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Mumbai, Disney+ Hotstar on Friday unveiled its new series "<keyword id="19830179" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="karmma-calling" source="Orion">Karmma Calling</keyword>", starring actor <keyword id="6384030" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="raveena-tandon" source="Orion">Raveena Tandon</keyword> in the lead. The show, which will debut on the streamer's platform on January 26, 2024, is based on the popular American series "Revenge", which aired from 2011-2015 and was produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. <br /><br />It is adapted and directed by <keyword id="210784" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ruchi-narain" source="Orion">Ruchi Narain</keyword> of "Guilty" fame. <br /><br />Set in the world of glitz and glamour, filled with deceit and betrayal, "Karmma Calling" will feature Tandon as Indrani Kothari, the reigning queen of the Alibaug society. <br /><br />Tandon, who made her series debut with the 2021 show "Aranyak", said she has not played a character like Indrani Kothari in a long time. <br /><br />"Karmma Calling is definitely more than what meets the eye and explores different facets of the world of the rich. Collaborating with Disney+ Hotstar was a great experience and playing Indrani helped me explore more for myself as an actor. It is a never-seen-before and never done before role and I am looking forward to audience reactions," the 51-year-old actor said. <br /><br />Narain said "Karmma Calling" is set against the backdrop of the ultra rich and affluent Kothari family and all that conspires around them in their world. <br /><br />"The series has massive grandeur, scale and a glamorous outlook with a story that weaves in revenge, deceit, betrayals and also navigates experiences of the Kothari family. The series is definitely going to be your 'guilty pleasure' watch and leave you craving for more. Collaborating with Raveena Tandon and Disney+ Hotstar has been an incredible experience," she added. <br /><br />Gaurav Banerjee, Head - Content, Disney+ Hotstar &amp; HSM Entertainment Network, Disney Star, said they are happy with how 2023 has turned out for the streaming service with shows such as "The Night Manager", "Taaza Khabar", "Saas Bahu aur Flamingo", "Aarya" season three and "The Trial". <br /><br /> "The upcoming Hotstar Specials' Karmma Calling narrates the story of Indrani Kothari's world, where her Karma will not let her rest. A world that shows the opulence and lives of the riches. The series marks Disney+ Hotstar's first association with the versatile Raveena Tandon," he added. <br /><br />"Karmma Calling" is produced by R.A.T Films.

Disney+ Hotstar announces Raveena Tandon-led series 'Karmma Calling'

<br />
“Dogs and Indians are not allowed.”<br />
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Set in modern Mumbai, this video poignantly shows you what modern India would be like under British Raj.<br />
<br /> Oyo Rooms, India’s largest network of hotels, in partnership with <keyword id="3001334" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Boring-Brands">Boring Brands</keyword> and <keyword id="3001333" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kreative-Wings-Studio">Kreative Wings Studio</keyword> has unveiled a powerful digital film highlighting what freedom truly means. The film is a tribute to the freedom fighters and invites consumers to join in through the social media movement. “Agar hum azad nahi hote toh shayad kuch aisa hota!” (If we weren’t independent, how would it have been! #Azaadi4me)<br />
<br /> Bollywood actor <keyword id="15439" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manoj-Bajpai">Manoj Bajpai</keyword>, one of the protagonists of the film said, “This project is close to my heart; as an artiste to encapsulate such a powerful message in such a short format is both challenging and exciting. It’s a pragmatic film with a strong social message that I believe will force the audience to stop, step back and introspect. It was great to be back on set with Raveena, who remains one of my favourite co-stars till date.”<br />
<br /> Actress <keyword id="6384030" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Raveena-Tandon">Raveena Tandon</keyword> who features in the digital film too said, “Patriotism as a theme isn’t new to cinema but what stands out about this film is the way the message is conveyed. It’s both heart touching and thought provoking and gives the audience a new perspective on the freedom they enjoy. As a proud Indian, this film serves as a powerful reminder of how lucky we are to be part of an Independent and democratic India.”<br />
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Talking about the new campaign, Ritesh Agarwal, founder &amp; ceo of OYO Rooms said, “Personally, this concept resonated with me because as an entrepreneur I am living my dream, something that probably would have been impossible if we didn’t enjoy the freedom that we do.” He further added that poised to be among the developed countries of the world and our generation is lucky to be living at a time where we have the freedom to pursue our dreams. India today is a land of opportunities, poised to be among the developed countries of the world and our generation is lucky to be living at a time where we have the freedom to pursue our dreams. With this video we hope to salute the heroes who gave us the country we are living in today.<br />
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This shows you how something as quintessential as freedom can completely change your life if it’s taken away from you. Both Raveena Tandon and Manoj Bajpai have delivered performances that stay with you long after the film is over.<br />
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(Image credits: BoringBrands)<br />
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#Independence Day Special: Manoj Bajpai and Raveena Tandon define what freedom truly
means!

