it

Thai tycoons set to go head-to-head as Tesco invites bids for $9b Asia biz

The bidding is shaping up as a battle between Dhanin Chearavanont's Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, Central Group, and beer-and-property magnate Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Group.

The post Thai tycoons set to go head-to-head as Tesco invites bids for $9b Asia biz appeared first on DealStreetAsia.






it

CP Group’s $10b Tesco deal to test mettle of Thai antitrust watchdog

The Office of Trade Competition Commission is awaiting CP Group's request for merger approval to study the impact on the economy, market competition and consumers.

The post CP Group’s $10b Tesco deal to test mettle of Thai antitrust watchdog appeared first on DealStreetAsia.










it

American companies spent years in an economic boom. Then the coronavirus hit

The pandemic could cast a long shadow, permanently changing how companies spend money, sell goods and run their businesses.




it

No ‘Silence, s’il vous plaît’? French Open could take place without fans

The French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros could be held without fans later this year, the president of the French Tennis Federation (FTF) said on Sunday.




it

France holds its breath on the eve of Covid-19 lockdown lifting

As France begins to lift its eight-week Covid-19 lockdown, the government is stepping up efforts to ‘protect, test and isolate’. But many still fear a second wave.  




it

Brighton cite 'concerns' over restart as third player tests positive for Covid-19

  • Unnamed player to go into 14-day isolation
  • Chief executive: every club is sizing up restart with self-interest

A third Brighton and Hove Albion player has tested positive for coronavirus, the club’s chief executive has said.

Related: Using players as guinea pigs would wipe out Premier League's integrity | Paul Wilson

Continue reading...




it

My favourite game: Argentina v Iran, 2014 World Cup

My dad and I went from despair and frustration to pandemonium after Lionel Messi struck in style at the death

The Argentinian radio journalist Alejandro Fantino shouted “We are a disaster” in the 89th minute. He was right. The match that most had expected to be a rout was turning into a historic upset.

Argentina were as bad as Iran were good. Gonzalo Higuaín, Sergio Agüero and Ángel Di María were not working as a front three while the Asian champions were performing especially well at the back. Carlos Queiroz, Iran’s manager, appeared to have perfected the defensive formula that had plagued Argentina during the qualifiers: a parked bus and Lionel Messi well under control.

Continue reading...




it

Using players as guinea pigs would wipe out Premier League's integrity | Paul Wilson

The final league table will merit the biggest asterisk in history if teams are full of footballers who don’t want to be on the pitch

Anyone who has spent the best part of an hour just waiting to cross a supermarket threshold in the past few weeks will be aware how quickly the outlandish becomes the new normal. Yet even in these strange days it was still odd to hear Gordon Taylor pop up on the radio with the suggestion that shortened games might be the solution to finishing the Premier League season sometime before the clocks go back.

How that would have helped maintain the integrity of the competition or assisted those clubs worried they might be relegated in less than optimum circumstances remained unclear, for the Premier League was pooh-poohing the idea proposed by the Professional Footballers’ Association’s leader as ridiculous and unfounded within hours.

Continue reading...




it

La Liga players test positive with five new cases confirmed in top two leagues

  • Real Sociedad goalkeeper Remiro confirms positive
  • La Liga plans to return without spectators in June

Five players in Spain’s top two divisions have tested positive for Covid-19 since clubs began testing players and staff members last week, with the Real Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro confirming himself as one of the cases.

A statement from La Liga said the players would remain at home where they would continue individual training before being tested again “in the next few days” to determine whether they can return to their club’s training ground.

Continue reading...




it

Bundesliga CEO adamant season will restart despite positive tests at Dresden

  • Dresden players sent home after two test positive
  • ‘We are not changing our plans,’ says Christian Seifert

The Bundesliga is keen to press ahead with plans to restart the season for the top two tiers next weekend, despite Dynamo Dresden’s squad being quarantined for two weeks.

Dresden’s players were sent home after two tested positive for coronavirus. This means the second tier club cannot play their first two games of the restart – against Hannover on 17 May and against Fürth the following weekend.

Continue reading...




it

Nathan Redmond: 'It's difficult to post a TikTok video if you've lost 1-0' | David Hytner

The Covid-19 lockdown has given the midfielder the chance to show his acting skills outside the Southampton changing room

Nathan Redmond hustles towards the camera, suited up, fedora jauntily perched and when he starts to lip-sync, the voice is that of Carter – the character played by Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3. It is the scene involving him, Master Yu and Mi and, for those who have not seen it, has Carter getting into a word-play tangle as he questions Yu and Mi. “Who are you? Yu. No, not me, you. Yes, I am Yu.” It goes from there.

