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Archives for May 2018

K Chandrashekar Rao Avoid Sharing Stage with Congress In Kumarswamy Swearing- In Ceromony

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will give the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Karnataka a miss on Wednesday, choosing to meet the JD(S) leader a day before instead.

The Chief Minister’s Office has said that Rao will skip Kumaraswamy’s oath-taking ceremony because of “important engagements”. Speculation, however, is rife that he doesn’t want to share the stage with leaders of the Congress, the regional rival of his party Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Rao was the first among opposition leaders to moot the idea of a federal front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but the JD(S) decision to enter into post-poll alliance with the Congress has put the TRS chief in a spot.

Not wanting to be seen sharing the same space as Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi months before General and Assembly elections, KCR will thus skip the first big show of opposition unity, that too in a southern state.

Besides the Gandhis, Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony is likely to be attended by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu.

Kumaraswamy was among the regional leaders KCR had met to gather support for his ‘federal front’ idea and had even urged Telugu voters in Karnataka to back the JD(S).

Reacting to KCR’s move, the Telangana BJP said the ‘federal front’ idea was “nothing but parties uniting against the BJP”.

“KCR supported JD(S) and now they are going with the Congress. The JD(S) and the Congress even chose Hyderabad to shelter their MLAs in a bid to prevent poaching, with TRS support. The TRS hidden agenda is exposed. The federal front is nothing but parties uniting against the BJP. The TRS will become like the JD(S) here and help Congress,” said Telangana BJP president K Laxman.

For Chandrababu Naidu, the swearing-in ceremony is an opportunity to place itself among opposition parties, having quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earlier this year.

SP richest regional party with over Rs 82 crore declared income

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With a declared income of Rs 82.76 crore, the Samajwadi Party is the richest of the 32 regional parties in India, a report by Association for Democratic Reforms said on Tuesday.

The SP was closely followed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with an income of Rs 72.92 crore and AIADMK with Rs 48.88 crore.

The total income of the 32 regional parties for 2016-17 fiscal was Rs 321.03 crore.

Out of these, 14 parties claimed decline in income and 13 others an increase in income.

Five regional parties did not submitted their income tax return to the Election Commission. These are Indian National Lok Dal, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, All India United Democratic Front, and Kerala Congress-Mani.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Janata Dal-Secular declared that more than 87 per cent of their total respective incomes remaining unspent, while the TDP said 67 per cent of its income remaining unspent.

The DMK declared spending Rs 81.88 crore more than its income while the Samajwadi Party and AIADMK declared spending Rs 64.34 crore and Rs 37.89 crore more than their total incomes respectively.

Apart from these 32, audit reports of 16 regional parties were unavailable. These include Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

ED seizes Dabur India director’s assets worth Rs 21 cr

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The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday seized assets worth Rs 20.87 crore belonging to the director of Dabur India Limited under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) for holding assets abroad.

The seizure order has been issued pursuant to an investigation which prima facie revealed that the company’s Director Pradip Burman had deposited $3.21 million in his account with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Zurich, according to ED officials.

Burman declared before the Income Tax Department that he had earned the amount, but had not shown it in the IT returns, filed in India for the period 2007-08.

After the investigation, the IT Department filed a prosecution complaint against him in the court of metropolitan magistrate, which is pending trial.

Modi meets Putin as India walks US-Russia tightrope

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi as part of an informal summit between the two countries.

“Russia is India’s old-time friend. We share long-standing historical ties, and Mr. President is my personal friend and a friend of India,” Modi said at the meeting, aimed at underscoring close ties.

“For the past four years, you and I stood side by side in the bilateral format and on the international stage… I am very glad that it was so,” Modi told Putin.

The Russian president reciprocated with similar sentiments, stressing the important role the two countries play in maintaining global stability.

“Last year, our trade saw a significant increase, adding another 17 percent since the beginning of this year,” Putin said.

Major international issues were the focus of the talks between the two leaders.

