Nora Fatehi acts in films, judges dance reality shows, produces music videos and has a vibrant social media persona. The actor, who’ll be seen in Kunal Kemmu‘s Madgaon Express, has opened up about how she’s had to develop a thick skin to survive in the industry and on social media. In this interview with indianexpress.com, Nora spoke about how the industry can typecast people but she doesn’t blame anyone, and continues to work on herself and on several projects all at once to not let the pressure get to her. She explains how she has seen her actor friends going through depression if their films didn’t work at the box office or if they cannot find work regularly. When asked how she’s navigating the industry and whether the industry doesn’t take her seriously because she is a dancer, she says she doesn’t have “one-dimensional” answer to it. Nora says to not be typecast and to find work, one needs to work on themselves. She said, “It is hard to say. It is not a one-dimensional answer because you can’t blame them, that’s all they know. It’s to typecast people and that’s it. It’s also like people don’t have time to discover you and explore you. People are too busy trying to make their next big hit, trying to mingle with the big stars, trying to do things. So, I don’t blame anybody but it is on me. It is my job to prove to people time and time again that ‘hey, I am multifaceted, I can do this, I can do that, give me the chance’ so, that’s my problem and I took that head on. For that you have to work on yourself also, because no actor, no artiste is perfect.” Nora judges dance reality shows, makes music videos and acts in films. Explaining why she does several things all at once, she says, “I consider myself an artiste because I do a lot of things — I dance, I sing, I produce, I judge — I am a personality, a public figure. I don’t expect people to wake up one morning and go like, ‘haan, Nora can do it all’. I have to show it to them. For that, I need to have my eggs in different baskets, not in just one basket. This has helped me avoid the zone of depression, darkness and negativity, specially if work is not happening. These phases happen to actors, I see my actor friends go through that.” Opening up further how she has seen her actor friends going through depression when things don’t work out for them, she says, “For example if the box office doesn’t happen, one bad Friday, they break down; if for six to eight months they don’t have another project, like a cycle of back-to-back projects, they break down. When I used to see some of my actor friends go through that, they are big stars by the way, I never want to be that person. This life is too short, you have to have an aura about you, you have to have positivity about you. I can’t allow the industry to break me like that, so I developed thicker skin because social media can kill you. I decided that, hey I want to act, yes, I love cinema that’s why I came here, however I like to do other things too. That’s what allowed me to be this positive person in the industry and be kind of relevant. Through that journey, you get people who go, ‘oh, she can do that, let me try her for this film, let me call her for this.’ It takes time, you have to be resilient, you have to be patient.” Talking about Madgaon Express, an out-and-out comedy, Nora says, “I always wanted to do comedy. Inherently I’m a funny person, or at least that’s what I would like to think. I did a lot of funny skits and content on social media before I became relevant in the industry. It’s something I really enjoyed and I got to connect with people a lot through that. People got to see that I have a certain personality. I really enjoyed doing that. To be able to do that, come back into the comedy space, it felt so good. I am not only challenging myself as a performer, but also enjoying myself. The whole environment, the situation, the whole vibe is just so funny.”   Source: Indian Express

Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan is going to make her Bollywood debut with the film ‘Kadak Singh’, which will be released on the OTT platform Zee5 on December 8. Jaya Ahsan shared the news on her Facebook page on December 1. The film ‘Kadak Singh’, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, also stars Pankaj Tripathi and Parvathy Thiruvothu, among others. ‘This is my first Hindi film and as there is a saying “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Kadak Singh is my first step. This feeling is truly unique and is pure joy,’ Joya told.

Renowned Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has reportedly been diagnosed with lung cancer. He had announced a short break from work on Tuesday for ‘medical treatment’, reports Hindustan Times. Quoting sources at Lilavati hospital, the Indian media reported that the actor has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Sanjay was taken to the hospital on Saturday after he complained of breathlessness and later discharged on Monday. He was tested for Covid-19 but the result was negative. A later diagnosis revealed that he was suffering from stage-4 lung cancer. “When he was taken to the hospital, he was low on oxygen saturation. But when his Covid-19 report came negative, we ran cancer analysis and it came positive,” said a source from the hospital. Dr Jalil Parker, who is treating the actor, declined to make any comment. On Tuesday, Sanjay announced taking a ‘short break’ from work for ‘some medical treatment’ and said he’d be back soon. Sanjay is scheduled to be next seen in the upcoming Disney+Hotstar release 'Sadak 2' alongside Pooja Bhatt, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. Scheduled to be released on August 28, the movie is sequel to the 1991 hit 'Sadak', one of the highest-grossing Hindi movie of the year 1991. Born to actor-director Sunil Dutt and legendary actress Nargis in 1959, Sanjay made his debut with 'Rocky' in 1981. With an eventful career of four decades, Sanjay Dutt acted in 187 films till date. Source: UNB AH

Amitabh Bachchan, one of the biggest superstars of Indian cinema, has tested positive for COVID-19. The 77-years-old actor himself shared this news on his official Twitter account on Saturday night. "I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. family and staff undergone tests , results awaited .. All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested !" - Amitabh posted from his verified Twitter account. He was admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai where he was accompanied by his son Abhishek Bachchan on Saturday night. Known for his 'angry young man' avatars in films like 'Don', ‘Coolie’ and ‘Zanjeer’ - the celebrated actor was previously admitted to a hospital for his recurring liver problem - which according to reports, damaged 75 percent of his liver.  Additionally, the actor contracted Hepatitis B virus in 1982 while undergoing treatment for a near-fatal accident on the sets of his film 'Coolie'. Bachchan was last seen in director Shoojit Sircar’s film 'Gulabo Sitabo', starring alongside Ayushmann Khurrana. The film premiered on an OTT platform after the coronavirus pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown prevented it from getting released in cinema halls. His upcoming projects include Ayan Mukerji directed film 'Brahmastra' alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, and a possible comeback on his popular television show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'. Often called as 'Big B' among his fans and peers, Amitabh Bachchan is known for maintaining sound health and disciplined lifestyle among Bollywood celebrities. He was seen to actively aware people in television and social media platforms since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and helped many nationals during the crisis.    Source: UNB Read In Bangla Version AH