The YouTube market is flooded with music videos. There are dime-a-dozen that release every week. But once in a while, comes one that rocks.
Jiss Waqt Tera Chehra starring newbie Deana Dia along with Karan Kundrra, has proven to be one such runaway hit. Lapped up instantly by fans and music aficionados, the video has received a roaring response on YouTube just in a few hours of its release.
“It’s a very thrilling feeling to be instantly appreciated,” quips an exuberant Deana. “I was confident about it right from the start as the entire team had put in great efforts, but the runaway success is surely something that has taken me by pleasant surprise,” adds the actress.
Deana who plays heartthrob Karan Kundra’s love interest, carries herself with great elan and aplomb. The romantic video of Jiss Waqt Tera Chehra depicts her gallivanting in Dubai, as Karan is seen singing her praises, while reminiscing about her. The song has a scintillating melody which rings in the ears even after one has seen the video.
Shot at some breathtaking locales in Dubai, the video is produced by Pravin Patel under the prestigious banner of PM Films and Production. The song is rendered by Amit Mishra and Tarannum Malik, has lyrics by Moied Elhaam, with the music composed by Sagar.
Jiss Waqt Tera Chehra is directed by Aman Prajapat and released by Zee Music (which is currently riding high on the success of hit songs from the Salman Khan starrer Radhe, as well as the numbers from the web series Broken But Beautiful 3).
Deana who started out as a fashionista and appeared in many commercials, is all set to appear in more videos and also enter Bollywood. And we’re quite sure she’ll go a long way.
Actress Deana Dia who will soon be making a splash in Bollywood has given us a stunning jhalak in the recently released first look poster of her music video Jiss Waqt Tera Chehra.
The video which stars her with heartthrob Karan Kundrra is about to be released on the 30th of May. Its poster this week has already got netizens intrigued about Deana.
Dressed in a simple light blue denim outfit, the gorgeous Deana radiates confidence and poise in the poster. Looking straight into the camera, her cool pose exudes coolness and self-belief, pepping up the anticipation for the video and her acting career ahead.
Shot at some breathtaking locales in Dubai, the video is produced by Pravin Patel under the prestigious banner of PM Films and Production. Jiss Waqt Tera Chehra is directed by Aman Prajapat and will be released by Zee Music. The song is rendered by Amit Mishra and Tarannum Malik, has lyrics by Moied Elhaam, with the music composed by Sagar.
Deana who started out as a fashionista and appeared in many commercials, is now making her moves in the acting profession. And going by the looks of it, she seems to have a promising future.
Bollywood is one of the most competitive industries in the world. In order to maintain a good form and style, it becomes quite mandatory for most celebrities to look fit to make a style statement.
One such actress is Deana Dia who has earlier rocked the fashion industry and is all set to appear in the forthcoming movie Love Scope.
It can be safely claimed that Deana is one of the fittest celebrities in Bollywood. So what does she actually do to keep fit? Deana reveals, “I put on weight very easily. So for me, workout and diet are very important aspects in my day-to-day life.”
She explains that she follows cardio as well as weight training. “Cardio plays a very important role, in which I prefer running, zumba, spinning, cross training and even kick boxing and skipping at times. This helps me burn extra calories. But for a toned body, I love to do weight training.”
Deana divulges that for flexibility, she also does a mix of yoga and aerial yoga. “This helps my mind, body and soul to relax and rejuvenate.” As far as diet goes, she prefers homemade food, “but only with all nutritional values” she adds with a wink.
And now the big questions. Since all gyms are closed in lockdowns, how does she cope? “Well, lockdowns have had their effect in everyone’s life in different ways,” quips Deana.
“Since it’s difficult to replicate the complete gym atmosphere and setup at home, I’m not able to do high intense workouts and the regular variety of cardio and weight lifting. But I do manage with a lot of functional training, jogging and a bit of weights,” she says.
Last but not the least, Deana adds that during the lockdowns she has been focusing more on diet. “Because the intensity of workouts is less, it becomes all the more important to monitor the food intake and burn calories.”
Check out some of Deana Dia’s exercise videos below and get blown over by her dedication for fitness.
