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Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who delivered the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer blockbuster ‘Animal’ last year, doesn’t take criticism lightly.

The director has slammed actor Adil Hussain for his remarks on the 2019 film ‘Kabir Singh’ starring Shahid Kapoor in the titular role.

Adil had told the YouTube channel AP Podcast that he agreed to do Kabir Singh without reading the script, calling it the only film he regrets being a part of.

“That's the only film in my life that I did without reading the script, without watching the Telugu movie it was based on. I went to see ‘Kabir Singh’ in Delhi and after 20 minutes, I just walked out. The only film that I have regretted doing to date is ‘Kabir Singh’ because I think it is misogynistic and makes me feel small as a human being,” Adil said.

Vanga took to his X handle on Thursday and shared a clip from the interaction with Adil, saying he will replace Adil’s face in the film with the help of artificial intelligence.

“Ur 'belief' in 30 art films didn't get as much fame to you as ur 'regret' of 1 BLOCKBUSTER film did. I regret casting you, knowing that your greed is bigger than your passion. Now I'll save you from shame by replacing Your face with AI help. Now smile properly," Vanga posted.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hardly win 12-15 Parliamentary seats in the southern states in the Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking at a rally while campaigning for Congress leader Adoor Prakash in Kerala's Attingal, Revanth Reddy said that the grand old party will win all 20 LS seats in Kerala, while it will bag at least 14 out of 17 LS seats in Telangana.

On the BJP expressing confidence of crossing 400 seats, Revanth Reddy said even BRS president and former Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao while campaigning for last year's Assembly polls had claimed that he would win 100 seats but could bag only 39 seats.

Revanth Reddy said that "similarly, the BJP is trying to confuse people, but people are intelligent and they are going to teach a lesson to the party".

KCR has recently said that the Congress government in Telangana will not last more than a year "as nobody knows who will join the BJP and when".

"We don't know, the Chief Minister (Revanth Reddy) himself may jump to the BJP," he said.

KCR said while they want the Congress government to complete its five-year term, considering the recent developments, he doubts if it will last more than a year.

He also said that all surveys showed that the Congress would not get more than two Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.

--IANS

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Chandigarh, April 18 (IANS) Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday expressed disapproval over BJP’s Ludhiana candidate Ravneet Bittu claiming the Congress never respected former chief minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a bomb blast in Chandigarh in 1995.

Warring questioned the use of Beant Singh’s image in the BJP’s election propaganda by Bittu, a rebel Congress MP.

The PPCC chief told the media here, “Beant Singh epitomized national leadership and commanded admiration nationwide. Revered as a symbol of peace, his sacrifices resonate across the nation. However, the use of his image for political gain by his grandson (Bittu), now aligned with the BJP, is regrettable and disrespects the sacrifices of Beant Singh.”

Warring added, “Bittu's defection to the BJP has already cast a shadow over Beant Singh’s legacy, and his actions continue to tarnish the distinguished memory of the former chief minister. Such actions are likely to dishearten the spirit of Beant Singh. The Congress has always kept Beant Singh in high regard, claims by Bittu about his statue being removed from Congress Bhavan Chandigarh are all false. We respect our leaders and martyrs, unlike Bittu who has disrespected his own grandfather.”

“It’s imperative to refrain from exploiting the legacy of his grandfather for political advantage, and Bittu should understand it. The people of Punjab recognize and reject such tactics. The valour of our martyrs demands reverence, and any attempt to undermine it will not find favour with the public,” he added.

--IANS

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Solapur (Maharashtra), April 18 (IANS) A man attired as 'Yamraj', the Hindu God of Death, and riding the deity's preferred mount, a buffalo, reached the Collectorate on Thursday to submit his nomination as an Independent candidate for Maharashtra's Madha Lok Sabha constituency

Ram Gaikwad, garbed in a gold-and-black robe and dhoti, a gleaming golden headgear with two protruding curved white horns and toting a shining mace, announced that he would contest the LS polls from Madha to enter the Parliament with the aim of saving the country from the menace of corruption, poverty, unemployment and other ills.

He claimed that he was donning the role of 'Yamraj' to "finish" off corruption in the country, ensure Maratha quotas, prevent the misuse of central investigation agencies by the government against political rivals, the politics of hacking and breaking political parties, self-centred politics, etc.

