Bollywood gossip and celebrity news updates for October 2017

The month of October has been brimming with celebrity news and gossip that has left a number of fans enticed. The month started with the Hrithik Roshan's explosive tell-all interviews on the never-ending controversy surrounding him and Kangana Ranaut, and ended with Akshay Kumar being called out for a sexist remark. While sexual harassment is a hugely debated topic globally, courtesy Harvey Weinstein, 'Bhoomi' actor Sanjay Dutt's past remark on politician Mayawati, came back to haunt him.

Apart from the controversies, the month was also full of festivities where celebrities from all walks of life joined in the celebrations, be it Diwali, Halloween or Gandhi Jayanti. In case you missed the happenings of this month, here's a roundup to refresh your memory.

One of the most-awaited films of the year, 'Padmavati' has been stealing headlines, be it for the controversies that sprung up on the film sets or the opulence depicted in the first trailer and song. After beating all odds and issuing clarifications that there aren't "any objectionable scenes" in his film, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was lauded by fans and critics when the 'Padmavati' trailer and first song based on the Rajasthani folk dance 'Ghoomar' was released online. The outfit donned by Deepika Padukone in the song also made news when its price tag of Rs 30 lakh was revealed. The song has also crossed 20 million views which is a feat in itself.

In his memoir ‘An Ordinary Life’ which will soon hit the stands, Nawazuddin Siddiqui went on to reveal minute details of his past relationships and liaisons. The two women, who have been named in the book, have also shared their sides of the story. Earlier, ‘Miss Lovely’ actress Niharika Singh had stated that the content in the book was published without her consent. She also categorically denied the nature of the relationship and said that they had a fleeting affair which lasted only a few months. Then his alleged first girlfriend Sunita Rajwar has called out Nawaz’s description of their relationship.

The otherwise Mister Goody-two-shoes is now stuck amidst this series of controversies, even before the book's launch.

Two evergreen divas of the Indian film industry Madhuri Dixit and Deepika Padukone posed together for pictures when they met at the Jio Filmfare Awards Marathi 2017 in Mumbai on October 27. While the cameras kept flashing, the two ladies exchanged greetings and a few kind words. It was there that Madhuri told Deepika how stunning she was in the 'Padmavati' folk song 'Ghoomar'. We can bet that no compliment will be as great for Deepika than winning a seal of approval from the dancing queen herself. A source present at the award function also tells us that both ladies also discussed their director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Esha Deol and husband Bharat Takhtani welcomed their first child, a baby girl on October 20, 2017, at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. The couple, who took their nuptial vows in 2012, announced their pregnancy in April this year. Esha was basking in the limelight all through her pregnancy, thanks to her many Instagram posts and two baby showers. The first ceremony was as per Sindhi traditions, in which the couple took four pheras and her second baby shower was hosted by her sister Ahana. Hema Malini and Dharmendra became grandparents for the second time after their younger daughter Ahana gave birth to a baby boy, Darien in 2015.

Actress Asin and her businessman husband, Rahul Sharma were blessed with a baby girl on October 24. In an official statement, the couple said, "We are ecstatic to announce the arrival of our angelic Baby Girl earlier today. The last 9 months have been most special and exciting for the both of us and we would like to thank all our well-wishers and everyone who has been part of our journey for all their love and support."

Other celebs who welcomed their babies this year are Soha Ali Khan, Celina Jaitly and Lisa Haydon.

Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut washing their dirty linen in public became the hottest topic of discussion all month round. After the two stars slapped each other with legal notices back in 2016, the controversy has taken infinite twists and turns without a definite conclusion.

However, in 2017, right before the release of Kangana's much-awaited film 'Simran', the actress went on-record in an interview to claim that the case was not closed and that truth would be out soon. Following the explosive interview, Hrithik broke his silence for the first time to voice his side of the story. These revelations reopened the debate and had people taking sides.

Hrithik first shared an open letter on his Facebook account, and later appeared on a select few shows to share his piece of mind. He rubbished the news of having any relationship with Kangana and even went on to say that he was very afraid to speak up on this issue as anything he says might get misconstrued by the masses.

Amidst all the drama between him and Kangana Ranaut, Hrithik Roshan and estranged wife Sussanne Khan have been making constant public appearances. From movie dates to partying and even holidaying together, the couple has had many guessing if this was a publicity stunt or a genuine effort to mend broken relationships.
On the work front, Jr. Roshan will soon begin working on his next, a film based on the life of mathematician Anand Kumar. Reportedly, he is also set to work on the next instalment of the 'Krrish' franchise.

A few days ago, a leaked video clip from a comedy show, showed Akshay Kumar making an offhanded and crass pass at fellow-judge comedienne Mallika Dua. The National Award winning actor said, "Mallika ji, aap bell bajao, mai aapko bajaata hoon." This did not go down well with Dua's father Vinod, who took to his social media handle to lash out at the actor. He shared the video with his take on it, which was met with Akki's wife Twinkle Khanna's response pointing out that humour must be considered in its 'right context'.

