Salman is real No 1, SRK extremely charming: Aamir

December 14, 2013

AamirMumbai, Dec 14: Superstar Aamir Khan, who has been ruling Bollywood along with Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan for over 20 years, says there is no secret formula behind their long and successful innings in the industry.

Aamir, who often draws comparison from the two Khans in terms of ranking and popularity, frankly acknowledged that Salman was the real number 1 star and more popular than him.

The 48-year-old actor, who became an overnight star with 1988 blockbuster 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', agreed that the audience in India is star-obsessed but insisted same is not the case with the industry.

"I don't think the industry is star obsessed. It is the audience who is star obsessed and it is not a bad thing at all. As an audience, I am also star obsessed. I am a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Shammi Kapoor. I have been star struck myself," Aamir said in an interview here.

"I think an entertainer has a great role to play in the society and he is often underestimated. I don't think any of us - Salman, Shah Rukh and me - know the secret to our longevity. I wish we knew it."

The 'Raja Hindustani' actor considers Shah Rukh Khan as a seasoned actor, who always brings a smile on viewers' faces.

"I think Shah Rukh is very well loved and fine actor. He is extremely charming and I love to see him on screen. It always brings a smile on your face when you see him," Aamir said.

"I have liked him in films such as 'Dilwale Dhulaniya Le Jayenge', 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. I have heard good things about his work in 'Chak De' but I haven't seen it. It is one of the films that I want to watch. There are several other films of Shah Rukh that I have liked," he added.

Aamir is known to be close to Salman and the two are often seen praising each other in public.

"There is always love and warmth in my heart for Salman. I am fond of him, I love him. I personally feel he is a bigger star than me. Because he has the ability to take a film on his shoulders... I don't think I have that capability. I don't have any hesitation in saying that.

"I think Salman manages everything, and according to me, (he) is the real number one," he said

Aamir and Salman have teamed up only once on screen - for 'Andaz Apna Apna' in 1994 - but have always expressed their desire to work again.

The 'Lagaan' star also praised Sanjay Dutt and Ranbir Kapoor, who is the Hindi film industry's latest heartthrob.

"Sanjay Dutt was fantastic, entertaining in 'Munnabhai' series. I liked Ranbir Kapoor in 'Barfi'. I and Kiran (Aamir's wife) were watching the film together and I asked her "what is it that he is doing and I am not. What I need to learn from him".

Aamir, who is known for his meticulous planning, execution of roles and film production, said he feels happy when movies of his contemporaries do well at the box office.

He appreciates good work of others. "Good work gives me joy. And it does not matter that it is not mine. I don't have that kind of competitive spirit in me."

The 'Taare Zameen Par' director said stars have a limited influence on the box office outcome, but beyond a point it is the film and its content that matters.

"Stars have the potential to influence the first three days of the number of people coming in theatres... beyond that we don't have any influence.

"A lot of people attribute the success of '3 Idiots' to me... (But) it is not my film it is (director) Raju Hirani's film. No film runs on the strength of the star alone.

"I think if a film is not good enough I won't be able to make a mark for myself. When a film is good, it does good business," Aamir added.

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News Network
May 30,2020

California, May 30: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Saturday shared a gorgeous sunkissed selfie sporting cherry lips and beaded dangler earrings.

The multi-talented star who owns a production house put out a morning selfie on Instagram wherein she is seen sporting a white collared top, flaunting her cherry red lips and dangler earrings as she embraces her peach glow in the sheer sunlight, while her shiny curls bounce the sunshine.

Along with the picture, the 'The Sky Is Pink' actor wrote, "A cherry lip and sunshine...maybe even a earring...I'm feeling adventurous."

On sharing the gorgeous selfie, the Chopra received heaps of praises from fans and celebrity followers, and the post reached more than 1.9 lakh likes including one for Sussanne Khan.

Model Masaba Gupta also chimed in the comment section and adored the beauty of the 'Baywatch' star writing, "Stunning" with a heart emoticon.

Currently, the actor is quarantined in her California house along with singer and husband Nick Jonas and has been quite active on social media.

Earlier, Priyanka recalled her parents' service in the Indian Army as America observed Memorial Day, and the 37-year-old actor dug out an old picture of her parents in uniform and posted it on Instagram.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Kochi, Feb 7: The younger brother of noted playback singer K J Yesudas was found dead in the backwaters near here, police said.

The body of 62-year old K J Justin, who had reportedly gone missing from his house in Thrikkakara near here on Tuesday evening was found floating in the backwaters near Vallarpadam Container Terminal on Wednesday, they said.

