Rajinikanth's 'Kabali' tickets sell for up to Rs5,000

July 22, 2016

Chennai, Jul 22: Fans of the wildly popular Indian film star Rajinikanth queued overnight for a 4am screening of his new movie Friday in the southern city of Chennai, where many companies abandoned hope of staff coming to work and closed for the day.

Rajinikanth

Tickets for "Kabali", which stars Rajinikanth as an ageing gangster, sold out well before the release and were changing hands on the black market for up to 5,000 rupees ($75) - a huge sum for most Indians.

The 65-year-old Tamil language cinema icon inspires an almost god-like adulation in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where fans refer to him simply as "The Superstar".

Fans cut their hair in the style of Rajinikanth's character and some even had his face tattooed on their arms as they awaited the release.

In Chennai fans set off firecrackers, gave out sweets and poured milk over giant posters adverting the movie - a tradition that derives from the ritual bathing of Hindu idols in milk.

Several companies in the city, a burgeoning IT hub, said so many staff had asked for Friday off that they had decided to simply close for the day.

"The story line is too good, it's very emotional," said one fan who had watched the 4am screening in Chennai.

Another fan in Mumbai called the movie "brilliantly awesome".

"It has emotions, it has fights, it has all those things that a Rajini fan expects and it has those super moments where every Rajini fan will start clapping and whistling. Absolutely no disappointment," he said news channel.

Rajinikanth famously worked as a bus conductor in the southern Indian city of Bangalore before heading to Chennai in 1973 to pursue his passion of acting.

His last major film, the science fiction epic "Endhiran", was one of India's most profitable releases ever, grossing a record-breaking $13.8 million globally on its opening weekend in 2011 - including $4.4 million in the United States alone.

Its performance stoked global ambitions for the Tamil-language film industry, nicknamed "Kollywood" after the Kodambakkam district of Chennai where many studios are based.

Most of Tamil Nadu's chief ministers have had connections to the industry and the incumbent, Jayalalitha Jayaram, was once a leading actress.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Washington, Jan 11: Fresh off his win at the Golden Globes, actor Joaquin Phoenix participated in a climate change protest and was arrested by the police.

The "Joker" star took part in the weekly protests against climate change, started by Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda.

According to Variety, the 45-year-old actor also addressed the crowd of close to 300 people.

In his short speech, he took aim at the meat and dairy industry for being the third leading cause of the climate crisis.

"Sometimes we wonder what can we do in this fight against climate change, and there is something that you can do today and tomorrow, by making a choice about what you consume," Phoenix said.

"There are things I can't avoid. I flew a plane here today, or last night rather, but one thing I can do is change my eating habits," he added.

Besides Phoenix, veteran Hollywood star Martin Sheen also turned up for the protest and got arrested by the police. Actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susan Sarandon were also present.

Capitol Police said it arrested 147 people who were charged with crowding, obstructing or incommoding. All the protestors were later released.

Fonda, who was on stage with Phoenix, called him "one of the greatest living actors today".

She has been protesting weekly as part of her "Fire Drill Fridays" initiative since announcing she was moving to Washington "to be closer to the epicenter of the fight for our climate." Her participation has ended in multiple arrests.

Earlier this month, Phoenix had talked about climate change at the Golden Globes ceremony, asking Hollywood to walk the talk on the issue.

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News Network
May 18,2020

Washington, May 18: Joining hands with the European Commission, actor Leonardo DiCaprio launched the Virunga Fund with seed money of USD 2 million to support Africa's Virunga National Park.

Since Virunga has lost a significant amount of revenue due to COVID shutdown post-March, the fund will be used to support the national park and the communities around, reported Variety.

The fund is aimed at disease prevention efforts, protection of mountain gorilla, and other species.

"I had the great honor of meeting and supporting Virunga's courageous team in their fight against illegal oil drilling in 2013," Variety quoted DiCaprio as saying.

"Virunga urgently needs funds to protect the endangered mountain gorilla population, to provide support to the rangers and the families of rangers who have fallen in the line of duty, and to help deliver essential disease prevention efforts. It's critical that we rally together during this time of incredible crisis," he added.

The 'Titanic' actor had earlier produced a Netflix documentary film 'Virunga' which is based on the national park.

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News Network
June 22,2020

New Delhi, Jun 22: Musician Madonna, who is a mother of six, wished herself on the occasion of Father's Day on Sunday by posting adorable pictures with her kids.

Along with pictures, the 'Crazy For You' singer penned down a beautiful caption, wishing herself and every parent a 'Happy Father's Day' for nurturing and guiding their children in the best way possible.

"Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire, and Teach! #Lola #Rocco #David #Mercyjames #Estere #Stella," the 61-year-old singer wrote in the caption.

Madonna is the biological mother to two of her six children and has adopted the rest four.

She had adopted her first child Davida Banda back in 2006 and then she adopted a boy in 2009. The last addition to her family were the twins she adopted from Malawi.

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