While Mallika clarified her stance in an open letter, her father has now reacted to Twinkle's comment saying, "Ms Twinkle Khanna responds to the laughter challenge controversy. It is a prosaic excuse from an embarrassed wife. Be that as it may, the point has been driven home. This chap will be careful in the future before making depraved statements like "Mallika ji aap Bell bajao, mai aapko bajaata hoon". We don't wish to pursue the matter any further."

At the trailer launch of 'Firangi', Kapil Sharma was questioned about his ugly spat with comedian Sunil Grover, who was an integral part of his television show. To this, Kapil was quoted saying, "I was upset. There was no fight between Sunil and me. I love him and I was upset, as an artist on the set of 'Firangi' had passed away but I couldn't cancel the Australia show."

He even opened up about what he went through after the spat, stating, "I had started treatment in Bangalore and had even started drinking a lot. I locked myself. I felt everyone hated me. It will take three more months two recover now and currently I'm feeling a bit happy as I have expressed myself in front of him. I even texted Sunil and I wanted him to launch the trailer but he couldn't come as he's in Canada for his show."

Well, it looks like the comedians have let bygones be bygones.

Rohit Shetty's latest offering, 'Golmaal Again' emerged as a big hit amongst the audiences. The film opened to a whopping Rs 30.10 crore business at the domestic box office and even went on to cross the 100-crore mark in the first week, making it one of Bollywood's highest grossing films of 2017.

Well, this sure called for a massive celebration, and that's exactly what the cast of the film did. Taking to Instagram Parineeti Chopra shared a picture of the cast celebrating the success of their film. She captioned the picture as, "BLURRED happiness, shaky excitement!! Thanks for making Golmaal Again HUGEEEEE!!!! Love you all."

The film is still going strong at the box-office with a phenomenal second-weekend collection and is expected to rise further in the days to come.

Diwali, the festival of lights, love and happiness was celebrated with full zeal in the Hindi film industry. Celebrities made sure to celebrate it with much pomp and show. There was a Diwali bash almost every other day and tinsel town's celebs made the most of it. While Kangana Ranaut celebrated it in Himachal Pradesh, Dia Mirza caught up with her 'Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein' co-star R. Madhavan at a bash. Many celebs threw bashes that included series of A-list celebs. All in all in was a fun show that fans loved to witness on social media.

The government on October 11, appointed Anupam Kher as Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. Anupam Kher replaced Gajendra Chauhan, whose turbulent tenure ended in March this year. Chauhan's appointment was met with strident opposition from students, faculty and many in the film fraternity. It led to a 139-day strike and forced Chauhan to delay his taking over.

The actor later took to Twitter to thank the students of the institute for their "faith and understanding" towards him. "Thank you so much for your cooperation and active involvement addressing our concerns. Looking forward to working together towards the betterment of this premier institute. Thank you."

The controversial reality show, 'Bigg Boss 11', witnessed high voltage drama within the first week of its launch. First week's evicted contestant, Zubair Khan, who was hospitalized for consuming pills after host Salman Khan blasted him for using abusive language against women of the house, registered a police complaint against the actor at Antop Hill police station.

It was reported that Zubair lodged a complaint against Salman for threatening him on national television and allegedly directing his contacts not to let him work in the entertainment industry. He also mentioned Salman's derogatory comment of making him a dog once out of the house.

The Mumbai Police, however, said it has refused to entertain the complaint and has directed the complainant to the concerned police station in Lonavala. They will now look into the matter as the 'Bigg Boss 11' house is situated there.

Bollywood celebs kept busy with Diwali parties in their ethnic best. The latest entrants to this list were none other than Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. The two shot for a special commercial ahead of the festive season, that had fans gushing about how perfect they looked together. While Anushka looked gorgeous in a red and orange lehenga, Virat looked no less than a royal in a bandhgala and a velvet stole.

Oh, and they took oaths of being together forever in the ad.

'Bhoomi' actor Sanjay Dutt has found himself in the middle of yet another legal soup for his remarks in 2009 while campaigning for the Samajwadi Party in Barabanki. The actor allegedly said that he would like to give BSP chief Mayawati a 'Jaadu Ki Jhappi'. According to the latest reports, chief judicial magistrate Sanjay Yadav summoned the actor to appear in court on November 16. A case was filed against Dutt for "insulting the modesty of a woman" and for using "obscene words" in public.

Bollywood's 'monkey couple' Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover were recently seen together in a condom ad. Soon after the ad surfaced online, internet trollers targeted the celebrity couple for endorsing the product. Bipasha, who is known for making bold statements said, "The idea is to create awareness on the subject; it's the need of the hour. I am doing no wrong by endorsing condoms."
She expressed her disappointment on how 'sex' is still considered taboo in India through a tweet. Although some appreciated the actor for her initiative to spread awareness, others shamed her.