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IANS News

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Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

Articles Written By IANS News

Mahesh Babu fans celebrate 14 years of 'Pokiri'
2233 days ago
Tollywood

Mahesh Babu fans celebrate 14 years of 'Pokiri'

Hyderabad, April 28 (IANS) Southern superstar Mahesh Babu's film "Pokiri" has completed 14 years since its release, and his loyal fans are trending #14YearsForSouthIndiaIHPokiri on Twitter.## "Pokiri", which had released on April 28, 2006, is said to be the first film that crossed Rs 40 crore share in the south film industry.## In the Puri Jagannadh directorial, Mahesh played Krishna, a police officer who disguises himself as a thug and joins the mafia to wipe out the underworld. The film also starred actress Ileana D'Cruz.## The Telugu film was such a big hit that it was remade in Tamil as "Pokkiri" (2007), in Kannada as "Porki" (2010) and in Hindi as "Wanted" that brought Salman Khan back to the hit machine category.## Here's how Mahesh Babu's friends celebrated the original film's anniversary on Twitter:## "7.1M Tweets #14YearsForSouthIndiaIHPokiri @urstrulyMahesh #Pokiri" wrote one Twitter user on Tuesday.## "7.1 Million Tweets Fire Done and Dusted FireOk hand #14YearsForSouthIndiaIHPokiri @urstrulyMahesh #Pokiri" wrote another.## "Superstar industry hit movie all areas ALL-TIME RECORD #14YearsForSouthIndiaIHPokiri," another tweeted.## On their respective social media accounts, Mahesh Babu's ardent fans even set their display picture as a poster which honored and saluted the completion of 14 years of his film.## Looking forward, Mahesh will be teaming up with filmmaker SS Rajamouli for his recently announced upcoming untitled film.## Stay tuned...

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Hubby Naga Chaitanya bakes birthday cake for Samantha
2233 days ago
Tollywood

Hubby Naga Chaitanya bakes birthday cake for Samantha

Hyderabad, April 28 (IANS) Telugu star Naga Chaitanya baked a cake for his wife, actress Samantha Akkineni, who celebrated her 33rd birthday on Tuesday.## Samantha took to Instagram and shared a string of photos and videos from her birthday celebration.## In one image, Samantha sits in front of a pair of chocolate cakes, folding her hands in prayer. In another picture, she strikes a pose for a selfie with husband Naga Chaitanya.## The actress also shared a clip of Chaitanya baking cake for her in their kitchen and captioned it: "Family.... (no points for guessing what I am praying for)."## Samantha is set to make her digital debut with Manoj Bajpayee's much-awaited web-series "The Family Man 2"## Samantha, who shot to fame as Samantha Ruth Prabhu, married actor Naga Chaitanya Akkineni in October 2017, and is a daughter-in-law of South Indian superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna.## On the work front, she was last seen in the fantasy drama "Oh! Baby". She also had a cameo in "Manmadhudu 2".## Stay tuned...

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'Baahubali 2' cast nostalgic as blockbuster turns three
2233 days ago
Tollywood

'Baahubali 2' cast nostalgic as blockbuster turns three

Hyderabad, April 28 (IANS) "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" was released three years ago on this day, and the blockbuster's cast -- including Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah -- took to social media to express nostalgia about the project.## The "Baahubali" franchise turned Telugu actor Prabhas into a superstar overnight. Calling "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" the "biggest film" of his life, Prabhas shared a photo from the sets of the film on Instagram.## The actor wrote: "Baahubali 2 was not just a film that the nation loved but also, the biggest film of my life. And, I'm grateful to my fans, team, and director S. S Rajamouli who made it one of the most memorable projects. Baahubali 2 completes three years and I'm delighted for all the love the film and I have received."## Rana Daggubati, who played the main antagonist, shared a couple of stills from the film's sets and wrote: "The learning and the joy!! #3yearsofbaahubali2 The best time!!"## Tamannaah Bhatia recalled her first day on the set when her dream of being directed by noted filmmaker SS Rajamouli came true. The actress shared a few stills from the shoot and wrote: "Can't imagine we are already celebrating 3 glorious years of the magnificent and opulent #Baahubali2. Still remember my first day on the sets when my dream of being directed by @ssrajamouli sir came true. A big THANK YOU to the entire team of Baahubali who worked like a big happy family and our audiences for loving the movie and pouring in unconditional love every single day. #3YrsForMightyBaahubali2"## Actress Anushka Shetty expressed gratitude to her fans for the success of the franchise. She wrote: "#3YrsForMightyBaahubali2. Thank you all."## Directed by SS Rajamouli, "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" is the sequel to "Baahubali: The Beginning", which hit theatres in 2015. While both the films created a storm at the box office, the second part was a bigger success due to the fanbase created by the first one. Over two years, the audience across India and the world excitedly waited for the second part, which reflects in the sequel's box office figures.## Talking about the film's box office success, trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted about a record created by the film which remains unbroken till date.## Stay tuned...

