Paresh Rawal 'stunned' by BHU protests

News Network
November 20, 2019

Mumbai, Nov 20: Actor and former BJP MP Paresh Rawal says he is "stunned" by the protests against a Muslim professor in the Sanskrit faculty of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) who is facing opposition from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

By this logic, he said, neither the legendary Mohammed Rafi nor music composer Naushad should have collaborated on bhajans (devotional songs).

The Banaras Hindu University has been in the headlines for the ABVP and many of its students protesting against the appointment of Firoz Khan as assistant professor in the Sahitya department of the Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnan (SVDV).

Pointing out that language had no correlation with religion, Rawal appealed to the students to not engage in "idiocy".

"Stunned by the protest against professor Feroz Khan! what language has to do with Religion!?!?!? Irony is professor Feroz has done his masters and PhD in Sanskrit !!! For Heavens sake stop this god damn idiocy! (sic)" the 64-year-old actor said in an impassioned tweet on Tuesday.

Rawal condemned the protests in a follow-up tweet, saying, "By same logic great singer late Shri Mohammad Rafi ji should not have sung any BHAJANS and Naushad Saab should not have composed it! (sic)."

The singer-composer duo has collaborated on many songs, including numbers with 'bhakti ras' such as "Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj" from "Baiju Bawra" (1952) and "Madhuban mein Radhika nache re" from "Kohinoor" (1960).

Last week, the BHU backed the appointment of Khan, saying it is committed to provide equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of religion, caste, community or gender.

In a statement, the BHU said the administration had already made it clear that the selection committee unanimously recommended the selection of the said candidate on the basis of prescribed guidelines of the University Grants Commission and the central government.

The selection committee, chaired by Vice Chancellor Rakesh Bhatnagar, had met on November 5 and recommended the most suitable candidate for the said position on the basis of the applicants' performance in the interview, it said.

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News Network
June 17,2020

Jerusalem, Jun 17: Calling Sushant Singh Rajput as "a true friend", Israel has expressed its deepest condolences at the passing away of the young Bollywood star.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Gilad Cohen, deputy director-general of Israel's foreign ministry, took to Twitter to mourn the actor's sudden demise.

"Sending my deepest condolences on the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, a true friend of Israel. You will be missed!" Cohen wrote while sharing the link of the song "Makhna" from the actor's last film "Drive".

Sushant and his co-star Jacqueline Fernandez had shot the song in Israel as part of its ongoing efforts to bring Bollywood to the country.

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News Network
January 9,2020

Los Angeles, Jan 9: Actors Salma Hayek and Tiffany Haddish are hopeful about the future for women in Hollywood and now cinema is making films about women because the audience was "neglected".

The duo along with Rose Byrne star in Like a Boss, a comedy directed by Miguel Arteta, which follows best friends Mia and Mel (Haddish and Byrne) who join forces to run their own boutique cosmetics company.

When the prospect of a big buyout offer from a notorious titan of the beauty industry (Hayek) tempts them, their lifelong bond - and their business - is put in jeopardy.

Hayek said she is happy with the increase in female-driven films in Hollywood.

"We're on the right path. And we're not going to stop," the actor told Variety.

"What I can tell you is that a lot more women are directing and acting and writing and producing. And there are a lot more movies made about women and for women because the audience was neglected, she said.

She was speaking at the premiere of the film in New York.

Haddish added that the mantle for change shouldn't be left to the traditional decision-makers.

To get things, one has to sometimes make noise, the actor-author said.

"It's about us putting in the work and creating the projects and creating the opportunities in order to do those things to make it better. I sit back and I listen to people talk sometimes, saying, 'They're not letting us; they're not giving it to us.' Why do we have to ask permission? Why can't we just start putting it together? If they want to come on board with it, come on board. And if not, oh well," Haddish said.

"I'm about creating an opportunity. People say I'm loud and obnoxious, but sometimes it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the oil and gets things done," she added.

The comedy comes on the heels of a year gone by in cinema that featured female protagonists in films like Little Women and Captain Marvel.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Chennai, Mar 12: Superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday clarified that he never aspired to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and said his plans for politics include different heads for his prospective party and a possible government headed by it.

In his first official press conference since December 31, 2017, when he announced to take the political plunge, the veteran star also said he planned to appoint as CM, an educated youth who was compassionate and had self-respect.

With a two-leadership system for party and the government, the former would act as an "opposition" to highlight issues and would not even hesitate to "remove", apparently the head of the government, if it fails to perform, he said.

His prospective party would focus on including a substantial amount of youngsters in the age group of below 45 years while the rest would comprise retired judges and IAS and IPS officials among others.

"I myself would reach out to them and invite them," to join him, the 69-year-old actor said.

Contrary to expectations, he however, did not make a concrete statement on floating his party but called for an "uprising" by youth, after which he would make his formal political entry.

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