Diwali weekend spreads sunshine at box office

Agencies
October 25, 2017

New Delhi, Oct 25: The Indian box office witnessed a "tremendous" response during the special Diwali weekend with the release of Bollywood films "Golmaal Again" and "Secret Superstar", and Tamil film "Mersal". All the three movies started on a positive note, say trade gurus.

Made on a budget of Rs 15 crore including the cost of production and prints and publicity, Aamir Khan and Zaira Wasim-starrer "Secret Superstar", which released on Diwali on October 19, has minted Rs 31.31 crore in four days, read a statement on behalf of its makers.

For Advait Chandan, who made his directorial debut with "Secret Superstar", it's a "dream response".

Rohit Shetty's "Golmaal Again" -- the fourth film in the "Golmaal" franchise starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Parineeti Chopra and Arshad Warsi among others -- collected Rs 87.60 crore in three days since its release on October 20.

"Wow! What an incredible weekend it has been

The combined business of 'Golmaal Again' and 'Secret Superstar' is approximately Rs 121 crore," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted on Monday.

"Diwali weekend has brought abundant cheer and spread sunshine... But real test for 'Golmaal Again' and 'Secret Superstar' begins today (Monday)," he added.

According to Adarsh, "Secret Superstar" released in 1,750 screens across India and in 1,090 screens overseas while "Golmaal Again" released in over 3500 screens in India and 732 screens abroad.

"Both the films have received good response. 'Golmaal Again' has done well all over whereas 'Secret Superstar' did good business in multiplexes mainly. But Aamir's film will certainly rise with time considering its word of mouth," Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan said.

Film and trade business expert Girish Johar said: "As per early trends, 'Golmaal Again' might cross Rs 100 crore mark on Monday, which is very good."

He pointed out that Monday evening could contribute well to "Secret Superstar", which features "Dangal" girl Zaira Wasim in the lead role, with a cameo by Aamir.

As for "Mersal", Tamil actor Vijay's Diwali release, it is also receiving a positive response in India and across the world.

The film was already much-awaited given the triple role that Vijay essays in the project, and it grabbed more headlines after the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the removal of specific dialogues from the movie which take a dig at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and digital India.

"Tamil film 'Mersal' is chasing a massive total in international markets, despite stiff opposition posed by the two Hindi releases ('Golmaal Again' and 'Secret Superstar')," Adarsh tweeted.

"It won't be erroneous to state that Tamil film 'Mersal' is collecting more than the two Hindi releases in some key international markets," he added.

Johar said: "'Mersal' is a southern film. It is doing good there. But the film has not released in that many screens in north. The film has minted around Rs 147 crore worldwide."

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News Network
June 22,2020

New Delhi, Jun 22: Musician Madonna, who is a mother of six, wished herself on the occasion of Father's Day on Sunday by posting adorable pictures with her kids.

Along with pictures, the 'Crazy For You' singer penned down a beautiful caption, wishing herself and every parent a 'Happy Father's Day' for nurturing and guiding their children in the best way possible.

"Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire, and Teach! #Lola #Rocco #David #Mercyjames #Estere #Stella," the 61-year-old singer wrote in the caption.

Madonna is the biological mother to two of her six children and has adopted the rest four.

She had adopted her first child Davida Banda back in 2006 and then she adopted a boy in 2009. The last addition to her family were the twins she adopted from Malawi.

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News Network
July 14,2020

Los Angeles, Jul 14: US officials on Monday found the body of "Glee" actress Naya Rivera in the Californian lake where she drowned last week during a boat trip with her four-year-old son.

Rivera's body was retrieved and an initial examination found no evidence of foul play or suicide, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub told a press conference.

"We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera," said Ayub, pointing to the location, appearance, clothing and condition of the body.

Her body was being taken to a medical examiner's office for a full autopsy and confirmation of her identity from dental records, though no other missing persons have been reported at Lake Piru, he added.

Rivera, 33, is believed to have accidentally drowned after renting the boat with her young son at the camping and recreational hotspot around an hour's drive northwest of Los Angeles.

She vanished on Wednesday afternoon, and a massive search involving divers, patrol boats and helicopters was launched after her sleeping son was spotted drifting alone in a boat on the lake.

The son later told investigators that Rivera had helped him into the boat before "he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water," said the sheriff.

Ayub pointed to the lake's strong currents as a possible cause of a fatal accident.

"The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting -- it was unanchored -- and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," he said.

The lake has been closed to the public since Wednesday, with around 100 personnel, including the US Coast Guard and rescuers from neighboring counties, joining the search.

Search teams used footage from video messaging calls Rivera made from the boat before her disappearance, as well as interviews with her son, to scour portions of the lake bed for her remains over six days, with no success.

"We believe she was concealed within some of the shrubbery on the floor bed of the lake" before eventually floating to the surface due to natural decomposition, said Ayyub.

With less than one foot (30 centimeters) of visibility underwater in daylight, the recovery operation was a "complex search effort" even with use of sonar equipment, he said.

Rivera was best known for her role as high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in "Glee."

She starred for six seasons in the wildly popular musical television series set in a US high school that ended in 2015.

The "Glee" cast has been struck by tragedy before.

Actor Mark Salling took his own life in 2018, weeks before being sentenced for possession of child pornography.

Canadian castmate Cory Monteith died in July 2013 of an overdose of drugs and alcohol.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Chennai, Jan 15: Superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday called for neutrality in journalism and urged media outlets to report the truth.

Addressing an event organised by Tamil magazine ''Thuglak' in Chennai, the superstar-turned-politician said that the country needs a journalist like the late Cho S Ramaswamy, who helmed the publication for decades.

"The times, politics and society are going bad. In such a scenario, the media had a huge responsibility towards the people," he said.

Some television channels are biased towards political parties, Rajinikanth said. He added that media, critics and journalists must report the truth impartially.

Comparing true news to milk and fake reportage to water, Rajinikanth said people will not be able to distinguish between the two if they are mixed.

"Only journalists need to tell which portion is milk and which is water...write the truth and don't make a lie seem like truth," he said, amid applause.

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