Bollywood needs to change its portrayal of women: Aamir Khan

March 8, 2014

Aamir-khanNew Delhi, Mar 8: Bollywood should be more careful with the way it portrays women as movies make a huge impact socially, feels Aamir Khan.

The 48-year-old star said over the years he has become very careful about how gender dynamics are presented in his films.

"I have become much more careful and sensitive. That process does not stop. It is a learning process. We have to really look how we are portraying women in our film industry," he told women journalists at IWPC on the eve of Women's Day."I don't know where to start, maybe take a small set of people because we are affecting minds. We have to look at that carefully," he said.

The actor joked that his activism often lands him in trouble with the people in Bollywood as he starts talking about social issues in showbiz parties.

Aamir, who was in the city to share his experiences on the second season of 'Satyamev Jayate' with its writer Swati Chakravarty, said working on the show has made him fragile as he cries more easily now.

Talking about the research on the first episode, which centered around the topic of rape, he said they were shocked to find stories of apathy and inhumanity.

"We were faced with such inhumanity that it was difficult to absorb it. It was a ravaging period in the entire research," he said, adding that the attempt has been to have a crisis centre for rape victims which will help them get swift justice. The actor said he is prepared to hear negative stories about the show as certain people were bound to attack it.

"There are people who are trying to take away our credibility. There are rumours but you have to be prepared for it. You have to hope that people at large will be able to see what is right and what is not and that they would go by logic," Aamir said.

The actor said he would never endorse a fairness cream brand and is aghast to see celebrities endorsing it. Talking about the recent ruling of the Supreme Court on Section 377 of IPC, Aamir said he was disappointed by it.

"It was rather unfortunate. I was very surprised by the decision. Personally, I feel it's really time that we moved forward and pursued equality for all," he said.

Aamir has now become more open to media following a difficult relationship in the past."I think I went into a shell during 2006-07. I had nothing against media but I did not want to deal with it. I found them extremely intrusive. I found them to be very attacking.

"It was a phase when TV channels were mushrooming and I think there was a struggle for readership space... it had become vicious medium. I did not know how to react to it. I was being lashed from every side but things changed while working on 'Taare Zameen Par'," he added.

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News Network
April 14,2020

Mumbai, Apr 14: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has thanked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for providing 25,000 personal protective equipment for health workers.

Khan on Monday provided the personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to the frontline medical staff in Maharashtra fighting to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Tope took to Twitter to thank the actor for the help.

Many thanks Mr. Shah Rukh Khan for your kind contribution of 25,000 PPE kits. This will go a long way in supporting our fight against COVID19 & protecting our frontline medical care team @iamsrk @MeerFoundation @CMOMaharashtra," he tweeted.

The actor and his wife Gauri Khan recently offered their four-storey personal office space for treating COVID-19 patients.

Khan had earlier announced various initiatives to help the country during the crisis.

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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 28,2020

Agartala, May 28: Tripura Police has registered a complaint against Bangladeshi singer Mainul Ahsan Nobel, who earned fame in the music reality show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' in Kolkata, for allegedly humiliating Prime Minister Narendra Modi over social media.

The complaint was filed by a resident of Belonia town in South Tripura district who is a student of Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The complaint was filed on May 25, the person who is called Suman Paul said.

Nobel is not yet a popular singer in Bangladesh and has always been rejected by the audience of that country. He participated in the TV music reality show called Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in Kolkata, earned money, gained fame and returned to Bangladesh. If the person insults our prime minister it cannot be accepted. So I filed the FIR, Paul told reporters.

Belonia superintendent of police Jal Singh Meena confirmed that the complaint was registered and forwarded to Tripura Polices cyber crime cell.

The complaint was registered the same day it was filed at Belonia police station under Indian Penal code sections 500 (punishment for defamation), 504 (intentional insult), 505 (public mischief) and the IT Act.

We have registered the complaint and forwarded it to the cybercrime cell because it is not in the Indian cyberspace. We have started an investigation into the issue, the SP said.

Rajib Dutta, the officer-in-charge of Belonia police station said that as per the complaint the Bangladeshi singer had abused Modi in a Facebook post calling him a "mere chaiwala (tea seller)'.

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