Actor <keyword id="6384030" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="raveena-tandon" source="Orion">Raveena Tandon</keyword> says she is elated that through <keyword id="25105" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="padma-shri" source="Orion">Padma Shri</keyword>, the fourth highest civilian award in the country, her work in both mainstream and independent cinema has been recognized. The actor, whose name was announced among the Padma awardees on the eve of the Republic Day, said 2023 has begun on a good note. <br /><br />"It has been a year of awards for 'KGF 2' and 'Aranyak'. But this (Padma Shri) was the best of all because this encapsulated my entire body of work. It encapsulates everything, the commercial successes, the songs that are so eternal that people remember," <keyword id="6544" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="raveena" source="Orion">Raveena</keyword> told PTI. <br /><br />The actor, who ruled the 90s cinema with hits such as "Mohra", "Dilwale" and "Dulhe Raja" while also making a mark in off-beat movies such as "Daman", "Satta" and "Shool", made her successful streaming debut with Netflix series "Aranyak" in 2021. She also played an important role in "KGF: Chapter 2".<br /><br />"It feels good that there are people watching and appreciating you. I thank everyone who has been with me on this journey and supported me throughout," the actor she said.<br /><br /> The popularity of mainstream entertainers usually dominate an actor's filmography, but Raveena feels "lucky" that her performance-oriented roles in "Satta", "Shool" and "Daman", for which she won the National award best actress, did not go unnoticed.<br /><br />"Huge commercial successes sometimes overshadow the body of work that you have done in realistic cinema because of the hit songs and films that people remember. I am so happy that an award like Padma Shri gives credit to the fact that I have done films like 'Satta', 'Daman', 'Matr' and 'Shool'."<br /><br />The actor said it was a struggle to fight stereotypes back and recalled how she had to convince <keyword id="6355246" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ram-gopal-varma" source="Orion">Ram Gopal Varma</keyword> to cast her in 1999 film "Shool". <br /><br />Raveena, who eventually played a Bihari housewife to Manoj Bajpayee's character in the film, recalls <keyword id="8478" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="varma" source="Orion">Varma</keyword> saying, "when I close my eyes, I can see you doing 'Aankhiyon Se Goli Maare''.<br /><br /> "In the 90s, it was easy to get stereotyped. It was a conscious decision to start challenging myself as an actor. I was getting stuck in that stereotype, I had to break away from it. It was a conscious decision to stop signing glamorous roles."<br /><br /> Workwise, 2023 has many interesting projects in the pipeline for the actor. <br /><br /> She will be seen in Arbaaz Khan-backed social drama "Patna Shukla", a romantic-comedy "Gudchadhi" with Sanjay Dutt and a show with Disney+ Hotstar. <br /><br /> "'Gudchadhi' is a sweet romantic-comedy, 'Patna Shuka', which is topical and relevant to the problems that we face in our society. Then I have a show that I am doing for Hotstar, which is a thriller, on 'Aranyak', I think the writing work is going on and soon we will be looking forward to KGF 3," Raveena said.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/the-union-budget-is-round-the-corner-but-is-your-budget-sorted/articleshow/97370691.cms">The Union Budget is round the corner, but is your budget sorted?</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/have-you-ever-observed-your-mothers-time-management-skills-modi-on-pariksha-pe-charcha/articleshow/97370498.cms"><strong>Have you ever observed your mother's time management skills?: Modi on Pariksha Pe Charcha</strong></a><br />

