The Family Man season 2 goes on floors; Samantha Akkineni to make her digital debut

Following the phenomenal success of Amazon Original Series - The Family Man, Prime Video has announced that it has greenlit the second season of the show. Season 2 of The Family Man pits Srikant Tiwari against a new, powerful and avenging adversary and offers an exciting, gripping and action-filled storyline while exploring relatable themes of home, belonging and estrangement.

Season 2 also marks the digital debut of South Indian superstar, Samantha Akkineni, known for her captivating, critically acclaimed performances. Samantha joins the stellar cast of Padma Shri Manoj Bajpayee, National Award-winner Priyamani, along with incredible talent from across India, including Sharib Hashmi, Darshan Kumar, Sharad Kelkar, Sunny Hinduja, Shreya Dhanwantary, Shahab Ali, Vedant Sinha, and Mahek Thakur.

Samantha Akkineni took to Instagram to announce her digital debut. She wrote, "#TheFamilyMan #TheFamilyMan2 Yasssssssss finallyyyyyyy.... my web series debut with the most kickass show ... ???? @rajanddk my heroes ????❤️ Thankyou for giving me a dream role"

 

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#TheFamilyMan #TheFamilyMan2 Yasssssssss finallyyyyyyy.... my web series debut with the most kickass show ... ???? @rajanddk my heroes ????❤️ Thankyou for giving me a dream role @PrimeVideoIN @thefamilyman @bajpayee.manoj @mrfilmistaani @pillumani @shahab.thespian @sharadkelkar @mahekthaakur @vedantsinha0218 @hindujasunny @shreyadhan13 @gulpanag @neerajmadhav @sundeepkishan @devadarshnichetan @iamsumankumar @suparnverma

A post shared by Samantha Akkineni (@samantharuthprabhuoffl) on Nov 27, 2019 at 10:53pm PST

The show is created, directed and produced by Raj & DK, through their production company D2R Films. And written by Raj & DK and Suman Kumar. The first season was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its freshness, relevance, relatable characters and especially for blending an espionage thriller with humour and amazing family dynamics. The stellar performances by the cast, especially Manoj Bajpayee’s role as Srikant Tiwari, has left audiences eagerly waiting to find out what happens next.

Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video India, said, “Spy thrillers have been one of the more popular genres amongst our international originals, and we are happy to see these global phenomena recreated in India for The Family Man. Interestingly, the show was loved both by audiences in India and abroad. The Family Man has become our most watched Amazon Original Series in India. We are thrilled to be working with the talented duo Raj and DK for another successful season of The Family Man.”

Raj & DK, Creators of the Amazon Original, The Family Man, through their production company, D2R Films said, “The Family Man has become a global sensation and we couldn’t be happier associating with Amazon Prime Video to make this happen. While we hoped that audiences would like and relate to the show, what has truly overwhelmed us is the magnitude of love we received within days of the release. Our pan-Indian cast has also been getting amazing appreciation from audiences across the country. We are thrilled that the quality of content and performances are truly breaking down preexisting walls within various film industries in India. We are delighted to announce that together with Amazon Prime Video, we are coming back with a new season that promises more edge-of-the-seat drama and thrill – the plot will thicken!”

Actor Manoj Bajpayee said, “There is no better feeling for an actor than being appreciated by the audience and fans. The response received on my performance in The Family Man has been overwhelming and I am grateful to Raj and DK and Amazon Prime Video for their faith in me and giving me an opportunity to play the flawed but extremely relatable Srikant Tiwari. The experience of working with Amazon Prime Video has been phenomenal and I am truly excited for Season 2.”

Actress Samantha Akkineni said “With the digital space booming, I knew I had to be a part of this revolution. What better way to make my digital debut, than with one of India’s most loved series - The Family Man. I have loved Raj & DK’s work and given the global reach and standing of Amazon Prime Video, I couldn’t have asked for better partners. The role I play for the show is diametrically different from anything I have done before. It will certainly surprise and delight my fans.”

