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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.

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COVID-19: Bollywood celebrities donate to PM CARES Fund
2264 days ago
Bollywood

COVID-19: Bollywood celebrities donate to PM CARES Fund

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), and soon a slew of Bollywood celebrities came forward to contribute their bit to help the Indian Government in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak.## Superstar Akshay Kumar took to Twitter to announce that he "will contribute Rs 25 crores" towards the fund.## "This is that time when all that matters in the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to Narendra Modiji's PM-CARES FUND. Let's save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai," Akshay tweeted.## After seeing Akshay contribute, many other celebs joined COVID-19 fight and announced that they would donate to PM CARES Fund.## Actor Varun Dhawan took a "pledge to contribute 30 lakhs to the PM CARE fund".## "We will overcome this. Desh hai toh hum hain," Varun added.## Singer Guru Randhawa too contributed. He will be donating Rs 20 lakhs to the fund.## "I pledge to contribute Rs 20 lacs from my savings to @narendramodi sir's PM-CARES Fund. Let's help each other????## "I have earned money through my shows and songs which you all have bought tickets or have bought from online platforms. So here is doing my contribution ?? Jai Hind," the "Suit Suit" hitmaker wrote on social media.## TV actor Arjun Bijlani has decided to give Rs 5 lakhs to the fund.## Announcing his financial contribution, Arjun wrote: "I pledge to contribute Rs 5 lakhs to @narendramodiji's PM-CARES Fund and Rs 5lakh to the chief minister's Fund @CMOMaharashtra.## " Zindagi Ek Safar hai suhana. Please save lives. I know it's a drop in the ocean but it matters .u do your bit."## Without revealing details about how much she will donate, actress Kriti Sanon urged followers to help the government.## "We all need to come together in this time of crisis! I pledge to contribute and do my bit! ????Guys. Do whatever best you can.. small or big.. just contribute! It'll save a life or help someone in need and eventually make India healthier," Kriti tweeted.## Before the announcement of the PM-CARES FUND, southern stars Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, and Mahesh Babu have already contributed crores towards relief operation in helping Indians to fight against coronavirus.## Now it is to see whether Bollywood's Khans, Bachchans and Kapoors contribute for the PM-CARES FUND or not.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Twinkle Khanna reveals why hubby Akshay Kumar gave 25cr to PM CARES Fund
2264 days ago
Bollywood

Twinkle Khanna reveals why hubby Akshay Kumar gave 25cr to PM CARES Fund

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) On Saturday, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar announced that he will donate Rs 25 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's PM CAREs fund in order to do his part to support the government's battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. His wife Twinkle Khanna has revealed what urged Akshay to take this decision of donating such a whopping amount.## Taking to Twitter, Twinkle Khanna wrote: "The man makes me proud. When I asked him if he was sure as it was such a massive amount and we needed to liquidate funds, he just said, ‘I had nothing when I started and now that I am in this position, how can I hold back from doing whatever I can for those who have nothing'."## Meanwhile, netizens are lauding Akshay Kumar's initiative at a time when the nation is going through a crisis. Since Saturday evening, keywords like Akshay Kumar, Akshay Ji, Khiladi, and 25 crores have been trending on Twitter.## A user tweeted: "#AkshayKumar always stand along with the nation when it faces any Disaster or crisis, Huge Respect sir @akshaykumar !! Hopefully, we'll overcome and survive this corona pandemic as well."## Another user wrote: "You are asli Khiladi sir, I and whole India salute u."## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Ajrun Kapoor: Katrina Kaif is the best
2264 days ago
Bollywood

Ajrun Kapoor: Katrina Kaif is the best

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Actor Arjun Kapoor is all praise for Katrina Kaif.## Recently, Arjun conducted "Ask Me" session on Instagram and his fans flooded him with a lot of interesting questions.## One user even asked him if he would like to collaborate with Katrina in a film.## To that, Arjun responded that it will have to depend on the script and also on Katrina saying yes to it. Not only this, Arjun praised Katrina for her sporting nature.## "She is the best and the most sporting when it comes to me troubling her on and off Instagram," he added.## Arjun and Katrina share a great rapport with each other. Arjun has often seen pulling Katrina's leg on social media. Him calling Katrina "kantaben 2.0" on the former's video of dishwashing is a proof of the fact.## On the film front, Katrina will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar in "Sooryavanshi" . Arjun will be seen sharing screen space with Parineeti Chopra in " Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Kangana Ranaut feels COVID-19 could be 'potential bio war'
2264 days ago
Bollywood

