A still from Bioscopewala, featuring Danny Denzongpa in the lead

When we dial up Danny Denzongpa's number on a Friday evening, we are greeted with a faint "hello". The network is choppy, his voice drifts in and out. "I am in a cool place," he says, referring to Sikkim, where the actor is at the moment. His film, Bioscopewala, based on Rabindranath Tagore's renowned story Kabuliwala, is prepping for release, but Denzongpa chooses to stay far from the hustle and bustle of promotion. "I like it here," says the man of few words.

The 70-year-old actor was a little boy when he saw the Balraj Sahni-starrer Kabuliwala (1961). He had also seen the Bengali film earlier, starring Chhabi Biswas. The Sahni film, however, had an impact on him altogether. "I remember our teacher had taken us to see the film and I was howling in the theatre," Denzongpa says. When he first read Tagore's story in school, he made a drawing inspired by it. "There was a man with a pagdi, standing in a hilly backdrop. There was a stream flowing by, and across it, was a little girl." Bioscopewala, he tells us, was originally supposed to star Amitabh Bachchan. "But somehow, that did not materialise. I have always been a huge fan of the film, so, when Sunil (Doshi, producer and co-writer) approached me, I jumped at the chance," he says.

Doing the film was like going back to his college days. "Most of the crew was from my film institute (FTII) — the director, writer, sound designer Resul (Pookutty). I was the senior most among them. I remember when we were shooting in Ladakh, and I would go jogging at early morning, they'd be surprised and tell me 'you're supposed to rest for two days'. But, I am from the hills!" laughs Denzongpa. He also knew his co-actor Geetanjali Thapa, who plays Minnie, well. His other co-actor Tisca Chopra also doubled up as his Afghani tutor. "I had a tutor on sets to correct my diction, but I would always turn to Tisca. She has stayed in Afghanistan for over 10 years and is fluent in the language."

Unlike the original film that was set in the 1940s, Bioscopewala comes forward in time, in the '80s, during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Having also wrapped up shooting for the Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarni: Queen of Jhansi, where he plays an army general who was like a father to the queen, the actor is now enjoying the quiet. He is not Mumbai-bound anytime soon, not even for the premiere of Bioscopewala. "This is the person I am. I'm very shy, I don't party, I stay away from events, I have not had a PR in 45 years. You don't see me talking to the press either, nor I am on television. It's not on purpose. I just don't like attracting attention towards myself." And of course, he's not on social media either. "The only thing I am on is my phone, and that also I forget about at times," he laughs.

Also Read: 7 Memorable Roles Of Danny Denzongpa

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India's cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar made a donation of R59 lakh towards COVID-19 relief funds on April 7. The reason behind 59 was fascinating — the sum total of 34 Test centuries, one ODI hundred and 24 tons for Mumbai in domestic cricket.

Interestingly, the first of those 59 centuries for Mumbai was scored 50 Aprils ago in the 1969-70 Ranji Trophy final against Rajasthan at the Brabourne Stadium.

It was Rajasthan's seventh Ranji Trophy final of the decade against Mumbai, with no victory to show. This, despite roping in some big names as professionals over those years like Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Manjrekar, Subhash Gupte, Rusi Surti and Arvind Apte apart from having charismatic players like Hanumant Singh and Salim Durani.

Mumbai-bred fast bowler Kailash Gattani started playing for Rajasthan as a schoolboy in 1962 and in the 1969-70 Ranji Trophy final, he was trading punches with four of his St Xavier's College teammates — Gavaskar, Milind Rege, Ashok Mankad and Atul Mehta.

Rajasthan won the toss and batted without making full use of the good batting conditions. Before the curtains came down on Day One, Rajasthan had been bowled out for 217 with Gavaskar and Mankad ending the day on 16-0.

Pace bowler Abdul Ismail, who like Gavaskar, was in his first Ranji Trophy season, claimed 4-58 while one-Test man Ajit Pai returned 2-43. It was Ismail who sent back Rajasthan's captain Hanumant Singh for a duck, caught by his opposite number Ajit Wadekar.

Earlier, the loss of Laxman Singh with the scoreboard reading only 16, didn't deter Test all-rounder Salim Durani from playing his aggressive game. He put his punitive blade to good use in an innings which included eight hits to the ropes. In a second wicket stand of 58 with Hanumant's brother Suryaveer, Durani's contribution was 41.

Solkar, who came on first change bore the brunt of Durani's aggression; Ismail too. "I remember one ball sailing towards the East Stand before I had even completed my follow through," Ismail recalled on Tuesday.

Future Test batsman Parthasarathy Sharma top-scored with 67 before putting on 92 with former Test batsman Arvind Apte for the fifth wicket.

Day Two saw Gavaskar (114) and Mankad (171) blossom to a Ranji Trophy record opening stand of 279. Gavaskar's 255-minute knock was embellished with 16 fours.

According to the 1970 edition of Indian Cricket annual, "Both batted extremely well, true to the traditions of the team to which they belonged, grafting the runs with concentration and perseverance. But both had their share of luck, which, however, did not disturb their approach, Gavaskar was missed when he was only 11 by wicketkeeper (Sunil) Benjamin off Gattani, who was troubling the batsmen in the early overs of the morning."

Mehta, who contributed an unbeaten 24 in the total of 531 beefed up by Solkar (82) and an entertaining 58 (7x4, 2x6) at No. 8 by Pai, recalled Gavaskar's friends jokingly telling him to send Rajasthan wicketkeeper Sunil Benjamin a Christmas card every year.

When I spoke to Pune-based Gattani, who was most unfortunate to miss out on an India cap, over the phone on Tuesday, he rued the fact that his side dropped many catches in the match and that Rajasthan's preparation for the season was warped. "And when you drop someone like Sunil, his bat gets bigger and bigger," Gattani exclaimed.

Gavaskar was playing only his third first-class game for Mumbai. His returns from his debut — the 1967-68 Irani Cup against MAK Pataudi's Rest of India — were 5 and 0. When he returned to the XI for the 1969-70 Ranji Trophy semi-final against Mysore (later Karnataka), he got a duck and 27 not out so the hundred in the final, reached through a single off Gattani just before tea on the second day, must have been one of relief.

Gavaskar's childhood friend Rege stressed how pressure-free the Mumbai camp was during that game and in that era in which 15 Ranji Trophy titles were clinched from 1958-59 to 1972-73: "We were never casual, but we were completely relaxed. We did not know what was it to lose and we had the great Wadekar leading us. He was not a demonstrative captain but scored very high on strategy."

Rajasthan could manage only 255 in their second innings with off-spinner Rege accounting for Suryaveer, Sharma, Gattani and Hemendra Surana. Mumbai clinched the game by an innings and 59 runs and Mumbai's next batting star for India had played a significant part in it. That Gavaskar held three catches in Rajasthan's second innings like in the previous game against Mysore, must have contributed to the thrill of his first triumphant Ranji Trophy season. It was Mumbai's 12th Ranji triumph on the trot.

KN Prabhu, the doyen of Indian cricket writers had taken note. In his Ranji Trophy review for The Cricketer International's July 1970 issue, he wrote: "Gavaskar, whose front foot drives are a delight to watch, is expected to maintain Bombay's tradition."

For pacer Raj Singh Dungarpur, the former Cricket Club of India and BCCI president, it was his last first-class game for Rajasthan at the Brabourne Stadium.

The everlasting hurt of seven final losses to Mumbai is evidenced in Raj Singh's decision to skip a reunion of Mumbai players for which he was invited, at the CCI in February 2000. "After ending up on the losing side in seven Ranji Trophy finals against those players, I didn't want to open old wounds for myself," he reasoned.

A certain Sunil Manohar Gavaskar was at that function, enjoying himself in the CK Nayudu Banquet Hall, not far away from the pitch on which he scored his maiden first-class century for his beloved city.

mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone IV) on Wednesday wrote to Addl CP West Region Manoj Kumar Sharma, demanding stricter implementation of rules in the containment zones between Bandra and Andheri, especially the slum areas in the belt.

These include Nehru Nagar (Juhu police station), Samta Nagar and Junaid Nagar (DN Nagar), CD Barfiwala Road and Juhu Galli (DN Nagar), Gaondevi Dongri, Gilbert Hill and Dhangarwadi (DN Nagar), Versova Village (Versova), Kranti Nagar, Anand Nagar, and Behraum Baug (Oshiwara). The municipal authority observed "that there is no fall in the rate of positively tested patients and are rather increasing. It appears that existing lockdown measures are inadequate," the communication said.

It asked local authorities to ensure that the localities, local pockets and chawls are strictly sealed and locked down to have effective control on spreading Coronavirus in these localities.

"This office has frequently informed senior inspectors of respective police stations regarding containment of areas in their respective jurisdictions on a day to day basis as and when positive cases are traced in particular localities," the letter read.