Related: 'People's lives depend on it': the sacked English defender left in limbo | Sid Lowe

Continue reading...




it

'People feel a bit nervous': France braces for end of lockdown

As schools and businesses get set to reopen some citizens urge caution, wary of a spike in infections

France is set to end eight weeks of strict lockdown as the government urged people to behave responsibly to avoid a sudden spike in coronavirus cases.

Hours before the national déconfinement there were reports of two new Covid-19 clusters in départments designated green – areas where the virus has largely stopped circulating and where most restrictions are being lifted.

Continue reading...




it

Little Richard obituary

Prime force of rock’n’roll who made an explosive impact with songs such as Tutti Frutti, Good Golly, Miss Molly, Lucille and Long Tall Sally

Little Richard, who has died aged 87, was the self-proclaimed king of rock’n’roll. Such was his explosive impact that many of the baby boom generation will vividly recall the moment when they first encountered his assault on melody.

Awopbopaloobop alopbamboom! That first hit, Tutti Frutti, released in October 1955, was wild, delicious gibberish from a human voice as no other, roaring and blathering above a band like a fire-engine run amok in the night. We glimpsed a new universe. The Sinatra-sophisticats were slain with a shout. Enter glorious barbarity, chaos and sex. With a few others – Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly – Little Richard laid down what rock’n’roll was to be like, and he was the loudest, hottest and most exhibitionist of them all.

Continue reading...




it

William Smethurst obituary

Radio and TV producer who revitalised The Archers during his tenure as editor

Despite being a soft-spoken Lancastrian of mild-mannered appearance, the writer and producer William Smethurst, who has died aged 71, was known to his detractors in radio and television as “Butcher Bill”. But the ruthless skills combined with mischievous flair that he displayed as editor of The Archers for eight years from 1978 were widely credited with saving Radio 4’s flagging rural soap opera and making it the cult show it later became. Smethurst was the man who licensed writers to scandalise sleepy Ambridge and once persuaded Princess Margaret to make a guest appearance.

He was less successful when Central TV lured him from BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham to pull off the same trick with Crossroads, its Midlands motel saga, which had run out of steam. Smethurst ditched Tony Hatch’s theme tune, killed off characters (much as he had Dan and Doris Archer), and made the plots (and scenery) more credible and the cast much more glamorous, with the help of the motel swimming pool he installed. Some critics preferred its previous awfulness and the show folded in 1988.

Continue reading...




it

EU referendum two months on: the 10 steps that led to Brexit

As the dust settles, hindsight makes the chain of events that culminated in UK’s vote to leave easier to discern

It is two months since British voters surprised themselves by deciding to end the UK’s 43-year relationship with the European Union – “independence day” to some and “the worst political decision since 1945” to others.

As stunned political leaderships on both sides of the Channel continue dithering about what to do next, it is worth looking back at the origins of a crisis the EU elite had not expected.

Continue reading...




it

Owen Smith may not beat Jeremy Corbyn, but he passed the Today test | Michael White

As he tussled with John Humphrys on Radio 4, the Labour leadership challenger sounded confident, articulate and human

Listening to the radio this morning I had an experience I realised I’d almost forgotten. It was the sound of a Labour politician being combatively quizzed on Radio 4 by Today’s John Humphrys in the key 8.10 spot and giving confident, articulate answers in return. When did I last hear that, I wondered?

What follows here isn’t a party political broadcast for Owen Smith. For the first time since Labour’s glittering leadership contest to succeed Harold Wilson in 1976 – Callaghan versus Healey, Foot, Crosland, Jenkins and Benn – he’s a leadership contender whom OAP Mike doesn’t really know.

Continue reading...




it

Rip-off Britain is going to get worse as the purse strings tighten

From parking fines to airline fares, society’s financialisation is seeing the collective cake shrink as the rich claim an ever larger slice

It is the dog end of August and the sun is shining in many places. A cue for all sorts of predatory people in the thriving British holiday trades to rip off customers who don’t always have a choice and feel ambushed.

In a remote and empty Lake District car park the other day my sister fell foul of an unclear car parking regime. It led to a fine being levied for outstaying the time she had paid for by a few minutes. It happens to us all. In crowded Notting Hill last week, a man told me his car had once been given a penalty notice while he was away at the ticket machine paying his £1.60 for 30 minutes.