The relatives identified the body, police said adding it was later sent for autopsy at General Hospital here.

A General Hospital spokesperson said the body was handed over to his relatives on Thursday evening after autopsy was performed.

The funeral is expected to be held after the arrival of Yesudas from abroad, police sources said.

Police said the initial investigation suggested it was a case of suicide.

According to police, Jusin's relatives have informed the investigation team that he had been showing signs of suicidal tendency for the last one week as he was allegedly facing some financial problem.

His relatives were not available for comments.

Son of the renowned musician late Augustine Joseph, Justin is survived by his wife.

Justin had been a regular presence at popular ganamela programmes here in the past, sources said.

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News Network
January 23,2020

Jan 23: Calling himself an optimist who believes in the goodness of people, director Kabir Khan says everything these days is being looked at through the prism of religion but India is about more than that.

The director of blockbusters such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Ek Tha Tiger said he is happy he has a platform as a filmmaker to present a counterpoint to the prevailing narrative based on religious fault lines.

"I’m an optimist who believes in the goodness of the people. But yes, there is a certain level of bigotry that has crept in. Everything is being looked at through the prism of religion but India is not about that.

"It sounds like a cliché but when I was growing up, I was not aware of my religion. That was the greatness of this country,” Kabir told news agency.

He said he is a product of a mixed marriage and is pained to see the social fabric being tattered.

“I have celebrated the best that Indian secularism has to offer. But to see the greatness of this country being simplified and broken down into religious fault lines is a painful experience,” he added.

According to Kabir, it is dangerous to see history through the prism of religion, whether in cinema or society. But it is important to revisit history to know what happened and one can always find something that is relevant for the present, he said.

The director, who started as a documentary filmmaker, returns to his roots for a five-episode series on Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army, The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye, on Amazon Prime, his most expensive project yet.

Asked whether this is a difficult time for filmmakers, Kabir said he believes art thrives in the time of strife and, as a storyteller, his politics will always reflect in his work.

“Every film has its politics and every filmmaker has to reflect his or her politics. Every film of mine will reflect my politics and it will never change according to the popular mood of the audience. But a film should not be just about that. Politics should be in the layers beneath," he said.

He terms his 2015 Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan an "extremely political" film. At face value, it can also be enjoyed as the story of a mute Pakistani girl who drifts into India and is taken back to her homeland by a Hanuman devotee. But there is so much more. The "chicken song", for instance, was a sly reference to the beef ban controversy at the time, he said.

"I won’t say it is a difficult time for me as a filmmaker. It is good that I have a platform where I can talk and present a counterpoint and I refuse to believe that the entire country believes the narrative that is being sent out. There are millions and millions of people, and perhaps the majority, that does not believe. And if I present the counterpoint, they will think about it.”

Discussing his new series, the director said it has always fascinated him that the sacrifice of the men and women who comprised the INA is just a forgotten footnote in history.

“I wanted to make something that stands the test of time. It goes down in posterity,” Khan, who first explored the subject in a Doordarshan documentary 20 years ago, said.

For the documentary, he traveled with former INA officers Captain Lakshmi Sahgal and Captain Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon from Singapore to India via erstwhile Burma, retracing the route that the INA followed.

“The documentary got me a lot of attention and acclaim but the story just never left me. It's actually the first script I ever wrote and I landed up with that script in Bombay from Delhi. I realised very soon that nobody's going to give me a budget of this size to make my first film.

"And then after every film, I would pick up the script and say, ‘Okay, this is the one I want to make’, because this is the story that made me want to become a filmmaker. On the way, I ended up making eight other films but this is really the story that I wanted to make,” he said.

Kabir is happy that the story has come out as a series, not a film, as it would have required to compromise with the budget and other elements.

"Without giving any numbers, this is the most expensive project I have ever worked on… It required that kind of budget."

Kabir believes the INA was responsible for bringing down the morale of the British establishment, which realised it would be impossible to keep the country colonised without the support of the local army.

"There are a lot of debates and discussions about what happened with the INA and the controversies around it. The whole point is that, if you want to judge what the Army did, sure that's your prerogative, but at least get to know what they did. Nobody knows what happened with the Army from 1942 to 1945."

He added that 55,000 men and women of the INA fought for independence and 47,000 of them died.

"Not a single person from that Army was ever taken back into the independent Army, which is such an amazing fact... the fact that the British called them traitors became the narrative and we also started assuming that they were traitors."

"They were the only women's regiment in the whole world 70 years ago. That's what they thought about women's importance in society. I don't know whether they will be happy with what the current situation is," he said.

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