Salman's journey from superstar to 'being human'

May 6, 2015

New Delhi, May 6: Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Salman Khan, 49, the eldest son of writer Salim Khan, has had an easy ride into Bollywood.sallubai

Though he made his acting debut as a supporting actor in the 1988 film "Biwi Ho To Aisi", it was his charming boyish looks in the 1989 film "Maine Pyar Kiya" that helped catapult him to fame at the age of 25, and give him a strong female fan base.

From playing a lover boy to crusader for justice, the superstar has charmed many and hit the jackpot numerous times with films like "Kick", "Dabangg" and "Ek Tha Tiger" in his almost three-decade-long career. The fact that his brothers produced some of his films helped.

But it was his run-in with the law that raised his notoriety quotient.

The Bollywood sweetheart has got a two-day relief on his way to jail, having been sentenced to five years in prison by a sessions court in Mumbai. The 2002 accident had resulted in the death of one person and injury to four others.

The actor is also facing trial for hunting a black buck, a protected species, during the shooting of "Hum Saath Saath Hain" in 1998. Two parallel cases are running against him - one under the Wildlife Act and the other under the Arms Act.

Even as the actor landed in legal trouble, he was busy giving box office hits.

Earlier, on his way to superstardom, he didn't mind sharing screen space with other leading actors of his era - Sanjay Dutt in "Saajan" (1991), Aamir Khan in "Andaz Apna Apna" (1994) - a box office failure, which years later became a cult film for its humorous dialogues - and Shah Rukh Khan in "Karan Arjun" (1995).

The stepson of yesteryear's dancing diva Helen, Salman featured in his star brothers Sohail and Arbaaz's film productions like "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya", "Main Aurr Mrs Khanna" and "Dabangg".

The "Biwi No. 1" star might have commenced his acting journey as a man all women would love to be with, but in recent years he started creating a name for himself in the action genre by starring in movies like "Wanted", "Ready", "Bodyguard" and "Kick".

He even entertained the masses as a host of TV shows like "Bigg Boss" and "10 Ka Dum". Though the latter didn't click with the audience, "Bigg Boss" - a controversial reality show that has completed eight seasons - has been one of the reasons why even non-couch potatoes chose to stick to the small screen.

Fondly called "Sallu bhai" by many, he is also known for launching the careers of actresses like Daisy Shah, Sneha Ullal and Zarine Khan and composers such as Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid.

A lot of actors have also gone on record to say they are indebted to Salman. He has been an inspiration to many, especially when it comes to imitating his 'six-pack abs', including actors like Hrithik Roshan and Arjun Kapoor, who did away with their weighty issues, thanks to Salman.

In fact, Arjun also featured in the popular song "Superman...Salman ka fan" from "Tevar" film.

Salman also runs a Being Human Foundation, which supports underprivileged people in India. Started in 2007 in partnership with various companies, the foundation takes initiatives in the field of education and healthcare.

With over Rs.200 crore riding on him, his die-hard fans across the globe may only be eagerly waiting for his films - "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" - to hit the screens. The infamy associated with his sentencing may even add to the popularity of the films.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued notice to some Bollywood celebrities named in a complaint against the promoter of a company for allegedly blackmailing and sexually assaulting a number of girls on the pretext of giving them a career in modelling.

Taking cognizance of the complaint filed by social activist Yogita Bhayana of People Against Rape in India (PARI), the NCW scheduled a virtual hearing presided by its chairperson on August 6.

The complaint against Sunny Verma, promoter of a company named IMG Ventures with its headquarter in Chandigarh, alleged that he has been blackmailing and sexually assaulting a number of girls on the pretext of giving them career in modelling.

PARI's Yogita Bhayana wrote a complaint letter to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma.

"Through his company, he (Sunny Verma) invites the girls on the pretext of organising a Miss Asia contest with a claim that the contest will launch them as models. To make it look genuine, his company has also been taking an entry fee of Rs 2,950. Once the girls apply, they are alluded by the female accomplices of Sunny Verma to submit their nude pictures in order to get the better ranking in the contest," the complaint letter said on July 31.

