Veteran artiste Raghubir Yadav’s Om Ka Hari recently released in theatres. While speaking about the film in an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, he also touched upon the success of his long-running web show Panchayat, which has already had four seasons with the fifth one in the making.

Yadav said that he could instantly relate with Panchayat when he was offered the first season since he has lived in such a scenario closely. “I have stayed in a village where there was no school,” he said. “My nanaji (maternal uncle) then made a school over there. I studied there. I have seen sarpanch and everyone over there; it was a beautiful atmosphere. Over there, I didn’t feel anyone was like a villain. People used to go about their lives in their own ways. They picked others’ mistakes but never wished anything bad happens to anyone.”

It was also the language of the script that impressed Yadav. “It was beautifully written. The language of Panchayat is so real that it doesn’t appear caricature. If they had made it caricature-ish, it wouldn’t have been such fun. Because of this, families are watching this show together. Kids are amazed to see this era,” he said.

The team of Panchayat, as Yadav said, didn’t think much about the response before the release of the first season. When asked how sure they were about the show’s success, Yadav said, “It was around 55%. Definitely more than 50%. We hadn’t thought about it becoming a hit. We just felt that this is a very rare kind of a show. We realized that if we didn’t make it like a caricature comedy and be truthful to it without making it look like acting, then it can become impressive. We managed to do that. We kept that atmosphere alive and that’s why people started liking it.”

Yadav has played various characters in his decades long career. About his selection criteria over the years, he said, “It should be something I have never done before. It should challenge me. I don’t enjoy if I am able to do it easily. It should give me sleepless nights (laughs). Doobne mein maza aata hai mujhe.”

When asked how he looks back at his enormous journey, the veteran said, “I just kept on learning. I didn’t think about reaching any goal because once you achieve it, it’s the end for you. I just felt like learning and having fun with it.”

Created by The Viral Fever, Panchayat also stars Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Sanvikaa, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy among others.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Raghubir Yadav on the personal reason for choosing Om Ka Hari, “I have stayed in UP, MP and Bihar villages and seen such conflicts”; also shares his simple yet effective role selection criteria

Rohed Khan’s stint in the Bigg Boss 20 house may have come to an end, but the contestant walked out with words of appreciation from none other than host Salman Khan. Rohed has become the first contestant to be eliminated from the season.

As Rohed prepared to bid farewell to the house, Salman Khan acknowledged his journey and appreciated the way he carried himself during his time on the show. Salman praised Rohed for maintaining his dignity through the highs and lows of the Bigg Boss experience.

Addressing him, Salman said, “Job well done. Well played with dignity. Your are a good man.”

The appreciation made Rohed’s final moments on the show particularly meaningful. During his stint, he found himself navigating changing equations, nominations and different dynamics inside the house, while getting the opportunity to showcase his personality to the audience.

The farewell also turned into a memorable exchange when Rohed opened up about his desire to work with Salman in the future. Expressing his admiration for the superstar, Rohed said, “I really want to work with you.”

Salman’s response left the door open for a possible collaboration someday. Salman Khan told Rohed, “One day we will work.”

The encouraging exchange added an emotional touch to Rohed’s exit and gave his Bigg Boss journey a positive closing moment.

Although his Bigg Boss 20 journey has concluded, Rohed’s exit was marked by Salman’s appreciation for the way he conducted himself with dignity. With Salman Khan's words of encouragement and the possibility of working together in the future, Rohed left the show on a memorable note.

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Bigg Boss 20 contestant Kanika Mann received a special shoutout from Sidharth Malhotra during the latest Weekend Ka Vaar episode. The actor, who appeared on the show with Tamannaah Bhatia to promote their upcoming film The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, spoke to the contestants and had a few words of appreciation for Kanika.

During his interaction with the housemates, Sidharth praised Kanika's personality and the way she has been conducting herself inside the Bigg Boss house. He referred to her as a “true alpha” and also revealed that his mother has been following her journey on the reality show.

