Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi has often spoken about the liking he has had for former teammate Neymar and the Brazilian has now revealed how one of the greatest footballers to have played the beautiful game always had his back at the La Liga club.

"Honestly, it's difficult, very difficult for me to talk about Messi, because it was very special for me at Barcelona, I say this to everybody," he told Rede Globo's Esporte Espetacular.

"At the moment when I needed the most support, the best player in the world arrived and gave me a hand. He said: 'Come here, I'm here to help you.'" Messi had earlier spoken about how he is still in touch with Neymar and it will be slightly difficult for him to make a return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain.

"We talk to Neymar often. We still have a WhatsApp group with Luis (Suarez)", Messi told Argentina's Radio Metro, as quoted by ESPNFC.

"It's difficult for him to come back, as he left here, many club members and people do not want him to come back. From a sporting point of view he would be wonderful, but the other view is also understandable. It is a bit difficult," Messi had said.

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Consider yourself a big La Liga fan? Check out this list of expressions that no true La Liga lover should be unfamiliar with.

1. “Croqueta”
A ‘croqueta’ is a way of quickly shifting the ball between a player’s feet, especially when tempting a defender into making a challenge by first slowing down and then sprinting away. The signature move of former Barcelona captain and nine-time LaLiga winner Andres Iniesta, the word literally means ‘croquette,’ that famous staple of Spanish tapa bars and granny’s cooking.

2. “Sombrero”
In Spanish Sombrero is a hat, but in Spanish football it is where a player lifts the ball over his opponent’s head and controls it as it drops to the floor, leaving his rival confused and out of the play. A famous example would be Neymar’s goal for Barcelona against Villarreal in LaLiga in 2016, which was nominated for that year’s FIFA Puskas award.

3. “Chilena”
When a player pushes himself into the air with one foot, then acrobatically volleys it with the other, often lifting his boot well over head height. Similar to a ‘bicycle kick’ in English. Although a ‘Chilena’ literally refers to someone from Chile, its most famous exponent was Mexico international Hugo Sanchez. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have more recently scored screamers like this.

4. “Colgarse del larguero”
Literally meaning ‘hang from the goalposts,’ the expression is used when a team brings all their players back to defend inside their own penalty area. Similar to the English phrase ‘Park the bus,’ the tactic is often used by a team defending a narrow lead or facing a much more powerful opponent and used to criticise them by managers whose team cannot find a way through.

5. “Hacer la cama”
A team thought to not be making 100% effort in games can be said to be ‘making the bed’ for their coach, which means trying – consciously or not – to get their boss fired!

6. “Zamorana”
The patented signature move of legendary 1920s and 30s Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora was to fake catch a ball, then double his arm, flex his elbow and propel the ball far up the pitch with surprising power. Besides clearing danger from his own box, the ‘Zamorana’ often helped start counter-attacks and had a highly demoralising effect on shocked opposition strikers, too.

7. “Tirarse en la piscina”
To ‘throw yourself into the swimming pool’ is a nicely poetic Spanish way of saying a player dived, or threw himself to the ground without any contact from a defender, to deceive the referee into whistling for a foul. Sometimes also described as ‘simulación’ which is closer to the English ‘simulation.’

8. “Tener flor”
A player, or more often a coach, who ‘has a flower’ is thought to have good fortune, similar to being 'charmed’ in English. The expression is also often used by defeated opposition fans or pundits as a way to avoid praising tactical or technical excellence in an opposition team.

9. “Rabona”
When a player plants one foot in front of the ball, and then sweeps his other leg around behind to spectacularly strike the ball, you have a ‘Rabona.’ One-time Barcelona winger Ricardo Quaresma is an expert, while former Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals scored a superb rabona against Huesca in 2019.

10. “Pase de la Muerte”
The ‘pass of death’ has a specific meaning in Spanish football. It refers to a through ball which breaks an offside trap to leave a teammate clear in front of goal. Quite a few of Barça captain Lionel Messi’s 12 LaLiga assists this season have met this description. Deadly, and very hard to defend against.

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino is suspected of having intervened with Switzerland's attorney general to try to get an investigation dropped, a Swiss newspaper alleged on Monday. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation in 2016, shortly after Infantino was elected president of world football's governing body, about his awarding of a TV rights contract to an offshore company in his previous role as UEFA's legal affairs director.

Friendly request

According to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, Infantino was worried about this investigation and wrote to his childhood friend, Rinaldo Arnold, who had become a senior prosecutor in Switzerland's Haut-Valais region where they grew up. "I will try to explain to the OAG that it is in my interests that everything should be cleared up as soon as possible, that it be clearly stated that I have nothing to do with this matter," he wrote in an email cited by the newspaper. Arnold, who had helped to set up a first meeting between Infantino and Attorney General Michael Lauber, replied: "What is important is the meeting in two weeks' time. If you like, I can come with you again."

The meeting took place on April 22, 2016, the newspaper said, adding that what happened during it remains a mystery, and the OAG "refuses to speak about it". The OAG declined to comment when contacted by AFP. FIFA said later on Monday "the email referred to in the article was obviously obtained by hacking, which is an illegal and criminal act."

'No reason to lie'

"Not only Mr Infantino had no reason to lie in that email, the email never said Mr Infantino wanted to 'clear his name'," FIFA added. The Zurich-based federation has always indicated that the meetings between Infantino and the OAG were intended to show that FIFA was ready to engage with the Swiss justice system.

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Portugal football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has shown his generous side once again by helping Danish underwear company JBS, who have taken a massive hit on sales due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to British tabloid, The Sun, the Juventus player has waived the entire amount he is entitled to from JBS, who manufacture his range of CR7 underpants.

The CR7 range of underwear is one of Cristiano’s most lucrative endorsements and account for 14 per cent of JBS’s total revenue. The company’s CEO Michael Alstrup is most grateful.

“Cristiano’s people have said that because of the Coronavirus this year, there will be no minimum payments at all. And Cristiano has even further helped us not to pay anything until 2021. We are privileged that it was us who started the CR7 brand, and we sit among Cristiano’s closest, just like part of the family,” he said.

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Football legend Diego Maradona, the manager of struggling Argentinian club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, has praised the decision to suspend relegation from the country's top division until 2022.

The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) confirmed the move on Tuesday as it cancelled the rest of the top flight season amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The move spares Gimnasia from an almost certain drop to the second division, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It's not the end that we would have wanted, but it's a good decision," the 1986 World Cup winner told Argentinian newspaper Clarin.

"We were convinced that we were going to avoid relegation anyway. But this is reward for a group that has given everything for this club."

Gimnasia needed a strong showing in the Superliga Cup to have any chance or remaining in the top tier under Argentina's complex promotion-relegation system that considers results over a three-year cycle. The Cup competition was aborted last month after just one round.

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Argentina footballer Paulo Dybala has tested coronavirus positive for the fourth time in the last six weeks, according to media reports. This could come as a big blow for Juventus as Serie A had allowed players to return to individual training from May 4. "Spanish programme El Chiringuito stated Dybala has had four tests across the last six weeks and the latest one was positive again," the report in The Sun stated. Dybala was one of the first footballers to contract the virus along side Juventus teammate Daniele Rugani. In March, Dybala had taken to instagram to reveal he and his girlfriend both had tested positive.

Italy has been one of the worst hit countries in the world due to coronavirus pandemic as more than 200,000 people have been infected while in excess of 27,000 individuals have lost their lives so far. Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora had earlier suggested that it would be easier to end the football season and if indeed the leagues do start, it should be a gradual process.

"It would be much easier to end the season immediately and the scientific community would agree," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Carrying on the world of football is a very important thing for our country, but we must do it safely. Remember when Serie A didn't stop? How many teams have gone into quarantine? The [Italian Football Federation] FIGC submitted a protocol and it was considered.

"Today we're at the end of April, we can't know for sure how the virus will evolve and how the rules will be respected, therefore we can't know when the season will resume.

"We've been working to resume training from May 18, but that doesn't mean the leagues will start up again," he added.

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Manchester City's Brazilian footballer Gabriel Jesus is doing his best to help his country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gabriel has donated three tonnes of food to the poor in Brazil's notorious favelas from where he emerged as a footballer. He recently arranged for 400 food baskets to be delivered to Sao Paulo's Jardim Peri neighbourhood where he grew up.

The player has also got together with famous Brazilian singer Beto for a song that has been uploaded on YouTube to raise funds.

Gabriel, 23, has reportedly helped raised £370,000 (approx Rs 3.7 crore) alongwith fellow footballers to help some 32,000 families with relief material. Back in Brazil, when he played for Palmeiras as a teenager, Gabriel, then 17, earned around £3,500 a year (approx R3 lakh) before he went on to bag a whopping £75,000-a-week (approx Rs 67 lakh) contract with Manchester City in 2016.

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Legendary former India footballer Chuni Goswami, who captained the 1962 Asian Games gold-winning team, died on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Former Indian footballer Chuni Goswami passes away due to cardiac arrest in Kolkata, West Bengal.

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2020

The iconic sportsperson, who also played first-class cricket for Bengal, was 82 and breathed his last at a hospital here. He is survived by his wife Basanti and son Sudipto. "He suffered a cardiac arrest and died in the hospital at around 5pm," a family source told PTI.

BCCI mourns the death of Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami, an all-rounder in the truest sense. He captained the Indian national football team & led to them to gold in the 1962 Asian Games. He later played first-class cricket for Bengal & guided them to the final of Ranji Trophy in 1971-72 pic.twitter.com/WgXhpoyLaB

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 30, 2020

Goswami was suffering from underlying ailments, including sugar, prostrate and nerve problems. Goswami played 50 matches for India as a footballer from 1956 to 1964. As a cricketer, he represented Bengal in 46 first-class games between 1962 and 1973.

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A little over a month after PK Banerjee's death, Indian football has lost another legend. On Thursday, Chuni Goswami, 82, who captained the 1962 Asian Games gold-winning team and also played first-class cricket, died here, survived by wife Basanti and son Sudipto.

"He suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital at around 5pm," a family source told PTI.

Goswami reportedly had blood sugar, prostrate and nerve-related issues.

Subimal 'Chuni' Goswami was born in the Kishoreganj district of undivided Bengal, now Bangladesh. The star striker figured in 50 international games from 1956 to 1964. He was part of the Indian team for the 1960 Olympics in Rome. His crowning moment came when he led India to an Asian Games gold medal in 1962 in Jakarta, two years before being part of the silver-winning team at the Asia Cup in Israel.

On the cricket turf, he represented Bengal in 46 first-class games between 1962 and 1973. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1963 and Padma Shri in 1983. The Indian Postal Department issued a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday in January to recognise his contribution to the game in the country.

A section of Mumbai cricket followers will remember Goswami's 96 (13x4) and 84 (10x4) against Ajit Wadekar's team in the 1968-69 Ranji Trophy final at the Brabourne Stadium where Mumbai claimed honours. "Chuni was more than a decent batsman, who had a good defensive approach. He was a fielder whom batsmen had to watch carefully. Being a footballer, he was agile and was exceptional at cover point and extra cover," recalled former Mumbai captain Sudhir Naik. Dilip Doshi, the ex-Test spinner, who played alongside Goswami for Bengal, also recalled those two innings at Brabourne. "Chuni da stood up to the occasion and played two sterling knocks. His will to fight it out was infectious and as a footballer and India's captain as well, we learnt the fitness attitude from him as youngsters. He had a great sense of humour which he timely applied to release tension in the dressing room," remarked Doshi.

Chinu Goswami

Former India captain Gundappa Viswanath, who like Goswami, was employed by the State Bank of India, rued the fact that they did not play together because of his (Viswanath's) international commitments. "Unfortunately, that opportunity never came because it would have been a pleasure to rub shoulders with such a versatile sportsperson, known also for his football talent. I will miss our dinner parties which he always planned as soon as I landed in Kolkata. Another regret is not attending his 80th birthday celebrations as I was ill at that time" Viswanath told mid-day from Bangalore.

Tweet talk

Praful Patel @praful_patel:

Another legendary Indian Footballer and a fine first class cricketer has left us today. Rest in eternal peace Shri. Chuni Goswami. My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family.#ChuniGoswami #RIPLegend #IndianFootball @IndianFootball

President of India (Kovind)@rashtrapatibhvn:

Sad to hear about the passing of Chuni Goswami. In his demise India’s football fans have lost a legend. A versatile sportsman, he was a star in his own right. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers

BCCI @BCCI:

BCCI mourns the death of Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami, an all-rounder in the truest sense. He captained the Indian national football team & led to them to gold in the 1962 Asian Games. He later played first-class cricket for Bengal & guided them to the final of Ranji Trophy in 1971-72

Sunil Chhetri @Chetrisunil11:

We’ve lost one of the leading lights of Indian sport today. Not too many can boast of being top-notch in two different sports. You played your part to the fullest, rest well, Chuni sir. Strength to
the family

With inputs from PTI, Clayton Murzello and Debasish Datta

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Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has asked the "Hand of God" to deliver the world from COVID-19 pandemic and allow normal life to resume. The World Cup winner referred to his hand-assisted goal in the 1986 World Cup after Argentine football chiefs voted to end the current season as well as suspend relegation, saving Diego-managed bottom club Gimnasia from the drop.

"Today this happened to us and many people say it is a new Hand of God," said Diego, alluding to his infamous goal against England. "But today I'm asking for that hand to end this pandemic so people can go back to living their lives, healthy and happy." Then-Argentine captain Diego responded to the controversy over his goal at the World Cup in Mexico by saying "it was the Hand of God!"

Argentina went on to beat England 2-1 in the quarter-final. On being thrown a lifeline by the suspension of the season, he told Argentine daily Clarin: "It's not the ending we had wanted, we were convinced we could save ourselves on the pitch."

Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20 against the Coronavirus, which by early Wednesday had infected 4,114 people with 207 deaths.