Related: Corbyn promises to 'democratise the internet' - Politics live

Continue reading...




it

The Brexit debate needs more tolerance on both sides | Michael White

Bad sportsmanship is not confined to either camp. Let’s have more signs of mutual respect across the divide

I’m trying to cure this summer’s unattractive impulse before it turns into a bad habit. Whenever I see someone doing something stupid or self-harming like jumping an orange light on a bike or getting tattooed from neck to ankle, I want to shout: “Brexit voter.”

It’s not nice and it’s not fair. I’m trying to stop. As Theresa May’s divided cabinet meets to decide where to go next, ministers and demoralised Whitehall officials should refrain from recrimination too. The “phoney war” lull before the negotiation storm is about to end.

Continue reading...




it

Will Britain's exit from the EU be bad for business? Readers debate

Catch up on our debate on Theresa May’s plans to push ahead with Brexit and what this means for workers and business

Nearly four months after June 23’s fateful Brexit vote, even more half baked nonsense is still being talked by both sides than was spouted during the shabby campaign. Nothing is clear except that it is all going to be a lot trickier to disengage from the EU than some foolish people said – and still say despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

So my starting point is one of humility as I learn stuff I didn’t known before. It’s safe to say that some things will be better outside the EU, others worse, some sectors and individuals will thrive, others languish. The consequences of Britain’s leap in the dark – 37% of the total electorate voted Brexit by a very slender margin – are still largely unknown for all 28 members states. Only charlatans and romantics pretend otherwise.

If we left the EU, we would end this sterile debate and we would have to recognize that most of our problems are not caused by Brussels, but by chronic British short termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure.”

We will be wrapping up the debate in the next four minutes, but we welcome any final comments and remarks.

We will keep comments open until 2.15pm

A view from Nigel Stern, who runs a design agency in London:

The biggest impact will hiring staff with the right skills. It’s already almost impossible to find skilled staff for our design agency - I say this having battled to keep an Australian whose Visa ran out, and lost the battle. I can’t imagine how difficult it will be when Brexit happens. Good skills are literally the biggest growth driver, so for my business Brexit is a disaster waiting to happen

An anonymous take from a bookseller, who thinks that Brexit will be bad for business and will have profound consequences for non-British citizens living and working in the UK.

I am a small on-line antiquarian and used bookseller. Since Brexit I have noticed an uptick in sales to the United States, but I have noticed a distinct decline in sales to Europe, though they do still take place. The effect of Brexit on Europe’s perception of Britain as a country is very negative - and the announcements from the Tory party conference will only reinforce the impression that Britain is not opening up for business. In fact, the very reverse: closing down for business and pursuing policies of discrimination against foreigners, especially from Europe.

The level of discrimination against immigrants from Europe is most definitely alienating what should be Britain’s closest friends. As someone with a slight foreign accent I no longer feel entirely safe in this country. A hard Brexit would be a disaster for me - as many books go abroad and the customs paperwork would add a considerable workload as well as extra costs in the case of more valuable books. There literally is not a single advantage to be derived from Brexit except for the lower pound, which could have been lowered by other means which would have done far less damage to Britain’s economy and society. I don’t know whether in future I will be able to continue business in this country and am wondering whether to move elsewhere.

News of job losses in Scotland are alarming.

The Scottish economy would suffer a severe shock if the UK has a “hard Brexit”, losing up to 80,000 jobs and seeing wages fall by £2,000 a head per year, an economics thinktank has warned.

The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) has told the Scottish parliament that entirely leaving the EU single market – known as a hard Brexit – would see the Scottish economy decline by 5% overall, or by £8bn within a decade.

Related: Hard Brexit could cost Scotland £2,000 a head and 80,000 jobs

One commenter says that Brexit will cause some economic pain, although the extent of this is not yet known.

What we know for sure is that Brexit of any substantial kind will certainly cause some economic pain in the short, medium, and long-term, from breaking existing trading relationships and loss of easy access to a large pool of human capital. The additional opportunities, on the other hand, are all long to very long-term, and are uncertain and beyond the UK's control.

Even the bits which are under the UK's control (like massive investment in training and education in a way which actually achieves something instead of pfaffing around with needless re-structuring and testing kids to the edge of mental breakdown) are all things that would have made sense before, so it's optimistic to imagine that they'll happen in a future where the public finances are under more pressure than ever before (once Brexit decline takes hold).

Here’s a view from Richard Rose, who is worried about Brexit’s impact on the car industry.