Also Read: “There was no one better than Manoj Bajpayee, he is just perfect for the show” – Director duo Raj & DK on The Family Man – Part 2

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Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon's Panipat gets legal notice from Peshwa Bajirao's descendant for objectionable dialogue

Ever since the trailer of Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon's Panipat hit the internet, it has been on the headlines. First, the internet pointed out how the costumes used in Panipat were visibly similar to those shown in Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's Bajirao Mastani. Now, a day before its release, the film has landed amid a more serious controversy.

Reportedly, Nawabzada Shadab Ali Bahadur, who happens to be the eighth-generation descendant of Peshwa Bajirao, has objected to a dialogue mouthed by Kriti, as shown in the trailer. Kriti is heard saying, "Maine suna hai Peshwa jab akele muhim par jaate hain to ek Mastani ke saath laut te hain (I have heard that whenever the Peshwa goes to the war alone, he returns with a Mastani).” The descendant, as the report claims, finds it inappropriate and believes that this would not only paint Mastani Sahiba in a bad picture but is also not respectful towards the Peshwa. He also added that Mastani wasn't just another woman in the Peshwa's life but was his wife.

Bahadur has reportedly also sent a legal notice to the makers asking them to remove the dialogue, and is ready to move to the court if he doesn't receive a response.

We are yet to come across a response from either the actors or director Ashutosh Gowariker on the same.

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Here's when Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar's Ghost Stories premieres on Netflix

After the launch of Lust Stories in June 2018, which got nominated this year at the 47th International Emmy Awards, film makers Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap are coming together again to dive into fear with their psychological spectacle, Ghost Stories. Today, the four directors and the key talent from the film released a video talking about the release of the film. It will hit Netflix on 1 January 2020.

Ghost Stories is an edge-of-the-seat psychological drama.

 

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When the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2020.... there’s something unexpected and unknown that’s going to be unleashed into the night. #GhostStories only on Netflix @netflix_in @RSVPMovies @ashidua #ghoststories @mrunalofficial2016

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) on Nov 27, 2019 at 9:55pm PST

The film stars Avinash Tewari, Gulshan Devaiah, Janhvi Kapoor, Kusha Kapila, Mrunal Thakur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Surekha Sikri, Sukant Goel, and Vijay Verma in pivotal roles. Ghost Stories, an Indian anthology film consisting of four short films will engross the viewers right through the end.

Ghost Stories is the third collaboration, after Love Per Square Foot and Lust Stories, for Netflix and RSVP. The film is all set to hit the service on 1st January 2020 at midnight!

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Is Raveena Tandon playing Indira Gandhi?

In the sequel to the hit franchise KGF, Raveena Tandon will be playing a politician whose look and ideology would be inspired by Mrs Indira Gandhi. This fact is not being divulged by the film’s team including leading man Yash and Raveena herself. Says a source close to the team, “Portraying any real politician is a very big risk these days. More often than not, you have a whole lot of disapproving protesting masses who want to stop the film.”

So Raveena is very quietly studying Mrs Gandhi’s mannerisms and trying to imbibe them. Says a source, “She won’t imitate Mrs Gandhi. That would look very cheap and unconvincing on screen. She has seen the way Mrs Gandhi has been played in recent films. She would rather do it her own way.”

Raveena has played a politician before in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Satta. “But this time she will play it in an entirely different way. Her character will take on Sanjay Dutt. They will play friends turns enemies,” informs a source.

Raveena remains one of the busiest actresses of her generation. Besides serving as one of the judges on the popular dance reality show Nach Baliye, and playing an important role in KGF 2, she is mother to two biological and adoptive children. “How do I manage all of this? Don’t ask. It’s all about time management. I really believe there’s nothing that you can’t do if you want to. And if you say you can’t find the time to do something, then you don’t really want to do it.”

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan thinks Raveena Tandon is the best-scented heroine! Read more

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Taiwanese-Canadian actor Godfrey Gao dies at the age of 35 while filming reality TV show

Taiwanese-Canadian actor Godfrey Gao, on Wednesday, passed due to sudden cardiac arrest while shooting a reality show in China. The actor was shooting late-night for Zhejiang TV’s reality show Chase Me where contestants participate in several sports and are pitted against each other. He was 35. 