“The main driver of this meeting is the geopolitical environment prevailing today,” PS Raghavan, chief of India’s national security advisory board,

“The primary purpose of Modi’s Russia trip would be to discuss the evolving geopolitical situation and to understand each other’s perspective – to be able to see how we can both deal with situations in common interest,” said Raghavan, who was also a former Indian envoy to Russia.
New Delhi’s overtures towards Moscow come at a time when India is facing the heat of a US trade war through hefty import tariffs.

The aggressive new approach towards Iran adopted by the administration of US President Donald Trump is also upsetting India’s carefully laid plans in Tehran, including operations at a strategic port in which India has pledged to invest $500m.

Reinvigorating ties
Earlier this month, Modi sent his top emissaries to Russia in what analysts say are moves aimed at reinvigorating ties with a traditional ally after a brief period of coolness.

Top Indian officials were sent to Moscow ahead of Modi’s trip. This included a three-day trip by India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month.

India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale also held talks with top Russian officials, NSA Nikolai Pathrushev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on May 10.

“The Moscow-New Delhi ties were never hostage to a third country despite the perception to the contrary,” said Nitin Gokhale, a national security analyst based in New Delhi.

We would like to continue with our partnerships with both Russia and Iran. And we would like to do so by not impacting our partnership with the US
PS RAGHAVAN, CHIEF OF NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD

“What New Delhi is essentially doing is to reaffirm the long-standing robust relationship between the two and continue to support each other on crucial geopolitical matters like Iran and BRICS [an association of five emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa].”

The meetings between Indian and Russian officials are aimed at “reaffirming an old partnership” even as geopolitical realities in the region are changing again.

As the right-wing government of Prime Minister Modi pursued closer ties with Washington since it came to power in 2014, relations between India and Russia had taken a back-seat.

Trump’s America-first policy
A report in Russian business daily, Kommersant, in November last year said Moscow was miffed with India reportedly allowing US forces access to a Russian-built nuclear-powered submarine that is currently on lease to the Indian navy. The report quoted Russian officials considering these as “unfriendly acts towards Russia”.

“The last thing Moscow wants to do is to alienate India now, even though India’s participation in certain military exercises with the US was certainly received without much joy in Moscow,” Dmitry Babich, a Russian political analyst based in Moscow, told Al Jazeera.

“So, even though Moscow may have felt bitter about Modi’s rapprochement with the US, Russian officials never made any remarks that could be interpreted in India as hostile or even critical,” he said.

“Russia is seeking new partners but Russia does not want to lose old ones,” he added.

Moscow has long been the main supplier of military equipment to India, but in recent years, New Delhi has been inching towards the US and Israel for weapons supply.

But with Trump’s America-first policy – as part of which the US has slapped new trade tariffs affecting Indian and Chinese firms, New Delhi is working to improve its relations with Russia and China.

In April, Indian Defence Minister Sitharaman, in an address at a security conference in Moscow said, “Russia has re-established its role and influence in global strategic and defence matters”.

India is friends with and trades extensively with Russia and Iran that are currently facing American sanctions.

New Delhi, one of the biggest buyers of Iranian crude, will have to find measures to nullify the effect of US sanctions on Iran, which would certainly be high on the agenda of talks between Modi and Putin, experts say.

India-Russia ties
India is also battling to avoid a law the US government signed last year imposing sanctions on those who do business with Russia’s military and intelligence sectors.

The law known as the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) threatens to impinge on India’s massive defence trade with Russia.

Russian military hardware accounted for 62 percent of India’s total weapons imports during the past five years, the Stockholm Peace Research Institute said in a report this year.

India is also in talks with Russia to buy five S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, the Interfax news agency reported, a possible deal that could face rough weather under the new US sanctions.

The top adviser to the Indian government said India will defend its trade interests with both Russia and Iran.

“We have a very extensive energy and defence relationship with Russia. It’s not a tap, which you can switch off. Russia still has the lion’s share in our defence imports as compared to the US,” Raghavan told Al Jazeera.

