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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

'Bridgerton' Season 2 to open on March 25, 2022, introduce 'Kate Sharma'
1626 days ago
Digital Media

'Bridgerton' Season 2 to open on March 25, 2022, introduce 'Kate Sharma'

Los Angeles, Dec 26 (IANS) Netflix and Shondaland announced the return of the popular web series set in England's Regency era, "Bridgerton", with Season 2 set to premiere on March 25. ## The season will feature Simone Ashley, the British actress of Indian origin, who will play Kate Sharma to Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), reports 'Variety'. ## The character played by Ashley was originally Kate Sheffield in author Julia Quinn's second Bridgerton novel, "The Viscount Who Loved Me" (2002), on which Season 2 is based. ## The writers of the web series changed her name to Kate Sharma to reflect her Indian heritage. In the forthcoming series, she's shown as a new arrival from India, along with her sister Edwina, played by another British Indian actress, who's also an Oxford graduate. ## Writing about this departure from the original story, web magazine 'Insider' said: "In line with the reimagined, diverse version of early 19th-century London that creator Chris Van Dusen brought to life on Season 1, the show's writers opted to give Kate an Indian background in the script, shedding the moniker Sheffield in favour of Sharma, a common surname in India." ## Season 2 keeps up the diversity quotient that viewers first encountered In Season 1, where the male lead, Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings, was played by the British actor, Rene-Jean Page, whose mother is from Zimbabwe, where he spent much of his childhood, and his father is an English preacher. ## Quinn, in a conversation with 'Insider', called the decision to introduce Sharma as Kate's last name a "wonderful way to make the show more inclusive", adding that "there's quite a lot of historical background" on the relationship between India and England in the early 19th century. ## Lord Anthony, in Season 2, starts to court Kate, who soon discovers that his intentions for marriage are not pure. 'Insider' describes it as an "enemies-to-lovers romance". ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For Such Updates.

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Two More BTS Members Test Covid-Positive
1626 days ago
Hollywood

Two More BTS Members Test Covid-Positive

Seoul, Dec 26 (IANS) BTS' vocalist Jin and rapper RM have tested positive for the coronavirus, their management agency has said. The announcement, according to Yonhap, came a day after the agency, Big Hit Music, confirmed that Suga, another member of the seven-member K-pop superband, has been infected with the virus. ## "RM and Jin were confirmed virus-positive," the agency said, adding that RM is not showing any symptoms in particular, but Jin has a slight fever. They are undergoing treatment at home in compliance with instructions from health authorities, the agency said. ## The members returned home on Friday after visiting Los Angeles on November 27-28 and earlier this month on a concert schedule. Both RM and Jin had tested negative in earlier diagnostic tests, the agency added. ## Interestingly, the three members completed their second rounds of Covid vaccinations in late August, Big Hit Music said, and none of them had contact with each other or other BTS members. Their symptoms are either mild or non-existent, reports 'Variety'. ## All seven members of BTS were on an official break so that they could rest, recharge and spend time with their families following their busy schedules, which included their 'Permission to Dance on Stage' concerts in Los Angeles and the iHeartRadio Jingle Bell Tour earlier in December. ## The singers returned to South Korea after their personal travels and self-isolated separately. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For More Updates.

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'Bigg Boss 15': Salman Khan's 'shayari' for Nora Fatehi; Shamita Shetty gives 'Loser No. 1' jersey to Rakhi
1626 days ago
TV

'Bigg Boss 15': Salman Khan's 'shayari' for Nora Fatehi; Shamita Shetty gives 'Loser No. 1' jersey to Rakhi

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Host Salman Khan will be seen giving housemates a 'Jersey task' during the 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode of 'Bigg Boss 15'. ## The jersey in this task is named 'Loser No. 1' and contestants have to give one loser jersey to the housemate who they think is a loser. ## Shamita Shetty gives the jersey to Rakhi Sawant and said: "I want to give this jersey to Rakhi. She has made mockery of my injury. There is also some limitation in the entertainment industry and she has crossed that." ## While Umar Riaz and Abhijit Bichukale give jerseys to Tejasswi Prakash. Abhijit said that she is using Karan Kundrra as a ladder every time. ## The fireworks promptly go off as the contestants do not hesitate to point fingers at each other. ## Meanwhile, Nora Fatehi and Guru Randhawa appears as special guests. Salman shakes a leg with Nora. She plays a fun game with Salman, where she asks Salman to praise her, and Salman surprises her with lovely 'shayari'. Nora and Guru leaves the contestants surprised with Christmas gifts. ## 'Bigg Boss 15' airs on Colors. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For More Updates.