“I am deeply saddened by the news. Godfrey was not only a client at one point but, more importantly, a friend. We will miss him dearly, and our hearts go out to his family, especially his parents,"  said Andrew Ooi, his friend and former manager at Echelon Talent. 

"In the early hours of Nov. 27, our beloved Godfrey collapsed while filming on set. Following three hours of rescue efforts, he, unfortunately, left us. We are very shocked and saddened and even until now find it impossible to accept. Thank you media friends and every fan of Godfrey’s for their concern. His management and team were present and his family were urgently rushed to the location,” the statement continued. “Please respect Godfrey’s family in this time of sorrow and refrain from disturbing them. We will accompany Godfrey’s family to handle discreet funeral arrangements. Thank you, everyone," his team wrote in a statement.

Godfrey Gao rose to fame as a model after he became the first Asian man to model for Louis Vuitton in 2011. He grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He starred in a Chinese drama in 2016 called Remembering Wang Lichuan. He appeared in Hollywood film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in 2013 alongside Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Jamie took to Instagram to share a photo with Gao as he remembered his friend. “our friend. Heartbroken,” Jamie captioned the photo. 

 

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our friend. Heartbroken.

A post shared by ᴊᴀᴍɪᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴘʙᴇʟʟ ʙᴏᴡᴇʀ (@bowerjamie) on Nov 26, 2019 at 10:44pm PST

Godfrey Gao was also a part of 2017′s The Jade Pendant and 2019's Chinese sci-fi film, Shanghai Fortress.

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SCOOP: Has Shah Rukh Khan signed Raj Nidimoru-Krishna DK's next?

In less than a month, it’ll be a year since Shah Rukh Khan’s last film Zero released. The superstar played a dwarf in this film and despite the novelty, Aanand L Rai’s direction and stellar star cast, the film failed miserably, not even crossing Rs. 100 crore mark. It was a twin setback for SRK as his previous flick Jab Harry Met Sejal had similarly bombed. Shah Rukh Khan hence went in an introspection mode and decided to take his time in signing his next. Thankfully for him, various filmmakers were still desperate to cast him and he was inundated with film offers. It was expected that he’ll sign and announce his next film within six months of Zero’s release.

But as one can see, it’s been almost a year and there are no signs of any announcement by Shah Rukh Khan regarding his upcoming film. However that doesn’t mean he hasn’t shown interest in any film at all. Bollywood Hungama was the first Bollywood portal to reveal exclusively that he’s all set to sign popular Tamil director Atlee’s next film, an out-and-out masala actioner. Meanwhile, he also showed tremendous interest in blockbuster director Rajkumar Hirani’s next film. It was expected that SRK will start work on Atlee’s next anytime.

But now reports are pouring in that Shah Rukh Khan has signed a film that will be directed by director duo Raj Nidimoru-Krishna DK, also known as Raj-DK. Not just that, the reports claim that this will be the film that SRK will act in first. It’s expected to be a grand film and what’s more, the script, the title and even the actress of the film has been finalized, as per the claim. Lastly, reports say that the film is expected to go on floors in early 2020 and if all goes well, it might release next year itself or in 2021.

Raj-DK had no background in filmmaking and were based in USA. Their first film in Bollywood, 99, released in 2009 and was loved and noticed for its quirky humour and interesting characters. This was also seen in their other films like Shor In The City and Go Goa Gone. They were the writers and producers of last year’s surprise super-hit Stree. Earlier this year, they got a lot of appreciation for their web series The Family Man, starring Manoj Bajpayee as an undercover secret agent.

Also Read: Would Kajol have married Shah Rukh Khan if she didn’t meet Ajay Devgn? Here’s her answer

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EXCLUSIVE: John Abraham to do three times more ACTION in Milap Zaveri’s Satyameva Jayate 2 as a cop VIGILANTE fighting corruption!

