Sudeep meets Karnataka CM seeking land for actor Vishnuvardhan's memorial

December 11, 2017

Bengaluru, Dec 11: Popular actor Sudeep met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Monday and urged the State government to expedite the process of setting up a memorial dedicated to late Sandalwood actor Vishnuvardhan.

The meeting also gave rise to speculation that Sudeep may be considering taking a plunge into politics, a rumour that has been heard for sometime.

In a petition he submitted to the chief minister, Sudeep requested the government to grant one acre of land where a 'Dr Vishnuvardhan Punyabhumi' can be developed ahead of the legendary actor's eighth death anniversary on December 30. Vishnuvardhan, who died in 2009, was cremated at the Abhiman Studio in Uttarahalli.

The Karnataka High Court, in 2015, stayed a government order granting two acres of land for the construction of Vishnuvardhan's memorial at Abhiman Studio, based on a petition filed by the sons of late Kannada actor T N Balakrishna.

They argued that the government had granted 20 acres of land to Balakrishna for the construction of the Abhiman Studio in the 1970s.

"I request you to identify one acre of land where Dr Vishnuvardhan was cremated," Sudeep has stated in his petition to Siddaramaiah. "If government rules do not permit development of both a memorial and punyabhumi in the same place, the fans of Vishnuvardhan, including me, are willing to give in writing that we will take up the responsibility of development," Sudeep stated.

"If the government cannot suitably compensate the family of Balakrishna and buy the land, the fans of Vishnuvardhan may be allowed to buy it," Sudeep stated.

"You have given the state many bhagyas (schemes). By taking this request to its logical end, you can take credit for completing the memorial that was announced by the previous government and meet a long-pending demand of Vishnuvardhan fans," Sudeep stated.

The State government has already identified land for a Vishnuvardhan memorial in Mysuru, Sudeep pointed out. "But you are aware that it is the wish of Kannadigas and countless fans that a memorial should come up where Vishnuvardhan was laid to rest," Sudeep told Siddaramaiah.

He also stated that there will be no objection if a memorial comes up in Mysuru as per the wishes of Vishnuvardhan's wife Bharathi.

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News Network
January 19,2020

Mumbai, Jan 19: An FIR has been registered against actor Shabana Azmi's driver after the car they were travelling in met with an accident on the Mumbai-Pune expressway on Saturday afternoon, police said.

Ms Azmi's driver has been identified as Amlesh Yogendra Kamat.

According to the police, a complaint has been registered by Rajesh Pandurang Shinde, the truck driver whose vehicle was hit from behind by Ms Azmi's car.

"Due to rash driving by the driver, the car hit the moving truck on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway which resulted in the accident," the FIR copy read.

Soon after the accident, Shabana Azmi was immediately rushed to MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai and was later shifted to the multi-specialty Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai's Andheri.

According to doctors, she has suffered a head injury and slight damage to the backbone. Her condition is said to be stable, although, she remains under medical observation.

Her husband lyricist Javed Akhtar, who was travelling with her, escaped with a minor injury.

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News Network
June 9,2020

Mumbai, Jun 9: Actor Sonu Sood, who has been arranging transport for migrant workers stranded in Mumbai and has faced criticism from the Shiv Sena for "enacting a political script written by BJP", was stopped outside the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai by police from meeting labourers.

A Mumbai Police official said the actor was stopped by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) when he reached the station on Monday night to meet some labourers, and added that they have not received any complaint so far in this connection.

The migrant labourers were supposed to take the Shramik Special train from Bandra Terminus to Uttar Pradesh.

Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar police station's senior inspector Shashikant Bhandare told news agency PTI that "The actor was stopped by the RPF, not by us. He wanted to meet labourers who were going to their native place. We have not received any complaint regarding this till now."

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday wondered whether the BJP propped up Sonu Sood to "offer help" to migrant workers from north India stranded in Maharashtra amidst the lockdown, with the political motive to show the Uddhav Thackeray government in poor light.

In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Sanjay Raut questioned the sudden rise of "Mahatma" Sood on the social scene of Maharashtra during the lockdown.

Mr Raut also referred to an alleged "sting operation" against Sonu Sood ahead of the 2019 general elections, saying he had agreed to promote the BJP-led government at various platforms through his official social media accounts.

However, later that day Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray lauded Sonu Sood's initiative to arrange buses for stranded migrant workers.

The actor met Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra on Sunday night.

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh backed Sonu Sood for his work for stranded migrant workers, and questioned the Maharashtra government's criticism of the actor.

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News Network
June 18,2020

New Delhi, Jun 18: Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Thursday paid tribute to the Indian soldiers who were killed in clashes with Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan valley.

The 'Fashion' actor who is currently living in America with her singer husband Nick Jonas took to Twitter to extend support to the families of the fallen soldiers.

"My heart goes out to the soldiers and their families. May God give them the strength to cope with this irreparable loss," she tweeted.

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a violent face-off with Chinese troops on Monday at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

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