Gathering plenty of interesting glances from passers-by, who stopped to see the unusual spectacle, the handle-bar moustache sporting candidate’s arrival was heralded from quite a distance as over a hundred of his supporters lustily cheered and raised slogans in his support.

As his buffalo, guided and controlled by a couple of aides, reached the Collectorate office, Gaikwad alighted with aplomb, cast a menacing glance around and then stomped inside to submit his nomination papers.

In case his nomination is accepted, then 'Yamraj' Gaikwad will lock horns-cum-mace with two powerful contenders – Bharatiya Janata Party’s sitting MP Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar and Nationalist Congress Party-SP's Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil, who quit the BJP last week to join Sharad Pawar's party.

Though it was labelled as a ‘publicity gimmick’, Gaikwad’s arrival as ‘Yamraj’ not only made waves but managed to garner much attention though most decided to keep a safe distance from the God of Death.

--IANS

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Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), April 18 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh will soon get its first-ever glass skywalk bridge, which will be set against the picturesque backdrop of Tulsi Waterfalls in the Markundi range of the Chitrakoot forest division.

Built from a fusion of glass and steel, this marvel of engineering takes the form of Lord Ram's revered bow and arrow, thereby symbolising strength and valour.

According to reports, this bridge promises to redefine the landscape of eco-tourism in the region. This ambitious project aims to elevate the allure of Chitrakoot.

Drawing inspiration from Bihar's renowned skywalk glass bridge in Rajgir, Uttar Pradesh's glass skywalk is poised to captivate visitors with its blend of aesthetic charm and structural brilliance.

The bridge, said sources, will be inaugurated after the Lok Sabha polls.

Complementing the breathtaking vistas of the waterfall, the surrounding area has been transformed into a verdant oasis known as 'Kodand Van', which will provide visitors with a tranquil retreat amidst nature's splendour.

Built by the esteemed Ghazipur-based Pawan Sut Construction Company, the bridge stands as a testament to collaborative effort and visionary planning.

Originally known as Shabri Waterfall, the cascading beauty that serves as the foundation for the glass skywalk was recently christened Tulsi Waterfalls by the state government.

Offering both aesthetic appeal and structural integrity, the bow-and-arrow-shaped bridge spans an impressive length of 25 m towards the abyss and boasts of a width of 35 m between its sturdy pillars. With a robust load capacity of 500 kg per square metre, the bridge ensures safety and comfort for visitors eager to embark on this thrilling adventure.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Indian wrestlers Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalkal have been stranded at the Dubai airport since Tuesday, because of heavy rains, while enroute to Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, sources said.

Speaking to IANS, sources close to wrestlers said that the duo will take flight at 11pm on Thursday and their chances of participation in the tournament is 50-50.

"They have been there for the past two days. Hotels are all full so they are sleeping on the floor at the airport. Their chances of competing in the qualifiers is 50-50. Maybe they will reach Bishkek just before the start of the weigh-in, only if they manage to leave Dubai late tonight."

The Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek is scheduled to kick-start from April 19. There will be a total of 36 Paris 2024 quotas on offer in 18 weight divisions in Bishkek.

India has fielded seventeen wrestlers.

This qualifier will be the penultimate opportunity for Indian grapplers to secure a quota for the Summer Games. The World Qualification Tournament in Turkey, scheduled in May, will be the final wrestling qualifiers.

Indian squad:

Men’s Greco-Roman: Sumit (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Naveen (130kg)

Women’s freestyle: Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Mansi (62kg), Nisha (68kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg)

Men’s freestyle: Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Sujeet (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg), Sumit (125kg)

--IANS

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Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Ace filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's son Vir is set to make his acting debut with the play 'Letters from Suresh', an updated version of the iconic 'Tumhari Amrita', which had featured the late Farooq Sheikh and Shabana Azmi.

'Letters from Suresh', as in the case of the original, is being directed by theatre veteran Feroze Abbas Khan.

Vir Hirani is a recent graduate of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, better known as RADA, in London. He has been making short films since his teens.

The epistolary production 'Tumhari Amrita' was an adaptation of A.R. Gurney's American play 'Love Letters'. The Hindi/Urdu version was written in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui after Feroze Abbas Khan approached him following a meeting with Gurney.

