Latest news with #InsideEdge
News18
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Abhishek Banerjee Knew Siddhant Chaturvedi Had A Spark Even Before Gully Boy
Last Updated: Abhishek Banerjee noted that Siddhant Chaturvedi embodies a new generation of Bollywood actors who blend style with depth and aren't afraid to take bold creative risks. Abhishek Banerjee, known for his compelling performances and experience as a casting director, recently shared his thoughts on rising talent in the entertainment industry. Speaking fondly of Siddhant Chaturvedi, Banerjee described him as a standout performer, someone he considers a rare find with the potential to leave a lasting mark in the industry. In conversation with Raj Shamani, Abhishek Banerjee said, 'Siddhant Chaturvedi is my rarest find. I'll take his name because he has given very important performances. We cast him in Inside Edge as the character of a Dalit bowler — and that choice is deliberate and important to highlight." Expressing his admiration further for Chaturvedi, Banerjee said, 'The first time I saw him, I knew there is something remarkable about this man. Siddhant who is a hero today, and imagined in all different stylish, glamorous roles — we had envisioned him as a lower-caste sportsman, someone who was oppressed and bullied." Banerjee added that Siddhant Chaturvedi represents a refreshing new wave in Bollywood — performers who blend style with substance and aren't afraid to push creative boundaries. He recalled first casting Chaturvedi in a Coca-Cola commercial, followed by a role in Inside Edge, before the actor went on to earn widespread acclaim for his breakout performance in Gully Boy. This endorsement only fuels the excitement surrounding Chaturvedi, whose upcoming projects are already generating buzz. He is set to star in Dhadak 2 opposite Triptii Dimri, and will also appear alongside Jaya Bachchan and Wamiqa Gabbi in the comedy Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling. Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee continues to make his own mark in cinema, best known for his role in the Stree franchise. His recent film Stolen has earned global attention, breaking into the top 10 trending films on Prime Video in both India and the United States. First Published:
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Tanuj Virwani on being robbed by his 10 year-old-spot boy: I have a baby at home, it's scary
'This is a deeply upsetting moment for me,' says Tanuj Virwani as he got robbed by his spot boy of 10 years. 'He wasn't just my spot boy. He was like family. He's been with us since 2015–2016, from the Inside Edge days. He lived with us, ate with us, travelled with us. I've always treated everyone equally at home—whether it's staff or family, that line was never drawn,' adds Tanuj. The actor explains that things began to feel off when items started disappearing from their home. 'It started with a jacket, then a couple of my dad's expensive watches. We had just come back from a trip to the UK, and some of the currency we brought back went missing too. We're not the kind of family that locks things up at home. There's always been a basic sense of trust,' says the 38-year-old actor. What made the situation worse was learning that the spot boy had developed a drinking problem and was selling stolen items to feed his addiction. 'It's not just the material loss, it's the betrayal. I have a baby daughter, my wife, my mother—all living in this house. You can't have someone under the influence, stealing things, around your family. It's frightening,' says the actor. Tanuj added that the betrayal shook the sense of security they had in their own home, especially after recent Saif Ali Khan stabbing incident which heightened many safety concerns. 'We live in a stand-alone bungalow in Juhu. It's not a gated community. Every day you read about crime in the papers—when it's someone inside your own home, it hits differently.' He further adds, 'It does feel like a personal loss. I'm an only child, and I tend to form close bonds. He travelled with me everywhere—London, Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok. I got his passport made. I've always treated him with respect and affection. I'm more upset and let down than I am angry.' The matter has been reported to the police. Tanuj explains that while he was out for work, his father coordinated with law enforcement: 'They found foreign currency, perfumes, and other stolen items in his bag. The watches haven't been recovered yet, but from what I hear, he's admitting to things. He's currently at the police station, being interrogated.' Despite what happened, Tanuj says the decision to bring in additional security isn't something they're rushing into. 'We're a very normal, middle-class-rooted family. We don't have private security. We just have to be more cautious going forward. When we do hire new staff, it has to be the right fit—someone trustworthy.' Wrapping up he says, 'I don't want a quick-fix replacement who becomes a bigger problem. We'll be okay. But this has definitely been a rough patch.'
