Bollywood showman Subhash Ghai has announced his next production venture, titled 36 Farmhouse. The veteran filmmaker, who is known for directing a number of successful Hindi films such as Karz (1980), Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985) Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), Saudagar (1991), Khalnayak (1993), and Taal (1999), will bankroll the upcoming film under his production house Mukta Searchlight Films.
Ghai has roped in well-known Gujarati filmmaker Vipul Mehta to helm the project. Mehta shot to overnight fame after the huge success of his 2019 comedy-drama Chaal Jeevi Laiye, which ran for 75 weeks in theatres and emerged as the highest-grossing film of Gujarati cinema ever.
Talking about 36 Farmhouse, Subhash Ghai said in a statement, “We have been working vigorously on developing stories and scripts for the last four years for Mukta Arts and now it is time to enter into film production of Hindi films which is and has been our core business.”
He went on to add that his production house has collaborated with ZEE Studios to produce 36 Farmhouse and two other films, which will be announced in 2021 itself. “We are also glad that Mukta Arts in association with ZEE Studios is going to take three entertaining films on the floor this year under the Mukta Searchlight Films which has produced high-concept low-budget films like Iqbal (2005), Joggers Park (2003), Apna Sapna Money Money (2006), etc in the past. I am sure we are gonna win this year with fantastic scripts before we crack big-budget Hindi films with big stars. Please wait and watch for the next announcement,” concluded the acclaimed filmmaker.
There is no update on the plotline of 36 Farmhouse at the moment. The makers will, however, announce the cast and credits of 36 Farmhouse shortly. Till then, keep visiting this space for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.
When Cocktail hit screens in 2012, it was supposed to be a Saif Ali Khan rom-com. Instead, it became Deepika Padukone’s breakthrough moment, largely thanks to her turn as Veronica, a character that was anything but the typical Bollywood heroine.
Now, 13 years on, it’s clear Cocktail wasn’t just a hit, it was a gamechanger. Here’s why Veronica remains one of the boldest characters of Deepika’s career, and arguably, a milestone in the way mainstream Hindi cinema wrote women.
Messy, magnetic, and miles ahead of her time — Deepika’s Veronica still hits different 13 years laterYoutube Screengrab
1. Veronica wasn’t made to be likeable—and that worked
She drank, she partied, she refused to apologise for being a mess. Bollywood had shown wild girls before, but usually only as cautionary tales. Veronica wasn’t punished for her flaws, she was allowed to feel, grow, and still not fit the box. For 2012, that was rare.
2. The emotional messiness felt honest
Deepika brought an unexpected vulnerability to Veronica. The crying in the bathroom, the reckless dancing, the craving for love under all the bravado, it wasn’t subtle, but it was real. That performance helped audiences take Veronica seriously, not just as a manic pixie contrast to the "good girl" Meera played by Diana Penty.
3. It wasn’t just a role—it was a career pivot
Even Deepika has said Veronica changed everything. After years of being seen as just a pretty face in glossy roles, Cocktail gave her the edge. It showed she could carry emotional weight, and wasn’t afraid to look messy while doing it. From here, her career took a sharper, more ambitious turn.
4. The music gave Veronica her own universe
It wasn’t just the acting, the soundtrack helped shape the film’s tone. Songs like Jugni, Tumhi Ho Bandhu, and Daaru Desi gave Veronica a carefree, chaotic rhythm that stuck. These tracks still pop up on nostalgia playlists, a decade later.
5. In hindsight, she was the real protagonist
While the film tried to balance the love triangle, it was Veronica’s arc that people remembered. Not because she got the guy, she didn’t, but because she evolved. She wasn’t a footnote in someone else’s story. She was the story.
Veronica wasn’t the ‘good girl’, but she made audiences feel everything — and Deepika nailed itYoutube Screengrab
She shifted how leading women were written
After Cocktail, Bollywood slowly started embracing female characters who didn’t always make the 'right' choices. Veronica made it okay to be complicated on screen. That legacy may not always be acknowledged, but it shows up in every “imperfect” female lead we see today.
Thirteen years since Cocktail released, Veronica remains one of Deepika Padukone’s most unforgettable charactersZEE5
Deepika Padukone may have played many iconic characters since, but Veronica remains a turning point for her and for Bollywood. Thirteen years on, she’s still the cool, chaotic outlier who made room for women to be more than just nice.
