other action sequences, despite the precautions usually taken. Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran offered his condolences, taking to Instagram to express his sorrow. 'Rest in peace Raju! So many moments of magic that would have been impossible to film without your skill and guts. You will be missed forever.' Veteran stunt director Sham Kaushal — known for his work on Dunki, Gadar 2, Ponniyin Selvan, Laxmii, Sanju, Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Krrish 3, and Gangs of Wasseypur — called Raju's death 'unfortunate.' 'I read about it and I'm saddened to hear about his unfortunate demise. I haven't worked with him, but stunt people are like a close-knit fraternity,' Kaushal told PTI. 'When you do a stunt with a car, it's a combination of a human and a machine. In that case, if there's a misjudgment, then it can be dangerous. The nature of stunts is that they're risky.' Aejaz Gulab, general secretary of the Movie Stunt Artists Association, also expressed grief after seeing the video online. 'A car or motorcycle-related stunt is often risky... SM Raju was known for performing such stunts. Unfortunately, this incident has happened,' said Gulab, who has worked in films such as Baazi, Josh, Khiladi 420, and upcoming titles Dhurdandar and Battle of Galwan. The stunt artists' association, formed in 1959, currently has around 600 members. Silva, a stuntman and actor, also paid tribute via social media. 'One of our great car-jumping stunt artists, S. M. Raju, died while doing car stunts. RIP. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,' he wrote. Stuntman Shankar, who sustained serious injuries during a stunt in Chennai Express, said he was saddened by the news. 'I know that Raju performed car stunts like me. We worked together on two South Indian movies about 20 years ago. He is like my brother, and I feel very sad,' he said. Shankar continues to perform stunts today, despite suffering severe burn injuries when a car caught fire on set. 'It's been 13 years since I suffered injuries. Car stunts are the most dangerous. You need daring and physical fitness,' he said. 'After Chennai Express, I continued with car stunts in Total Dhamaal and for a Himesh Reshammiya music video.' Veteran stunt director Ram Shetty — who has worked on Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Dharmatma, Vaastav, Sadak, Tezaab, and Laadla — said his heart goes out to Raju's family. 'Such incidents are unfortunate. I've never worked with him, but many take up this job due to financial necessity. Some specialise in car and motorcycle stunts — they are very risky to perform.' Stunt artist Parvez Shaikh said Raju had performed some of the biggest stunts in his career. 'The accident occurred while he was performing a car stunt... I pray for his family. Stunts are risky, and every stuntman's family knows there's a chance of injury on the job. Everyone tries to ensure safety, but accidents do happen.' Arvind Gupta, who has performed stunts in Maalik and Adipurush, echoed similar sentiments. 'Performing a car stunt is risky. It's heartbreaking to know about him. I didn't know him personally, but many of us are here for financial reasons,' he said. Ranjith's Vettuvam stars Arya in the lead. According to reports, the film also features Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashok Selvan and Dinesh among others. Earlier, Ranjith told PTI that his film revolves around a notorious gangster, Cholan, a modern-day Robin Hood, who establishes his control over the Ponni region of Tamil Nadu. As he fights to protect his people, he makes many enemies but also legions of supporters who swear by him. When his rivals realise that Cholan is too powerful for them, they harness the power of the state in an attempt to bring him down.
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set
Mumbai/Chennai, Stunt artists including veterans Sham Kaushal, Ram Shetty and Aejaz Gulab and others on Monday mourned the death of popular stuntman S M Raju during the shooting of an action scene for director Pa Ranjith's film "Vettuvam".0 Stunt community mourns S M Raju's tragic death on Tamil movie set The 52-year-old stuntman, whose real name was Mohan Raj, was driving an SUV in a high-octane stunt scene for the film in Nagapattinam on July 13 when he suddenly collapsed. His colleagues pulled him out of the vehicle and rushed him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows those on the sets frantically running to his rescue. He is seen being extracted from the car. According to stunt directors and artists, car stunts in movies are inherently more dangerous and unpredictable than any other action sequence though security precautions are taken before shooting such sequences. Veteran stunt director Sham Kaushal, who has worked on 'Dunki', 'Gadar 2', 'Ponniyin Selvan', 'Laxmii', 'Sanju', 'Padmaavat', 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Krrish 3', 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and others, said Raju's death is unfortunate. "I read about it and I'm saddened to hear about his unfortunate demise. I haven't worked with him, but stunt people are like a close-knit fraternity," he told PTI "When you do a stunt with a car, it's a combination of a human and a machine. In that case, if there's a misjudgment, then it can be dangerous. The nature of stunts is that they're risky," he added. Gulab, who is the general secretary of Movie Stunt Artists Association, said he saw the video on the internet and it is unfortunate that Raj lost his life. "A car or motorcycle-related stunt is often risky. Whenever a stuntman performs, the action director ensures that an experienced stuntman performs such risky scenes. SM Raju was known for performing such stunts. Unfortunately, this incident has happened," Gulab, who has worked in movies such as "Baazi", "Josh", "Khiladi 420" and upcoming films "Dhurdandar" and "Battle of Galwan", said. The stunt artists association has about 600 members and was formed in 1959. Silva, a stuntman and actor, also mourned Raju's death in a post on social media platform X. "One of our great car jumping stunt artists, S M Raju, died while doing car stunts. RIP. Our stunt union and Indian film industry will be missing him,' he said. Stuntman Shankar, who sustained severe injuries while