I am an engineer working at Rolls-Royce in Derby but I have spent most of my working life so far in the car industry. I am 100% certain that if the UK Brexits out of the single market, it can wave ¾ of its car industry goodbye within 5 years. The idea of replacing the current arrangement with one of tit-for-tat tariffs on cars sold into and out of the UK is preposterous – we will be in the absurd situation of paying taxpayers’ cash to car companies in the form of ongoing subsidies, and every successive government will be looking for ways to reduce or avoid these payments every four years.

The whole arrangement sounds ridiculous and seeing as all the manufacturers who build here have sites inside the Eurozone where they can avoid all that uncertainty, what do you think they’ll do? Its keeping me awake at night as I feel ‘my’ industry is potentially about to be rendered economically unviable just as my right to live and work abroad is being curtailed.

Quitting the European Union’s single market is considered bad for business unless you belong to the small band of economists who believe that Brussels’ employment and environmental protections stifle innovation, that maintaining a low pound is easier outside the EU, and restrictions on migrants is unlikely to ever be enforced.

But the threat from Nissan to switch investment in its next car away from the north east without some form of compensation is the clearest indication yet that multinationals based in the UK to benefit from the single market are going to drift away as they consider an upgrade or new factory that would be cheaper abroad.

John Flahive, 51, a documentary producer and sales agent, is concerned about the implications of a “hard Brexit” on his business.

The impact on business is inevitably negative. At the moment we have free movement of goods throughout the EU, all I have to do in my own business is put an address on a shipment and off it goes. It’s just not possible for whatever is put in its place to improve on that.

A ‘trade deal’ usually involves reduced tariffs which is a dis-improvement on no tariffs at all. This would bring back customs paperwork and all the associated admin, whereas currently we have none at all. There is no upside, only a downside.

This has just launched online. Polly Toynbee asks why the health secretary would insult the one third of our doctors who were born abroad by suggesting that they’re only “interim”.

Hunt’s claim that we will be “self-sufficient” in medical staff is nonsense – and he knows it. These new doctors won’t qualify as consultants until 2030, while everywhere has ageing populations and the WHO estimates a global shortage of 2 million doctors. The number of people in Britain over the age of 85 will double by 2037 – and who is to care for them if we chase away all foreigners?

Related: Telling NHS doctors to go home is self-harming madness | Polly Toynbee

An interesting take from one commenter below the line:

The main reason I don't think it'll be good for business is the way it is and has effected Britain's image around Europe and probably the world. Made in Britain isn't actually very popular in Europe at the moment. When I am with my girlfriend in Spain what image of Britain is on the television? Farage, Boris Johnson and their xenophobic rhetoric. After all it's the consumers who are the most important when it comes to our exports. Do you really want to buy goods from a nation who's image is one of distaste and xenophobia to their neighbours. Look at the effect the Iraq war had on French products in the U.S when they went ( rightfully ) against the Iraq war.... Everything Farage and Boris do is making it far easier for the E.U to take a tough stance in negotiations with support from their people. Especially when they act so arrogantly by saying the E.U has too much to lose and will have to take any deal we offer.

Brexiters seem to have no idea on how politics will effect us more than anything else.

Comments are open below the line and our debate is underway.

Kicking us off from the form is a small business owner in the south east of England, who has noted a definite impact of the vote:

I’ve already seen an impact in car buying attitudes in the months following the referendum. Traditionally, September is a busy time for my business (my company move new and used cars around the U.K.) and already the volume of movements compared to March and this time last year is worrying.

Every dealership I visit, staff say the same thing; “It’s unusually quite for this time of year”. The uncertainty created by the referendum is clearly having an affect and I worry for the future of my business once article 50 is triggered. If people are out of work they won’t be buying cars, meaning I won’t be moving them round the U.K.

Polly Toynbee raised some interesting questions about the impact of hard Brexit this week. She wrote:

As speech after speech salutes “taking back control” as “a fully independent sovereign country”, only old sober-sides Philip Hammond throws cold water. There is a price to pay, he warns. He didn’t disagree with Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that Brexit will cost the UK 4% in growth in coming years.

Related: Will Theresa May be the next Tory leader to be bulldozed by the Europhobes? | Polly Toynbee

Theresa May made one thing perfectly clear during this year’s Conservative party conference: Brexit means Brexit.

The Tory leader said controlling immigration and withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the European court of justice would be her priorities during European Union (EU) exit. She says Article 50 will be triggered before the end of March 2017.

