Even Tricolour has saffron, but it must not spread to the entire flag: Kamal Haasan

Agencies
February 23, 2018

Chennai, Feb 23: Actor-politician Kamal Haasan opposed "saffronisation," saying all sections of people should be given space and respect. Using the national flag as a symbol to convey his political message, the actor rejected suggestions that he was denigrating the Hindu right wing ideology.

Haasan, who launched his political party Makkal Neethi Mayyam on Wednesday, has said his politics will be free of caste and religion. In November last year, the actor had faced flak for his "Hindu extremists" remark from the BJP and other right wing outfits. However, he had clarified then that he was not anti-Hindu.

"Some say that Kamal Haasan is denigrating saffron. It is wrong. Saffron has been given its rightful place for its sacrifice, what is more, even the national flag has a place for it," he said in his column in Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan.'

Hassan said, "I say that saffron should, however, not spread to the entire flag. Let us give space and respect to others. It is the pledge we have taken and that is what has been mentioned in the Constitution too."

He did not name or party or organisation. He also did not refer to any specific incident or give a context or the trigger for raising the matter immediately after launching his party.

Claiming that a video had appeared on YouTube where some people were shown taking a pledge to remove the word secular from the Constitution, he asked how such a change came through in about 50 years.

"Can sacrifice (of pluralistic values) to such an extent be made for the sake of votes," Haasan said, and asked if such a thing was not worse than a war.

He said in ancient times even warfare had its own set of dharmic values. Without such values "politics that involves bloodshed all the time should be changed and that is my desire", he said.

Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar had worked for the country despite differences among them and such lessons should not be lost, Haasan said.

"I am beginning my journey as a postman making you remember it (working for the nation despite differences)," he said.

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News Network
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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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: Actor Anushka Sharma on Tuesday exhorted people to maintain hygiene and advised to stop open defecation in a bid to avoid coronavirus spread.

As the country is grappling with the coronavirus crisis, the 'PK' actor has joined the initiative with the Swachh Bharat Mission, which aims to tell the people that the contagion can be curbed through strict sanitation process.

"When women all over the country had decided that they would educate everyone on the lesson of close the door, shun the disease, no one had thought that their initiative would turn into such a huge wave!," the actor was seen saying in a video posted in the official Twitter handle of Swachh Bharat I #IndiaFightsCorona.

"Today, in the time of coronavirus pandemic, we all have to again remember and remind others about the lesson of cleanliness," she added.

"If we take care of cleanliness around us, by not defecating in the open, we will keep ourselves healthy and India clean. We will become strong to fight against any kind of disease," the 32-year-old star said.

The 'Sultan' actor noted that by stopping defecating in open and closing the toilet door at all times can be a solid measure to drive the disease out of the country.

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News Network
May 19,2020

Washington, May 19: Actors Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox are going their separate ways after 10 years of marriage.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 46-year-old Green, on Monday announced the news during an episode of his podcast 'With Brian Austin Green' where he emotionally opened up about the breakup with Fox.

The 'Beverly Hills 90210' star revealed that they simply grew distant at the end of last year while Fox was away shooting a film.

Green recalled Fox saying during the conversation they had after she returned from filming, "She said, 'I realised when I was out of the country working alone that I feel more like myself, and I liked myself better during that experience and I think that might be something worth trying for me.'"

Though feeling "shocked" and "upset" at first, Green admitted that he couldn't be upset with her for being honest.

He said, "Neither one of us did anything to each other. She's always been honest with me. I've always been honest with her. We've had an amazing relationship. I will always love her. And I know she will always love me and I know as far as a family what we have built is really cool and really special."

The 'Impact Point' star shared that they intend to "still do family vacations and holidays as a family and really make that a focus for the kids."

Green went on to say that it's hard to adjust to the change and he doesn't want himself and Fox to "be at odds": "She's been my best friend for 15 years and I don't want to lose that."

He added: "There's this sense of loss of, 'How do I go on with this big part of my life that I've always known and loved and shared changing?' What does that landscape look like? What does that life look like?' ... Megan and I talked a lot about it, and it's a big concern for both of us." Aware of the scrutiny around their age difference, Green defended Fox, saying "she's really a responsible person. ... She really loves the kids and cares about what their life and their experience is."

The couple share three children together 7-year-old Noah, 6-year-old Bodhi, and 3-year-old Journey, and Green said that they are only concerned about controlling how the separation will truly affect their children.

After photos circulated online of Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, hanging out -- Fox and Baker are co-stars in the upcoming film, 'Midnight in the Switchgrass,' Green said Fox and Baker are "just friends at this point."

He said, "She met this guy, Colson, on set. I've never met him. Megan and I have talked about him. I trust her judgment; she's always had really good judgment."

Green emphasised that despite what tabloids can say, he didn't want the public to categorise Fox and Baker as "villains or that I was a victim in any way."

Fox and Green started dating in 2004 and married in 2010. Fox had filed for divorce from Green in 2015, but the couple later reconciled.

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