Bollywood celebrities wish holy Ramadan to fans

New Delhi, Jul 9: Several Bollywood celebrities including Anil Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and Anupam Kher mourned the demise of actor Jagdeep.

The veteran actor, whose real name was Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri, passed away on Wednesday. He was 81.

Anil Kapoor took to Twitter soon after the demise of the 'Sholay' actor and remembered working with him in 'Ek Baar Kaho.'

"Jagdeep Saab was one of the greatest actors of India...I was his huge fan & was lucky enough to have worked with him in Ek Baar Kaho & many more films...he was always extremely supportive & encouraging...sending my heartfelt condolences & prayers to my friend Javed & family," tweeted Kapoor.

Senior actor Anupam Kher also took to Twitter to express grief. He also recalled a conversation that he had with the late actor about how difficult it is to make people laugh.

"Ek Aur sitaara zameen se aasmaan mein jaa pahucha. #Jagdeep saab hindi film jagat ke eik bahut hi behtareen kalakar the. Eik hasya abhineta ke naate unka koi saani nahi tha. Eik party mei bahut saal pehle unhone mujhse kaha tha, "barkhurdaar! hasna aasan hai, hasaana bahut mushki hai," aapki kami bahut khalegi," tweeted Kher.

Shatrughan Sinha penned a long note for the departed actor on Twitter.

"Deepest condolences on the sad demise of veteran actor, comedian par excellence, iconic #Jagdeep. He was a great human being & very down to earth. I was not only his neighbour during my initial years but also bought my first car 'Austin' from him," he wrote.

"I had the privilege of working with him in many films including late & great #HarmeshMalhotra films & of course in #RatanMohan Jaggu. He will be remembered for the joys & laughter he brought on screen effortlessly, right from Hum Panchi ek daal ke to the epic #Sholay, entertaining us for almost 6 decades," he added.

Sinha ended the note by extending condolences to his family.

"We have lost one of the finest comedians....the great 'Sholay' of an actor 'Soorma Bhopali'! You will remembered through your legacy & will be fondly missed too. Heartfelt prayers & strength to his sons, wonder actor @jaavedjaaferi @NavedJafri & family. Rest in peace," tweeted Sinha.

Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh also took to Twitter to condole the demise of the veteran actor.

"Thank you #Jagdeep sahab for enriching our lives with laughter and happiness that will be cherished for a lifetime. Rest In peace Sir. Deepest Condolences to the family, friends and millions of his fans(just like me)," tweeted Riteish.

"Dearest @jaavedjaaferi @NavedJafri_BOO @MeezaanJ am extremely sorry for your loss. May god give you strength in this difficult time. Big hug," he added.

Riteish's wife and 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' actor Genelia tweeted, "RIP Jagdeep Sahab ... Remember shooting with you during Life Partner and cracking up with laughter all through the scene.. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have got that chance to work with you.. All my condolences to the family."

Actor Abhishek Bachchan also took to Twitter to express sorrow.

"May you rest in peace Jagdeep sahab. Thank you for filling our lives with smiles," he tweeted.

Mumbai, Jul 25: Movie theatres have been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country, but the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has now recommended that the Union Home Ministry allow cinema halls to reopen in August. 

I&B Secretary Amit Khare indicated this at a close-door industry interaction with the CII Media Committee on Friday. He said Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla at the Home Ministry would take the final call.

Khare said that he has recommended that cinema halls may be allowed to reopen all over India as early as August 1, or at the latest, around August 31.

The formula suggested is that alternate seats in the first row and then the next row be kept vacant, and proceeding in this fashion throughout.

Khare said that his ministry's recommendation takes into consideration the two metre social distancing norm, but tweaks it gently to two yards instead. The Home Ministry, however, still has to revert on the recommendation.

Cinema owners, present in the interaction, however, pushed back and said this formula is unwise and merely running films at 25% auditorium capacity is worse than keeping the cinemas shut.

The attendees at the meet included media CEOs like N.P. Singh of Sony, Sam Balsara (Madison), Megha Tata, (Discovery), Gaurav Gandhi (Amazon Prime), Manish Maheshwari (Twitter), S. Sivakumar (Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd), and K Madhavan, Star & Disney, and also Chairman, CII Media Committee.

The OTT platforms present, including Gandhi of Amazon Prime, did not push back. Some Bollywood producers, notably those of Amitabh Bachchan's Gulabo Sitabo, have posted their movies on OTT, rather than live out the lockdown uncertainty.

Washington, Mar 23: Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, US media reported Sunday.

Harvey Weinstein, 68, is in prison in northern New York state after being sentenced to 23 years in jail for rape and sexual assault.

The fallen film producer's diagnosis was first reported Sunday evening by local paper the Niagara Gazette.

Harvey Weinstein's spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject.

The New York state Department of Corrections did not respond when contacted by AFP for confirmation of the reports.

Harvey Weinstein was transferred Wednesday to a prison near Buffalo, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

Prior to his transfer, he stayed at Rikers Island prison and a Manhattan hospital, where he was treated for chest pains.

Crowded US prisons have the potential to become hotbeds for coronavirus infections. Last week, guards at Rikers and New York's Sing Sing prison tested positive for the virus, local media reported.

As of Sunday, the virus has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 cases, according to a tracker managed by Johns Hopkins University.

Harvey Weinstein was convicted in February of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, while being cleared of predatory sexual assault charges.

He was convicted of raping ex-actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.

Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.