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Season's Cheer: Despite Covid spike, Spidey homing in on $1-bn mark
1626 days ago
Hollywood

Season's Cheer: Despite Covid spike, Spidey homing in on $1-bn mark

Los Angeles, Dec 26 (IANS) "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is well on its way to becoming the first pandemic-era movie (and the first since 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker") to net over $1 billion in earnings at the global box office. ## Trade analysts were confident that the finale of the Tom Holland-led trilogy would establish this milestone on Sunday (Monday morning, IST) after the film added another $19.6 million from 4,336 theatres across North America on Friday, putting the film well within grasping distance of picking up $92 million to $100 million over the traditional weekend. ## Reporting these figures, 'Variety' commented: "Those are huge box office receipts at a time when several new films (such as 'The Matrix Resurrections', 'Sing 2', and 'The King's Man') are opening nationwide to notable ticket sales." Despite concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the domestic box office will reach its highest levels for a single weekend since 2019 during the lucrative Christmas corridor. ## Should estimates hold, according to 'Variety', the latest Spidey adventure will have made $478 million in its first 10 days across domestic cinema theatres. That's more than double the next highest-grossing movie in Marvel's Universe, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", which earned a mighty $224 million. ## Reaching the billion-dollar milestone despite rising Covid-19 cases would have been impressive enough, but what is really remarkable is that "No Way Home" is going to surpass the mark without playing in China, the world's largest movie-going market. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For More Such Updates.

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Avinash Mukherjee: Try to keep it real on social media as real life is what matters
1626 days ago
Social Media

Avinash Mukherjee: Try to keep it real on social media as real life is what matters

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Avinash Mukherjee's idea of love is something that is pure and it means the world to him. The 'Sasural Simar Ka 2' actor thinks every living human being needs a longing and bond and there is no single creature on earth who can survive without love. ## Love means different things to different people at different stages of life. ## "Yes, not just romantic love but human love too, love for general humanity is very important. And I feel social media has made things very picturesque and created an obnoxiously crazy high standard for nothing. The lines between the real and virtual have blurred. And we can't just blame social media, we have also been party to this change. ## "We have to keep our mindset clear, remember that it is just pictures which are printed or the videos which are being made to showcase something and it's not necessarily a reflection of what exactly is going on. So yes, I also try to keep it real on social media because real life is what matters, and it will matter forever," he adds. ## Even if one falls in love, giving time becomes an issue these days. "Time is really a concern given the kind of fast lifestyle we are leading. But if the love and dedication are genuine, your family, friends and soulmate will understand," he says adding that, unlike some, he does not think that love is an illusion, but it's just one's mindset and viewpoint, and how they look at it. ## It is often said that celebrities are always chasing fame and don't find love. But Avinash does not agree. He adds, "No I don't think so. We all are humans. Celebrities' life is just public and that's why it's just most scrutinised, but I feel the definition is different for different kinds of people. Whether someone gets love or not has got nothing to do with their profession." ##

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Hit by Andhra Pradesh's GO-35, India's largest movie theatre throws in the towel
1626 days ago
Social Media