Kangana Ranaut feels COVID-19 could be 'potential bio war'

Mumbai, March 29 ( (IANS) Actress Kangana Ranaut feels the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could be a "potential bio war" unleashed in a scenario where nations are trying to gain economic supremacy over each other.## "Our huge concern for economy has landed us all in the situation where we are with no concern for human well being. This could also be a potential bio war where countries are trying to get down each other's economies," she told India Today, according to a report in huindustantimes.com.## The actress, who is currently staying in her Manali residence, further said the coronavirus pandemic was a warning to all of us, adding that it was time for us to reflect as a nation. "We have to reflect as to where we have landed as people, as a nation and why are we letting our greed, our senses guide us and not our consciousness. If this lockdown goes on for 21 days we will be two years behind economically, but if it goes beyond 21 days it is going to be a disastrous situation for our nation because we are a developing one," she pointed out.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Bhushan Kumar to donate Rs 11 crore to PM CARES Fund
2264 days ago
Bollywood

Bhushan Kumar to donate Rs 11 crore to PM CARES Fund

Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) T-series honcho Bhushan Kumar has pledged to donate Rs 11 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative PM CARES Fund and Rs 1 crore to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund, Maharashtra to lend support to the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic.## Kumar took to Twitter on Sunday and tweeted: "Today, we are all at a really crucial stage & it's extremely important to do all we can to help. I, along with my entire @TSeries family pledge to donate Rs. 11 crores to the PM-CARES Fund. We can & will fight this together, Jai Hind @PMOIndia @narendramodi #IndiaFightsCorona."## He added: "In this hour of need, I pledge to donate Rs. 1 crore to the CM's relief fund along with my family at @Tseries. Hope we all get through this difficult time soon. Stay home, stay safe.@CMOMaharashtra @OfficeofUT @AUThackeray #IndiaFightsCorona."## Earlier, the government set up the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, with the objective of dealing with emergency situations such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Contributors to the fund will enjoy tax benefits, it has been announced.## "People from all walks of life expressed their desire to donate to India's war against COVID-19. Respecting that spirit, the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been constituted. This will go a long way in creating a healthier India," PM Modi announced in a tweet on Saturday.## The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust that includes the home minister, the finance minister the defense minister.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Himanshu Malhotra: We need to be mentally strong at the moment
2264 days ago
Bollywood

Himanshu Malhotra: We need to be mentally strong at the moment

Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) As the nation struggles to keep indoors, actor Himanshu Malhotra says that its important to be mentally strong to be able to stay happy during this quarantine period.## "I think, mentally, you have to be slightly tough because I think it is very difficult for mankind to not to step out. We are so used to stepping out for work, for meetings, for screen tests, for everything in general. As soon as we are told that we cannot do anything, we feel bound, we feel restless but slowly and steadily our body and mind will adopt it," Himanshu said.## "This is the best thing about our body and mind, but we need to give it time. Until that, the time has come to just be calm, maintain your balance amidst the emergency, chaos and things that are happening outside," he added.## The actor is trying to align himself with the situation as well.## "I am following the 'stillness' if people can understand this. I am trying to talk slightly less and take a moment as it comes. I am also trying not to think too much about the future like what is going to happen after 21 days or a month later etc. I am absolutely clueless about it," he said.## "But I am trying to welcome the future with whatever happens with patience and courage, which is also written in the Bhagwat Gita. I try to follow it sincerely because this helps to forget fear. We should not lose our present thinking about the future. Let's encourage and welcome the future with patience and courage that God has given us the powers and instinct to follow," he added.## The "Nach Baliye 7" winner feels that every problem will find its solution on its own.## "Time is a very great healer and I have experienced that and I am sure many of us would feel the same. So do not panic, don't feel restless and give some time to everything, it will heal itself," he said.## Reading can be a good way to keep yourself busy and motivated, said Himanshu.## "I am reading a book called 'Sapiens'. It's a beautiful book by the writer Yuval Noah. It is a wonderful book which talks about the emergence of humankind and it also talks about how everything is fiction, whether it is money, religion, culture or region," he said.## In fact, he feels that his initiative Share And Grow will help people to self-reflect and grow.## "This is definitely a testing time. On the behalf of Share And Grow, what I feel is this is the time people can use for self-reflection, self-understanding and analyse that we have been mindlessly running behind something, in order to achieve something, which may not be so fulfilling in the end," he said.## "I have always said that running is important in life but at times to stay back and stop is also very important," he added.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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'Gully Boy' sweeps Critics' Choice Film Awards
2265 days ago
Bollywood

