Want to change lives of poor children: Rajinikanth's wife Latha

April 30, 2014

Rajinikanths_wife_Latha

New Delhi, Apr 30: Superstar Rajinikanth's wife Latha describes as "adventurous and exciting" her role as the southern matinee idol's life partner and says her "greatest satisfaction" will come from making a difference to the lives of poor children.

She first met the "The Boss" star when she was studying in Ethiraj College in Chennai and later, in the 1980s, the two tied the knot. Her life has since then been "wonderful" and more, she says.

"It's been wonderful, adventurous, exciting... At the same time, it's a huge responsibility to take on shoulders because life can never be normal. But at home, we are a normal family and we try to retain that," Latha said in an interview here.

She is mother of two daughters, Aishwarya and Soundarya, both of whom have taken filmmaking as a career choice.

Elegantly dressed in a bright traditional silk sari, Latha, talking about her "creative" daughters, said: "Both were artistic, but we were waiting to see in which direction they would go, and they have identified themselves as directors."

While Aishwarya made her directorial debut in 2012 with romantic thriller "3", which starred her husband Dhanush in the lead role, Soundarya's first film "Kochadaiiyaan", starring her father Rajinikanth, is coming out May 9. "Kochadaiiyaan" is set to deliver groundbreaking technology - the Rs.125 crore project is said to be the country's first motion-capture photo-realistic 3D animated movie.

Soundarya was honoured Tuesday with NDTV Indian of the year technical innovation in a film award for the same and the proud mother says "it is a wonderful feeling".

"It's a proud moment for us...," said Latha, a professional singer who has sung "Manapennin sathiyam" for Soundarya's first venture "Kochadaiiyaan".

Like her daughters, Latha also didn't take the acting route due to lack of interest and chose to be a singer.

"I've been a singer since childhood. I enjoy making music and singing. As far as acting goes, I don't think I'll do a cameo also. It's a big platform and already there is an actor in the family," said Latha, who mostly likes singing pop and folk numbers.

She might not like to act in movies or even star in films with her husband but she is not finicky about who is paired with Rajinikanth on the big screen - even if it means watching the 64-year-old act with Deepika Padukone, who is only 28 years old, in "Kochadaiiyaan".

"Soundarya has made her father look younger with the help of technology in the movie. So, Deepika will be seen acting with him as a 25-year-old. Also, age doesn't restrict an actor because it's for a movie. It's just a character," said the singer who answered all the questions smilingly despite being tired.

Her family is certainly important to her, but so is she to help the needy and she manages to take out time for them.

"I stay connected to my passion for children, music, education... We started The Ashram in 1991. Now, there are 2,500 students. There are two divisions - ICSE and state board.

The focus is on core development of a child. We work on their personality and aptitude development.

"If I can make a difference to children, that will be my greatest satisfaction," said the founder of the co-ed school offering education to students from class one to 12.

Latha also runs a foundation called 'I am for India' that works for social care, medical care, senior citizens, environment and more.

She has so much in her kitty, but there is not stopping her. To stay pink in health, she practises yoga and also meditates, hoping to continue maintaining a balance between her family and her passion.

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Want to change lives of poor children: Rajinikanth's wife Latha

New Delhi, Apr 30: Superstar Rajinikanth's wife Latha describes as "adventurous and exciting" her role as the southern matinee idol's life partner and says her "greatest satisfaction" will come from making a difference to the lives of poor children.

She first met the "The Boss" star when she was studying in Ethiraj College in Chennai and later, in the 1980s, the two tied the knot. Her life has since then been "wonderful" and more, she says.

"It's been wonderful, adventurous, exciting... At the same time, it's a huge responsibility to take on shoulders because life can never be normal. But at home, we are a normal family and we try to retain that," Latha said in an interview here.

She is mother of two daughters, Aishwarya and Soundarya, both of whom have taken filmmaking as a career choice.

Elegantly dressed in a bright traditional silk sari, Latha, talking about her "creative" daughters, said: "Both were artistic, but we were waiting to see in which direction they would go, and they have identified themselves as directors."

While Aishwarya made her directorial debut in 2012 with romantic thriller "3", which starred her husband Dhanush in the lead role, Soundarya's first film "Kochadaiiyaan", starring her father Rajinikanth, is coming out May 9. "Kochadaiiyaan" is set to deliver groundbreaking technology - the Rs.125 crore project is said to be the country's first motion-capture photo-realistic 3D animated movie.

Soundarya was honoured Tuesday with NDTV Indian of the year technical innovation in a film award for the same and the proud mother says "it is a wonderful feeling".

"It's a proud moment for us...," said Latha, a professional singer who has sung "Manapennin sathiyam" for Soundarya's first venture "Kochadaiiyaan".

Like her daughters, Latha also didn't take the acting route due to lack of interest and chose to be a singer.

