Veteran actor Pran passes away at 93

July 13, 2013

Pran_PassMumbai, Jul 13: Veteran actor and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Pran, the legendary silver-screen villain, passed away in Mumbai on Friday following prolonged age-related ailments. He was 93.

Pran, remembered for his brilliant on-screen histrionics, was conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award — the country’s highest cinematic accolade — at his residence in May this year.

He was suffering from several ailments and undergoing treatment at Lilavati Hospital, where he breathed his last. “He was not keeping well, he was very weak. His health was deteriorating,” said his daughter.

Family sources said his funeral will be conducted at the Shivaji Park crematorium on Saturday afternoon.

Born on February 12, 1920, Pran Krishan Sikand acted in over 350 films, including a Kannada film “Hosa Raga”.

In a career spanning over six decades, adorned with accolades and awards, Pran gave a subtle edge to his roles.

He made them memorable, be they negative characters (Madhumati), an urban suave bourgeoise predator (Naya Zamana), a cynical outsider (Upkaar), a magnanimous Pathan (Zanjeer) or an outwardly inflexible grandfather (Parichay).

The actor, whose father Lala Kewal Krishnan Sikand was a government officer, was desperate to become a photographer.

A chance meeting with a film producer landed him a role in a Punjabi film called “Yamla Jat” in 1940.

There was no looking back after that as he went on to star in films like “Chaudhary” (1941), “Khandan” (1942), “Kaise Kahun” (1945) and “Badnami” (1946).

After Partition, Pran came to Mumbai with wife Shukla and sons Arvind and Sunil. He struggled to find work as an actor in the city of dreams.

As he was about to give up on making it big in Bombay, writer Saadat Hasan Manto helped him get a role in the Dev Anand-starrer “Ziddi” in 1948, which revived his career.

Thereafter, he carved a niche for himself in the tinsel town and held his own until his last appearance in 2007.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Mumbai, Jun 16: In the wake of Sushant Singh Rajput's death, veteran actor Deepti Naval has opened up about her struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts in the early 90s.

Naval shared a poem that she wrote during her struggle with depression on her Facebook page after paying tributes to Rajput, who was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday at the age of 34.

According to a police official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the actor was under medication for depression

"Dark days these... So much has been happening - mind has come to a point of stillness... Or rather numbness. Today I feel like sharing a poem I wrote back in the years when I was fighting depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts - Yes, fighting... and like how," Naval wrote.

The 68-year-old actor made her debut with Shyam Benegal's 1978 "Junoon" and went on to feature in films like "Chashme Buddoor", "Ankahee", "Mirch Masala", Saath Saath among others in the 80s.

Naval's poem, titled "Black Wind", begins by describing how anxiety engulfs a person.

"Anxiety grips me with both hands, spiked claws dig deep into my soul I gasp for breath and stagger around sharp corners of my single bed.."

In the poem, Naval talks about fighting suicidal thoughts and depression, describing it as a "ghoulish lust" she won't succumb to.

"The telephone rings... no, it stops...God damn! Why don't anyone speak? A voice, Just a human voice In this shameless, pitiless Abyss of the night - gloom deepens into darkness, turns purple I feel dark inside."

The actor ends by writing that she will survive the night, its "deathly design" and fight.

"The world's a snake pit, so let it be! I dare the devil to get the better of me! Deepti Naval, Night of July 28, 1991."

In an interview with PTI last year, Naval had mentioned how acting assignments started to thin in the late 90s and as a "serious actor" it was "devastating" to be ignored.

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News Network
May 29,2020

New Delhi, May 29: Actor Pooja Hegde revealed that her Instagram account was hacked after unflattering memes about her colleague Samantha Ruth Prabhu were shared.

Samantha's angry fans are not buying her explanation and it has prompted a Twitter trend #PoojaMustApologizeSamantha.

On Monday night, Pooja put out a tweet that her Instagram had been hacked and was in the process of being retrieved. She urged her fans to not accept any invitations or pass out any personal information to the person asking.

She wrote, "Hi guys, so I've been informed by my team that my insta account has been hacked and my digital team is helping me with it. Please do not accept any invitations or pass out any personal information out to the person asking. Thank you."

An hour later, which she spent "stressing," the 'Mohenjodaro' star tweeted again to say the account was restored and that all activity in the while it had been hacked would be undone.

"Spent the last hour stressing about the safety of my Instagram account. Thanking my technical team for instant help at this hour. Finally, got my hands back on my Instagram Any message, follow back or post in d past hour from my account has been done will be undone. Ty," tweeted Hegde.

The 29-year-old actor announced that her feed has been cleaned up now. Her most recent Instagram post is now one on pet food that she posted three days ago.

In Pooja's tweets, there is no mention of Samantha.

According to the screenshots that are being circulated over social media, a meme of Samantha was posted from Pooja's account. It read, "I don't find her pretty at all."

This tweet has triggered Samantha's fans who have not been pacified by her explanation and are demanding that Pooja apologise, meanwhile Pooja's fans say she has nothing to apologise for.

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News Network
February 9,2020

New Delhi, Feb 9: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani got emotional while watching the movie "Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits". It is a Hindi-language period film produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir.

In a video clip, the political veteran is seen trying to hold back his tears at the end of the film while Mr Chopra rushes to console him. Other people around them were also seen getting emotional and congratulating the filmmaker for the movie.

"Shikara" is about how Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee from their houses in the Kashmir Valley in early 1990, in the wake of insurgency. The filmmaker said the film showcases how Kashmiri Pandits rebuilt their lives in the aftermath of the tragic event.

Featuring Aadil Khan and Sadia, Shikara released on February 7. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who is from Kashmir, dedicates his movie to his mother, who died in 2007.

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Abdul Gaffar Bolar
 - 
Monday, 10 Feb 2020

Does this man know the trouble and pain of humans???

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