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South Park fans call out Paramount Plus for pulling the show worldwide
• South Park pulled from Paramount+ globally after licence expiry • Fans in UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe react with outrage • Dispute linked to £6.3 billion (₹673 billion) Paramount-Skydance merger and ongoing contract standoff • Season 27 premieres 23 July on Comedy Central in the US, leaving global fans stranded
Fans around the world are up in arms after South Park disappeared from Paramount+ outside the US. With just days to go until the season 27 premiere, international viewers are calling out Paramount Global for yanking the show due to a lapsed streaming deal and are threatening to cancel subscriptions over what they see as corporate mishandling.
Streaming blackout angers fans just days before new South Park seasonPrime Video
Paramount+ drops South Park amid licensing fallout
Viewers from the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Latin America were left stunned last week when South Park vanished from Paramount+ in their regions. The move follows the expiration of an international streaming licence and ongoing tension between the show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Paramount Global, which owns Comedy Central.
The timing couldn’t be worse: after a two-year wait, season 27 is set to debut on Comedy Central in the US on 23 July. But thanks to the unresolved deal, international fans are now scrambling to figure out how they’ll be able to watch the new episodes.
The backlash has been swift and loud. On Reddit and X, long-time viewers expressed frustration, many vowing to quit Paramount+ altogether.
"The only reason I had Paramount+ was to watch South Park. I just cancelled,” wrote one user. Another fumed, “How does one go about setting Paramount on fire?”, a comment met with dark humour by others who blamed the platform for “setting itself on fire.”
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Some users began sharing ways to legally access older episodes via platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime, while others admitted they were considering alternative, less official methods.
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Parker and Stone threaten legal action
Behind the scenes, the show’s creators are fighting their own battle. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, through their company Park County, have accused Skydance’s incoming president Jeff Shell of meddling in licensing talks. Their allegations claim Shell tried to skew negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix to favour Paramount’s streaming ambitions.
They argue this interference ultimately led to the shortened contract term and the fallout with HBO Max, leaving the show without a cohesive global distribution strategy just as a new season approaches.
Global outrage grows as South Park vanishes from Paramount PlusWikipedia
What’s available—and what’s not
While South Park episodes remain available on Comedy Central’s traditional TV networks in several international markets, streaming access is now patchy. Some specials are still on Paramount+, and ad-supported options exist via Pluto TV in select regions like Canada and Europe.
Back episodes can be purchased on services like Amazon Prime and Apple TV, and in countries like Germany and across Latin America, some content is accessible through a standalone South Park website. But for many fans, none of this replaces the convenience of a centralised platform like Paramount+.
Fans slam Paramount and Skydance for blocking South Park accessRotten Tomatoes
Season 27 still coming—but not for everyone
Despite the chaos, South Park season 27 will premiere in the US as planned on 23 July on Comedy Central. But for fans outside the country, there’s still no confirmed way to watch the new season legally on demand.
Some fans are already hoping this real-life drama makes its way into a future episode. As one Reddit user joked, “The silver lining of all this merger crap is that it’s gonna make for an excellent South Park takedown.”
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Lauren Pisciotta has accused Kanye West of repeated sexual misconduct
Kanye West has dismissed ex-assistant Lauren Pisciotta’s latest lawsuit as a “delusional” and “contradictory” narrative.
Pisciotta accuses West of multiple acts of sexual assault and misconduct, including forced oral sex and workplace harassment.
West’s team argues the claims are inconsistent and defamatory, pledging to fight them in court.
Pisciotta’s attorney Lisa Bloom insists West has already admitted to key parts of the allegations and will face justice.
Kanye West has hit back at explosive sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations from former Yeezy employee Lauren Pisciotta, branding her newly amended lawsuit as a fabricated and conflicting tale. The rapper’s legal team released a fiery statement slamming the accusations, which include claims of rape, forced sexual exposure, and workplace abuse.
Kanye West’s spokesperson says the claims are inconsistent and defamatoryBBC/Getty Images
West’s team rejects allegations as “outlandish” and “contradictory”
On 13 July, West’s spokesperson issued a strongly worded denial of Pisciotta’s lawsuit, the fourth version she has filed since 2024. Calling her claims “fantasy fiction,” the representative argued that each amended complaint undermines the previous ones. “Each new revision contradicts the others; each is more absurd and outlandish than all previous claims combined,” the statement read.
