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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

What B-Towners are missing during the lockdown
2247 days ago
Bollywood

What B-Towners are missing during the lockdown

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Sitting at home since mid-March due to the lockdown, almost all of India is bored. Bollywood stars, who need to be in the limelight for the sake of their image, are perhaps more than just bored. By now they have cooked, cleaned, baked, learned music, played with pets, done Shayari and done their workouts to stay in the social media spotlight a zillion times over. All of them, it is obvious, are itching to return to the film set, and be back in the world of lights, camera, and action.## Ayushmann Khurrana is missing the film set. Taking to Twitter, he revealed he fancied playing the Professor, protagonist of the show "Money Heist". Ayushmann wrote: "I want to be the Professor. I want to put this out in the universe. Hello reverent filmmakers! Please! I'm dying to do something like this. I'm itching to go on sets and work, like each and every human."## Nushrat Bharucha shared a video of her workout on Instagram and expressed that she is missing working out with her trainer.## Sidharth Malhotra is missing stepping out of his home amid the lockdown. He shared on Instagram: "Remember when we used to be able to just open the door and go out? Yeah, I'm thinking about that right now!"## Sonakshi Sinha is missing doing makeup! Sharing a beautiful black-and-white throwback still on Instagram, where she can be seen flaunting smokey eye makeup, the actress wrote: "Portrait by @rahuljhangiani #throwback (lockdown day 23: accha toh yeh hota hai makeup??)"## Kriti Kharbanda is missing dressing up. The actress keeps sharing throwback pictures on social media. In a recent Instagram post, Kriti shared a throwback photo and wrote: "Throwing back coz I miss dressing up."## Sharing an old photo of herself from an outdoor shoot, Sonam Kapoor tweeted: "I miss shoots."## Bidita Bag compares the lockdown situation where we are all confined to homes with our family members as a reality show and is eager to perform a "task" as we often watch happening on such shows. Sharing a meme featuring Alia Bhatt, with the words "Mujhe task chahiye" written on it, she urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assign her a task. The actress captioned the meme: "Modiji please".## Randeep Hooda is missing riding his horse under the blue sky and watching the evening sun. Recently, on National Pet Day, Hooda tweeted a throwback horseriding snapshot. "Missing Cupa, blue skies and evening sun!" the actor captioned.## Isha Koppikar is missing being on the set. The actress shared a couple of pictures clicked at home and tweeted: "When I miss being on a set, I do a photoshoot at home! Can't wait to get back on the set!"## With the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown being extended to May 3, B-Towners will surely miss their favorite activities for another couple of weeks.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

Kiku Sharda: Wish 'Angrezi Medium' released a bit earlier or later
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Kiku Sharda: Wish 'Angrezi Medium' released a bit earlier or later

Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actor-comedian Kiku Sharda feels bad that Irrfan Khan's comeback film "Angrezi Medium" didn't get a proper run at the box-office owing the shutdown of theatres all over India in the wake of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic. The movie later had its digital release.## "It's crazy and really sad. I really wish that 'Angrezi Medium' would have released a little earlier or little after -- at least, we would have had a proper release. The movie was taken down after one day of release. It is such a beautiful film and Irrfan Khan hasn't done a film in a long time, given his health conditions. It was such an important thing for everyone to see him, and I was really hoping that people would get a chance to see him in theatre," said Kiku.## Apart from Irrfan and Kiku, the Homi Adajania-helmed also features Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal, Ranveer Shorey, and Kareena Kapoor Khan.## "The response of people who have seen the film is great. People have reached out to me on social media platforms and praised the movie. And of course, everyone is talking about the great ensemble cast. Each and every character is being praised, every actor is apt and remarkably good in the role they performed. The chemistry between Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobriyal was very much appreciated. People are in awe of the story as well. It is such a beautiful story of a father and a daughter, and it is such a positive film," he said.## Kiku also said that Irrfan Khan was the reason he agreed to do the film. "I knew Irrfan Khan was doing the movie and that was reason enough for me to join the ensemble cast. I knew my character and brief, but the selling item was Irrfan Khan. I would get to work with him, share screen space with him, so that was enough for me. I have loved, adored and admired Irrfan Khan's work. Some of his movies are remarkable. So, working with him has been an honor and pleasure for me," he said.## Kiku Sharda is also part of "The Kapil Sharma Show" on Sony TV, portraying various roles including Santosh and Bumper, and his very famous character Baccha Yadav.## Stay tuned...