News18
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Tanuj Virwani Files Complaint After Trusted Spot Boy Caught Stealing From Home
Last Updated: Actor Tanuj Virwani revealed how he caught his spot-boy stealing personal belongings and handed him over to the police. Tanuj Virwani's 10-year-old spot boy has been caught stealing personal belongings from the actor's Mumbai residence. The Inside Edge actor recently opened up about the shocking incident, revealing how the thefts went unnoticed for months. It wasn't until Tanuj and his family noticed that things were going missing one by one. Later, some of the stolen goods were recovered from the spot boy's bag. In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Tanuj revealed, 'Of late, we had been noticing that a lot of items in our home, starting from the currency of other countries where we travelled or other expensive items like watches and stuff have just been going missing. To be honest, we aren't the kind of family who prefers keeping CCTV at home. We ideally believe in trusting our people." The Rana Naidu 2 actor went on to reveal that the spot boy had a lot of access to the things. 'We believe in trusting our staff, and we believe in treating them like our family. We don't discriminate. So, when we found out, we went through his bags and we got to recover some items. However, many items like watches and other stuff haven't been recovered yet." After the theft came to light, Tanuj Virwani's family approached the Mumbai Police, who quickly swung into action and are currently investigating the matter, with the spot boy being questioned. 'I believe it is truly the best police in the world and they were swift to come in and take action. As of now, they are going to be interrogating him," he revealed. Reflecting on the incident, Tanuj Virwani emphasised the importance of being vigilant, saying, 'Well, we have to be a lot more mindful. To be honest, what happened earlier this year in the whole Saif Ali Khan case was a massive eye-opener. It doesn't matter how good your society or building security is. Sometimes, the traitors can just be in your very home." On the work front, Tanuj Virwani made his debut in Bollywood with the film Luv U Soniyo in 2013. He has since worked in films like Purani Jeans, One Night Stand and Yodha. Now, the actor is gearing up for the release of his upcoming web series Rana Naidu 2, alongside Rana Daggubati.
NDTV
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Rana Naidu Season 2 Review: Rana Daggubati's Show Blows Hot And Cold
New Delhi: Absolutely nothing in the murky world of Rana Naidu is played with a straight bat, but Season 2 of the crime drama series adapted for India by Karan Anshuman (think an admixture of his Inside Edge and Mirzapur), rustles up a piquant alchemy of crime and cricket although it is low blows and upper cuts in a shady fight club that it kicks off with. The principal antagonist, Mumbai gangster Rauf Mirza (Arjun Rampal), uses a cricket bat to batter his foes. He declares that the straight drive is his favourite stroke. That, as it transpires, does not prove to be enough for him – and Rana Naidu Season 2 – to hit the ball out of the park. That is not all the cricket that there is in the show. Alia Oberoi (Kriti Kharbanda in her web debut), only daughter of unscrupulous movie studio owner Viraj Oberoi (Rajat Kapoor), sets out to buy a fictional T20 cricket team. Her brother, Chirag (Tanuj Virwani), stands in her way. The gentleman's game is, however, only of peripheral significance. It serves to tangentially underscore the gender-skewed dynamics of a wealthy business family and 'expose' (for whatever it is worth) the seamier side of franchise cricket (as Inside Edge did at length). Politics, too, is accorded the same sort of oblique and perfunctory treatment in Rana Naidu Season 2, directed by Anshuman, Suparn S Varma and Abhay Chopra. An electoral rivalry takes shape between a self-serving neta and a dreaded mafia don, but the contest and its repercussions are mere detours to be glossed over. The gangster, with a fiercely loyal vote bank, uses the smarmy politician (Rajesh Jais) – the one that the show's protagonist owed allegiance to in Season 1 – to get him out of prison. He promptly sets himself up as the benefactor's political opponent. The poll battle never comes to pass. The movie and music industries, too, find their way into the action-packed but inert narrative set in a dog-eat-dog world. But like so much else in the show, they only hover in the background. Rana Naidu Season 2 piles cliché upon tattered cliché. The brooding anti-hero, played with sustained intensity by Rana Daggubati, resolves to put his past behind him, secure the future of his family and drag himself out of the quagmire of hatchet jobs that he hitherto undertook for scandal-hit celebrity clients. 'One last job' that he agrees to accept triggers a full-fledged battle. His adversaries include the crime lord and the movie mogul. Neither is easy to tame and Rana isn't one to shy away from a bust-up. Firearms, hammers, all manner of projectiles and foul language are freely used as these men slug it out. A 'Sultan's sword' has pride of place under Viraj Oberoi's portrait in the tycoon's living room. Once the audience is made aware of the scimitar early in the show, it is easy to guess that the prized possession is destined for a larger role. Violence escalates, the emotional stakes rise as domestic strife is aggravated by the appearance of a divorced man, Naveen (Dino Morea), in the life of Rana's wife Naina (Surveen Chawla), and his ties with his brothers, Tej (Sushant Singh) and Jaffa (Abhishek Banerjee), are pushed to snapping point. And, not to forget, there is Rana's pesky father Naga Naidu (Venkatesh Daggubati). He is in debt and danger. He owes money to Anjali (Heeba Shah), the queen of a scrapyard. She threatens to kill the errant man if he does not pay up. Naga Naidu scrambles to save his skin. His son is in no mood to help out. The payoffs from these emotional conflicts and physical confrontations never feel adequate. The twists and turns play out in a largely arbitrary