There aren't many good offers that come my way: Konkona

Agencies
June 8, 2019

Mumbai, Jun 8: In her close to 15-years-long career, Konkona Sensharma has mostly featured in projects which have pushed the envelope but the actor says there are still a very few people who are ready to back something unconventional.

When the actor was offered to feature in the short "A Monsoon Date", it gave her the opportunity to play someone she had never played before: a transsexual.

"I had never done anything like this before. That was a huge draw for me. The subject was dealt so beautifully, it was so nuanced, and was written with a lot of compassion. I was very lucky to be offered something like this because there aren't so many good offers that come my way," Konkona said.

The actor says she isn't sad over lack of good offers as she feels fortunate to work with some of the best people in the business.

"It doesn't sadden me. I have been lucky enough to get some good projects also, 'Talvar', 'Lipstick Under My Burkha', my upcoming 'Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare'. I'm very happy to have worked with the kind of people I have in the past and the ones I'm working with now."

Directed by Tanuja Chandra and written by Gazal Dhaliwal, "A Monsoon Date" released on Eros Now.

Konkona says she prepared for the role by talking to Tanuja and Gazal.

"The story opens at a time where a lot has already happened in her life. I wanted to bring myself up to speed about that. So I sat with Tanuja and Gazal to understand what is the backstory, what all has happened to her, so at some level I can try to process that.

"Gazal has lived that life. Because she has written it herself, she was able to communicate her experiences. That was very helpful for me. The three of us really collaborated on this."

The actor says though it's wonderful that there are films like "Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga", "Aligarh" among others, the representation of LGTBQ community is "far away from enough."

"By and large, we shy away... There's an under-representation of this community on screen," she says.

Asked what could be the reason, the actor says, "it's a question more for people who produce and finance films but there are a very few people ready to back something unconventional.

"Many times people want to finance films which follow a certain formula. There's a lack of imagination when it comes to doing things which are slightly different."

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News Network
February 19,2020

Washington, Feb 19: Popular Indian-American stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj, who has been critical of both US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would perform at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents Association.

Hasan Minhaj, whose parents come from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, will serve as the entertainer at the event.

Kenan Thompson, the actor, and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast-member will serve as the host for the annual White House Correspondents Association's (WHCA) dinner on April 25.

"Hasan Minhaj, the Peabody award-winning host of Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer," the WHCA announced.

"Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. I'm thrilled they'll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy," said Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA.

"We're looking forward to a lively evening honouring the most important political journalism of the past year," he said.

President Trump who has skipped the WHCA dinner for the last three years is unlikely to attend this time as well.

Hasan Minhaj has hosted his Netflix show since 2018, drawing critics' raves, including a Peabody award in 2019, for his humorous and informed examination of issues of domestic and global import.

He was the entertainer at the 2017 WHCA Dinner when he was a senior correspondent on The Daily Show. His one-hour Netflix comedy special Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King was released in 2017, for which he won his first Peabody Award in 2018.

Kenan Thompson began his career as a member of Nickelodeon's sketch series All That. Kenan Thompson is currently in his 17th season on SNL where he has set a record for the most celebrity impressions performed on the show.

In 2018, he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

At its annual dinner, WHCA will be presenting two new awards at the 2020 dinner: The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability and the Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists.

These are in addition to the longstanding Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.

This year's dinner will also include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida''s College of Journalism and Communications to recognize outstanding statehouse reporting.

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News Network
February 27,2020

Mumbai, Feb 27: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday said it's with constant education that a country, a family can move forward as there is never an end to learning.

In December last year, when the actor visited the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, the La Trobe University announced the 'Shah Rukh Khan La Trobe University PhD Scholarship'. At the event to announce therecipient of the scholarship here on Wednesday, Shah Rukh said it was his honour to lend his name or be attached to the scholarship.

"I am a big believer in education. I truly believe that the way forward for any country, any family, city, state is by educating itself more and more.

"There is never an end to education. I've come to realise the more I know, I figure out, the less I understand. It's very important to keep educating ourselves for the rest of our lives.

"I've always believed education in India and elsewhere in the world, is the most important step forward for any nation," he said.

The scholarship aims to provides an opportunity for an aspiring female researcher from India to undertake research.

The 54-year-old superstar said what also will help taking the world move ahead is educating women.

"Related to the fact, is of course, education of women, empowering women, to look after themselves to look after their families...

"If you are able to empower them with education, the world goes even further forward," the actor added.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Los Angeles, Mar 6: Filmmaker-writer Taika Waititi is set to direct two animated series based on Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" for Netflix.

Waititi, who won an Academy Award in February for his adapted screenplay, "Jojo Rabbit", will also serve as the writer and producer on the animated series.

According to Deadline, the first series will be based on the world of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", while the second will be an original take on the Oompa-Loompa characters from the book.

The Oompa-Loompas are little humans who were preyed upon in Loompaland before Wonka invited them to work at his chocolate factory. They are paid in cocoa beans and love practical jokes and singing songs.

Netflix said the animation series would "retain the quintessential spirit and tone of the original story while building out the world and characters far beyond the pages of the Dahl book for the very first time."

The series will follow in the footsteps of Gene Wilder's 1971 portrayal of Willy Wonka and Johnny Depp's 2005 interpretation.

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