'Gully Boy' sweeps Critics' Choice Film Awards

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy" was a favourite at Critics' Choice Film Awards this year.## In the Hindi category, Ranveer Singh picked up Best Actor (Male) for his role in the film that saw him showcasing his rapping skills. The Best Director award went to Zoya Akhtar for the "Gully Boy", which also the Best Film honour.## The Best Actor (Female) was given to Geetika Vidya Ohlyan for "Soni". Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki won the Best Writing award for "Article 15".## Critics' Choice Film Awards winners were announced on Saturday. The event that was supposed to be held on March 14 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The team of Critics Choice Film Awards then decided to announce the winners digitally.## There were awards for Best Film, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), Best Director and Best Writing for releases in Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati languages, too.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Akshay Kumar donates Rs 25 crore to PM CARES Fund
2265 days ago
Bollywood

Akshay Kumar donates Rs 25 crore to PM CARES Fund

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has donated Rs 25 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative PM CARES Fund to lend support to the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic. ## Akshay wrote on Twitter: "This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to Narendra Modi ji's PM-CARES Fund. Let's save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai." ## Earlier, the government set up the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, with the objective of dealing with emergency situations such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Contributors to the fund will enjoy tax benefits, it has been announced. ## "People from all walks of life expressed their desire to donate to India's war against COVID-19. Respecting that spirit, the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been constituted. This will go a long way in creating a healthier India," PM Modi announced in a tweet on Saturday. ## The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust that includes the home minister, the finance minister the defence minister ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Actress Shikha turns nurse to fight against COVID-19
2265 days ago
Bollywood

Actress Shikha turns nurse to fight against COVID-19

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Actress Shikha Malhotra, who worked with Sanjay Mishra in "Kaanchli Life in a Slough", is currently working as a volunteer at a hospital in Mumbai to fight against coronavirus.## For the uninitiated, Shikha has a degree in nursing from Delhi's Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safrdarjung Hospital.## Taking to her Instagram account, Shikha wrote: "For those who don't know that I am a #Registered #BscHonoursNurse from Vardhaman Mahavir Medical and #SafdarjungHospital Spending my five years.## "So as you all have always appreciated my efforts my achievements this time need all of your support to #serve the #nation once again and this time I've decided to join the hospital in #mumbai for #covid19 #crisis. Always there to serve the country as a #Nurse as a #entertainer wherever however I can need your blessings please be at home be safe and support the government."## Along with it, Shikha also posted a picture that shows her working at the Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari, Mumbai. She can be seen wearing a mask and holding a stethoscope.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Shirley Setia: I get nervous and scared while talking to strangers
2265 days ago
Bollywood