'Padma Shri' honour encapsulates my entire body of work: Raveena Tandon

Mumbai, May 13 () Filmmaker Farah Khan says her daughter Anya has raised over Rs 2.5 lakh by sketching pets, the proceeds of which will go towards feeding the homeless and stray animals affected by the coronavirus pandemic.<p>Last month, the filmmaker took to social media to announce that Anya, 12, decided to sketch a pet and sell the artwork for Rs 1,000 to support such neglected animals.</p><p>Farah on Wednesday gave an update on Anya's sketches, saying that her daughter had so far finished 100 sketches and is ready for the next set of orders. The video was shot by the "Om Shanti Om" director's other daughter Diva.</p><p>"Over a 100 sketches done and a little more than 2 and a half lakhs collected and donated!! Thank you to all the generous contributors. Anya is ready for round 2 of orders.. #sketchapet #sketchforcharity .. video shot by… #divakunder," Farah wrote on Instagram.</p>Anya has so far fulfilled orders by several Bollywood celebrities, including Zoya Akhtar, Gauri Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonali Bendre Behl, Raveena Tandon, Tahira Kashyap.  KKP  RDSRDS

COVID-19: Farah Khan's daughter raises Rs 2.5 lakh to feed homeless stray animals

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>A member of India's billionaire Hinduja dynasty got married on Thursday and the multi-million-dollar-affair was the place to be for India's rich and famous.<p>Sanjay Hinduja, the son of business legend Gopichand Hinduja and chairman of Gulf Oil <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword>, married designer Anu Mahtani on Thursday after a week of celebrations that reportedly cost upward of $20 million. </p><p>The wedding took place in&#xa0;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Udaipur, a city in Rajasthan state, at the&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">island palace where the James Bond movie "Octopussy" was shot. Highlights included performances from Jennifer Lopez and pop artist Nicole Scherzinger, as well as a number of Bollywood stars.</span></p><p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2952115/Hinduja-tycoon-designer-bride-marry-stunning-Bollywood-ceremony-complete-entertainment-J-Lo-Nicole-Scherzinger.html">According to the Daily Mail</a>, more than 200 private jets chartered guests to the palace, and some 16,000 people attended week-long events leading up to the wedding.</p><p>Here's a look at the lavish affair:</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">JLo killed it on stage.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">British film actress Sophie Choudry posed with the groom.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Bollywood star Ranveer Singh posed with Nicole Scherzinger and other Indian celebs.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">People were really excited when JLo arrived a few days early. It was her first trip to India.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">She obviously had to take some selfies while touring around.</p><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">The luxurious Jagmandir Island Palace venue.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">Here's&#xa0;Nicole Scherzinger again. Check out that decor.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><br>Here are socialites Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta, Manish Malhotra, Sophie Choudry and Raveena Tandon.</br></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><br>Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Nicole Scherzinger perform.</br></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;<br>Guests were asked to wear traditional Indian dress to the ceremony.</br></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><br>Here's Nicole Scherzinger, who sang "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" from the film "Slumdog Millionaire."</br></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><br>Looks like it was quite the bash.</br></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/love-marriage-china-happiness-2015-2">These are the keys to a happy marriage in China</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Nsbzc1czrphijp4_avDx_0M18MsEnDvf" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This $20 million Indian wedding included 16,000 guests and a performance by Jennifer Lopez

