Latest news with #Suniel
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
When Vijay Mallya produced a Bollywood film that lost Rs 4 crore with Suniel Shetty, Bispasha Basu; exited movie business swiftly afterwards
Way before Vijay Mallya was a fugitive and living in the UK, trying to not get extradited, there was a time when he was enjoying the high life. In the early 2000s, Vijay was seen throwing the most lavish parties that often ended up in the tabloids and the industrialist was known to be rubbing shoulders with the most popular actors of the time. He was the chairman of the alcohol beverage company United Spirits, and as a part of their surrogate advertising, they launched an annual fashion calendar and to promote that, Vijay often threw the most luxurious parties. During this time, Vijay also wanted to get involved in the movie making business. In 2004, Vijay decided to produce a film, along with Suniel Shetty, and they decided to get a huge ensemble cast on board. Suniel was also starring in the film along with Bipasha Basu, Sanjay Dutt, Dino Morea, Amrita Arora, Neha Dhupia. Titled Rakht, the film had Bipasha Basu playing a fortune teller, who is also a psychic, and was directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. This was one of the early 2000s films where men were acting violent for no reason, women demanded saving from their abusive husbands and plots came to an abrupt halt because the film's runtime was over. At the time, Suniel described his character to The Telegraph as a 'mentally deranged mechanic'. The film's budget was around Rs 12 crore, as per Box Office India, and it only managed to recover Rs 8 crore. For Vijay Mallya, this was his only time producing a film. At the time, he announced this as his new big venture but soon, his plans changed. He told Economic Times, 'We are going into movie making in a big way.' Around the same time, the Tatas were also investing in the movies as Ratan Tata's company produced Bipasha, Amitabh Bachchan and John Abraham-starrer Aetbaar. As per Rediff, the Tata group lost Rs 3.5 crore in the movie and decided to pull out of Bollywood. Raymond group's Vijaypat Singhania was also trying to get his company's movie arm off the ground around the same time. They made a film called Woh Tera Naam Tha in 2004, which was directed by Kuku Kohli and starred Arjan Bajwa. Arjan recently recalled his meeting with Vijaypat Singhania before he was signed on for the film. Eventually, all he business conglomerates left the movie business. ALSO READ | Sikandar: Anurag Kashyap's right; Bollywood is doomed if stars like Salman Khan enable the Snapchat-ification of cinema For Bipasha, this was the time when he career revolved around films that were somehow connected to the supernatural genre. She appeared in Aetbaar, Rudraksh and Madhoshi in the same year. Suniel Shetty had recently turned producer with his company Popcorn Motion Pictures Private Limited and had already had a flop with Khel, which starred him, Sunny Deol, Ajay Jadeja and Celina Jaitly. This was another flop film for his production house. After this, he produced films like Mission Istanbul and EMI, but none of them made an impact on the box office. Suniel was last seen in Kesari Veer.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Suniel Shetty admits receiving underworld threat to shoot his father: 'Maine bataya usko ki uski behnein kahaan rehti hain'
Bollywood stars used to receive frequent calls from individuals claiming underworld connections, who would threaten the actors for money and more. Actor Suniel Shetty also dealt with these threats in a way that even left the police astonished. Suniel has now opened up about how he handled them. Suniel about getting threatening calls 03:01 Suniel Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi Promote Film In a conversation with Lallantop, Suniel recounted how he faced calls from gangsters during the height of the underworld's influence over Mumbai's film industry. He said that during the 90s, the Shettys were known to be aggressive and united, as they had faced a lot of pressure in Mumbai. They even had their own gang that stood up against the underworld. Since he shared the same surname, gangsters tried to intimidate him to scare others into paying extortion money. Suniel described how the threats would come to various locations — his home, office, and even his manager's residence. 'Maybe they thought that if they scare him, then other Shettys will also start paying hafta out of fear. Toh ek din Hemant Pujari ne mujhe phone karke bola ki tere pitaji jab subah 5-5.30 baje walk ke liye jaate hain, tab main unhe goli maar doonga. Toh mujhse raha nahi gaya. Maine bhi usse gaali de di. Use bolne hi nahi diya maine. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Conheça o óculos militar que os homens 40+ querem Óculos Max Saiba Mais Undo ' (So one day Hemant Pujari called me and said that when your father goes for a walk at 5–5:30 in the morning, I will shoot him. I couldn't hold myself back. I also abused him. I didn't even let him speak.) he added. Suniel's brave reply to the mystery man Suniel did not lose his calm demeanour but made sure to give the person a strong reply. He told the caller that he knew more about him than the caller knew about Suniel. 'Maine bataya usko ki uski behnein kahaan rehti hain, uske chaar bhai kahaan hain, uska saala kahaan hai. Maine bola mere paas tujhse zyada paise bhi hain aur connections bhi. Aur ek 70–80 saal ke aadmi ko goli maar ke kya kar loge? Yeh karke kehna kya chahte ho? Aur maine gaaliyan de di. Yeh call record ho gaya tha. Mere paas security thi.' The 'Hera Pheri' actor presented the recordings to the Mumbai Police. Suniel recalled that the police warned him not to provoke the gangsters, as they acted without thinking and could cause real harm. Though he remained calm for over a year, he explained that small-time members of Hemant Pujari's gang were trying to rise by threatening him — all for money, which was common in Mumbai at the time. Work Front On the work front, Suniel was last seen in Kesari Veer, which hit theatres on May 23. The film also features Vivek Oberoi and Sooraj Pancholi in key roles. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Suniel Shetty says he's obsessed with granddaughter Evaarah, reveals changing his fitness routine to keep up with her
Actor Suniel Shetty recently opened up about embracing grandfatherhood after his daughter Athiya Shetty and cricketer KL Rahul welcomed their baby girl, Evaarah. In a candid interview with Lallantop, Suniel revealed how he now rushes home to spend time with his granddaughter and has even altered his fitness routine so he can lift and play with her for as long as he's alive. (Also Read: Suniel Shetty admits to manifesting KL Rahul as his son-in-law, reveals why he didn't cry at Athiya Shetty's bidaai) When asked about his bond with Evaarah, Suniel shared, 'I'm obsessed with the baby. I keep checking my phone or running home every day. The most exciting part is that she's going to move into the same building soon. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. I'm even changing my workout schedule — I now finish everything by 6:30 am so that my duties as a grandfather can begin, while the others in the house are still resting.' He further added, 'I've changed my training, too. I'm now focusing more on bending, lifting — all the things that'll help keep my back strong. Because with babies, you have to pick them up again and again. People think I'm joking, but my training has actually changed because of this. As you age, the body tends to bend more, lower back issues crop up, legs get weaker. So my training is all about making sure I can walk straight, bend comfortably, and play with the kids — for as long as I'm around.' Athiya and Rahul welcomed their daughter on March 24 this year. The couple later shared a photo showing Athiya adoring her daughter while the baby rested in her father's arms. Alongside the image, they revealed her name and wrote on Instagram, 'Our baby girl, our everything. Evaarah/इवारा ~ Gift of God.' Suniel was last seen in Kesari Veer, directed by Prince Dhiman, which received criticism for its storyline and visual effects. The film also starred Sooraj Pancholi, Vivek Oberoi, and Akanksha Sharma in lead roles and opened to mixed-to-negative reviews. He will next appear in Welcome to the Jungle, alongside an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt, Disha Patani, Raveena Tandon, and Lara Dutta. The film is expected to release in December this year.
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Critics called Suniel Shetty a ‘doorknob' after his debut film; was told to ‘sell idlis and vadas' at his family restaurant: ‘That business ran my house'
Despite having no prior connection to Bollywood, Suniel Shetty found his way into show business and eventually became a big star. Since his debut in director Deepak Anand's Balwaan (1992), where he starred alongside Divya Bharti, Suniel's career has seen both soaring highs and steep lows. Yet, even after three decades, he remains active in Bollywood and played notable roles in two films — Nadaaniyan and Kesari Veer — in 2025 alone. However, the actor's journey in the industry has been far from easy. Suniel recently recalled the 'unfair' criticism he received for his performance in Balwaan. He shared that critics went so far as to call him a 'doorknob' and even suggested he return to working at his father's restaurant, selling idlis and vadas. Still, he emphasised that he has no shame in admitting his father's background in the restaurant business, proudly stating that it was how their family made a living. Also Read | 'Rekha was jealous, insecure about her height; entire crew laughed at her when she tried to take my role': Moushumi Chatterjee recalls rivalry 'They trashed me as a performer and labelled me a 'doorknob' in their reviews. Some even suggested I go sell idlis and vadas at our family restaurant. They treated selling idli-vadas as something derogatory. But that family business ran my house. In fact, it's because of that background that even today, I feel no shame in doing any kind of work. I am not embarrassed to do anything, particularly physical labour. I don't even think twice while opening a door for someone or saying 'thank you' or 'sorry'. It's because of that idli-vada upbringing that I am like this now,' he shared during a chat with The Lallantop. Last year, the Hera Pheri actor had opened up about how his father ran away from home in Mangalore at the age of nine, took up menial jobs, started his own restaurant and eventually rose through the ranks through sheer hard work. 'My dad ran away and came to Mumbai as a child. He didn't have a father, but he had three sisters. He found work in a South Indian restaurant at age nine, because that's the thing about our community, we support each other. His first job was cleaning tables. He was so little, he would have to make four rounds of the table just to clean all sides. He would sleep in a sack meant for rice,' he shared during a conversation with comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their podcast. He added, 'His boss bought three buildings, and dad was eventually asked to manage them. When the boss retired, dad bought all three buildings. Today, I still have all three buildings. And that's where our journey began.'
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Suniel Shetty says he manifested KL Rahul as his son-in-law, reveals why he didn't cry at Athiya Shetty's bidaai: ‘Even today, I tell my wife we're blessed that...'
has never been shy about expressing his admiration for son-in-law and Indian cricketer . In a recent interview, the actor revealed that his bond with may have begun long before the cricketer officially entered the family. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Absolutely, it must have been manifestation,' Suniel told Lallantop, responding to a friend's observation that he had willed Rahul into his family. 'My obsession with cricket and with KL Rahul as a young cricketer... You can call Dilip and ask him. He used to ring me during my shoots and say, 'Anna, this guy's got solid batting skills—you were asking, right? Come and watch.'' Suniel shared that he would often skip shoots to watch promising cricketers at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, and Rahul, who shares his Mangalorean roots, caught his attention early on. At the time, Athiya and Rahul knew each other but hadn't started dating. The first meeting that left an impression The actor recalled first meeting KL Rahul in an airport lounge, where the manager told him the cricketer wanted to meet. 'I said I'd go meet him. He was very respectful and humble,' Suniel recounted. 'Somewhere, I must have said to myself, 'He's such a good guy,' so I must have manifested it.' Later, when his wife Mana informed him that Athiya and Rahul were in a relationship, his immediate reaction was: 'He's a lovely boy.' Even now, he tells his wife that they are fortunate to have someone as grounded as Rahul in their lives. Guidance to Athiya and confidence in her choice Suniel said he had always encouraged Athiya to make her own decision when it came to choosing a life partner. He simply advised her to find someone who would make her happy, preferably someone with humble beginnings who understands the value of relationships. He also revealed that he didn't cry during Athiya's bidaai. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I was confident,' he said. 'She had married someone who would truly keep her happy.' Suniel Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi Promote Film A wedding filled with love, a growing family and KL Rahul got married in an intimate yet luxurious ceremony at Suniel's Khandala farmhouse on 23 January 2023. The couple shared heartfelt photos on Instagram with the caption: 'In your light, I learn how to love... Today, with our most loved ones, we got married in the home that's given us immense joy and serenity. With a heart full of gratitude and love, we seek your blessings on this journey of togetherness.' The family's joy expanded further in March this year, when Athiya and KL Rahul welcomed their first child, daughter Evaarah.