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Brit singer Perrie Edwards, 26, is enjoying every moment alongside her footballer boyfriend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, during this Coronavirus-caused lockdown in the
United Kingdom.

"I feel like I'm really enjoying this [lockdown], I can't lie. I'm having the time of my life. I've never spent so much time with my boyfriend. I've never spent so much time in my house," Perrie, who is part of the British all-girl group Little Mix, told Los Angeles radio station KII-FM.

"It's like I've never had just so much time on my hands to do stuff that I've always wanted to, so it has been nice," added Perrie, who began dating the Liverpool star in 2016.

The couple have been regularly uploading pictures and videos, dancing together on social media, while Perrie has even performed a few songs.

Meanwhile, Alex too has been enjoying all the attention and recently said that Perrie is the "perfect wifey."

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Argentine footballer Paulo Dybala has tested positive for Coronavirus for the fourth time recently. His pop-star girlfriend Oriana Sabatini has also contracted the virus.

However, the couple have continued to keep their spirits high despite the setback. The Argentine pair have been constantly posting pictures and videos on social media to keep themselves and their fans entertained.

In one such post, the Juventus star and Oriana are seen honing their PlayStation skills.
In another video, the Argentine football star is seen working out in his home gym and simultaneously joining in a TikTok dance routine with Oriana.

In yet another video, Paulo is playing the piano while Oriana is singing. Some of Paulo's football pals like Douglas Costa, Claudio Marchisio and Nicolas Tagliafico have been impressed with his musical ability and even commented on the video.

Paulo and Oriana, the niece of Argentine tennis legend Gabriela Sabatini, first met in 2017 but announced their relationship only after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

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Paris Saint-Germain were named as Ligue 1 champions on Thursday after France's football league declared the coronavirus-hit season over, leaving some other clubs disappointed and pondering legal action. PSG led the table by 12 points from Marseille when the season was suspended in mid-March because of the Covid-19 outbreak, which has killed over 24,000 people in France. The announcement by the LFP comes after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday that "professional sports leagues, notably football, cannot restart" because of the pandemic.

"There is no ambiguity about this declaration. We needed to make a final decision about this season. We acknowledge that the 2019-20 season is over," said LFP president Nathalie Boy de la Tour, in a conference call with reporters. France becomes the biggest European league yet to end its season, just as its neighbours in England, Germany, Italy and Spain consider ways of resuming matches. Ruling out any possibility of copying the Netherlands, who voided their season without a champion, relegation or promotion, the LFP arranged a final table on the basis of average points per game.

Ten rounds of matches remained when the campaign was halted, although PSG and Strasbourg both had a game in hand. As a result, PSG are champions with an average of 2.52 points per game, with Andre Villas-Boas's Marseille second with an average of 2 points and qualifying for the Champions League.

Title dedicated to health workers

"We wish to dedicate this title to all health workers and other everyday heroes whose commitment and self-sacrifice throughout these long weeks deserve our admiration," said PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi. It is PSG's ninth French title, the seventh in eight seasons for the Qatar-owned club being awarded in unique circumstances and with many of their foreign players -- including Neymar -- having returned to their home countries with France under strict lockdown. "We understand, respect and support the decisions taken by the French government to stop the season.

Health, as the government has always said, must be everyone's priority," added Al-Khelaifi, whose club still hope to be able to continue their Champions League campaign having reached the quarter-finals before action stopped. Rennes finish third and also qualify for the Champions League, while fourth-placed Lille will play in the Europa League.

Lyon to appeal?

Toulouse and Amiens, the bottom two, are condemned to relegation, with Lorient, as champions, and Lens coming up from Ligue 2. The usual promotion and relegation play-offs, meanwhile, have been ditched. However, Toulouse have kept open the possibility that they might now take legal action. The identity of the other European representatives depends on whether the finals of the two domestic cups are ever played. Large gatherings remain banned in France until September. However, if the French government and UEFA accept, both finals could be staged in early August with European places still up for grabs.

The LFP then hopes to begin next season by August 23 "at the latest". PSG were due to play Lyon in the League Cup final and Saint-Etienne in the French Cup final. If the games are played, Lyon and Saint-Etienne could qualify for the Europa League by winning. Otherwise, Nice and Reims would qualify by virtue of finishing in fifth and sixth in the league. Lyon -- seventh in the table when the season was stopped -- would otherwise miss out on European qualification for the first time in over two decades. Ironically, they were still involved in this season's Champions League when it was suspended, leading Juventus 1-0 after the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had previously stated his hope that the season could be played to a conclusion via play-offs in August and his club have now hinted at legal action. In a statement on Thursday, Lyon said they "reserve the possibility of trying to appeal against this decision and claiming damages and interest" and adding that "the losses for the club will come to several million euros". For all French clubs, the economic consequences of ending the season now could be dire. Resuming matches behind closed doors would have safeguarded TV income, but the loss for clubs in the top two divisions of remaining payments from broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN Sports is believed to be as high as 243 million euros ($266 million), plus 35 million euros for international rights.

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Subimal "Chuni" Goswami came for a routine check-up to a city hospital on Thursday morning and by evening he had suffered three cardiac arrests in 14 minutes to breathe his last and end an era, his son said.

"He had breakfast. Then we got him to the hospital. He was brought here for a routine check-up. He had lunch and even took a nap in the afternoon. But around 5 p.m., he suffered three heart attacks in 14 minutes," said a crestfallen Sudipto.

Goswami, who died at the age of 82, is survived by his wife and Sudipto.

Goswami was also battling underlying ailments, including sugar, and prostrate and nerve problems.

Goswami had to be given insulin daily and due to the COVID-19 lockdown, his medical supervisor was not able to attend to him on a regular basis.

"I don't have words at this point, feeling lonely," said Sudipto.

Goswami's biggest achievement was captaining India to the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal when India scripted a historic 2-1 victory against South Korea (Korea Republic) in the final to land India its second gold medal in Asian Games history.

Besides two editions of the Asian Games, Goswami was also part of India's Olympic squad in the Rome Olympics in 1960. He also captained India to the final of the AFC Asian Cup in Tel Aviv in 1964 and was part of India's campaign in the pre-Olympic qualification in 1959 (in Kabul), 1960 (in Kolkata and Jakarta), 1963 (in Colombo as captain), and in 1964 in (Tehran and Calcutta).

Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1983.

The versatile sportsman that he was, he also represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and even captained Bengal in 1968-69 season. He also played for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. His first-class career as a cricketer ended after 46 matches and he scored 1,592 runs, including a century.

He also served the Tata Football Academy as its director and was appointed the Sheriff of Kolkata in 2005. In the same year, he was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna and was bestowed the Banga Bibhusan in 2013.

The Indian postal department also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday earlier this year.

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Putting on weight is a common fear during this Coronavirus-caused lockdown. However, England football star Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah prefers to deal with the issue in a lighter vein. While most celebs are posting pictures and videos of their workouts and chiselled frames, Rebekah uploaded this picture (right) on social media, showing off her flabs, a term she coined for her flabby abs.

Former model Rebakah, a mother of five, admitted that her weight-gain is because of excessive eating which included eating cookies and drinking wine.

"I've seen a lot of pics of people's amazing abs in lockdown so thought I'd share my cute little [FL]abs with you as well," Rebekah, 38, wrote on Instagram, going on to explain her daily diet. "For anyone interested in following my lockdown eating plan, it involves three quite healthy meals per day with my family, then I top up with a consistent intake of three cookies in between meals and after meals. Then, I make sure I'm keeping myself well hydrated with wine in the evenings," added Rebekah, concluding with a cheeky line: "I also do yoga."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I’ve seen a lot of pics of people’s amazing abs in lockdown so thought I’d share my cute little (FL)abs with you as well. For anyone interested in following my lockdown eating plan it involves 3 quite healthy meals per day with my family, then I top up with a consistent intake of 🍪🍪🍪 in between meals and after meals & then I make sure I’m keeping myself well hydrated with 🍷🍷🍷 in the evenings. I also do yoga 🧘‍♀️ #keepitreal #nofilter #freetheflabs #loveyourbody ❤️

A post shared by Becky Vardy (@beckyvardy) onApr 29, 2020 at 10:30am PDT

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Italy's 20 Serie A clubs have reiterated their unanimous desire to complete the season as the northern Emilia-Romagna region became the first to open the way to training despite government restrictions. An emergency Lega Serie A assembly via video of the top-flight clubs took place after Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora this week said the chances of restarting were "increasingly narrow". League president Paolo Dal Pino stated after the meeting "his openness to a dialogue with the government from a constructive and collaborative perspective, obtaining on this position the full agreement of all the clubs."

Spadafora has warned that the government will call time on the season which has been suspended since March 9 if the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) fails to convince them on its health and safety protocol. An FIGC meeting slated for May 8 could be decisive. Meanwhile, the Emilia-Romagna region on Friday gave permission for local clubs, including top-flight sides Bologna, Parma, SPAL and Sassuolo, to resume training in sports centres from May 4 if they wished to do so.

Emilia-Romagna regional president Stefano Bonaccini has agreed to allow "professional sportspeople to train individually, in compliance with social distancing rules and without any gatherings in closed-door structures." Southern giants Napoli are also planning to return to training as their safety proposals have received the backing of local authorities.

Friday's league meeting also addressed the issue of TV rights, but no resolutions were adopted concerning broadcasters Sky, DAZN and IMG, with a final payment estimated at 340 million euros ($370 million) for the current season, due to be paid in May. FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has said that calling time would be "the death of Italian football", predicting losses of over 800 million euros in TV rights, sponsors, ticketing and marketing.

If the government did decide to pull the plug on the season it would have the support of a country traumatised by over 28,000 coronavirus deaths. According to a recent survey, two out of three Italians would support a stoppage, in particular in the northern epicentre, stronghold of heavyweights Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan and Atalanta.

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Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has accused Premier League clubs of being "frightened to death" to publicly back the plan to restart the season.

Premier League stakeholders met on Friday to debate how to finish the current campaign, with reports that some clubs want to abandon the season due to the pandemic and others are keen to play all remaining 92 fixtures.

Teams avoiding blame
Neville believes clubs do not want to be held liable should a player become ill with the Coronavirus if the English season resumes. The French and Dutch seasons have been called off because of the health crisis and while the Premier League have apparently ear-marked a June return, that date is far from set in stone.

Claiming there needs to be more public comment from clubs, Neville wrote on Twitter: "The PL are having a CV nightmare. They keep shouting health first but then brief constantly 'We have to Re-Start'. I'd respect them more if they said, 'We accept the increase in health risk but it's one we are willing to take'. They won't as they are frightened to death!"

When Neville was asked by a Twitter user what would happen if someone died as a result of the restart, he said: "That's why we haven't heard one single prominent CEO/Chairman/Owner or Executive open his mouth to back the re-start! Brief/Brief/Brief! Scared to death of the liability and blame."

No virus talk
Before making an exception for Brighton as the "only club willing to take a stand", Neville added: "It would be good for them to speak at least once. Any of them! Clubs included. They are bottling this virus on comms. Very Happy to tell us when they are delivering food parcels though." Brighton's chief executive Paul Barber voiced opposition to the idea of finishing the season at neutral venues.

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Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne believes the Premier League season will be finished despite the coronavirus pandemic "because the financial aspect is far too important". "My feeling is that we may be able to train again within two weeks. The government wants to restart football as soon as possible to give people something. I think this season will be finished," De Bruyne told Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws.

"The financial aspect is far too important in the Premier League. If the season is not finished, it will cause serious problems," he added. Clubs were presented with the league's "Project Restart" plans at a meeting on Friday and were told the remaining 92 matches of the 2019-2020 season must be played at neutral venues. De Bruyne also said he was optimistic about City's participation in next season's Champions League. UEFA has banned the club from European competition for the next two years for "serious breaches" of financial fair-play rules.

"The club told us they're going to appeal and that they're almost certain to get their way. I'm waiting to see what happens, but I trust my club," said De Bruyne. The 28-year-old Belgium international admitted he would be forced to consider his City future if the ban was upheld. "Once we know more, I will make a decision. Two years without playing in Europe would be long but in the case of one year I might see," he said. bnl/jr/mw/nr

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India's star footballer Sunil Chhetri has gone out of his way in order to help a fan who approached him online in order to get a free Netflix account.

Not only did Sunil Chhetri give the fan a Netflix subscription but also handed him a personally signed jersey.. This was after this fan had asked Sunil Chhetri to share his Netflix ID and password during coronavirus pandemic. The fan also stated that the football captain could change the password after the lockdown is done.

Taking to Twitter, Sunil Chhetri posted a screenshot of a message he received on Facebook and wrote: "Jersey X Autograph on a picture X Reply to the post X Video wishing the neighbour's son's pet dog X. Here's someone who has priorities straight and it's really making me want to consider the demand."

Netflix India's Twitter handle took note of this message from Chhetri and went on to reply: "While we on that topic, could we also get your autograph on a picture?"

In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I'll send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal? https://t.co/Ub0WaMcutg

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 3, 2020

Sunil Chhetri then proposed a 'barter' deal and asked for a two-month free subscription for the fan in return for an autographed jersey from him.

He wrote: "In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I will send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal?"

In reply, Netflix India's Twitter handle posted: "How about we send him both the jersey and a subscription card? Let's make his day."

To this, Chhetri replied: "Sounds great guys, now that we've got this figured out. Subscription for the kid, Shirt for the kid, Shirt for you guys."

The boy had earlier sent a Twitter post to Sunil Chhetri. Take a look at the shared post by the footballer.

Jersey ❌
Autograph on a picture ❌
Reply to the post ❌
Video wishing the neighbour's son's pet dog ❌

Here's someone who has priorities straight and it's really making me want to consider the demand. 😂 pic.twitter.com/OdBGrS7g5v

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 2, 2020

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Chhetri had announced that the members of the Indian team had come together and 'put on table a sum that has been sent to the PM-Cares Fund' to help in the fight against coronavirus.