Mumbai, May 11 () Over 80 artistes, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Ekta Kapoor and Shreya Ghoshal have come together for the track "Guzar Jayega", which aims at spreading hope amid the coronavirus pandemic.<p>The anthem, narrated by Bachchan, also features comedian Kapil Sharma, producer Ekta Kapoor, actors Raveena Tandon, Sunny Leone and singers Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan. </p><p>"These are testing and difficult times, we all have come together to instill hope and courage through this song "Guzar Jayega", we are in this together and this too shall pass, stay home and stay safe," Leone said in a statement.</p><p>Shreya said nothing encapsulates the current emotions like Bachchan's voiceover in the video, which says, "It's just time, it shall pass." </p><p>"We will have a plethora of emotions to indulge in, and realise there's always a greater sunrise after the darkest of nights. I am happy to be a part of the song where everyone has come together for a communication this to shall pass," the singer said.</p><p>Ekta said tough times can be handled well when the "entire industry is coming together for a cause" and the initiative brought in everyone as "one India to portray we will win."</p><p>Brain child of Varun Prabhudayal Gupta and Jay Verma, the track also brings together sports personalities including Sania Mirza, Vijendra Singh, Sushil Kumar, Mahesh Bhupati, Bhaichung Bhutia and Leander Paes.</p><p>"With what's happening around us, Jay and I came up with this thought and felt that people needed some hope and a sense of unity, in these testing times, and that is exactly the message behind 'Guzar Jayega'.</p><p>"This is the first time in world history that 50 singers and 55 personalities from various fields have united and come forward to support a cause," Varun said.</p>The song is composed by Jazim Sharma with lyrics penned by Siddhanth Kaushal.  JUR  SHDSHD

Bachchan, Sania Mirza, Manoj Bajpayee team up for motivational track amid coronavirus

New Delhi, Apr 20 () Non-profit body The Akshaya Patra Foundation on Monday said it has already served over 2 crore meals to vulnerable communities like migrant workers and homeless people affected due to the lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.<p> As on April 17, the Foundation has cumulatively served 2,19,44,385 meals which include 93,57,839 freshly cooked meals and 3,02,541 food relief kits (1,25,86,546 meal servings) to people in need in various locations across India, an official statement said.</p><p> The relief feeding endeavour has been initiated in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi and NCR, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.</p><p> "We have been able to serve over 2 crore meals to people in need during these difficult times due to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved," The Akshaya Patra Foundation Chairman Madhu Pandi Dasa said and thanked everyone for the donation.</p><p> "I sincerely hope that the situation will improve soon and people will be able to get back to their day-to-day life. Until then, we will continue our efforts to serve as many people as possible," he added.</p><p> The Foundation said it is using its kitchen network to prepare the meals and deliver them to the centres assigned by the authorities. Simultaneously, packaging centres have been set up in various locations across the country where food relief kits are packed with essential groceries based on the local palate.</p><p> The kits to be distributed in Bangalore, for instance, contain rice, tur dal, oil, spices, sambar and rasam powder, and vegetables which are known to have a long shelf-life, such as potatoes and pumpkins. Each kit has groceries sufficient for either 42 or 28 meals, it said.</p><p> In this endeavour, the Foundation said it has been supported by proactive corporate partners and individual donors.</p><p> For instance, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy and his family contributed Rs 10 crore from their personal funds toward Akshaya Patra's COVID-19 relief work. Their generous donation has enabled the Foundation to distribute 1.33 lakh food relief kits, which are equivalent to 55,86,000 meals, it said.</p><p>  Several corporate houses, such as the Biocon Foundation, Capgemini, CISCO, Coca–Cola, CLP, Deutsche Bank, DLF Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Gland Pharmaceuticals, HT Parekh Foundation, Hero Moto Corp, Infosys Foundation, LG Electronics, Morgan Stanley, Nestle India, PepsiCo Foundation, Sarojini Trust, Texas Instruments, Vedanta, Vivo, Walmart and many others, have come forward to contribute to the relief feeding endeavour.</p><p> The Foundation further said it has also received in-kind support for the endeavour with General Mills (Mumbai) donating cookies and cakes for distribution in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Noida, Britannia donating around 20,000 packs of 'Good Day' biscuits to be distributed in Bangalore, and Epigamia donating 17,000 premium yoghurt cups for distribution in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.</p><p> Similarly, Bollywood personalities, such as Hrithik Roshan and Raveena Tandon, have also donated to the Foundation's efforts.</p> Also supporting the Foundation are motivated volunteers who have selflessly come forward at this hour of need. These include volunteering groups, such as Inspiring Indians and Corona Warriors, as well as corporate volunteers from organisations such as the Infosys Foundation and Biocon.  LUX  HRS

