First look of Priyanka Chopra's 'Mary Kom' unveiled

Kochi, Jun 27: The Kerala government on Friday submitted an application in a local court requesting to stop the prosecution of ivory possession case against Malayalam film actor Mohanlal.

In the application for withdrawal of prosecution, the government has requested the court to stop the prosecution "immediately for the interest of justice".

''The legality of the possession of two elephant tusks by Mohanlal was accepted by the competent authority under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 by issuing him a certificate of ownership. The possession and custody of the elephant tusks thus become legal after the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) issued him the certificate," the state government said.

"Further conduct of the criminal trial may go against the good faith amongst the parties as far as the certificate of ownership issued to Mohanlal is concerned. One cannot go back from that ownership certificate and it was stopped from contradicting, deny or declare to be false the previous statement made by the actor in the court," it added.

"The government should not be allowed to revert from its promises in order to keep the faith of the people and in the interest of good governance," the government further said.

The case was registered by the forest department in 2012. The state government submitted the application in Kuruppampady Judicial Magistrate Court, which will hear the matter on July 24.

Mumbai, Jun 16: The International Space University (ISU) in France has paid homage to Sushant Singh Rajput in a statement, saying the news of the actor's death was "deeply saddening".

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

According to an official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

The official Twitter handle of ISU on Monday tweeted how Rajput was supposed to visit the campus last year but was unable to due to scheduling conflict.

"We are deeply saddened by the dramatic news on the death of well known Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Mr Singh Rajput was a believer and strong supporter of STEM education and was following ISU on social media.

"He had even accepted an invitation to visit ISU's Central Campus in the summer of 2019 but other agenda priorities prevented him from travelling to Strasbourg," the statement by the university read.

ISU paid condolences to Rajput's family and friends, saying the actor's memory will "remain among his thousands of followers across India and all over the world".

Rajput had enrolled at Delhi Technical University (DTU) in 2003, which was then known as Delhi College of Engineering, but left the course to pursue his showbiz dreams.

Even after leaving the four-year degree course, he remained fascinated with science and had a deep interest in astronomy.

As part of his research for the film "Chanda Mama Door Ke", he also visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2017.

Rajput had stayed in NASA to train for his role as an astronaut for the film, which was eventually shelved.

The actor also owned Meade 14" LX600 telescope.

New Delhi, Jul 15: "I'm just happy with resuming work after a long break!" said Bollywood actor Vaani Kapoor, who is thrilled to get back for movie shootings after a long COVID-19 induced gap of nearly four months.

The 31-year-old star has been roped in to share screen space with Akshay Kumar for the upcoming espionage thriller 'Bell bottom'.

Kapoor, who is a big fan of the 'Mission Mangal' actor, has since then shared her excitement of working in the film, and also act opposite Kumar.

Talking about getting back to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she explained, "I, honestly, am just happy with work resuming after a long break. One will, of course, have to be extra cautious and keep all preventive measures in mind but it feels exciting to embark on a new journey!"

On July 6, the 'Befikre' actor had announced on Twitter that the movie is all set to go on floors in August. The makers of the movie have taken the decision to shoot the film in Scotland.

'Bell Bottom' will be the first film to see Vaani Kapoor and Akshay Kumar sharing the screen space.

"Well, this is a great opportunity for me! I have great respect for Akshay sir. It's super exciting and I am really looking forward to the experience," she noted.

The actor had completed the shooting of her next project 'Shamshera', in which she is paired opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

While 'Bell Botton' directed by Ranjit M Tewari, is slated for release on April 2, 2021. The first poster of the movie was released by Akshay Kumar in November, last year.

The film, set in the 80s, is an original screenplay inspired by true events. Akshay is most likely to essay the story of a spy in the movie.

'Bell Bottom' is produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, and Nikkhil Advani.