Pahlaj makes film on Mallya, says it's inspired from his colourful life

Agencies
May 30, 2018

Mumbai, May 30: Former censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani is back in the news with his next project "Rangeela Raja", starring Govinda, which he says is inspired by Vijay Mallya's lifestyle but not the "fraud or the scam" connected to the fugitive businessman.

His film will not discuss the allegations of fraud against the liquor baron or his life in London, Nihalani said.

"I'm not making a movie on Vijay Mallya... it is not a biopic or something. I have taken inspiration for the character like how he was a member of Parliament and how he conducted his life as a businessman. I have taken the character, not the story.

"It has nothing to do with the fraud or the scam. I have taken inspiration from his lifestyle," Nihalani told news agency.

Mallya is wanted in India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore.

Asked whether he had spoken to the businessman before taking on the project, Nihalani said, "There is no question of discussing it with him. I can be inspired by any personality."

He said the film will be completed in June and they have been shooting for the past two months.

" 'Rangeela Raja' is the name of the film because Mallya is a colourful man," the producer said.

Nihalani, who previously worked with Govinda on films such as "Shola Aur Shabnam" and "Aankhein", said the actor has done a brilliant job in the film.

"Govinda is the finest actor in the industry and I worked with him 35 years ago... In every scene, he has a different style, a new way of performing. He has given an award-winning performance in this film. He can do comedy and he can dance. He is a complete actor," he said.

When contacted, Govinda confirmed working with Nihalani in "Rangeela Raja" but declined to divulge the details of his character.

"I have done exactly what Pahlajji asked me to do in the film 'Rangeela Raja'. He is the guy I started my career with him and I never question my role. I cannot disclose my film's role and its subject before the release," he told news agency.

Nihalani served as the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification until he was replaced by writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi last year. He has come to be known as the most controversial head of the film certification body.

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News Network
March 23,2020

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.

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News Network
June 4,2020

Mumbai, Jun 4: Casting director Krish Kapur, who had worked on films like Mahesh Bhatt's Jalebi and Kriti Kharbanda-starrer Veere Ki Wedding, passed away at the age of 28 due to brain hemorrhage, his family said.

There was speculation that Kapur died in a road accident but his maternal uncle, Sunil Bhalla, dismissed the reports, saying that the casting director fainted at his home in suburban Mira Road here and suffered brain hemorrhage.

According to Bhalla, Kapur breathed his last on May 31.

"He had no medical history. He was healthy and doing absolutely fine. On May 31, he just collapsed and started to bleed. He died of brain hemorrhage," Bhalla said on Wednesday.

Kapur is survived by his mother, wife and seven-year-old child.

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News Network
February 24,2020

New Delhi, Feb 24: Indian Idol 11 winner is Bhatinda's Sunny Hindustani. Sunny, who mostly sang Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's songs on the show, won the coveted trophy. The Bhatinda boy took home the Indian Idol 11 trophy along with the prize money of Rs 25 lakh, a car and a singing contract with T-Series.

Sunny's entry on the show was much-talked-about. His soul-soothing voice had mesmerised the judges on the audition day itself as he sang Afreen Afreen. He got a standing ovation and former Indian Idol 11 judge Anu Malik even said that he felt as if Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself was performing on the Indian Idol stage. His audition video had gone viral after Anand Mahindra shared it on social media.

On the finale night, Sunny sang a medley of songs, which included Mere Rashke Qamar and Halka Halka Suroor. Ayushmann got emotional seeing Sunny's journey on screen. He said, "Hum na actor bade self-obsessed hote hain. Humein lagta hai hamari struggle sabse achchi hai, sabse badi hai. Inke saamne toh kuch hai he nahi. Jahaan se aye hai, jitna hunar inke paas hai...mujhe lagta hai inki maa sabse ameer hain."

The first and second runner-up of the show Rohit Raut and Ankona Mukherjee got Rs 5 lakh each, while Ridham Kalyan and Adriz Ghosh who were fourth and fifth on the show, took Rs 3 lakh home. Every finalist also received Rs 1 lakh cheque from Lotus Herbals and gift hampers from the sponsors.

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