A lot has been happening in B-town this week.
From Akshay Oberoi’s new role in “High” to Bhumi Pednekar using her voice to bring about climate change, let's take a closer look at our pick of trending Bollywood stories:
Akshay Oberoi to star as drug addict in web series
Actor Akshay Oberoi will be seen playing a drug addict in the upcoming web series, titled “High”.
"This subject matter isn't easy to translate to the screen. Addiction takes over and restructures the brain, making good people behave in a way unlike themselves.
“It's not easy for audiences to connect and empathise with something like this. I extensively researched what my character would feel and go through.
"I read up on articles that speak about the subject, and watched films across decades just to follow the evolution of the matter in cinema.
“That really helped me put things into perspective, in order to use my imagination to play the part as authentically as possible,” said Oberoi.
Directed by Nikhil Rao, "High" traces the life of Shiv Mathur who is an addict struggling to get a grip on life and eventually finds himself in a rehab facility that is being run in a mysterious compound.
Ranvir Shorey, Shweta Basu Prasad, Nakul Bhalla, Prakash Belawadi and Mantra are also a part of the project.
Ishaan Khatter trained close to 14 hours a day for new role
Ahead of the release of Khaali Peeli, actor Ishaan Khatter opened up about the fitness regime he followed to get in shape for his role in the film.
From yoga to weight training and dance, Khatter tried out various fitness regimes to keep fit for the romantic action drama.
"We would train 12 to 14 hours a day for six days a week, and sometimes all seven. I tried barre work, yoga, gymnastics and rope mallakhamb. I took it very seriously. I definitely was 10 times fitter by the end of it! I went all out in terms of my diet," he said.
"It was the first time I incorporated weights as a regular and central part of my routine. It all starts and ends with the mind," he shared.
According to Ishaan, dance is the best way to burn calories.
"I tried different styles of dance. I started the day with basic ballet.
“Dancing is pure joy. It's always going to be the easiest way to burn calories, but dance so much more than fitness for me.
“Fitness is co-related but is, in a way, a separate passion of mine," he added.
"Early on, I remember being outdoors a lot and playing games in the society with other kids.
“At some point I got more into sports.
“Dancing was always second nature and eventually turned into a major passion by the time I was a teenager," he said.
Bhumi Pednekar wants to bring about positive change
Actress Bhumi Pednekar says she wants to use her voice to bring about positive change.
"I always had this fear what would happen to this world when the water dries up?' That was the first question in my head. So, I started reading up on climate change," she said.
"I have always been conscious and I tried to have a sustainable style of living, especially since I became an adult.
“But then I realised I wasn't really doing enough and that's when I started Climate Warrior,".
Bhumi's online and offline initiative Climate Warrior is an initiative to mobilise citizens of India to contribute towards protecting the environment. The initiative has turned a year old.
She wants to use her fame to educate people about climate change.
"I have become an actor. I have the power to reach out to so many people and I have always tried doing that through my cinema.
“I have to use my voice, my social media platforms to bring about positive change in the world and educate people about climate change," she said.
Bhumi feels every individual must participate in raising community awareness about environment protection.
"When we speak about love for our family, when we speak about love for our nation, do we actually mean all this because we should be doing more to protect our families and our nation and our future generations.
“These were all the looming questions in my head and that's when I realised I should start Climate Warrior," she said.
Tiger Shroff shows off sexy body picture
Action star and fitness enthusiast Tiger Shroff showcases his muscular back in a new social media post and his friends and fan are impressed.
Tiger posted a monochrome picture on Instagram, standing at the balcony with his back towards the camera.
Looking at the picture, actor Anil Kapoor wrote: "Spectacular... inspirational."
Tiger recently stunned fans with his agility, in a new video he posted that shows him pulling off consecutive backflips with ease.
Last month, the young actor made his debut as a singer with the single, "Unbelievable".
The video of the song, helmed by "Student Of The Year 2" director Punit Malhotra, shows Tiger as a hotel staff member romancing a colleague.
Introducing the song, Tiger has spoken of how he was influenced by Michael Jackson while growing up.
MD Dhoni scores on new web series
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife Sakshi plan to score in a very different game than cricket. They are foraying into OTT space with a web series.
Sakshi and MSD launched their banner Dhoni Entertainment in 2019 with the documentary "Roar Of The Lion".
Now, they are coming up with a web series, which is an adaptation of an unpublished book written by a debutant author.
"I have paid more attention to the process of putting a thought and idea into creative action.
“The joy of seeing a concept being brought to life on screen keeps me engrossed, and we ensure the process is quality driven.
“When we were developing 'Roar Of The Lion', we thought it was the perfect time to venture into the entertainment industry," said Sakshi.
"The new project is exceptionally well written and the world created by the author is an adventure we are waiting to get to your screens, (it is) magical realism.
“It is a mythological sci-fi that explores the journey of a mysterious eAghori'," she reveals about their forthcoming web series.
During the lockdown, Sakshi explored writing, too.
"I got a lot of me-time to explore aspects of my personality. I am an expressive person by nature and writing poems became a hobby through which I could emote.
“The topic could be anything, from the happenings around the world to just conveying some motherly love. Writing now comes naturally to me and is a practice I thoroughly enjoy," she shared.
Sakshi, who got a lot of time with Dhoni during lockdown, is now missing him as he is currently in the UAE for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I am not really missing it (attending IPL in a stadium) as I am following it diligently on TV, but I miss my husband,“ Sakshi said.