Diana Dia, who has been part of many-a-fashion-weeks and ad campaigns like McDonald’s, will soon be seen in one of the lead roles in the Hindi feature film Love Scope (a plot with a twist on Horoscopes).
Deana will be playing the role of a college-going stylish rich brat with lots of attitude to throw. After a successful stint in the modeling and fashion world, she finds it “flattering and humbling” to be welcomed in Bollywood.
“I’m most grateful that people in the film industry are putting their trust in me as a Bollywood actress. Really looking forward to play some meaty roles in the near future,” gushes Deana with a surge of enthusiasm and commitment.
Produced by Pravin Patel, Love Scope is being directed by award-winning writer-director Sunny Kumar, known primarily for his work in Gujarati cinema. Sunny has earlier directed popular Gujarati films like Dhan Dhatudi Patudi, Padkar and Jagya TyarThi Savar — India’s first movie based on organic farming.
In a few weeks from now, Deana will also be seen in a music video of an emotional romantic number. But more on that later.
Spunky stunner Anisha Victor who has been making waves as the hot-hot Kiara in Zee 5’s hit web series REJCTX directed by Goldie Behl, has landed the digital cover of Filmfare.
Looking dainty in a regal pose and having her REJCTX co-star Masi Wali giving her stellar company, Anisha seems to have done away with that feisty adventurous image she carries as Kiara in the series.
The cover has her looking all elegant which also made Filmfare post THIS on their Instagram: “Millennial love for the millennial generation! We introduce you to India’s hottest sweethearts – KiAarav, the leading pair Aarav Sharma (@MasiWali) & Kiara Tiwari (@AnishaVictor) of @zee5premium musical thriller #REJCTX2 (@rejctx.zee5) make a mark on the digital cover of #Filmfare. #ZEE5 Directed by @GoldieBehl #REJCTX.”
Not belonging to any film family, Anisha’s father is actually a Colonel in the Army and has lived all over India, including Delhi, Dehradun, Allahabad, Siliguri, Jodhpur, Jammu and Gangtok, before shifting base to Mumbai.
Anisha first impressed Bollywood when she played the possessed gal in Viacom Motion Pictures’ horror film The House Next Door. The film got her a lot of critical acclaim and made good business at the box-office. And she’s rocking in REJCTX now, with all that promise she holds. Yes, yes! We’re watching and tracking this new kid on the block.
If you are one of those who has been following Zee5 Originals’ hit series REJCTX directed by Goldie Behl, you’d know that lead actress Anisha Victor (who plays the spunky Kiara), makes quite an impact. With the recently released second season of REJCTX quickly catching on with the viewers, Anisha has her fingers crossed.
She’s the same girl who first left a stellar impression on Bollywood audiences when she played the vivacious possessed gal in Viacom Motion Pictures’ horror film The House Next Door. Releasing in three languages, the film too, was a hit and even earned rave reviews for her.
But Anisha hasn’t popped on to the glamour scene overnight. She’s gone through the grind, from being a marketing and sales trainee, to learning how to act, then modeling for some time, before stepping into movies and web series’.
Her father is a Colonel in the Indian Army and she has grown up travelling a lot. Born in Allahabad, she’s a Bachelor of Arts from Delhi and has also lived in places including Dehradun, Jammu, Jodhpur, Siliguri and Gangtok.
Shifting to Mumbai, she trained in sales and marketing for a Singapore-based office furniture company. Yes, she was learning to sell furniture, when she decided to shift gears and train in acting at the Barry John Acting School and also with actor-filmmaker and acting coach Neeraj Kabi.
Anisha has done ads for some top brands such as Cadbury, Sunsilk, Maruti, Foster’s, Flipkart, ICICI, Canon, Fastrack, OYO, Make My Trip and ITC Engage. She has even acted in an international movie The Line Of Descent with an ensemble cast, and starred in another web series called What’s your Status presented by Kingfisher Ultra Shorts.
What can we say! The girl has got on the showbiz bandwagon with a strong start. Let’s see if Anisha maintains the pace now. She is definitely one to watch out for.
For a simpleton from the city of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, to make her debut in a film starring megastar Amitabh Bachchan and the versatile Ayushmann Khurrana, is like a dream come true. That’s exactly how petite actress Ujali Raj feels after playing a role in Shoojit Sircar’s social satire Gulabo Sitabo. Released on Amazon Prime, the film has Big B and Khurrana enacting a tussle for ownership of a century-old dilapidated mansion.
