Sunita Williams gets a musical birthday gift from India in space

Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Hariharan

Calling Bae, again

A lot more from Bella, aka Bae's journalistic world, is set to unfold on screen again as Prime Video announced that Ananya Panday's show will return with a second edition. "We're stoked to announce that we're working on developing the second season of Call Me Bae," producer Karan Johar said in a statement. "The first season has been a game changer for us, and we're grateful for all the love and appreciation it has garnered from audiences across the globe. It's been an absolute privilege to be a part of this journey, seeing the show go from script to screen and finally revel in immense love from viewers." In her debut web series, Panday played the role of a wealthy Delhi woman who is forced to start life afresh after a scandal affects her marriage. Ishita Moitra's show also features Vir Das, Gurfateh Pirzada, Varun Sood, and Vihaan Samat.

Stranger things?

American astronaut Sunita Williams, who is currently on a space mission, received a heartwarming gift on her 59th birthday. Yesterday, a music company shared a collaborative reel featuring music stalwarts Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Hariharan, and Neeti Mohan, along with producer-director Karan Johar. "Come on, India, let's sing #HappyBirthdaySunita along with India's biggest icons and send our collective wishes to astronaut Sunita Williams up in space," read the caption. In the video, the artistes rendered Mohammed Rafi's classic song, Happy birthday, Sunita. Veteran musician Shankar Mahadevan also took to social media to share his wishes. "We are all waiting for your safe return back to planet Earth," he wrote.

A full package

While jokes about her redundancy make up a large part of the script of The Great Indian Kapil Show, Archana Puran Singh, says comedian Sunil Grover, has a profound understanding of humour and the human psyche. "She is a brilliant actress, and has done all kinds of roles. She is a full package. Her understanding of humour and the human psyche is [at] another level. For us, as performers on the show, this quality becomes a privilege because we know that we can make a joke of any genre, and she will still catch it," said Grover, who is gearing up for the release of the second season of the streaming sketch comedy offering. The second season - which will kick off with the team of the upcoming movie, Jigra, comprising Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, and Karan Johar - drops on September 21.

Bickering saas-bahu in 2024?

With the OTT boom redefining the way decades-old content is being revived, veteran filmmaker Sachin Pilgaonkar revisited the idea of presenting his 1994 iconic show, Tu Tu Main Main, for the web space. Pilgaonkar, who is gearing up for the release of his film, Navra Maza Navsacha 2, disregarded the idea of recreating the show for television, considering that today, people enjoy "daily soaps", while his was a weekly release. "A daily soap cannot carry such humour unless it [is made for the] OTT platform, as a limited series. I would love to bring it on OTT in my own way. The first casting that comes to my mind is Surpiya [Pilgaonkar's wife] as the saas now, and not as the bahu," he said.

Lips sealed

Anupamaa actor Rupali Ganguly avoided answering questions about her former co-star Sudhanshu Pandey, who essayed the role of her ex-husband Vanraj Shah in the family drama. Asked if she missed working with Pandey, who exited the show in August, Ganguly simply walked out of the camera frame. Pandey, on his part, has also been asked about the reason behind his departure, a subject he has also seemingly brushed under the carpet. Rumour mills were abuzz with news that Ganguly had played a role in his exit from the popular television show, but the Band of Boys member had simply stated that he wished to explore other opportunities.

Coldplay back again

British rock band Coldplay is bringing their Music of the Spheres world tour to India in 2025. They previously performed in the country in 2016 as part of the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. The upcoming concert will mark Coldplay's first-ever solo act in India. In October 2015, the Chris Martin-fronted band shot their music video, Hymn for the weekend, at several locations in Mumbai, Vasai, and Kolkata. The track also featured actor Sonam Kapoor. As part of the tour, they have performed in Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America, and Australia in the last two years. The band's members also include Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion.

Tricks up his sleeve

Amitabh Bachchan took to social media to share a trick that he learnt from his co-star, Shashi Kapoor. A new video shared by the makers of the quiz-based reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Big Bachchan, shows the veteran actor telling a contestant a method to recall the names of people one interacts with at social gatherings. "I learnt this trick from Shashi Kapoor, years ago. If he [couldn't recall the name of a person], he would introduce himself first, saying, ‘Hello, I'm Shashi Kapoor'. This would make the other person feel obliged to share their name," he said on the show, to the amusement of his fans. Meanwhile, on the work front, Bachchan will be seen sharing the screen with Tamil megastar Rajinikanth in Vettaiyan.