Akshaya Patra serves over 2 cr meals to lockdown-hit vulnerable people

Mumbai, Filmmaker Prashanth Neel says movies like his "<keyword id="6400922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kgf" source="Orion">KGF</keyword>" franchise that organically travel across the country do well, a phenomenon he hopes is repeated with his latest directorial "<keyword id="10367331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salaar" source="Orion">Salaar</keyword>: Part 1 - Ceasefire". Neel and Yash, the lead star of "KGF" series, rose to national prominence after the success of "KGF: Chapter 1", the 2018 Kannada period action film. Its 2022 follow-up, "KGF: Chapter 2" also starred Bollywood actors Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt in key roles. <br /><br />The director, who made his debut with 2014's "Ugramm", said he never plans his films as pan-India projects. <br /><br />"I've written a story and I've executed it. I don't know if it ('Salaar') is going to be a pan-India movie or not. But if it becomes a pan-India movie, then that's an absolute bonus for all of us. Like, 'KGF' happened very organically. <br /><br />"Movies that happen organically always do well. You can't plan to make a pan-India movie, you can't plan and say that I'm going to bring these actors from this industry to make it a pan-India movie. It doesn't work like that," Neel told PTI in an interview here. <br /><br />"Salaar" revolves around two friends Deva and Vardha, played by <keyword id="104063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prabhas" source="Orion">Prabhas</keyword> and <keyword id="572189" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="prithviraj-sukumaran" source="Orion">Prithviraj Sukumaran</keyword>, who end up becoming arch rivals. It will be released on Friday. <br /><br />The 43-year-old director said the journey of the film started over 15 years ago. <br /><br />"It was an idea that was in my head. But it needed a very big budget. So, I made my first film 'Ugramm', then I made 'KGF'. I was occupied with 'KGF' for almost eight years. During COVID-19, I narrated this subject ('Salaar') to Prabhas sir and he agreed to do it," he recalled. <br /><br />The USP of "Salaar" is an emotion between two friends and how this emotion translates to violence forms the core of the story, Neel said. <br /><br />According to the director, equal importance should be given to the story and the characters in big-budget films. <br /><br />"We make a movie to tell a story and we want the right characters, right actors to portray every role. There's a commercial aspect with a star and we get bigger budgets to do what we want. But the criteria is the same that this is the character, it is not the hero who is playing the hero because if we think like that then we have lost the battle," he added. <br /><br />With "Salaar", Neel said his aim was for Prabhas ("Baahubali") to shed his superstar persona. <br /><br />"There was never a pressure to make 'Salaar'. The idea is to make sure that the actor looks like a character. You don't want to show Prabhas as Prabhas, you want to show him as a character and I tried our best to do something like that," he said. <br /><br />While the director acknowledged that Prabhas has had a difficult run at the box office with his recent releases "Adipurush" and "Radhe Shyam", he said a star can always bounce back after a hit film. <br /><br />"Prabhas is a big star. After 'Baahubali', he became the biggest star. People are not going to forget something like that. Stars have always been stars; they can have one flop or 20 flops, they just need to give one hit. Recently, <keyword id="1671" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shah-rukh-khan" source="Orion">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> showed us that a star is always a star, there's no denying that," Neel added. <br /><br />A box office showdown is expected between "Salaar" and Rajkumar Hirani's "Dunki". The latter, starring Shah Rukh Khan, will hit the screens a day before "Salaar" on Thursday. <br /><br />About the release, Neel said he doesn't meddle in the business aspect of a movie. <br /><br />"I don't get involved in the logistics of what happens after the movie is ready. My brief is I've to make a movie on a given budget and I've to give it to them at a time that they want to release," he said. <br /><br />The filmmaker said he has utmost respect for Hirani and Shah Rukh. <br /><br />"I loved whatever they put out (referring to assets of 'Dunki'). People always want to see the most human thing in any trailer or teaser, so we try to do that. Even in the larger-than-life movies we try to do that." <br /><br />Produced by Hombale Films, "Salaar" also stars Shruti Haasan, Eshwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu and Sriya Reddy.