Inputs from IANS

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Italy offered Serie A clubs a glimmer of hope on Sunday after it said footballers could take part in individual training sessions as the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures begin to ease. The interior ministry's go-ahead for players to attend their club's training facilities offered fans in the football mad country the first sign that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved. Matches were abandoned on March 9 in the face of a health crisis that has now officially claimed nearly 29,000 lives in Italy and 245,000 worldwide. Some of the bigger clubs with title aspirations from the less affected regions have been talking about going back to training for weeks.

But Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte only allowed teams to resume organised activities on May 18 -- a date that might push back this season's completion into the start of the next. Several regions that have avoided the worst of the pandemic have taken matters into their own hands and allowed clubs to open their facilities for players to train on their own. Teams such as Napoli and Parma have followed the lead of Lazio -- trailing leaders Juventus by just a point -- and gave the nod for players to return. They insisted that they were not breaking the rules because Conte has allowed all Italians to start exercising in open public places starting Monday. The interior ministry bowed to the seemingly inevitable on Sunday and agreed that teams can open their facilities to players for training. "Athletes, professional or otherwise, of non-individual sports are allowed -- just as every citizen -- to exercise in public or private areas," the interior ministry said. But players must "respect social distancing rules of at least two metres and the ban on public gatherings."

'All together'
Italian media read the statement as an encouraging sign for football. "Serie A clubs (and not only) can return to training," the La Repubblica daily wrote. Yet Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has noted that the path for football to return was getting "increasingly narrow". And league president Paolo Dal Pino said Serie A "will comply" should Conte decide that it was simply too dangerous to complete the campaign. The teams themselves seem hopelessly divided about what they should do. Those that play in northern regions that were hardest hit by the virus have voiced the gravest concern. Brescia president Massimo Cellino -- whose team is based at the very heart of the outbreak -- said in March that he would rather forfeit games than play in a "plague". The 63-year-old revealed that he had tested positive for the virus a few weeks later. "It would be unfortunate if some teams can start again and others cannot," Fiorentina coach Beppe Iachini said on Saturday. "I think teams like Atalanta, Milan, Inter, Juve and Turino have had more problems than the others," he said of the main northern clubs. "If we do start, we have to do it all together."

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The global lockdown caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't affected Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's workout regime.

 

 

 

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Discovering my island with the best company👨‍👦❤ï¸Â #madeiraisland #staysafe

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) onMay 2, 2020 at 3:55am PDT

Before he returns to Italy next week, the Juventus player took partner Georgina Rodriguez and son Cristiano Jr to the scenic mountain top of the Madeira island for a hike on Saturday. He shared this picture of his son and him, with his 216 million Instagram followers and captioned it: "Discovering my island with the best company #madeiraisland #staysafe."

 

 

 

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🍃🌴🌵🌾ðŸ¦ÂŽ Punta de San Lorenzo ⛰🌏❤ @aloyoga #family #love

A post shared by Georgina Rodríguez (@georginagio) onMay 2, 2020 at 9:10am PDT

Meanwhile, Georgina posted this family picture (right) of them visiting the Ponta de Soo Lourenco (it means the Point of Saint Lawrence in Portuguese), the eastern point of the island, and wrote: "Punta de San Lorenzo #family #love."

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Manchester City's Argentine footballer Sergio Aguero has revealed that the secret to his goal-scoring prowess is a switch in diet from barbecued beef to chicken.

Sergio, who joined City from Atletico Madrid for £38million (R357 crore) in 2011, is their all-time high scorer with 254 goals from 368 games.

However, he struggled with weight issues until a few years back as his love for barbecued beef steaks lowered his blood pressure, leaving him feeling dizzy on the pitch.

"From 2013 to 2016, I could not adapt to food well. Then, I met an Italian doctor online and told him what I usually ate, which was a lot of meat. He said I should try chicken at least once a week. Initially, I was like 'uhhh' but then I adapted. He told me that if I'm very hungry, I should put rice and chicken together. Today, I'm a big fan of rice. Earlier, my weight was 81 or 81.3 kg. Now I am 79.5. In football, even if it's only half a kilo, you feel the difference. It's incredible," Sergio, 31, told Argentine TV channel, TyC Sports.

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Liverpool striker Divock Origi said it will be painful if they don't win the Premier League title despite being 25 points ahead at the top when the season was stopped abruptly in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

The Belgian, however, agreed that safety of players and fans is the most important thing in these unprecedented times and there are things in life which just cannot be controlled.

"It would be painful if we can't get that title now. But there are things in life you cannot control. Safety is the most important thing now," Origi told Het Laatste Nieuws as per Daily Mail.

The Reds were on course for their first-ever Premier League title before the season was stopped on March 13. The last time Liverpool lifted the league trophy was 30 years ago, before the Premier League era.

Jurgen Klopp's troops lead the way with 82 points in 29 games while second-placed Manchester City remain 25 points behind with one game in hand.

Former Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio had earlier said that the Reds should be declared champions if the current season cannot be finished.

"Even if the title is not officially recognised, everyone knows that the title belongs to Liverpool," the 40-year-old said in an interview to Globo Esporte news portal.

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Hugo Lloris believes that ending the English Premier League season without declaring Liverpool champions would be "cruel", but the Tottenham captain wants the final table decided on the field. The goalkeeper is following the English social isolation rules at home with his family in London, helping his two oldest daughters with their homework while trying to stay fit in case the reason restarts.

"We're in a situation where everyone wants to finish and get the verdict from the pitch," Lloris told French sports daily L'Equipe. "It would be terrible if it all ended like that with nine or 10 games to go in the Premier League." "We're coming into the most exciting, beautiful time of the season. Nobody wants it to end like this." Liverpool lead the table by 25 points. "It would be cruel for Liverpool with the lead they have. They're practically champions. "There would be a taste of the unfinished business." The France captain says that resuming the Premier League without fans will be strange. "It'll be weird wherever it happens. Football is not a closed-door sport," he said.

"Without spectators, it's not the same sport. That's not how I see football. "We're here to bond, to share our emotions. We all want full stadiums, with atmosphere, fans, colour and song." "But you have to take the context into consideration." "Everyone has to find the right compromise between health, which is above all else, and the need to finish this season," he added. The British government still has not given any indication when football will be able to resume.

"We have to be ready. Just in case," said Lloris, who was among the players to return to Tottenham's training centre last week for individual sessions. The World Cup winner contributed the gloves he wore when Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool in France for one charity auction. They raised 4,800 euros ($5,250). He also organised a France team auction with Blaise Matuidi, the Juventus midfielder, and Raphael Varane, the Real Madrid defender, and raised more than 300,000 euros for Paris hospitals. "This gesture does not represent much compared to the investment made by caregivers," he said.

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Brazilian footballer Neymar is reportedly ready to take a 50 per cent pay cut on his existing Paris St. Germain deal to force through a move back to former club Barcelona.

After spending four trophy-laden years in Spain, Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for an eye-watering sum of 198 million pounds.

Reports have time and again surfaced that the star forward is unsettled in France and wants a Barca return in order to once again link-up with close friend Lionel Messi.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Neymar is ready to sacrifice half of his 600,000 pounds per week salary at PSG in order to make a sensational return to Barcelona.

Barcelona was Neymar's first club in Europe and he won two LaLiga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League once with the Catalan giants.

Barcelona stars have also spoken about their admiration for Neymar and aren't against his return despite his unceremonious exit from the club few years ago.

"Everybody knows 'Ney', we all know the affection we have for him in the dressing room," Suarez was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo last month.

"His ability is indisputable and he still has so much to show. He will always be welcome in the changing room, we appreciate him a lot."

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Former footballer Xavi Hernandez, hoping that Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar will return to Barcelona, said that the latter is among the 'top three or five players in the world'.

"Footballing wise, he's in the top three or five players in the world, no doubt," Goal.com quoted Xavi as saying during an Instagram chat with ex-Barca forward, Samuel Eto'o.

 

 

 

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Avui em connectaré a @roadto2022es per fer una sessió de preguntes i respostes en viu amb @setoo9. Si tens qualsevol pregunta per nosaltres, escriu-la a sota en els comentaris. Les preguntes i respostes es realitzaran a Instagram Live a les 18h horari de Doha, dilluns 4 de maig. ___ Hoy me conectaré a @roadto2022es para celebrar una sesión de preguntas y respuestas en vivo con @setoo9. Si tienes una pregunta para cualquiera de nosotros, escríbela en los comentarios a continuación. Las preguntas y respuestas se realizarán en Instagram Live a las 18:00 hora de Doha, el lunes 4 de mayo. ____ Today, I’ll be in @roadto2022es to participate in a Q&A live session with @setoo9. Send us your questions in comments below, and we’ll answer them on Instagram Live today, Monday 4th, at 18:00h (Doha time)

A post shared by Xavi (@xavi) onMay 4, 2020 at 4:37am PDT

"He can make the difference. Let's hope he returns to Barcelona. I'm a Barcelona fan and I want the best players there," he added.

After a four-year stay in the club, the former Barcelona player, Neymar, left in 2017 to join Paris Saint-Germain.

During the interaction, Xavi also expressed a desire to manage Barcelona saying that it is his dream to coach the club.

"In January, it wasn't the right moment. I had conversations with Eric Abidal [Barcelona's sporting director] and Oscar Grau [Barcelona chief executive] and a big offer, but it wasn't the right moment. I need a bit more experience. Coaching Barcelona is my dream. I'd like to do it one day. I've said that many times," he said.

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Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo flew back to Italy on Monday after almost two months in Coronavirus lockdown in his native Madeira, Portugal, but he is continues to help with donations during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Lokomotiv Moscow's Portuguese player Joao Mario has told British tabloid, The Sun that Cristiano is donating money to lower league players in Portugal, who are financially hit due to the pandemic.

"It's a bad situation for everyone but in these kinds of situations, it's worse. They [Portugal's lower league players] really need our help. Cristiano presented us an initiative for us all to help especially those players that are struggling, that do not have professional contracts," said Joao.

Meanwhile, Manchester City star Bernardo Silva said, "Ronaldo suggested that Portugal players should donate 50 per cent of their Euro 2020 qualification bonus towards a players's fund in the Portugal Football Federation."

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The head of the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has raised the possibility of playing shorter matches to lighten the load on players if the season can restart. English clubs remain committed to completing the campaign despite severe concerns over player welfare. Players could be tested up to three times a week and be forced to stay quarantined in hotels away from their families for a number of weeks to help limit the risk of them becoming infected with coronavirus. With 92 matches in the Premier League season still to be played, players could have little preparatory time to work on their fitness in group training before being rushed back into playing twice a week.

FIFA have proposed increasing the number of substitutes allowed per side from three to five to also lessen the risk of fatigue and injuries for players on their return. "Safety has to be paramount," PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor told the BBC. "We don't know the future. What we do know is what propositions have been put, what ideas have been put, the possibility of having more substitutes, games possibly not being the full 45 minutes each way.

"There's talks of neutral stadiums. There's been lots of things being put forward. "Try and wait and see what the proposals are, and then have the courtesy to let the managers and coaches and players also assimilate all those and come to a considered view." The Premier League's "Project Restart" has been met with some resistance over plans for all remaining games to take place at up to 10 neutral venues.

The remaining matches would need to be played behind closed doors, but there are fears fans could congregate around stadiums. Some top-flight clubs have argued that under those circumstances there should be no relegation as the sporting integrity of the competition is compromised. However, chairman of the English Football League (EFL) Rick Parry said denying promotion to three Championship clubs would end up in legal battles.

"The lawyers are going to get wealthy if that happens," Parry told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday. "There would be a degree of outrage from a number of clubs in our Championship, and it would be a breach of the tripartite agreement. "The safe answer is that it would get very messy. Our expectation is there would be three clubs promoted from the Championship."

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Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has said he received death threats following a racism row involving then-Liverpool forward Luis Suarez in 2011. Uruguay striker Suarez was banned for eight matches by the English Football Association after being found guilty of misconduct for insulting comments to Evra, which included a reference to the left-back's skin colour, at Anfield in October that year. Liverpool, however, mounted a prolonged and public defence of Suarez's conduct as the row between the rival clubs escalated.

Evra said one consequence of the backlash included letters threatening the Frenchman and his family. "Manchester United received so many threatening letters about me," Evra told the club's UTD podcast. "People said: 'We're in jail, we're Liverpool fans. When we get out, we're going to kill you and your family'." Evra said the nature of the threats meant he had to be protected by bodyguards.

"For two months, I had security everywhere I went. They were sleeping in front of my house. Everywhere I went, the security followed me. "It was a tough time, but I wasn't scared. My family were scared: my wife and brother, but I wasn't. "I couldn't understand why people hated me so much. They didn't know the truth." Evra, who saw his attempt to shake hands with Suarez before a match the following February rebuffed by the striker, said he had forgiven his old antagonist and even spoke to the now Barcelona star before the 2015 Champions League final when playing for Juventus.

But it was a very different story at the time , which saw Evra forcing himself to control his emotions after reporting the incident to match referee Andre Marriner, who said it would be dealt with after the game and that both players should continue.

"I remember, during that game, I was talking to myself saying: 'If you punch him now, people will see you as the bad one, people will forget about what he said'," recalled Evra. "I was talking to myself: 'Don't do... do it...' I wasn't focused for the game."

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Former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez is certain of ex-teammate Lionel Messi featuring in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as he said that the Argentine has still got "five or seven very good years left in him".

"He's still got five or seven very good years left in him," Goal.com quoted Xavi as saying during an Instagram chat with another ex-Barca forward, Samuel Eto'o.

"He takes good care of himself and he can keep playing until he's 37, 38 or 39. He'll play at the Qatar World Cup, I'm sure," he added.