Continue reading...




it

Michael White reflects on 45 years as a Guardian journalist

As the former political editor and columnist retires, he considers his career at the paper and the greatest scoop he never wrote

Michael White, the Guardian’s assistant editor, retired last week after almost 45 years at the paper as a reporter, foreign correspondent and columnist. He was political editor from 1990-2006, Washington correspondent (1984-88) and parliamentary sketch writer (1977-84). Here he reflects on his Guardian career.

When did you first know you wanted to be a journalist?
I was never a student journalist but, after failing a few interviews for industry in my final student year, I decided – correctly – that I am by nature an observer, not a doer. I was lucky in my timing: 1966 was a very good time to embark on a career in journalism.

Continue reading...




it

Hanging out with the Alice Cooper band - archive, 30 June 1972

30 June 1972: The much-maligned Alice Cooper band is about to perform at the Empire Pool, Wembley. At the weekend their bandwagon rolled into Pittsburgh and Michael White flew over to hear them

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you a great American success story. If not from log cabin to White House, then at least from modest beginnings in Phoenix, Arizona, whence also sprang Jenny Jerome and Barry Goldwater, to Greenwich, Connecticut, home of some of the Republic’s super-rich. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Alice Cooper rock band.

There’s no point in pretending it’s a conventional success story, not on the surface anyway. Media penetration in the United States reached what must have been a high point last week with an Alice Cooper item in the Wall Street Journal. Over here there’s a feeling among the cognoscenti that what Billboard has described as “the best theatrical rock ‘n’ roll show since the Stones” needs more than the one previous live airing it got at the Rainbow Theatre last year to make its full impact. Hence Alice’s concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, this evening.

Related: Alice Cooper: 'Rock music was looking for a villain'

Related: How to access the Guardian and Observer digital archive

Continue reading...




it

Howard Green obituary

Howard Green, who has died aged 91, was my first editor, a journalist of the old school who worked his way up from junior reporter at 15 to the board of Thomson Regional Newspapers (TRN) when it was a force in the British regional press.

In the mid-1960s he was a key player in the plans of his Canadian proprietor, Lord (Roy) Thomson of Fleet, to ring London with new evening papers, located on the emerging motorway network and printed on state-of-the-art web offset presses. With well-run local papers still profitable, the big idea was eventually to print and distribute Fleet Street newspapers away from the clutches of its famously disruptive unions.

Continue reading...




it

John Goodwin obituary

John Goodwin, who has died aged 97, was a theatre public relations man whose skills earned him an influence far beyond the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, with which he was associated for most of his working life.

He was born in London, where his father, Albert Goodwin, worked for the Inland Revenue; his mother was the musical comedy actor Jessie Lonnen, whose father, EJ Lonnen, had also been a star in burlesque, and Johnny was drawn to the theatre from childhood. After second world war service in the Royal Navy, during which he saw action on a destroyer in the North Atlantic, he first joined what was then still the Shakespeare Memorial theatre in Stratford in 1948.

Continue reading...




it

How to change a prime minister – Politics Weekly podcast

Jessica Elgot is joined by Michael White, Katy Balls and John Crace to discuss Theresa May’s future. Also this week: Jonathan Holslag explains how patterns in history can help us predict today’s political upheavals

After a week in which anonymous Tory MPs briefed violent rhetoric to the Sunday papers, and rumours once again swirled around Westminster about a confidence vote, Theresa May faced down her critics at the Conservative party’s 1922 Committee.

She emerged looking stronger than she has for weeks, but for how long can she continue to survive in her own hostile environment?

Continue reading...




it

Robin Callard obituary

For more than 20 years Robin Callard, who has died of motor neurone disease aged 73, was professor of immunobiology at University College London, attached to the Institute of Child Health (ICH), clinical partner of Great Ormond Street hospital.

Born and raised in Hamilton, New Zealand, Robin was the eldest child of Eddie Callard, an entrepreneurial Australian photographer, and Vivienne (nee Wilson), who ran a fashion shop. A fourth generation Kiwi, Vivienne was also a descendant of Joseph Priestley, the eighteenth-century radical polymath and scientist widely credited with the discovery of oxygen.

Continue reading...




it

From the archive: Coca-Cola changes its formula – 25 April 1985

25 April 1985: The new taste is said to be smoother, rounder and bolder, not to mention more harmonious

The hard-nosed men of the New York Stock Exchange yesterday made a snap judgment on the most sensational news in the mighty American soft drinks industry for 99 years. Without even trying the new, sweeter formula Coca-Cola, they backed the initial shock reaction of the amateurs: it tastes more like Pepsi.