Washington will have to take this into account, he argued.

India’s relations with the US have also been hit by trade frictions. New Delhi is still waiting for an exemption from higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports announced by the Trump administration.

The US is also imposing tougher visa rules that targets India’s information technology industry.

New Delhi-Beijing thaw
Daniel Chirot, Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington, said the Trump administration “believes it can bully other countries into acceding to its demands, even if those are often mistaken”.

“The Trump administration is oblivious to the harm it is doing to relations with friendly allies,” Chirot told Al Jazeera.

These irritants in the Indo-US relationship could fuel some rethink in Indian foreign policy, according to analysts.

Some signs of this are already visible – the trips to Russia from key Modi aides as well as an olive branch to neighbouring China.

“The New Delhi-Beijing thaw is a bilateral necessity again because of a fluid global order,” national security analyst Gokhale.

The Indian prime minister flew to China to hold informal talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month after a border standoff last year. The trip showed that Delhi has “essentially entered the shadow trade war between the US and China on China’s side”, wrote Mihir Sharma, senior fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Both these informal outreach trips of the Indian prime minister – earlier to China and now to Russia – are part of the “flurry of consultations between world leaders to discuss this geopolitical environment that exists today”, said Indian government adviser Raghavan.

“We are witness to a very acrimonious standoff between the US and Russia which has gone on to levels that didn’t prevail even during the Cold War. These anti-Russia sanctions have an extra-territorial applicability – this draws in everybody,” he said.

“There are decisions that countries take in their national interest. It is your business in protection of your national interest to see whether you can change, amend it, work around it,” he added referring to the US sanctions.

On Monday, Modi tweeted to say he was “confident” talks with Putin would boost the special ties between the two countries.

Deepening Russian and Indian economic ties stretch back to the Soviet era. Last year was witness to the biggest foreign acquisition ever in India – Russian oil major Rosneft closed their $12.9bn purchase of Indian refiner Essar Oil.

Strategically, Russia has facilitated India’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and endorsed India’s long-held demand for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Moscow is also pushing for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a club of countries controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology.

The Chief of India’s National Security Advisory Board, Raghavan, however, said India would continue to walk a tightrope between Moscow and Washington.

“We would like to continue with our partnerships with both Russia and Iran. And we would like to do so by not impacting our partnership with the US,” he said.

Aljazeera

Facing Arrest For Insulting Woman Journalist, BJP Leader Gets Relief From Court

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Actor-playwright and BJP leader Sve Shekhar Venkataraman, who forwarded a misogynistic post about woman journalists, got some relief from the Supreme Court today.

Sve Shekhar was facing arrest after his Facebook post infuriated people on social media. The post, which he later deleted, abused women journalists, saying they are illiterate, stupid and ugly, and accused them of getting ahead in their profession by granting sexual favours.

It contained equally derogatory comments about the young woman journalist who had objected after she was patted on the cheek by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit at an official programme. The woman journalist, the post said, only intended to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Governor “should wash his hands with phenyl” for touching her.

The leader’s defence – that he had forwarded the post without reading its contents – failed to placate the state’s women activists and politicians like DMK’s Kanimozhi, who demanded his immediate arrest. A case was lodged against him following a complaint by the Tamil Nadu Journalist Protection Welfare Association.

The Madras High Court, where he appealed for anticipatory bail, refused to grant it. In its order, the court said forwarding a message on social media, be it read or not, amounted to accepting and endorsing it. Justice S Ramathilagam said a post like that would “send a wrong message to the society at a time when we are talking about women empowerment” since a celebrity has a huge following.

The top court today warded off the possibility of any immediate arrest and issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu police after Sve Shekhar’s lawyer argued that his client just forwarded the message, and later deleted it and apologised.

Business man shot in Bangalore

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Armed assailants opened fire on a 62-year-old businessman on the busy Assaye Road in Pulakeshinagar on Monday. According to the police, the incident took place at 11.30 a.m.

