QuickE: Sonali Bendre Derives Strength From Son; ‘Dhadak’ Premiere

“The end of Dhadak is an ugly truth”, says Janhvi Kapoor; first look of Netflix’s ‘Narcos: Mexico’ revealed & more.

1. My Son is My Source of Strength: Sonali Bendre on Fighting Cancer

From the moment he was born 12 years, 11 months and 8 days ago, my amazing @rockbehl took ownership of my heart. From then on, his happiness and wellbeing have been the centre of anything @goldiebehl and I ever did. And so, when the Big C reared its ugly head, our biggest dilemma was what and how we were going to tell him. As much as we wanted to protect him, we knew it was important to tell him the full facts. We’ve always been open and honest with him and this time it wasn’t going to be different. He took the news so maturely… and instantly became a source of strength and positivity for me. In some situations now, he even reverses roles and takes on being the parent, reminding me of things I need to do! I believe that it’s imperative to keep kids involved in a situation like this. They are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. It’s important to spend time with them and include them, rather than make them wait on the side-lines, not being told yet instinctively knowing everything. In our effort to protect them from the pain and realities of life, we might end up doing the opposite. I’m spending time with Ranveer right now, while he’s on summer vacation. His madness and shenanigans help me #SwitchOnTheSunshine. And today, we derive strength from each other #OneDayAtATime

A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on Jul 18, 2018 at 11:29pm PDT

Sonali Bendre is fighting cancer, with her family standing strong by her side, and a smile on her face. She shared a post on Instagram with her son, Ranveer. The actor had recently cut her hair short, and now it is even shorter, presumably in preparation for chemotherapy. The actor made a case for involving kids, educating them and letting them in on the nature of the illness of near ones. She mentioned how she derives her strength from her son.

Sonali reveals how her son’s “madness and shenanigans” helped her “switch on the sunshine” at this difficult time.

Read more on The Quint.

2. ‘Dhadak’ Is Not a Typical Bollywood Saga: Janhvi Kapoor

She is set to make her debut with Dhadak, the Hindi adaptation of critically-acclaimed Marathi film Sairat that explored the themes of caste divide and honour killing, and Janhvi Kapoor says the movie is a cut above mainstream Bollywood which has mostly "glorified" the conflict.

Janhvi, daughter of late actor Sridevi, says the Shashank Khaitan-directed film, in which she plays a girl belonging to the erstwhile royal family based in Udaipur, is set against the backdrop of class divide. Janhvi, 21, says Dhadak is not a typical Bollywood saga that whitewashes the "harsh reality" that is still relevant. "... I feel up until this point, a lot of films in mainstream Bollywood have glorified that divide. Because it creates a sort of conflict - that 'I can't live without the love of my life'. I feel they have glorified that divide a little bit," says the debutante.

"But I think, it should be condemned and with Dhadak, we have set out to condemn it. That it's a harsh reality. Dhadak is not a Bollywood saga that ends with either the parents agreeing or typical, magnificent ending. It's an ugly truth," she adds.

Read more on The Quint.

3. Shahid Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit Attend Starry Premiere of ‘Dhadak’

Dhadak - the much awaited remake of the acclaimed Marathi film Sairat, premiered on Wednesday night. Close friends and family of the Dhadak team were spotted at this special screening in Mumbai. Ishaan’s brother Shahid Kapoor with wife Mira and Janhvi’s brother Arjun Kapoor along with other stars like Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Sonakshi Sinha attended the show and blessed the newcomers.

Take a look at the pictures from the Dhadak premiere here.

4. What ‘Taxi Driver’ Writer Schrader Has to Say About ‘Sacred Games’

American screenwriter Paul Schrader, known for working on Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, is watching India's first original Netflix series Sacred Games. Its English dubbed version reminded him of how tricky is the use of English language vulgarity, but he says he will now watch it in Hindi with subtitles.

Schrader wrote on Facebook: “Watching ‘Sacred Games’. I’m reminded how tricky is the use of English language vulgarity. The show is peppered with ‘motherf***ers’ and ‘c**ts’, but the rhythm is wrong, like school kids trying out grown up profanities. This is true not only of Indian movies but Indian slang in general. They know the English words but they don’t know the idiosyncratic rhythm behind their usage.

Read more on The Quint.

5. First Look at ‘Narcos: Mexico’ as the Show Moves in New Direction

Netflix’s hit series Narcos returns this year with a brand new setting and cast of characters. The first three seasons dealt with the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and his drug empire in Columbia. This new season is being called a “reset” and will depict the rise of the Guadalajara drug cartel in Mexico as an American DEA agent attempts to take them down. Netflix has released a new poster and the first set of stills from Narcos: Mexico.

Read more on The Quint.