Nimrat Kaur: Akshay Kumar is a great co-star

The seriousness in her upcoming action-drama “Airlift” does not rub off on actress Nimrat Kaur, courtesy co-star Akshay Kumar, who keeps the moods on the sets light. The 33-year-old actress said the “Brothers” star, 47, has made shooting for the film enjoyable and fun. “Working with Akshay is fantastic. It is a pleasure to work with him. He is such a great guy. It is too much fun when he is around on sets,” Nimrat told 

“Airlift” is a Indian human drama on the backdrop of the Gulf War in 1990 which happened in Kuwait (biggest human evacuation in the history), directed by Raja Krishna Menon.

Having starred in internationally acclaimed “The Lunchbox” and completing a successful tryst in American TV scene with “Homeland”, Nimrat is happy to be a part of “Airlift”, which will release next year.

“We have three weeks of shoot left for November… We have a good 30 per cent of the film left. We are all very excited for it. It is coming out really well,” she said on the sidelines of the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week here.

Though it is an action film, the actress said she does not have very difficult stunts to perform. “There aren’t any elaborate action sequence. It is all normal.”

NIMRAT GOES WILD

She will take off to Rajasthan in November for her next film.

Unlike Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez and Kareena Kapoor, who give the globe a spin and pick a country on the world map to visit, Nimrat Kaur, who was last seen in The Lunchbox, chose a vacation spot closer to home. 

The 33-year-old actress has been living in the city of dreams for a decade now and had heard about the several getaways near Mumbai, but had never been able to take off. 

But this month, with time on her hands, Nimrat visited two trekking sites. "I trekked Prabalgad Fort, enroute Panvel. Monsoons made the two-hour long trek adventurous, since it was slippery. It was scary, yet super fun," she laughs. 

Next, she visited Tungareshwar falls in Vasai. "This one's a relatively easy trek," Nimrat points out, adding that the 11 kms has left her sore, and with a lot of wounds. 

What made her set off on these trips? "We all want to explore and conquer the world, and often forget about beautiful places, right in our backyard," she says. 

Earlier, the actress had trekked for 10 days in Pahalgam, amongst other places in North. In Mumbai, she has taken off to Vasai fort, Murud-Janjira and Alibaug. "I love the thrill of putting myself out there," she adds. 

Next, on her wish list is Rajmachi, a small village in the rugged Sahyadri mountains. "I'll stay in the village, spend time with the locals and eat with them. It's happening very soon," she exclaims. 

The actress who will start shooting for Airlift with Akshay Kumar in November, says that her upcoming Rajasthan schedule will be an adventure too. "We start shooting in November in Rajasthan and I can't wait for it. I'm sure it's going to be fabulous," she smiles.

No Gay Role for Akshay Kumar in Varun Dhawan's 'Dishoom'

After rumours were rife that Bollywood 'Khiladi' Akshay Kumar would be playing a gay in Rohit Dhawan's forthcoming movie "Dishoom", the actor has clarified that he has no such project in the pipeline. 

It was being said that Akshay will be featured in a cameo in Dhawan's film, with whom he has worked in "Desi Boyz."

"No I am not doing 'Dishoom'," Akshay toldPinkvilla.

If the rumours were indeed true, this would have been the first time that Akshay would have appeared on-screen as a homosexual. The actor has always impressed his fans with action-filled roles, but this character could have proved to be a pleasant change.

Currently the actor is busy promoting his upcoming flick "Brothers", which is slated to release on 14 August. The Dharma Productions film has Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. It is a remake of the 2011 Hollywood film, "Warrior."

Apart from this, he is also working in other big banner projects – "Singh Is Bling", "Airlift" and "Housefull 3." Reports say that Akshay intends to release the trailer of "Singh Is Bling" with "Brothers."

Meanwhile, "Dishoom" shooting has started in Morocco. It stars Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez in lead roles. Audience will see these actors speaking Urdu in the film.

Qazi Touqeer spotted with Katrina Kaif in Phantom song Afghan Jalebi

Featuring next to Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif in the Phantom movie song Afghan Jalebi is Kashmir’s Qazi Touqeer. Yes, the very Qazi Tauqeer who won the reality show Fame Gurukul back in 2005. He made it to the limelight courtesy his uncanny talent on the show. Qazi was famous for his entertaining quotient rather than singing. But after improving his singing abilities he eventually went on to win the show along with Ruprekha Banerjee. 