Sharma told mid-day that "the police have already increased patrolling in these areas and deployed more number of officials."

'Lack of individual toilets'

DCP Abhishek Trimukhe said, "We have barricaded these designated red zones and are ensuring that there is limited access. Only the government ration shops and medicine shops are allowed to be kept open. All other shops in red zones will remain closed. However, the main challenge in these slum pockets is that there are no independent toilets within the red zone itself. There needs to be a toilet facility otherwise people will keep venturing out of their homes to use the toilet. How can we keep denying people the need to use the toilet?"

Cops make the rounds of slum areas every day

He pointed out: "There is a heavy space constraint in these slum areas, as opposed to building societies, where containment is very good. The lanes are very narrow in some slum pockets and the population density is high."

Identification system required

Trimukhe said that the police had asked BMC to have some sort of identification procedure for people who are residents of these red zones. "Since the population of these areas is very high, a designated identification system would make it easier to identify and segregate people," he said adding that community meetings have been held with residents to explain the guidelines to them.

'Can't sit inside tiny homes all day'

Senior PI of Oshiwara police station Dayanand Bangar echoed Trimukhe's concerns. "People are always saying that they are either going to get medicines or buy milk but the biggest problem is that of common toilets," he said.

"Residents of these slum areas, who live in a 10x10 house, cannot sit at home all day," he said, adding that in areas like Kranti Nagar, there is zero growth of COVID-19 cases. "Even though this is a red zone, there are currently no positive patients here.

Seven people, who had gone for treatment, and are now back."

1.4k
No. of containment zones in city

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Despite a nationwide lockdown, people continue to step out for morning and evening walks in Aarey Milk Colony. Moreover, there have been instances of locals venturing into the forest area surrounding the VIP guest house, which is known for wildlife activity.

Taking note of this, the Thane Forest Department has written to Aarey police station requesting action against those found flouting the lockdown rules.

The volunteers monitoring leopard activity in Aarey informed the Thane Forest Department about locals venturing into the forest area. A volunteer told mid-day, "I learned from my sources that many people, including some morning and evening walkers and Adarsh Nagar slum pocket residents, venture into the forest surrounding the VIP guest House, which is even frequently visited by wild animals. This information has been passed on to the forest department."

Sources also said that residents of Adarsh Nagar slums regularly roam around the VIP guest house in groups, flouting social distancing norms.

Range Forest Officer (RFO), Santosh Kank said, "People are expected to stay indoors and maintain social distancing but volunteers, who have been doing camera trapping exercises to monitor leopard activity saw people roaming in the area surrounding the VIP guest House hillock. The area has seen leopard activity in the last few days and to prevent any man-animal conflict, people should not venture into the woods. We have already informed the Aarey police station through a letter and we expect them to take action against the violators."

Illegal encroachment taking place in Aarey

The boundary encroachers built surrounding a huge portion of land in Unit 13

A nature lover from Aarey has alleged that people have been trying to encroach Aarey Milk Colony Unit – 13 by axing trees and constructing boundaries around a huge chunk of land. Elijah Emmanuel, a teacher at the kindergarten for slum children, told mid-day, "For the last two-three weeks, I have seen people cutting down trees and building boundaries in Unit 13. During the monsoon, hutments will be constructed as no one comes to check. When I objected, they threatened me and my family. Today, more than 50 people from the area came to my house and abused and threatened me with harm. But the people from Aarey CEO office came and demolished the boundaries. I have registered a complaint with the local police station and hope they take necessary action against those threatening me."

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While the authorities may struggle to get the rest of the city to follow social distancing and lockdown norms, one area in the city which is on board with their plan—and in fact, implementing stricter measures without being forced to—is Cuffe Parade's Machhimar Colony. The residents of this fishing colony have sealed their society, not allowing anyone to step out unless it's absolutely necessary. The residents have also decided not to fish until May 3.

The colony decided upon these strict measures after a resident was sent into quarantine on April 20, after coming into contact with a positive patient. The resident eventually tested negative.

There are a total of six fishing colonies in the Cuffe Parade-Colaba area—Machhimar Colony, Machhimar Nagar, Bhai Bandarkar Machhimar Nagar, Sagar Sanidhya Machhimar Nagar, Shivshrishti Machhimar Nagar and Shiv Shastri Machhimar Nagar. The residents of all these areas have decided to seal the colony, without any prompt from
the government.

Bhuneshwar Dhanu, advisor of Machhimar Sarvodaya Sanstha Private Limited, Cuffe Parade-Colaba, says, "Only those involved in essential services are being allowed to step out. Besides this, a team comprising youths from the colony has been formed. They stand at the gate and go buy any items that are required, without charging anyone."

Jayesh Bhoir, a resident of Machimar Colony, says, "We go to the dock after fishing, but crowds gather and so following rules of social distancing are tough. Therefore, we decided to lock ourselves in."

Chanda Jadhav, A Ward officer, says, "It is good that the people of Machhimar Colony are following the lockdown in their colony. Similarly, if all Mumbaikars adhered to the rules, we will be able to beat the Coronavirus."

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Two middle-aged men were sitting at a bench in Shivaji Park, six feet apart.

"Do you have any underlying conditions?" asked the first one.

The second one thought for a while before answering. "I'm generally fit. I work out daily and I eat paleo. But I have blood pressure. Is that an underlying condition?"

"I have blood pressure too!" said the first. "Hot damn. Blood pressure is an underlying condition." The two moved apart from each other another foot.

I'd have told them to be grateful they had any blood pressure at all. Only dead people have no blood pressure. In 2005, at age 53, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, as many are as they age and their blood vessels get less flexible. Since then, I have been on one cocktail of blood pressure pills or another.

A quick Hypertension 101 here for those who don't have a clue. The heart moves blood through your body by a pumping action that consists of a squeeze and a relax. Each squeeze pushes up the pressure (called the systole) that the blood exerts within the blood vessels, while each relax lowers it (called the diastole). It's like squeezing a tennis ball: think of the maximum pressure you exert as the systole, and the pressure when you release the squeeze as the diastole.

Blood pressure is always represented as two numbers — like 149/83 — indicating the systole and the diastole, and representing the number of millimetres the level of mercury rises to in a machine called a sphygmomanometer. I was told that anything under 120/80 was healthy and optimal.

Being naturally subversive and resistant to authority, I wanted to know who had decided that 120 and 80 were 'normal'. In 2017, the new normal had been declared to be 130/80, down from 140/90. Pharmaceutical companies know that each time the definition of normal blood pressure is lowered, they get millions of new customers, people who had been 'healthy' till then but were instantly redefined as having 'blood pressure' under the new normal — and will require their medication. The 2017 change apparently brought in over 50 million new customers into the blood pressure pills market. It's a billion-dollar industry.

The 2020 normal is 120/80.

Nine of the 11 co-authors of the 2003 blood pressure guidelines had ties to pharmaceutical companies in the form of shares, consulting fees or research funding. One member declared ties to 21 pharmaceuticals. Newer panels are required to disclose conflicts of interest with drug manufacturers who would gain from lowered definitions of normal BP. It seems they stay on the panels nonetheless, having honestly declared their corporate allegiances.

So now you're at a clinic, getting your blood pressure taken. The doctor or nurse may chat with you meanwhile, asking about your family and the next vacation.

There are two reasons why this reading will always be wrong. It is now known that the very sight of a man in a white coat or a nurse walking purposefully towards you creates an immediate spike in your blood pressure. It's called white coat hypertension and is a classic example of the measurer changing the measurement by his very presence.

Other things change the reading too.

Putting the cuff over clothing, rather than a bare arm can add 10-40 mm of mercury (Hg) to a measurement.

Needing to pee can add 10-15 mm Hg.

Having a conversation: an additional 10-15 mm Hg
Dangle your feet or leave your back unsupported — another 5-10 mm Hg.
Even the short walk to the curtained room where they measure your vital statistics will boost your pressure.

There's more — if you'd come at noon, your pressure would have been higher. It starts dropping from late afternoon — unless you go to a rock concert in the evening.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it's very easy for your pressure to show as higher than normal, especially in a medical setting. This makes it easy for the doctor to look grim and shake his head and start you off on some hypertension pill or the other for the rest of your life.

I used to be on Pfizer's Norvasc. In 2003 alone, that drug notched up sales of over $5 billion and was the world's best-selling blood pressure drug. Someone even suggested that children over three should be started on preventive BP medication.

The next time you have your BP read, insist that it be done the right way —
1 Sit still and relax for five minutes.
2 Do not speak to anyone.
3 Calm your mind, don't think of office or home problems.
4 Take two readings, a minute apart.
5 Make sure the nurse records the second reading.
6 Send me a letter of thanks.