Richa Chadha: Epidemic bringing out worse, best in people
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Richa Chadha: Epidemic bringing out worse, best in people

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Actress Richa Chadha feels that the coronavirus pandemic is bringing out the best and worst in people, and she says that it's the time to come together and help.## "This epidemic is bringing out the worst in people and bringing out the best in people. You have people who are going out of their way to provide for animals and human beings, and then there are some people who are using this as an opportunity to treat the poor badly," Richa told IANS.## Richa then cited the example of the 3,000 stranded migrants from different parts of India who thronged at Bandra railway station on Tuesday demanding that they should be given transportation to return to their native places immediately.## The Mumbai Police, in an attempt to control such a large crowd, resorted to a mild lathi-charge when sections threatened to go out of control.## She said: "Now, these poor migrant laborers gathered in Bandra and Surat, and people are criticizing them that they could have led to community transmission. But the thing is these are people who are helpless and do not have other means to get home and to pay rent. This is the time to come together and help. I really hope people get a sense of this (epidemic) and make behavioral changes."## Stay tuned...

Ravi Kishan: Important for me to be comfortable with co-stars
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Ravi Kishan: Important for me to be comfortable with co-stars

Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actor Ravi Kishan says it is very important for him to be comfortable with the people he is working with.## He will soon be seen in Netflix's upcoming series "Hasmukh", which is about an ambitious comic on a mission to prove to his mentor that he is a good comedian. Ravi will be seen as Pratap Sinha. Pratap Singh is the head of Alankar TV who flirts with his young secretary but the fact that he is married gets him in trouble at times.## On the first day of the shoot, Ravi arrived 4 hours earlier than the decided call time just to assure that he is comfortable to shoot with the cast and be familiar with the crew at the shoot.## "It is important for me to be comfortable with the people I am working with. To make sure I am cordial with everyone, I visit the set before everyone arrives and greet them as we are a part of the same family," Ravi said.## "Hasmukh" shows how every dream comes with a price and Hasmukh (Vir Das) realizes that the only way to "kill it on stage", is if he "kills off stage".## Also featuring Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa, Amrita Bagchi, Suhail Nayyar, Inaamulhaq and Raza Murad, "Hasmukh" is directed by Nikhil Gonsalves and will release on April 17. The Netflix show is produced for Applause Entertainment by Emmay Entertainment.## Stay tuned...

Lockdown diaries: Yoga and positivity work for Neetu Chandra
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Lockdown diaries: Yoga and positivity work for Neetu Chandra

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actress Neetu Chandra is not going to let the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic get to her.## The actress took to Twitter on Wednesday to post some photos from her yoga session.## "Today on my #yoga mat. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence! 'Be strong now because things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it can't rain forever'. Bring it on," she captioned the images.## This comes just a few days after she posted: "Dear Doctors & Nurses, you have worked selflessly for us but we care for your safety too. Please take all necessary precautions to ensure that you too stay safe from the virus. We salute your dedication. Thank You."## Neetu has been also using the quarantine time to connect with her fans. One asked how she is spending time at home, she replied: "Very hectic, A lot of reading, watching, cooking, yoga, family time, laughing."## It seems like she will have to continue this routine, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced extension of the 21-day lockdown for another 19 days until May 3 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.## Stay tuned...