Hit by Andhra Pradesh's GO-35, India's largest movie theatre throws in the towel

Amaravati, Dec 26 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government order (GO-35) has virtually had cinema theatres drop like nine pins. On Saturday, the management at V-epic, India's largest and Asia's second-largest movie theatre, voluntarily downed shutters. ## The management has stated that they will not even be able to defray operational expenses if they run the show under the provisions of the state government's GO-35. ## The state-of-the-art sprawling movie theatre is spread over 7.5 acres on the outskirts of Sullurpeta town in the Nellore district. As per the government order, the theatre is categorised under 'C' class, and can price its tickets at Rs 30, Rs 20, and Rs 10, respectively. ## UV Creations had set up the theatre which boasts a 105-foot wide, and 54-foot high screen, with 3D surround sound system, and seating capacity of 670 people. The theatre complex also has two more screens, and seating for 170 persons. Prior to the implementation of the GO, the tickets for the top two seating classes were priced at Rs 100 and Rs 200. ## In all, as many as 125 movie theatres, mostly located in village panchayat limits, had shut shop by Saturday, citing an inability to operate profitably under the rules of the GO which has fixed theatre ticket prices based on their locations, as A, B, and C centers. ## The movie sector in Andhra Pradesh has been in a ferment ever since the state government headed by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy brought in the GO. ## As much as 15 percent of the state's 985 movie theatres have stopped screening movies, so far. ## Meanwhile, the authorities have been swooping down on theatres to check for violations. Several theatres' managements have been penalised with fines and some have been forced to cease operations for non-renewal of licenses or non-fulfillment of statutory obligations. ## The current crisis has its roots in April this year when the state government ushered in the GO-35. The GO coincided with the release of Pawan Kalyan's movie 'Vakeel Saab' raising suspicions on the intent behind the government's move. ## As per the order, ticket prices have been capped at Rs 40, Rs 60, and Rs 100 in municipal corporation limits. Similarly, the highest price is capped at Rs 70, Rs 50, and Rs 30, in municipal limits. The highest price is pegged at Rs 20 and the lowest at Rs 10 for gram panchayats. ## The controversial GO was suspended following an interim order by a single-judge bench of the AP High Court on December 14. However, the state government appealed against the suspension following which the court said that theatre owners can make applications on ticket price revision proposals to the respective district joint collectors who would decide on the ticket prices. ## A state-level committee is also to be set up for this. Industry insiders say it is practically difficult to get the prices revised. ## The state government has all along been claiming that it has initiated the regulation process at the instance of the Telugu film industry. ## Understandably, the issue has become political fodder, with the opposition parties like Telugu Desam, Jana Sena, and even the BJP attacking the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. ## While a few film stars have expressed their displeasure over 'unreasonable' capping of film ticket rates, it is exhibitors, distributors, and movie theatre owners who are feeling the pinch. Based out of Andhra Pradesh, unlike the actors and Tollywood industry big guns who operate out of Hyderabad in neighboring Telangana, AP movie theatre operators feel vulnerable and refuse to open up on record. ## However, they feel that they are just collateral damage in a high-stakes political war that is happening behind the scenes. ## The ruling YSRCP is ranged against two 'filmi' parties - the TDP that was set up by famed thespian N.T. Rama Rao, while his son and popular actor Balakrishna is a TDP MLA and strong backer of party supremo Chandrababu Naidu. The Jana Sena Party founder Pawan Kalyan is one of Telugu filmdom's biggest stars. ## Industry insiders claim the GO-35 is the YSRCP party supremo's plan to pull the rug from under the opposition parties' feet. ## For now, the Telugu movie industry, one of the largest in India, is staring at a blank screen. Ironically, the neighbouring state of Telangana had only on Saturday announced a hike in movie ticket prices. Truly a tale of two states...and one film industry! ##

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Arslan Goni: Increasing pollution of every kind is causing much harm to the environment
1627 days ago
Bollywood

Arslan Goni: Increasing pollution of every kind is causing much harm to the environment

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) The increasing level of pollution in the capital and in other parts of the world is a matter of concern for each one of us. In fact, 'Mystery Man' actor Arslan Goni says that we all need to do something about it. ## "Increasing levels of pollution of every kind is causing a lot of harm to the environment. So that is something that I really care about and would urge everybody to join forces towards the effort to help Nature prosper. Even if I get something in plastic, I try to use it as many times as I can and not just throw it away'. ## "And that is also one big problem that we are facing in this country and even around the world. So yes, I'm very concerned about nature," said the actor who has done projects such as 'Jia Aur Jia' and 'Main Hero Bol Raha Hun'. ## "It's extremely irrelevant and unethical to see some people trying to get attention from a cause. But yes, some celebrities genuinely also support causes and I have met a lot of such people. Not to forget the personal satisfaction one gets when they do good to someone," he adds. ## Stay Tuned To Sacnilk For More Such Updates.

