We still discourage individual thought: Kalki Koechlin on mob mentality

Agencies
August 15, 2018

New Delhi, Aug 15:  Kalki Koechlin says mob mentality continues to thrive in India as independent thought is not given an environment to flourish in, something that can only change with education.

With incidents of lynching and vandalism on the rise, the actor feels there is no state of "social security" in the country.

"We have no social security. There is no system that's protecting us actually. Everybody is each to their own here. No government force is going to come and help you... There's so much population that it's difficult to provide services to all. 

"I think that makes people communal. We still discourage the individual (thought). It's still hard to find that individual voice. Take education for that matter - we still mug up, rather than thinking for ourselves. There's also this ignorance of 'the other'. We are fine within our groups. That's something that can only change with education," Koechlin told PTI in an interview.

The 34-year-old actor has explored the life of young Indian adults in the 21st century in the new BBC World Services podcast, "Kalki Presents: My Indian Life".

Bringing stories about "young Indians for young Indians" together, she says taking up the project was an eye-opening experience for her and helped her find different realities that make the country beautiful.

She firmly believes that the youth will have to lead by example to change things for the better.

"This was the first time I was doing a podcast. I got to know a lot about different people. I used to think I'm very knowledgeable and liberated. But even on social media, you follow the people you want to follow... So you kind of live in your bubble. When I see where these people come from... backgrounds starkly different from my thinking...

"When we listen to those stories, we realise we are not alone and that person who might have the opposite view might actually have a very similar personal point of view..." she says.

Known for speaking her mind, the actor-activist believes one's political outlook stems from their personal experiences and a change in the point of view overtime is natural progression.

"Whatever strong political opinion we have ultimately come from some experience, upbringing... where something was lacking, dissatisfying has made us feel this way...

"There's a thing about opinions... They are formulated over time. They tend to change with time and you are going to change your mind many times. (In student politics), so many of them are immediately slotted for their views. Even they feel a responsibility to stick to 'this political spectrum'. They are unable to speak up as there is so much backlash and vehemence. They fear if they change their stand, they will be called fickle." 

Koechlin, however, believes that today the country's youth is more independent and does not lead a "double life", unlike the earlier generations.

"They no longer feel the need to hide things from their parents. We are quite open about our choices. Our future depends a lot on how we are going to express ourselves... We are finally ready to take the responsibility of our independence.

"We haven't been doing that too much. We have been like 'This is freedom, we have it but now what do we do with it for our country?" she says.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Mar 11: The shooting of Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai has been completed, and the film will now release on schedule.

If one recalls, the film went on the floors in the first week of November 2019 and was supposed to be Salman’s fastest completed film. However, the movie faced a variety of roadblocks — It was first to be wrapped in the first week of February, “But Salman went off to his Panvel farmhouse after the release of Dabangg 3 and spent a while there ushering in his birthday,” a source reveals.

“Then, the extension of the show Bigg Boss 13 by five weeks also turned out to be another speed breaker. Then, Salman wanted to make sure that the film was being made as good as what his audiences wanted on Eid. He made sure that his director Prabhudeva got what he wanted from the performers and didn’t want to rush him.

"Additionally, the Azerbaijan schedule of the film also got cancelled as Salman did not want to take any chances with the cast and crew with the lurking Covid 19, and rescheduled the shoot in India. This is now complete, barring any patchwork that might emerge later,” our source adds.

Radhe is slated to be an Eid release, which will clash with Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb.

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News Network
January 24,2020

Jaipur, Jan 24: Actor Sonali Bendre has said that she came into the movies to make money but fell in love with the profession where she discovered herself and found her family and friends. The 45-year-old actor said she owed a lot to Bollywood which is the most wonderful place to be, both mentally as well as creatively.

"I came into movies to make money and I fell in love with the profession. It was the most wonderful place to be, mentally and creatively," she said.

"I found myself there, found my friends and family over there. I owe a lot to Bollywood. It was one of the most wonderful things that happened to me," Sonali said here on Thursday.

The actor said her entry into movies by purely because she happened to be at the right place and at the right time.

Sonali added when acting offers came her way she knew that in no other field could she have made as much money, and as quickly, as she did in movies.

"Basically, I got into this because it was great money," she said.

The actor was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival and also talked about books and how her book club named ‘Sonali's Book Club' came into being.

Sonali, who has been convalescing after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US, said that books gave her strength and kept her afloat while she was going through one of the toughest phases of her life.

The actor was diagnosed with high grade cancer in July 2018 and underwent treatment for it in New York.

"Books were my friends other than my sisters while I was growing up. I'm nowhere remotely connected to movies. I have a very middle class Maharashtrian upbringing. When I got into movies, it was like being on another planet. Again in this world where it was easy to feel the peer pressure and do certain things or not do certain things, or look a certain way, books kept me grounded," she said.

"'A Gentleman in Moscow' (a 2016 novel by Amor Towles) was uplifting and I got so much strength from that book during my treatment in New York," Sonali said.

The actor, who often shares posts about books and authors on social media, said one should stop feeling guilty about not completing a book.

"Sometimes you start judging yourself by not completing a book, but I have reached a stage where I understand that I'm a book-lover, but that doesn't mean I will like all the books. It's okay if you don't like a book," she said.

Sonali also said that nobody wanted to know about the intellectual capacity of Bollywood stars as it was not "entertainment enough or gossipy enough".

Earlier before her session, Sonali launched author Ashwin Sanghi's latest book ‘The Vault of Vishnu', the sixth book in the Bharat series, at the 13th edition of the festival.

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Advisor
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

Please read the religious books once in your life time specially the QURAN which tells lot about this life and its journey and to recognize the true ONE GOD who has no partners and the creator of all that Exists . God asks us to use our intellect and find logical answers for many of our life's query which is a guidance to HUMANITY.  READ with a OPEN HEART without bias... Good LUCK

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News Network
July 21,2020

Mumbai, Jul 21: Police have recorded statements ofthree psychiatrists and a psychotherapist as part of their probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput last month, a senior official said on Monday.

Their "statements were recorded over the last three- four days" by the Bandra police who are probing the case, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IX) Abhishek Trimukhe.

The late actor was consulting these mental health professionals and hence their statements were recorded as part of the ongoing probe, police said.

Rajput was undergoing treatment for depression since November 2019, they said.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on June 14 in what the police claimed was a case of suicide. In the initial investigation, the Mumbai police had found that the actor was under medication for depression.

So far, the police have recorded statements of over 36 people, including director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bollywood casting director Mukesh Chhabra, actress Sanjana Sanghi and Rajput's friend Sandip Singh, among others.

Rajput's friend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, has also given her statement to the police.

Filmmaker Aditya Chopra recorded his statement in connection with the case at the Versova Police Station on Saturday.

Rajput starred in films such as 'Shuddh Desi Romance', 'Raabta', 'Kedarnath' and 'Sonchiriya'. But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic, 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'.

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