Religion & science don't have to be divorced, says 'Mission Mangal' star Vidya Balan

Agencies
August 19, 2019

Mumbai, Aug 19: Science and religion can co-exist rather than being pitted against each other, says Vidya Balan about her character of a god-fearing ISRO scientist in "Mission Mangal".

The actor said a person can have multiple identities but there is a problem in the way being religious is interpreted today.

"I think there is a problem with the way religion is being interpreted today. I know a lot of people who are shying away from calling themselves religious and I am one of them. I have always felt like I don't want to say I'm religious. I always call myself spiritual," the actor told PTI in an interview.

"Religious has become or obtained a negative connotation because being religious has become synonymous with being intolerant. But they don't have to be divorced," Viday said adding that Tara Shinde, her character in the film, believes in a power beyond science.

The actor also spoke about the increase in "you versus me" debate, which she believes, has led to the dilution in the concept of "us".

"Not just in our country but world over, it is becoming 'you' vs 'me'. That feeling of 'us' has been diluted lately. I wonder why though? Does it have to do with fewer resources or access to fewer resources and therefore wanting to hold it and then finding groups to align it with religion or some language or region or race or something like that... I don't know," the actor said.

"We need to question ourselves over how open minded we are. This is also a world, where freedom, I think means that I want to be free but I want to control you. That, to me, is not freedom... Everyone is screaming out loud. There are some blatant wrong things that are angering but look at what happens on Twitter. Everyone is taking offence to what is being said."

The film, released on Independence Day, features an ensemble cast including Vidya, Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Nithya Menon and Kirti Kulhari.

Vidya said her character brings her own set of tricks as a homemaker in the professional space.

She relied on the research done by director Jagan Shakti to play her part.

"I spoke to director Jagan Shakti's sister, who works in ISRO. For me, it was important to understand how she strikes a balance between being a scientist, an extremely demanding job, and at the same time being a homemaker.

"Jagan met hundreds of scientists and I think he got all the requisite information about the mission. And then (R) Balki, Jagan and the team interpreted the theory the mission was based on."

The film highlights one of India's successful achievements in the field of science - Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) aka Mangalyaan and Vidya believes there should be more such stories in cinema.

Talking about the integration of nationalism and cinema, she said, "It (nationalism) should be there in the cinema and not in cinema halls."

"There are so many things that Indians can be proud of but we don't necessarily do that. When we travel across the globe, you realise India is so rich in colour, heritage, natural beauty. There are some attempts to preserve it, market it and the kind of tourism it will attract. So we need to celebrate our nation," she added.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Nalgonda,  Jul 5: Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been booked in connection with his upcoming film 'Murder' which is based on Pranay Kumar's murder in Nalgonda district.

Ram Gopal Varma was booked following Nalgonda court's directive on a petition filed by father of a man who was killed in an alleged honour killing incident in Miryalaguda in 2018.

"We have booked filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma following a court order for his upcoming movie 'Murder', which is based on sensational caste-based Pranay Kumar's murder that occurred in Miryalguda, Nalgonda District in September 2018, " Police said.

On June 21, the filmmaker has released the poster of 'Murder', based on a true story.
Police said, "Pranay's father Balaswamy has filed a petition in Nalgonda Court stating that the film will affect the on-going trial of Pranay's murder case and the film should be stalled."

"We've registered a case under relevant section of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act and taken up investigation."

"The court has ordered Nalgonda police to register a case against the film director Ram Gopal Varma and the producer," added the police.

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News Network
January 18,2020

Mumbai, Jan 18: Actor Shabana Azmi was injured in an accident on Saturday afternoon on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra's Raigad district, an official said.

The incident took place around 3.30 pm near Khalapur, over 60 km from Mumbai, when the car in which she was traveling rammed into a truck, said Raigad Superintendent of Police Anil Paraskar.

She was rushed to MGM hospital in Navi Mumbai and was undergoing treatment, he said.

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News Network
March 5,2020

New Delhi, Mar 5: Urging netizens to adopt traditional salutation styles like 'namaste' and 'salaam' to greet everyone in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, megastar Salman Khan on Thursday shared a picture from his workout session.

Flaunting his perfectly chiselled body, the 'Sultan' actor shared a picture of himself sitting on a pull-down machine with folded hands as a mark of Indian tradition 'namaste'.

"Namashkaar ... hamari sabhyata mein namaste aur salaam hai! Jab #coronavirus Khatam ho jaye tab Haath milao aur gale lago...." he captioned the picture.

Khan recently touched the mark of 30 million followers on Instagram on Saturday and shared a short video on the platform thanking his fans for it.

In the video, he first thanked fans with folded hands and then a salute.

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