manner, leaving gaps that prove hard to plug. The flare-ups occur in order to take the 'story' forward rather than help ground the key players and their impulses in relatable contexts. Even when the clashes (or negotiations) are between Rana and his family or between Viraj Oberoi and his two warring children, they do not hit home hard enough. That is not to say that the writing team of Karan Anshuman, Karmanya Ahuja, Ananya Mody, Ryan Soares and Karan Gour is completely out of its depth. The eight episodes aren't devoid of passages that work. If only there were more, the show might have achieved a firmer balance between the visceral and the emotive, between the over-the-top and the routine. The principal characters progress from where they left. The issues festering between Rana and Naina come to a head. The latter gives Rana an ultimatum, 'I don't think I can live like this anymore.' The husband promises to mend his ways. That is easier said than done. Tej, a former stuntman dealing with the onset of Parkinson's, finds love. He dreams of a happy life with Ana (Ishita Arun). The youngest of the Naidu siblings, Jaffa, also falls in love. Tasneem (Aditi Shetty), a go-getting girl in Tej's film stunts agency, is just the partner that the scarred boy needs. Rauf has his own 'family' – his gang members and supporters – to stand up for. He seeks to avenge the killing of a trusted aide. Rana vows to keep his children out of harm's way. His daughter Nitya (Afrah Sayed) witnesses a brutal double murder that lands her in trouble. Rana Daggubati as the brooding, inscrutable 'fixer for the stars' who is now more focussed than ever before on fixing his personal problems and doing the 'daddy things' he was deprived of, fleshes out conflicted family man of action to perfection. Venkatesh Daggubati sails through his role without breaking a sweat. As evil personified, Arjun Rampal finds, with a bit of help from the script, the human core of a man with almost no redeeming features. Unlike in Season 1, the women here have some elbow room. Surveen Chawla as a troubled wife who gives no quarters, Kriti Kharbanda as an entrepreneur who holds her own in a world that her father and brother want to shut her out of, Afrah Sayed as a girl traumatised by bloodshed and Aditi Shetty as Jaffa's steely girlfriend, make an impact in what is otherwise a lopsidedly male universe. For all that is going for it, Rana Naidu Season 2 is a letdown. It blows hot and cold. The performances and the plot sleights might have added up to much more than they eventually do had the show not been as inconsistent. Its flurry of punches delivers more sound than sting.
Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Rana Naidu, Mirzapur, Inside Edge director Karan Anshuman feels cinema has become predictable: ‘There's a legacy which streaming was unshackled by'
Karan Anshuman began his career with his least successful project yet. Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat-starrer 2015 black comedy Bangistan didn't quite take off at the box office. But producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani then gave Anshuman the task of helming Prime Video India's maiden original series Inside Edge in 2017, and there was no looking back from that. Over the next eight years, Anshuman found his groove with three seasons of Inside Edge and Mirzapur each. He branched out of Prime Video India and Excel Entertainment in 2023 with the hugely popular Netflix India action thriller show Rana Naidu. He's not only helmed season 2, but is also directing Glory, another series for Netflix India. Ahead of season 2, Anshuman talks to SCREEN in an exclusive interview about his brand of entertainment — hyperreal, rooted, and packed with action. With Inside Edge, Mirzapur, and Rana Naidu, you have a 100% success record on streaming. What do you think cinema can learn from streaming at this point? The one time I tried making a film, I didn't do well, did I? So, I wouldn't want to go around giving advice to people making films for theatre. I do feel films have become predictable in their form. A lot of formulas are applied because there's a legacy, which streaming was unshackled by when it started. Someone has to just disrupt that idea of 'I know what's gonna happen next'. Because people love to predict the next line and say the dialogue before the actor says it even though they're watching the film for the first time. That disruption is really required. All your shows are rooted in a particular milieu, that being a Hyderabadi family based out of Mumbai in the case of Rana Naidu. How do you crack the local nuances? That's actually the most fun part of the job, to create that world, that universe on paper and then just go for it. I do a lot of research in terms of the world we're trying to create and I sink deep into it. That provides the basis of everything. Then you start layering it with interesting characters, the big issues, and see how you take those relationships further. What we're doing with Glory is next is also very interesting and unique in that sense. Another commonality between all your shows is they border on excess. There are larger-than-life characters, gruesome action, and expletives. How do you decide you can push it this far and not beyond? You actually say those lines out loud and you feel it out a little bit. You hear real people say stuff like that all the time. I don't think any of it is outside of reality. There's a certain rhythm to it that makes it real. You just got to have the ear. That's the skill, I guess. You just need to know if something is sounding authentic or not. Then you make it hyperreal in terms of pushing for the excess, in terms of shooting people down or stabbing them in the eye. You need to strike that balance between authenticity and a certain excess. Do you have it in you to make a romantic comedy ever? Every time I set out to make a rom-com, this is what happens. Actually, Rana Naidu started off as a rom-com. You know, a cute little family sitcom, and then the characters suddenly start doing things (laughs). Rana Naidu season 2 will drop on Netflix India this Friday on June 13.
