At this age and time of my life, I seek peace: Amitabh Bachchan

Agencies
November 6, 2017

Mumbai, Nov 6: Actor Amitabh Bachchan has spoken at length about his name featuring in the Panama papers and Bofors scandal, explaining that he has always cooperated with the "system" but wishes to be left alone at this stage of his life.

Bachchan wrote his anguished post on his blog yesterday and said, "Tomorrow there could be more and the process of cooperation shall continue..."

This morning, the Indian Express newspaper reported that the actor is one of the Indians figuring in the 'Paradise Papers', an investigation into offshore and banking assets carried out by the newspaper with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The actor's post began as a response to a BMC notice sent to him for alleged "illegal construction" on his property.

"At this age and time of my life, I seek peace and freedom from prominence... To be left to lead the last few years of my life with and within myself... I do not seek epithets, I abhor them... I do not seek headlines, I do not deserve them... I do not seek acknowledgement, I am not qualified for it," Amitabh posted on his blog on Sunday.

He said he is yet to receive the notice from the authorities but, trusting the media reports, his lawyer has already given a statement on the matter.

The 75-year-old actor also talked about the controversy over his name featuring in the Panama Papers leak, another investigation done by Indian Express and ICIJ.

"In recent months I find my name appears again in the leaks of Panama, as produced by the Indian Express .. the paper has asked for reactions, for responses, for justification or not, for replies to their investigative queries."

The actor said two "instant replies" were given out by him of "denial and misuse of name" but the questions continued.

"Immediately after this, the system took over and since its revelation in the Express, has summoned me... at least 6 summons have been served to us and continue to come...

"Each one of them has been diligently, dutifully and duly replied to... personal appearances have been ordered, and we have made them at the varied different Agency Offices, both in Mumbai and in Delhi, both from Tax and Enforcement Departments and of their respective Intelligence Wings," Bachchan said.

The actor said some queries take time as the matter is more than 25 years old.

"It takes a while to dig out old files and to compile all that they want... the fullest cooperation has been extended at all hours as dutiful citizens... and even after, if there is any more query that needs to be addressed, we shall comply... It is the norm...," he said.

Bachchan said he will continue to cooperate if there is any fresh issue as he believes in abiding by the law of the land.

The actor also spoke about allegations against his family and him in the Bofors gun payoff scandal.

"There were allegations against my family and me in the Bofors Scandal... for years we were grilled, declared traitors, abused and humiliated by the hour for several years... when it became unbearable, we moved Court in the United Kingdom - for the requirement of speedy Justice .. we moved against a UK paper and won...," he said, adding while he suffered, those who accused him never faced anything.

The actor said it took 25 years for him to know that his name was planted in the scandal.

"When the media carried the news here in India, the press during one of its interactions with me asked me what I was going to do about it .. whether I would seek information on who did it, or seek retribution .. !!! WHAT RETRIBUTION AND INFORMATION WILL I SEEK ..? WILL IT TAKE AWAY THE YEARS OF SUFFERING AND MENTAL TORTURE THAT WE WENT THROUGH .. !!?? WILL IT CURE .. WILL IT REST .. ?? NO, IT WILL NOT .. so I told them, the media, I do not wish to make any comment on it .. the matter is over for me ..!

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News Network
May 12,2020

Mumbai, May 12: Superstar Salman Khan on Tuesday released his latest romantic single "Tere Bina" featuring Jacqueline Fernandez while in quarantine at his Panvel farm house.

The actor, along with close family and friends from the industry, including Iulia Vantur, Waluscha De Sousa, is living in the farm house. This is the second song Salman has released amid the coronavirus pandemic, after "Pyaar Karona."

"About seven weeks ago, when we came to the farm, we didn't know we will be here under a lockdown. So we wanted to do things to keep ourselves busy. That's when we decided to do these songs. We launched 'Pyaar Karona' and now, we are launching 'Tere Bina'," Salman said in a statement.

