Don't be disappointed if I don't enter politics: Rajinikanth

May 15, 2017

Chennai, May 15: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth today said he had no desire to join politics, but if he did, he would show the door to all "money-minded" people.Rajinikanth

The actor said he had no political ambition, but was often dragged into political debates despite stressing that he was "neither an influential political leader nor a social activist."

"My life is in the hands of God. I'm not sure what he has in store for me. But I'll always perform the duty that he bestows on me. So, don't feel disappointed if I don't enter politics," he told fans at a gathering here.

But if he did join politics, he would ensure that there would be no place for those seeking material gain.

"Money-minded people will be shunned. So, I warn you now itself to stay away," he said.

In 1996, the 66-year-old actor had supported the DMK-TMC alliance in Tamil Nadu, which swept the polls that year. But he has not been involved in any political activity since then, he said.

"(But) my name has been dragged into politics for the past two decades. I am pushed to clarify during every election that I'm not affiliated to any political party," he said.

Rajinikanth regretted that he had not been able to meet fans as regularly as he wished to.

"I was supposed to meet you all two months ago but had to postpone it to accommodate more fans. So, I cancelled the previous meet-and-greet session. Later, I was supposed to go to Sri Lanka for an event. Again I had to cancel it for various reasons. A lot of media reports followed saying, 'Rajinikanth doesn't stick to his decision. He is apprehensive' and so on."

He said he thought "wisely" before he took a decision.

"If you step into the water and later realise that there are crocodiles in it, you shouldn't brave them and refuse to step out of the water. Such blind courage will take you nowhere," he said.

He shrugged off allegations that he did "certain stunts" before a film's release to ensure its success at the box office.

"With the blessings of my fans and Tamils intact, I don't need to do that. My fans are not fools to be deceived by this. A film will succeed only if it is good. Even if you do somersaults, bad content will flunk," he said.

The actor had some advice to give his fans – not to touch alcohol and cigarettes.

"Please take care of your families and children. Give up drinking and smoking. Even wealthy people in business have lost their empires because of alcohol addiction, which not only spoils one's physical health but mental well-being, too. It will diminish your decision-making skills and your crucial decisions in life will eventually go wrong," he warned.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Mumbai, Jan 28: A 33-year-old woman has written to the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that Bollywood choreographer Ganesh Acharya used to make her watch porn videos whenever she visited his office in Mumbai.

In a complaint filed with the police, the woman, an assistant choreographer, has alleged that Acharya and two women assaulted her during a function of the Indian Film and Television Choreographers Association (IFTCA) held in suburban Andheri on Sunday.

Besides Acharya, the complainant, Divya Kotian, has named Jayashree Kelkar and Preeti Lad in her complaint for assault, a police official said on Tuesday.

Calls made to Acharya for his reaction remained unanswered.

In her letter to the NCW, Kotian, a resident of suburban Bhayandar, claimed that Acharya forced her to watch adult videos whenever she visited his office.

In her complaint with Amboli police station, Kotian alleged that Acharya was demanding a commission from her for working in the film industry.

Kotian is also a member of the IFTCA.

Acharya, who was elected as a general secretary of the IFTCA, used to frequently call the complainant at the office in Andheri, the police official said quoting the complaint.

On January 26, when Kotian reached the IFTCA office, Acharya shouted at her and announced that she was being "suspended", he said.

Acharya grew furious after Kotian told him that she is a member of the IFTCA and allegedly asked his team member, Jayashree Kelkar, to slap her, the police official said.

"Kelkar and Preeti Lad hit me in public view which was captured on the CCTV," the complaint stated.

Police have registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence and investigating, the official added.

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News Network
June 4,2020

Mumbai, Jun 4: Casting director Krish Kapur, who had worked on films like Mahesh Bhatt's Jalebi and Kriti Kharbanda-starrer Veere Ki Wedding, passed away at the age of 28 due to brain hemorrhage, his family said.

There was speculation that Kapur died in a road accident but his maternal uncle, Sunil Bhalla, dismissed the reports, saying that the casting director fainted at his home in suburban Mira Road here and suffered brain hemorrhage.

According to Bhalla, Kapur breathed his last on May 31.

"He had no medical history. He was healthy and doing absolutely fine. On May 31, he just collapsed and started to bleed. He died of brain hemorrhage," Bhalla said on Wednesday.

Kapur is survived by his mother, wife and seven-year-old child.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Mumbai: The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is going virtual this year due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The festival is coming up with a full-slate of 157 films from 42 countries.

Tipped as South Asia's biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, it is the first Indian film festival to come up with a slate of new programs for this year.

The slate of films include 30 films from India, as well as films from countries like Belarus, Iran, Iceland, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Tunisia, etc.

"We are extremely delighted to launch the registration for the KASHISH 2020 Virtual with a full slate of films as well as panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, etc, almost replicating the ground event. Only this year not only Mumbaikars but people across India and the world can participate in the festival and enjoy amazing LGBTQIA+ films, discussions and performances!", said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.

"We are thrilled by almost 95 per cent of the filmmakers whose films were selected to screen at the ground festival, agreeing to screen with us at our online festival. We are overwhelmed by the response from the filmmakers, and we are really glad to reach their films out to the world. This speaks a lot about their trust and support towards the festival", said Saagar Gupta, Director, Programming.

The registrations to attend the festival is now open and details can be viewed at the festival website http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/attend/ along with information about the film line-up. There are early-bird full-festival passes at a modest price in India and outside India. The early-bird offer will be open for a week.

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