By lunchtime yesterday Coca-Cola shares had taken another 1.50 cent pounding on top of the 1.60 they sustained in late trading after the new formula was officially unveiled on Monday, despite the assurances of Coke’s chairman, Mr Roberto Goizueta, that the new taste is smoother, rounder and bolder, not to mention more harmonious. Reporters disagreed.

Related: Milk Coke: another classic from the nation that invented Cheeky Vimto

Continue reading...




it

How Theresa May’s exit compares with other difficult departures from No 10

The Guardian’s former political editor revisits humiliating prime ministerial resignations from Robert Peel to David Cameron

Both Brexit camps claim Sir Robert Peel, the Tory moderniser whose 1846 resignation crisis most resembles May’s. But he had succeeded where she failed. Determined to cut food prices for industrial workers, Peel pushed through repeal of protectionist Corn Laws with opposition help. In retaliation, rightwing enemies defeated his Irish Coercion bill. Peel resisted Queen Victoria’s appeal to stay, but grateful crowds cheered him as he walked to the Commons to resign. He slipped out by a side door, but was spotted and cheered home. Divided Tories lost office for 20 years.

Continue reading...




it

Trust audit format

Is there any one have format of Trust Audit under Bombey public Trust Act 1950?please mail me on piyushraychura25 @ gmail.com




it

GSTR9 REPORTING OF ITC

A sum of Rs. 413460.00 being the ITC available under head IGST for the financial year 2017-18 was claimed in the financial year 2018-19 in August 2018 through FORM GSTR3B, now while filing form GSTR9 for the financial year 2018-19 where to show this ITC as the form is showing difference in 6(J) t




it

Mask and sanitizer hsn code?

Mask and sanitizer hsn code...




it

Refund of Unutilized ITC

A Company is registered in different States under GST, having Branches in those States. The Company used to raise Invoices to their Branches (cross billing) by charging IGST. But, the outward Supply in those States is not so much that could utilize the ITC of IGST, being accumulated due to the "cros




it

How to withdraw PPF by legal heirs but not nominee?

Hello Sir,

some years ago, my brother committed suicide and died. He had a PPF account which i recently discovered.I found nominee details thru net banking. The name registered as Nominee doesn't even exist and we don't even know anyone with that name. Now what is the procedure to withdrawal funds?




it

From Farida Jalal to Kirron Kher, here are six of our favourite onscreen mothers in Bollywood

Mother’s have been an important part of Hindi cinema. Over the years, the portrayal of mothers in Bollywood has been changing. Mothers are given much more importance in cinema than just being a character actor who has to nod to everything the husband or the child says. 

On the occasion of Mother’s Day, here’s looking at some of the most popular on-screen mothers. 

Rakhee 

Her dialogue “Mere Karan Arjun aayenge'' is not something that one will forget anytime soon. She played mother to actors Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the hit film Karan Arjun. While Rakhee has played varied roles in her illustrious career spanning over 50 years, when it came to being a mother onscreen she has been seen as a woman of principles including in films like Baazigar, Ram Lakhan, Soldier, Khalnayak and others. 

Farida Jalal 

Farida Jalal too has been part of the industry for almost fifty years and continues to impress people with her charm. While the actress has played different kinds of roles, her motherly onscreen figure is the one most remembered by people. From being Shah Rukh Khan’s mother in Duplicate to Kajol’s in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge, she is the kind of mother who is always ready to make sacrifices for her child. She is also popular for the savage yet emotional grandmother of Jiya from the television series Shararat

Kirron Kher

She is often cast as the loud Punjabi mother with a soft heart always caring and worrying about her child. From Dostana, to Hum Tum to Singh is King to Om Shanti Om she was the mother who could also make you laugh with her snarky comments. While she started her career in film in 1983, most of her hit films including Main Hoon Na and Rang De Basanti see her play the role of a mother. 

Reema Lagoo

Best remembered for her role in Tu Tu Main Main, she has largely been seen in Bollywood films playing the emotional mother. She has played mother to most superstars in the late 80s and 90s. She was considered as a "new-age mother" in Hindi cinema. She was low on drama and was not too emotional either, perfectly maintaining the balance between the two. From Hum Saath Saath Hai to Hum Aapke Hai Kaun to Kal Ho Naa Ho, she is the kind of mother you just want to give a hug and say everything will be okay. 