“I am really grateful that I have got a chance to work with a prolific maker like Shoojit Sir and witness the magnificence of a stalwart like Mr Amitabh Bachchan and the multitalented Ayushmann Sir right in my first film,” says an excited Ujali. “It’s a lifetime opportunity and I just feel blessed its come my way,” says the pretty gal, glowing and beaming with enthusiasm.
Her exuberance is understandable, as Ujali even got a few scenes sharing some screen space with the Bollywood powerhouses of talent. She played one of Ayushmann’s growing sisters, Payal. But in the limited scope her modest role allowed, she made sure she registered her presence in the scenes, doing a fine job.
“To prepare for the part, I observed and interacted with some local girls from Lucknow. Visually too, I am looking different in the movie as I have dark makeup and my costumes involved loose fitting clothing,” she quips.
Ujali is not a novice to acting. Having graduated in Visual Communication and Theater Arts from Bangalore she has studied at drama school and has done theatre in Lucknow. She has performed important roles in several plays, including Twelfth Night, Nagamandala and Ashoka. Surprising her peers once, she even played a part where she was boldly projected as a bald girl.
She feels that her experience with theatre was an asset for bagging the role in Gulabo Sitabo. Ujali’s photographs exude freshness and charm, as if an abounding untapped talent is waiting to be discovered by Bollywood. She hopes that Gulabo Sitabo becomes a stepping stone for her to showcase her acting abilities further with more assignments. The bubbly sparkling newbie has her fingers crossed, and we wish her all the very best.
“All Bollywood actresses need to understand and accept that controversies are a ‘business’ for media. Only when they adapt, is when they will be able to take advantage of the situations media presents. Otherwise, they’ll risk resisting change, till a new generation comes and laps it up.” -Dale Bhagwagar
“Being a PR guy talking about ‘feminism’, may seem as if I am siding with some of my controversial hoity-toity Bollywood clients. However, I feel that people from the Indian film industry often objectify the word,” says Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar who has been a publicist to some of the grittiest female celebrities.
As a Bollywood public relations professional and a spokesperson to many celebrities, over the years you’ve worked with several female clients who have been scrutinized by the media in one way or the other. What was your journey like, working with women in the spotlight?
Luckily, I have had a chance to work with some of the boldest and strongest ladies in the industry. I don’t know why they have an affinity towards me, but over time, mostly all my PR clients have blindly trusted me while I have been in charge of their brands and images. And that’s something I really feel proud about. Of course, my PR clients hire me for publicity, hype and crisis management… but I have always told them to follow their hearts. And you know what? The media automatically loves stars who do things from their heart.
Yes, we feel that is how Shilpa Shetty won Celebrity Big Brother in the UK while you were handling the media for her in the outside world.
I worked with her for almost seven years, and found her to be one of the most genuine persons in Bollywood. Apart from being a good actress, she has always been a compassionate human being. And all that goodness worked for her magically on the reality show. See, on a show like Big Brother where cameras follow you 24×7, one can’t follow a PR strategy or have a plan. Because it could all go for a toss there. The best plan is to be your real self and if one is a good person, that comes across on TV. But then, Shilpa is much more than just a good person. She is also a fighter and that stood her in great stead on the show. Apart from winning it, she emerged an international icon against racism — a kind of unique brand for the whole world to look up to.
Aha! Love the way you describe it. You also handled the PR for Priyanka Chopra in her initial days as an actress. Didn’t you?
Yes, I found Priyanka an extremely focused and professional person. After she became Miss World, during her initial days in Bollywood, she faced a lot of controversies and it was interestingly challenging for me to handle her media work for around two years.
You’ve had several instances where your female clients were subject to false rumors and defamation. How easy or difficult is it for publicists to control such rumors about women when compared to male clients?