Lockdown diaries: Vatsal Sheth always wanted to learn the flute
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Lockdown diaries: Vatsal Sheth always wanted to learn the flute

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actor Vatsal Sheth's goal for the quarantine time was to learn to play the flute, and he is happy that he has achieved it.## "I always wanted to learn the flute and for a long time I have been contemplating, but now I have got enough time to play the flute and I am doing it religiously. It's great that we have had time off and it has helped me connect to some deep thinking that I needed to do and focus on a few hobbies. This is working well for me," he said.## Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the extension of the 21-day lockdown for another 19 days until May 3 to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.## Vatsal urged everyone to take the lockdown very seriously.## "Go out only for emergencies. This is a difficult period and this too shall pass but for that, we need to take the protocols," he said.## On a lighter note, the "Taarzan: The Wonder Car" actor has been tickling the funny bone of his followers on social media with his hilarious videos.## Stay tuned...

Chahat Khanna: I shot new music video with Mika before lockdown
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Chahat Khanna: I shot new music video with Mika before lockdown

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Television actress Chahat Khanna denies breaking lockdown protocol to shoot the music video of her new song "Bade acche lagte hain with Mika Singh, saying that she shot for the song before the lockdown.## "He (Mika) stays next to my building, and this happened before my building was seized. I had gone to his house, we were making a video on our iPhone and we were planning to come up with something that would have to be time pass for people during the quarantine. We were trying to make something for the quarantine period," claimed Chahat.## She added: "Mika Singh has sung the song and I feature in the video. It is something new. We both have shot at home. It's about quarantine, and how couples can spend time in at home during quarantine".## Talking about spending time in lockdown, Chahat Khanna said it's the same for her like all others, as she is a mother looking after her kids.## "I am a mother looking after kids. So, spending time creatively is difficult. Had I been alone I might have had time to read, paint, write or exercise, but with me, it's another way around. I don't get a single second to spare on creativity as my kid doesn't leave my back -- not even for five minutes. So it's becoming next to impossible for me to indulge myself. It's kind of a madhouse right now for me," she said.## Lockdown has affected daily wagers badly, she noted: "I know this is a very difficult time. I have been calling up my house to help to ask if they need something. We are all privileged but there are people who don't have cars or means of transport or survival. So I have been calling up to check, especially my maids who are daily wage earners."## Chahat Khanna was last seen in "Prassthanam", starring Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Chunky Pandey, Ali Fazal, Satyajeet Dubey, and Amyra Dastur.## Stay tuned...

Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart in fundraiser for COVID-19 relief
2247 days ago
Hollywood

Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart in fundraiser for COVID-19 relief

Los Angeles, April 15 (IANS) Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kevin Hart are signing-on to take part in All In Challenge -- a fundraiser -- to help feed Americans affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.## Philadelphia 76'ers co-owner Michael Rubin launched the fundraising auction where athletes, artists, and celebrities offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to fans.## Bieber, Hart, and Dwyane Wade were among some of the first high-profile names to lend their names and prizes to the effort, reports dailymail.co.uk.## People can donate as little as $10 to earn a chance to win one of the fan experiences being offered by the celebrity of their choice.## Bieber is offering to fly out to the winner's house for a private show of his song, "One less lonely girl".## There's also a chance to be in Hart's next movie.## Since gaining traction on Tuesday, many of the celebrities are calling out some of their famous friends to get involved.## Other high-profile names taking part in the auction include lMeek Mill, Ryan Seacrest, Rob Lowe, Robin Thicke, and Alex Rodriguez.## Stay tuned...

