Among the most promising shows on Amazon Prime's slate this year is Nikkhil Advani's Mumbai Diaries 26/11. The eight-part series, starring Konkona Sensharma and Mohit Raina, offers a fictionalised account of the terror attack that took place at the Cama Hospital, among other venues, on November 26, 2008. Though the show was earlier titled Bombay Hospital, Advani says it was a unanimous decision to rechristen it. "There is a hospital in south Bombay called Bombay Hospital. Our show is not only about what happened at the [Cama] hospital that night; it also deals with the overarching theme of humanity. We had to come up with a title that sums up the theme," reasons the director.

With the release of Dev Patel-starrer Hotel Mumbai last year, the recreation of stories as sensitive as the 26/11 terror attacks has been widely debated. Is it judicious to tap into those memories? "We Mumbaikars still discuss where we were on that [fateful] night. I hope we have treated the story with sensitivity. The show plays out in a hospital, and little has been said about the hospital staff in our stories of 26/11. I wanted to celebrate the brave doctors who had saved the day."

The drama, which went on floors last August, was wrapped up only days before the lockdown was announced across the country. Counting himself among the fortunate few whose projects remain unaffected, the director is working with his post-production team remotely to meet the deadline.

"Luckily, the show was shot in sync sound, so we don't have the problem of dubbing. Given the subject, it is likely to release around November 26. People talk about how editing from home is a challenge, but it isn't. My editor puts the edited content on Vimeo for the post-production supervisor and me to see. We are constantly on Zoom calls, telling each other what works, and what doesn't," he shares, adding that his 2013 offering, D-Day, too was edited remotely.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Remembering the moment spent with late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, fashion designer Manish Malhotra on Tuesday took to social media to share a throwback video from a movie scene featuring himself with the late icon. The 53-year-old fashion designer took to Twitter to share a video clip from the 2009 released movie 'Luck By Chance' where he shared the screen space with Rishi Kapoor for the first time.

Some memories you will cherish more than the others. Miss you Rishiji pic.twitter.com/eFWizdaHkJ

— Manish Malhotra (@ManishMalhotra) May 5, 2020

Taking it to the captions, Malhotra wrote: "Some memories you will cherish more than the others. Miss you Rishiji." Earlier, on the day of the legendary actor's demise, Malhotra hopped on to Instagram to share a lengthy emotional note.

The designer in the note mentioned that he is 'heartbroken' after receiving the news. "I am heartbroken. This is sad and terrible. Rishiji will be truly missed. His brilliance is irreplaceable. My most favourite actor and a warm wonderful human being" reads the caption.

Rishi Kapoor passed on last Thursday morning in Mumbai after a two-year-long battle with leukaemia. In September 2019, the actor had returned to Mumbai after staying in New York for almost a year for cancer treatment.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Disha Patani is without a doubt; the hottest actress in Bollywood and frequently serves as a fashion inspiration to many. The actress’ wardrobe is filled with elegant and classy attires that one can always be in awe off. The actress has a ginormous following on social media owing it to her sophisticated looks and frequent wonderful posts. When it comes to style Disha Patani has set quite a benchmark and she is sure to be a hoot in any attire she adheres.

Recently, the actress enhanced the audience's day by posting a different blazing hot look and a rejuvenating picture of herself on social media. She was seen wearing a blue and white striped crop top paired with a black leather skirt and blue pendant.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

🌸

A post shared by disha patani (paatni) (@dishapatani) onMay 5, 2020 at 2:27am PDT

Disha Patani is always slaying it in every attire. She is style and hotness personified! Going by the humongous craze of Disha, who also crossed over 30 million followers on Instagram, surpassing all her contemporaries (including her senior counterparts), fans are eagerly anticipating Disha's next, Radhe with megastar Salman Khan.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Malang co-stars Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani and Kunal Kemmu on Wednesday had a virtual reunion. Taking to Instagram, Disha posted a screenshot from her video call with the Malang boys. "Positive vibes only... quarantine reunion with my favourite boys," she captioned the image.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Positive vibes only🌸 quarantine reunion with my favourite boys❤ï¸ÂðŸŒ¸

A post shared by disha patani (paatni) (@dishapatani) onMay 6, 2020 at 3:52am PDT

In the screen grab, Anil Kapoor is seen flaunting biceps. Disha looks beautiful as she shows off her lustrous hair. Kunal is all smiles while Aditya sports a beard. Reacting to his pose, Anil Kapoor quipped: "Ye haath mujhe dede Thakur."

Directed by Mohit Suri, Malang is a romantic action thriller film that released in February.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Reminiscing one of his fashion shows that featured celebrity couple Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan for the first time on-ramp, fashion designer Manish Malhotra on Wednesday shared a throwback video from the grand event.