The 32-year-old Messi scored 24 goals this season in all competitions before coronavirus pandemic brought the football season to a standstill.

Xavi also expressed his desire to manage Barcelona saying that it is his dream to coach the club.

"In January, it wasn't the right moment. I had conversations with Eric Abidal [Barcelona's sporting director] and Oscar Grau [Barcelona chief executive] and a big offer, but it wasn't the right moment. I need a bit more experience. Coaching Barcelona is my dream. I'd like to do it one day. I've said that many times," he said.

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Algeria international Farid El Melali will be tried for indecent exposure after allegedly masturbating in public, AFP learned on Tuesday on the Angers winger's 23rd birthday. El Melali was questioned by police in Angers late on Monday after his neighbours claimed they caught him exposing himself in front of a building where a woman was staying.

The forward admitted to police to having an "inappropriate attitude", according to his lawyer Sandra Chirac-Kollarik, and thought he was alone in the courtyard of the building. "He wasn't targeting anyone, and wasn't aggressive towards anyone," Chirac-Kollarik said. The public prosecutor's department said El Melali had committed a similar act in April but the same victim was unable to identify the individual.

El Melali, who signed a new contract with the Ligue 1 club on Monday, was released but will face trial in terms of an appearance prior to an admission of guilt. His side, who he joined in August 2018, said they had taken note of his situation and added they "would wait for the decision." In February, the outfit from western France's president Said Chabane had been questioned for "aggravated sexual aggression" following accusations from within the club.

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A video of Hertha Berlin forward Salomon Kalou shaking hands with his team-mates "shocked" key German politicians, who are set to decide Wednesday whether the Bundesliga can resume next month. "The video has done the German league (DFL) and professional football a disservice," Anja Stahmann, chairwoman of Germany's regional sports ministers, told radio station RBB on Wednesday. "I have heard from colleagues that they are shocked and shaken.

"We were struck by great doubts when we watched the video," admitted the sports senator for the state of Bremen. "I got the impression that good rules were being written down on paper, but that they were not actually being lived out." The Bundesliga is set to be given the green light by the government on Wednesday to resume later this month behind closed doors and with strict hygiene measures in place.

Germany's regional sports ministers have already approved the Bundesliga's plans to resume, but Stahmann said Ivory Coast international Kalou's video left a bad impression. "Some people think the Bundesliga has lost its grip in times of a pandemic," Stahmann added. On Monday, the former Chelsea forward was suspended by Hertha after posting a video to Facebook showing him greeting team-mates and club employees with handshakes, flaunting hygiene guidelines laid out by the league. Kalou apologised for disregarding the social distancing rules, saying: "it was a big mistake".

The 34-year-old also said he could understand how his video, shot in the dressng room, caused shockwaves as the league was seeking permission to return to action. Kalou has scored 48 goals in 151 Bundesliga games for Hertha, but is out of contract at the end of the season and could have played his last game for the club. "It was respectless and I want to apologise for that sincerely," he added.

"But I am about more than those five bad minutes that people see of me in the dressing room." However, Kalou's video drew criticism from the top of the German government. Health minister Jens Spahn said it was "right" that Hertha suspended Kalou and there were "consequences after the video".

Bavaria's premier minister Markus Soeder said the league has developed an "excellent" hygiene concept but "there are individual players, as we have read, who are behaving very, very poorly".

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Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, 35, could be expecting his fifth child going by an indication from his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, 26, via social media.

On Monday, just before leaving for Turin, Italy from Madeira in Portugal where they spent nearly two months, Georgina hinted in a social media post that she was pregnant.

She Instagrammed this blurred picture (above) of herself chewing gum with the words 'baby girl' accompanied by a heart wrapped in a bow emoji.

Cristiano has four children, Cristiano Jr, nine, twins Eva and Mateo, two, born via a surrogate mother and Alana Martina, two, from Georgina. Cristiano and his family arrived in Italy, where he will now self-isolate for two weeks before resuming training with his club, Juventus.

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The virtual war between WAGs Rebekah Vardy, 38, and Coleen Rooney, 34, is far from over. It is learnt that Rebekah, wife of Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy, wants a public apology from Coleen, the wife of former England captain Wayne Rooney, for accusing her in October of leaking fake stories to the press via social media.

While both ladies are currently locked in a legal battle, it is learnt that they will have an arbitration meeting on Zoom this week in a bid to avoid a costly court case, reported British tabloid, The Sun.

"Becky [Rebekah] is adamant she's done nothing wrong and has told her team she wants a public apology," an insider told the newspaper. "She was hurt that Coleen went straight on social media to lay the blame at her door, rather than speaking to her privately. She has maintained her innocence throughout and doesn't want this to be brushed under the carpet without Coleen publicly apologising," added the source.

The two used to be good friends before Coleen claimed in October that Rebekah's Instagram account had been leaking false stories to the press. Subsequently, Rebekah endured a lot of abuse on social media.

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There’s many former LaLiga stars currently using the experience and skills picked during their time in Spanish football in managerial and coaching careers all around the world. The list is almost unrivalled: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Diego Simeone (Atletico de Madrid), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Rafa Benítez (Dalian Pro), Xavi Hernández (Al Sadd), Míchel (Pumas UNAM), ‘Guti’ (UD Almeria), Raúl González (Real Madrid Castilla), Van Nistelrooy (PSV U19), Unai Emery, Mauricio Pochettino, Quique Sánchez Flores, Laurent Blanc, Ernesto Valverde, Mark van Bommel, Aitor Karanka, Clarence Seedorf… but here are five more with very special stories.

1. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst – FC Barcelona to Feyenoord

All the lessons learned winning two LaLiga titles with FC Barcelona in the early 2000s as an attack-minded left back have definitely proved useful for Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s coaching career. The former Netherlands international became first team coach in summer 2015 at Feyenoord, the Rotterdam club where he started and finished his playing career. His first season brought the KNVB Cup trophy, while the following year he led the club to its first Eredivisie title in 18 years, a historic achievement. Last January he was announced as manager of Chinese club Guangzhou R&F.

2. Jonathan Woodgate - Real Madrid to Middlesbrough

Jonathan Woodgate’s spell at Real Madrid famously did not get off to a great start, with an own goal and red card on his LaLiga debut. However, when fit and available the classy defender made a valuable contribution to Los Blancos 2005/06 campaign, with the team keeping seven clean sheets in his eight other games. The following summer he joined hometown club Middlesbrough, where he also returned after hanging up his boots to begin his coaching career in 2017. Last summer, Woodgate was named first team manager at Boro, and he took December’s Championship Manager of the Month award.

3. Jordi Cruyff - Camp Nou to Ecuador

Son of Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, Jordi made his LaLiga debut in September 1994 against R. Sporting. The winger or attacking midfielder scored 22 LaLiga goals across spells at FC Barcelona, RC Celta, RCD Espanyol and most successfully D. Alaves, where he helped the Basque club reach the 2001 UEFA Cup final only to lose 5-4 in agonizing fashion to Liverpool. Cruyff also represented Manchester United, Metallurg Donetsk and the Netherlands national team [nine senior caps] during his playing career. He has since worked in Malta, Cyprus, China and Israel, where he oversaw three consecutive league titles as sporting director at Maccabi Tel Aviv. In January 2020 he was appointed Ecuador senior international manager.

4. Diego Forlan - Pichichi to Peñarol
One of the very few players in history to have won LaLiga’s Pichichi top scorer prize with two different clubs, Diego Forlan clinched it at Villarreal CF in 2004/05 and Atletico de Madrid in 2008/09. A strike rate of 128 goals in 240 LaLiga games counts among the very best. A long playing career also brought goals scored in England, Italy, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong, and appearing at three World Cups and a 2011 Copa America triumph during 112 caps for Uruguay’s senior team. In December 2019, Forlan returned to his former Uruguayan club Peñarol to start his managerial career.

5. Fabio Cannavaro – Santiago Bernabeu to China

2006 was quite a year for Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, who won the World Cup in Germany, signed for Real Madrid and was then awarded the Ballon D’Or. Cannavaro won two LaLiga titles during his three years in the Spanish capital, where he continued a strong relationship with mentor Fabio Capello. His first managerial job was at Dubai club Al-Ahli, where he won UAE Pro League and UAE League Cup titles. He also won the China League One title with Tianjin Quanjian, guided Guangzhou Evergrande to the Chinese Superleague title last year, and even took charge of the China national team for a time in 2019.

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Former Argentina footballer Martin Cardetti named his pick between Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, two of the greatest footballers ever to grace the game.

Cardetti, manager of Ecuadorian football club Mushuc Runa, said he saw the Brazilian from close quarters during their time together at Paris St. Germain and according to him, Ronaldinho is one-of-a-kind footballer.

"As a coach, for my team I would choose Ronaldinho at his best over Messi," Cardetti told El Crack Deportivo as per Goal.com. "I shared a year with Ronaldinho and he is a different player, he's touched by God.

"He always had fun; with the ball he was always doing things and he practiced a lot so that he could replicate those things in matches.

"You see him in training, in matches and every move he makes is different from everyone. Players like him appear very rarely and they are remembered in football history," he added.

Before Messi started ruling the roost at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was a fan-favourite at Camp Nou. He stayed with the Spanish Giants from 2003 to 2008 and won two LaLiga titles and one Champions League trophy.

As for Messi, he has so far won 10 LaLiga titles, six Copa del Reys and four Champions League titles. Messi is also a six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

On the international stage, Ronaldinho trumps Messi as he is a World Cup winner with Brazil and the Argentine is yet to open his international account. Messi although won the Gold with Argentina at 2008 Olympics.

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The Spanish football league is all set to resume in June and La Liga's India managing director Jose Antonio Cachaza has revealed that they will resort to maximum testing of players to allay any fears of them contracting COVID-19.

Spain is one of the worst hit countries with around two lakh COVID-19 cases till date.

Most La Liga teams have been allowed to return to training this week after the government eased lockdown restrictions. However, the fear of contracting the Coronavirus is widespread, said Cachaza, for which a four-phase de-escalation programme is being introduced to ensure all players are free of the infection.

"The current week is only for testing of the players and preparing the grounds," Cachaza said in an online media interaction from Spain.

Jose Antonio Cachaza

"Once players are fit to play, we will disinfect the venues. All matches will be played behind closed doors with a maximum of 250 people to avoid any unwanted situation," he added.

When asked what happens if a player tests positive once the season starts, Cachaza said: "That can always be the case. If you see the Bundesliga, they are about to start their season but still have positive cases. We will be ensuring testing at regular intervals as well to keep a check on players." Unlike the English Premier League and the Bundesliga, the La Liga is yet to finalise on a date to resume the season as Cachaza said they are awaiting authorisation from the Spanish government. "We are in constant talks with the government and as of now, we have authorisation to only start with training. Next week, the players will be allowed to train on their own, with a maximum of six players on the pitch. The following week [May 18 onwards], players will be permitted to train in small groups before a return to larger team sessions,"2020-05-08 Cachaza explained.

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Portuguese footballer Bernardo Silva has reportedly found love during the ongoing Coronavirus-caused lockdown.

The Manchester City star, who split from his French model girlfriend Alicia Verrando two years ago, is said to be in a relationship with Portuguese model Ines Tomaz.

According to a report in the Portuguese media, Bernardo has been in lockdown near Lisbon in Portugal with Ines for over a month, but the couple are not keen to rush into things.

"They've not been together for very long and they want to take things slowly," a source told Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha.

It is learnt that Bernardo and Ines have been watching Netflix, playing the piano and even learning to cook together. Bernardo revealed last week that he was in quarantine with a group, including Ines, and had even posted a picture of the bunch on social media.

"Hey guys, it's been over a month that we're all locked down in our homes so I have decided to show you a little bit of what our quarantine looks like. This is the group of friends with whom I'm spending my quarantine," he wrote.

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German footballer Manuel Neuer, 34, who split from his wife Nina only four months ago, is said to be dating a teenage student in Munich.

Bayern Munich's star goalkeeper is reportedly in a relationship with Anika Bissel, 19, a fashion management student, who also plays for a local handball club team named Kuties. Interestingly, Anika bears a striking resemblance to Nina.

Manuel Neuer's ex-wife Nina

According to leading German magazine Bunte, Anika owns a flat in Munich but is seen spending most of her time at the footballer's luxurious home.

It is learnt that 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Manuel is very serious about his relationship and has even introduced Anika to his mother, Marita.

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From a childhood nickname to his world champion horse, these are some of the lesser-known facts about the Real Madrid captain and legend

1. His nickname as a child was Schuster
As a child, Sergio played up front and was nicknamed ‘Bernd Schuster’ after the great German goalscorer by the friends he played with on the grass outside his apartment block. He’d go on to play in defence throughout his career, at right-back and centre-back, but has maintained his brilliant goalscoring ability. Coincidentally, he was even coached by Schuster at Real Madrid between 2007 and 2008.

2. He’s only ever worn the number 4 shirt at Real Madrid, but never for Spain…
When Ramos arrived at Real Madrid, he was touted to fill the void left by the departing legend Fernando Hierro. Ramos wasn’t shy about taking on the challenge and adopted Hierro’s famous No.4 jersey from day one. That has been the number on his back during his entire decade-and-a-half career at the Santiago Bernabéu. Funnily enough though, Ramos picked a different number for when he plays with the Spanish national team: 15.

3. He has never scored for Spain at a major tournament
Sergio is Spain’s all-time record appearance holder (170) and has scored 21 goals for his country, a mightily impressive tally for a defender. Bizarrely enough, though, he’s never scored for Spain at a major tournament. Each of his 21 strikes has come in qualification rounds, in friendlies, or in the UEFA Nations League. Beyond penalty shootouts, he’s never scored at a World Cup, European Championship or even the Confederations Cup.