Here, viewed from there. C Y Gopinath, in Bangkok, throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai, the city that raised him. You can reach him at cygopi@gmail.com
Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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At a time when the nation needs its frontline workers, Railway doctors remain inconspicuous by their absence. Considering this, the railway board has now issued a circular stating that "unauthorised absence" was hurting the system and creating a serious imbalance, hence fresh recruitments were necessary.

The circular, (a copy of which is with mid-day) signed by executive director/health, railway board, Dr Vijay Kumar, states, "A large number of doctors are on unauthorised leave. This is causing a serious imbalance in the strength of doctors in many zones. In view of this, it has been decided that vacancies of doctors who are on unauthorised absence will be filled up." It further mentioned that as and when the doctors, who are currently absent, report back to duty, they would be directed to report to the Director General/Railway Health Services (DG/RHS) for their further posting.h

The circular said necessary disciplinary action should be completed early and on priority. The Indian Railway Health Services (IRHS) is a cadre of doctors recruited through the Union Public Service Commission medical exam.

The key responsibilities of the doctors include attending to rail accident victims, pre-employment medical examination of staff, periodical medical tests of serving staff, conducting medical boards and other medical certification of serving employees and much more.

While the director-general (health) was not available for comment, a senior official said, "Recruitments are being carried out to get doctors and medical staff on board to fight the COVID-19 battle as the railways have been actively functioning even in these times. It has become the key provider of essential services, keeping the supply chain alive. Hence, the more number of medical workers come on board, the better it is."

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City-based environmentalist Stalin D has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting the Maharashtra State Forest Department and Thane Forest Circle to monitor Aarey Milk Colony against encroachers during the lockdown.

This comes after reports on the depleting green cover in Aarey as trees are being chopped down illegally to build hutments.

Speaking to mid-day, Stalin said the deforestation of Aarey continues unabated without the fear of law. "This is to highlight the ongoing destruction of the forests of Aarey Colony. You are well aware of the facts of the matter pertaining to the ecological importance of Aarey and it has been six long years since citizens and NGOs started fighting to protect this forest. Matters are pending in various courts pertaining to this issue, but there is nothing that stops the government from taking a positive stand to protect Aarey. There is a Supreme Court order which directs that no trees should be cut in Aarey, but this order is being violated on a daily basis," his letter states.

The activist has also alleged that taking advantage of the lockdown, antisocial elements and the slum mafia have seized the opportunity to plunder Aarey.

"We are losing at least 30 trees on a daily basis inside Aarey. Slum-dwellers are expanding encroachments, building illegal temples, clearing the vegetation regularly ever since the lockdown was imposed. We have time and again raised the alarm and intimated the facts to the authorities concerned. But, the Aarey police have not acted on any of the complaints and have instead chosen to beat up citizens who sent them proof of tree chopping and expanding encroachments in the area. The green cover in areas such as the VIP guest house area, the New Zealand hostel forest area, Unit number 13 is steadily depleting. Though the Aarey CEO had got some of the encroachments removed, more spring up in their place," the email states.

He has appealed to the government to issue directions to the Forest Department telling them to monitor the area until the current COVID-19 situation improves.

30
No. of trees cut down illegally in Aarey on a daily basis

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Alexandre Vauthier Spring Summer 2018

Bella Hadid seen sporting the shades at public dos 

Actor Jennifer Aniston at an event in 1998 

Rihanna. Pics/Getty Images

Kangana Ranaut

Ginni Negi, 30 HR professional
"I am very sure they will not suit the shape of my face. I don't prefer tiny sunglasses nor do I like oversized ones. I actually find them funny. For me, the size and fit have to be just right."

Shreya Goenka, 29 brand and product consultant
"They don't serve a purpose, so why wear them? For me, sunglasses are first, a funct­ional thing, and then comes their glam quotient. If the des­ign does not protect the eyes, I will not wear them on a regu­lar basis. The tiny ones do look cool, but so do regular ones.

Pratiksha Phale, 21 student
"I will first see if they suit my face, and if they do, I will go for them. I think the '90s shades look cool. I don't mind experimenting, although usually, I don't go with very edgy frames."

Sakshi Shetty, 22 event manager
"I have seen a lot of bloggers wear these. But I wouldn't as I don't experiment much and prefer classics such as aviators. [The tinies] look cool, but Bella Hadid can pull off anything. Also, the slim frames don't protect your eyes."

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Farah Khan's daughter Anya Kunder has been raising money for the animals to help them amid the Coronavirus pandemic and the filmmaker also shared the sketch she drew and it drew a lot of respect from Bollywood celebrities like Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Zoya Akhtar, Tahira Kashyap, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sonu Sood.

It is a great initiative and not only Bollywood celebrities, but even the commoners also need to applaud her efforts to ensure the well-being of the animals amid this crisis. In case you missed the post that was shared by Farah Khan on her Instagram account a few days back, have a look right here again.

Here it is:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

My daughter Anya has decided to sketch a pet, n sell it for rs.1000-/.. all proceeds will go towards feeding stray animals and homeless during this pandemic.. not much but she s only 12 yrs old.. ♥ï¸Â thank you @tabutiful @rajeevmasand @aartishetty @shaziaqg for advance orders💕

A post shared by Farah Khan Kunder (@farahkhankunder) onApr 5, 2020 at 10:54pm PDT

And now, actor and good friend Abhishek Bachchan has come forward and given Rs. 1 lakh for this sketch and completely bowled over Farah. She couldn't contain her excitement and this is how she expressed her joy. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Who gives 1 LAKH for a sketch?? Only @bachchan ..that straightaway doubles Anya s charity drive! Thank u my mad, big hearted crazy boy♥ï¸Â bigggggg huggggg cming up which u will hate i know😂

A post shared by Farah Khan Kunder (@farahkhankunder) onApr 27, 2020 at 5:06am PDT

Zoya Akhtar and Patralekhaa reacted with a heart, a user wrote- "Wow! Told you this guy was the coolest." And another one wrote- "He is such a great guy." Now let's wait and watch who happens to be the next Bollywood actor to come forward and become a part of this great initiative!

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Telugu actress Samantha Akkineni turned a year older on April 28, 2020, and she was seen celebrating her special day with near and dear ones. Samantha's husband Naga Chaitanya hosted a sweet little party for the birthday girl at their home.

Chaitanya also baked a cake for his wife, and the actress shared a time-lapse video on social media. She wrote, "baking my birthday cake." Take a look at the series of photos and video shared by the birthday girl on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Family ❤ï¸Â .... (no points for guessing what I am praying for )

A post shared by Samantha Akkineni (@samantharuthprabhuoffl) onApr 27, 2020 at 12:29pm PDT

For the uninitiated, the 33-year-old actress has a solid fan-following not only in India but globally too and has given us two very memorable films- 24 and Eega, both brimming with imaginative ideas and smashing entertainment. Samantha has come a long way and carved her own niche in Indian Cinema. Her work in the Telugu and Tamil industry continues to resonate with audiences and critics alike.

Speaking of her professional journey, some of her most remembered works as an artist are 24, Oh Baby, U-Turn, Super Deluxe, and Rangasthalam.

On the other hand, talking about her personal life, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya tied the knot in both grand South Indian and Christian ceremony in October 2017.

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Sunny Leone may have her hands full with household chores, but she has also been pursuing painting. She recently completed her 'piece of art', which the actor has titled Broken Glass. She flaunted her artistic streak on social media and wrote, "Finally, done with my lockdown art. It's called Broken Glass as it is sort of... like our lives at the moment. Everything might feel shattered but every piece is meant to be next to each other... to be made whole again. So, if we can work together, we will also feel whole again and come back together (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Finally done my lockdown piece of art. Has taken 40days to complete. It’s called “broken glass” sort of like our lives at the moment. Everything might feel shattered, but every piece is meant to be next to each other to be made whole again. So if we can work together we also will feel whole again and come back together. Love you all.

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone) onApr 26, 2020 at 5:01am PDT

Sunny Leone and Daniel Weber have self-quarantined themselves along with the kids Asher, Daniel and Nisha. The entire Weber-Leone family have been updating their fans with sweet family posts on social media.

Sunny and her husband Daniel Weber have always been extremely protective about their children and are often spotted with them. And now, during the lockdown, are spending quality time with them at home.

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As Irrfan Khan leaves us with memories and also a lot of pain, Bollywood celebrities are taking to their Twitter accounts to express their thoughts on this irreparable loss. Priyanka Chopra, who worked with the actor in 7 Khoon Maaf and Gunday, has also tweeted about him.

She wrote - "The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues... You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family." (sic)

Have a look right here:

The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/vjhd5aoFhc

— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) April 29, 2020

Both 7 Khoon Maaf and Gunday were poles apart in their storytelling and performances, and displayed Irrfan Khan's talent and tenacity. If 7 Khoon Maaf was a thriller about a woman and her seven husbands, where Khan played the trickiest part, Gunday was an action potboiler that was bathed in the kind of masala people enjoyed watching in the 70s, with Irrfan playing one of his most delicious and heroic roles.

