The upcoming 17th edition of the reality TV show Bigg Boss is expected to see participants having access to a phone during their stay. A source reportedly said, “We believe contestants will have special access to a phone inside the house for the very first time. [If this happens] they can stay connected with the outside world, having an avenue for entertainment, and may even get the chance to speak to their loved ones at specific intervals throughout the season.” Salman Khan returns as the host of the series for this edition as well.

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Together for the girl child

Sudha Chandran and Amar Upadhyay are set to star in the thought-provoking social drama titled Doree, which touches upon the reality of abandoned girls in a patriarchal society.  The show traces the tale of Doree, a six-year-old girl who lives with her foster father, Ganga Prasad, in the Bunkar mohalla of Banaras. Prasad is a dedicated father who finds his life’s purpose in bringing up Doree with great values.

Ray Award for Douglas

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, who is known for films like The Sentinel, The American President, and Disclosure, among others, will be honoured with the Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award at the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, this year. Earlier, Spanish filmmaker-writer Carlos Saura was feted with the title. Sharing the news on social media, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur wrote of Douglas: “His deep love for our country is well known, and we look forward to welcoming him, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their son, to the most prominent film festival to showcase our rich cinematic culture and unique traditions.”

For the co-star

Alia Bhatt heaped praise on her Raazi co-star Vicky Kaushal after the release of the teaser for his film, Sam Bahadur. Walking down memory lane, she shared, “I still remember the day Meghna Gulzar told us the story of Sam on the sets of Raazi. Vicky sat there [with] a twinkle in his eye, hoping to one day be Sam. Can’t wait to see this one. Special mention to my favourite DoP, Jay I Patel,” she wrote. Kaushal’s film will clash at cinema halls with Animal, fronted by Bhatt’s actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor.

Show some love

Shubha Mudgal says the young generation of artistes are talented and committed, and spend hours doing ‘riyaaz’. However, they need the support of listeners to grow. Artistes, she argues, don’t need to prove how good they are. “The onus of that lies in the hands of listeners and organisers,” Mudgal said, adding that even a fraction of the response and backing that events such as performances by Canadian singer Justin Bieber or South African comedian Trevor Noah get would support upcoming Indian artistes.