‘No one’s giving me National Award’

Shabana Azmi. Pic/AFP

Five-time National Award winner Shabana Azmi says she no longer expects further top honours, insisting acting remains her true motivation. “No one is giving me any National Awards anymore,” she told Variety India, adding, “Awards are still important, but they are not the impetus to get on a set.” Her upcoming film Lahore 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan, releases on Independence Day.

Shabana Azmi described her character as emotionally gruelling. “This character cries so much. I haven’t wept so much on screen,” she said, calling the Partition drama one of her most demanding performances

Bhai toh star ban gaya

Raghav Juyal on the sets of ‘Bhai Tera Star Hai’    

Actor Raghav Juyal’s next film, Bhai Tera Star Hai, has gone on floors in London. The comedy features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Kapoor, Niharika NM, Barkha Singh, and Chandan Roy Sanyal, among others. While Raghav has appeared in several films, his performance in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood (2025), drew wider attention. On this project, Raghav said, “I felt that Bhai Tera Star Hai had something which I can add a little bit of my magic to, making it a complete entertainer. I hope audiences have as much fun watching this one, as much as I have had making it.”