Censor board member kicks up row over 'AIB roast' remark against Karan

February 4, 2015

Jaipur/Mumbai, Feb 4: Censor Board member and filmmaker Ashok Pandit today set off a controversy with his derogatory remarks against moviemaker Karan Johar over his expletive-laced comedy show which is being probed by the Maharashtra Goverment.

AIB roast

The Maharasthra government said that it will only check if "AIB roast" had secured appropriate clearances, a day after announcing an inquiry into the show that also featured actors Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh for obscene language and content. The "Roast" is the first of its kind in India.

Pandit, who was recently made a member of the revamped Censor Board, dubbed the comedy show as performing a "porn show on stage" and made some uncharitable remarks against Johar, a noted Producer-Director, who was the 'roast-master' at the event. In a series of tweets, he also said he supported the inquiry by the Maharashtra government.

An unfazed Johar took to Twitter to take on Pandit saying, "Not your cup of tea...don't drink it!!!". With the micro-blogging site trending with "We Stand By AIB Knockout", Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha also slammed Pandit.

"So nice to see twitter is filled with such angels who point out hypocrisy and never use foul language and have never laughed at dirty jokes (haw)," she tweeted.

The AIB roast event staged in Mumbai in December was attended by 4,000 people and the audience included Johar's mother, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone among others.

The edited version of the no-holds barred "roast" of Arjun and Ranveer was later posted on YouTube, Sonakshi also faced many roasts by the members of the group.

Pandit later defended his tweets against Johar, saying he was only reacting to the way in which the filmmaker and the other brilliant actors used such kind of language which should not be spoken at a public show.

"They can't use the language in public that is not decent in any form," he said, adding, "the entire show was abnormal".

"I have reacted because I am a Karan Johar fan, Ranveer Singh fan, Arjun Kapoor man....I have very right to do that. And if they feel about my tweet if they are hurt about my tweet, they can consider it as an extension of their roast," he said in Jaipur.

Pandit also came under attack from Congress. "Filmmaker & censor board member @ashokepandit tweets filth about @karanjohar. Is this acceptable? He should quit or be removed," tweeted Salman Soz, a spokesman of the Congress.

Maharashtra Culture Minister Vinod Tawde said the state government does not intend do any "moral policing."

"On #AIBRoast, will only enquire if the AIB had taken appropriate certificate. No moral policing.. if they are allowed by law, I can't stop them," Tawde tweeted.

Yesterday, Tawde had told reporters that "officials of the Culture Department will examine the (AIB show) videos for the content. If found vulgar, an action will be initiated."

The minister had announced the inquiry following a police probe into a complaint against the participants for allegedly using "filthy and abusive language" during the event called AIB Knockout.

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Agencies
June 26,2020

Los Angeles, Jun 26: Warner Bros has moved its Christopher Nolan-directed espionage thriller Tenet from July 31 to August 12.

It's the second delay for the highly-anticipated movie, which was originally scheduled to release on July 17 but was postponed to July 31 due to coronavirus pandemic.

Warner Bros. is committed to bringing Tenet' to audiences in theaters, on the big screen, when exhibitors are ready and public health officials say it's time. In this moment what we need to be is flexible, and we are not treating this as a traditional movie release.

We are choosing to open the movie mid-week to allow audiences to discover the film in their own time, and we plan to play longer, over an extended play period far beyond the norm, to develop a very different yet successful release strategy, a Warner Bros spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline.

The studio has also delayed the US re-release of Nolan's sci-fi blockbuster Inception, in honour of the film's 10th anniversary, to July 31.

Tenet features John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy, Dimple Kapadia and Himesh Patel.

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News Network
June 19,2020

New Delhi, Jun 19: After the recent sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, actor Kangana Ranaut who went public slamming nepotism in the Hindi film industry, has now revealed that she faced similar struggles like that of Sushant.

In a new statement, the "Queen" actor alleged that she was asked to apologise to Hrithik Roshan's family in order to survive. Both Kangana and Hrithik had been in the public spotlight in the year 2016 over their alleged former relationship and legal battle.

The 'Queen' actor said: "Once Javed Akhtar had called me to his house and told me that Rakesh Roshan and his family are very big people. If you don't apologise to them, you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction...you will commit suicide. These were his words. Why did he think if I don't apologise to you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction...you will commit suicide. These were his words. Why did he think if I don't apologise to Hrithik Roshan, I would have to commit suicide? He shouted and yelled at me. I was shaking in his house,"

She further continued, "Were there people calling Sushant? Were there people putting such thoughts into his mind? I have no idea, but obviously, he was in a similar situation. In his interviews, he had said that nepotism cannot co-exist with talent because they don't allow the right talent to come up. I can relate to it, and hence I am raising questions. I want to know who played the catalyst in this situation?"

Kangana adds, "I know Sushant had a big fallout with Aditya Chopra also. When I refused Sultan, he had threatened he would never work with me. Ever since our industry ganged up on me. I remember so many times feeling really lonely and feeling what will happen to me..."

The 'Manikarnika' star also revealed that all this not only happened to her professionally but personally as well it hampered her relationships. "They are very insecure about things. Despite what they did to me, there was a guy who wanted to get married to me. But he distanced himself, they made sure he ran away. With no surety about my career, my love-life completely has gone awry, with six court-cases against me, they're still trying to put me in jail."

Kangana also talked about herself: "I'm a different person; I'm very expressive. I went out there, and I just vented it out. Sushant was not a person like that at all. He just bottled it up. Media too has played a considerable part in this--the kind of monster image that was given to him. Everybody who knew him closely agrees that he was a soft and emotional person. I think that after a point it really got to him. I can understand it because even I have been portrayed as a witch and as a stalker."

Sharing that the bullying and outbursts had a psychological impact on her life situations, Kangana says, "I remember initially when people used to come to my home, I felt so embarrassed to even offer them water. Forget having a relationship or going on a date post the disaster of a relationship I had. I can only imagine that even during Manikarnika what they did to me."

Talking about the 'Kai Po Che' star, she added, "But perhaps he was just not able to vent. In fact, all these constant jibes on these petty show that he should be killed and which rated him as the least efficient... his films have done more business than your Gully Boy. People like Salman Khan said who Sushant Singh Rajput? It was after M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, everybody knew who Sushant was. We need to stop these."

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News Network
May 14,2020

Mumbai, Mar 14: Animal Planet has announced a new documentary "The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals", which seeks to explore the effects of coronavirus on animals.

The special will see Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet’s big cat expert, talking to a number of experts, from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists, in order to find out how COVID-19 is affecting animals and what pet owners can do to safeguard them.

The issue came to forefront when a four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo in New York.

The documentary will feature chief veterinarian of Bronx Zoo, who will give an update on the big cats and their treatment, and also Dr Peter Embarek from WHO's COVID-19 Task Force, who works particularly on all aspects of the virus related to animals.

In a statement, Salmoni said, "When news about Nadia the tiger came out the questions immediately began; what about my pets? How do I keep my animals and family safe? We’re going to answer these questions and more through this documentary."

"We're speaking to a wide range of experts from the World Health Organization, to wildlife biologists, to veterinarians. We are at war with this disease and so we get down to the nitty-gritty, and discuss practical questions about daily lives with our pets," he added.

Sai Abishek, Director – Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery, said, "We have been the forefront of busting myths around novel coronavirus with international documentaries. With this latest film, we take a hard look at how animals are being treated during such a crisis and the safety measures that can be taken to keep both, the people and their pets healthy."

"The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals" will premiere on May 17 on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and Discovery Plus app.

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