The song, sung and directed by Salman, is composed by his friend Ajay Bhatia and written by Shab bir Ahmed.

The actor said he had the song "Tere Bina" with him for quite a while but because it wasn't fitting into any of his film, he decided to release it now.

Jacqueline said she didn't think they would be able to shoot the song, which they finished in four days of evening shoots, with such limitations.

"We are used to shooting songs on a large stage with grand production costs. There are costumes, hair, make up. All of a sudden, we find ourselves with a team of three people. For the first time, I was checking lighting and moving props around. It was a great experience and it taught us how to make the most of what we have," she said.

Salman recently sent out food packets and ration from his farm house to those affected by the lockdown.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: On the World Menstrual Hygiene Day, former Miss World Manushi Chhillar on Thursday underlined the need to spread awareness on feminine hygiene.

The 23-year-old star has been roped in by UNICEF to spread awareness on the need to educate girls on personal hygiene.

Chhillar put out a post on Instagram expressing the need to educate girls with all information on maintaining hygiene, constructing adequate sanitation facilities and providing quick access to feminine hygiene products.

Manushi, who is participating in the UNICEF global initiative called the Red Dot Challenge, stated, "Every young girl has the right to accurate information about her body. Without the right information, girls often don't know how to safely manage their period. It's time to break the silence. I am calling all girls, boys, women and men to take the #RedDotChallenge with me. Because of Menstruation Matters. @unicefindia."

Along with the post, Chhillar shared her pictures with red dots on her hand representing the 'Red Dot Challenge.'

The former Miss World runs her own initiative on menstrual hygiene called 'Project Shakti' that works across several states of India.

The beauty queen turned actor will debut in Bollywood with the highly anticipated historical-drama 'Prithviraj' opposite Akshay Kumar. She will be playing the royal princess Sanyogita, whose tales of beauty mesmerised an entire nation.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Patna, Jun 27: As Sushant Singh Rajput’s family tries to come to terms with his loss, they have decided to honour his legacy and celebrate his passion for cinema, science and sports.

In an emotional statement shared on Saturday, the Bollywood actor’s family remembered him as a “free-spirited” person who worked hard to turn his dreams into reality.

“He was free-spirited, talkative and incredibly bright. He was curious about just everything. He dreamed without restraints, and chased those dreams with the heart of a lion. He smiled generously. He was the pride and inspiration of the family,” the statement read.

Rajput, 34, known for films like Kai Po Che!, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore, was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

The family said that the actor’s untimely demise has created an irreparable void in their lives.

“We can’t bring ourselves to accept that we wouldn’t get to hear his easy laughs anymore. That we wouldn’t see his sparkling eyes again. That we wouldn’t hear his endless rants about science again. His loss has created a permanent, glaring void in the family that will never be filled.”

Thanking his admirers for being a constant support as they try and recover from the loss, the family added that Rajput, “truly loved and cherished every single one of his fans.”

The actor, who made the storybook transition from Patna boy to television and then the starry lights of the Hindi film industry, was the youngest of five siblings and is survived by his father and four sisters. His mother had passed away in 2002 when he was a young teen.

To honour his memory and legacy, the family has decided to set up Sushant Singh Rajput Foundation (SSRF) that will support young talents in cinema, science and sports.

His childhood home in Rajiv Nagar, Patna, will be turned into a memorial, where all his personal memorabilia and belongings, that include thousands of books, his Meade 14’’ LX-600 telescope, flight-simulator, will be on display for his fans and admirers.

The actor’s family, who used to fondly call him Gulshan, will also maintain his social media accounts as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive.

Rajput started his acting career with television after dropping out from Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s. He was one of the few talents to have made a successful transition to movies.

The actor made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with Kai Po Che!. In past seven years, he had featured in a number of hits including blockbusters Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore by Nitesh Tiwari.

Tiwari’s 2019 hit was Rajput’s last theatrical release.

On Thursday, it was announced that Dil Bechara, which is the actor’s last movie he shot for, will premiere on Disney + Hotstar on July 24.

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