performing a car stunt on 'Chennai Express', said he is saddened by Raju's death. "I know that Raju performed car stunts like me. We worked together on two South Indian movies about 20 years ago. I saw the video, and he is like my brother, and I feel very sad that this incident happened," Shankar told PTI. The stuntman, who continues to perform stunts even today, received severe burn injuries when the car he was sitting in caught fire during a stunt shoot. "It's been 13 years since I suffered injuries. The inspection is conducted on the car, about its speed and its working condition. The car stunts are the most dangerous. You need daring to do car stunts, and you need to be fit physically. "After the 'Chennai Express' incident, I continue doing car stunts like I did in 'Total Dhamaal' and for a music video of Himesh Reshammiya," he said. Ram Shetty, a former stuntman and stunt director, who has worked in the industry for over 50 years and on movies including 'Yaadon Ki Baarat', 'Dharmatma', 'Vaastav', 'Sadak', Tezaab', and 'Laadla', said his heart goes out to the stuntman's family. "It's unfortunate that such instances happen where someone loses their life. I've never worked with him . My heart goes out to his family. It's because of financial reasons that people take up this job as there's no educational qualification required. Some people are specialists in car and motorcycle stunts. They are very risky to perform," he said. Stunt artist Parvez Shaikh, said Raju had done some of the biggest stunts in his career and his death is unfortunate. "It was a very upsetting news. The accident occurred while he was performing a car stunt... I pray for his family. Stunts are risky and a stuntman's family knows that they will get hurt on the job.. "Everyone tries to ensure the best possible safety but such things happen, its not very frequent but such incidents happen." Arvind Gupta, who has performed stunts on films like "Maalik" and "Adipurush", said stuntmen join this risky job for money. "Performing a car stunt is risky. It's heartbreaking to know about him. I don't know him personally, though. I've been in the industry for around ten years, and we're here for monetary reasons," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Did You Know? Sara Arjun played Aishwarya Rai's daughter in 2015 film Jazbaa before pair-up with Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar
Sara Arjun has been the talk of the town, since her alleged on-screen romantic linkup with Ranveer Singh in the upcoming spy-thriller Dhurandhar. The first look of the film that dropped online, set tongues wagging about the 20-year age gap between the actress and her hunky co-star. Social meida was filled with posts questioning their alleged on-screen pair-up, even though the debate sprang from mere speculation of her role in the film. What made the casting choice even more interesting was that just a decade ago, Sara was cast as the daughter of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the 2015 crime thriller Jazbaa. Back in Jazbaa, directed by Sanjay Gupta , Sara played Sanaya Verma, the young daughter of Aishwarya's character, Advocate Anuradha Verma. Despite being only around ten years old at the time, Sara delivered a standout performance, which eventually led her to be cast as a younger version of Aishwarya's character Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan. Now, a decade later, Sara takes on a more mature role in Dhurandhar, opposite Ranveer. While some perceive it as a bold pairing as a ploy for a high-stakes espionage arc, others feel it's an unusual mismatch. As the clip continues to generate buzz around the unusual casting, rest assured that all eyes will be on the big screen to see how Sara sheds her girl-next-door image to take on a romantic lead as a Bollywood heroine. Releasing on 5 Dec, 2025, the film features an ensemble cast including Akshaye Khanna , Sanjay Dutt , R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal .
News18
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Ranveer Singh Steps Out In Dhurandhar Look Amid Sara Arjun Age-Gap Row
Last Updated: Ranveer Singh appears in his Dhurandhar avatar amid backlash over age gap with co-star Sara Arjun. Paps cheer, internet remains divided. Ranveer Singh made his first public appearance since the release of the much-talked-about Dhurandhar teaser, stepping out in full character at the Mumbai airport. Dressed in his onscreen avatar, the actor looked intense in a head-to-toe black outfit—leather jacket, black tee, pants, a silver chain, dark shades, and a black cap. His rugged look was completed with long hair, a full-grown beard, and a styled moustache, staying completely in sync with his feral, gritty image in the film. As soon as Ranveer walked out, paparazzi began chanting, 'Blockbuster movie!" and 'Love the look, Baba!" — clearly impressed by the transformation. Fans echoed similar excitement online, celebrating the return of the actor in a never-seen-before avatar. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Voompla (@voompla) However, it wasn't all praise. Ranveer's latest teaser has also stirred major debate, not for the action-packed visuals or the character's intensity, but for his onscreen romantic pairing with 20-year-old actress Sara Arjun. The film, reportedly shot two years ago, means Sara would've been just 18 at the time of filming, while Ranveer was 38. The Internet's reaction was swift and sharp. One user questioned, 'Can you imagine a 40-year-old man romancing an 18-year-old girl in 2024?" Another added, 'This isn't casting. It's conditioning." The outrage mirrors recent backlash seen with age-gap pairings in films like Sikandar (Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna) and Tiku Weds Sheru (Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur). Despite the criticism, Ranveer has remained silent on the matter. His latest airport appearance seems to suggest he's focused on the work and letting the performance do the talking. Sara Arjun, best known for her breakout as a child artist in Deiva Thirumagal, has had a strong acting career from a young age, recently playing young Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan. But her casting opposite Ranveer has reignited an old Bollywood debate. First Published:
