Entertainment

Want to have six-pack abs like mine? Follow my lifestyle: John Abraham

August 15, 2016, 7:10 PM

Radhika Dhawad | Nagpur

John Abraham - Kartik (1) — John Abraham (Photo: Kartik Thakur)

He surely sweeps girls off their feet with his chiseled six-pack abs but it doesn’t come that easy. The countrys perfect magazine cover dude, John Abraham, has taken his fondness for fitness to a different level. So much so that he has been refraining from aerated drinks for 23 years. In an exclusive interview with Nation Next, John spoke about his healthy lifestyle, his ?beyond films friendship with Akshay Kumar and why hes happy getting overshadowed by his co-actors in his films.

You have been refraining from aerated drinks for past 23 years. Also, you try to popularise fitness by sharing your workout videos on social media platforms

People should try and follow an actors healthy lifestyle rather than doing silly things to attain a physique similar to that of his. If I can take a lead and, in some way, convince people, particularly youngsters, to lead a healthy lifestyle, it would be great! I like sharing my health secrets with my fans.

You replaced Akshay Kumar in Welcome Back; still, your ?bromance? with him has been the talk of the town…

When I signed Welcome Back, the first person I called up was Akshay and he was so happy that I was doing the sequel of his hit film Welcome. Akshay and I share a relationship beyond films. Usually, we have a great time together; we are friends forever. Hes like my elder brother, for whom I have immense respect.

And what about Nana Patekar? Your chemistry with Nana Patekar was appreciated a lot in Taxi no. 9211 and Welcome Back.

Hes a very transparent and honest human being and if he doesn’t like something, he?ll say it directly. The most heartening thing I’ve heard from him during the promotions of Welcome Back was, I’ve seen the film and I liked it. If I hadn’t liked it, I wouldn’t have come for the promotions. Hes that honest about everything and I appreciate the same. There are very few who are blunt and straightforward and Nana belongs to that rare species. I wish there were a lot more Nana Patekars in this world!

You have worked with senior actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, etc. Did you ever feel overshadowed

One tends to get overshadowed by actors like Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav. In fact, it feels lovely and fantastic to be overshadowed because they are beautiful people. There has never been any kind of insecurity on the sets because we always helped each other.

You bonded well with Shruti Haasan as she taught you dancing and you gave her fitness tips

I feel Shrutis an extremely talented actor and a very good singer. She even plays the piano so well! She acts in Tamil, Telugu as well as in Hindi. Shes got the best from both her parents and is a thorough professional.

Bollywood

Ram Kamal Mukherjee named ‘Best Director’ for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at IWMBuzz Digital Awards

Published

3 years ago

May 20, 2022

Nation Next Newsroom | Mumbai

Ram Kamal Mukherjee (R) whikle receiving the ‘Best Director’ trophy at IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony in Mumbai

Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee won the ‘Best Director’ award for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at the recently held IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The film is produced by Esha Deol Takhtani and Assorted Motion Pictures. Apart from winning the award, it was a special occasion for Mukherjee as two other films he directed also got recognized.

Esha won the ‘Best Actress’ award in the popular categories for her critically acclaimed performance in ‘Ek Duaa.’ After accepting the award, Esha said: “This film is extremely special for me, because I turned producer with this film and I would like to give entire credit to captain of the ship Ram Kamal Mukherjee for bringing such a wonderful subject to me.”

Avinash Dwivedi won the ‘Most Promising Debut’ award for his acclaimed performance in ‘Rickshawala,’ a film directed by Mukherjee. Avinash, who was accompanied by his wife and actor Sambhavna Seth, said: “This is beyond my expectation that today I am getting this recognition as an actor amidst all Bollywood celebrities for my role in Ram Kamal sir’s film Rickshawala. To get honoured for a regional cinema amidst such Bollywood biggie reinforced my faith in good content.”

Gurmeet Choudhary won the ‘Most Popular Actor’ award for his performance in Mukherjee’s film ‘Shubho Bijoya.’ Choudhary said: “Ram Kamal is an amazing story teller. When he narrated this story to me and Debina, we knew that this film will click instantly. I am honoured to receive this award, though the competition was really tough. I thank my fans and jury members who voted for me.”

Other winners at the award ceremony included Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet, Raveena Tandon, Huma Qureshi, Dino Morea, Sikander Kher, Sonu Sood, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Manish Paul and other popular names from the Hindi film industry.

Bollywood

JUST MARRIED! Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt tie the knot | Check pictures

Published

3 years ago

April 14, 2022

Radhika Dhawad | Mumbai

The much awaited Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt wedding fans had been eagerly waiting for finally got solemnised today afternoon in the presence of close friends and family members at Ranbir’s residence ‘Vastu’ in Mumbai. Check out some pictures of the same…

Alia took to her social media to write, “Today, surrounded by our family and friends, at home … in our favourite spot – the balcony we’ve spent the last 5 years of our relationship – we got married.

With so much already behind us, we can’t wait to build more memories together … memories that are full of love, laughter, comfortable silences, movie nights, silly fights, wine delights and Chinese bites.

Thank you for all the love and light during this very momentous time in our lives. It has made this moment all the more special.

Love,

Ranbir and Alia ✨♥️”

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt

Bollywood

The Kashmir Files should be declared tax-free in Maharashtra, says BJP spokesperson Rajeev Panday

Published

3 years ago

April 4, 2022

Radhika Dhawad | Mumbai

BJP spokesperson for Maharashtra Rajeev Panday, while speaking to Nation Next, said the controversial movie ‘The Kashmir Files,’ which grossed over ₹240 crore in India, should be made tax-free in the state.

Panday told Nation Next, “The movie has managed to depict, if not all, the brutalities on Kashmiri Pandits. It is a bold representation of truth. Kashmiri Pandit community was forced to leave their own homes in the country. Imagine their plight! Maharashtra government should make it tax-free in their state like the BJP did.”

The movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has been made tax-free in at least BJP-run eight states namely Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Goa, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also received requests asking him to exempt the film from entertainment tax in the state.

A lawyer and an actor, Rajeev Panday was appointed as the spokesperson for BJP in Maharashtra in 2017. Besides practicing in The Supreme Court of India and Bombay High Court for around 15 years, Panday has also been a name to reckon with in the entertainment industry.

Rajeev Panday

Panday, who’s acted in Bollywood grocers like Amitabh Bachchan’s starrer Pink and John Abraham’s starrer Madras Cafe, has given many terrific performances on stage. He started doing theatre in 1998 with famous theatre group Act One in Delhi. After shifting his base to Mumbai (in 2003) to practice law, Panday continued to dabble in theatre and films. His recent performances at Ibsen Festival at Prithvi Theatre were appreciated well by the audience and critics alike.

A law graduate from Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre, Panday has also been actively involved in legal activism. Through his Public Interest Litigations, Panday has raised many pertinent issues like regulation of television content and charitable hospitals not providing free treatment to the poor people.

In his longstanding association with the BJP, Panday has served the party as the convenor of its Mumbai Human Rights cell and the convenor of the Election Cell of its Maharashtra unit.