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Vijay Deverakonda raises Rs 40 lakh through fan donations
2234 days ago
Tollywood

Vijay Deverakonda raises Rs 40 lakh through fan donations

Hyderabad, April 27 (IANS) Telugu superstar Vijay Deverakonda has raised over Rs 40 lakh through his Middle-Class Fund and says he has "reset" the goal of his charity, what with such generous donation coming in from fans. While he had earlier planned to help 2000 families, Vijay now hopes to help over 4000 families.## The "Arjun Reddy" star took to Twitter, where he shared a spreadsheet showing the amount of donation that has come in, and how many households have so far been helped.## Alongside the spreadsheet, the actor also penned an emotional thank you note.## "Today what I saw was magical. Mass care, Mass love, and Mass generosity. Each one of you this missed class fund and its success belongs to you. I promise I will not let you down, we will reach out to each and everyone who reaches out to us and we shall all enjoy the happy smiles that shine back at us.## "In a day you made 25 lakhs into 40+ lakhs. Together we have now reset our goal of 2000+ families to 4000+ families. Today our team was 4, tomorrow we make it 34, so we can reach more people faster."## "Below is an update of day 1 broad numbers. Every day at 9 PM we will share with you a sautés update, so we can witness the impact of what we all are together doing. #TDF #MCF. Note- Households funded today were affected by our training session and 11 AM-12 Noon closure of stores. We will see a jump in families reached from tomorrow on."## Vijay also shared a tweet from a person, who donated Rs 1 lakh to The Deverakonda Foundation.## The actor replied saying: "Darling, 100+ Families will be reached with your support to #MCF. Bigg hugg"## On Sunday, Vijay took to social media to make two important announcements.## He wrote: "None of us were prepared for this. But we are fighters. We shall survive this and come out of it strong. This thing hit me hard as well, but I am here now. I am here with my incredible team that never says no to a fight and we are happy to announce a Rs 1.30 cr fund to help as many as we can. All we need is some love, kindness, and support and I am sending you all, my love and strength."## He even posted an 11-minute video clip in which the actor assured that he will provide employment opportunities and take care of the immediate requirements such as groceries and medicine through his foundation.## He also added that he will take care of the immediate needs of more than 2,000 families.## Stay tuned...

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'Bahu Humari Rajni Kant' actress Archana Singh set for Telugu film debut
2234 days ago
Tollywood

'Bahu Humari Rajni Kant' actress Archana Singh set for Telugu film debut

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Actress Archana Singh Rajput, who was seen in the TV show "Bahu Humari Rajni Kant", will be seen making her Telugu debut with the film "Mahaprasthanam", starring Tanish and Kabir Duhan Singh.## "The film is a gangster drama based in an action backdrop. I'm playing the lead and have done two item numbers in this film. The first song is 'Kummu kummu nene neeku zyummu' and the next song is 'Billi choosa'. My experience was really amazing working with all of them," said Archana.## The actress said it was great sharing screen space with Kabir Duhan Singh, Tanish, and Muskan in the film directed by Jhony, who had earlier called the shots on the horror thriller "Anthaku Minchi".## "Altogether it was great tuning and chemistry. About the director, Johnny sir is very creative and supportive. It is my first Tamil film and I really enjoyed working!" he said.## She said she had never done an item number before.## "It was an amazing experience. I never did item songs and worked for the Telugu industry before and it's for the first time. It was a challenging role because language is very different. As I'm very hardworking I have done lots of rehearsals before shooting. Kapil sir was my Choreographer who supported me a lot," she said.## The music is given by Sunil Kashyap. The motion poster of the movie has been released.## Stay tuned...

