Comedy Nights With Kapil: Ali Asgar says he will never be Dadi again

January 16, 2016

New Delhi, Jan 16: For all those of you yet to recover from the news that Comedy Nights With Kapil will end on January 17, here’s another bad news: Ali Asgar, aka Dadi, says he will “never return” as the much loved character in any future seasons of the show.

dadiAsgar, who made phrases like ‘Ittu Sa Tha’ and ‘Dadi Ki Pappi’ so deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of the TV viewing audience, wants to concentrate on his new show. He played Kapil Sharma’s ‘Dadi’ on the comedy show for as many as three years.

“I don’t want to play Daadi now. I know Kapil is coming up with a show. But I am done with the role. Now, my focus will be on Woh Teri Bhabhi Hai Pagle. I think we have ended the show on the right note and the character has achieved what it had to. Other actors on ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ experimented with new characters. But I played Daadi for last three years. I was in the same get up. Now if the show comes up on some other channel, I have no objection with someone else playing the role. With due respect, there will be no bad blood,” Ali told Times of India.

In another development, Ali was granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay High Court in a case filed against him for spoofing self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Justice Ajey Gadkari granted Ali bail on a surety of Rs 25,000 for a week by when the comedian will have to approach a court in Haryana where the FIR has been lodged against him and seven others in the case. Ali had approached the High Court after the arrest of his colleague Kiku Sharda by the Punjab and Haryana police after a case under section 295 (A) (act intended to outrage religious feelings) of IPC was registered against them.

“I am a law abiding citizen of India, a resident of Mumbai. I have never come to the adverse notice of any law enforcement agency,” Ali said.

Ali, along with Kiku, had enacted a skit on a programme titled Jashn-e-Ummed aired in December last year following which a follower of Ram Rahim lodged an FIR in Kaithal, Haryana.

The FIR was filed on January 1 by a follower of the Haryana-based religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda. Besides Sharda and Asgar, it names actors Gaurav Gera, Rajiv Thakur, Pooja Banerjee, Mouni Roy, Gautam Gulati and Sana Khan “and all known and unknown persons who make or act in the show Jashan-e-Umeed” for portraying their leader in “bad light”.

As per the FIR, the actors were shown dressed as “his holiness and dancing, consuming liquor and seeking donation”. “No donation is accepted by the Guru and the organization is strictly against liquor consumption,” the FIR said.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam on Wednesday confirmed testing positive for COVID-19 with 'mild' symptoms.

The 74-year-old musician shared the information through a video message posted on his official Facebook page.

In the video, the singer detailed about having a little "discomfort" for two days, stating he had chest congestion along with cold and on-off fever, which led him to get tested for the virus.

However, he also mentioned that he could have stayed at home in self-quarantine, as advised, but did not want to put his family in danger, and hence got admitted by his own choice, to recover quickly.

"I am in good hand, I am in good health. Nobody has to worry about this. The fever has subsided, and in two days I'll be discharged and I'll be home. Thanks for the concern," he said in the video message.

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News Network
July 23,2020

Mumbai, Jul 23: Mumbai Police will soon issue summons to actor Kangana Ranaut to record her statement in connection with the case related to the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said on Thursday.

A day after Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, Kangana Ranaut had released a two-minute video speaking highly of the deceased actor and accusing certain sections of the film industry of not acknowledging the star's talent.

She had also said that some of the last social media posts by the actor made it evident that he was struggling to survive in the industry.

According to the police, statements of 39 people, including film critic Rajeev Masand, director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and filmmaker Aditya Chopra have been recorded in the investigation so far.

The Mumbai Police had recently said the statements of three psychiatrists and one psychotherapist have been recorded in connection with the suicide investigation.

Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai residence on June 14.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New York, Aug 4: National Award-winning documentary "Son Rise" and Geetu Mohandas-directed "Moothon" were among the films that took home the big honours at the 20th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), which switched to a virtual edition this year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 45 feature-length narratives, shorts and documentaries from the Indian subcontinent were showcased at the festival’s virtual edition that ran for 10 days beginning July 24.

The films programmed were in various languages including Assamese, Bengali, Haryanvi, Hindi, English, Ladakhi, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali and Tamil.

The award ceremony for the festival was held virtually Sunday, with the filmmakers, cast, award winners and festival officials joining from across India and the US.

The award for the Best Documentary (Short) went to Saurav Vishnu-directed "Tailing Pond", which highlights the "horrifying effects of uranium extraction on the health of the indigenous population" of Jadugoda, Jharkhand.

"Son Rise" by Vibha Bakshi won the award for Best Documentary (Feature).

The documentary had won the National Award for the Best non-feature film in 2019 and was among the two centrepieces hosted by the festival this year. NYIFF called "Son Rise" “a powerful documentary about patriarchy in Haryana and efforts by a few good men to bring meaningful change in the society.”

The award for Best Short (Narrative) went to Sanat Ganu's "Arabian Nights". The narrative focuses on a child, his imaginary friend and a family that attends a conference where the attendees believe the earth is flat.

Director and scriptwriter Sudhanshu Saria accepted the award for Best Screenplay for "Knock Knock Knock". Saria’s screenplay “explores the lonely life of a man, an unlikely friendship that may or may not be real.”

Sanjana Dipu won the award for Best Child Actor for "Moothon" for her performance of a teenager in search of a brother.

Garggi Ananthan won the Best Actress award for her role as Kalyani in the film "Run Kalyani" and the Best Actor award went to Malayalam star Nivin Pauly for "Moothon". The award for the Best Director went to 23-year old Achal Mishra for "Gamak Ghar".

"Moothon" won the award for Best Film and its director Mohandas accepted the award for the film, which is "about love and loss that travels from the quiet, lush beaches of Lakshadweep to the mad hustle-bustle of the streets of Mumbai."

Produced by award-winning Indian film director and writer Anurag Kashyap, "Moothon" had premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

NYIFF festival director Aseem Chhabra said that the process of searching for films for the festival began last fall and they were ready to showcase them to audiences in New York in April but had to change plans for the festival due to the pandemic.

"I know the best way to enjoy films is in a theatre with the audience and have live interactions, conversations. But the virtual festival is the next best option and in the process, we have been able to reach out to a much larger audience in the US, North America as well in several other countries.”

NYIFF said that a virtual edition expanded the reach of the festival and audiences from 95 countries were able to access and view the films.

Dr Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman of the Indo-American Arts Council, co-founder and owner of Atlantic Dialysis Management services, the largest private dialysis provider in New York State, said NYIFF works with an independent jury - filmmakers, film professors, writers and critics.

Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), the leading cultural organisation, presents the festival.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the closure of theatres but we believe that in such trying times arts, including films are even more important for the community’s well-being. So, this year we have decided to bring the films directly into your living rooms.” IAAC Vice-Chairman Rakesh Kaul had said.

The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest Indian film event in North America. Over the years, the festival has held New York premieres of a wide range of films, many of them critically acclaimed, including "Monsoon Wedding", "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Shahid", "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and "Gangs of Wasseypur". 

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