Holly to Bolly: Shah Rukh Khan coming to Abu Dhabi to finish filming; actor Robert Vaughn dies; and more

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  Mark Davis / AFP

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  Sarah Dea / The National

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  AFP

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  AP

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  Eric Thayer / Reuters

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  Evan Agostini / Invision / AP File

Shah Rukh Khan coming to Abu Dhabi to finish Raees filming

Shah Rukh Khan is reportedly coming to Abu Dhabi to complete the shooting of his upcoming film Raees. According to The Indian Express, the Bollywood superstar has arranged an “undisclosed” location to finish the film, which is due for release in January. Production of the movie, which also stars Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, was affected by the ban on Pakistani actors working in Bollywood films, but producers Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar and SRK, said that replacing her would be too expensive. Therefore scenes without her will be shot in Mumbai, and to get around the ban, her scenes will be shot in Abu Dhabi, where the team will recreate the Mumbai set. – The National

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. star Robert Vaughn dies

Robert Vaughn, the debonair, Oscar-nominated actor whose many film roles were eclipsed by his hugely popular turn in the TV spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has died at the age of 83. He died on Friday morning after a brief battle with acute leukaemia. Scottish actor David McCallum, Vaughn’s U.N.C.L.E. co-star, wrote on his Facebook timeline: “I am utterly devastated. Robert and I worked together for many years and losing him is like losing a part of me.” Before The Man From U.N.C.L.E., which debuted on TV in the United States in 1964, Vaughn made his mark in movies, earning an Oscar nomination in 1959 for his supporting role in The Young Philadelphians, in which he played a wounded war veteran who is accused of murder. The following year, he turned in a memorable performance as a gunfighter who had lost his nerve in The Magnificent Seven. The actor is survived by his wife, Linda Staab Vaughn, their son Cassidy and daughter Caitlin. – AP

Amitabh Bachchan says film industry is ignoring sexual violence

Amitabh Bachchan has accused the Indian film industry of largely ignoring the issues of sexual violence and consent, and criticised the lack of a word to denote female valour. Bachchan made the comments at the 22nd edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival. Talking about his latest film, Pink, which explored this topic, he said the industry needed to make more movies that question the way women are treated in urban India. He added that the Age of Consent Act, introduced in 1891, was not being upheld, and that common culture did not consider sexual consent important enough to be acknowledged and discussed. – IANS

Shraddha Kapoor thanks her obsessive fan

Bollywood actors, particularly women, are no strangers to persistent, obsessive fans. While most stars ignore their stalkers, Rock On 2 star Shraddha Kapoor tried a different approach. Bollywood magazine Filmfare reports that at a promotional event for Rock On 2, the actress invited her stalker on stage, introduced him to the audience, and hugged and thanked him for his dedication. She said that she had spotted him on set, outside her building, and was seeing him for the 17th time that day. – Sonali Kokra

IMDB sues California over actors’ age law

The Internet Movie Database is suing California over a law forcing the website to remove the ages of actors on request, claiming it is unconstitutional. California passed a law in September ruling that “a commercial online entertainment employment service provider” would be required to remove details of ages within five days on request. The law, intended to combat age discrimination in the film industry, was championed by actors’ groups. The president of the union, Sag-Aftra, wrote in August that actors “face blatant age discrimination every day as websites routinely used for casting talent force birth dates and ages on casting decision-makers without their even realising it”. However, IMDB says that the law “does not advance, much less achieve” the goal of reducing age discrimination, and that it violates both the first amendments and commerce clause of the United States constitution. – The National

Mrs Doubtfire house sells for $4.15million

The San Francisco home that served as the setting for the popular 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams, has sold for US$4.15 million (Dh15m). The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the four-bedroom Victorian house in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood was listed in September with a $4.45m asking price. It did not identify the buyer. The house became a temporary shrine to Williams after his suicide in 2014, with flowers, candles and other items left there to mourn the Bay Area-based comedian’s death. The seller was a plastic surgeon who bought it in 1997 for about $1.4m. Last year, a disgruntled former patient set two small fires, but they did not cause much damage to the property. – AP

Twitter adds emoji for Bollywood movie Befikre

Popular social-media platform Twitter has launched the first-ever emoji dedicated to a Bollywood film – for Yash Raj Films’ Befikre – which stars Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor. Fans of the film can use the hashtags: #UdeDilBefikre, #Befikre, #BefikreOn9th, #BefikreOn9thDec and #BeBefikre. The emoji appears next to the hashtag and is designed to look like an Eiffel Tower of pink hearts, reflecting the Parisian essence of the film. Set for a worldwide release on December 9, Befikre’s trailer was launched at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. – IANS

Harry Potter author nervous about Fantastic Beasts film

JK Rowling says she hopes fans will like her new movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, even though it does not feature beloved characters like Harry Potter and his Hogwarts friends. At last week’s New York premiere of the film, the first of five planned Harry Potter spin-offs, which are prequels, the British author hinted that familiar names would appear in future intalments. She said though Harry Potter does not appear, it will show the wizarding world that people have become familiar with. – Reuters