The actor will truly be missed by one and all!

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Everyone's firsts are always special and stay with them forever. For this actress as well, her debut film was a real life character which affected the lives of many and served as an inspiration, breaking a lot of stereotypes about women. Her character demanded alot from her and the actress had to choose either to give in her all or lose it all.

The actress chose to give in her all, playing a real life character is exciting until the tough part comes across. Being an outsider and a well known dancer of reality shows her character was of a wrestler. Hair being one of the finest jewel a woman has, the actress even chopped it off to breathe more life to her character. The film emerged as a glorious success and the actress was now popularly known as 'The Dangal Girl'.

We are talking about Sanya Malhotra. Being an outsider, the actress played a real life character and Dangal has become as one of the classics and the film always invokes a sense of motivation due to its storyline and dedication towards winning and always working hard and moving ahead in order to achieve your desired goals. A strong step in Bollywood and the actress didn't have a halt ever since.

Sanya being a lover of always doing something different, has always chosen quality scripts and characters that would connect to the audiences. Being an outsider the actress has built her fanbase from scratch. Some of the actresses’ films include Badhaai Ho, where the actress won hearts and looked extremely natural on-screen. Joining hand with more opportunities, the actress is having three major films in her plate.

Sanya will be seen playing tge role of Anupama Banerjee, and also the actress is going to show herself in varied age groups alongside Vidya Balan.

The next one being Pagglait followed by Ludo. The actress has blended well in the industry and made a place for herself. Sanya works on quality scripts and ensures to give a fine delivery of work that her viewers enjoy and always hunts for a new character which challenges her to become better.

The actress has built a strong connect with her audiences by always keeping them involved in her life through various BTS. Apart from being a great actress, Sanya is also a phenomenal dancer and often shares many of her moves on her social media. Sanya is truly a star one can root for.

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Last week Jassie Gill released his song Ehna Chauni Aa, which was the first song to be shot on an iPhone. The song instantly became a hit overnight. It not only created the right kind of the noise, but was also loved by none other than Armaan Malik who took to Twitter to express his love for the song.

In the midst of quarantine where people are looking out for new entertainment, Jassie Gill is back with yet another peppy number titled Johnny Waker. Jassie this time is supporting his friend Simmie by not only singing the song, but also featuring in it. The new song is a peppy party number which will have one and all groove to its tunes.

Talking about the same, Jassie says, "Simmie is a friend and is a great artist. When he came to me with the song, I really liked it and I am glad I am a part of the song. Luckily we shot the song before quarantine and it is shot beautifully."

Simmie added, "Jassie is a great guy, he is an amazing human being. I am very happy he said yes to be a part of the song."

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If Bollywood has suffered a severe blow due to the lockdown, smaller regional films have met harsher fate. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai laments that his Marathi production, Vijeta, was among the worst affected by the theatre shutdown that came into effect from March 14. "We had a premiere for the film on March 12, a day before its release. But on March 13, the theatre shutdown was announced, and we had to pull the film down. It was unfortunate that it enjoyed only a day of theatrical run," rues the producer.

The two rounds of lockdown extension have made matters worse as the losses are piling up with every passing day. Even as he refuses to put a number to the damages, Ghai admits, "I can't deny that the [lockdown] has affected us financially. It was a major setback for us, but we will fight this out together. We are waiting for the cinemas to re-open; we will release the film again."

Not one to be bogged down by the current scenario, the director is instead channelling his energy into developing his next. "I am writing a futuristic film that is set in 2024. Making such a movie is challenging because it is entirely based on one's imagination. We intend to roll by the year-end."

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Sunny Leone pulled a prank on her husband Daniel Weber by making him believe that she had accidentally chopped off her finger. Sunny took to Instagram to share the video of the same. In the video, she cries out for help, shouting out to her husband that she has chopped off her. Daniel comes in running and panics and runs around as he tries to figure out how he can help.

However, when Sunny draws his attention towards the phone, he understands that he was being recorded all the while, and this was just a prank.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Yes this is really happening!!! Lol epic #prank on @dirrty99 😂😂😜 . . 🚨Statutory Warning: No finger was hurt in making of this video. It’s a rotten banana

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone) onMay 3, 2020 at 5:17am PDT

Just before the prank, Sunny had shared another video talking about the funny scene:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

This ain’t no cooking video!!!! Haha @dirrty99 got pranked and served!!

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone) onMay 3, 2020 at 2:23am PDT

When Sunny asks Daniel how much he enjoyed the prank, he said: "Generally, I am a pretty serious person in life. That is just my personality. I actually don't even like pranks that much. I don't even like pranks on other people and I definitely don't like pranks on me. So, if you want me to rate your prank, I think it's a zero because I hated that it was done on me."

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Ananya Panday had an impactful start to her career in 2019 and instantly, won hearts with her debut. The roles she portrayed which were truly versatile. Up next, the actress will be working in Shakun Batra's next where she will be sharing screens space with Deepika Padukone.

Telling us about working with the actress, Ananya expresses how she feels about it. "You don't feel like she's a star overpowering you. It feels like being with a friend. Deepika is more beautiful on the inside than on the outside", says Ananya.

The actress has a great line up of projects, one of them being with her wishlist director Shakun Batra and this untitled film has one of the exciting projects Ananya will be seen working in.

Ananya is all set to once again win hearts with her on-screen presence and serve a varied set of characters. With the passion she is working, one is sure that she will be bringing another spectacular character. The actress also bagged her first PAN-India release.

Ananya's recently announced film Fighter, alongside Vijay Deverakonda. The next one being Khaali Peeli alongside Ishaan Khatter. Ananya has three projects back to back.

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Soaring with each venture, Priyanshu Painyuli is having a terrific April. The actor has lapped up immense praises for his act as the Bangladeshi drug lord in Extraction and if rumours are to be believed, the actor has another big ticket release at some point this year. Priyanshu shot for an extensive schedule for the second season of Mirzapur and will be playing a pivotal part in this instalment.

A source informs, "Given the interest around Mirzapur, the team keeps a strict diktat of not letting character details out because it's important to the show's narrative. But Priyanshu will be a part of Mirzapur this season. It's an elaborate character that spills over to Season 3 as well."

Mirzapur, a gangster drama set in the heartlands, is amongst the biggest shows on Amazon Prime. The story of two brothers Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu (Vikrant Massey), who get caught up in a world of drugs, guns and violence after they meet Munna (Divyendu Sharma), the son of Mafia boss Akhandanand Tripathi (Pankaj Tripathi) who has made millions selling carpets.

The source adds, "The first season ended with the death of many old characters. So the new season inevitably widens its horizons and explores more tracks and subtracts of the larger narrative. Priyanshu shot for the show last August in Benaras. It's a cracker of an ensemble cast and the actor can't wait to speak about it once the final announcement on Season 2 comes in from Amazon."

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Raveena Tandon gave a funny reply to a fan who proposed to marry her in the next birth. On Wednesday, the actress took to Instagram to share throwback photos from a vacation in the mountains. "#throwback When the summer gets to hot to handle... my heart dreaming of snowy vacays , soft ,fresh snowed in slopes and the icy moon.. disclaimer- always in #fauxfur," captioned Raveena.

 

 

 

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#throwback When the summer gets to hot to handle... my heart dreaming of snowy vacays , soft ,fresh snowed in slopes and the icy moon.. disclaimer- always in #fauxfur

A post shared by Raveena Tandon (@officialraveenatandon) onMay 6, 2020 at 6:39am PDT

Commenting on her post, a fan wrote: "Raveena ma'am will you marry me in your next birth?" The actress replied: "Sorry ya booked for 7 already".

Other fans also showered the actress with love and appreciation for her beautiful pictures. One fan commented: "Every time I see you, I fall in love with you once again". Another fan expressed: "You always be a queen, love you."

Raveena Tandon's fan club incidentally includes a celeb admirer -- rapper Badshah! The rapper during a recent question-answer session with his fans on Instagram has revealed that he has a crush on Raveena Tandon.

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Ananya Panday and The Vamps' guitarist James McVey are coming together to raise awareness about social media bullying. The live session will be hosted on May 8 on Instagram.

The actor says, "Social media bullying is an evil that people face every day on the numerous platforms that they use in their daily lives. I'm glad that James McVey and I will be fighting this evil together in our own small way."

Ananya further said, "The world is going through a tough time and it is even more important to be kind to everyone and spread positivity." The session is being put together by the actor's initiative, So Positive, which aims to negate the spread of social media bullying.

