Bollywood's 'Raj' in Russia continues

September 22, 2013

Raj_in_RussiaKazan (Russia), Sep 22: Yesteryear Bollywood icon Raj Kapoor is a hot favourite in Russia but "disco dancer" Mithun Chakraborty is not far behind, as the country's love affair with Indian movies is still very much alive.

Bollywood continues to inspire and entertain many Russians and Raj Kapoor remains one of the biggest overseas names in Russia till date. A group of visiting Indian journalists experienced this in Tatarstan, a state under the Russian Federation.

"We love Indian films as they are mostly about love, relationships and emotions. When they fight, they fight, when they love, they love," Ayder Khasanov, Tatarstan's Ministry of Youth, Sports and Tourism official said.

In a surprise, apart from Raj Kapoor's movies like Awara and Shree 420, the films that are most popular in Russia are Hema Malini-starer 'Sita aur Gita' and Mithun's 1982 movie 'Disco Dancer'.

"When I was young my mother did not let me watch Indian movies as they were so emotional I would start crying," Khasanov said. "I loved Sita aur Gita, Disco Dancer and recently saw Shahrukh Khan's 'My name is Khan' which was fantastic," he said.

Russians have always loved Indian cinema and with the appearance of a satellite channel 'India TV', broadcasting Indian films and programmes dubbed in Russian language, the young people in the country have taken to movies big time.

"I love Indian films, Raj Kapoor was a fine actor. I have also seen Disco Dancer, the hero of that film is also good," Julia Karavaev, expert in the committee for tourism and foreign relations said.

On visiting Kazan and the surrounding tourist areas in Tatarstan such as Bolgar, Elabuga and Sviyazhsk, the Indian journalists were surprised by the knowledge and enthusiasm the Tatar and Russian people had about Indian movies.

In Elabuga, Svetlana Andarzyanova, a tourist centre official, said "I am crazy about Indian movies, Raj Kapoor is my favourite, though I also like 'Disco Dancer' Mithun."

"All the Kapoors are wonderful actors and Ranbir is amazing," she said, adding that her favourite movies are Awara, Shree 420, Sita aur Gita and Disco Dancer.

In Sviyazhsk, an elderly man named Renat surprised journalists by saying that the 1952 classic 'Baiju Bawra' was his favourite film. "I love Raj Kapoor, he was a natural, and I also like Amitabh Bachchan, he is cool," he said.

Raj Kapoor continues to remain a loved figure in Russia and one of the primary reason for this according to local residents is that after watching films like Awara and Shree 420, the actor became a symbol of optimism for the people.

"Tatar women love Indian films and serials, I love Indian films, Kareena is a lovely actress," Zulfiyan, a Tatar woman, said.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Washington, Apr 8: Choosing stethoscope over the crown, Miss England 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee, has returned to work as a doctor as the world battles with coronavirus pandemic.

According to CNN, she was a junior doctor with a specialisation in respiratory medicine, before being crowned as Miss England in August last year. The beauty queen, who has her roots in India's Kolkata city, had taken a career break from the medical field.

She had paused her medical career for some humanitarian work that she was offered by several charities and was on a tour to different countries including India.

"I was invited to Africa, to Turkey, then to India, Pakistan and several other Asian countries to be an ambassador for various charity work," CNN quoted her as saying.

She had been in India at the beginning of March for four weeks. During her stay as an ambassador of the Coventry Mercia Lions Club, the 24-year-old had visited several schools and had donated stationery and other items to the needy.

Mukherjee then returned back UK as the situation worsened there with the coronavirus spreading at a fast rate. She then contacted the hospital and asked them that she wanted to rejoin.

According to CNN, the Miss England beauty pageant winner said that she felt wrong to be wearing the crown while people around the world were dying from the virus.

"When you are doing all this humanitarian work abroad, you're still expected to put the crown on, get ready... look pretty. I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work," CNN quoted her as saying.

"I felt a sense of this is what I'd got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now. It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help," she added.

As the beauty queen has a recent travel history, she is currently in self-isolation and will return to work once her quarantine period is over.
She was crowned as Miss England 2019 in August last year.

According to World Health Organisation, 13,53,361people have been affected by coronavirus and over 80,000 people have lost their lives to it.

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News Network
June 15,2020

Mumbai, Jun 15: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday, was battling depression, police said on Monday.

According to the police official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

No suicide note was found from the spot, the official added.

Mumbai Police as well as the crime branch officials visited his rented flat on Sunday, but nothing suspicious was found. Rajput had been living with two cooks and a house help.

Autopsy reveals asphyxia as provisional cause of death

The provisional post mortem report of Sushant Singh Rajput has revealed that the provisional cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abhishek Trimukhe said on Monday.

"Provisional postmortem report has been submitted by doctors at Bandra Police Station. A team of three doctors conducted the autopsy of Sushanth Singh Rajput. The provisional cause of death is asphyxia due to hanging," Trimukhe said.

The post mortem has been conducted at Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai.

The untimely death of the versatile actor has sent shock waves among celebrities and his fans alike. Scores of actors and politicians from across the nation have taken it online to share their grief and sorrow with the untimely demise of the young actor.
 

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Agencies
February 10,2020

Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix finally ended his dry run at the Oscars as he picked up the best actor trophy for his performance in and as "Joker" at the 92nd Academy Awards.

The 45-year-old actor had earlier bagged a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his turn as a failed, unhinged stand-up comedian who descends into chaos.

In a lengthy and rambling speech, Phoenix touched upon racism, climate change and gender inequality. He also remembered his brother River Phoenix, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 23 in 1993.

"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow'," Phoenix said. At the Academy Awards and the entire Hollywood award season, Phoenix had emerged as an undisputed frontrunner even though he was up against the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"), Adam Driver ("Marriage Story"), "Antonio Banderas ("Pain & Glory") and Jonathan Pryce ("The Two Popes").

An Oscar had eluded Phoenix for the most part of his career, despite his successful collaborations with Ridley Scott ("Gladiator"), James Mangold ("Walk The Line") and Paul Thomas Anderson ("The Master"), all of which had earned him nominations.

But as Arthur Fleck aka The Joker, Phoenix finally managed to break that jinx and became the second actor to win an Oscar for playing the DC comic book villain after the posthumous best supporting actor win to Heath Ledger in 2008.

As Joker, Phoenix took a deep dive into character, capturing its essence as well as maniacal spirit in both body and soul.

He lost 52 pounds to get into the physicality of Fleck and turned to a pathological disorder to get his distinct laughter right.

Phillips wrote the part keeping Phoenix in mind though the actor took some convincing to play the role.

Phoenix started the film's festival circuit tour on a positive note at Cannes last year that followed by stops at Venice and Toronto.

The film had also courted controversies, owing to its theme of gun violence in the movie as well as Phoenix's temperamental press tour that saw him walking out of an interview midway.

But critics and the fans loved the actor's riveting turn in the movie and his pointed speeches.

At the Golden Globes, he called out the industry for its insensitivity towards climate change and pulled up his peers for using private jets for travel, while at the SAGs, he joked how he would always lose a role to DiCaprio and asked Christian Bale to deliver a bad performance for once in his career.

In his acceptance speech at the BAFTAs, Phoenix acknowledged the lack of diversity in the nominations, calling himself a part of the problem. Phoenix's career most praised performances include "Signs ", "We Own the Night", "Two Lovers", "The Immigrant", "Her", "You Were Never Really Here" and "Inherent Vice".

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