Stars are always stars, says Salaar director on Prabhas' recent box office run

Every year has its own share of controversies and interesting twists and turns play a crucial role in the events. The year 2015 was no exception either. This year too, the country had its incidents, incidences and things that cropped up as aftermath, making some of them hot cakes in terms of news this year.<br />
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As we close in on wrapping up the year, here’s what made the headlines in 2015 and shaped the country’s opinion both, socially and politically, sometimes ushering in major change in perception about the country in the world’s eyes.<br />
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<strong><keyword id="3119826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Award-Wapsi">Award Wapsi</keyword></strong><br /> This must have been the most significant event of the year and happened right before the <keyword id="175111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar-elections">Bihar elections</keyword>. Award wapsi, a movement of sorts, was started a little while after murder of rationalist thinker and writer M M Kalburgi in Karnataka. Writers Nayantara Sehgal and Uday Prakash were among those who set the tone. This year, the biggest literary event was not a book release or something, but more like a writer standing up for his right to speak what he sees as truth. The writers were chided for siding with Congress party since most of them received awards during the tenure of Congress government.<br />
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<strong>National Herald case</strong><br />
Apart from Award Wapsi, this was another headline grabber which almost made demi gods out of Congress first line leaders. AICC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi made an appearance in court over murky National Herald assets usurping case, which cost the country quite dearly since Congress stalled the discussions over some crucial issues such as GST in parliament, over ‘vendetta’ politics.<br />
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<strong>Modi Pakistan-Afghan visit</strong><br />
Towards the end of the year, the Prime Minister who has been jocularly targeted for his trips aboard sprang up a surprise and visited his counterpart in Pakistan absolutely out of turn, thus catching everyone by surprise. His move was both appreciated and criticized in equal measures by those who love him, and by those who simply didn’t like this approach. But, it looks like the White House seems to have welcomed this new found bonhomie between neighbours who have been sworn enemies over several issues.<br />
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<strong>Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan’s (controversial) intolerance remarks</strong><br />
This year when people spoke of social and cultural differences, they were targeted on social media and how! Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who spoke against the rising incidents of ‘intolerance’ and the subsequent fear that has been the result of this, they were targeted badly for everything they said and did. Many from Bollywood including Raveena Tandon, Madhur Bhandarkar and Anupam Kher condemned these remarks made by the two Khans. The issue still simmers on.  <br />
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<strong>No women in temples, so what!</strong><br />
It started with Ayyappan temple in Sabarimala, Kerala where a trustee said they would put scanners soon to keep menstruating women from visiting temples and angering the gods. Soon after, BJP leader Pankaja Munde in Mumbai seemed to have agreed with this line of thought. She asked, in all calm tone, yes women have not been allowed to visit temples in particular days. So what?! This irked feminists and people across the social media, who ensured their spoke their minds against this medieval stance against menstruating women.<br />
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<strong>Meat ban during Paryushan Parva</strong><br />
The BJP government in Maharashtra banned meat during the Jain fasting period called Paryushan Parva. This angered people from across social strata, who were sure that the BJP was driving a wedge between communities that ate meat and those that didn’t consume meat. This was called a social experiment of the worst kind, which would have repercussions on people’s food habits where forced opinions would mean democracy had ceased to exist even in people food habits.<br />
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<strong>Sadhvi Prachi</strong><br />
In keeping with the continued tradition of letting lose a volley of abuses and irrational statements, asking people to go to Pakistan if they were opposed to the ideologies of BJP government which predominantly upheld Hindu values and the way of life, that an alternate faith was next to impossible. Sadhvi Prachi being just a representative of all those medieval thoughts and barbaric mindset, kept the newspapers busy with her idiosyncrasies while BJP leadership failed to rein her in.<br />
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<strong>Yakub Memon</strong><br />
Hanging of 1997 Mumbai blast main accused Yakub Memon, who was held guilty by courts in 2007 the country witnessed some tense moments and swift working by the courts even on the previous night he was to be hanged on July 30.<br />
<br />
Though his death didn’t create a law and order situation, international media lost no opportunity to ensure this incident was bracketed under ‘intolerance’ towards Muslim brethren.<br />
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<strong>Bihar elections</strong><br />
This was the single most significant incident that probably indicated the image of BJP was on a journey downhill. Having doled out goodies in form of packages, and most engaging and intense campaigning by the who’s who of BJP including Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi, the MahagatBandhan with Nitish Kumar and Lalu at the helm held people’s hopes.  That is where exactly their votes went too. But in the run up to event, there was a lot of bad blood that spilled forth.<br />
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(Image: Indiatimes)<br />

