Comedian addresses sexual allegations in stand-up

Agencies
July 10, 2019

Los Angeles, Jul 10: Actor-comedian Aziz Ansari has addressed the sexual misconduct allegations against him in his new stand-up special "Aziz Ansari Right Now", saying that his old self has made way for a "better person".

The stand-up special, directed by Spike Jonze of "Her" fame, dropped on Netflix on Tuesday.

It starts with Ansari recalling how people often get confused between him and Hasan Minhaj and when they ask him about the sexual misconduct accusation, he deflects by responding, "No, no, no, no, no. That was Hasan."

The comedian then turned serious as he said that he has been introspecting a lot in the past year.

"It's a tricky thing for me to answer because I've felt so many things in the last year. There's times I felt scared, there's times I felt humiliated, there's times I felt embarrassed, and ultimately, I just felt terrible that this person felt this way. And after a year or so, I just hope it was a step forward.

"It moved things forward for me, made me think about it a lot, I hope I've become a better person," he said.

Ansari took a break after a controversial article in 2018 accused the comedian of sexual misconduct. In a first-person account, a woman claimed she felt pressured to have sex with the comedian during a date.

He responded with an apology and claimed the encounter was "completely consensual".

The comedian recalled a conversation he had with a friend of his who told him how his story had made him rethink all of his own past dates.

"I thought, 'Wow. Well, that's pretty incredible. It's made not just me but other people be more thoughtful, and that's a good thing'. And that's how I feel about it," Ansari said.

He admitted that opening about the allegation was not the "most hilarious way to begin a comedy show" but said that it was important for him to let people know "how I feel about that whole thing before we share this night together".

Towards the end of his act, the comedian once again touched upon the matter.

"I saw the world where I don't ever get to do this again, and it almost felt like I died. In a way, I did. That old Aziz who said, ‘oh treat your self' or whatever, he's dead. And I'm glad. ‘Cause that guy was always looking forward to whatever was next.

"I don't think that way anymore. ‘Cause I've realized it's all ephemeral. All that stuff, it can just go away like this. And all we really have is the moment we're in and the people we're with," he said.

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News Network
April 14,2020

New Delhi, Apr 14: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on Tuesday paid tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.

The 90-year-old singer took to Twitter to extend her greetings on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti and also expressed gratitude for being able to get the chance to meet him.

"Namaskar. Bhartiya Savidhan ke janak mahamanav Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar Ji ki Jayanti par main unko koti koti vandan karti hu. (Namaskar. On the birth anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar, the father of the great Indian Constitution, I offer him a ceremonial offering)" she tweeted.

"Main unko pratyaksh roop se mil saki ye mera sobhagya hai. (It is my good fortune that I got the chance to meet him)," her tweet further read.
Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of Dalits, women and the underprivileged.

Born into a poor Dalit family on April 14, 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India.

He also campaigned against the social discrimination faced by Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Washington, Mar 11: Pop star Selena Gomez made some revelations about her personal life in a recent interview.

While explaining the lyrics of her song "Rare" on the 'Genius' YouTube channel, the 27-year-old said that there are times when she feels that she will ever be able to find a suitable partner for herself, reported Fox News.

"Some days when I wake up and I am annoyed and I am like, 'I am going to be alone forever.' But after that 15 minutes go away, I say to myself, 'I know that there is someone for everybody," the singer told in the seven-and-a-half minute long video.

However, she remains optimistic as she is still young and "this isn't the end all be all".

Elaborating upon the chorus of her song, Gomez opened up and said, "self-esteem and confidence is a constant struggle".

"It's getting better with time and age, but it will always be something that I'm working on," she added while explaining the lyrics further.

"So what I think is so important about this chorus is that it's acknowledging, 'Hey, I don't have it all. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do know that I'm special,' and I think that is a humble approach of saying, 'Why don't you see that I am different?'" the singer added as reported by Fox News.

Touching upon her experiences from past relationships, she commented: "In certain relationships, I've heard and I've experienced and whatnot, I think men and women do it -- especially teenagers and young people in love -- is there's this satisfaction out of hurting someone because you know that they care. Purposefully putting someone down because they want to keep them at a level. I've had someone actually say that to me before".

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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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