The victim, Masood Ali, owns a furniture shop on St. Marks Road. In his statement to the police, he claimed there were four assailants. They allegedly waylaid his car and opened fire when he was driving to work. Ali tried to evade them, but sustained a bullet injury on his back. He is said to be out of danger.

Police have booked the four accused in a case of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act.

Ali told police that he neither has any enmity nor did he receive any threat in the recent past.

The police are verifying CCTV footage to identify the assailants.

An Interaction With Malyalam Superstar Dulquer Salmaan

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Dulquer Salmaan – The Most Charming And Talented Actor

The ever smiling and the ever charming Malyalam star – actor Dulquer Salmaan, who also happens to be the son of Malyalam superstar Mamooty, is currently all set to make his Bollywood debut in Karwaan with another talented actor Irrfan Khan. Now it remains to be seen how the two multitalented actor’s comic chemistry works on the celluloid silver screen. Dulquer Salmaan was also seen in the recently released Telugu – Tamil biopic Mahanati wherein he had enacted the role of the late veteran star – actor Gemini Ganesan, and which was also based on the life and times of the late legendary South Indian actress Savitri.
*You have already made a mark as a Malyalam star – actor. You also did a Tamil – Telugu bilingual namely Mahanati which was recently released and now you are all set to make your Bollywood Debut with Karwaan. Right!
*Right Sir!!! I had indeed wanted to make my Bollywood debut, but the clichéd answer was that I had been waiting anxiously for the right script which I had ultimately come across. So now I will finally be seen in debutante Akarsh Khurana’s directorial debut Karwaan which also stars the talented Bollywood nay international actor Irrfan Khan. I think Abhishek Bachchan was initially chosen for the role but he had to opt out as his dates clashed with J P Dutta’s film Paltan. And the next thing I knew was that I was approached for the comic role by Akarsh Khurana. I just liked the script and also my role in it and I instantly signed on the dotted line before giving a chance to Akarsh Khurana to have second thoughts of casting me.
*Fine! So what is your Bollywood debut movie Karwaan all about?
*Well! Kaarwaan is a light – hearted comedy, and it features me and Irrfan Khan as friends on a road trip. I am enacting the role of a Bangalore based youngster, that’s all I can reveal as of now. Mithila Palkar is also a part of the cast. Akarsh Khurana has also co – written the script with Hussain Dalal and Ronnie Screwvala is producing it under his own banner. The movie is almost finished and will be shown to the censors soon. And incidentally speaking Karwaan was shot in Mumbai, Kerala and Bengaluru.
*Your performance as the Tamil matinee idol Gemini Ganesan in Mahanati has really been appreciated a lot. What Say?
*The entire team of Mahanati knew that we were doing something important and something very special. To tell the story of this Tamil-Telugu cinema’s legendary actress Savitri was something that I had really believed in. This was a role away from my home territory in Kerala; hence it was an added challenge.
*Why do you look at Kerala as your home ground?
*Well, I’ve to agree that the demarcation lines are blurring. I won’t say there was a divide. But clearly Malayalam cinema has a narrower market than cinema in some other Indian languages. I was happy to expand into the Tamil market. And now into Telugu also with Mahanati and into Hindi as well with Karwaan.

