Gujarat becomes fifth state to shut the door on film Padmavati, CM calls it 'foul play with culture'

Agencies
November 22, 2017

Ahmedabad, Nov 22: In more bad news for noted film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the government in Gujarat on Wednesday banned the release of his controversial movie Padmavati across the state.

The announcement in this regard was made by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who said that the film, which ''distorts facts and hurts the sentiments of Rajputs'' will not be allowed to be released.

Govt of Gujarat will not allow Padmavati - a movie hurting sentiments of Rajputs - to get released in the State. We can’t allow our history to be distorted. We believe in freedom of speech and expression but any foul play with our great culture is not tolerated, Rupani tweeted.

With this Gujarat has become the fifth state to ban the release of Padmavati, which has landed in troubled waters over allegations of ''blatant distortion of historical facts and negative portrayal of the Rajput Queen.''

The film, which was slated to be released on December 1, also awaits clearance from the Censor Board.

The Sri Rajput Karni Sena, which is leading the protest against Padmavati, had even called for a Bharat Bandh on December 1 – the day when the film was scheduled to be released.

Besides Rajput Karni Sena, several right-wing outfits, political parties, direct descendants of the Queen Padmavati and several state governments have opposed the film's release.

Earlier today, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh also banned the film's release. However, it said that the life of Rajput Queen Padmavati will be made part of school textbooks across the state.

The MP Chief Minister also referred to Queen Padmavati – the subject of Bhansali's controversial movie – as 'Rashtramata Padmavati'.

'Rashtramata Padmavati to be included in Madhya Pradesh school textbooks, Shivraj Singh Chouhan was quoted as saying by a leading TV news channel.

Chouhan had earlier said that a film, which has "distorted facts" about Rajput queen Padmavati and allegedly shows disrespect to her, will not be released in Madhya Pradesh.

"The insult will not be tolerated," Chouhan said, eliciting a rousing applause from the audience.

While calling Padmavati 'Rashtramata' (mother of the nation) Chouhan said, "The film which distorts facts and disrespects 'Rashtamata' Padmavati will not be allowed to screen in any part of Madhya Pradesh."

He went ahead to say that even if the movie is passed by the censor board for release in the country, it won't make it to the screens in the state.

Interestingly, the MP government has also constituted an award in the name of the erstwhile Rajput  Queen. A 'Rashtramata Padmavati Award' has been instituted by the state government for people doing outstanding work for the protection of women, he had said.

He said a memorial of the queen would be built at a site in the state capital, where a memorial for the country's brave soldiers has been proposed.

Chouhan made this announcement at an event where BJP's Madhya Pradesh chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan called Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali a 'sinner' and alleged that in the movie 'Padmavati', history had been tampered with for the sake of money.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh is based on Rajput queen Padmavati.

Amid rumours that there was a romantic dream sequence between Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji's characters, various Rajput and other groups have been protesting against the film, alleging it "distorts" history and hurts the sentiments of the people.

Historians are, however, divided on whether Rani Padmavati even existed. Rawal said actor Ranveer Singh should not have played the character of Delhi sultan Alauddin Khalji in the movie.

"He (Ranveer Singh) should have thought what role is he playing," he said.

Khalji has been projected as a hero in the movie and today's generation believe in movies, he said. "Do they want them to believe that Khalji was a hero?" the minister asked.

Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh - all BJP ruled states - and Punjab, ruled by the Congress, have already opposed the release of the movie.

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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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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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News Network
July 12,2020

Mumbai, Jul 12: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek have tested positive for Covid-19, according to separate tweets by the two. The 'Sholay' actor shared the news about his positive status on his Twitter handle on Saturday and said he has been admitted to Nanavati hospital here where he is being kept in an isolation ward.

Shortly afterwards, Abhishek Bachchan also confirmed the news and revealed that he and his father both had "mild symptoms."
The Big B said he has been shifted to hospital, and the other family members and staff have undergone tests for the virus. However, the results are awaited.

The 77-year-old actor also requested those, who have been in "close proximity" to him in the last 10 days to get tested for COVID-19.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan among others wished the "iconic star" a quick recovery to the 'Gulabo Sitabo' star.

"Dear Amitabh ji, I join the whole Nation in wishing you a quick recovery! After all, you are the idol of millions in this country, an iconic superstar! We will all take good care of you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! @SrBachchan @juniorbachchan#AmitabhBachchan #COVID," Health Minister tweeted quoting Amitabh Bacchan's tweet.

Abhishek Bachchan too tweeted shortly afterwards. "Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you."

Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis wished the senior Bachchan a speedy recovery.
A slew of filmstars and celebrities including Kailash Kher Sonam Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Paresh Rawal, Pariniti Chopra Adnan Sami, Mahesh Babu etc were among those who wished the Bachchans a speedy recovery.

Mumbai, reported a total positive COVID-19 cases of 91457 with 22,779 active COVID-19 cases, with 5,241 people succumbing to the deadly infection so far, according to the Municipal Coroporation of Greater Mumbai.

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