Divyanka Tripathi turns hairstylist for hubby Vivek Dahiya
2247 days ago
TV

Divyanka Tripathi turns hairstylist for hubby Vivek Dahiya

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Actress Divyanka Tripathi has turned hairstylist to beat the lockdown blues, and ended up giving hubby, actor Vivek Dahiya, a whole new look.## On Wednesday, Vivek took to Instagram and shared a picture in which Divyanka is seen giving him a hair cut and, according to Vivek's caption, something went wrong. He will share the final outcome of his haircut soon.## "Can you trust your wife with a haircut? Apparently, I did and wait to see what happened. Video rolling out soon..! Bolo toh tha kaan sambhal ke kaat na...#StayTuned! LifeUnderQuarantineSeries," Vivek wrote.## In a recent interview with IANS, Vivek expressed his wish to work with Divyanka again.## "I know our fans are waiting for long to see Divyanka and me together on the screen... I also want to work with her again... It''s just that I am waiting for some right project to come our way. If the project is right and the script looks interesting, we would definitely give a heads-up," Vivek said.## The couple first met on the sets of "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein" and after several months of dating, the two got married in 2016.## Stay tuned...

Soundarya Sharma seeks MEA help to return home from LA
2247 days ago
Bollywood

Soundarya Sharma seeks MEA help to return home from LA

Los Angeles, April 15 (IANS) Actress Soundarya Sharma has approached the Indian embassy and Ministry of External Affairs for assistance, along with more than 400 Indians including students who are stranded in the USA amid a coronavirus pandemic.## "These are challenging times for everyone, but my heart goes to hundreds of students including another fellow Indians who are stuck here, without proper accommodation and resources," Soundarya said.## She added: "I have been writing to the Indian Embassy and the Ministry of External Affairs for evacuation assistance however there has been no positive response nor any assistance to Indians who have been unable to meet their ends here."## The actress, who featured in the film "Ranchi Diaries", is hoping to be evacuated back to India.## "I would humbly request the Indian embassy and the MEA for a stimulus package for all those students and fellow Indians who are stuck here to help overcome this situation and hopefully arrange an evacuation flight back to India," she said.## Soundarya was in Los Angeles to attend an acting course at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.## Stay tuned...

Selena Gomez sues gaming company
2247 days ago
Hollywood

Selena Gomez sues gaming company

Los Angeles, April 15 (IANS) Pop star Selena Gomez has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the makers of a mobile game for using her name and her image without permission.## She has sued the software and technology firms behind the Clothes Forever - Styling Game. The game allows users to buy "diamonds" and go on virtual shopping trips with celebrities, reports variety.com.## Gomez has alleged that one of the characters is based on her, adding that she has never agreed to have her likeness used in any mobile game.## The suit stated: "Defendants never requested, consulted, or informed Gomez regarding the use of any of her publicity rights in connection with the game. Nor, if asked, would Gomez have consented to such use for the Game, which apparently relies on the unsavory practice of luring its users to make in-game purchases in amounts as much as $99.99 to fund imaginary spending in the game and unlock features."## Gomez is suing Guangzhou Feidong Software Technology Co. (China-based seller of the game) and MutantBox Interactive Limited (the British company that holds copyrights to the game). The suit mentions that Gomez has "carefully curated all endorsements and business opportunities" in a way that advances "her goals and her image as a role model for youth".## It also claimed that the mobile game is "bug-riddled" and is "rated a measly 3.5 stars out of 5" by reviewers in the App Store.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

Jacqueline Fernandez's 'Mrs. Serial Killer' to release on May 1
2247 days ago
Digital Media

Jacqueline Fernandez's 'Mrs. Serial Killer' to release on May 1

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Jacqueline Fernandez's next release, the digital film "Mrs. Serial Killer", will be released on May 1.## "See you at the premiere on the 1st of May for 'Mrs. Serial Killer'," Jacqueline said in a video with co-star Manoj Bajpayee. The video was shared on the Instagram account of Netflix India, the OTT platform where the film will drop.## "Mrs. Serial Killer" is directed by Shirish Kunder and produced by his filmmaker wife Farah Khan. The thriller is about a wife, whose husband has been framed and imprisoned for serial murders. She needs to perform a murder exactly like the serial killer, to prove that her husband is innocent.## Manoj Bajpayee and Shirish Kunder earlier collaborated on the 2016 short film, psychological thriller "Kriti".## Stay tuned...