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How An Idea Became A Film: The Five-Year Journey Of 83
1627 days ago
Bollywood

How An Idea Became A Film: The Five-Year Journey Of 83

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Kabir Khan's Ranveer Singh-starer '83' has been in the making for a long time. The film was initially announced in mid-July 2016, the same year that saw a flurry of cricket biopics such as Tony D'Souza 'Azhar' and Neeraj Pandey's 'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. ## It all started with members of the legendary squad meeting at a suburban hotel in Mumbai to mark the anniversary of the celebrated win. ## The 1983 team's skipper, Kapil Dev, along with several other members of the squad, handed over the film after signing an MoU with Phantom Films, co-owned by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena. The film then went into scripting with director and screenwriter Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan taking up the onus of writing. ## Sanjay, who bagged the National Film Award for Best Direction for 'Bahattar Hoorain', sketched the foundation of the script, which was then handed over to Vasan Bala ('Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota', 2019). ## "The foundation of the film was laid by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan. It came to me as his baby," Bala informed IANS. A close associate of Anurag Kashyap, Bala then added more flavors to the script in terms of perspective. "I worked on Sanjay's base screenplay, added my perspective and tone to it," the director-writer added. ## The film, which was slated to release in 2017, encountered several delays during its journey. ## On October 5, 2018, Phantom Films was dissolved a day before #MeToo allegations against one of its founding members, Vikas Bahl, by one of the women crew members, surfaced. The alleged incident happened during the early hours of May 5, 2015 after a party in a Goa hotel, ahead of Kashyap's 'Bombay Velvet' release. ## After the dismantling of Phantom Films, Reliance Entertainment, which had acquired a 50 percent stake in Phantom, took the film forward. ## Bala completed the script and shared it with Kabir Khan, who then started work on the mammoth project. "And then I handed it over to Kabir Khan and his team. They took it and carried it to greater heights," Bala remembers. ## The next movement in the '83' clockwork was the casting. Kabir got in touch with the best in the business, Mukesh Chhabra, who then embarked on the journey to cast for the film. ## For Chhabra, "the idea behind casting was that the entire country should connect with each character". The casting director had earlier told IANS: "This film took me more than a year to cast because there were a lot of things that we needed with regards to the actors. They needed to know how to play cricket, and their language and their culture had to match with the corresponding characters." ## Several workshops were organised for the players to develop an understanding of their characters, the iconic shots of the cricketing legends, and the team spirit. Chhabra set up a camp where actors interacted with actual players. ## Once the pre-production and casting was locked, the film's crew swiftly slipped into production mode with principal photography starting on June 5, 2019. Along the way, Deepika Padukone, who plays Kapil Dev's wife Romi, came onboard as co-producer along with Kabir Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Vishnuvardhan Induri. ## The film was shot in and around England for three months with a brief schedule in India as well. It was eventually wrapped on October 7, 2019. ## But then came the first wave of the pandemic, followed soon by the second. The contagion gripped major parts of the world, pushing nations into lockdowns. Showbiz suffered like never before, as theatres shut down, forcing the film's crew to wait for almost two years before seeing the light of day. ## The moment arrived on December 22, when the film was first unveiled at a star-studded screening in Mumbai, where practically the entire Bollywood showed up to render support to the big-ticket release. ## With the film garnering a positive response from metro audiences, Vasan is a happy man. "Happy to see it release and people enjoy it," he said, signing off. ##

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'Akhanda' Team Celebrates As Film Completes 25 Days In Theatres
1627 days ago
Tollywood

'Akhanda' Team Celebrates As Film Completes 25 Days In Theatres

Chennai, Dec 26 (IANS) Director Boyapati Sreenu's mass action entertainer 'Akhanda', featuring Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead, has successfully completed 25 days in theatres, giving the Telugu film industry a reason to smile. ## The source states that the film is still continuing to do solid business at the box office and that it is registering massive collections in its fourth week as well. ## A delighted team decided to celebrate the success of the film. A grand celebration was organized on Saturday night which was attended by the entire team, including actor Balakrishna, director Boyapati Sreenu and producer Miryala Ravinder Reddy of Dwaraka Creations. ## Balakrishna, Boyapati Sreenu, and Miryala Ravinder Reddy presented the entire cast and crew of the movie with shields on the occasion. Distributors of the film from all the regions in the Telugu states too were part of the celebrations. ## 'Akhanda', which has also crossed the million-dollar mark in overseas markets, has emerged as the highest-grossing movie of Balakrishna. ##

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Bina Kak shares pic with Salman Khan on social media; fans overjoyed
1627 days ago
Bollywood