Qazi, who has been away from the glare of publicity, is now seen shaking his leg with Katrina Kaif in Phantom movie’s new song, Afghan Jalebi. However, Qazi has not lent his voice for this song. Afghan Jalebi, composed by Pritam, is penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Pakistani singer Syed Asrar Shah.

Phantom, directed by Bajrangi Bhaijaan director Kabir Khan, is slated for August 28 release. The movie has Saif Ali Khan playing the lead character. Here is the video featuring Fame Gurukul winner Qazi Touqeer,

The Patriot Indian Dog (Zanjeer)

Zangeer, a Golden Labrador,Saved thousands of lives during the serial bomb blasts in the city in March 1993 by detecting more than 3329kg of exposive RDX,600 detonators 249 hand grenades and 6406 rounds of live ammuition

Zanjeer was trained at the Dog Training Centre of the Criminal Investigation Department at Shivaji Nagar in Pune, India. He joined the Mumbai Police Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad on 29 December 1992 and was handled by Ganesh Andale and V G Rajput.The name Zanjeer comes from the 1973 Hindi film Zanjeer but he was also called "Ginger" because of his coat colour.Not including his contributions during the 1993 attacks, Zanjeer helped to recover 11 military bombs, 57 country-made bombs, 175 petrol bombs, and 600 detonators

During the time of the 1993 Mumbai bombings in March, Zanjeer helped to avert at least three more attacks in Bombay, Mumbai, and Thane.The first incident happened on 15 March 1993 when Zanjeer alerted his handlers to a scooter bomb on Dhanji Street that contained RDX explosives and gelatin sticks. He was then called to the scene of ten unclaimed suitcases outside of the Siddhivinayak Temple where the dog detected three Type 56 rifles, five 9-mm pistols, and 200 grenades marked "Arges 69". Days later, Zanjeer investigated two suitcases at the Zaveri Bazaar that contained nine Type 56 rifles.

Zanjeer developed swellings in the lungs and paws and died November 16, 2000 as a result. He was buried with full state honours .

NIMRAT KAUR PICKS 4 THINGS TO DO IN PARIS

Paris, I love, for the history that the city has. I feel like there’s a lot of love in and around, and I can feel a deep sense of simple romance every time I visit. There’s so much I haven’t discovered yet — the more time you spend, the more there is to know. Like someone you’ve had a love affair with and you just want to know more and more about them — it’s like you can’t have enough of them. I would want to spend more time there at leisure and get to know even more of this city.

WHERE TO STAY
I stayed at a boutique hotel called St Vincent at the Rue du Pré aux Clercs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. But I would like to stay in the Montmartre area the next time, because it’s very warm and is the art district of Paris. It’s where all the great artists have lived and the Moulin Rouge is located. Amelie was shot there so it’s obviously very popular too. The church-upon-a-hill in Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur, is really beautiful and quaint.

SHOPPING CART
Paris offers a lot of street shopping. There are some beautiful neighbourhoods where you can explore flea markets over the weekends and the local designers who make wonderful stuff. There’s a store called Merci which has some beautiful unique things. The Boulevard Beaumarchais is really hip and I loved the time I spent there.

FOODIE’S DELIGHT

I loved Montmartre. I visited the restaurant where Amelie used to work, called Café Amelie. The setting was gorgeous. I loved the graveyard, Cimetière de Montmartre that was really amazing to see. One must visit the iconic Café de Flore, where the who’s who of the world used to meet — Ernest Hemmingway, Pablo Picasso, and many other intellectuals have been there, written poems and discussed art. It’s just a really beautiful feeling to be there! Another must-visit is Café Angelina, renowned for its hot chocolate and desserts. And not to forget, you have to try the macaroons from Pierre Hermé and Ladurée.

ARTS AND CULTURE
I’d love to go back to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. It’s one of the oldest bookshops one has been to, and is a great location for bookworms. Just pick up any street in Paris and start walking — there’s so much to see, and it’s just all beautiful. The Pont des Arts, a bridge of ‘love locks’, is a wonderful spot. I personally put a padlock there and threw the key into the river — it’s a sweet experience. I saw a unique painting, The Origin of the World (L’Origine du Monde) by Gustave Courbet, in the Musée d’Orsay, by the River Seine. It is a well kept secret, and no one tells you what it is — you just have to go and discover it for yourself. I didn’t go to the Louvre, because one needs a lot of time, but I visited some of the smaller boutique museums which were all amazing in their own ways.

Nimrat Kaur came into the limelight with Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox. She had a recurring role in the 2014-2015 season of American TV series, Homeland, and is currently shooting with Akshay Kumar for Airlift.