I’ve worked with a lot of male artists too, like Hrithik Roshan, Randeep Hooda, Govinda, Vivek Oberoi and even with the evergreen legend Dev Anand; a charmer of women even in his eighties. But let me be brutally honest with you. Handling the media for a female artist is much easier than publicizing with a male artist. Because the media is always more attracted towards the female form. Television media runs for footage, and the print and internet media laps up their pictures for news, web wallpapers or photo galleries. While I was looking after the PR for Shilpa Shetty, yesteryears Hollywood superstar Richard Gere planted pecks on her cheeks at an event, and the media went gaga over it terming the pecks as kisses. The news hit front page headlines and I had an amazing PR time encasing the hype for almost a month across all media platforms. I wonder if the media would have gone berserk like that if say, Angelina Jolie had planted pecks on an Indian male actor’s cheeks. Do you get the drift?
Yeah! Talking about hype, do you think Bollywood is frivolous about feminism?
Being a PR guy talking about ‘feminism‘, may seem as if I am siding with some of my controversial hoity-toity Bollywood clients. However, I feel that people from the Indian film industry often objectify even the word.
Any instances of women empowerment that you have dealt with, which stuck with you or taught you a life-lesson, if any?
Oh, there have been lots. Writer and filmmaker Vinta Nanda who has been one of my longest-running clients, has been a crusader when it comes to women empowerment. And I have had a lot of chances to work on social awareness projects with her. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I am the only spin doctor from Bollywood who has managed loads of mileage for charity and social causes. I’ve publicized an annual conclave called Elevate dedicated to the uplift-ment of women, been part of the Jaag India Movement during Mumbai floods, The Village Project NGO, a short-film festival Vastav – The Reality, and a civil societies revolution movement Staying Alive. Plus, I’ve worked of the PR for projects of The Third Eye program in Mumbai; in partnership between the ‘Asian Centre for Entertainment Education’ (ACEE), India, and ‘Hollywood, Health and Society’ (HH&S), Norman Lear Centre, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, and funded by The ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation‘. All of these have centered around women and spearheaded by Ms Nanda. Apart from them, I’ve worked for Renuka Chaudhary’s (a former Union minister of State for Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Government of India) daughter, Poojita Chaudhary’s documentary Gender Bender. Also publicized Miss World Diana Hayden’s contribution to building homes in Los Angeles under a charity project called Power Women, Power Tools. And yes, apart from some thirty odd movies, I’ve handled the PR for Priety Zinta’s woman-oriented super-hit starrer Kya Kehna during the time I started out in my profession.
That’s quite a lot indeed. But you mentioned the words “spin doctor” while answering that. As a PR specialist, do you even need to spin for social causes.
Lol. I should admit, you are good at catching words!! Yes, I do spin for PR of social projects too. Thing is, the media wants spice all the time and social causes would be drab for them to publish if I wouldn’t highlight the glamorous aspects in them. So I do play with words to an extent, as long as its ethical and I’m not bluffing or crossing the line. I’m pretty old-school. I’ve been a journalist before turning PR. Ethics matter a lot to me even when I have to sensationalize news for the gossip hungry media.
According to you what reforms are necessary in India to achieve equality?
The biggest reform should be to first banish the word ‘feminism‘. In my opinion, there shouldn’t be anything like feminism at all. Because the very word brings a thought, not about distinction, but about differentiation — which makes it bad for women. It muddles up the whole concept of equality. Feminism represents the fight to be equal. But when women are equal to men, why do they need the subject of feminism. The more people talk and scream about feminism, the more they highlight inequality. Isn’t it? But if we still have to use the word with the meaning it was coined with, then I feel ‘feminism‘ should be talked about in the sense of something to be felt and realized — not something which needs to be spoken about town or asserted in media. According to me, a true feminist would be a person who realizes its essence without having to speak the word ever.
While majority victims in domestic cases are females, males who face the brunt of domestic violence are often ignored. What are your thoughts on this statement?
Sometimes females do misuse their gender and explore loopholes in law. I have been approached by a couple of actresses who wanted to go to the police station or send legal notices to guys to attract media attention. It’s a PR, PR, PR world and I am not averse to that kind of publicity. But I cross-question such actresses and investigate with my past journalistic instincts to find out if their case is genuine. If it is, I personally accompany them to the police station with the media in tow. But if their case is not genuine, I do not support them in PR and even discourage them from trying to derive publicity with fake news.