Bina Kak shares pic with Salman Khan on social media; fans overjoyed

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Actress and former Rajasthan Tourism Minister Bina Kak has taken to her social media account to post a picture with superstar Salman Khan. She also wrote a birthday message for him. ## Bina is said to be close to Salman's family. She was also offered a role by Salman in his 2005 film 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?'. She captioned her picture with Salman: "Birthday tomorrow, all good and cheerful!! happy and healthy, blessed to be surrounded by family, All our blessings for a happy, healthy, long and meaningful life ahead dear Salman." ## Many of Salman's fans who were worried because of the news that he was bitten by a non-venomous snake shared this picture conveying their happiness. ## One fan re-shared the picture and wrote: "Latest picture of megastar #SalmanKhan...Thank god he's okay! love him so much" while the other one wrote: "Recent picture of #SalmanKhan from his Farmhouse. He is absolutely fine." ## Salman was bitten by a non-venomous snake at his farmhouse in Panvel. As per the sources, this incident took place on early Sunday morning. ## After which he was taken to MGM hospital at Kamothe in Navi Mumbai for treatment and was discharged after receiving the treatment. The snake bit his hand but he is fine now. ## Salman's birthday is on December 27. So, he was at his farmhouse ahead of his birthday at Panvel, when this mishap took place. He was discharged from the hospital at 9 a.m. on December 26. The news shocked many of his fans. ## Salman often celebrates his birthday at Panvel farmhouse and he follows it as a sort of tradition. Maybe he will host a close-knit party. He also shares pictures and videos from his farmhouse. ## On the work front, in 2022, Salman will be joining Katrina Kaif and continue shooting for 'Tiger 3'. He will also be doing 'Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali' with Pooja Hegde and 'Kick 2' with Jacqueline Fernandez. ##

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Khushbu Sundar, Nithin Sathya remember victims of 2004 Tsunami
1627 days ago
Kollywood

Khushbu Sundar, Nithin Sathya remember victims of 2004 Tsunami

Chennai, Dec 26 (IANS) Actress and politician Khushbu Sundar on Sunday joined scores of others in paying homage to the victims of the killer tsunami that claimed lakhs of lives in 2004. ## Taking to social media, Khushbu said, "Paid homage to those we lost when mother fury descended as a tsunami in 2004. Prayed to safeguard our fishermen as they brave every weather and venture into the sea. Every life matters to us and we shall do all that it takes to protect them." ## Khushbu wasn't the only celebrity who remembered the victims of the 2004 tsunami on its anniversary. Tamil actor and producer Nitin Sathyaa too tweeted about the great disaster that left several people dead in several countries. ## In India, Tamil Nadu was among the states that bore the brunt of the tsunami, with several people in coastal regions being killed. ## Nitin Sathyaa said that the memories of the 2004 tsunami were still fresh. He recalled that Chennai was in havoc and that there was panic all over. ## The actor said, "Nature at its worst. Hope it never happens again. Prayers for the departed souls." ## The tsunami, which was caused by a 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake near Sumatra in Indonesia, killed around 2.3 lakh people in 14 countries including India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. ##

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Simran Kaur styled her own bridal avatar for the upcoming wedding sequence in 'Aggar Tum Na Hote'
1627 days ago
TV

Simran Kaur styled her own bridal avatar for the upcoming wedding sequence in 'Aggar Tum Na Hote'

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) 'Aggar Tum Na Hote' actress Simran Kaur has given her own style inputs for her bridal look for a wedding sequence in the show. ## The actress will be seen in a maroon lehenga, embellished with silver details and embroidery to match the Kundan jewelry that she wore. ## Simran revealed: "I was ecstatic when I was told about the wedding sequence. Every girl loves to dress up and getting an opportunity to play and dress up as a bride is really fantastic. In fact, I was even more kicked about the sequence because the lehenga they chose for me looked amazing. It was actually something I would personally love wearing too." In the upcoming track, Simran Kaur a.k.a Niyati will be seen preparing to get married to Dr Anand (Tushar Chawla). ## She added: "I really couldn't wait for the wedding sequence to happen, as I got to choose the beautiful ornaments that would go with my marvelous lehenga. for the hair and make-up as well, I gave a few style suggestions to the whole team, and they incorporated it into my look. I really loved my overall bridal avatar, and my parents were surprised to see me in such a look. I must mention that while the whole sequence was really intense, I enjoyed every bit of it. It was a challenge, to move around with such a heavy lehenga, but it was worth it." ## 'Aggar Tum Na Hote' airs on Zee TV. ##

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