After Marjaavaan (it’s already Rs. 44.85cr on its second Tuesday) with Sidharth Malhotra and Ritesh Deshmukh, Milap Zaveri, is not resting on his laurels. From next week, he starts prep for his John Abraham and Divya Khosla Kumar starrer, Satyameva Jayate 2. Milap gives us some exclusive information on when he begins shoot for his next vigilante cop drama which releases on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) and how John will up the ante with what kind of action!

Milap says that, after a short holiday with his family this week to Dubai, he begins work immediately on his next movie, Satyameva Jayate 2. “The script is ready and I start prep (including designing the action and music composition) on it after I return. We begin shooting for Satyameva Jayate 2 from March-April next year and release the movie on Gandhi Jayanti.”

Explaining why they want to release it on October 2, Milap says, “It’s a huge national holiday and the film is extremely patriotic. The story has a certain discussion on debate and discussion on violence and non-violence. John is a vigilante fighting against corruption in the country. It’s not a carryover from the last Satyameva Jayate but with a fresh story. As vigilantes resort often to violence because they take justice in their own hands and Gandhiji is a symbol of non-violence, so that discussion is there in the film and that’s why we felt October 2 is such a great day for the film to release on. There will be respectful references to Gandhiji. Violence and non-violence cannot exist as thoughts without each other. John plays a cop as is pictured in the poster but there are more twists and turns in SJ 2. I have to live up to my moniker - Milap Mass Zaveri as people feel I cater to the massy audiences who love my movies. John jumped with joy and hugged me after I narrated the script to him. He said it’s one of the best scripts that he has heard.”

Milap plans to make John push the envelope further with some raw and real action. “Scale wise, it’s far bigger than the first one. I have to tear bigger things than tyres with him. My first challenge is what can John tear or break or smash now as in SJ he ripped a tyre apart? We are upping the ante in action which will be three times more than Satyameva Jayate and Marjaavaan. We are getting a great action team together as it will have bigger action than any of my films. It will be desi, powerful, heroic. This time John will rip a lot of other things. I make films which are desi and have the heart of India.”

Producer Bhushan Kumar’s wife Divya Khosla Kumar makes her comeback with Milap’s movie. “People feel that Bhushanji told us to take her but it’s a fallacy because in fact we (Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and me) approached him and her. Bhushan told us that people shouldn’t think that he had told us. Divya will be one of the strengths of the movie and a surprise. I think she’s very talented and I am very excited that she has chosen to make her comeback with our movie. We had heard that she wanted to act again and we had seen some short films and music videos of hers. The character in the film has a lot of dignity, poise, beauty and power and she loved the plot, her scenes and accepted it immediately after we gave her a narration.”

For Milap, it’s been a surreal feeling giving back-to-back hits with Satyameva Jayate and now Marjaavaan. “Both are mass films where I am not trying to please just one particular type of audience. I took a conscious decision that I want to make movies for the masses as they are the most loyal audience. My audience is the people working hard on the streets trying to make ends meet. You feel satisfied and that your conviction has paid off in what you make.”

He feels happy that his lead actors Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria and best friend Shaad Randhawa have got their due. “It feels good to see all these underdogs (Sidharth, Tara and Shaad) become bull dogs. Everybody told me that Sidharth doesn’t have an action hero image. I wanted the masses to come for him and the opening we got was one of Sidharth’s biggest ever. Shaad’s getting the whistles and claps for his dialogues. Marjaavaan worked for two reasons – the love story and the midget who is the villain (Riteish Deshmukh). I didn’t have the VFX budget of a Zero so the challenge was how to make it in a lesser budget and still make it impactful. Luckily, that gamble paid off well. I must give credit to Bhushanji for the songs and music he has given. His conviction paid off. Nikhhil stood by me so I could stick by my convictions and made the movie that I wanted to make. Bhushanji went all out with the music and promotions.”

Also Read: FIRST LOOK - John Abraham promises a bigger sequel with Satyameva Jayate 2

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