 Jaya Bachchan 

How can an onscreen mother’s list be complete without Jaya Bachchan. She raised the bar for on-screen mothers with her performance in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The scene with Shah Rukh Khan’s entry in the film will be remembered for Jaya Bachchan’s sixth sense rather than the superstar’s entry. She then went on to ditch the saree and all the parampara and thali and was seen playing a bold single mother in Kal Ho Naa Ho

Ratna Pathak Shah

She will always be remembered dearly as Maya Sarabhai who could accept anything else but being middle class. When it comes to playing a mother in Bollywood, she has never been typecast and has shown variety in her characters. In Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na she was the protective and progressive mother to Imran Khan’s character who could not tolerate violence or any unjust activities. She once again played mother to Imran Khan in Ek Main Aur Ek Tu. She was a rich- sophisticated woman yet very different from her character Maya Sarabhai. Meanwhile, she played a middle-class mother to Taapsee Pannu in the film Thappad who worried more about “Log Kya Kahenge”. 

Let us know your favourites in the comment section.




it

Tomorrow X Together drops emotional teaser of 'Can't You See Me' track from The Dream Chapter: Eternity

The season of comebacks is here in the K-pop industry! Big Hit Entertainment's rookie group Tomorrow x Together is set for their second comeback this summer. The quartet will complete their trilogy with 'The Dream Chapter: Eternity'. 

The first teaser of their title track 'Can't You See Me' is here. More than one year after their debut, the boys are all grown up in this comeback. You hear them sing, "Can't you see me? / Like that magical day / Say believe me / Can't you see me?"

The five members are seen spending some good times together before everything falls apart. In the end, all of them stand outside a burning house as Soobin is seen screaming! It already looks like the MOAs are in for an emotional rollercoaster ride.

The concept trailer had similar emotions - a sense of losing your close friends over the course of time and lost feeling Soobin senses when he gets captured in the glass box.

The album is set to release on May 18, 2020. The group, which includes five members - Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai, debuted on March 4, 2019, with the EP 'The Dream Chapter: Star' with lead single 'Crown'. This was followed by 'The Dream Chapter: Magic' with '9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)' as its lead single.

Not just that, they also made their Japanese debut on January 15, 2020, with the single 'Magic Hour'. 

ALSO READ: TXT drops The Dream Chapter: Eternity concept trailer and the morse code says “SAVE ME”




it

Music Review: The Dark Side Of Life: Mumbai City

<strong>EXPECTATIONS</strong> One look at the title <em>The Dark Side of Life - Mumbai City</em> and it seems more apt for a book than a feature film. Nonetheless, that is indeed the case for this film which has a mix of newcomers and experienced actors with Mahesh Bhatt being seen in a crucial part as well. While Azeem Shirazi is the biggest contributor as the lyricist, several composers come together to create half a dozen songs in the film. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-925603" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/T4.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="450" /> <strong>MUSIC</strong> The kind of sound that kick-starts <strong><em>'Aawargi'</em></strong> reminds one of the kind of music that Vikram Bhatt time and again brings in his films. Jubin Nautiyal is effective as the singer in this Sabir Khan composition which is put together by Azeem Shirazi. The trouble though is that the song sounds dated by at least a decade. Hence, even though it has a soft feel to it, the overall impact is not the kind that makes you revisit it again on loop. The song that follows next is titled <strong><em>'Tu Mujhse Nikalta Nahi'</em></strong> and has the kind of hook-line which is indeed catchy. In a bigger film with a larger setup, this Prakash Prabhakar composed and heard song may well have found good traction. Again, the song is not exceptional but still has that quintessential Bhatt touch to it which makes it stand out. Moreover, Tanveer Gazi puts together a good spin of words, especially the title. Remember <em>'Manali Trance'</em> from <em>The Shaukeens</em>? The song which follows, <strong><em>'Saanp Seedhi Wala Saanp'</em></strong>, is on the same lines and belongs to the trance genre. As a matter of fact Tripty Sinha sings this one too in the same style as that of Neha Kakkar and does manage to make an impact too. It is a new team of composer Sandeep Batraa and lyricists Azeem Shirazi and Ozil Dalal who pair up for this promotional song which is expected to bring in good entertainment quotient. However, a little impact that had been created so far is diluted to a major extent by Rashid Khan composed <strong><em>'Ae Zindagi'</em></strong> which is as sad as it gets. From the composition, writing (Nisar Akhtar) as well as the singing (Altamash Faridi Brothers) perspective, the song is really depressing and just doesn't make you root for it all. A slow moving number that is all about pathos, separation and the fact that life doesn't have much to offer to the protagonists, this one belongs to the quick-skip variety. Another newcomer, Shaan Asif Raj, is the composer for <strong><em>'Muddaton'</em></strong> which starts with the sound of guitar. Seemingly a concert number, this Azeem Shirazi written song is rendered by Amit Mishra. A soft rock number, <em>'Muddaton'</em> tries to bring in the kind of mood that was created by <em>'Sun Raha Hai'</em> [<em>Aashiqui 2</em>]. Though it does fall short, it still makes for a decent hear after all. Had it carried more punch to it, this one could well have found itself a better audience. <strong><em>'Aawargi Deewangi'</em></strong> is the song that concludes the album and its depressing notes do not really help the cause. On the same lines as <em>'Ae Zindagi'</em>, this one is written by Aslam Sani with music by Ahsan Ahmed. There is just nothing in there which arrests your attention and even though Mohammed Irfan is the singer here, you don't really find much entertainment quotient in there. <strong>OVERALL</strong> The music of <em>The Dark Side of Life - Mumbai City</em> is a mixed bag and though there is no real chartbuster out there, two-three songs at least hold your attention while at play. <strong>OUR PICK(S)</strong> <em>‘Tu Mujhse Nikalta Nahi’</em>, <em>‘Saanp Seedhi Wala Saanp’</em>, <em>‘Muddaton’</em>