*It seems that you really enjoyed working in the recently released Tamil – Telugu bilingual Mahanati!!!
*Actually speaking it has been my ardent desire for a long time to be a part of a period film. Amazing period is being captured in films and even in small screen serials in the West. For a long time I have desired to be a part of a period drama. But fortunately or unfortunately, in the Malayalam film industry, we don’t have huge budgets to make such period films. But Mahanati was being made on a massive scale and I was lucky to be a part of this project. It has been directed by Nag Ashwin and besides me it also starred Keerthy Suresh as Savitri, apart from Samantha Akkineni, Prakash Raj, Mohan Babu and Vijay Devarakonda, I was indeed thrilled to be working with a young team. Both the director and the producer were younger than me. It was a young team with so much of energy. I had always been against the idea of bilinguals but it made a lot of sense to make this film in 2 languages. In Mahanati I had enacted the role of Tamil star – actor Gemini Ganesan but frankly speaking I did not even look like him. I can’t, honestly, and I did not want to wear the prosthetics. My approach was simple. I just wanted to be myself in the phase of 1950’s if I was a big movie star. I never thought that I should even attempt to play Gemini Ganesan. You don’t really have any off – screen footage of him. You don’t know what kind of person he was off – screen. We only know his persona on screen and I did not want to use that to play him off – screen.
*How difficult was it to speak your own lines in Telugu?
*It was far more difficult getting the Telugu dialogues right than the Tamil ones. I have been dubbing my own lines in Tamil for some time now. In Telugu I had to practice the words, understand and absorb what I am saying and then speak them in the dubbing. I would think I got them right. But the next moment I would be told that something was not right. I would wonder what was wrong. Still I would do it again and again until it came out sounding right for the experts in the language.
*So moving on you really share a very good rapport with Rana Daggubati of “Bahubali” franchise fame. It is rumored that this was just a ploy to get a right foothold in Telugu Cinema. Would you care to elaborate!!!
*Yes I am indeed sharing a very good bonding with Rana Daggubati and it’s very natural. Believe me there is no selfish motive behind this. May be it’s my down to earth attitude and my ever smiling countenance that attracts them. But my friendship with Rana Daggubati is for keeps no matter what the rumor mills churn out. In fact I share a good camaraderie with all my male co – actors then be they from Malyalam, Telugu or Tamil film industry. And my female co – stars need not get upset as I would like to share a healthy friendship with them too, both on a personal as well as professional level.
*That apart you were also really happy doing Parava released recently. How come?

*Parava was supposed to be a real game changer. Comedian actor Soubin Shahir had made his debut as a director with Parava. Although I had an extended cameo of only 25 minutes I think it was a terrific film and I also think it was supposed to be a real game changer. It was another huge blessing that I got to be a part of this film and I thank my Allah – The Almighty daily for every chance I have been given. But I think my ardent fans did not like the movie. So it failed to make a mark on the Box Office turnstiles. No problem, I wish myself better luck next time.

*Ok! How was it working in Solo which was also released recently?

*Yes Solo has been finally released. I had great expectations from Solo too, as for me working in Solo was like working simultaneously in 8 films. Solo had been packaged with 4 stories and I had 4 different looks. Since Solo was a bilingual film in Tamil & Malayalam, it was like acting in 8 films at the same time. In O Kadhal Kanmani & Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, I had a bubbly energetic image but with Solo it changed. The film had 4 heroines including Dhanshikaa, Sruthi Hariharan, Neha and Aarthi. And though we had 4 heroines in the film, there were no ego hassles. 3 cinematographers and 11 music composers had also worked in Solo, besides our film had 15 songs.

*You have often been labeled as an arty hero. Why are you hesitant on donning the mantle of a commercial hero?

*Frankly speaking again I am more scared to attempt an out and out commercial film. As I feel it can either click all the way or go down all the way. So audiences will either like it or hate it. Besides I have always entertained the audiences with memorable content. So doing a film like Solo gives me more courage because irrespective of its Box – Office turnstiles fate, people at least appreciate the intent, its effort or just the desire to make a good cinema.

*How would you describe your filmic journey right from your debut film Second Show to your latest film Mahanati en route Solo and Parava?

*I would not like to describe my filmic journey with mind blowing adjectives suffice it to say that right from day one it was effortless and smooth sailing. No doubt I have gained a lot of enriching experience too. I also got a chance to work with the best of people. I am most happy that I ended up making a lot of good friends and I don’t think any enemies whatsoever.