4. He didn’t win a Champions League knockout tie until the age of 25
Ramos has four Champions League titles to his name, winning the tournament in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He may undoubtedly be one of the all-time greats of the competition, but it’s easy to forget that he didn’t reach the competition’s quarter-final until the age of 25. He never played in the Champions League with Sevilla, then his first few years at Real Madrid coincided with a barren spell for the capital city club in which they were consistently knocked out in the first knock-out phase. Finally, in 2010/11 after the arrival of Jose Mourinho, Ramos made it to his first quarter-final, against Tottenham Hotspur. He’s certainly overcome that initial disappointment as the years have gone on.

5. His horse Yucatán de Ramos is a world champion
Like any true Andalusian, Sergio loves horses and has done since childhood. He owns stables near his hometown of Seville, and Yucatan de Ramos, his star horse, won a world championship at the 2018 Interntional PRE Horse Fair recognising it as the finest pure-bred Spanish horse in the world.

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German professional football is going to return to action on May 16 to 18 with its first and second tier getting back underway. League association CEO Christian Seifert announced the permitted re-start is planned without games on Friday evening but contains two rounds of matches during the week. "We wanted to follow the wording in the orders of politics strictly," the 50-year-old commented, reports Xinhua news agency. All games will be run behind closed doors.

The season was interrupted mid-March due to the coronavirus crisis. Nine rounds remain plus one postponed match. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 federal state prime ministers gave the green light for a restart on Wednesday based on a comprehensive hygiene concept. Most of the 36 clubs voted for the earliest possible start. At least two sides, such as Werder Bremen and FSV Mainz 05, demanded a start one week later to gain time for additional training.

Seifert announced the season is to be continued with matchday 26, which contains the delicate derby of Borussia Dortmund against the FC Schalke 04 on Saturday. Six games are notified for Saturday, two on Sunday and one on Monday evening. All match-days contain a so-called late-game in the evening. The table leaders Bayern Munich face an away game against league newcomer Union Berlin Saturday evening.

The season's last games are planned to take place on June 27 to 28. Seifert indicated the Champions League final could be run around the end of August. The German Cup has to be rescheduled. To address parts of the demands of Bremen, their game against Bayern Leverkusen is scheduled for Monday on May 18. The federal state of Bremen was one of the last spots allowing training in smaller groups.

All 36 clubs took up full team training this Thursday. From Saturday on, all clubs attend an obligated seven-day-long quarantine. Players, staff, and family members will undergo a diverting number of tests. Referees are going to be tested by next week. Seifert said football concept could be a blueprint for other team-sports, fighting sports and athletics as well as for orchestras and theaters.

Clubs and association are in close contact with fan groups to avoid gatherings around the arenas. Therefore, negotiations take place with pay-tv broadcasters to provide certain games on free tv.

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Manchester City's Kyle Walker says he is being "harassed" after admitting he breached coronavirus lockdown rules to visit his sister and parents. The defender was forced to issue an apology last month after media reports that he had hosted a party at his home. But Walker has hit back at the latest stories, insisting that he is being targeted and that the ongoing controversy is affecting his family's health.

In a statement on his official Twitter feed, Walker wrote: "I have recently gone through one of the toughest periods of my life, which I take full responsibility for. "However, I now feel as though I am being harassed. "This is no longer solely affecting me, but affecting the health of my family and my young children too." Walker admitted contravening coronavirus regulations again by visiting Sheffield to see his sister and his parents -- for which he could be fined and cautioned by police.
"In relation to the events on Wednesday, I travelled to Sheffield to give my sister a birthday card and present, but also to speak to one of the few people I believe I can trust in my life," he said.

"She hugged me to remind me that she cares and that I am loved. What am I meant to do -- push her away? "I then travelled to my parents' house to pick up some home-cooked meals. Again, it's been an extremely tough couple of months for them." He criticised the media for invading the privacy of his family, saying he constantly felt he was being followed.

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish was forced to apologise in March after breaching lockdown rules, while Everton strongly criticised Moises Kean for hosting a party last month.

Walker said the response to his actions had been disproportionate, raising mental health concerns and saying his family had been "torn apart" by the continuing scrutiny.

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How will you define ‘normal’ human behaviour? And what is the criteria to be followed by a person that he/she can be considered as ‘normal’? We have seen in films like MY NAME IS KHAN [2010], TAARE ZAMEEN PAR [2007] etc. wherein the protagonists’ behaviour were such that they stood out and were even ostracized. But still they were special and earned respect in society after a long struggle. Now, writer Kanika Dhillon and director Prakash Kovelamudi bring us JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA that tackles these issues but unlike the aforementioned films, this flick goes into an unconventional zone with even a murder occurring in the narrative. So does JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA manage to entertain and thrill the audiences? Or does it fail to make the impact? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1002336 size-full" title="Movie Review: Judgemental Hai Kya" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Movie-Review-Judgemental-Hai-Kya.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Judgemental Hai Kya" width="720" height="450" /> JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA is the story of a woman with mental issues trying to solve a supposed crime. Bobby Batliwala Grewal (Kangana Ranaut) is an orphan who has lost her parents at a young age. She is partly responsible for their demise. Bobby grows up as a disturbed individual and her grandfather (Lalit Behl) takes care of her. She stays separately from him and works as a dubbing artiste for South films. She is on medication for her mental condition but she doesn’t consume her pills. She is in a relationship of sorts with Varun (Hussain Dalal) who is desperate to get physical with her. But she doesn’t give him the opportunity. At this point, Bobby gets a new tenant – Keshav (Rajkummar Rao) and his wife Meena (Amyra Dastur). Both are deeply in love with each other. Bobby spies on them and she starts to imagine herself with Keshav. However, she also gets intrigued since Keshav seems mysterious. In front of Meena, he pretends to be a non-smoker and a vegetarian. But Bobby catches him smoking heavily and also relishing chicken. She starts to trouble them and then it reaches a point where Keshav and Meena decide to move to another place. Before that can happen, a gas explosion occurs in their kitchen and Meena dies. The cops (Satish Kaushik, Brijendra Kala) begin their investigation. Bobby makes it categorically clear to them that Keshav has murdered Meena but doesn’t have concrete proof. The police officers interrogate Kehsav as well but realize it was a case of accidental death. Hence, they decide to close the case. An enraged Bobby assaults Keshav and she’s sent to mental asylum for a brief period of time. Two years later, Bobby seems to be in control. She’s started regular medication and her grandfather sends her to her cousin Megha’s (Amrita Puri) place in London to help in a stage production on Ramayana. All is going fine when Bobby gets a jolt when she spots Keshav. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Kanika Dhillon’s story is unconventional and quite promising and entertaining. Kanika Dhillon’s screenplay is interesting but in some parts, she falters. This is particularly in the second half where the film goes into another zone and doesn’t seem convincing. She however raises some interesting points on the idea of ‘normal’ and even draws parallel with Ramayana. Only if all these things had come together well, the impact would have been manifold. Kanika Dhillon’s dialogues suit the film, especially the ones mouthed by Kangana. Prakash Kovelamudi’s direction is appropriate and he uses his technical knowledge well. The film is very stylishly narrated which goes with its theme and also the title. In a few scenes, he shows his brilliance but goes over the top in the second half’s pre-climax especially. Also, a few scenes might seem difficult to digest, particularly the scene where Bobby confronts Keshav. He was treading line with this film and sadly, he trips at places and this affects the impact. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Judgemental Hai Kya | PUBLIC REVIEW | First Day First Show | Rajkummar Rao | Kangana Ranaut</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/video/judgemental-hai-kya-public-review-first-day-first-show-rajkummar-rao-kangana-ranaut/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA’s intro scene shows the disturbed childhood of Bobby in a brief and concise manner. Once Bobby grows up, it takes a while however to get in the film’s flow. This is because the character is unconventional and unlike anything that we have seen in Hindi films. Hence her mannerisms, actions, way of living life etc. are not exactly ‘normal’. Things get interesting once Keshav and Meena arrive to reside at her place as tenants. Keshav also seems mysterious and the scene where he is fixing the fuse at midnight is quite nicely done. The Lonavala sequence also is funny. But it’s when Meena passes away that things begin to heat up. The intermission point is a shocker. Post-interval, the interest level is maintained with some unexpected developments. But this is also the point where bizarre things start happening in the film. One can argue even the first half had its share of bizarre stuff but in the second half, the makers go completely overboard. The film is still unpredictable but the theme and execution will restrict its audience to only multiplexes of urban areas. Performance wise, Kangana Ranaut nails the part. This was probably her most challenging part yet and she delivers as per expectations. Any other actress in her place would have to put a lot of effort and it might have made her performance mechanical. But Kangana slips into the part with ease and takes it to another level. Rajkummar Rao also gets to shine. He’s too good as the mysterious Keshav. But he’s at his best in these two scenes wherein he begs Bobby to spare him and his wife. Amyra Dastur is cute and plays the supporting part well. Same goes for Amrita Puri. Satish Kaushik and Brijendra Kala are apt for their respective roles. Hussain Dalal is a talent to watch out. He’s very funny and adds a lot to the film. Jimmy Sheirgill (Shridhar) is endearing in the special appearance. Lalit Behl is decent. Kanika Dhillon (Sita), also the writer of the film, is stunning and gets to play a fine part in the film. Songs don’t really make an impact. The title song stands out but comes at a time when the film turns very bizarre. <em>‘Kis Raste Hai Jana’</em> is okay. <em>‘Wakhra Swag’</em> appears during the end credits. Daniel B George’s background score however is way better and is zany just like the film’s theme. Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is conventional and yet works in a film like this. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are quite quirky especially the ones worn by Kangana Ranaut and she looks great. In fact, costumes add a lot to her character. Ravi Shrivastav’s production design is praiseworthy, especially for the Ramayana play. After’s VFX is average and the cockroach shots could have been more realistic. Shweta Venkat’s editing (with additional editing by Prashanth Ramachandran and Shieeba Sehgal) is fine. The duration of the film is just 116 minutes and that’s a plus point. On the whole, JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA is a well-made film with powerful performances from both Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao. At the box office, it will cater mainly to the multiplex frequenting audience.

Comedy is an established genre in Bollywood. Since audiences are now ready for <em>hatke</em> stuff, filmmakers are constantly trying to push the boundaries in the existing genres too. This Friday coincidentally sees the release of two such films, although both the movies are as different as chalk and cheese. While JUDGEMENTALL HAI KYA has violent undertones, the other film – ARJUN PATIALA – is like a spoof comedy, on the lines of famous Hollywood films like SCARY MOVIE and DEADPOOL. Bollywood has rarely made such films and one recent film in this space was WELCOME TO NEW YORK [2018]. It was a huge failure in all respects and now its lead actor Diljit Dosanjh appears in another spoof film, ARJUN PATIALA. So does ARJUN PATIALA manage to entertain and emerge as a pioneer of this genre in Bollywood? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1002474 size-full" title="Movie Review Arjun Patiala" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Movie-Review-Arjun-Patiala.jpg" alt="Movie Review Arjun Patiala" width="720" height="450" /> ARJUN PATIALA is the story of a cop trying to achieve a crime-free district. A struggling director (Abhishek Banerjee) meets a rich third-generation producer (Pankaj Tripathi). After ensuring that the director has put all the necessary ‘ingredients’ needed for a <em>masala</em> entertainer, the producer allows the narration of the script. The director then starts to tell his story – that of a police officer named Arjun Patiala (Diljit Dosanjh). He becomes a sub-inspector through sports quota and he is posted at Ferozpur Police Station in Punjab. Within a few days, he falls for Ritu Randhawa (Kriti Sanon), an honest reporter working for Tezz News Channel. He is also visited by his senior, DSP Gill (Ronit Roy). Arjun looks up to him since childhood and he is the reason why he decided to be a cop. DSP Gill shares with him his dream of making Ferozpur a crime-free district. Ritu meanwhile helps Arjun in sharing the list of baddies in the area. There’s Baldev Rana (Amit Mehra) who is so brash that he even beats up police officers if they come in his way, Sukool (Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub) who runs a brick kiln, his brother Anda (Sumit Gulati) and finally Dilbaug Singh (Himanshu Kohli) who runs his business from jail and also has haemoglobin problems. Arjun devises a plan – he generates a gang war between them, hoping that they’ll all kill each other and hence DSP Gill’s dream will be achieved. However, there’s also MLA Prapti Makkad (Seema Pahwa) who seems to be the biggest villain of all and also has ulterior motives of her own. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Ritesh Shah and Sandeep Leyzell's story is outdated. The writers had some good ideas but fail to put it together on paper. Ritesh Shah and Sandeep Leyzell's screenplay is shockingly horrible. It’s like an apology of a script. The attempt to make a spoof comedy and taking a dig at conventional Bollywood films is something that could have paid dividends. They also had some very funny characters and any other worthy writer would have made a complete laugh riot. Alas, the writers of the film let these characters go waste. They add some dry and beaten-to-death moments and twists. In fact, it’s bewildering how this script got approved in the first place. Ritesh Shah and Sandeep Leyzell's dialogues are also dry and fail to evoke laughter. Rohit Jugraj's direction is smooth for most places but with such a poor script, there isn’t much he could have done. At a few places however, he rushes through the film and this was avoidable. For instance, it’s never properly established why Sukool agrees to bump off other villains in the district. A few more minutes should have been spent in establishing the tensions between the various gangs. If Rohit had done the needful, the end result would have been better but still, the film would have emerged as a disappointment as the content itself is not worth it. ARJUN PATIALA begins on a great note. The manner in which the producer and director converse over the <em>‘masala’</em> script is interesting. The opening credits sequence, a spoof on James Bond style of films, is witty. But soon, one realizes there’s nothing much happening in the film. Yes, there are a bunch of villains but they are not utilized properly. In fact, after a point, the film stops being funny. A few scenes are interesting here and there like Sukool assassinating Baldev Rana or the way romance blooms between Arjun and Ritu. But these are few and far between. The twist in the tale in pre-climax is something that one can see from miles away. The finale is hardly funny and reeks of lazy writing. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Laugh Riot: Diljit &amp; Kriti’s Most Hilarious Rapid Fire | SRK | Hrithik | Kartik | Sara | Deepika | Arjun Patiala</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/celeb-interviews/laugh-riot-diljit-kritis-most-hilarious-rapid-firesrkhrithikkartiksaradeepikaarjun-patiala/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Diljit Dosanjh is apt as the cute and naughty police officer. He genuinely plays his part and tries to rise above the script. Varun Sharma (Onida Singh) is likeable although he’s repeating himself now. Kriti Sanon is also sincere and plays the entertaining part well. The sequence where she narrates her tragic part is where she gives her best. Sadly, the makers spoil the show with an animated flashback running below on the screen and it takes away the impact of her performance too. Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub is the best amongst the villains. He shines and it’s sad that such a cool villain won’t get his due to the bad script. Ronit Roy fits the part to the T. Seema Pahwa is decent. Amit Mehra, Himanshu Kohli and Sumit Gulati get no scope. Biswapati Sarkar (Editor of Tezz News Channel) is appropriate. Ritesh Shah (Arjun’s father) and the actor playing her mother are poor. Sunny Leone (Baby) is sizzling. Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee are the funniest in the film. Sachin-Jigar's music is nothing compared to their previous works. <em>‘Main Deewana Tera’</em> has the chartbuster feel but doesn’t have a long shelf life. <em>‘Crazy Habibi vs Decent Munda’</em> is situational. <em>‘Dil Todeya’</em> and<em> ‘Sachiya Mohabbatan’</em> are okay. <em>‘Sip Sip’</em> is played during the end credits. Ketan Sodha's background score is theatrical. Sudip Sengupta's cinematography is fine. Parijat Poddar and Shekhar Ujjainwal's production design is a bit television show-like. Vikram Dahiya's action is sans any gore. Veena Kapur Ee's costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Kriti. Huzefa Lokhandwala's editing is too quick at places. On the whole, ARJUN PATIALA is a shockingly poor fare, riddled with an outdated and tragic script. At the box office, it will be rejected outright by the cinegoers.

