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13 arrested for plot to kill Bhatt, threat to Morani

[email protected] (TNN)
November 18, 2014

Morani plotMumbai, Nov 18: The city crime branch has arrested members of two factions of a fugitive gangster who were planning to eliminate film producer Mahesh Bhatt and his family. The gang is also involved in threatening and firing at film producer Karim Morani's bungalow in August.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Sadanand Date said they had arrested 13 members of the gangster who targeted Bollywood personalities for cheap publicity. Investigations have been handed over to assistant commissioner of police Sunil Deshmukh, who will focus on identifying the gangster's middlemen in the city. The police are likely to invoke the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

Date said a tip-off to inspectors Jagdish Sail and Dheeraj Kohli led to the arrests and recovery of three country-made weapons and five phones. Sail and his team laid a trap and arrested eight of them near Bhatt's residence at Khar. Among those arrested are Ishrat Shaikh, Mohammed Khan, Azim Khan, Ashfaq Sayyed, Shanuwaz Shaikh, Feroz Sayyed, Shabbir Shaikh, Rahim Khan and Mohammed Merchant. One of them is a second year civil engineering student, while another had befriended a watchman at Bhatt's building.

"Most of them are from the Mumbra-Kausa belt, uneducated, unemployed, and have been lured by the gangster for petty sums. In fact, one of them had done a recce of the target at Juhu but then went on the back-foot. The gangster later sent another team to do the job," Date said.

He said investigations revealed that some of them received around Rs 11 lakh from the gangster through hawala. The police are trying to track down the middlemen who arranged the money and brought all the accused to one platform.

Sources said the gangster had targeted Morani only to scare him into giving the overseas rights of his film to a US-based NRI Bhittu Singh. But the gangster had directed the shooters to kill Bhatt, and if they did not get him, Mukesh Bhatt or Rahul Bhatt. The police provided extra security to them, though Mahesh has been enjoying police security since 1999, when he was first targeted.

In 1999, the crime branch had killed three gangsters who were trailing Bhatt from Film City, and another attempt was made on him in 2003. Bhatt was not available for comment.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

Mumbai, Aug 2: Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron has come aboard as an executive producer on filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane's movie The Disciple. The Marathi feature is set to represent India at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival. It will be screened in the Competition section of the prestigious film gala.

The movie, which is Tamhane's follow-up to his National Award-winning feature Court, has also been selected for 2020 Toronto International Film Festival's official line-up.

"I met Chaitanya through a mentorship program where I had the opportunity to watch his very superb debut film, Court  I was immediately impressed by his sense of cinema and fearless confidence to tell stories.

"He was part of most of Roma's process and I jumped to the opportunity to be part of the process of his second film The Disciple. I believe Chaitanya is one of the most important new voices of contemporary cinema," Cuaron said in a statement.

Tamhane said he is honoured to have Cuaron aboard the film.

"It’s a bit surreal and an incredible honour for me to have one of the most recognised and acclaimed filmmakers in the world be part of 'The Disciple'. In some ways, this validation from Alfonso Cuaron is even more," he added.

The Disciple, a 127-minute long feature, stars Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, and Kiran Yadnyopavit. It has been produced by “Sir” actor Vivek Gomber through his Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

The Disciple marks Tamhane’s return to Venice after he won the Best Film - Orizzonti and Lion of the Future award for Court in 2014.

Court, a poignant commentary on India's judicial system, also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 2015 and was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 2016 Oscars.

Endeavor Content will sell North American rights and New Europe Film Sales boards the film as an international sales agent.

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News Network
April 19,2020

Mumbai, Apr 19: It is important to stay united and have faith in each other to fight the coronavirus pandemic, veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar said on Sunday, expressing concerns over the attack on healthcare workers and cases of communal tension in the country.

In a video shared by Akhtar's wife, veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Twitter, the writer urged people to stand together in this time of crisis.

"The country is undergoing a crisis at this point of time. To fight this crisis called coronavirus, it is important for us to be united. If we will keep suspecting each other or won't understand each other's intentions, there will be no unity, then how will we fight it?

"You must salute these doctors who are endangering their lives to test you. Unless you get tested, you will not know whether you have the disease or not. You can be treated only after that. It's a matter of stupidity that, I've heard, people are pelting stones on those doctors. This should not be done," Akhtar said in the 2 minute-long clip.

The 75-year-old lyricist also said that targeting a particular community defeats the goal of unity.

"I also hear that shops of a particular community are being shut, 'thelas' are being overturned or people are hit so that they can flee. This is not how unity works. We will have to believe each other. We all are citizens of this country," he said.

Akhtar appealed to the Muslim community to offer prayers from home in the holy month of Ramzan, which will begin from April 24 or April 25.

"I request all the Muslim brothers that now that Ramzan is coming, please say your prayers but make sure that this doesn't cause problems to anyone else. The prayers that you do in the mosque, you can do that at home. According to you, the house, the ground, this all has been made by Him. Then you can do your prayers anywhere," he said.

"Ensure that your speech, slogans and deeds don't create any suspicion in the minds of others. And to all the other citizens of the country, I'd say please have faith in each other, practice unity, don't resort to hatred. Only with the help of love and trust, we will be able to fight with the coronavirus," he added.

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News Network
May 26,2020

New Delhi, May 26: As the country celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr in the testing times of coronavirus this year, megastar Shah Rukh Khan's greetings reflected of blessings from the almighty to help the countrymen sail through the tough times.

The 54-year-old actor took to Twitter to extend Eid greetings to his fans.

"May the blessings of Allah see us through these times," he wrote in the tweet.

"In the end, it's Faith that keeps us going... Eid Mubarak to all. May He shower all with love, peace and prosperity always," Khan's tweet further read.

Eid-ul-Fitr marks the conclusion of the holy month of Ramzan, which is a month of fasting and prayer for the Muslim community.

This year, Eid is being celebrated amid a nationwide lockdown imposed as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

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