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Vijay Deverakonda makes two 'big, important announcements'
2235 days ago
Tollywood

Vijay Deverakonda makes two 'big, important announcements'

Hyderabad, April 26 (IANS) South superstar Vijay Deverakonda took to the social media to make two important announcements.## He wrote: "None of us were prepared for this. But we are fighters. We shall survive this and come out of it strong. This thing hit me hard as well, but I am here now. I am here with my incredible team that never says no to a fight and we are happy to announce a Rs 1.30 cr fund to help as many as we can. All we need is some love, kindness, and support and I am sending you all, my love and strength."## He even posted an 11-minute video clip in which the actor assured that he will provide employment opportunities and take care of the immediate requirements such as groceries and medicine through his foundation.## He also revealed that he had started a project in April 2019 and wanted to help 50 boys and girls with employment opportunities.## They were given coaching by his team as well.## Vijay happily shared that two of the students have since received offer letters from a company and he is confident that the remaining 48 people will get their offers after the COVID-19 lockdown ends.## He also added that he will take care of the immediate needs of more than 2,000 families.## Stay tuned...

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Suriya's films face ban after he takes wife Jyothika's next directly to OTT
2236 days ago
Tollywood

Suriya's films face ban after he takes wife Jyothika's next directly to OTT

Chennai, April 25 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Theatre And Multiplex Owners Association have threatened to ban films starring superstar Suriya, as well as the films produced by his production company 2D films. The decision comes after the news that the film "Pon Magal Vandhal", produced by Suriya and starring his wife Jyothika, will be released directly on a popular OTT platform, bypassing traditional theatrical release.## Suriya's decision to go direct digital with his new production was made public through a tweet by the social media page, Let's OTT Global: "Premier Alert Public address loudspeaker: First Tamil feature film to get a Direct OTT release, #PonMagalVandhal (Tamil) streaming rights bagged by @PrimeVideoIN. Streaming from 1st week of May."## Following this, the theatre owners association general secretary Panneerselvam released a video stating the decision not to release Suriya's films in theatres. He said that movies that are made for theatres should release in theatres first, and not on OTT platforms. He is further that if this decision is not revoked, there would be a ban on releasing films starring Suriya.## The decision, if brought to effect, could impact Suriya's upcoming film "Soorarai Pottru".## Although there has been no official announcement to the effect, a source in the film trade said, about Suriya's decision to release the modest-budgeted "Pon Magal Vandhal" on OTT: "Given the scenario, the chance of a small-budget film succeeding when theatres reopen is tricky. If producers are taking a decision that keeps them financially safe, then releasing the film on a streaming platform would work."## For Jyothika, this isn't the only controversy she has faced lately. A few days ago, a video of Jyothika's speech at an awards show received flak from religious groups.## In the video, Jyothika says while she was shooting for the film "Raatchasi", she visited a famous temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. She spoke highly about the temple, saying it looked like a palace. The next day, when she was shooting in a hospital in the same city, she noticed how badly maintained it was. She went on to request people to donate to hospitals the same way they donate to temples, as hospitals are more important for people to survive.## Ra Saravanan, who is directing her upcoming film that also stars Sasikumar, said that during her shoot in Thanjavur, Jyothika saw women in unhygienic maternity wards in the hospital, which affected her. The filmmaker added that the intention of Jyothika's comment wasn't to hurt anybody.## Suriya and Jyothika haven't released an official statement yet.## For more and latest news about Tollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mahesh Babu happy to connect with fans virtually
2237 days ago
Tollywood