The Fast And Furious franchise started way back in 2001. Since then we have seen the franchise evolve from racing to something that includes, heists, spying and of course fast cars. Now two years after the last release in the series THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS hit screens in 2017, we see a spin off feature film in the form of FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW. But will this new action flick woo the Fast and Furious audience or will it like so many other actioners be all glitz and no content is what we analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1004788 size-full" title="Movie Review Fast &amp; Furious Presents Hobbs &amp; Shaw" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Movie-Review-Fast-Furious-Presents-Hobbs-Shaw.jpg" alt="Movie Review Fast &amp; Furious Presents Hobbs &amp; Shaw" width="720" height="450" /> Starting off, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW is centred around the titular Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), characters introduced in the main series. The film begins with a crew of MI6 agents attempting to retrieve a virus, Snowflake, which can be programmed to decimate millions of people, from terrorist organization Eteon. Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants, arrives and kills all agents except for their leader, Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), who injects Snowflake into herself as a dormant carrier and escapes. Brixton frames Hattie as a traitor who killed her team and stole Snowflake, forcing her to go on the run. Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw are both informed of the missing virus and are assigned to work together reluctantly to track it down. From here on begins a cat and mouse game to save Hattie and the world while keeping the deadly ‘Snowflake’ out of the wrong hands. Much like the previous FAST &amp; FURIOUS films, this spin off too is an action entertainer that promises edge of the seat stunts, fast cars, and big explosions. While there were initial questions raised whether a spin off on a series like F&amp;F would work and hold the audience’s interest, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW proves that such films if made well, not only keep the audience in their seats but also provides for a fun filled thrilling watch. Director David Leitch, who has in the past proved his mettle with JOHN WICK (2014), ATOMIC BLONDE (2017) and the more recent release DEADPOOL 2 (2018), has done it again. Thanks to a background as a stuntman with professional martial arts training, Leitch is able to execute and shoot some rather difficult action sequences with precision. Keeping in mind the background of the franchise, Leitch has capitalized on characteristic traits of Hobbs and Shaw to develop seamless fight sequences that are well co-ordinated. As for the story of the film, like most action flicks, this one too features a wafer thin plot. However, it isn’t the plot that is the film’s mainstay; instead it is the eye popping relentless action that is interjected with well-placed humour to break the monotony. Coming to the performances, Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs does what he does best, which is smashing things. Assisting him on this endeavour is Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw who takes the more refined approach as compared to Hobbs’ brute force technique to eliminate targets with finesse. Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw does a commendable job and manages to hold her own despite the fact that the film is centred on the characters of Hobbs and Shaw. However it is Idris Elba as Brixton Lore who steals the limelight. A cybernetic enhanced superhuman hybrid, Brixton is capable of feats that push the boundary. Despite having such power, Elba’s restrain is clearly evident, thus preventing the film from becoming too over the top. The dialogues, though not much are good in places with well time punch lines that deliver. As for the action, well it is a spin off from the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise, so expect tons of it. Though unlike the previous films in the series, this one features fewer high end cars, skimpily clad women and debauchery, but rest assured David Leitch has done well with the action. Adrenaline pumping, edge of the cliff (quite literally) gasoline fuelled explosions that are sure to satiate your hunger for destruction. On the whole, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW lives up to the FAST &amp; FURIOUS tag, with insane stunts, high octane action, well timed humour and an entertaining rollercoaster ride that keeps you in your seat. At the box office, the film that releases in four languages, English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu is expected to open well and will see an increase in footfalls over evening and night shows. With little competition at the box office, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW looks set to dominate the weekend.

A lesser known film, ANTARDWAND, released in 2010 and sank without a trace. But it stood out from rest of the niche films as it was based on the system of groom kidnappings prevalent in Bihar. Now, newcomer director Prashant Singh attempts to make the idea even more popular with his film, JABARIYA JODI. Unlike ANTARDWAND, which was quite a serious fare, JABARIYA JODI attempts to look at it in a light-hearted manner. Moreover, it stars two known actors – Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra. So does JABARIYA JODI entertain and comes across as a respite for its lead actors? Or does it fail in its endeavour? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1006550 size-full" title="Movie Review Jabariya Jodi" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Movie-Review-Jabariya-Jodi.jpg" alt="Movie Review Jabariya Jodi" width="750" height="450" /> JABARIYA JODI is the story of two equals, who come from different worlds. In 2005, two kids – Abhay Singh (Aryan Arora) and Babli Yadav (Gurket Kaur) – fall in love in the Madhopur village in Bihar. But Babli’s mother catch them red handed. She and Babli’s father Duniya Lal (Sanjay Mishra) decide to leave Madhopur and shift to Patna. Cut to present day. Abhay Singh (Sidharth Malhotra) is now an adult and works with his father Hukum Dev Singh (Jaaved Jaaferi). Abhay’s job is to kidnap grooms and get their <em>‘jabariya shaadi’</em> done. Abhay, Hukum and the rest of the gang members believe that they are doing social work with these forced marriages. After all, the bride’s father doesn’t have to pay dowry in such type of marriages. While getting one such <em>‘jabariya jodi’</em> done, Abhay bumps into Babli (Parineeti Chopra), who is the friend of the bride Shriya (Kirtika Budden). Both recognize each other and sparks fly. For Babli, the timing is just perfect. She has been dumped by a guy for whom she ran away from her house. Abhay too falls for Babli but he also gets apprehensive about the relationship. Moreover, he has political ambitions – he wants to be an MLA and stand for elections next year. Meanwhile, Duniya Lal finds out that she is in love with Abhay. He detests Abhay, since he is a goon and decides to get her married to the supposedly decent and educated fellow, Pappu (Rashul Tandon). But Pappu’s parents ask for ridiculously high dowry. With no option in hand, Duniya Lal and his close aide Pathak ji (Neeraj Sood) approach Hukum Dev Singh and request for Babli and Pappu’s <em>‘jabariya shaadi’</em>. Babli is told of her marriage but she assumes her father is getting her hitched to Abhay! So she is very glad and happily participating in pre-marriage customs. Abhay meanwhile is sulking as he doesn’t want her to get married to anyone else. At this point, the powerful and well-connected Daddan Yadav (Sharad Kapoor) approaches Hukum Dev Singh. He requests him to let go of the deal he made with Duniya Lal since Pappu is his close relative and that he’s planning Pappu’s wedding somewhere else. In return, Daddan would give Hukum Dev the election ticket from the seat of Gaya. Hukum Dev agrees and he tells Abhay to return the fees given by Duniya Lal at his residence. This is when Babli learns the truth and she is shattered. An angry Babli now decides to do <em>‘jabariya shaadi’</em> with Abhay! What happens next forms the rest of the film. Sanjeev K Jha's story is based on an interesting idea. Many in the country are not aware of <em>‘pakadwa vivah’</em> tradition and the writer succeeds in showing this bit in an entertaining manner. At the same time, he also highlights the downside of such kind of marriages. But the inherent love story is weak and has loose ends. Sanjeev K Jha's screenplay (with additional screenplay by Raaj Shaandilyaa and Neeraj Singh) doesn’t really succeed in hiding these minuses. A few scenes are well written and thought of. Also, the writing has the massy vibe. But one wishes the writer and additional screenwriters had done something about the unconvincing plot points. Raaj Shaandilyaa's dialogues (with additional dialogues by Neeraj Singh) are one of the highpoints. The one-liners are sure to be greeted with claps and hooting. In fact, it’s a rare film where dialogues help in hiding the goofs of the film. In the emotional scenes, the dialogues work big time. Prashant Singh's direction is very good for a debutant. He understands that the story has a pan-India appeal and executes it appropriately. Also, he keeps the audiences hooked from start to finish without boring them, despite the 144 minutes duration. But he doesn’t do much when it comes to unconvincing moments in the movie. The biggest dilemma faced by Abhay Singh in the film is the fear he has that he’ll turn like his father and harass his to-be wife and she’ll suffer the same fate like her mother (Sheeba Chaddha). This is an important point and should have been explained further. Only the childhood portion shows Hukum Dev Singh indulging in adultery and that he’s quite strict. But it’s not enough and the director should have tried to explore the dynamics between Hukum Dev and his wife. Also, he allowed the repetition of some sharp dialogues, due to which the impact is not made. Not just that, Hukum Dev’s change of heart is too sudden and catches viewers unawares. Lastly, the product placement in the film is too in-your-face and it’ll raise laughs. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Jabariya Jodi | PUBLIC REVIEW | First Day First Show | Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/jabariya-jodi-public-review-first-day-first-show-sidharth-malhotra-and-parineeti-chopra/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> JABARIYA JODI starts off on a sweet note, showcasing the love story between two teenagers. The fun continues once adult Babli enters the story and bashes up her boyfriend for not turning up at the railway station. Abhay’s introduction too is done in a fun manner. The sidekicks and supporting characters are also quite strong and they also add a lot to the film and its humour quotient. The manner in which Babli is completely oblivious that she is getting married to Pappu and not Abhay is hard to digest. Did no one around her ever even take the groom’s name, even as a passing remark? Post-interval portion begins on a promising note as Babli decides to force marry Abhay. The way it’s done is pretty hilarious. But soon, the film drops. Thankfully, the action-packed climax, though weak, works and the film ends on a happy and appropriate note. Sidharth Malhotra is in fine form, also look wise as he suits the part. There’s a scene where Babli’s pals try to kidnap Abhay but get scared the minute they see him. And this bit looks convincing as Sidharth makes Abhay look like someone not to be messed with. But his performance is a bit dry in some scenes. He should have shown a bit more aggression in a few more sequences. Parineeti Chopra does quite better and is just perfect as Babli. In the second half, she gets surprisingly mellow, which seems a bit out of character. But even in this hour, she leaves an impact. The scene where Abhay comes to take away Babli is where she leaves a huge mark. Aparshakti Khurana (Sanku) slips into his part effortlessly. Sanjay Mishra is fair and adds to the humour quotient especially in the scene where he consumes the ‘banned’ alcohol. Chandan Roy Sanyal (Guddu) is apt for the part. Mohit Baghel (Halla) is quite funny and makes his presence felt. Raashul Tandon goes overboard and yet manages to entertain and raise lot of laughs. Jaaved Jaaferi is decent as the strict father. Sheeba Chadha gets a raw deal. Neeraj Sood has a few funny dialogues but one wishes he had a lengthier role. Sharad Kapoor is strictly okay. Gopal Dutt (Inspector Tiwari) is very good in the cameo role. Aryan Arora and Gurket Kaur are sweet as young Abhay and Babli respectively. Elli AvrRam is sizzling in the item song. Music is not great as it doesn’t suit the feel and theme of the film. <em>'Zilla Hilela'</em> is the only track in the film that matches with the film’s setting. <em>'Khadke Glassy'</em> is also nice but comes in the end credit. <em>'Dhoonde Akhiyaan' </em>works because of the picturization. <em>'Khwabfaroshi', 'Ki Honda Pyaar' </em>and <em>'Macchardani' </em>are disappointing. Joel Crasto's background score is dramatic. Bosco Martis' choreography (<em>'Khadke Glassy'</em>) and Adil Shaikh's choreography (<em>'Zilla Hilela'</em>) is good. Vishal Sinha's cinematography is fair, with few scenes capturing the small-town India very well. Rajat Poddar's production design is realistic. Malavika Kashikar, Niharika Jolly and Akshay Tyagi's costumes are stylish. But Parineeti Chopra’s crop tops seem a bit out of place and doesn’t go well considering the film is set in Patna. Vikram Dahiya's action is realistic. Dev Rao Jadhav's editing could have been crisper by a few scenes. On the whole, JABARIYA JODI is a decent entertainer and works because of the novel idea of forced marriages, performances and hilarious and witty dialogues. At the box office, it will do decent business before the Independence Day biggies take over.