Shirley Setia: I get nervous and scared while talking to strangers

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) New Zealand-based singer-actress Shirley Setia is all set to make her Bollywood debut this year. But before that, she has already just featured in the Netflix film, "Maska".## In the movie, Shirley plays a blogger. Talking about her character, the actress said: "My character's name is Persis. She is a very strong-headed girl. She is independent. She is very passionate about stories and finding out people's stories. She is a blogger. So you will always see her with a camera and a voice recorder."## "She talks to people and writes about them in her blog. She is making a new book about Irani cafes and their culture, about the people related to the Irani cafes. Not just the people who own them but also the regular customers who have a lot of memories with such cafes. That's how she meets Rumi (played by Prit Kamani) and the story unfolds," said Shirley sharing further details about the story.## The actress then shared her similarities with her own screen character. When quizzed about the same, Shirley thought for a while and said: "Some things I relate to like her passion for stories. I've always been very passionate about stories even when I was just a singer. I still sing. When you are writing a song, you want to put a story in it which the audience and your fans can relate to. So, I related to her passion for stories. There are some aspects of her character which I might not absolutely agree with. I guess that's where we differ. But both of us are quite independent and strong-headed. We know what we want to do, how we want to focus on things."## Being an introvert person, it was not easy to play a blogger, especially because she gets nervous and scared while talking to strangers revealed the newcomer. She said: "It was a little difficult because I am an introvert person. When you are a blogger, you have to go to random people, talk to them, take their pictures, you have to be out of your comfort zone. This was very difficult for me because I get very scared and nervous while talking to strangers."## However, things became easier after a few workshops. "Our director did workshops with us and put me in such a situation that I had to go talk to random people as Persis and ask them their stories. It was unexpected but helped me understand the mindset of the character. She is free and doesn't care about what people think of her. She does what she feels is right. I wish I could also be like that," expressed Shirley.## Even though brought up in New Zealand, the 24-year-old actress speaks fluent Hindi. Talking about the same, she revealed: "We speak in Hindi at home. Also, when I was in high school, I used to work as a radio jockey in a Hindi radio station in New Zealand."## On the work front, Shirley is set to make her Bollywood debut with Sabbir Khan's "Nikamma" where she stars alongside Shilpa Shetty and Abhimanyu Dassani.## Meanwhile, her Netflix debut film "Maska" premiered yesterday. The Neeraj Udhwani directorial also stars Manisha Koirala, Javed Jaffrey and Prit Kamani in key roles.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Mrunal Thakur shares benefits of missing work amid COVID-19
2265 days ago
Bollywood

Mrunal Thakur shares benefits of missing work amid COVID-19

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Actors, no doubt, must be missing going to sets and performing in front of the cameras amid coronavirus lockdown, but there are several benefits too of staying home. And Mrunal Thakur has listed one important advantage i.e. getting time to take care of one's skin.## Taking to her Instagram account, she wrote: "Well let's look at the brighter side! I miss work but one benefit of missing work is that it allows you to take care of the things you usually choose to neglect due to the lack of time.## "My skincare has been lacking quite a lot over the past months, makeup, dust, and pollution to name a few of the conditions. Finally taking care of it letting it heal and breathe again is definitely starting to show. I feel more like myself again and feeling more confident."## On the film front, Mrunal, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in "Super 30", will be seen sharing screen space with Shahid Kapoor in "Jersey" and Farhan Akhtar in "Toofaan".## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Faruk Kabir's list of 21 things for 21-day lockdown
2265 days ago
Bollywood

Faruk Kabir's list of 21 things for 21-day lockdown

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Actor-director Faruk Kabir, known for making the web film "377 Ab Normal", is making the most of this 21-day lockdown period.## "In this 21-day lockdown, I've made a 21-day list of 21 things I'd like to improve about myself and add value to the lives of my family members," he said.## "Less is more, so I am eating less and sleeping on time. Most importantly, I've always been fond of mornings, and for the longest time I have wanted to shift from an 8 a.m. wake-up cycle to a 5 a.m. wake-up cycle, and now finally I am staying disciplined and bettering my overall routine," he added.## In fact, he is enjoying his time at home.## "Well, the family is finally getting the time to have meals together, life's blessing. I am currently reading 'The 5 am Club' by Robin Sharma. I am also finishing a thousand-piece puzzle gifted to me by my sister. I am finishing a script and getting the bandwidth to pamper it; staying in touch with my team from time to time. We've set up some creative targets, we can now peacefully achieve," he said.## "I am doing my bit in our society for hygiene. We are also cooking and sending food for building watchman. In the evening, 4.30 to 6 p.m. is dedicated to fitness, mat work, functional training and a lot of stretching for both the body and the imagination. A few minutes of meditation, positive visualization is how I finish my fitness routine," added Faruk.##

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