The play premiered at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai on February 27, 1992, during the Jennifer Kapoor Festival as a tribute to the late actress on her birth anniversary.

With the play set to return, albeit in a new avatar, Vir will be seen putting his skills to test in view of the legacy of 'Tumhari Amrita' and the shoes of Farooq Shaikh that he steps into.

In the original, Farooq Shaikh and Shabana Azmi were the two actors who drove the play, which was based on an exchange of letters between the two protagonists separated by Partition.

Vir Hirani, incidentally, has a film to his credit. He made his directorial debut with 'Return Gift', which premiered at the 18th edition of the International Children's Film Festival of India in Hyderabad.

The film, inspired by a true story narrated to Vir by his grandmother, and made along with his classmates, competed in the Little Directors category of the Festival.

--IANS

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A Delhi court on Thursday

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) A Delhi court on Thursday sent Chanpreet Singh, accused in the excise policy case, to judicial custody till April 23 after the probe agency said that he is a key person involved in the transfer and use of the proceeds of crime generated out of the Delhi excise policy scam. He was produced before the court on the expiry of his previously granted Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody.

The ED had sought his 14-day judicial custody alleging that "Chanpreet Singh is closely associated with co-accused persons and suspects such as Vijay Nair, Rajesh Joshi, and others. Chanpreet Singh is a cash handler on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Goa elections who received Rs 45 crore approx in cash through hawala operators and then distributed to the vendors, survey workers, and volunteers, etc., who were working for the AAP campaign in Goa".

Singh was arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 13.

During the custodial interrogation, the ED claimed that his multiple statements were recorded.

“He is found to be giving evasive replies and concealing information during the custodial interrogation,” the ED said.

The federal probe agency while seeking his judicial custody told the court that Singh had been interrogated and questions were asked on the findings of the investigation. It is still investigating the matter to trace the proceeds of crime and involvement of the arrestee and other persons in the offence of money laundering.

“The arrestee was confronted with the statements of different witnesses and other co-accused who have revealed the role of the arrestee,” the agency said.

The agency also reserved its right to take further custody of Singh during the permissible period, if required.

--IANS

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Mumbai, April 18 (IANS) Bollywood actress Kiara Advani, who will be soon seen in the Telugu political action thriller ‘Game Changer’ has a penchant for baking.

The actress took to her Instagram on Thursday and shared a video of baking a cake and garnishing it with biscuits and choco chips, wearing a black T-shirt, a blue striped shirt, and a pair of denim.

She wrote in the caption, “Baking with my favourite snakk (sic)."

On the work front, the actress will soon be seen sharing the screen with Telugu star Ram Charan in ‘Game Changer’. The film directed by S. Shankar features Ram Charan in a triple role, leading an ensemble cast of Anjali, S.J. Suryah, Jayaram, Sunil, Srikanth, Samuthirakani, and Nassar.

The actress also has 'Don 3' in the pipeline, which has Ranveer Singh in the titular role.

--IANS

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New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) London-based consumer tech brand Nothing on Thursday launched two new wireless earbuds -- Ear and Ear (a) in India, with ChatGPT integration to enhance overall user experience.

Ear and Ear (a) are priced at Rs 11,999 and Rs 7,999, respectively. Ear (a) will be available for purchase starting April 22 while Ear will be available starting April 29 across online and offline channels.

Ear features a transparent earbud design, while Ear (a) takes a new direction with a fresh bubble design and yellow colour.

“By integrating ChatGPT with Nothing earbuds, including the new Ear and Ear (a), and with Nothing OS (operating system), we’ve taken our first steps towards change, and there’s more to come,” Carl Pei, CEO and Co-Founder of Nothing, said in a statement.

The company said that it has integrated Nothing earbuds and its OS with ChatGPT to offer users instant access to knowledge directly from the devices they use most.

With this integration, users with the latest Nothing OS and ChatGPT installed on their Nothing phones will be able to pinch-to-speak to the AI tool directly from their earbuds, including the newly launched Ear and Ear (a).

According to the company, Ear can last up to 40.5 hours after a full charge with the charging case or 8.5 hours of non-stop playback. The earbuds also support wireless charging at 2.5 watts.

On the other hand, Ear (a) users can get up to 42.5 hours of music playback after a full charge with the charging case, the company added.

--IANS

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