Films based on or inspired from true incidents always have an edge, especially if made well. A recent classic example being ARTICLE 15, loosely inspired from Badaun rape case and Una flogging incident, and which became a commercial success. Now Nikkhil Advani attempts to unravel the mystery behind the more-than-a-decade-old Batla House encounter in his flick, also titled BATLA HOUSE. So does BATLA HOUSE give viewers an entertaining and thrilling time? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1008066" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Batla-House-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> BATLA HOUSE is the story of an upright cop caught in a sticky situation. The year is 2008. The Indian Mujahideen has conducted a series of blasts across the country. Their latest attack is in the capital city, Delhi, on September 13. ACP Sanjay Kumar (John Abraham) is having trouble in his marriage with Nandita (Mrunal Thakur). On September 19, he is informed by his team that the terrorists responsible for this blast are holed up in a flat in L-18, Batla House in the Okhla locality of the city. Before Sanjay could reach the site, his junior officer K K (Ravi Kishan) orders the team to engage with the occupants of the said house. The occupants who are Okhla University students fire at the cops, injuring K K grievously. Sanjay meanwhile reaches and he along with the rest of the police team eliminate the shooters. One of them, Tufail (Alok Pandey) is arrested. Even before the cops could leave, the residents begin raising slogans against the police. Soon, the media and political leaders blame the police for staging a fake encounter. K K on the other hand passes away in hospital. Sanjay meanwhile finds it difficult to prove that he’s right and that these residents of Batla House were indeed a part of Indian Mujahideen. He also informs the police department that there were two more guys in the Batla House flat who escaped, one of which is Dilshaad Ahmed (Sahidur Rehman). He escaped to Nizampur, Uttar Pradesh. Sanjay’s senior Jayvir (Manish Chaudhari) sternly tells Sanjay not to head to Nimzapur to arrest Dilshaad. Yet, Sanjay defies the orders and heads to nab Dilshaad with his team. In Nizampur, he encounters hostile residents and a leader of a political party who tell him to back off. Yet, he goes ahead and attempts to take Dilshaad back to Delhi. The locals on one hand are baying for his blood. On other hand, Jayvir and other senior cops are slamming Sanjay for his irresponsible action. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Ritesh Shah's story is well researched and gripping. Moreover, it’s extremely relevant in today’s times. Many might not be aware of this case and how it led to such a huge controversy at that time. Hence, the novelty factor is also there. Ritesh Shah's screenplay is captivating for most parts but is shaky in the first half. The film should have been simpler yet thrilling and devoid of too much of docudrama feel, for a better impact. However, there’s no doubt that some scenes are exceptionally scripted. Ritesh Shah's dialogues are acidic and sharp. The one-liners in the climax work very well. Nikkhil Advani's direction is simply brilliant. He understands the material he has in his hand and its sensitive nature. He has handled some scenes deftly and shows his brilliance in the interrogation scene in the first half and later in the courtroom sequences. Also, the Rashomon effect works well here to make the audiences wonder as to which version is correct. However, a few scenes in the first half are not up to the mark. Some scenes might even confuse viewers. For instance, it is bewildering why Sanjay switches off the camera during a crucial interrogation. Thankfully, the plusses outweigh the minuses by a huge margin here. BATLA HOUSE’s first half is decent but one misses the overall ‘Wow’ factor here. The reason behind the straining of relations between Sanjay and Nandita is not explained properly. The encounter is only partly shown and hence, one remains confused as to what exactly transpired between the police and the students. Also, Sanjay’s constant hallucination sequences become a little too much after a point. But on the positive side, a few scenes are quite promising. The film picks up in a big way when Sanjay quotes from the Holy Quran while interrogating Tufail. This powerful scene will surely be greeted with claps and whistles and it also proves how vested interests smartly misinterpret religious texts for violent gains. The Nizampur episode is a bit over the top but is quite thrilling. The intermission point also comes at a great moment. Post-interval, the interest levels increase as Sanjay gets determined to nab Dilshaad. The entry of Victoria (Nora Fatehi) adds charm to the film. But the best is reserved for the last 35-40 minutes. The courtroom drama is quite exhilarating and clap worthy. Also, once the entire scenario becomes clear, the film becomes simpler.  As a result, audiences would be even more interested once they know the complete picture. Sanjay’s monologue at this hour ensures the film ends on a high. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Batla House Public Review | John Abraham | Mrunal Thakur | Movie Review | First Day First Show</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/batla-house-public-review-john-abraham-mrunal-thakur-movie-review-first-day-first-show/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> BATLA HOUSE belongs to John Abraham, without a shred of doubt. He is not just playing a brave, decorated police officer. He also essays the role of a person who is abused and slammed from all quarters. No one wants to know or believe his version of truth. The trauma he faces is brought out beautifully by John. Also, he’s first-rate as expected in action scenes and also in dramatic and confrontational sequences. Mrunal Thakur is letdown a bit by the script as the back story is never revealed. But she gives a decent performance. In the second half, she impresses even more as the woman who stands up for her husband. Ravi Kishan leaves a huge mark in a small role. Manish Chaudhari is efficient. Rajesh Sharma (Advocate Shailesh Arya) is quite scathing, as per his character’s requirement. Nora Fatehi provides much-needed sizzle in the film. Her character has a small but important role in the film. Alok Pandey and Sahidur Rehman play their respective parts with earnest. Pramod Pathak (Defence counsel P Krishnan) has a late entry but makes an impact. Others also do well. Songs aren’t memorable except for of course <em>'O Saki Saki'</em>. The item song is quite entertaining but it starts off quite suddenly though. <em>'Rula Diya'</em> and <em>'Jaako Rakhe'</em> are okay. John Stewart Eduri's background score is subtle yet adds to the impact.  Adil Shaikh's choreography in <em>'O Saki Saki'</em> is visually great. Soumik Mukherjee's cinematography is topnotch. This is especially in the interior scenes of Batla House flat and in the chase sequence in the small town. Priya Suhas's production design is quite realistic. Amin Khatib's action is thrilling and yet not gory or disturbing at all. Maahir Zaveri's editing is razor sharp in many scenes and also stylish. But this kind of editing also affects the impact in some of the scenes in the first half. On the whole, BATLA HOUSE is a powerful saga which is sure to spark off discussions and debates. The relevant plot, watertight screenplay, clapworthy moments and terrific performance by John Abraham makes BATLA HOUSE one of the finest films of the year. At the box office, it will have a promising run. Recommended!

Just like how Eid is synonymous with a Salman Khan release, the Independence Day holiday isn’t complete without an Akshay Kumar starrer. From 2013 to 2018, he has had a release during this beneficial weekend, barring 2014. 2019 is no exception and this time, he is out with MISSION MANGAL, based on an important chapter of India’s history. The mood of the film is also apt, considering that just last month, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Chandrayaan-2 towards the moon. MISSION MANGAL has all the trappings of a blockbuster. So does it turn out to be as exciting and entertaining as expected? Or does the content fails to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1008325" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mission-Mangal-Review-IMG.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="450" /> MISSION MANGAL is the incredible true story behind India’s mission to Mars. The film begins in 2010. At the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a space mission under Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) fails after Tara Shinde (Vidya Balan) in his team makes an error in judgement. As a punishment posting, he’s asked to handle India’s Mars program, which is not expected to take off anytime soon. A few days later, Tara while cooking puris in her home has a Eureka moment. She realises that through innovative methods, they can try to get our satellite reach Mars in just two years. She tells Rakesh about the plan and he realises it’s a golden opportunity. Rakesh approaches his senior (Vikram Gokhale) for approval who finds the idea unfeasible. Also Rupert Desai (Dalip Tahil) who has come from NASA to join ISRO feels that Rakesh's idea is ridiculous. Rakesh however manages to persuade and begins work. He asks for the best of the men from ISRO for this project. However he’s given inexperienced colleagues like Kritika Aggarwal (Taapsee Pannu), Eka Gandhi (Sonakshi Sinha), Varsha Gowda (Nithya Menen), Neha Siddiqui (Kirti Kulhari) and Parmeshwar Naidu (Sharman Joshi) and a very senior employee Ananth Iyer (H G Dattatreya). What happens next forms the rest of the film. Jagan Shakti's story is superb and also very challenging. It’s not easy to pen down a mainstream film with such a plot. Also many are not aware of what transpired behind the making of India’s Mars mission. Hence it’ll be exciting for them to witness the whole journey. Also there are so many twists and turns in the plot that one might not believe that some of the plot points are actually true incidents. R Balki, Jagan Shakti, Nidhi Singh Dharma and Saketh Kondipathi's screenplay not only simplifies the proceedings but also make it massy. The screenplay blends science and entertainment seamlessly. The film’s goings on are extremely easy to comprehend. R Balki, Jagan Shakti, Nidhi Singh Dharma and Saketh Kondipathi's dialogues are effective and funny. Jagan Shakti's direction is terrific for a first timer. He had a winning screenplay in his hand and he takes it to another level with his execution. The film has also has subplots of each of the main characters and even these are very well woven in the narrative. And through these tracks too, the makers have made some important comments about religion, parenting, marriage, religious bias etc. and all these contribute to the film hugely. MISSION MANGAL starts off beautifully showing Tara running a house efficiently on the day ISRO has an important launch. Rakesh's entry and the confrontation scene when he’s offered Mars program is intriguing as well as entertaining. It also makes it clear that the film won’t get serious and that the entertainment quotient will be maintained. The rest of the team is introduced in a quick but interesting montage like sequences and it adds a lot to the film. The first half moves swiftly with no complaints. The second half is longer and the commencing portions are where the film drops. Also to see the team renovating their work station at a time when they are running against time is a bit too much. Thankfully the film soon picks up. The best is obviously reserved for the finale. There are a lot of obstacles faced by the team here and it makes the film even more gripping. The finale is applause worthy. <p class="entry-title name"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mission Mangal | Public Review | FDFS | Akshay Kumar | Vidya Balan | Taapsee Pannu | Sharman Joshi</span></strong></p> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/mission-mangal-public-review-akshay-kumar-vidya-balan-taapsee-nithya-movie-review-first-day-first-show/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> MISSION MANGAL is embellished with some fine performances. Akshay Kumar is in top form. He gets to play such a splendid role and gets into the skin of his character. And he’s very much there throughout the film! The way his character rarely gets serious and makes even serious discussions light and funny is seen to be believed. One of the greatest sequences of the film is when he makes an imaginary call to none other than APJ Abdul Kalam. Vidya Balan dominates most of the first half and suits her character to the T. It’s also admirable that she has no qualms playing mother to teenagers. Sonakshi Sinha is lovely and gets to shine. It’s great to see how she makes an impact in a supporting role. Taapsee Pannu is also quite efficient and gives her best in the climax. Nithya Menen has a smaller role but it serves as a great debut. Kirti Kulhari manages to score and many would be able to relate to her character's struggles. Sharman Joshi is funny and would surely make viewers smile. H G Dattatreya is adorable and the scene where he teaches Kirti's ex hubby a lesson is too good! Dalip Tahil is appropriate as the pessimist. Sanjay Kapoor (Sunil Shinde) is the surprise of the film. He delivers a fine performance and post interval he goes in another mode that would be greeted with whistles in cinemas! Purab Kohli (Vivek) and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub (Rishi) lend able support. Rohan Joshi (Dilip Shinde) is hilarious and even heartening as Vidya Balan's son. Kashmira Pardeshi (Anya Shinde) gets no scope. Vikram Gokhale is decent. Others are also good in their respective parts. Amit Trivedi's music is well interspersed with the proceedings. <em>'Dil Mein Mars Hai' </em>is entertaining and catchy. <em>'Shaabaashiyaan'</em> is played at a crucial juncture. Amit Trivedi's background score is engaging. S Ravi Varman's cinematography is quite simple and has the big screen effect. Sandeep Ravade's production design is praiseworthy as it’s straight out of life. Debashish Mishra's sound design is also as real as it gets. Sham Kaushal's action is good in the lone action scene inside the metro. Famulus Media and Entertainment's VFX is top class without which the long climax would not have worked so well. Theia Tekchandaney's costumes are appealing yet not too glamorous. Kirti Kolwankar and Maria Tharakan's costumes for Vidya Balan are authentic. Chandan Arora's editing is just perfect as the film neither moves too fast nor drags. On the whole, MISSION MANGAL is engaging and entertaining while being patriotic in its feel. At the box office, it will be accepted whole heartedly by the audiences and has the potential to emerge as Akshay Kumar's highest grosser ever!