*
What is the main criterion for accepting a role?
*The right set up, the right script and the right role in defining my character that is the main criteria, I have for accepting a role. It has to offer me a challenge of some kind. Otherwise there is no point in doing a role. I would be very uncomfortable doing a safe part. Besides it would make me think something is wrong.
*Why have you chosen a career path very different from your father?
*It had to be different from his. I couldn’t possibly do what he had already done. He has a larger-than-life image. It made no sense to walk in his footsteps. There is a nothing like a “born actor”. It’s all about honing the skills. Duplication never works for anybody. Why would it have worked for me? I chose my own path because that was the only way to go. At the same time I’ve to admit there was an advantage in being my father’s son. The debut film came much easier to me than it would have if I was an outsider.
*Would you like to do a film with your father Mammooty?
*The thought has crossed the minds of many filmmakers. We’ve had quite a few offers to work together. But no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The comparisons would be unacceptable to me. So unless it is something that offers a truly special challenge for us to come together it is unlikely that we will work together.
*Do you & your father discuss each other’s roles?
*I do talk to him about my work with him if I feel like. But nothing beyond the usual! We’d rather discuss other things when we are together.
*Name your 5 favorite films!!!

*I loved and enjoyed doing all the films of my career, so naming just 5 films will be an injustice to all my other films.

*Lastly name your forthcoming films?

*Oru Bhayankara Kamukam, Kerala Street and Bollywood film Kaarwan. There other films too which are still in on the floors.

Hollywood Film Stars Round Up

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Meghan Markle’s Sister Samantha Hospitalized

Just on the eve of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, her sister Samantha Grant has been hospitalized with multiple injuries following a car accident and it appeared to be a broken ankle and a fractured knee. What’s more, this comes after an alleged confrontation with the paparazzi, or at least one paparazzo. According to Samantha’s boyfriend, Mark, the two were driving in Florida near a toll booth when this happened. It is Mark who describes this as a “paparazzi confrontation.” Allegedly, a paparazzo veered in front of them in the hopes of getting a clear shot with his camera. Mark says that he then swerved to the left to avoid a collision. He was successful in avoiding the photographer, but ended up running into a concrete barrier. Mark also stated that that Samantha hit the windshield on impact, and then fell to the floor mat. Samantha has MS, and was unable to lift herself up from the floorboard.

Joseph Campanella Passes Away

Character actor Joseph Campanella has recently passed away at the ripe old age of 93. Veteran character actor Joseph Campanella, who has appeared in more than 200 TV & film roles over his 5 decades long career, has sadly enough recently left for his heavenly abode. He was just 93. He passed away at his Sherman Oaks, California, home. Joseph Campanella appeared across 5 Seasons in the late 1960’s & early 1970’s crime drama Mannix for which he earned a supporting actor Emmy nomination in the year 1968 & 6 Seasons of the 1970’s sitcom One Day At A Time.

Tori Spelling Walks Out On Dean McDermott

It seems that Tori Spelling & Dean McDormatt are still married. In fact, they recently celebrated their anniversary, vacationing together to “reconnect.” But apparently, it still wasn’t enough to mend their broken marraige. As per the latest news Tori Spelling has finally walked away from Dean McDermott, and is spending more and more time with her mother, Candy. The one who has never liked Dean. So Tori Spelling has now walked away from Dean and is seeking comfort in Candy Spelling’s home, according to both the friends of the couple. And while that might do wonders for Tori’s current issues, it may spell doom for her marriage. A lot of in-laws may have issues with their, well, in-laws. It sounds like Candy has found Dean to be a total disappointment. But Tori has five kids and has nowhere else to turn. Besides Tori has had a troubled history with her mother. That apart Over a decade ago, Tori’s father, TV mogul Aaron Spelling, had passed away.

