Priyanka Chopra becomes Academy member, praises diversity push

Agencies
July 5, 2017

Los Angeles, Jul 5: Priyanka Chopra is one of the newest members the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) and the actress has praised the ongoing push for racial and gender equality.Priyanka

Following two years of sharp criticism and back-to-back ceremonies with an all-white slate of acting nominees, AMPAS last week invited a record 774 new members from 57 countries around the world to join the organisation's ranks, reported Entertainment Weekly.

"While the numbers have their own story to tell, I think it's important to recognise that progress is being made. It's going to take some time to correct, but continuous efforts always help," Priyanka said.

The 34-year-old Indian actress, who made her foray into the West with TV series "Quantico", said the Academy should move beyond a single award for foreign language films and include them in other major categories

"It's interesting that though (past Indian) winners were Indian, it was for their work in international films — largely about India, but not made by India. For a global community like India to be represented on a larger scale, I think it will have to move beyond a single award for all foreign language films.

"It is very rare to see foreign language films represented in the other categories," she said.

Apart from Priyanka, other Indian stars who have been invited to join the Academy and vote in the Oscars include the likes of, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, filmmakers Goutam Ghose, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Salman Khan, Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone.

Priyanka said the class of 2017 "does have a very diverse collection, including a few from my country, and one hopes that we all work together to push the larger picture. I'd like to see more opportunities for foreign films to be represented at the Oscars."

Actress Phylicia Rashad, Rinko Kikuchi, Aldis Hodge, Sanaa Lathan, Terry Crews, Colman Domingo, and Anna Deavere Smith, and Colombian filmmaker Patricia Cardoso have also accepted the AMPAS' invitation.

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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 16,2020

New Delhi, Mar 16: Joining other big names from the industry in raising the awareness about the novel coronavirus, actor Katrina Kaif on Sunday ensured the safety and urged everyone to take all the preventive measures to combat the spread of the virus.

The 36-year-old actor shared a post on Instagram along with a caption that read: "..... hope everyone is staying safe ... please follow all precautionary safety measures as recommended by the health professionals .... exercise and meditation help your body`s immune system ... keep your environment clean and happy."

In the shared post, she is seen posing for the camera along with her girlfriends, all seen in happy faces.

Earlier in the day actor Parineeti Chopra too took to Twitter and urged her fans to adopt social distancing to stop the highly contagious virus from spreading.

This comes three days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced coronavirus as a global pandemic.

In the wake of spurt in cases of coronavirus across the country, the Central Government on Saturday decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster".

As of Sunday, the total cases of coronavirus reported in India is 107, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Bandipur, Jan 28: British adventurer Bear Grylls and superstar Rajinikanth arrived at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and National Park in Karnataka on Tuesday for shooting a special episode of the show 'Man vs Wild'.

The actor arrived at the location dressed in comfortable sporty clothes. Donning a dark blue jacket and grey track pants, Rajinikanth was also carrying a cross-body sling bag.

Videos and photographs of Rajinikanth arriving at a helipad were shared widely on social media.

Reports say that an agreement was signed between the Karnataka Forest Department represented by the Field Director of Bandipur and Banijay Group, Seventaurus Entertainment Studio Private Ltd, Mumbai for shooting of the documentary in December 2019. The team was also allowed to do a recce from December 27th to 29th as per the agreement, a report said.

The shooting has been permitted for six hours. "Permission for the shooting has been given for Sultan Batteri highway and ranges of Mulleholle, Maddur and Kalkere ranges. They will be shooting in non-tourist zones. If permission was given for the shooting of Wild Karnataka, then this can also be permitted. Also, no tourist or regular forest patrolling activities will be affected. The shooting will be done under special forest protection and no one will be aware of the locations," a forest official was quoted as saying in another news report.

Earlier in 2019, Grylls shot an episode of the show with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Grylls is also back with the latest edition of his National Geographic show ‘Running Wild With Bear Grylls’, where actors such as Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Joel McHale, Cara Delevingne, Rob Riggle, Armie Hammer and Dave Bautista take on adventurous challenges in remote wilderness.

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