The shoutout came as Kanika continues to navigate the various equations and disagreements inside the Bigg Boss house. The actress has frequently expressed her opinions during conversations with fellow contestants and has been involved in several discussions as the season progresses.

Sidharth's mention of his mother watching Kanika's journey added a personal touch to the interaction. His appreciation also gave Kanika a moment of recognition during the Weekend Ka Vaar episode.

Meanwhile, Sidharth and Tamannaah appeared on the show as part of the promotions for The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest. Their appearance included interactions with Salman Khan and the contestants, with Kanika's shoutout emerging as one of the highlights for the actress.

For Kanika, the moment marked a notable interaction with Sidharth, particularly after the actor acknowledged her presence and personality on the show.

Nikkhil Advani began his career as an assistant director before making a smashing directorial debut with Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). After helming several significant films, he switched gears and carved a niche for himself in the OTT space with shows like Mumbai Diaries, Freedom at Midnight and the recently released The Revolutionaries. He has also produced acclaimed shows such as The Empire, Rocket Boys and Adhura, along with films like Airlift (2016) and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway (2023), further adding to his impressive body of work. In a recent interview, Nikkhil opened up like never before about his family migrating from Sindh during the Partition and also spoke about how younger generations are reacting to his films.

After Kal Ho Naa Ho, Nikkhil Advani’s next directorial was Salaam-E-Ishq (2007), followed by Chandni Chowk To China (2009). The latter, starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, didn’t receive a favourable response from the audience at the time. However, Nikkhil revealed that Gen Z viewers have since appreciated the film, with many even asking him to make a sequel to Chandni Chowk To China.

Nikkhil Advani told Mumbai Mirror, “The people asking me for a Chandni Chowk sequel today were four years old when it was released (laughs). They didn’t care about narrative structure; they just saw Akshay Kumar [who plays a chef in the film] fighting a giant potato and somehow it worked for them.”

In the same interview, the acclaimed filmmaker revealed that in the summer of 1947, just before the Partition, his great-grandfather flew with his whole family from Sindh to Mumbai, before the former became a part of Pakistan.

Nikkhil Advani also revealed that during the journey, his grandfather carried a heavy money belt strapped around his waist. The money was not his savings. According to the article, “He worked for Habib Bank, which was shifting its headquarters to Karachi at Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s behest”. Hence, he was entrusted to deliver the cash to its Bombay branch. And his grandfather "handed over every rupee".

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Lyricist Sameer had a conversation with Komal Nahta and spoke about the banners and filmmakers he particularly enjoyed working with over the years. Sameer said, “I had a wonderful time working with Yash Chopra and his production house. I haven’t done a lot of work with them; I wrote songs for Aaina (1993), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dhoom (2004), Dhoom 2 (2006) and Dhoom 3 (2013). Unke yahaan kaam karne ka mazaa hai kyunki bahut sensibility ke saath kaam hota hai. While working with them, you’d feel like you are a part of their family. They understand cinema, the craft, lyrics, poetry, etc.”

Sameer continued, “I wrote 3 films for B R Chopra – Kal Ki Awaz (1992), Baghban (2003) and Baabul (2006). I can’t tell you the contribution of Chopra saab during Baghban. I had a good time working with Karan Johar. I only did two films with him – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Lekin jo kaam karne ki samajh uss aadmi mein hai, khaas kar music ko leke, it's praiseworthy.”

Sameer revealed, “At one point, Jatin-Lalit almost quit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. They were pressurized by the presence so many stars of different generations. I told them, ‘Yeh film aap log mat chodo. Bas Karan ko follow karo’. That’s what I did. The song ‘Say Shava Shava’ was difficult as it had so many actors – Amit ji bhi hai, Jaya ji bhi hai, Shah Rukh bhi hai, Rani bhi hai, Kajol bhi hai. But that man (Karan Johar) narrates so minutely that it became very easy. Mujhe pata bhi nahin chala maine Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ke gaane kab likh diye!”

