Koirala to host reception for Nepal PM

Bollyood actress Manisha Koirala will host a high tea for Nepal’s prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, and the country’s embassy in India, on Wednesday, February 24.

Oli is on a six-day visit to India to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Koirala, 45, is of Nepalese descent and belongs to a politically ­prominent family in ­Nepal – she is the daughter of politician Prakash Koirala and her grandfather, Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, was the first democratically elected prime minister of Nepal in 1959. ­Subhash Ghai and Jackie Shroff are also expected to attend the event. – Sonali Kokra

Deadpool dominates at the box office

Deadpool dominated the box office for a second ­consecutive weekend, racking up ticket sales of US$55 ­million (Dh202m) in North America. That's roughly what Fox, the studio behind the $58m comic-book adaptation, had predicted that the X-Men spin-off would open to a week ago.

It shattered those ­projections, destroying February records with a $152.2m President's Weekend launch. After two weeks, Deadpool has made $235.4m domestically. The unusually raunchy superhero movie, which is out now in the UAE, features a mercenary with accelerated healing abilities and a penchant for bad language and bawdy humour.

“It’s one of those times where a movie becomes a touchstone in culture,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s domestic distribution chief. “It just becomes part of the zeitgeist and one of those movies you just have to see. That’s due to its ­uniqueness. People have never seen anything like this before.”

­Animated movie Kung Fu Panda 3 held on to second spot, taking $12.5m for a total of $117m after three weeks on release.

A few new releases tried to take on Deadpool. ­Risen, a faith-based drama about a Roman soldier ­investigating the death and resurrection of Jesus, fared best, pulling in a solid $11.8m. The Witch, a critically acclaimed horror movie about a Puritan family torn apart by supernatural terrors, debuted to $8.7m for a fourth-place finish. – Reuters

Bid to halt deposition of Bill Cosby’s wife fails

A federal judge in ­Massachusetts on Sunday rejected attempts by the wife of comedian Bill Cosby to halt her upcoming deposition in a defamation case brought by seven women against the comedian.

Camille Cosby’s lawyers on Saturday filed an emergency motion to delay her ­deposition, scheduled for yesterday, pending an appeal of a Friday ruling not to put the proceedings on hold. They argued the deposition would create a “media circus” and threaten her personal safety.

Lawyers for the seven women said the claims were without merit. “The Cosbys’ ­last-­minute filing is the latest in a series of increasingly ­brazen attempts to interfere with the ­deposition of Mrs Cosby,” they said in a filing. “The ­Cosbys should not be allowed to indefinitely delay Mrs Cosby’s deposition by ­repeatedly filing what is in substance the same ­motion, over and over again.” ­

Mastroianni this month ruled that Camille Cosby would have to talk to lawyers ­bringing the defamation suit, but could not be compelled to reveal private conversations with her husband. More than 50 ­women have accused ­Cosby of sexually abusing them, often after plying them with alcohol or drugs. – ­Reuters

Amitabh Bachchan reassures fans

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who has been unwell recently, has sent out a message reassuring fans he is recovering.

Writing on his official blog page, the 73-year-old told his fans, whom he affectionately refers to as his “extended family” or “Ef”: “I am in recovery, though with slow process! Those that present themselves on this family of Ef, throw intermittent concern on my condition. To them I say, I am well and do not have grave conditions in your mind.”

The Piku star added that such "conditions occur often, and shall heal in due course", adding that with a "strong pain killer" he would travel to Chennai "to pay respect to a late friend's death anniversary".

After that trip, he wrote: "The ceremony was quiet, elegant, filled with the softness of remembrance and poignancy ... I spoke ... it was appreciated." – IANS

Kapoor says daughter must always improve

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor has spoken openly about his daughter Sonam Kapoor’s needs to continue to hone her acting skills.

“One might be best actor or actress in the world but he/she has to keep on learning – same goes for Sonam,” he says. “No matter how much praise she gets for her performance and whatever anyone says, she still has to improve more and more,” the actor said at the red carpet of Zee Cine Awards.

“An actor is always a student. Acting is a vast learning like an ocean – you can never absorb it completely. An actor always needs to keep learning, and make an effort to do better every time.”

Of Sonam's latest film, Neerja – based on the true story of heroic flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who saved passengers from terrorists who hijacked her plane in Karachi, Plistan in 1986 – her father said: "There is a kind of emotional reaction in the entire family. We feel that this film somewhere is blessed by Neeja herself. Whatever good is happening with the film is all because of her." – IANS

Mythriya Gowda to make Bollywood debut

Kannada actress Mythriya Gowda will make her Bollywood debut in an upcoming Hindi-Tamil horror called Shraap.

“I’m proud to be entering Bollywood after a decade of struggle,” she says. “It’s an honour to be part of the best team and I consider myself extremely [happy] to have bagged this role amid tough competition from more than 100 aspiring actresses.”

Directed by Faisal Saif, known for controversial films including Main Hoon Rajinikanth and Paanch Ghante Mein Paanch Crore, the film will be released in Tamil as Saapam.

The movie, produced by Neelam Sharma Entertainment, also stars Rajpal Yadav and Kavita Radheshyam. – IANS