Shivaay doesn't have religion angle: Ajay Devgn

August 8, 2016

Mumbai, Aug 8: Actor-producer Ajay Devgn says his upcoming film "Shivaay" won't hurt any religious sentiments as the movie deals with human elements of Lord Shiva.

ShivaayAjay, who has also directed the movie, said he is not portraying Shiva but a common man, who is a devotee of the God.

"There is no religion (angle in the film). I am not portraying Shiva. If you see my lines also, 'jiske bheetar basa Shivaay', (means) who has Shiva in his heart. In the film also, he is not sitting and meditating and praying. He has got tattoos of Shiva all over his body and he is called Shivaay in the film," the 47-year-old "Drishyam" star said in an interview on the sidelines of the film's trailer launch in Indore. Ajay said Shiva was the only God who had flaws and that was an interesting concept to toy with.

"The thought is, man who believes in the supernatural power. Shiva, I feel, is the only God which also connects to today's youth. Every other God is flawless, Shiva is the only god with all the flaws.

"He smokes, drink 'bhang', when he gets wild he will kill randomly, then he will realise that he has made a mistake, people can fool him also. He is good by heart.. When he gets violent he is terrible. This is what humans are. Shiva, I feel is the only God which has all the elements," the actor said.

This much-ambitious project took two years to complete and Ajay said the film needed special attention as he didn't want to make "mediocre" stuff.

"I am bored of making films which are mediocre. We have to raise the bar. Somebody has to make an effort. For that you have to make lots of sacrifices. I have not worked for the past two years in any other film."

The actor cut his fee too for the movie as he believed the grand scale of "Shivaay" needed sacrifices from him.

"Technically, people will think I've lost so much of revenue because I've not worked. In a film like this, to make it on this scale, if I would've kept my remuneration as an actor and a director, I don't think that was possible. So, that also I sacrificed."

When asked how did the idea to make "Shivaay" struck him, Ajay said it was writer Sandeep Srivastava who came up with a thought which was inspired from a true incident.

"There was a thought which Sandeep my writer had, which was inspired from a true incident. Not that I made (the film on) true incident but it was inspired from there, we had read an article. From there, I thought the emotional ground was very strong. It's not about the story, its about the screenplay. So that's how it started."

Ajay is making a return to direction after eight years. His last directorial venture was romantic drama "U Me aur Hum", which had him and wife Kajol in lead roles.

The film didn't do well at the box-office and the actor feels it was because people didn't have an idea about Alzheimer's disease on which the movie was based.

"The kind of response I got for 'U Me aur Hum', here the emotional drama was concerned, you'll see some articles stuck in my office also..It did very well in overseas and urban market.

"But you can't call it a blockbuster because half the country didn't understand what Alzheimer's is." Meanwhile, "Shivaay" is set to release on October 28. It also stars newcomers Sayyeishaa Saigal and Erica.

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News Network
March 19,2020

London, Mar 19: "Game of Thrones" star Indira Varma has revealed that she has tested positive for coronavirus.

Her diagnosis comes two days after fellow "Game of Thrones" actor Kristofer Hivju also said that he tested positive for the COVID-19 infection.

Varma, who played the role of Ellaria Sand in the epic HBO series, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news.

"I'm in bed with it and it's not nice. Stay safe and healthy and be kind to your fellow people," she wrote.

The 46-year-old actor was starring in the modern take of Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull" in London's West End, alongside "Game of Thrones" alum Emilia Clarke.

The play is on hold due to the pandemic.

"So sad our and so many other shows around the world have gone dark affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope to be back soon and urge you all (and the govt) to support us when we do. Phoenix/ Seagull rising from the ashes (sic)," Varma wrote in her post with photos from the rehearsals.

Varma and Hivju join Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Idris Elba, Olga Kurylenko, and Rachel Matthews among the Hollywood celebrities who contracted the virus.

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News Network
June 6,2020

Indore, Jun 6: An FIR has been registered against television producer Ekta Kapoor and two others here in Madhya Pradesh on charges of spreading obscenity, hurting religious feelings, and improper use of national emblems in her web show 'Triple X season 2', police said on Saturday.

The FIR also mentions about a particular scene which allegedly portrays the Indian Army's uniform in a highly objectionable way, an officer said.