Mahesh Babu happy to connect with fans virtually

Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu is spending his lockdown days with family and is glad that he can connect with fans and colleagues via social media.## "Twitter has been one of my major sources of information and entertainment in these testing times. While I'm at home with my family, I'm glad that the service is letting me stay in touch with my fellows from the film industry as well as my fans," Mahesh said.## "I believe that Twitter is a very powerful medium to stay informed and connected with what's happening in the world, especially, during a critical time like this," he added.## Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi is also using Twitter to communicate with his fans.## Talking about it, Chiranjeevi said: "I owe everything to my fans and audiences. The possibility of directly interacting with them and sharing my thoughts through a platform like Twitter has often crossed my mind. But during these unprecedented times, I felt an urgent need to communicate directly with my fans and fellow Indians and this led me to join the platform in March, on the Telugu New year's day and the first day of the nationwide lockdown."## "During COVID-19, it has become more important than ever before to stay connected so that we can get through this pandemic together. Twitter is doing a great job of helping people do that," he added.## From Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan to Rajinikanth, prominent South Indian celebrities are using Twitter to engage with fans and encourage them to stay home and be safe. Actors are also making videos at home with song lyrics that urge people to isolate and stay safe amidst the COVID-19 crisis.## Mahesh made his ‘stay home, stay safe' appeal to fans by sharing a video of his daughter in which she talks about the precautionary measures that are necessary to fight coronavirus and flatten the curve.## Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan re-joined Twitter on his own birthday. As a birthday gift, the star asked his fans to stay indoors for their own safety. Actress Tamannaah Bhatia shared a musical message and tweeted a Tamil coronavirus awareness song titled "Unnai kaakum".## Stay tuned...

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Mahesh Babu: 'Heartfelt gratitude, immense respect, endless love' for sanitation workers
2245 days ago
Tollywood

Mahesh Babu: 'Heartfelt gratitude, immense respect, endless love' for sanitation workers

Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has taken to social media to express his gratitude for sanitation workers, who are working relentlessly to keep our surroundings clean amid the COVID 19 pandemic. Being frontline workers, they have to be on the streets daily, risking their lives to keep the nation safe.## The actor shared pictures of sanitation workers on Instagram and wrote: "This one is for all the sanitation workers deployed on our streets to make sure the surroundings are kept clean and sanitized. While we are safe in our homes, they come out everyday leaving their own to ensure we remain out of harm's way... A constant battle with this menacing virus is a challenge beyond all in their frontline jobs and they do it for us... My heartfelt gratitude, immense respect and endless love and blessings to each and every one of you. #InItTogether #wearewithyou #OneWorld."## Recently, the superstar thanked Telangana police for their continuous service during the lockdown. He wrote: "I want to take this moment to wholeheartedly thank the Telangana police force for spearheading the battle against COVID-19. Their relentless hard work is absolutely outstanding. Immense gratitude for safeguarding our lives and the health of our families during these most challenging times!"## Earlier, Mahesh Babu suggested his fans to practice "fear distancing", which means they should maintain distance from all kinds of fake news being circulated about the COVID-19 pandemic.## Stay tuned...

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Shriya Saran, husband ignore netizen's objectification quip
2245 days ago
Tollywood

Shriya Saran, husband ignore netizen's objectification quip

Hyderabad, April 16 (IANS) Actress Shriya Saran is known for her amazing dance moves, stunning figure and glamorous screen presence. Time and again, fans have expressed their love and admiration for these qualities, although there are occasions when certain fans can go beyond the limits of decency.## In a recent 'Insta live' session on her page, a user, while describing the actress, wrote: "Nice b***s."## Shriya ignored the comment while her husband Andrei Koscheev, who was also part of her live question-answer session, seemed to take it sportingly. "I agree with you guys, more comments on her please," he wrote.## Shriya got married to Andrei Koscheev in a hush-hush ceremony in Rajasthan in 2018. She is currently in Spain and regularly takes to her social media accounts to post messages and pictures with her husband.## In an interview not long ago, Shriya said: "God has been kind and I'm blessed to have such a supportive partner like Andrei. I somehow like the word partner more than my husband. Because Andrei is like my partner-in-crime, partner-in-fun and everything else. He's really proud of me and my work. Whenever I'm stressed or worried about what I'm doing, he always tries to calm me down. He's the best thing that's happened to me and I'm loving every minute that I spend with him."## In a recent interview, she spoke about how her husband displayed symptoms of COVID-19 but wasn't admitted to the hospital. She said ''Andrei began to develop a dry cough and fever. We rushed to a hospital but the doctors were overwhelmed and urged us to leave. 'Chances are that even if he doesn't have Covid-19, he will get it if he stays here,' the doctors told us. So we decided to go home and self-isolate ourselves and get treatment at home. We slept in different rooms and maintained a safe distance from each other. Thankfully, he's feeling better now, so I hope the worst is behind us."## On the work front, Shriya is likely to star opposite Nandamuri Balakrishna in director Boyapati Srinu's next.## Stay tuned...