The rep further claimed Pisciotta’s testimony “discredits all past, present and future” versions, vowing to “annihilate” her narrative in front of a jury. Milo Yiannopoulos, also speaking on behalf of West, claimed Pisciotta “chose the wrong target,” describing West as a non-violent man with no criminal record or firearm ownership.
Photo of Kanye West from a past public appearance Getty Images
Pisciotta accuses West of repeated sexual violence and harassment
In her newly revised legal complaint, Pisciotta details multiple disturbing incidents that allegedly occurred while she worked for West from 2021 to 2022. She accuses the rapper of groping her, masturbating in her presence, forcibly kissing her, and later sexually assaulting her in a hotel room during a business trip to San Francisco.
She alleges he raped her orally while she was frozen in shock and later offered her to other men as a “sexual gift.” Pisciotta claims the rapper subjected her to constant verbal harassment, sent her unsolicited explicit images, demanded sexual content from her in return, and attempted to involve her in his sexual encounters, all of which she says she refused. The complaint also alleges that after firing her, West moved into her apartment building and physically assaulted her by grabbing her throat and licking her ear.
Attorney Lisa Bloom says Kanye West has already admitted to key allegations Expresso
Lisa Bloom says Kanye’s own words will “destroy him in court”
Pisciotta’s attorney Lisa Bloom fired back at West’s response, stating that much of what Pisciotta alleges has already been acknowledged publicly by the rapper himself.
“While Kanye West’s publicist has come up with a slickly worded and outrageously false and defamatory attack on Ms. Pisciotta, Kanye himself has publicly admitted much of what she’s claiming,” Bloom told Daily Mail. “His spin team cannot protect him in court.”
She added that Pisciotta’s case would be built on these admissions and challenged West to face the allegations directly under legal scrutiny.
Kanye West’s spokesperson says the claims are inconsistent and defamatoryGetty Images
West’s team maintains lawsuit is a “cash grab”
West’s lawyers have consistently dismissed Pisciotta’s claims since she filed her original wrongful termination and sexual harassment suit in June 2024. They insist the lawsuit is “baseless,” “frivolous,” and part of a larger effort to extort money from a high-profile figure.
Despite the strong public denials, the legal battle is expected to escalate as both sides prepare for a potential trial.
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Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson turn heads with intense PDA before Trump’s Club World Cup appearance
Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson were seen getting intimate at Teterboro Airport before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
The couple matched in white shirts and embraced publicly while awaiting President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
Anderson defended Don Jr online earlier this year after a New York Magazine article criticised him.
Trump Jr’s ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle was recently appointed US Ambassador to Greece, while ex-wife Vanessa is now dating Tiger Woods.
Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson turned heads over the weekend with an unabashed public display of affection on the tarmac in Teterboro, New Jersey, just before President Trump and Melania Trump landed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final. The couple, who have been together since mid-2024, looked inseparable as they hugged, kissed, and held hands openly, seemingly unconcerned by the presence of others or nearby cameras.
All eyes on Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson as their PDA grabs attention before Trump’s arrivalGetty Images
Pair step out in matching whites before heading to historic match
Wearing coordinated white button-downs, Don Jr and Bettina appeared relaxed and smitten as they waited to join Trump Sr at the MetLife Stadium. This year’s match was particularly significant as it marked the first time the United States hosted the tournament. The couple continued to cosy up at the stadium, where they watched the final together from the stands, adding another public outing to a growing list of appearances.
Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson steal the spotlight with PDA at New Jersey airportGetty Images
Relationship has been going strong since summer 2024
Their relationship became public in December 2024. A source close to the couple told Us Weekly at the time that Anderson offered something new for Trump Jr, a relationship "just about them" with no strings attached.
Since then, they’ve been spotted at multiple high-profile events, including the amfAR Gala in Cannes, the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and a Sublime concert during LIV Golf Miami. By January 2025, reports suggested the couple were already living together.
Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson depart the White House to attend the Military ParadeGetty Images
Bettina claps back at critics over Don Jr’s public image
When New York Magazine published a scathing piece on Trump Jr earlier this year, labelling him a “spoiled heir” and claiming he was the “most despised” member of the Trump family, Anderson didn’t stay quiet.
Posting to her Instagram Stories, she mocked the article’s “insider” claims and fired back with the quote: “Rumours are started by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.” She described her boyfriend as “the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful and brilliant person.”