It alleged that Verma, after receiving the pictures and sometimes even before, used to get in touch with the girls and ask for completely nude pictures and videos.

The complaint letter said that Verma also used to allude as well as threaten the girls to submit to his sexual desires if they were interested in modelling as a career or wish to win the contest.

"Once he established a physical relationship with the girls, he used to blackmail them for regular sexual favours. Many girls from across the country have suffered a sexual and mental assault from Sunny and his accomplices," said the complaint citing several letters, texts and audio clips from several girls as proof of this modus operandi of Sunny Verma and his company.

The complaint also said that Sunny Verma has been previously also arrested on charges of sexual assault.

"We would demand that NCW should investigate the case to its depth and get the guilty punished so that any other person should not dare to exploit these kinds of innocent girls on any pretext. It will be a message to people like Sunny Verma and all associated Bollywood stars. Looking forward to strict action from NCW against sexual offenders like Sunny Verma & others," the complaint said.

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Agencies
June 10,2020

US dictionary Merriam-Webster will update the meaning of the word "racism" after being contacted by a Missouri black woman, who claimed the current definition fell short of including the systematic oppression of people of colour, according to media reports.

"A revision to the entry for racism is now being drafted to be added to the dictionary soon, and we are also planning to revise the entries of other words that are related to racism or have racial connotations," according to a statement of the 189-year-old dictionary shared by Kennedy Mitchum, a recent graduate of Drake University in Iowa, on her Facebook.

Mitchum, 22, emailed the dictionary last month, following the death of African American George Floyd in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I kept having to tell them that definition is not representative of what is actually happening in the world," Mitchum told CNN. "The way that racism occurs in real life is not just prejudice, it's the systemic racism that is happening for a lot of black Americans."

Merriam-Webster's first definition of racism is "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."

"It's not just disliking someone because of their race," Mitchum wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. "This current fight we are in is evidence of that, lives are at stake because of the systems of oppression that go hand-in-hand with racism."

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News Network
January 17,2020

New Delhi, Jan 17: E-commerce major Amazon on Friday said it plans to create one million new jobs in India over the next five years through investments in technology, infrastructure and its logistics network.

These jobs are in addition to the seven lakh jobs Amazon's investments have enabled over the last six years in the country.

"Amazon plans to create one million new jobs in India by 2025," the company said in a statement, adding that the jobs - created both directly and indirectly - will be across industries, including information technology, skill development, content creation, retail, logistics, and manufacturing.

Amazon.com Inc chief Jeff Bezos had on Wednesday announced USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) investment in India to help bring small and medium businesses online and committed to exporting USD 10 billion worth of India-made goods by 2025.

"We are investing to create a million new jobs here in India over the next five years," Bezos said.

"We’ve seen huge contributions from our employees, extraordinary creativity from the small businesses we've partnered with, and great enthusiasm from the customers who shop with us—and we’re excited about what lies ahead," Bezos added.

India has prioritised job creation and skilling initiatives – including the training of more than 400 million people by 2022 – in rural and urban areas.

"Amazon’s job creation commitment and investment in traders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) complement this social inclusion and social mobility efforts by creating more opportunities for people in India to find employment, build skills, and expand entrepreneurship opportunities," the statement said.

The new investments will help to hire talent to fill roles across Amazon in India, including software development engineering, cloud computing, content creation, and customer support.

Since 2014, Amazon has grown its employee base more than four times, and last year inaugurated its new campus building in Hyderabad – Amazon’s first fully-owned campus outside the United States and the largest building globally in terms of employees (15,000) and space (9.5 acres).

The investments will also help in expanding growth opportunities for the more than 5,50,000 traders and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses – including local shops – through programs like Saheli, Karigar, and “I Have Space”.

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