McVey added, "During this difficult time, we find ourselves using social media more than ever. Regardless of where you live or your background, it's important to remember that you are never alone. Millions of others are going through the same traumatic experience and I believe together we further the conversation and join the fight to end bullying. I'm looking forward to speaking with Ananya on 'So Positive' to learn more about her experiences."

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Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have yet again treated their fans and followers with a new funny video. This time the video is about "food for thought" but with a quirky twist. Shilpa took to Instagram, where she shared a video of herself along with Raj. The clip starts with Shilpa serving aloo paranthas to Raj, who says that he can't see the potatoes in the paranthas.

Shilpa is then heard saying: "Kashimiri pulav main Kashmir dikhta hai tereko our top aur Benarasi saree main benares dikhta hai tereko? (can you see Kashmir in Kashmiri pulav or can you see Benares in Benarasi sarees?)" The actress captioned the video: "Food for thought! #fridayfun #laughs#comedy #cray #food."

 

 

 

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Food for thought !!👹👹😈😈😂😂 #fridayfun #laughs #comedy #cray #food

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty) onMay 7, 2020 at 10:40pm PDT

Her "Nikamma" co-star Abhimanyu Dassani commented: "Haha you guys." Shilpa is an avid user of social media. She keeps treating her fans with quirky videos on her Instagram and TikTok handles. Recently, she posted a photograph of herself and said that a smile is more contagious than a virus.

On the film front, Shilpa is all set to make her comeback to acting with "Nikamma" and "Hungama 2".

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Jacqueline Fernandez is inseparable from Jenny, one of the goats at Salman Khan's Panvel farmhouse where the actor is spending lockdown. Her 'new friend' follows her wherever she goes.

While promoting her recent Netflix release, Mrs Serial Killer, Fernandez made sure Jenny was part of the video conference call as well. The actor was seen pampering the goat who appeared to be enjoying the attention.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

My friend Jenny! ❤️

A post shared by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelinef143) onMay 7, 2020 at 3:54am PDT

Animal lover Fernandez can't think of parting with Jenny when the lockdown ends. Now, there's one more reason to zip down to Panvel often.

In related news, Salman Khan is all set to release his next song titled Tere Bina featuring Jacqueline Fernandez. The star's first song, Love Karona, was received very well by the audience, especially by his fans. Salman Khan shot for the new song at his Panvel farmhouse, where Jackie and their other friends including Waluscha De Sousa and Iulia Vantur, among others, have been stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Salman Khan even gave Waluscha an interview and spoke about his new song along with Jacqueline Fernandez. Check out the video below:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

@jacquelinef143 @waluschaa

A post shared by Salman Khan (@beingsalmankhan) onMay 8, 2020 at 12:08pm PDT

Well, we certainly can't wait for this one!

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Sanya Malhotra is an actress that breathes life into characters on-screen with her impactful performances. She has made a space for herself in the Indian film industry with the awe-striking characters she has played. Not only is she renowned for her acting but she is also well acclaimed for her mesmerizing dance moves!

One might say that the actress is a multifaceted package of entertainment. Sanya is to be seen making an engrossing appearance in an upcoming Indian 2020 Hindi language dark anthology comedy film Ludo. The film contains four chapters, each of which revolves around a different story.

The actress is known to prepare immensely for all her characters to truly submerge into the depths of the characters, however, with Ludo things were very different as Anurag Basu's brief for Sanya was basically just coming to the set unprepared.

It was quite an enriching experience as the actress went on the set completely clueless about the character and that was Anurag's artistic appeal towards weaving the character which Sanya surely aced. This is proof of how the actress takes on different roles and experiments with her characters.

Apart from Ludo, she has created quite a huge space for herself in the industry on the basis of her dedication and passion towards acting, owing to which she has bagged roles in upcoming films like 'Shakuntala Devi' where the actress will be playing Anupama Banerjee while sharing the screen with Vidya Balan and Guneet Monga’s Pagglait.

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Divyanka Tripathi has amassed a huge fan following for herself over the last few years and fans look forward to her work. She made her debut on the OTT platform with Rajeev Khandelwal in Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala. Her claim to fame was the massively successful show, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein with Karan Patel that recently went off air after running on television for over six years.

Fans are now hoping to see the two actors on the screen again as their chemistry was immensely loved. However, there's some heartbreaking news. She said to Pinkvilla, "As of now, I haven't signed for anything else. There was one project with Karan which I think is not happening anymore. I am sorry guys. I know a lot of people were waiting for his project of ours. I am not sure, there might a technical reason but I think it is my responsibility to inform people that it may not happen."

And given the response that Cold Lassi received, will there be a season 2 and will the story continue? She spoke, "Coming to Cold Lassi, its next season is supposed to come this year but I think it will be pushed further. But, I am waiting for a really good project. I won't shy away from saying that I am waiting for some challenging character to come my way. I am itching to do something different."

Fans! Hope that you all get to see the chemistry between Karan and Divyanka soon!

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There are a lot of actors that have gone for adoption to embrace parenthood. Sushmita Sen immediately comes to mind. And another name that comes to mind is Sunny Leone, who adopted a baby girl from Latur, Nisha Kaur Weber. And Leone seems to have inspired Shefali Jariwala, who has spoken to Times of India about how Leone's story moved her.

She said, "I discussed adopting a baby with Hindustani Bhau inside the Bigg Boss 13 house. I was actually moved by Sunny Leone's decision when she adopted a girl child. I always wanted to adopt a baby girl and after I got married to Parag when we were discussing about starting a family." She added, "I shared my views with him and he is a very supportive husband."

Highlighting the importance of adoption, the actress said, "There are a lot of children in the world who need home and I think I am in a position where I can give them a secure, good life then why not. I want to give that child a good home, education and a good life because God has given me everything!"

And if all goes well, there might be a new little member in the house very soon. "I have been blessed with all this so I want to share my blessings with that child. But the adoption process in this country is a little tedious. There's a lot of paperwork involved and there's a lot of waiting also. So we are currently in the middle of the process and if God is kind and your wishes are with us, my dream to bring my child home will come true. I'll become a mother and bring a lovely girl home," said Jariwala.

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The Bollywood couple of Ishita Dutta and Vatsal Sheth has been uploading content for Instagram followers, aimed at tickling the funny bone, during the ongoing lockdown. In their recent post, the two are seen discussing what to cook. The argument continues in Gujarati style, which is meant to make people laugh.

 

 

 

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Gujju Ben vs Gujju Bhai 🥊🥊 @vatsalsheth

A post shared by Ishita Dutta Sheth (@ishidutta) onApr 20, 2020 at 8:42am PDT

"We had thought of creating content together but we never got the time earlier. We have been shooting round the clock. Now that we are locked down and at home, we thought why not give it a try and create some stuff," said Ishita.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#ThisIsUs ❤️

A post shared by Ishita Dutta Sheth (@ishidutta) onApr 16, 2020 at 7:19am PDT

"We have got great feedback and it's been exhilarating to hear from fans and friends. It's a great time to actually work on content via the phone from home," she added about the videos that have got a thumbs up from celebrities like Suniel Shetty and Kapil Sharma.

The couple has also made a short film together, which will be out soon. Amidst all the fun and laughter, Ishita has urged people to "follow the government's orders and give it paramount importance".

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It's doesn't get bigger than this! Youtube has a huge lineup of celebrities from various fields for their upcoming YouTube Virtual Graduation Ceremony 2020. The ceremony would be headlined like former President Of The United States, Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama. Amongst the notable names includes singer Lady Gaga, world-famous band BTS.

The Dear Class of 2020 will be mixed with commencement speeches and musical performances. "I’ve always loved joining commencements––the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. Even if we can’t get together in person this year, Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones," Barack Obama wrote in his tweet on May 5.

BTS has had a global impact with their music. The group, composed of members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit in South Korea, and were keynote speakers at United Nations in 2018. Singing in their native language Korean, the septet has become the world's biggest boyband. Their latest album 'Map Of The Soul: 7' has become No. 1 in 21 countries.

Being in the pop scene for more than a decade, Lady Gaga changed the face of pop music and re-introduced artistic ways to evolve music. In today's times, she is considered one of the most impactful musicians of all time.

Here's a list of participants:

Featuring

President Barack Obama

Michelle Obama

BTS

Lady Gaga

Sec. Robert M. Gates

Sundar Pichai

Sec. Condoleezza Rice

Malala Yousafzai

Special Appearances by

asapSCIENCE

Alicia Keys

Chloe x Halle

Kelly Rowland

Kerry Washington

The Try Guys

Zendaya

Mr Kate

Dude Perfect

Jackie Aina

Zane Hijazi

Dear Class of 2020 premieres on June 6.