Bettina Anderson and Donald Trump Jr spotted in a candid moment Getty Images
Trump Jr’s past with Kimberly Guilfoyle and Vanessa Trump
Before Anderson, Trump Jr was engaged to former Fox News anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle. They ended their relationship in late 2024, just before the US election. Despite the split, Trump Jr later praised her after President Trump appointed Guilfoyle as Ambassador to Greece.
Donald Trump Jr. with Bettina Anderson ahead of US President Donald Trump's addressGetty Images
“Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond,” he said in a statement. “I could not be more proud of her.” His ex-wife, Vanessa Trump, has also moved on. She’s now reportedly in a serious relationship with golf legend Tiger Woods.
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Gregg Wallace was dropped after a 19-year misconduct span
Investigation confirms 45 out of 83 allegations against MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace.
BBC and production company Banijay say his return to the show is “untenable”.
Complaints span nearly two decades, including inappropriate sexual comments and unwanted touching.
Wallace insists he was “cleared of the most serious claims” and blames a toxic culture.
The BBC has formally cut ties with MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace after a seven-month investigation upheld 45 allegations of misconduct, including unwanted physical contact and inappropriate sexual remarks, made against him over a 19-year period.
The inquiry, commissioned by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, examined 83 separate claims against the 60-year-old, with over half substantiated. The BBC has confirmed it has “no plans to work with him in future,” citing behaviour that falls short of the broadcaster’s values.
Gregg Wallace dropped from MasterChef after over 50 sexual misconduct claims surface Getty Images
BBC drops Gregg Wallace following sexual misconduct and racism claims
Among the upheld allegations are 16 instances of sexually explicit comments, 12 inappropriate jokes or innuendos, four racist or culturally insensitive remarks, three episodes of being in a state of undress, and one claim of unwanted touching. Seven complaints of bullying were also validated.
The report revealed that most of the inappropriate behaviour took place between 2005 and 2018, with only one confirmed case occurring after that. Although Wallace was interviewed three times during the investigation and cooperated throughout, he has denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Last week, Wallace announced he had been sacked from MasterChef and criticised the BBC for “cancelling” him. In an Instagram post, he blamed what he described as a toxic environment and pointed to his recent autism diagnosis, saying he had received no protection or understanding from colleagues or management during his time on the show.
Report criticises BBC and Banijay for ‘missed opportunities’
The investigation also found serious failings in how complaints were handled. Six concerns were raised with Banijay (and its predecessor companies) between 2005 and 2024, and another six were lodged with the BBC. According to the report, most were dealt with informally or not escalated appropriately.
Banijay’s chief executive Patrick Holland admitted that past HR procedures were “not robust,” but said steps had been taken in recent years to improve reporting systems. He described the report as “uncomfortable reading” and apologised to those affected.
The BBC also acknowledged institutional failure. “We accept more could and should have been done sooner,” a spokesperson said. “We apologise to everyone impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour.” The broadcaster added that his conduct was “below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us.”
Gregg Wallace seen filming prior to being removed from the show Youtube Screengrab
Wallace's autism diagnosis draws backlash from disability groups
Wallace’s attempt to link his conduct to autism has been criticised by neurodiversity organisations and charities. Seema Flower, founder of BlindAmbition, said that using autism to justify inappropriate actions was “unacceptable and harmful.” Other disability advocates shared the sentiment, warning against conflating neurodiversity with misconduct.
The report acknowledged Wallace’s diagnosis and said his neurodiversity might explain some behaviour, particularly issues with social cues and reliance on humour as a “masking” technique, but made clear it was not a justification. Wallace himself stated he did not wish to “hide behind” his diagnosis.
BBC confirmed it will not work with Wallace againGetty Images
MasterChef future uncertain as BBC weighs unaired season
A decision is still pending on whether the last season of MasterChef, which was filmed with Wallace before his departure, will be aired. The BBC has said it will consult with participants before making a final call.
Wallace, once a defining presence on British food television, had hosted various editions of MasterChef for nearly two decades. His exit marks a rare public reckoning for behind-the-scenes behaviour in the UK’s entertainment industry.
Wallace claimed he was scapegoated amid a toxic production cultureGetty Images
The report also substantiated two allegations against other unnamed individuals on the production team, one involving racist language and the other swearing. Banijay says disciplinary action in those cases is underway.