Sometimes, one film is enough to turn an actor into a nationwide star. BAAHUBALI - THE BEGINNING was one such film. It made Prabhas from a regional star to a pan-India sensation and it’s sequel BAAHUBALI 2 - THE CONCLUSION cemented his position as a superstar. Almost 2 ½ years later, this macho actor is now back with SAAHO. While BAAHUBALI was a period drama, SAAHO is a modern-day actioner with a bit of a futuristic setup. The hype is tremendous from East to West, North to South. So does SAAHO live up to all the excitement? Or does it disappoint viewers? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1013048" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Saaho-Aug.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SAAHO is the story of a mysterious man on a mission. The foreign city of Waaji is ruled by gangsters and criminals and the biggest of them is Roy (Jackie Shroff). He cleverly manages to get the approval of an Indian minister, Ramaswamy (Tanikella Bharani) for a hydro project in India. He then reaches Mumbai and this is where he’s killed in a road accident. His son Vishwank (Arun Vijay) then takes over, which angers Devraj (Chunky Panday) as he wants to sit on Roy’s throne. Meanwhile the Mumbai crime branch is investigating the death of Roy and other related crimes. The case is handed over to Ashok Chakravarthy (Prabhas), a macho and extremely intelligent officer. He insists that Amritha Nair (Shraddha Kapoor) is also made a part of his team after he gets smitten by her photograph. While scanning the CCTV footage, they come across a mysterious person (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who they believe is a suspect. In the absence of evidence though, he can’t be arrested. Ashok however manages to speak to him and finds out that he’s hunting for a black box which can be used to access the wealth left by Roy in Waaji. Not just this chap but even Vishwank is trying to find the black box, which is hidden in Mumbai. He sends his associate Kalki (Mandira Bedi) who for some reason secures the box but instead of taking it to Waaji, she deposits it in a bank. When the mysterious person comes to get it, the cops who are already on his trial arrest him. However, the cops get a shock of their lives at this point when they realize they have a mole in their team. The mole runs away with the black box and this baffles not just the police force but also the gangsters of Waaji. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Sujeeth's story is strictly okay but it could have been made for an exciting actioner if the screenplay and direction were upto the mark. Sujeeth's screenplay however spoils the show. Till the first half, it is captivating but then the screenplay is all over the place in the post-interval portions. There are so many villains and moreover, there are so many people double-crossing that it gets confusing for viewers to remember the twists. Abbas Dalal and Hussain Dalal's dialogues are simple but a few one-liners are powerful. Sujeeth's direction is quite weak and it is one of the big reasons why this film fails. A film like SAAHO, mounted on such a huge scale, required the execution by an expert and experienced filmmaker. Sujeeth sadly fails to do justice. The plot is weak but still, the film could have been saved with the execution. Sujeeth fails to do so overall. On the positive side, a few scenes are handled very well. These are mainly in the first half like the entry scenes of Vishwank and Ashok, Devraj threatening his father Prithviraj and of course, the interval point. In the second half, he does very well in a brief part of the climax where three scenes are running parallel - one of Ashok, one of Amrutha and one of Kalki. If he had wisely directed the rest of the film, SAAHO would have been on another level. SAAHO has an average beginning. Too much information is laid out and it takes a while to process it all. The film gets a bit better with Ashok’s entry. The investigation carried out by Ashok and his team is quite engaging. Also, the politics played out in Waaji amongst the warring factions makes for a nice watch. The best is however reserved for the pre-interval. The sequence where Kalki’s car gets attacked is good. The intermission point comes as a jolt. A part of it is predictable but there are too many twists here and hence, it works since viewers won’t be able to guess all the unexpected developments. Post-interval, one expects the film to go on another level but sadly the opposite happens. There is too much chaos, visually and otherwise, and the film ceases to make sense. Yes, the action scenes are spectacular but after a point, the audiences get tired of the overdose. There are more twists in the climax but this time, the viewers don’t get very impressed. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Saaho | Public Review | FDFS | Shraddha Kapoor | Prabhas</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/saaho-public-review-fdfs-shraddha-kapoor-prabhas/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Talking of performances, Prabhas puts up a great show. As per his character, he performs well and would be loved by the masses. His dialogue delivery in Hindi however is a bit weak. Moreover, his character sketch is also a bit flawed – throughout the film, his character is always winning and ahead of his enemies. Initially, it works but then it becomes unconvincing. Shraddha Kapoor is quite lovely and suits the part of the no-nonsense officer very well. She is great in action scenes. Jackie Shroff makes a huge impact in his cameo. Neil Nitin Mukesh is dependable and looks quite dashing. Chunky Panday steps into the villain zone once again after BEGUM JAAN and is appropriate. Arun Vijay oozes fear very well and is apt for the part. Murali Sharma (David) has a crucial part and is decent. Mandira Bedi gives a memorable performance. Tinnu Anand doesn’t mouth a single dialogue and yet delivers a fine performance. Mahesh Manjrekar (Prince), Prakash Belawadi (Shinde) and Goswamy (Venella Kishore) are okay. Evelyn Sharma (Aisha) suits her part but her character doesn’t have much to do. Jacqueline Fernandez is sizzling in the special song. Music is average. <em>'Psycho Saiyaan'</em> (changed to <em>'Kaiko Saiyaan'</em>) is the best song of the lot and well shot and choreographed. <em>'Enni Soni'</em> and <em>'Baby Won't You Tell Me'</em> are forced in the narrative. <em>'Bad Boy'</em> is visually quite stunning. Ghibran's background score is a bit loud. In a few places, it overpowers the dialogues. Raju Sundaram and Vaibhavi Merchant's choreography is first-rate. Madhie's cinematography is captivating. A few scenes are captured upside down and make for a great watch. The lensman has also captured Mumbai’s birds-eye view beautifully. Kenny Bates, Peng Zhang, Bob Brown, Stefan Richter, Dhilip Shubbarayan, Ram Lakshman, Stunt Silva, Parvez Shaikh and Stunt Jashwa's action is excellent when seen individually. But in the film, a few of them seem needless. A few scenes that work well are Mumbai traffic scuffle (by Stunt Silva), Prabhas’s entry (by Peng Zhang) and chase sequence in pre-climax (by Kenny Bates). Sabu Cyril's production design is ambitious and larger-than-life, especially the Waaji city portions. But it doesn’t seem authentic. R C Kamalakannan's VFX could have helped in making it look real but it fails at places. Thota Vijay Shankar and Leepakshi Ellawadi's costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez in the songs. A Sreekar Prasad's editing adds to the chaos and could have been simpler. On the whole, SAAHO suffers from a lackadaisical script and a vacuous screenplay. At the box-office, it is bound to have a huge start and a good extended weekend due to tremendous hype and the fan following of the lead cast but will face obstacles post the weekend.

For most adults, the years spent in college are often considered to be the best part of their lives. It’s a time when the fear of the uncertain future always looms over the head but the joy of being with friends makes this period worth it. Nitesh Tiwari, after delivering the monstrous blockbuster DANGAL [2016], is back with CHHICHHORE, which focuses not on just the student part of the character’s lives but also on what happens when they have a reunion a couple of decades later. So does CHHICHHORE manage to give viewers an entertaining time and make them go down memory lane? Or does it fail to stir up any emotions whatsoever? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1014857" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Movie-Review-Chhichhore.jpg" alt="Movie Review Chhichhore" width="720" height="450" /> CHHICHHORE is the story of ‘loser’ friends trying to become winners and learning some important lessons on the way. Annirudh Pathak aka Anni (Sushant Singh Rajput) is a middle-aged man residing in Mumbai with his son Raghav (Mohammad Samad) after divorcing his wife Maya (Shraddha Kapoor). Raghav is under immense pressure as he has just given the entrance exams for engineering. Both his parents were rankers when they gave the entrance examination. As a result, Raghav is feeling the pressure tremendously. Anni however is confident that he’ll make it. Finally, the result is out and sadly, Raghav fails to make the cut. Scared that he’ll be labelled a loser all his life, he attempts to commit suicide by jumping from a high rise. He survives but the doctor treating him, Dr Kasbekar (Shishir Sharma) makes it clear that the chances of him recovering are slim. Anni is obviously heartbroken and with no option in hand, he decides to adopt a novel method to ensure that Raghav gets the will to live. He starts narrating him his story as an engineering student in Mumbai’s National College of Technology. He’s allotted a room in Hostel no 4 aka H4, considered to be the residence of the ‘Losers’. At first, Anni is flabbergasted with the kind of characters in H4. But slowly, he becomes good friends with some of them like Gurmeet Singh Dhillon aka Sexa (Varun Sharma), Acid (Navin Polishetty), Sundar aka Mummy (Tushar Pandey), Bevda (Saharsh Kumar Shukla) and Derek (Tahir Raj Bhasin). The number of girls in engineering is negligible and the most popular among them is Maya (Shraddha Kapoor). Anni manages to woo her and they soon start dating. However, Anni and others are still called ‘Losers’ and there’s a reason for it. The General Championship aka GC is a sports tournament that takes place annually in the college. The students of H4 always lose miserably and are the last among the ten hostels. Hence, the ‘Loser’ tag. Raggie (Prateik Babbar) from H3 is a champion who wants all the winning students from other hostels to be in his hostel so that H3 can win the GC. He invites Anni, since the latter is a basketball champion. But Anni refuses, thereby earning the wrath of Raggie. Anni and others from H4 decide to shed the tag of ‘Loser’ once and for all by winning the H4. However, the road to the trophy is full of hurdles. Cut to present-day. Raghav’s condition stops deteriorating after listening to the story of the ‘Losers’ but there’s no improvement either. What happens next, in the flashback as well as in the present day, forms the rest of the film. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's story is entertaining, moving and has potential. The film is more than what the promos indicate. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's screenplay doesn’t exploit the story to its full potential however. Sure they try their best and keep the narrative simplistic without complicating it. They also add humour in adequate doses to appeal to the masses. But it also is a bit superficial especially when it comes to the emotions part. A little more depth in terms of characters, their background etc. was required. Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta and Nikhil Mehrotra's dialogues are simple but funny and well-worded. One however wishes the writers had written some extremely funny liners for the slogan sequence. This is a scene that could have caused a riot but the end result is decent not extraordinary. Nitesh Tiwari's direction is appropriate for most parts. He deserves praise for the way he goes back and forth with the present day and flashback scenes. Also, in the climax, three scenes are running parallel – one of the chess tournament, one of the relay and one of the basketball match. He merges them very well. On the flipside, he skips some of the details with regards to the characters’ lives and that hampers the impact. For instance, viewers never come to know properly what exactly went wrong between Anni and Maya that they had to divorce and why didn’t Maya take the custody of Raghav. Except Sexa and Mummy, none of the students’ parents are ever shown. As a result, we don’t know what kind of families they hail from. Not just that, even in present-day portions, except for Mummy and Sexa to an extent, the other characters’ lives are not explored at all. Mummy apparently flies from USA to be with Anni. How did he manage to do so that too immediately remains a question mark. Then there are scenes that are unconvincing like Raghav attentively listening to the story of the ‘Losers’ but at the same time, we are told that he is critical. Even when his health deteriorates in the pre-climax, he doesn’t look medically serious. The ‘Losers’ or Raggie are never really shown studying and we never come to know how they are faring in the exams. It seems like the reason they have taken admission in the college is simply to win the GC. CHHICHHORE begins on a high note, which nicely depicts the kind of mischief happening in hostels as well as the enmity between H3 and H4. The movie then focuses on Raghav getting tensed over his result. The film drops a bit here but the shocking suicide sequence ups the interest. Soon the flashback portions commence and the interest in the film gets maintained. From here, the film is sans complaints as director Nitesh Tiwari uses the first hour to introduce the characters, the college setting and how much GC means to the students. In the second half, the college portions manage to entertain and even raise laughs. Anni’s idea of demotivating the rival teams psychologically is interesting and makes for fun watch. However, it also raises questions since the method is deemed to be too effective in even improving their game, which was very poor in the first place. How that happens is bewildering. The climax is based on an interesting idea of three tracks running simultaneously but goes on for too long. The basketball scenes especially go on and on. The end result of the GC might divide audiences with some not finding it acceptable. However, it is in sync with the film’s message. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Chhichhore | Public Review | FDFS | Sushant Singh Rajput | Shraddha Kapoor</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/chhichhore-public-review-fdfs-sushant-singh-rajput-shraddha-kapoor/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Performances are exemplary by all. It’s great to see that not just the lead actor and actress but the others also get a big chance to shine. Sushant Singh Rajput plays the part with ease and is apt as Anni. He’s not playing the typical ‘hero’ as such and slips into the character and performs accordingly. In the older portions, he’s quite good and has modulated his voice a bit which is praiseworthy. Shraddha Kapoor lends able support. Her character sadly doesn’t have much to do after a point. The romantic track is very weak and doesn’t even get sufficient screen time. And she doesn’t look that old as compared to others. Varun Sharma is quite entertaining and will be loved by audiences. He was dull in films like ARJUN PATIALA and KHANDAANI SHAFAKHANA. But in CHHICHHORE, he seems to be in form. He also surprises in the entry scene of the older Sexa. Tahir Raj Bhasin looks dashing and performs very well. The pain and anger in his eyes comes out very well. Naveen Polishetty has a good screen presence and is lovely as the guy with the acidic tongue. Tushar Pandey is fine for the character he plays and adds humor to the proceedings. Saharsh Kumar Shukla has a very late entry but has a brilliant screen presence. In the finale especially, he has a major part to play. Mohammad Samad has his moments. Prateik Babbar leaves a mark as the baddie. Shishir Sharma, Sanjay Goradia (Mummy’s father), Rohit Chauhan (Chris Cross), Ranjan Raj (the underweight Abhimanyu Rathod aka Danda) and the actor playing the cook are fine. Pritam's music is in sync with the film’s mood but won’t have a long shelf life. <em>'Fikar Not'</em> is the best of the lot as it also reflects the film’s message. <em>'Control'</em> comes next as the situation during which it’s played is funny. <em>'Woh Din'</em> and <em>'Khairyat'</em> fail to make a mark while <em>'Kal Ki Hi Baat Hai'</em> is played just for a few seconds. Sameer Uddin's background score is subtle but makes an impact. Amalendu Chaudhary's cinematography is appropriate. The hospital, hostel and sports scenes are well captured. Laxmi Keluskar's production design is good. Mukesh Chhabra's casting deserves praise as all actors fit the bill. The casting of Abhimanyu Rathod is quite nice. Sunil Rodrigues's action is not too gory obviously and works. Rohit Chaturvedi's costumes are authentic. The characters are even shown repeating their clothes in hostel scenes to keep the realism. Preetisheel Singh's prosthetics and character design is overall quite good. But in case of Shraddha Kapoor and Tushar Pandey, it’s not very convincing. Charu Shree Roy's editing is slick and the present-day and flashback portions are well woven in the narrative. On the whole, CHHICHHORE is a decent entertainer that has its share of entertaining and touching scenes. At the box office, it will be liked by its target audience – the youth and the families. However it will require a positive word of mouth to sustain and excel.