ALSO READ: BTS members V and Jungkook make carnations on Parents' Day, perform 'Never Not' by Lauv during live stream

Jackie Shroff and Rishi Kapoor have starred in a film together, but surprisingly, they have never shared a frame or had scenes together. With Rishi Kapoor’s untimely passing, the industry mourns the massive loss we suffered last week. Rishi Kapoor’s colleagues have taken the time out to share how special and jolly he was around others and would always care for others.

In his recent interaction with another portal, Jackie Shroff said that his dream of sharing the screen space with Rishi Kapoor will never come true now. He recalled how Rishi Kapoor would tell him that he wanted to do a film with him since they had never faced each other on camera. Being Jackie’s senior, he obviously wanted to be in the same frame as the legendary actor. He was upset that it can no longer come true and that the industry has lost a piece of jewel from the crown.

Jackie Shroff further recalled how he first saw Rishi Kapoor after Bobby’s release and was completely awestruck by his presence and personality.

Also Read: Imtiaz Ali reposts a video of Rishi Kapoor dancing at former’s brother’s wedding in Kashmir

In a first of its kind international venture, youth icons Ananya Panday and international songwriter and guitarist from The Vamps band - James McVey - are all set to come together on the former’s ‘So Positive’ platform to raise awareness about social media bullying. The live session will be hosted on 8th May 2020 at 7 pm.

James McVey, the lead guitarist, and songwriter of the internationally renowned British band The Vamps, is known globally for spreading social media positivity. The coming together of the two, Panday and McVey, marks a collaboration that goes beyond the confines of language and geography to attain more awareness on the issue. The statistics are proof of how teenagers and children are the most affected in this digital era. The number of platforms accessible to the population across the world are increasing with every passing day. This collaboration would be extremely insightful in terms of shedding light on this issue and help individuals dealing with social media bullying.

Sharing his experience James McVey said, “During this difficult time we find ourselves using social media more than ever. When I was at the receiving end of bullying I felt isolated and alone. Regardless of where you live or your background, it’s important to remember that you are never alone. Millions of others are going through the same traumatic experience and I believe together we further the conversation and join the fight to end bullying. I’m looking forward to speaking with Ananya on ‘So Positive’ to learn more about her experiences.”

Ananya Panday shares, "Social media bullying is an evil that people face every day on the numerous platforms that they use in their daily lives. I’m glad that James McVey and I will be fighting this evil together in our own small way. The world is going through a difficult time, currently and it is even more important than ever to be kind to everyone around and spread positivity. So Positive has been creating awareness through different ways and our aim continues to be to negate the spread of social media bullying by spreading positivity all across. I’m really looking forward to this insightful exchange with James”.

So Positive is a cause taken up by Ananya which is backed with substantial data, research, and behavioural statistics. The initiative aims at creating and spreading awareness about social media bullying. Its prime focus is to make people aware of the fact that this issue exists and stays very prevalent in society. Also, the steps that can be taken by the recipients of this destructive criticism in order to deal with this.

ALSO READ: Ananya Panday says Vijay Deverakonda is humble and grounded despite being a huge star

When the lockdown was announced, singer Sonu Nigam was in Dubai. The singer said that he has no plans to return to Mumbai anytime soon even as the government has started flight services to get back Indians who are stranded abroad. 

Talking to a daily, Sonu said that even if he comes to India, he will be quarantined for 14 days. The singer is currently busy with charity work and feels that it does not make sense to come back and get quarantined.

Sonu said that he is in the process of shifting to a new house in Dubai. He also said that Dubai has been his second home for quite some time now. Sonu also has his studio set over there and his family has also moved there. His son Nevaan is currently studying in Dubai and so he will be constantly shuttling between Mumbai and Dubai. 

ALSO READ: Sonu Nigam twists his Main Hoon Na title track amid Coronavirus pandemic, and it is hilarious

An intriguing game of counting tigers in a picture has taken the social media by storm. A Twitter user posted a picture of a family of tigers with few other tigers hidden in the background, and asked netizens to spot the exact number of big cats. While few netizens guessed correctly, most were left scratching their heads with the intriguing brain-teaser.

Twitter user @isharmaneer posted the picture with the caption, "How Many Tigers You See In This Pic?" Spotting four tigers in the picture at first glace is relatively easy - two cubs and two adults. But on closer inspection, netizens realised that the big cats have been cleverly morphed in the background.

How Many Tigers You See In This Pic ? pic.twitter.com/GPOvxKYdRc

— EF Neer 🇮🇳 (@isharmaneer) April 22, 2020

The puzzle, that has received over 6,700 likes and 783 retweets, has not just baffled a few celebrities too. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan commented that he found 11 tigers while actors Dia Mirza, and Prachi Desai said that they were able to spot 16 tigers. 

11 tigers .. https://t.co/s5Sa57G80n

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 23, 2020

16

— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) April 23, 2020

16 🐅

— Prachi Desai (@ItsPrachiDesai) April 23, 2020

According to the Daily Mail, there are 16 tigers in the picture, hiding in plain sight, users commenting on Neer's post claimed that they were able to find up to 20 tigers in the picture. Here are some responses:

Now 18 pic.twitter.com/XohawpPAYf

— Ajay Singh (@Ajay_Singh56) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

18 in one and remaining 2 marked in other. Total 20 pic.twitter.com/VG3z46tt2F

— Ko Ka (@its_KoKaKoKa) April 23, 2020

Amazing exercise to understand the behaviour of Tigers in the wild...Ambush Predators

— Ankit Kumar, IFS (@AnkitKumar_IFS) April 23, 2020

@Ajay_Singh56 agree
18 tigers ðŸ§Â

— Richa Paliwal (@therichapaliwal) April 23, 2020

How many tigers were you able to find?

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Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues. She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020. The Finance Minister, through a series of tweets posted late night on Tuesday, said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. "Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner.

Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised. "@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said. Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, 'Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about'. She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's `phone banking'," she added. In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of 'Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided."

Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question. "Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's ''friends'' in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019. Sitharaman said this is an attempt of Congress leaders to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. She emphasised that it is the Narendra Modi-led government which is pursuing cases against these wilful defaulters and 9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking of Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. The total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya is about Rs 18,332.7 crore, she said. Sharing details, she tweeted: "Vijay Mallya Case: Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition."

In case of Mehul Choksi she said, "attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore. Seizure of Rs 597.75 crore. Red Notice issued. Extradition request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as fugitive offender is in progress." On the Nirav Modi case, the Finance Minister said, "Immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and Seizure Rs 489.75 crore). This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK."

Provisions are made for non-performing assets (NPAs) as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI, she said, adding, upon full provisioning being done banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower and no loan is waived off. On Tuesday, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala demanded answers from the Prime Minister on why their loans were waived. "This is a classic case of promoting ''dupe, deceive and depart'' policy of the Modi government, which can no longer be accepted and the prime minister has to answer," Surjewala said. He said the entire country is fighting the coronavirus and the government has no money to pay.

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ates, but has the money to condone and write off Rs 68,607 crore of bank loan defaulters.

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday issued notices to LG Polymers, Union Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and others regarding the Vizag gas leak incident.

The NGT has directed LG Polymers, India, at whose plant the gas leakage occurred, to forthwith deposit an initial amount of Rs 50 crore taking note of damages caused due to the incident.

Further hearing in the matter is scheduled for May 18.

On Thursday, a styrene gas leak at the plant of LG Polymers in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh had claimed 11 lives.

NGT's principal bench headed by its Chairperson AK Goel also issued notice to Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (PCB) and District Magistrate of Vishakhapatnam.

The Tribunal has also sought a report from a 5-member committee comprising former Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice B Seshasayana Reddy, Former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University, Professor Ch V Rama Chandra Murthy, Head of Chemical Engineering Department of Andhra University, Professor Pulipati King, CPCB Member Secretary and Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

NGT said that the committee may visit and inspect the site at the earliest and give its report before the next date via email and site visit may be initially conducted by members available locally in consideration with outside members online.

It said that the committee may specifically report on the sequence of events, causes of failure, the extent of damage to life, human and environment, steps to be taken for compensation of victims and restitution of the damaged property among others.

The bench has directed the District Magistrate of Vishakhapatnam and Regional Office of Andhra Pradesh PCB to provide logistic support to the Committee to enable their fact-finding and reporting.

It took suo-motu cognisance on the basis of media reports on the leakage of hazardous gas, Styrene from a chemical factory owned by the South Korean company LG Polymers. The incident has caused damage to the environment and habitat.

Styrene gas is a hazardous chemical and as per rules, it requires on-site and off-site emergency plans to ensure prevention of damage.

NGT noted that there appears to be a failure to comply with the rules and other statutory provisions and leakage of hazardous gas at such a scale adversely affecting public health and environment clearly attracts the principle of 'Strict Liability' against the enterprise engaged in a hazardous or inherently dangerous industry.

"Such an entity is liable to restore the damage caused under the Environment Law, apart from other statutory liability. The statutory authorities responsible for authorizing and regulating such activities may also be accountable for their lapses, if any, in dealing with the matter," the NGT said.

