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Katrina Kaif has become the most popular celebrity on WhatsApp Channels with a whopping 15.3 million subscribers

Katrina Kaif has become the most popular celebrity on WhatsApp Channels with a whopping 15.3 million subscribers. She is now ahead of singer-rapper Bad Bunny and Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta. While Bad Bunny has 13.2 million followers, Zuckerberg’s channel boasts 10.2 million followers. Katrina Kaif, in a show of gratitude, shared, “All heart for all 15M of you!” She launched her channel in early September, with an announcement on Instagram where she promised to share updates on her latest films, projects, collaborations, and personal news with her audience. The actor is set to be seen in the next edition of the Tiger franchise, along with Salman Khan.

Corruption before certification?

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting yesterday ordered an immediate inquiry into Tamil actor Vishal’s allegations that he had to pay R6.5 lakh to the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) Mumbai office for the screening and certification of the Hindi version of his film, Mark Antony. Vishal levelled the allegations on social media. “The issue of corruption in CBFC brought forth by actor @VishalKOfficial is extremely unfortunate. The government has zero tolerance for corruption, and the strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved,” the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting wrote.

Offering prayers

Anupam Kher arrived at the holy city of Ayodhya, often called the ‘City of Ram’, to offer his prayers at the Hanuman Garhi temple in Uttar Pradesh. Taking to his X account, the star wrote: “With the blessings of Lord Ram, I, for the first time have gotten the chance to come to Ayodhya (sic).” Other actors, including Akshay Kumar and Tamil megastar Rajinikanth, have also turned up at Ayodhya to offer their respect. Rajinikanth celebrated the success of his film, Jailer, during his arrival.

Hassa toh phassa

Suniel Shetty, who will be seen in the upcoming season of the show titled Star vs Food Survival, has shared his experience of working with his co-star Sanjay Dutt and celebrity chef Ranveer Brar. Shetty dubbed Dutt’s sense of humour “unreal”. “It is always amazing with Sanjay Dutt. His sense of humour is unreal. We are friends who get along really well and are very comfortable with each other. The entire set gets comfortable when we’re shooting together. Sanjay is large-hearted and says things the way they are”. The actors have shared the screen in films like LOC: Kargil, Dus, and Kaante.

Next work

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja says she will start working on her next feature film, an adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s novel, Battle for Bittora, in 2024. Her sister, producer Rhea Kapoor, had bought rights to the 2010 book of the same name. The film will be made under their banner, Anil Kapoor Films Company. Published in 2010, Battle for Bittora follows the story of an animation expert, who finds herself contesting elections in Bittora opposite an ex-royal.

Sood, at a puncture repair shop

Actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood, who is currently shooting for his upcoming action thriller Fateh, has extended his support to the local business of a puncture repair shop near Hyderabad, and he himself tried his hand at repairing one. Taking to Instagram yesterday, he shared a reel wherein he can be seen in conversation with the owner of the puncture repair shop. “Today we are near Hyderabad, and here we are in the puncture repair shop of Mohd Anwar. Kabse aap puncture bana rahe ho?” he asks, to which the shopkeeper replies: “Two years.” While making casual conversation with the shopkeeper, he makes a plea to people to extend support to small businesses. “Humari puncture ki dukaan #supportsmallbusiness,” he tagged his video, which was well-received by fans. Fans responded by calling him ‘Gareebo ke masiha’ and a ‘real hero’. A few days ago, Sood extended support to a local sugarcane juice business in the United States. His next, Fateh, is based on cyber-crime, and is set in Amritsar. 

Clean slate

Bollywood stars Rajkummar Rao, Manushi Chhillar and Saiyami Kher brought some celebrity heft to the Juhu beach clean-up drive yesterday, a day after hundreds of Ganesh idols were immersed in the sea. The Cleanathon 2.0 2023 Ocean Waste Management event saw celebrities joining volunteers and locals to collect debris littered across the vast expanse of the famous waterfront. “This is a very important initiative. I come here for walks, so it feels nice to be greeted by a clean beach. Today, I got an opportunity to participate in it myself,” Rao said. 

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