Apart from the ones you mentioned, which are the other strong women celebrities you have worked with?
That would be actress and fashion philanthropist Evelyn Sharma, actresses and title holders like Miss India InternationalPooja Batra, Miss India International Priya Gill, Gladrags MegaModel winner Rupali Suri, Miss India Universe Nikita Anand, Miss University World and Miss India Talent winner Kashmera Shah, Miss India Natasha Suri, Rakhi Sawant, Godwoman Radhe Maa whose PR I handle through work for her patrons Global Advertisers, Bigg Boss finalist Mandana Karimi, International chess master Dhyani Dave, Pakistani superstar Meera, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi for whom I handled a very controversial event once, the late superstar Rajesh Khanna’s partner Anita Advani, actresses Nandana Sen, Sameera Reddy, Shamita Shetty, Divya Dutta, Neetu Chandra, Arjumman Mughal, Sambhavna Seth, Bidita Bag, Narmmadaa Ahuja, Rakul Preet, Soma Mangnaanii, Sherlyn Chopra, Sonali Raut, plus singers Anaida and Carlyto Mohini. These are undoubtedly some of the strongest women I have handled PR for. Am proud of them all.
Controversies like Cobrapost stings dent celeb reputations. Celebs need to earn big bucks from time to time, to support their brand and lifestyle, and maintain their larger-than-life aura. Such controversies when unchecked, slow down business opportunities for celebs and that’s not a good thing, says Mumbai-based PR guru Dale Bhagwagar.
Even before the dust settles on the #MeToo movement in India, thanks to the Cobrapost stings, the film industry is once again in the dock. But recently, Bollywood’s only PR guru Dale Bhagwagar has put up a post on his Facebook, which actually makes for a fantastic case study on how celebrities can be vigilant and save themselves from sting operations.
Or even how they can hire a crisis management expert to boldly tackle or spin the situation in their favour after the sting, in a way that the stinger himself/herself gets exposed.
Stinging the sting
Here is what the public relations specialist has posted: “Got to know that most of these latest Cobrapost interviews doing the rounds, were actually done a year ago. They reminded me of an interesting incident. Four months ago, a girl claiming to be a budding actress befriended me on WhatsApp,” writes Dale who has handled the personal PR for top filmstars such as Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, publicity for movies starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and others, apart from PR for 20 scandalous contestants of India’s No. 1 reality show Bigg Boss.
Dale’s Facebook post describes the meeting with this so-called budding actress with some intriguing details. “We met over coffee at CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) in Oshiwara to discuss PR and proceeded for dinner at a nearby restaurant. In between our candid conversation about PR and the film industry, from the discussion and her body language, my sixth sense told me something was strange. She was encouraging me to talk and probing once in a while. Some of her choice of words were not those of an amateur or an upcoming actress. I suspected she was video recording me,” he writes.
Gotcha!
The Bollywood publicist elaborates, “So I casually glanced at her watch, dress buttons and accessories to check if there was any sting camera lens, but couldn’t spot any. I finally zeroed down on her handbag and specifically a metal emblem on it, but I still couldn’t spot any lens, as I was sitting at a metre’s distance from it. The handbag was kept at an angular position on the table. Just to make sure, on the pretext of admiring it, I leaned forward and subtly picked and moved it a bit.”
“As I did that, I marked her expression and reflexes. Flummoxed for a second, she immediately put the handbag back in exactly the same position with the same angle tilt. A few seconds later, she gave a stray look at it, as if to check it was facing the correct direction. The only thing she failed to realize was that my eyes were catching every nuance.”
Playing the PR game
“But I did not let her know and went with the flow of the candid conversation. In fact, now I consciously kept it cool and spiced it up too. I even made up and exaggerated some statements… the kind we call ‘quotable quotes’ in journalism and PR. I also made sure that sat stylishly and smiled more than I normally do,” admits the Mumbai-based entertainment PR expert.
“But I’m still waiting for something like Cobrapost on me to come out somewhere. I do Crisis Management for actors in such situations. So it would be good fun for me to see how I deal with a similar situation on myself. #WhenDaleStungTheSting #BeingDale #GameOn #GoodFun #DaleHasEaglesEyes,” Dale concludes on Facebook.