it

EXCLUSIVE: Writer Kanika Dhillon bags Shah Rukh Khan-Rajkumar Hirani's next!

Shah Rukh Khan’s last film, Zero, released in December 2018 after which he went on a long sabbatical. He has been reading scripts and even shortlisted a few of them. Meanwhile, the names of a lot of filmmakers did the rounds with whom the superstar was supposedly working with. However, of late, it has come to light that SRK is working with blockbuster filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani in his next directorial flick. Recently, while answering a fan question, he also let out a strong hint that he has indeed given his nod to Rajkumar Hirani’s flick. And naturally, it led to a lot of excitement among fans.

While not much is known about the film and its subject, Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learnt that for this venture, Rajkumar Hirani and his frequent collaborator writer Abhijat Joshi have been joined by Kanika Dhillon. She has become quite well known of late thanks to her work in films like Manmarziyaan (2018), Kedarnath (2018), Judgmentall Hai Kya (2019) and the web film Guilty (2020). Interestingly, in the beginning of her career, she had extensively worked with SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment. She worked as an assistant director on SRK’s 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om. She wrote the screenplay of Ra.One (2011) and additional screenplay of Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011). Rajkumar Hirani’s next hence marks Kanika’s reunion with Shah Rukh and Red Chillies Entertainment after almost 9 years.

A source close to the project says, “Kanika Dhillon has come on-board and she along with Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi are busy scripting the film. Kanika is mainly scripting while Rajkumar and Abhijat are helping her with inputs. They are hoping to finish in a month or two. The film was to go on floors in August but due to the lockdown, it seems that the shoot will be pushed ahead.”

Rajkumar Hirani’s last film, Sanju, released in 2018 and was based on the controversial life of actor Sanjay Dutt. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, this flick emerged as the biggest hit of that year, earning Rs. 342.53 crores. Hirani, in fact, holds the envious record of not giving a single flop as a director. The source assures, “His film with Shah Rukh Khan too seems to be shaping up well, at the writing stage. And Rajkumar-Abhijat-Kanika collaboration has added a lot to the script and it’ll be something to watch out for.”

Also Read: Post Manmarziyaan, Taapsee Pannu and Kanika Dhillon reunite for Haseen Dillruba




it

ITC Hotels Launch ‘WeAssure’: A first-of-its kind initiative on health, hygiene & safety

Reinforcing its globally acknowledged Responsible Luxury ethos that seeks to create a better and secure world, ITC Hotels today announced the launch of its path breaking 'WeAssure' initiative. In a first for the hospitality industry, the discerning ...




it

GBTA Industry Forum Series: Interview with Patrick Pacious, President & CEO, Choice Hotels

Scott Solombrino, CEO, GBTA chats with Patrick Pacious, President and CEO of Choice Hotels as part of the GBTA Industry Forum Series. Patrick shares his experience working for a hotel company where 100% hotels are franchised, the challenges facing s...




it

Clinton, Trump In Nail-Biting Finish To Brutal U.S. Prez Poll

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump today scrambled to make their final pitch to voters in the closely-contested U.S. presidential race dogged by controversies like the Democratic nominee's email scandal.