QuickE: Rani’s Father No More, Akshay’s Diwali Tribute & More

Check out the day’s biggest entertainment updates right here.

Rani Mukerji at her father’s cremation. 

(Photo: Yogen Shah)

1. Aamir, Ranveer, Adi Pay Their Last Respects to Rani’s Father

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji's father Ram Mukherjee, a writer and filmmaker, passed away in Mumbai early on Sunday morning. He was 84. His wife Krishna told IANS over phone:

He was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital from October 13 and his treatment was going on. Unfortunately, his body was not responding to the treatment that well this time. Last night, his blood pressure suddenly dropped around 5 am.

Krishna Mukherjee, Rani Mukerji’s mother

Rani, along with husband Aditya Chopra, was present at the last rites at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Vile Parle West. Actors Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor and Ranveer Singh were among the others who came to pay their last respects.

Read The Quint’s full report here.

2. Pooja Bhatt Hopes to Inspire By Penning Her Battle With the Bottle

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt will co-author a book about her battle with alcohol, which is scheduled to release in early 2018.

I would like to emphasise that it is not an autobiography. At 45, I am too young to write my memoirs. As they say in filmi terms, ‘Picture abhi baaki hai, dost’. But I can help others like me deal with their problem by talking about my journey.

Pooja Bhatt, Actor & filmmaker

Bhatt has been sober for 10 months now and says that her journey hasn’t been easy. Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, Pooja found fame with roles in Daddy, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Sadak and Zakhm. As a director, she has helmed Paap, Kajraare and Jism 2among others. It was in March 2017 that Pooja spoke to journalist Roshmila Bhattacharya on her battle with the bottle saying, "If I didn't quit now, I'd have drank myself to the grave."

Read The Quint’s full report here.

3. Ajay Devgn’s ‘Golmaal Again’ Hits the Box Office Like a Tsunami

Golmaal Again, the latest Bollywood entertainer, has taken the box office by storm with a collection of Rs 30.14 Crore on opening day alone in India. The film’s overseas earnings are pretty impressive too at Rs 7.61 Crore on opening day. Believe it or not, this brings the Rohit Shetty flick at number two in Bollywood’s top 5 openers of the year so far.

Read The Quint’s full report here.

4. Producers Guild Hails CBFC For Allowing ‘Mersal’ a Contrarian View

The Producers Guild of India has lauded the censor board for allowing the makers of Tamil movie Mersal, the Vijay starrer that has been in the news for comments critical of GST and Digital India, to express themselves with freedom. The film released in theatres on October 18 and its makers faced stringent opposition from the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP, which demanded removal of specific dialogues.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild of India, said in a statement:

We applaud the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) for standing by the freedom of expression of the filmmakers of Mersal, and for permitting them to air contrarian opinions on current issues voiced by certain characters in their film.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild of India

Read The Quint’s full report here.

5. Akshay Kumar Honours Slain Jawans on Diwali With a Humble Gesture

Akshay Kumar ends a humble Diwali gift to the families of 103 slain soldiers. (Photo courtesy: Twitter)

Akshay Kumar gave the families of 103 slain policemen and army personnel in Maharshtra a reason to smile this Diwali by contributing more than Rs 25 lacs as a token of his appreciation for their service towards the country. This was made possible courtesy an initiative taken jointly by a senior IPS officer and the actor himself.

We made a list of martyred policemen and military/paramilitary personnel belonging to Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune rural and Solapur rural region. When Akshay Kumar got to know of this initiative, he also decided to join. Akshay recently sent me a photograph of a small girl weeping beside the coffin of her father. When I broached the subject of helping the slain policemen’s families, the actor promptly decided to chip in. Akshay Kumar sent a cheque of Rs 25,000 and a signed letter to each of the families which we delivered. We are happy that our initiative has made the Diwali of the martyrs families sweeter.

Vishwas Nangre Patil, Kolhapur range IGP

Read The Quint’s full report here.