Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee to star in Bollywood film with Tannishtha Chatterjee

September 6, 2014

Mumbai, Sep 6: Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee will star in his Bollywood film with a lead role in UnIndian, the first feature of a recently established Australia India Film Fund (AIFF). He will share screen space with Indian actress Tannishtha Chatterjee.

Tannishtha ChatterjeeThe romantic comedy, which will highlight the complexities of the Indian diaspora, will go into production in October in Sydney, it was announced during Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s visit to Mumbai on Thursday.

Written by Thushy Saathi and to be directed by Anupam Sharma, UnIndian is being presented by Devendra Gupta and Yateender Gupta.

“I’m honoured to have been cast as a lead in the first AIFF film, privileged to be working with Anupam Sharma and humbled to be working with an actress of the calibre of Tannishtha Chatterjee,” Lee, who’s only before been featured in a cameo role for the Hindi film Victory, said in a statement.

Tannishtha is equally excited.

“Australia has always been a very special country for me. I love the script (of Unindian) and I am super excited to work with Anupam Sharma and his entire team. And Brett Lee… What can I say? Look forward to having a blast, Brett,” she said.

Sharma and Lisa Duff are co-producing the film while Chandru Tolani is the executive producer.

AIFF was established in 2013 to invest in Australian films with Indian themes for a global audience.

The story of UnIndian is about a divorcee and single mother, Meera (Tannishtha), who meets the charismatic Will (Lee). Love is the last thing on Meera’s mind, but her marital status is the subject of much discussion within her family, and she is encouraged on a seemingly daily basis to marry “a nice Indian man”.

Devendra Gupta, CEO, AIFF, said: “Over the next few years we intend to inject significant funds into the Australian film and television industry, with specific focus on cross-cultural stories.

“As Indian-Australians we see it as our responsibility to both celebrate the values of and strengthen ties between the two countries.”

The second film on the slate is currently in an advanced stage of development.

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News Network
July 20,2020

New Delhi, Jul 20: On the occasion of International Chess Day, former Miss World and actor Manushi Chhillar enjoyed a game of chess with her father Dr Mitra Basu Chhillar and revealed through an Instagram post that she is a "competitive" board game player.

The 23-year-old actor posted a picture of herself and her dad on Instagram where the two are seen deeply concentrating on the game.

"I'm the competitive one, he's the mind reader. Irrespective of who loses, I know he always wins!#InternationalChessDay."

Further elaborating on the importance of playing chess, Manushi who once pursued a career in medicine stressed that chess helps in stretching the human mind in terms of strategy and imagination.

"Chess stretches your mind in terms of strategy and imagination because you really have to outwit your opponent at any cost. 

Playing chess with my dad is something that I have always loved doing because he's the most unpredictable, intelligent, and sharpest person I've ever played with," said Chhillar.

The 23-year-old actor is gearing up for her debut in Yash Raj Films' 'Prithviraj' where she will be seen opposite actor Akshay Kumar.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Mumbai, Jul 31: Maharashtra Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the Enforcement Directorate should carry out an investigation in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case.

"There is a huge public sentiment about handing over #SushantSinghRajput case to CBI but looking at the reluctance of State Government, atleast @dir_ed ED can register an ECIR since misappropriation and money laundering angle has come out," tweeted Fadnavis.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that no FIR had been registered in Maharashtra yet and that the case must be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"There is a confrontation between two states and there has been no FIR registered yet in Maharashtra. Chirag (Paswan) had spoken to CM Thackeray that there should be CBI probe. All political leaders are demanding for it. It should be handed over to CBI," Paswan said.

A team of the Bihar Police that arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, recorded statements of two persons, including actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sister, on Wednesday in connection with the case.

An FIR was filed by Sushant Singh Rajput's father against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on Tuesday.

Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai residence on June 14.

According to the Maharashtra Police, statements of 41 people, including filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, film critic Rajeev Masand, director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and filmmaker Aditya Chopra have been recorded in the investigation so far.

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News Network
May 14,2020

Mumbai, Mar 14: Animal Planet has announced a new documentary "The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals", which seeks to explore the effects of coronavirus on animals.

The special will see Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet’s big cat expert, talking to a number of experts, from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists, in order to find out how COVID-19 is affecting animals and what pet owners can do to safeguard them.

The issue came to forefront when a four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo in New York.

The documentary will feature chief veterinarian of Bronx Zoo, who will give an update on the big cats and their treatment, and also Dr Peter Embarek from WHO's COVID-19 Task Force, who works particularly on all aspects of the virus related to animals.

In a statement, Salmoni said, "When news about Nadia the tiger came out the questions immediately began; what about my pets? How do I keep my animals and family safe? We’re going to answer these questions and more through this documentary."

"We're speaking to a wide range of experts from the World Health Organization, to wildlife biologists, to veterinarians. We are at war with this disease and so we get down to the nitty-gritty, and discuss practical questions about daily lives with our pets," he added.

Sai Abishek, Director – Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery, said, "We have been the forefront of busting myths around novel coronavirus with international documentaries. With this latest film, we take a hard look at how animals are being treated during such a crisis and the safety measures that can be taken to keep both, the people and their pets healthy."

"The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals" will premiere on May 17 on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and Discovery Plus app.

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