"I've been a singer since childhood. I enjoy making music and singing. As far as acting goes, I don't think I'll do a cameo also. It's a big platform and already there is an actor in the family," said Latha, who mostly likes singing pop and folk numbers.

She might not like to act in movies or even star in films with her husband but she is not finicky about who is paired with Rajinikanth on the big screen - even if it means watching the 64-year-old act with Deepika Padukone, who is only 28 years old, in "Kochadaiiyaan".

"Soundarya has made her father look younger with the help of technology in the movie. So, Deepika will be seen acting with him as a 25-year-old. Also, age doesn't restrict an actor because it's for a movie. It's just a character," said the singer who answered all the questions smilingly despite being tired.

Her family is certainly important to her, but so is she to help the needy and she manages to take out time for them.

"I stay connected to my passion for children, music, education... We started The Ashram in 1991. Now, there are 2,500 students. There are two divisions - ICSE and state board.

The focus is on core development of a child. We work on their personality and aptitude development.

"If I can make a difference to children, that will be my greatest satisfaction," said the founder of the co-ed school offering education to students from class one to 12.

Latha also runs a foundation called 'I am for India' that works for social care, medical care, senior citizens, environment and more.

She has so much in her kitty, but there is not stopping her. To stay pink in health, she practises yoga and also meditates, hoping to continue maintaining a balance between her family and her passion.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Los Angeles, May 11: Iconic soul and R&B singer Betty Wright has died after a battle with cancer. She was 66. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Grammy winner passed away on Sunday in her hometown Miami, Florida, Wright's niece confirmed.

The news comes a week after singer-songwriter Chaka Khan tweeted praying for her "beloved sister", without mentioning the cause of ailment.

"Calling all my #PrayWarriors | My beloved sister, Betty Wright, is now in need of all your prays. 'Que Sera, Sera | Whatever Will Be, Will Be' In Jesus Name We Pray for Sister Betty All My Love Chaka," she wrote.

Wright, whose real name was Bessie Regina Norris, was born in 1953.

She started singing as part of her siblings' musical group called the 'Echoes of Joy', but she rose to fame in the 1970s.

The singer was a member of the gospel ensemble until they parted ways when she was 11, leading her to embrace R&B music.

Wright signed with the label Deep City Records in 1966, a year later becoming a local hit with songs "Thank You Baby" and "Paralyzed".

Her first album My First Time Around wasn't released until two years later featuring the hit "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do."

The biggest hit of her career Clean Up Woman came a year later, which was certified gold barely days after her 18th birthday.

At the age of 23, she went on to win her first Grammy Award for Best Song, Where is the Love?

Wright continued writing and producing music for two decades, her final hit  No Pain, (No Gain) was released in 1988.

Wright also collaborated with talent in the industry including fellow Miami superstar Gloria Estefan, for whom she arranged the harmonies on the 1991 track Coming Out of the Dark, as well as Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, and Joss Stone.

She served as the vocal coach of the girl group Danity Kane on "Making of the Band" (2006).

With her collaboration with The Roots titled Betty Wright: The Movie, Wright again came under spotlight in 2011. This was her first album in a decade.

She scored a Grammy nod for the song Surrender from the album. Her work has been sampled throughout the years by Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Afrika Bambaataa, and Chance the Rapper. Several names from the music industry such as Snoop Dogg, John Legend, and DJ Khaled condoled Wright's demise on social media.

Snoop shared a video of Wright singing "Tonight is the Night" and thanked his mentor for inviting him to "thankful Thursday's" at her Florida house years ago.

"I know god is pleased with your work. Tonight is the night you get to heavens gates. Long live. Betty Wright," he wrote on Instagram.

Legend said Wright will be missed.

"She was always so loving and giving to younger artists. Always engaged, always relevant," he tweeted.

Khaled shared a clip of his performance with Wright on the song "Holy Key" at the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards.

"Betty Wright, you are an angel. You one of my realest friends I have! You are like a mom to me! You had my back from the very beginning! We made beautiful music together! Betty Wright is an icon! And the Mother of Miami," he wrote.

Wright was married three times - her final marriage was to reggae legend Noel 'King Sporty' Williams from 1985 until his death in 2015.

She had five children: Aisha McCray, Patrice Parker, Patrick Parker, Patrice Parker, and Chaka Azuri. Her son Patrick was shot to death on Christmas Day 2005 at the age of 21.

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Agencies
February 25,2020

New Delhi, Feb 25: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave time to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to seek instructions on travel ban imposed on comedian Kunal Kamra.

Kamra approached the court against IndiGo which suspended him from flying with the airlines for a period of six months. Other airlines had also followed the suit in pursuance to this.

