Amitabh Bachchan first choice to replace Aamir for 'Incredible India' campaign; respect govt's decision, says Khan

January 8, 2016

New Delhi, Jan 8: Even as actor Aamir Khan asserted that India will always remain 'incredible' and said that he respects government's decision to discontinue with his services for 'Incredible India' campaign, reports suggested on Thursday that megastar and legend Amitabh Bachchan is Narendra Modi government's first choice as the new face of the initiative.

aamirAmitabh, the brand ambassador of Gujarat tourism, has emerged as the first choice of the campaign after actor Aamir Khan ceased to be its mascot.

"Amitabh Bachchan will be the first choice of the ministry for the job," a Tourism Ministry source said, adding actors Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra are among those under consideration.

He described the veteran actor as a "non-controversial" figure and noted that Bachchan was the key face for promotion of tourism in Gujarat which has seen an "upsurge" after he was hired by the state.

Khan, whose comments on perceived intolerance in the country had invited flak from BJP, ceased to be the mascot for the campaign as the contract for it expired.

"It was the (private) agency which has hired him. Since the contract with the agency is no more, automatically the arrangement with the actor no longer exists," Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had said yesterday.

When asked about Aamir's removal as the mascot of 'Incredible India' campaign by news channels, Bachchan said 'PK' star's contract must have ended.

"I think you need to clarify first whether he is being removed because of something that he may have said or it's the end of his contract. I am sure that there must be some kind of difference there. I don't think that people are removed just because they did not agree or said something that is controversial," Bachchan said.

On the other hand, Aamir, 50, today made it clear that he never charged anything for his services over 10 years for the campaign.

"It is the prerogative of the government to decide whether they need a brand ambassador for any campaign, and if so, who that ambassador should be. I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services. I am sure they will take all appropriate steps to do what is best for the country," Aamir said in a statement.

Aamir said it had been an 'honour and a pleasure' for him to be the 'Brand Ambassador for the Incredible India campaign for the past 10 years'.

"I was happy to be of service to my country, and will always be available for it. I would like to clarify that all public service films I have done till date have all been free of any cost to me. It is always an honour for me to be of service to my country, and this is how it will always be. Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that's the way it should be," he said.

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January 22,2020

Patna, Jan 22: Actor Kangana Ranaut has expressedher desire to make a movie on Chandragupta, the shepherd-turned-emperor who founded the Maurya dynasty, noting that the film industry has “not done enough justice to our history”.

The national award winner was here to take part in a programme organised by the publishers of a leading Hindi daily where she performed a jig to the tunes of Bhojpuri songs along with actor-turned-politician Ravi Kishan before the duo participated in a question and answer session.  Replying to the questions posed by Kishan, who is also the BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Ranaut on Tuesday said it was her second trip to Bihar.

“The last time, I was here as a child though I have not yet got a chance to explore the state with which I feel a connect as my Yoga teacher has his roots here,” she said.

Ranaut, who won acclaim for portraying Rani Laxmibai, the valiant queen of Jhansi who took on the British during the revolt of 1857 -- in ‘Manikarnika’, when asked if she would like to be associated with a film on any historical figure from Bihar, said, “It would be Chandragupta Maurya. The film industry has not done much justice to our history”.

A self-confessed admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 32-year-old, who has won three National Awards in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, replied in the affirmative when asked about reports that she has turned producer and her first venture is based on the theme of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The Himachal Pradesh-born actress, who has courted controversy for taking on well-entrenched Bollywood “insiders” like Karan Johar and Hrithik Roshan, said she has had a rebellious streak since childhood and shared an anecdote about her breaking her teacher’s stick upon being hit for chatting with a classmate in school.

When Kishan asked why she has gained so much weight, Ranaut replied it was in preparation for her upcoming biopic “Thalaivi”, based on late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The actress said her forthcoming release “Panga” is a family drama.

Ranaut said after landing in Patna, she gorged on ‘Litti Chokha’, a local delicacy.

She also regaled the audience by greeting them in Bhojpuri and repeating several commonly used phrases of the dialect after Kishan.

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June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: 'Dabangg' actor Sonakshi Sinha was showered with greetings as she turned 33 on Tuesday.

Sonakshi's father and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha took to social media to express gratitude that the family is spending time together during the lockdown period.

"This week is very special for my family, as we have a lot to thank for during this lockdown period. The family got to really spend some good quality time together," the veteran actor tweeted.

"Today we all celebrate our darling @sonakshisinha Sona's birthday. May she always be positive & abundantly blessed," his tweet further reads.

Actor Preity Zinta also made sure that she wishes the 'Kalank' actor as she posted a picture with her on Instagram.

"Happy Birthday my darling Sona. Wish you all the wonderful things, today and always. Keep Smiling and shining always. Love you loads @aslisona," the 'Kya Kehna' actor wrote in the caption.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra also posted a picture of himself with Sonakshi on his Instagram stories and wrote, "@aslisona Happy Birthday Beautiful."

Actor Huma Qureshi too extended birthday greetings to Sonakshi by posting a picture with her on her Instagram stories.

Huma wished her friend in what seems like a code language as she wrote, "You are...this friendship..how to...Love...Dosti.." along with the picture.

"Don't want to use words, you know what I mean..right@aslisona," she further wrote.

Sonakshi was last seen in the third installment of her hit film series 'Dabangg' which was released last year in December.

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January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: On the ongoing protests against new Citizenship Law, Bollywood actor Zeeshan Ayub said that everyone has been exposed and the common man has understood everything and the right-wing people cannot make a fool out of them by giving vague statements.

Talking to ANI, Zeeshan said, "Law is supposed to give the citizenship but the way in which the criteria have been changed is the trouble here."

Disagreeing to the continuous statements put forward by the BJP government that CAA is not a hindrance to the citizenship, the actor further said, Things are clear now, people have now understood the facts, the people and the intention behind are now exposed,.. they can't make a fool out of common people any more."

Zeeshan said it actually the other way round, those people are the ones who are misleading the general public by fluctuating their own statements. "Home minister said something, the next day something else is being said in the Ram leela..people are getting confused., the 'Ranjahanna' actor added.

He further said, "Earlier it was Hindu-Muslim propaganda, but that didn't work, so now you are making it a case between two political parties.. basically you are changing your own statements." When asked about his take on the ongoing JNU Violence, the actor said the members of the alleged political party itself have come out and explained their part in the case and yet no action has been taken.

The actor finally said that people should develop a sense of humanity.

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