NUMBERS GAME
The upcoming film uses a tried-and-tested formula for laughs because the filmmakers feel that it still works
ASHWIN’S THIRD ALLROUND DOUBLE IN TESTS
Ravichandran Ashwin recorded his fifth century after scoring 106 off 148 balls in the second innings of the second Test against England on Monday. It was his third century when batting at No. 8. Only one batsman — New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori — has scored more hundreds when batting at No. 8 or lower. He has four at No. 8 and one at No. 9.
Ashwin took 5/43 in the first innings. It was the third instance when he scored a century and taken five-for in a Test match.
England’s Ian Botham hold the record. Botham has done it five times in his 102-Test career. Four allrounders have achieved this feat two times — West Indian Garry Sobers, Pakistan’s Mushtaq Mohammad, South African Jacques Kallis and Banglades’s Shakib Al Hasan.
Three Indians who have achieved this double in a Test are Vinoo Mankad (184 & 72 and 5/196 against England at Lord’s in 1952) and Polly Umrigar (172 not out & 56 and 5/107 against West Indies in Port-ofSpain in 1962.
We have learnt some trivia about the story of the Farhad-Samji directorial, Bachchan Pandey, which is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. Moviegoers who have watched the 2007-romcom Welcome may recall how Akshay Kumar uses the help of a fake shooting crew to con two gangsters, Majnu bhai (played by Anil Kapoor) and Uday Shetty (played by Nana Patekar) so that he can marry Uday Shetty’s sister, Sanjana (played by Katrina Kaif). Now, one of our sources close to the production unit tells us that the story of Bachhcan Pandey is about how the character played by Kriti Sanon uses the same trick on Akshay Kumar by making a fake film in which he is a hero. “In the film, Akshay plays an Uttar Pradesh-based gangster and Kriti Sanon is a journalist who, to get him on to the right path, tricks him by pretending that a film is being made on him. That trick in Welcome was hilarious and it seems to be working in Bachchan Pandey as well,” say sources. Sanskriti Media
SKIN BRIGHTENING FACE MASK This recipe has only three ingredients that are so simple.
Here they are:
Yogurt — Rich in lactic acid, yogurt helps lighten your skin tone, improve signs of ageing as well as lighten dark spots on your face. Mix two teaspoons plain yoghurt with one teaspoon honey. Apply the mixture on your face and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Rinse your face with cool water.
Lime — as we all know it is rich in vitamin C and is also a great skin brightening agent. Lemon juice helps in effectively reducing skin problems like dark spots, pigmentation, blackheads, pimples, acne, etc. Leave it on skin for 15 minutes and wash it off with warm water.
Monal Gajjar and Akhil Sarthak — the two names were trending during the recent Bigg Boss reality show. It was widely speculated that they were seeing each other, and Telugu Abbayi Gujarat Ammayi, in which they are paired, has further fuelled those rumours. “When my director Bhaskar Bantupalli told me that Akhil would be acting opposite me, I quickly signed on. I signed the project only for Akhil. I know the audience would love to see us together,” smiles Monal. She acknowledged that the buzz about the two of them would intensify with the film. “But as actors we all have to do different types of roles,” she notes. “After my successful stint in Bigg Boss, I have been looking for realistic stories and producer Annadata Bhaskar Rao approached me with a love story” she says, signing off.
The makers of the film Liger — Karan Johar, Puri Jagannath and Charmme Kaur — have hired an entire new building apart from a flat in an upcoming residential complex in Bandra, reportedly paying a daily rent of `2.25 lakh, for the shoot. The film stars Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday. Several sequences starring Ananya were shot at the building recently.
“It is not easy to shoot in residential complexes nowadays. But the story demanded a situation where Ananya, who plays an entertainer who has suddenly found fame, has to interact with a large group of fans in her building. A crowd of 150 junior artistes had gathered for the sequence and, given the restrictions in residential complexes, the makers decided to pay `2.25 lakh per day apart from `4 lakh safety deposit and shoot the scenes,” say sources.