Chris Brown Sued for Alleged Rape

Chris Brown is once again in trouble with the law. The often-violent singer has been sued by a woman who claimed that she was the victim of a sexual assault at Chris Brown’s house, alleging that she was forced to perform oral sex on a woman who was menstruating. She also says a friend of Chris Brown’s raped her twice. The woman, who has hired Glorida Allred as her attorney, has filed these legal documents under the name of Jane Doe. She further claimed that she attended a party at Chris Brown’s mansion at which cocaine, ecstasy & even marijuana were readily available. In official papers the woman explains that an unnamed female friend of the artist’s forced her and a few other women into a bedroom. This friend then blocked the door with a couch. The instigator proceeded to force women to hook up with Chris Brown and another man, named Lowell Grissom. Jane Doe also added that her cell phone was also taken away from her upon arrival at the gathering.

Cannes Chiefs Sign A Charter

Cannes film festival chiefs recently signed a gender equality charter. Cannes Film Festival chiefs have recently made a pledge for gender parity and inclusion. it was initiated by 5050 Pour 2020 organisation, a charter was signed recently by General Delegate & artistic chief Thierry Fremaux along with Edouard Waintrap & Charles Tesson, the heads of the Directors’ Fortnight & Critics’ Week sections respectively as well as Paolo Moretti who will take over the Fortnight next year.

Margot Kidder Passes Away

LOS ANGELES – 1985: Actress Margot Kidder poses for a portrait in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

The “Superman” actress Margot Kidder is dead at the ripe old age of 69. Margot Kidder, best known for playing Lois Lane in the “Superman” films in the 1970’s & the 1980’s, has sadly enough recently left for her heavenly abode at the ripe old age of 69, a funeral home in Montana said recently. The Franzen-Davis Funeral Home in Livingston, Montana said on its website that Margot Kidder had passed away on Sun at her home in the town. The cause of her death was not immediately known. Canadian born Margot Kidder also appeared in the movie The Great Waldo Pepper and the 2014 children’s TV series R. L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, for which she had also won an Emmy award.

Bhuvan To Lend His Voice

Bhuvan Bam is now all set to lend his voice to Indian cab driver Dopinder. Comedian Bhuvan Bam is going to lend his voice to the character of Indian cab driver Dopinder in the Hindi version of Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool 2. The film tells the story of an adult superhero with a twisted sense of humor. Deadpool 2, is being brought to India by Fox Star India, and it opened on 18th May, 2018.

Cine Buzz

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Ankoosh Bhatt’s 3 Dev Is Bollywood’s Most Quirky Casting Coup!

Ankoosh Bhatt’s 3 Dev Is Bollywood’s Most Quirky Casting Coup! Filmmaker Ankoosh Bhatt has landed himself with some of the quirkiest set of people and the crown of this casting coup of his upcoming film 3 Dev totally lands on his head!

Starting off with a gritty thriller Bhindi Bazaar, Ankoosh Bhatt picked up on raving reviews but realized over time that such films only get lauded by critics but to get the numbers up you definitely have to go in for something massy. “You don’t have to make meaningless cinema for that,” instantly clarifies Ankush Bhatt further adding, “You just have to make a decent film with appeals to the senses of the masses.”
And with that mindset he landed himself with 3 Dev, a one of its kind comedy with an ensemble cast comprising the likes of Prosenjit Chatterjee, Raima Sen, Tisca Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Ravi Dubey & above all Karan Singh Grover! Phew! That’s a huge list and ask him how he managed to pull off this casting coup, he says, “It wasn’t easy but I guess I got lucky with my script which appealed to all these actors and they graciously agreed to play the parts I had written for them without asking for any change.”

Staying true to the characters and not actors playing it seems to be Ankoosh Bhatt’s mantra, “There was no favoritism which is what worked with the actors and hence they took up the roles that were written for them. Additionally, there are a couple of side actors in the film too but you still won’t see them being wasted in a blink & miss role. Each actor who will come on camera in this film will have a part to play and ultimately it is going to be a satisfying experience for everyone,” says Bhatt.

This one of a kind comedy is all set to release on 1st Jun, 2018 and we can’t wait to see so many actors in one film. 3 Dev is produced by Chintan Rana of R2Phillum productions, presented by Ayub Khan of E4U Enterprises.

