A lot of negativity attached to being a heroine: Bhumi

Agencies
November 26, 2017

Panaji, Nov 26: Women-oriented films and strong female characters may be the latest trend in Bollywood, but Bhumi Pednekar believes society still holds regressive views towards a heroine.

The 28-year-old actor, who delivered a Masterclass on 'Breaking Stereotypes' at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI), says a strong and confident woman is always labelled as "difficult".

In an interview with PTI, Bhumi says, "Everywhere in the society, even my extended family, when they got to know that I am going to be an actor, they were very worried because there is a lot of negativity attached to my craft or being a heroine.

"I feel in our culture, the girl, with any sort of power is called difficult or various words that are demeaning just because she has a voice, has confidence and stands for her rights. It is sad, but it is the truth of our country. Our culture hasn't evolved much and we need to do something about it." 

The actor believes cinema for long has also failed women by viewing female characters according to the male gaze.

"In terms of the treatment of a female actor on-screen, we have gone backwards and how. We had actors like Devika Rani when cinema started in India and suddenly things became regressive. Women had nothing to do in films except praying for their husband's well-being.

Bhumi, however, adds, "I am not against traditions, but they are not meant to be regressive... It is heartbreaking to see the kind of atrocities women are suffering across the globe. As human beings, we need to evolve with time and if you fail to do that, your existence will suffer." 

After her successful debut with "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", the actor says she rejected around 23 scripts as the female character had nothing to do in the proposed projects.

Bhumi, however, is glad that after featuring in the role of an overweight woman in the Sharat Katariya-directed movie, she was not stereotyped.

"Cinema has the power to change the society. Through my films, the kind of characters I have played and will play, I am trying to do my bit in changing the patriarchal mindset. I am vocal about my thoughts which I think will somewhere help in bringing about a change." 

This year she delivered two hits - "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" and "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan" and Bhumi will soon start filming director Abhishek Chaubey's next, titled "Chambal".

The movie also features Sushant Singh Rajput.

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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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Agencies
February 5,2020

Chennai, Feb 5: Income Tax sleuths on Wednesday raided top Tamil film actor Vijay's residence here besides conducting simultaneous searches at several premises linked to a film production house, movie financier and distributors in connection with suspected tax evasion.

The searches, which began in as many as 38 locations in Tamil Nadu, were still on and unaccounted cash of about Rs 25 crore was seized from the premises of a Tamil film financier who had faced allegations of intimidation and arm-twisting to recover money, official sources told PTI.

Also, several documents indicating substantial tax evasion has been seized, sources added.

Vijay, who was away in Cuddalore district for a film shoot, was apprised by authorities about the searches and he was en route to his residence here, they said.

So far nothing has been recovered from the actor's house and the inmates were cooperating with authorities in conducting the searches, sources said.

Raids were also on in the premises of the production house that had made Vijay's hugely successful recent Tamil movie 'Bigil.'

Further details are expected after completion of searches which is likely to continue tomorrow.

The State police has been providing security for carrying out the searches.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Patna, Jun 27: As Sushant Singh Rajput’s family tries to come to terms with his loss, they have decided to honour his legacy and celebrate his passion for cinema, science and sports.

In an emotional statement shared on Saturday, the Bollywood actor’s family remembered him as a “free-spirited” person who worked hard to turn his dreams into reality.

“He was free-spirited, talkative and incredibly bright. He was curious about just everything. He dreamed without restraints, and chased those dreams with the heart of a lion. He smiled generously. He was the pride and inspiration of the family,” the statement read.

Rajput, 34, known for films like Kai Po Che!, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore, was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

The family said that the actor’s untimely demise has created an irreparable void in their lives.

“We can’t bring ourselves to accept that we wouldn’t get to hear his easy laughs anymore. That we wouldn’t see his sparkling eyes again. That we wouldn’t hear his endless rants about science again. His loss has created a permanent, glaring void in the family that will never be filled.”

Thanking his admirers for being a constant support as they try and recover from the loss, the family added that Rajput, “truly loved and cherished every single one of his fans.”

The actor, who made the storybook transition from Patna boy to television and then the starry lights of the Hindi film industry, was the youngest of five siblings and is survived by his father and four sisters. His mother had passed away in 2002 when he was a young teen.

To honour his memory and legacy, the family has decided to set up Sushant Singh Rajput Foundation (SSRF) that will support young talents in cinema, science and sports.

His childhood home in Rajiv Nagar, Patna, will be turned into a memorial, where all his personal memorabilia and belongings, that include thousands of books, his Meade 14’’ LX-600 telescope, flight-simulator, will be on display for his fans and admirers.

The actor’s family, who used to fondly call him Gulshan, will also maintain his social media accounts as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive.

Rajput started his acting career with television after dropping out from Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s. He was one of the few talents to have made a successful transition to movies.

The actor made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with Kai Po Che!. In past seven years, he had featured in a number of hits including blockbusters Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore by Nitesh Tiwari.

Tiwari’s 2019 hit was Rajput’s last theatrical release.

On Thursday, it was announced that Dil Bechara, which is the actor’s last movie he shot for, will premiere on Disney + Hotstar on July 24.

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