Celebs in the dock
For the record, the recent Cobrapost sting operation targeted 36 Bollywood celebrities. In an investigation dubbed Operation Karaoke, Cobrapost personnel are said to have posed as employees of a fictitious public relations agency, using aliases.
The sting operation revealed that actors Jackie Shroff, Vivek Oberoi, Sonu Sood, Shakti Kapoor, Mahima Chaudhry, Amisha Patel, Shreyas Talpade, Surendra Pal, Sambhavna Seth, Puneet Issar, Pankaj Dheer and his son Nikitin Dheer, and playback singers Kailash Kher, Mika Singh, Baba Sehgal and Abhijeet Bhattacharya were willing to post favourable messages on social media for political parties.
The list goes on
Other movie artistes on the list included Sunny Leone, Poonam Pandey, Rakhi Sawant, Aman Verma, Tisca Chopra, Deepshikha Nagpal, Akhilendra Mishra, Rohit Roy, Rahul Bhat, Salim Zaidi, Hiten Tejwani and spouse Gauri Pradhan, Koena Mitra, Evelyn Sharma, Minissha Lamba, comedians Raju Srivastava, Krushna Abhishek, Rajpal Yadav, Sunil Pal, Upasana Singh, Vijay Ishwarlal Pawar aka VIP and choreographer Ganesh Acharya.
Much ado about nothing
When we contacted Dale to ask if the targeted film celebrities should sue Cobrapost, his reply surprised us even more than the way he’d attentively caught the sting-in-progress.
“What Cobrapost has done is something any yellow journalism site would do. We can have an endless debate about breach of privacy, about media conning celebrities and making them scapegoats of their pre-planned agenda. But such desperate forms of journalism (if it can be called that) is not new and has happened a lot in America and Britain over the years. Some media outlets take undue liberties in the name of the freedom of the press,” remarks the top Bollywood publicist.
Having said that, he goes on to explain, “If we put emotions and the Cobrapost’s nationalistic spin aside, we will all realize that their videos have made much ado about nothing. Come to think of it, everyone, including political parties, need and indulge in aggressive marketing in today’s times.”
“They hire the best and topmost advertising, marketing and PR agencies to execute their strategies. And who better than popular celebrities to promote their agenda. It’s a cool thing and a done thing.” True that! After all, it’s a PR PR PR world.
Celebs unable to handle spin
“It’s just that Cobrapost seems to have scripted and edited stuff, and presented it as if it’s something jaw-dropping. It really isn’t. Cobrapost has given it a devious spin and our celebs seem to be struggling to manage this new crisis situation on their own,” analyses Dale.
Guarding brand equity and business
“This Cobrapost controversy will disappear and die much faster than #MeToo, though part of the damage will linger, denting overall brand-value; just like #MeToo left an image-damaging trail,” he predicts. “Celebs need to earn big bucks from time to time, to support their brand and lifestyle, and maintain their larger-than-life aura. Such controversies when unchecked, slow down business opportunities for celebs and that’s not a good thing,” says Dale.
So what’s the way out of such situations for the future? “We can take a leaf out of Hollywood here. Like it happens in the West, Bollywood celebs need to cut off direct access outside their inner circle and let the professionals take over — managers, advertising personnel, marketers, social media experts, PR professionals, spokespersons, spin doctors and crisis management specialists. Actors need to focus on acting and earning, not on management.”
Dale feels “that’s the only way forward, if celebrities wish to keep their aura, image and brand intact in the fast-changing ruthless digital landscape. Otherwise, all this ruckus leads to an unnecessary loss of brand equity and business.”
If you are one of those who has been following Zee5 Originals’ hit series REJCTX directed by Goldie Behl, you’d know that lead actress Anisha Victor (who plays the spunky Kiara), makes quite an impact. With the recently released second season of REJCTX quickly catching on with the viewers, Anisha has her fingers crossed.
“I am really grateful that I have got a chance to work with a prolific maker like Shoojit Sir and witness the magnificence of a stalwart like Mr Amitabh Bachchan and the multitalented Ayushmann Sir right in my first film,” says an excited Ujali. “It’s a lifetime opportunity and I just feel blessed its come my way,” says the pretty gal, glowing and beaming with enthusiasm.