Lessons from Karnataka: Bank on social issues, leverage traditional and modern media platforms

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The drama revolving around the Karnataka state elections refuses to fade away. The assembly election results were not able to provide a clear mandate to any party. The BJP emerged as the single largest party but popular rivals Congress and JD-S forged an alliance within hours of the announcement of the result after realising that the coalition will have the numbers to form the government.

This paved the way for the controversy about who should first be invited by the Governor: the party with the largest number of seats or the post-election alliance with majority seats. The Governor sided with the BJP, and B.S. Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister. But this decision was challenged by the Congress and petitions were filed in the Supreme Court. The Court ordered a floor test but Yeddyurappa resigned before this could be conducted.

Amidst all this chaos and despite the final verdict, BJP has emerged as a clear winner. Its vote share increased from 19.9 percent to 36.2 percent, and the party was able to up its tally by almost 64 seats and gained the much-needed momentum for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. On the other hand, Congress and JD-S both have suffered losses in the number of seats — that of the Congress going down from 122 to 78 and the JD-S securing three less that the 37 seats it had in the outgoing house.

One of the biggest questions that emerges from these results is what went wrong for Congress or to put it in other words, how was the BJP able to swing public support in its favour? Was the electorate just living up to its reputation of not re-electing the ruling party since 1985 or was it the way parties conducted their election campaigns? The search for the answer leads us to the bigger question of what makes Indian voters tick.

An analysis of the electoral outcome provides the answer. The analysis predicted that Congress party has just 18 percent chance of coming back to power in Karnataka. It took into account a) average growth in per capita GSDP for the last three years, b) the average change in Social Progress scores for the last three years, c) consumer and business confidence and d) media presence to understand the voting dynamics of world’s largest democracy.

The growth in per capita GSDP and change in regional social progress reflect how the economic and social benefits accrued to the citizens due to the policies of the state government. Consumer confidence and business confidence captured the trust that people have in the central government. The last indicator captured the interest enjoyed by the political parties.

There are three things that shape up the voting behaviour in India.

First, social issues. The analysis brings out that while casting their vote, people keep in mind two major social issues – inclusion and wellbeing. Inclusion encompasses indicators that capture how acceptable a region is towards minorities and other socially backward groups, and how they treat women. An inclusive incumbent increases its chances of coming back to power by 3.6 percent. And if the voters feel that the party will work towards basic wellbeing such as healthcare and education, its chances move up by 2.1 percent.

The BJP was able to target both issues. The BJP rallies focussed on the pro-poor initiatives and welfare schemes. The issues included providing gas connections, electrifying rural India, Swachh Bharat Mission for an open defecation free country, health benefits, housing for the poor and financial inclusion et al.

Second, media interactions. Media is among the major factors that help voters form their opinion and affects voter’s perception about the leaders and political parties. According to the analysis, an incumbent’s chances of re-election increase by 28 percent if it enjoys more social media interest than the rival parties. The interactions on media are of high significance because it provides voters with the facts and figures that can help them to make informed choices.

Nowadays, apart from traditional sources of media, social media platforms are being leveraged by the political parties to interact with voters. Citizens also use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to participate in political discussions and communicate with leaders. The right use of social media can help political parties swing public opinion in their favour. Although all the parties upped their social media game compared to the Gujarat elections, data shows that 51 percent of the tweets were in favour of BJP. The Google trends data also shows that the interest was in favour of BJP and not the incumbent.

Third, confidence in the party. The analysis predicted that if the citizens trust the central government and the same party rules the state then the chances of an incumbent getting re-elected increase by 9 percent. The BJP banked on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity to attract voters in Karnataka. Modi is known for connecting with the voters, and therefore he enjoys overwhelming support from the citizens. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has still not been able to build that trust in the minds of voters, and this drives down the confidence that party has in the party.

All these factors together worked in favour of BJP. The lesson in the run-up to other state elections is that parties should bank on the social issues that people face and leverage traditional and modern media platforms to garner interest in their favour.

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