Besides Kapoor, the FIR names director of the web series Pankhudi Rodrigues and screenwriter Jessica Khurana, said Annapurna police station inspector Satish Kumar Dwivedi.

The complaint was lodged on Friday night by Valmik Sakaragaye and Neeraj Yagnik, both residents of Indore.

"Ekta Kapoor's OTT platform ALTBalaji streamed (erotic) web series 'Triple X season 2' which not only spread obscenity but also hurt religious feelings of a particular community," Dwivedi said quoting the complaint.

A scene in the web show portrayed the Indian Army's uniform in a highly objectionable manner and also disrespected the national emblems, he said.

Kapoor and others have been booked under sections 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology (IT) Act, and the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005, Dwivedi said.

Mumbai-based Ekta Kapoor is the founder of ALTBalaji, which is owned by her production house, Balaji Telefilms.

Further investigation is underway, the police officer said.

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News Network
March 26,2020

Mumbai, Mar 25: Filmmakers and actors, including Karan Johar, Taapsee Pannu and Ayushmann Khurrana, have pledged their support to a new initiative aimed at supporting the daily wage-earners who have been severely affected by the lockdown imposed to combat coronavirus.
The country is witnessing a 21-day lockdown, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to contain the spread of the virus, which has claimed the lives of over 20,000 people globally.

The initiative, I Stand With Humanity, started by organisations -- the International Association for Human Values, the Art of Living Foundation and the Indian Film and TV Industry, will provide families of daily wage workers with 10 days of essential food supplies.

"I pledge to contribute and support this initiative! This is a situation that needs all our help, love, care and support," Karan posted on Twitter.

Taapsee said everyone must come forward to help the daily wage workers.

"This one for the daily wage workers. Because we need to do our bit for the ones who work with/for us. If not corona, lack of basic food might take them down. Let's help them to get through this," the actor wrote.

Ayushmann described the initiative as "truly noble".

"I vow to support this and contribute. India and Indians are under threat and each one of us have the power to make a difference. Let's support and care for each other as much as we can in this time of crisis. #Istandwithhumanity," he tweeted.

Kiara Advani and Rakul Preet Singh also pledged to contribute towards the initiative.

"Let's contribute! While some of us are safe at home, we can help those struggling right now... donate," Kiara said.

Rakul tweeted, "I support this noble initiative. Happy to contribute for this humanitarian cause. While staying safe at home, I urge every one else also to contribute online."

Actor Varun Sharma said, "I pledge to contribute & support this initiative #iStandWithHumanity"

"In times like these, we need to step up for the ones in need. I'm happy to contribute for this humanitarian cause. And guys whoever can help, you all can also contribute online," actor Sidharth Malhotra tweeted.

Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari wrote, "There are a lot of daily wage earners who need our help during this tough time. Please help as much as you can. Here's the link to contribute online."

Actor Bhumi Pednekar said it was important to get together and help those who are "vulnerable and in need".

Actor Dia Mirza said, "We are in this together. YES we will help #DailyWageEarners get through this with hope and dignity. I am contributing to this effort and I hope many others in our fraternity will do as well."

Filmmakers Aanand L Rai and Sanjay Gupta have also backed the cause.

"One of the greatest gift a person can give another, is support. I whole heartily support this noble initiative. While staying safe at home, I urge every one else also to contribute online," Aanand tweeted.

Gupta called upon the public to help the daily wage-earners through the initiative.

On March 18, the Producers Guild of India had announced that they have set up a relief fund for daily wage-earners impacted by the shutdown of film, television and web productions amid coronavirus pandemic.

Their decision came after many filmmakers, including Sudhir Mishra, Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, raised concerns over the impact of shutdown on the daily wage workers.

South star Pawan Kalyan announced on Twitter that he will donate Rs 1 crore to PM relief fund.

B N Tiwari, President of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), however, claimed there has been no help from Bollywood personalities or the Producers Guild of India so far.

"In the South, Rajinikanth has donated Rs 50 lakh which is a great thing. But here, we haven't received any call or help from anyone from Bollywood yet."

"There is one production company called Frames that produces TV shows, they have given ration worth Rs 25 lakh but it is stuck at Navi Mumbai and we haven't been able to give that to workers as they can't come here. We are toying with the idea of taking help of police authorities to give the ration to the workers," Tiwari told news agency.

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