Stressing that it is necessary to ascertain the facts relating to the extent of damage, the extent of the failure and consider remedial measures, the bench listed the matter for May 18 for further hearing.

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Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has stepped into social media by joining Instagram to share a special message for fans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "Pirates Of The Caribbean" star made his debut on the platform on April 16 by sharing a photograph of himself sitting on an old wooden bench in what seems like a cave, surrounded by candles and lights.

"Hello everyone... filming something for you now... gimme a minute," he captioned the image.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Depp (@johnnydepp) onApr 16, 2020 at 7:12am PDT

Depp gained 600,000 followers just three hours after creating the account, reports aceshowbiz.com.

A representative for the official account of his band The Hollywood Vampires and member Joe Perry both left comments featuring similar emojis on the comment section.

Moments later, the actor came back on the photo-sharing website and posted a piece he'd been filming.

A video message, which started like: "Hi everyone, hello to whomever might be out there in ether-land receiving this transmission. This is my first experience within the world of social media. I've never done anything like this before. I don't think I've ever really felt any particular reason to, until now."

"Yeah, now is the time to open up a dialogue as the threat of this invisible enemy has already caused immeasurable tragedies and enormous damage to people's lives. People are ill and without care, people are getting sick, fighting for breath and dying at frighteningly high rates."

Depp went on to reference those who have lost their jobs and others living on the streets "with no shelter or option of self-isolating at all".

"So I feel we need to try and help each other through these hard times, these trying times, for those we love, for our community, for ourselves, for the world and for the future."

He concluded his first Instagram message by thanking fans for "your kindness, your unwavering support and your strength over these years. I am touched beyond words."

The actor then shared his version of musician John Lennon's "Isolation" saying that "there's more to come" and noting that he hoped fans would "enjoy our version."

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Global recognition is every actor's dream. For Priyanshu Painyuli, it came true when he was approached to play a crucial role in the upcoming Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction, directed by Sam Hargrave.

"I knew I had to give it my all," says the actor.

To play his role to perfection, Painyuli went the extra mile. A source informs, "He researched extensively to grasp the reality of the Bangladeshi war and drug lords. Considering the movie is set in Dhaka,

Priyanshu learnt the native language." The detailed script for the film which was originally named Dhaka enabled Painyuli to visualise his character better. He says, "The script has a clear vision for each character. To ensure that I do my best, I wanted to create a backstory for the character to justify how he is presented in the film." Painyuli says director Hargrave often sat down with him to discuss his character and helped him with the research. "The documentaries and material he suggested gave me an insight into the country and its struggles.

The nature of crime in a country reflects its social structures and the issues it is grappling with. I feel the research helped my character create more layers."

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Four psychology students plant a camera in a church's confession box and come across a serial killer confessing to murder to the priest. Life takes a bizarre turn when they meet TONY, the serial killer and go on a murdering spree with him.

Ahead of Mother's day, Kajol spoke to a daily about motherhood and the bond she shares with her kids. Kajol got married to actor Ajay Devgn in 1999 and the two went on to become parents to two beautiful kids- Nysa and Yug.

When she conceived Nysa, Kajol had only one thought and that was to ace this test of motherhood. However, she soon realized that it is no cakewalk and it took her six months to realize that she can't do it alone. Kajol said that her children make her want to be a better and fun person.

Kajol also revealed that her children have not watched too many of her films. She said that it is because she hasn't made many and according to the kids, Kajol cries too much and makes them cry too.

While talking about her bond with her mother Tanuja, Kajol said that the relationship they share is the best and that they never discuss work. She said that her mother gave a lot of advice but never listened to it until she landed in a problem.

ALSO READ: From working with Shah Rukh Khan to Ajay Devgn not cooking for her, Kajol makes some interesting revelations during her chat session

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish thanked fans for their support on Sunday after leaving hospital following a positive test for the coronavirus. Dalglish, 69, found he had the virus after being admitted to hospital on Wednesday for treatment for a separate infection which required intravenous antibiotics. He was discharged on Saturday night. "Thank you for all of your well wishes over the last few days," said Dalglish in a Liverpool statement issued Sunday. "I'm delighted to be back home with the family after receiving brilliant care from the NHS (Britain's National Health Service), which we appreciate now more than ever. "Marina (Dalglish's wife) and I would like to express our immense gratitude to the medical staff who cared for me and who continue to treat countless others throughout the country during an incredibly challenging period."

Dalglish confirmed the couple would be in "full lockdown for the recommended amount of time in order to protect the lives of others". There are fears that the warm weather across Britain over the Easter weekend will see the public flout government guidelines on social distancing instead of only going out to maintain health and purchase essential supplies. But a concerned Dalglish said: "I know the sun is shining for many of you, but I urge you to stay home and follow the government guidelines to the letter." Earlier the Scotland great, in an interview with the Sunday Post, praised the "absolutely brilliant" hospital staff, adding: "People may think my name got me the best of care but every patient in the NHS gets the best of care." On Friday, Dalglish's family said he had tested positive for COVID-19 despite having previously displayed no symptoms of the illness.

'Humbling messages'
Saturday saw two of Dalglish's children take to Twitter to thank the public for their support. Paul Dalglish, also a former player, said: "Truly humbling messages from supporters of all teams," with Dalglish's daughter, Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates, saying: "Thank you so much for your lovely messages and I'm really sorry I can't reply to them all." Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker said on Twitter: "Love from Becker family to Sir Kenny Dalglish!!" Ian Rush formed a prolific partnership with Dalglish during their playing days at Liverpool and the Welshman took to Twitter to give his old team-mate his best wishes.

"Wishing a speedy recovery to the best...Sir Kenny Dalglish. Get well soon," he wrote. Dalglish won the Scottish league title with Celtic as a player on four occasions before signing for Liverpool in 1977. At Anfield, he captured eight English league titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and three European Cups as a player and in two managerial spells. In his Liverpool playing career, Dalglish scored 172 goals in 515 games. As well as his role in Liverpool's golden era in the 1970s and 1980s, Dalglish received plaudits for supporting victims' families after 96 fans died in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster. He also coached Blackburn to the 1995 Premier League title. Almost 10,000 people in Britain have so far died as a result of the coronavirus.

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Even before the term globalisation was coined, the city of Mumbai had neighbourhoods that were multicultural and yet lived in complete harmony. Director-actor Akshay Shimpi's upcoming play Mumbai – The City United, cashes on that beautiful diversity that has now become the nerve of the city. Shimpi says, "As an artist and Mumbaikar, we love this city. It inspires us. Many artists have expressed how the city has served as their muse. Their love has found shape in their respective art form. We have compiled their literature, poems, articles, paintings, plays and songs in this play as a tribute to our beloved city." The play has stitched together songs, skits and readings of stories from the glorious past of the city's literature.

Shimpi and his team acquired works of renowned artists in various languages. When asked why he chose to go with a multilingual play, he says, "Thanks to its cosmopolitan nature, Mumbai, over the years, has developed its own language. In fact, it has its own dialect, and there's also Hindi, which is spoken across the country. Using multiple languages was one way to reflect the true spirit of the city."

Shimpi and Dhanashree Khandkar who have written and performed the play

The cast will be performing songs by yesteryear folk artists such as Vasant Bapat, Anna Bhau Sathe, Patthe Bapu Rao to name a few. Their songs talk about various historical movements in the city such as the shutting down of mills, for instance. These verses have been woven into the script that touches upon the culinary and architectural heritage, festivals and even the city's underbelly.

Shimpi believes that Mumbai is so vast and varied, everyone has a different interpretation of what the city means to them. As for him, he says, "Whenever I'm asked to describe the city, I take reference from the folktale where seven blind men were asked to describe an elephant. For someone, it was a long tube (trunk) while for someone else it was a curtain like a flap (ear). For me, Mumbai is that elephant's stomach. It is so big that it can always accommodate everyone."

When: January 27, 7 pm
Where: Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, Charni Road, Kele Wadi, Girgaon
Entry: Rs 150
Call: 9619336336

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Amitabh Bachchan campaigns for the 1984 elections in Allahabad

Fans across the world celebrated acting legend Amitabh Bachchan's 75th birthday last October. And if you wish to extend the festivities, visit Frames 75, an exhibition of rare photographs and framed memorabilia that celebrate Bachchan's oeuvre.

The exhibition has been curated by film historian and archivist SMM Ausaja and photo journalist Pradeep Chandra. "There were no big commemorative events for his 75th birthday. But we realised that his 75th year is not yet over, so we should celebrate it with a visual journey in his platinum year," says Ausaja.