Sameer then started, “The first song of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was released, was, ‘Tum Paas Aaye, Yun Muskuraaye’. David Dhawan heard the song. He called and told me, ‘Bada ganda gaana likha hai tune, yaar. Meri picture mein aisa gaana likhna mat’ (laughs)! I asked him, ‘Teri picture ka gaana hai? Tu kyun pareshan ho raha hai? Jaane de na’. He said, ‘Meri film ke gaane bhi release hue hain. Uss film ke music ko khatam nahin kar diya toh tu mujhe bata’!”

The film David Dhawan mentioned was Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) and Sameer wrote the songs for it as well. Sameer added, “Both films (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan) were released on the same day and the songs of both the movies were blockbusters.”

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Lyricist Sameer had a conversation with Komal Nahta, during which he went down memory lane and shared several anecdotes related to prominent films and stars. He also spoke about the importance of music in cinema.

Sameer said, “A film can become a hit even without a song. For example, a film like Kanoon (1960) did work. But viewers will go to watch such films once. Film ki repeat value gaana hota tha. Once you see the film and know it story, toh aap baar baar kya wohi dekhne jaoge? During Aashiqui (1990), I witnessed viewers entering the theatre to see the song. Once the song would end, they would go out, have tea and then come back again to catch the next song. They had calculated the gap between the two songs and would enter the theatre accordingly! Imagine the importance of music. Also, in the 90s, we gave maximum hits with newcomers. Phool Aur Kaante (1991) was Ajay Devgn’s first film. Kya music tha uss film ka.”

He then spoke about music director Nadeem Saifi of Nadeem-Shravan fame, “Nadeem saw Ajay Devgn and told director Kuku Kohli, ‘Isko mat leke aana. Mujhe depression ho jaayega. How will we be inspired to write songs? Tumko yehi ek actor mila tha.’ But when he saw him in the film, he congratulated him. He accepted that (he made a mistake). I don’t know if Kuku ever told Ajay about this episode!”

Sameer continued, “That’s how Nadeem is. He would not mince words. Ramesh Sippy offered a film to us, Zamaana Deewana (1995; starring Shah Rukh Khan and Raveena Tandon). We did the film eventually. Ramesh ji narrated the film to us for 2 ½ hours and then asked him, ‘Nadeem bhai, kaisa laga?’. Any other person would hesitate, especially when sitting in front of such a big director. But Nadeem told him, ‘Aisi wahiyaad kahani maine nahin suni’ (laughs)!”

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Hema Malini recently opened up about changing trends of stardom and also touched upon being dignified while ageing gracefully. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, she said, “Today there is too much exposure. We were never exposed like this. Now, before stepping out of the house, an actor has to think about what to wear, what bag to carry, how to walk, because somebody is photographing you from every angle. You go to the airport and people immediately click photographs with their mobile phones. Even if you’re not dressed properly, nobody cares. The picture is everywhere.”

She also remarked, “Youngsters today want quick fame. For publicity, they are ready to do anything. We never had to do all that. We worked for 60 or 70 days on a film and then waited to see the result on screen. I always knew I had done my best. Whether the film became a hit or not was a different matter.”

We are living in times of cosmetic procedures are fairly common. Hema Malini endorsed the idea but with terms and conditions.

She remarked, “Ageing gracefully is very important because you have to maintain yourself. If there is something genuinely necessary for your appearance, one can definitely try it. As long as you are in the public eye, you have to be presentable. That’s all. But don’t overdo anything.”

She then added, “Even if you wear something simple, be dignified. Women should dress up nicely. They don’t have to expose too much. Nowadays, young girls expose so much. Being a woman and being a mother, I don’t like it. It really hurts.”

Two weeks before this interview, Hema Malini, in a rare instance, revealed why she had declined Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), admitting that she was uncomfortable with the bold portrayal of the female lead.

She revealed, “After Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), I always wanted to work with Raj Kapoor saab again. After some years, he wanted me to do Satyam Shivam Sundaram. But he himself told me, ‘I know you won’t do it.’ I told him that I would love to work under his direction, but I wouldn’t be able to do this film.”

Also Read: Hema Malini opens up about life after Dharmendra’s passing; says, “I’m living with his memories”