Political controversies that made headlines in 2015

<ul><li>Veteran star <keyword id="14505" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="zeenat-aman" source="Orion">Zeenat Aman</keyword> made her <keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> debut at 71 and amassed over 1.3 lakh followers in just a month. She will soon make her web series debut.</li><li><keyword id="1813" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="neena-gupta" source="Orion">Neena Gupta</keyword>’s appeal for work on Instagram heralded a change in the way the industry looked at veteran actresses.</li><li>OTT platforms have not only revived careers of veteran stars, it has also brought to centre stage actresses long-sidelined by mainstream media.</li></ul>Gauri Shinde’s <em>English Vinglish </em>that released in 2012, was considered a sleeper hit despite starring one of Indian cinema’s original female superstars, Sridevi. It took the industry by surprise because <keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword> rarely backs female-led movies and even when it does, these movies – especially those starring veterans, aren’t expected to become commercial potboilers. <br /><br />However, the advent of over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney plus Hotstar etc, and the rise of social media has changed the scenario. In some cases, actresses of a certain vintage have begun to take centre stage – with some even landing hits far more popular than the ones delivered by mainstream heroes. <br /><br />In February 2023, the 70s heart-throb Zeenat Aman, 71, made her debut on Instagram. Within a month, she has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thezeenataman/">amassed </a>1.37 lakh followers and won over the audience with her articulate, unabashed and honest views — a far cry from the carefully-curated celebrity updates people are accustomed to. <br /><br />“The roles available to women are clearly not just ornamental anymore. What hasn’t changed though is the gender pay gap. In my time I was lauded as the highest paid female actor, but the disparity in the pay cheque between my male co-stars and myself was so vast it was laughable…it disappoints me that even today women in the film industry don’t have wage parity,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpFl3XoA8Un/">remarked </a>Aman in one of her many posts on the platform. <br /><br />Aman, who’ll soon make her <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/zeenat-aman-to-make-her-ott-debut-soon-already-has-two-web-series-in-her-kitty/articleshow/92560748.cms">web series debut</a> with <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/web-series/zeenat-aman-to-make-ott-debut-with-the-series-showsttopper-101677773391183.html"><em>Showsttopper</em></a><em>, </em>co-starring Shweta Tiwari, Rohit Roy and others<em>, </em>also walked the ramp for Shahin Mannan’s fashion show at the Lakme Fashion week. She’s the latest in a long list of veteran actresses who’ve taken to new-age entertainment platforms and social media channels like fish to water, and have managed to shatter the long-held Bollywood concept of ‘limited shelf life’ for female actors. <br /><br />But, it’s certainly not a new phenomenon.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The Bollywood stars who went to reality shows" comment="subhead" text="The Bollywood stars who went to reality shows"><span data-til="noop">The Bollywood stars who went to reality shows</span></cmsannotation><br />There’s always been a clear divide between a TV and movie star in India, with television often seen as a stepping stone to movies — but only for a few. Most stars who start with TV shows, however, continue to remain there.