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Lockdown diaries: South stars spend quality time with furry friends
2247 days ago
Tollywood

Lockdown diaries: South stars spend quality time with furry friends

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) With shooting stopped and everybody confined to their homes amid the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown, South actors and actresses can be seen utilizing the time doing household chores. While some can be seen trying their hands at cooking, some are busy cleaning the house. However, those who have pets, are utilizing their quarantine days to try and spend maximum time with their furry friends who have now become a favorite on social media.## One such social media favorite is Pranitha Subhash's husky Blu. The dog's photos and videos where he can be seen sitting in front of a laptop wearing a pair of spects as he "works from home", trying to catch food from the actress' hands, barking from outside a glass window or playing with his favorite "corona squeeze toy" is absolutely adorable. In a recent post, Pranitha shared: "It was love at first sight" for her after meeting Blu!## Another pet winning heart on social media is actress Keerthy Suresh's dog Nyke. A picture of the dog sitting alone on the terrace and watching sunset has captured hearts of netizens who are showering it with love!## One more social media star is actress Nidhhi Agerwal's labrador Boozo, who loves to eat idli and toast and hates it when he is not given a share while the family dines together!## Actress Payal Rajput's pet dogs Bunny and Candy define the word "cute" and we bet you cannot stop staring at them! In a recently shared video, the actress can be seen trying to put Candy to sleep while the lullaby "Rock-a-bye baby" plays in the background.## Payal captioned: "Finding my inner peace. The steadiness of her breath brings peacefulness and a feeling of warmth. Watching them play with each other, relax with a chew toy, sleep soundly, or explore their surroundings on our walks provide me "ah ha" moments."## Actor Sushanth's golden retrievers Thor and Leia are a visual delight! The actor recently took to Instagram to share a photo of the two sleeping together on the floor and captioned: "Twinning during quarantine times! #Thor #Leia #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #retrieversofinstagram #StayHomeStaySafe". The actor also urged citizens not to abandon their pets reminding everyone that the virus doesn't spread from animals.## However, not just south stars, Bollywood celebs are also spending time with their furry friends and keep sharing their photos and videos on social media. The pets who are enjoying immense social media attention of late include Preity Zinta's pet dog Bruno, Raveena Tandon's pet cat Puma and Kriti Sanon's pet dogs Disco and Phoebe among others.## While actors are spending quality time with their furry friends, they have also taken up the responsibility to remind people time and again not to abandon their pets as the virus doesn't spread from animals.## Stay tuned...

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Mahesh Babu thanks Telangana Police in COVID-19 battle
2252 days ago
Tollywood

Mahesh Babu thanks Telangana Police in COVID-19 battle

Hyderabad, April 9 (IANS) Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu on Thursday took a moment to appreciate the efforts of the Telangana Police for working day and night to ensure that the nationwide lockdown, implemented to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, is a success.## "I want to take this moment to wholeheartedly thank the Telangana police force for spearheading the battle against COVID-19. Their relentless hard work is absolutely outstanding. Immense gratitude for safeguarding our lives and the health of our families during these most challenging times !!## "Saluting your selfless dedication towards our country and it's people.#TelanganaPolice #StayHomeStaySafe," Mahesh Babu wrote.## The lockdown came into effect on March 24.## A few days ago, Mahesh Babu urged everyone to practice social distancing as well as fear distancing.## "Besides social distancing and maintaining good hygiene, there is something as important that needs our attention- #FearDistancing - Keeping ourselves away from people and news that creates panic and fear. Fake news is a real issue! Stay away from misguided information," he had tweeted.## Stay tuned...

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