Justice Naveen Chawla said that the regulatory body should not have certified actions of airlines other than IndiGo to ban Kamra without conducting inquiry. The matter will now be heard on February 27.

Last month, IndiGo had barred the stand-up comedian for six months from using its services for allegedly portraying "unacceptable behaviour" onboard its flight.

The airline claimed that Kamra, while travelling on a Mumbai-Lucknow IndiGo flight, provoked a TV news anchor by asking questions over his news presentation style.

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Agencies
June 15,2020

Mumbai, Jun 15: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death has reignited the discussions around the struggle of survival in Bollywood, with many insiders highlighting "cruel and unforgiving" nature of the industry, particularly tough on outsiders.

Rajput was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

According to a police official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

An engineering student, Rajput left his course at the Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s and rose from a background dancer to a TV star with soap opera Pavitra Rishta, which gave the "outsider" his breakout show in 2009.

In 2013, he made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che! and went on to star in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Raabta, Kedarnath, Sonchiriya and Chhichhore.

But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's in the 2007 biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

In a telling tweet, veteran actor Dharmendra wrote despite not knowing Rajput personally, his death served as a reminder that the industry could be "cruel".

"Pyaare Sushant, naa film dekhi na kabhi mila tum se... par tere achaanak chale jaane se bada sadma laga. This beautiful beloved 'show business" is very cruel. I can imagine your unbearable pain. I share the pain of your loving family and friends," Dharmendra wrote.

Actor Meera Chopra penned a powerful, poignant note about the loneliness one feels working in an industry, which is "cold and ruthless".

"We all knew well that Sushant was going through depression since long, but what did we do? Where was his close circle, the directors and producers he's worked with, his close friends? Why nobody came out and helped, gave him the kind of love, the work that he wanted - because nobody cares," she wrote on Twitter.

The Section 375 actor, who has been vocal about feeling suffocated by the constant judgement from the industry colleagues, said nobody in Bollywood cares about what one's going through and artistes are just a flop away from being alienated.

Chopra said the industry has "failed" Rajput and Bollywood will now never be the same.

"True, Bollywood is a small family, but a kind of family which is never there when you need them. He had to take his life for that family to realise the kind of pain and need he was in. An outsider will always feel like an outsider here.

"I just want to say to my industry that help people when they need it, and you know when they need it. There is no point tweeting when they are no more. Don't pretend to be sad when you guys didn't do anything when he was sad. Stop being such a hypocritical society," she added.

Gulshan Devaiah said, as an actor, one could understand why Rajput would've taken the step to end his life.

"As actors, somewhere deep down inside, we think we know why he did it and that’s why it so disturbing even if you didn’t know him at all. It’s a hard game to play and he played it very well but the game won in the end," Devaiah wrote.

Quoting Chopra's tweet, the Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota star dismissed the idea of Bollywood being a family.

"If one thinks it’s a family, there is the problem. Bollywood is an imaginary name for a place of work, that’s it. I am really not trying to put anybody down here and sorry if it seems," he wrote.

On Sunday, actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi posted a strongly-worded tweet calling out the "hypocrisy" of the industry after people from the film fraternity wrote they regretted not staying in touch with the "Chhichhore" star.

"High and mighty announcing they should have kept in touch with Sushant. Come on, you didn't! And that's because his career dipped. So STFU! Are you in touch with Imran Khan, Abhay Deol and others? No! But you were, when they were doing well," Dwivedi said.

Similar sentiment was echoed by filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, who, without taking names, said the "Bollywood Privilege Club" must sit down and think hard.

"Now don't ask me to elaborate any further," he tweeted.

Addressing outsiders, filmmaker Hansal Mehta wrote a long thread about the two ends of an artiste's time in the industry - the glorious successes and the crushing lows.

"There are many young 'outsiders' in this industry. Remember this - there is an establishment that will make you feel like the next big thing until they need you. They will drop you and mock you as soon as you falter. Do not fall for the trap. The ones that celebrate you will celebrate your downfall some time later," he tweeted.

Mehta said it's important for those who don't come from a film family to not force themselves to fit in.

"Just be authentic, follow your heart and stop seeking acceptance from anybody. Your connection should be with your art, your craft and with your audience. Nothing else matters. Over the years you will succeed, you will stumble.

"But remember that nothing is more important than you. Look after yourself. And know that you matter. The world is much bigger and wiser than what you perceive. So are opportunities. If you stay they will be yours. Lots of love. Never lose heart," the filmmaker wrote.

Celebrity hairstylist-turned-director Sapna Bhavnani claimed that Rajput's battle with mental health was out in the open and yet the industry chose to look the other way.

"It’s no secret Sushant was going through very tough times for the last few years. No one in the industry stood up for him nor did they lend a helping hand. To tweet today is the biggest display of how shallow the industry really is. No one here is your friend," she wrote on Twitter.

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