A photo by Pradeep Chandra of the legend at RK Studios

The duo worked over three months to curate the list of exhibits and even commissioned artwork for the exhibition. "We wanted something rare that's not on the Internet. You will see a photo from his first photo session, a pamphlet from his Allahabad election campaign, and artist Sonu Gupta's recreation of a painting by MF Husain that depicts the three phases of Bachchan's life," Ausaja says.

An original poster of Yaarana

"I did a similar show on his 61st birthday. So, for this exhibition we wanted to do something different. You will see some never-seen-before images by me, including a photo of Bachchan and Rajiv Gandhi at Indira Gandhi's funeral; a frame of him sitting with Bal Thackeray's shadow in the background; a photo with his daughter, with Dilip Kumar, and one with Rajkumar and Sanjay Dutt in the same frame," adds Chandra.

SMM Ausaja and Pradeep Chandra at Bachchan's residence

Also on display will be original posters, vinyl covers and fake notes used for shoots, many of which have Bachchan's image on them. "We wanted a wide variety of media to break monotony and sustain interest across all frames," Ausaja signs off.

FROM: May 11 to 25, 10 am to 6 pm
AT: Whistling Woods, Goregaon East.
CALL: 30916070

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Can I Open account with zero brokerage company for share buy/sell.Whether it is safe? Please clarify..

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said someone must answer to the questions which are still unanswered in regards to the Sri Lanka Easter bombing last year.

"A year on we all share the pain of the families grieving lives lost, we stand with you and for you. We remember. So many questions still unanswered, but answer them someone must," Sangakkara tweeted as people across the world celebrated Easter on Sunday.

Sri Lanka celebrated a quiet Easter Sunday amid the coronavirus lockdown, while remembering the victims of the terror attacks that killed at least 270 people on the resurrection day last year. People largely stayed indoors and offered prayers from home with the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, leading an Easter mass from a TV studio because of the pandemic.

The attacks wounded over 500 and deepened communal tensions in Sri Lanka. The bombings, carried out by local Islamist extremists with suspected foreign ties, was claimed by the Islamic State. Police said that they have killed or arrested all suspects in various counter-terror operations carried out in the days after the mayhem.

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Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria might be currently serving a life ban for his involvement in fixing, but he has once again taken the attack to the Pakistan Cricket Board saying that he wasnt supported enough by the PCB.

In a YouTube video, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq had spoken about how Brian Lara had taken Kaneria to the cleaners even though the Pakistan captain had placed fielders on the boundary and thereby shown his true class.

But taking to Twitter, Kaneria wrote: "I have taken @BrianLara's wicket 5 times in my career. He was a good cricketer. If PCB had supported me, I would have broken many big records."

Describing the episode, Inzamam had said: "Kaneria bowled a googly and Lara hit the ball back towards the bowler, coming out of his crease. Danish said ‘well played Brian', which prompted Lara to say ‘okay sir'. The next three balls were all dispatched over the boundary.

"I was the captain of the side so I went over to Danish and told him to tease Lara a bit more. I felt he was angry so we might make him throw away his wicket. I placed the fielders on the boundary in anticipation of big shots but he still managed to outfox us by hitting Danish to all parts of the ground."

Kaneria had earlier asked Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh to help the hindus in Pakistan as they fight the coronavirus outbreak.

"I request @YUVSTRONG12 and @harbhajan_singh to make a video for the minorities living in Pakistan as well. They need your help in this moment of #coronacrisis," Kaneria had said in a tweet.

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As all sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Australian bowlers are pondering as to how Indian skipper Virat Kohli might play in front of no spectators. India and Australia are scheduled to play a four-match Test series later this year, and it is being speculated that the series might end up taking place without any crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon on Tuesday said that it would be interesting to see how Kohli goes about it if he does not get a chance to get the audience behind him. "He is probably good enough to adapt to any scenario. But I was talking to Mitch Starc the other day and we actually said that if we are playing with no crowd, it'll be quite amazing to see Virat trying to rev up the empty seats," cricket.com.au quoted Lyon as saying.

"It is going to be a little bit different, but Virat is a superstar. He will be able to adapt to any climate that we are able to play in," he added. During the 2018-19 series, India managed to defeat Australia in Australia for the first time in a Test series. Australia, at that time were without the services of David Warner and Steve Smith. However, the series later this year promises to be a mouth-watering prospect. "I am excited about the prospect of India coming out to Australia, it's up there with the biggest series alongside the Ashes. They are an absolute powerhouse of the cricket world, and to have those guys out here is going to be fantastic. Playing in front of crowds or no crowds is out of our control, we have got to follow the advice of all the amazing medical people around the world," Lyon said.

"I have not thought about no crowds or massive crowds, it is just about the opportunity of playing against India again. They had the wood over us last time they came over here but we are a much stronger Australian cricket side at the moment, and I am just unbelievably excited about playing them here at home," he added. Lyon was slated to represent Hampshire in County Championship this year, however, his stint was called off last week due to COVID-19. He is Australia's third-highest wicket-taker in the longest format of the game as he has total of 390 wickets in Test cricket. Lyon was last seen in action in the Big Bash League for Sydney Sixers.

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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend. Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.

"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.

The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork. "He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi. "His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class."

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Jasprit Bumrah has risen rapidly to become one of the leading fast bowlers in the world but he says many thought that he would be the "last person to play for India" given his unusual bowling action. The Indian pacer made this revelation during a live session on Instagram with former India batsman Yuvraj Singh.

"Many people told me that I won't play for long, there was an expectation that the last person to play for the country would be me," said Bumrah when Yuvraj asked him about his high-arm bowling action. "They told me that I would just play one or two Ranji Trophy games, that it (the action) is difficult for the body. But I kept on improving and I persisted with my action," said the 26-year-old, who made his India debut in January 2016 following his exploits in the IPL. Bumrah, without taking names, also revealed the inspiration behind his action. "I have not taken special coaching and whatever I have learnt is from seeing the TV. I used to replicate the action of a tennis ball bowler. "I don't know when this action was developed.

Till under-19, I had a different action. That used to change, but when this action got developed, then nobody allowed me to change it and I worked on it," he said. Bumrah has gone on to play 64 ODIs, 50 T20s and 14 Tests for the country since breaking into the side. He made his Test debut in January 2018 and in quick time, became Virat Kohli's go to bowler even in the five-day format. "...I value Test cricket as we have to work hard for every wicket and it's satisfying. Every Test is important for me, even though I haven't played (a Test) in India, I'm waiting (for it)," he said. During the chat, Yuvraj reminded Bumrah that he had predicted that the pacer would go on to become the "number one bowler in the world". And he did in 2017 when he reached the top spot in the T20 rankings.

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The coronavirus outbreak has brought the world to a standstill and sporting events across the globe have either been cancelled or suspended. And former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has said that with the way things are going, live sporting action may return only after another 4-5 months.

"The way things are going we might not be able to see any live sport for maybe 4-5 months. That's gonna be tough not just on the current players but also those who follow sport," Gavaskar told India Today.

"There are so many fans of different sports, for them to be able to only look at the old action after a time it gets boring, for nostalgia you can go back and see what happened earlier but actually you wanna see live sport be it on television or ground and for that not being able to be seen till September that's a worrying thing and I am pretty certain that the officials of all the sports are planning plan a, b, c to get over this period of uncertainty," Gavaskar explained.

While there have been talks of holding an IPL behind closed doors, Gavaskar said that it should be the last option.

"I think that's gonna be absolutely the last resort otherwise you know when you can't have absolutely anyone at the ground only then you should play without crowds.

"Every performer likes to perform in front of a crowd which appreciates the skills and temperament. Same in theatre. So i think it's not going to be easy on the performers as well. Players also want to do the high fives and hugs."

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India ODI skipper Mithali Raj wants to add that elusive World Cup trophy to her cabinet before calling time on her illustrious career.

Raj helped India reach final of the tournament on two occasions -- 2005 and 2017 -- but the 'Women in Blue' suffered heartbreaks against Australia and England respectively.

Raj has stated that constantly churning out good results against top sides has helped the team gain a solid reputation in recent times. According to her, teams don't take India lightly anymore.

"Teams don't take us lightly anymore and come prepared for us," Raj was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

"Consistently beating the best sides in the world – be it Australia in the ODIs or England in the T20Is – has given us the confidence that we too are a side to beat."

Raj took retirement from the shortest format after the T20 World Cup last year in a bid to prolong her ODI career. She revealed how this is motivating her to keep herself fit during this enforced break put forward by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Fitness, at my age, is something I need to consciously and constantly keep up. I know I can't forget my skill. I still have some batting in me. I might need a few sessions to get my rhythm going," she said.

"Some of us have running space while others like me have to manage within the restricted spaces indoors, so our trainers are adapting routines for us. (Coach) WV Raman is trying to be creative with our skill training regimen.

"It is difficult because irrespective of how much we train indoors, we need to get out onto the ground to be fully prepared," she added.

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