<br /><br />However, when some of the stars from the 90s and early 2000s first made their comeback, it was as judges of reality shows on TV or in some cases, as contestants. For instance, Shilpa Shetty famously participated in <em>Big Brother </em>—- the British version of <em>Bigg Boss</em>, which catapulted her back to stardom. <br /><br />A few even took to TV shows, like Sonali Bendre in <em>Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye</em> (2014). Although superstars like Madhuri Dixit have managed to reinvent their careers and regularly land exciting roles, that wasn’t the case for many other veteran actresses. Until actor Neena Gupta decided to ask for work on social media, heralding a change in the way Bollywood views older stars. <br /><br />In 2017, Neena Gupta, the star of indie cinema in the 1980s, openly asked for work — a move that left a majority of the population within the industry, and even outside of it, surprised. After all, this is an industry where actors out of work for years still spout the excuse, “looking for the right script.”<br /><br />“I live in Mumbai and working, am a good actor looking for good parts to play,” wrote Gupta on Instagram. <br /><br />The result of Gupta’s request – since 2017, she’s starred in over 10 different movies and web series, including blockbuster hits like <em>Badhaai Ho </em>and crowd favourites like <em>Panchayat</em>. Her <em>Badhaai Ho </em>co-star, the late Surekha Sikri also won her third National Film Award for the film.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The other comeback: Sidelined by mainstream media but stars on OTT" comment="subhead" text="The other comeback: Sidelined by mainstream media but stars on OTT"><span data-til="noop">The other comeback: Sidelined by mainstream media but stars on OTT</span></cmsannotation><br />The advent of OTT streaming has not only shone the spotlight on veteran stars but has also given actors sidelined by mainstream media a chance to showcase their acting prowess. Like actor <keyword id="18676" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shefali-shah" source="Orion">Shefali Shah</keyword>. <br /><br />Sidelined by mainstream cinema for years, 49-year-old Shah’s gritty performance in Netflix’s International Emmy-winner <em>Delhi Crime </em>was the perfect response to that mistreatment. Since then, she’s been on a roll, delivering hits across genres — romantic dramas like Netflix’s <em>Once Again</em>, thrillers like Prime Video’s <em>Jalsa </em>and Disney+Hostar’s <em>Human </em>or dark comedies, like <em>Darlings </em>(on Netflix). <br /><br />In fact, OTT brought back many millennials’ childhood divas, be it former Miss <keyword id="326110" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="universe-sushmita-sen" source="Orion">Universe Sushmita Sen</keyword> or the ‘tip tip’ girl, Raveena Tandon. And they didn’t return to play stereotypical mothers to actors who were as old or even younger than themselves — as Shefali Shah did for Akshay Kumar in the film <em>Waqt: The Race Against Time</em>. Shah is six years younger than Kumar.<br /><br />Rather they starred as protagonists in shows with gripping storylines that gave them a chance to flex their long-dormant acting muscles. The result — Sen’s mom-turned-mobster avatar in <em>Aarya</em> and Tandon’s small-town cop in <em>Aranyak </em>and the antagonist in <em>KGF2</em>. <br /><br />As Sen shared <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch">in an interview </a>with film critic Anupama Chopra for Film Companion, “What I like about Bollywood now is suddenly, content is king. It’s incredible how liberal the language of cinema is becoming. It’s allowing people to explore all different aspects — writing, execution, direction, actors getting that opportunity to go beyond the boy-meets-girl phase. It’s wonderful.” <br /><br />Long story short, the stars have finally aligned for Bollywood’s veteran and long-sidelined powerful actresses. And it’s a well-deserved comeback indeed!<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/how-is-gpt-4-different-from-chatgpt-and-what-makes-it-unique/articleshow/98688465.cms">How is GPT-4 different from ChatGPT, and what makes it unique?</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-new-ai-features-for-docs-gmail-and-more-to-rival-microsofts-workspace-toolsheres-what-it-means/articleshow/98657324.cms">Google’s new AI features for Docs, Gmail, and more to rival Microsoft’s workspace tools—here’s what it means</a><br />

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Political controversies that made headlines in 2015

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