Malhotra took to Instagram to share the video from the 2009 fashion show and shared the details of the event in the caption.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#throwback When the most beautiful @kareenakapoorkhan and dapper #saifalikhan walked the ramp together for the first time .. True style and panache they both have and carriage that’s their own .. It was magical .. it was one of my first shows which had more than 50 models and turned out to be a Grand Show and the colour story and the cuts were all an amalgamation of rose and deep colours and lots of textures and fabrics together #2009 when couture week was in mumbai and then it shifted to delhi .. #fashionshow .. @mmalhotraworld #memories #gratitude #love

A post shared by Manish Malhotra (@manishmalhotra05) onMay 5, 2020 at 11:08pm PDT

The video features the showstoppers - Saif and Kareena - decked up in Malhotra's haute couture and walking down the ramp holding each other's hands.

While Saif is seen wearing a black coloured velvet sherwani, Kareena is seen in an Indo-western avatar wearing a light rose coloured heavily embroidered skirt paired with a golden shimmery top.

Sharing more insights about the show, the 53-year-old fashion designer wrote in the caption, "#throwback When the most beautiful @kareenakapoorkhan and dapper #saifalikhan walked the ramp together for the first time .. True style and panache they both have and carriage that's their own. It was magical."

"It was one of my first shows which had more than 50 models and turned out to be a Grand Show and the colour story and the cuts were all an amalgamation of rose and deep colours and lots of textures and fabrics together #2009 when couture week was in Mumbai and then it shifted to Delhi," he added.

Manish Malhotra has been hosting Bollywood celebrities on his fashion shows for years. Many actors and celebrities have been wearing his designs in films and in real lives.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Arbaaz Khan tied the knot with Malaika Arora in 1998 and have a son, Arhaan Khan together. The duo shocked everyone when they announced the news of their separation in 2016. It was in 2017 that they were granted the divorce and two years from then, both, Malaika and Arbaaz seem to have moved on with their lives. On one hand, where Malaika Arora is reportedly in a relationship with Arjun Kapoor, Arbaaz Khan is happy in the company of Giorgia Andriani.

In a recent interview, Giorgia Andriani opened up about the speculations surrounding her wedding with Arbaaz. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, she said, "People may assume whatever they want. But I am quite serene as a person, so if and when that (marriage with Arbaaz) will happen, I would definitely let everybody know. I don't have any problem with that. In the meantime, they can think whatever they want. I don’t own anybody's mind."

About Arbaaz, Giorgia says, "He's got a wit. He is always fun. Even if you have some things going in your mind, he is a really nice person to talk to, have fun and make jokes."

The Italian-model is currently spending her quarantine time with her beau. When asked if she got to know Arbaaz better during the lockdown, Giorgia said, "We have already spent a lot of time together in the past so I had already known him very well."

Arbaaz and Giorgia are quite active on social media and often share updates from their daily lives for their fans. Recently, Giorgia, who seemed quite bored, shared a fun video in which she can be seen giving Arbaaz a clean shave! "Being a barber or being barbaric!? What say?" wrote Giorgia along with the video. The video began with a glimpse of Arbaaz resting on a couch in the balcony, which was accompanied by this description: "Dinbhar sona, complete coma."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Being a barber or being barbaric!? What say? 🤷🏻‍♀ï¸Â #Quarantine #Mood #Fun #BoredInTheHouse

A post shared by Giorgia Andriani (@giorgia.andriani22) onApr 21, 2020 at 6:33am PDT

On the work front, Giorgia will soon make her Bollywood debut with Welcome to Bajrangpur co-starring Shreyas Talpade, Sanjay Mishra, and Tigmanshu Dhulia.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

AB Aani cd
On: Amazon Prime Video
Director: Milind Lele
Cast: Vikram Gokhale, Subodh Bhave, Amitabh Bachchan
Rating: 

Now this is such a 'meta' movie. Just look at it this way. There's an old man here. His family treats him like dirt. Regulars around are equally indifferent towards him. It's only when a rumour starts flying that this supposedly common-man is friends with the cinema superstar Amitabh Bachchan, that his stocks rise. His daughters-in-law take his existence more seriously.

Which is what happened to me (and might happen to you as an audience) with this film. I wouldn't have taken this Marathi movie (that has dropped directly on Amazon Prime instead of waiting for a theatrical release) seriously had it not been for the presence of Bachchan (or AB). Bachchan takes half the space in the picture's poster. The film's title refers to AB, And (Aani) CD, as in the lead character, Chandrakant Deshpande.

Except, Bachchan is really not there in this film. In the same way that he is actually not the lead character Chandrakant's friend in the film either — for all the attention that the old gent accidentally garners from that possibility! Does that make sense, from a meta point of view? To me it does.

What else to do besides amuse oneself thus, given that there's little to appreciate by way of filmmaking standards in general here — laden with predictive-text screenwriting, plus television-like camerawork. That said, essential that we don't confuse issues that we have with a movie, with the issues that it intends to highlight. One can totally feel for the latter, while holding on to the former.

In that sense, this is a film about neglect of the aged, since this is no society for old men. And it talks about fakeness of a celebrity culture that attributes value to an individual, merely for their proximity/association with a public figure. God knows we see both these things around us all the time. So as a story it's closer to being the Marathi 'Baghban' (2003), if you may; at the same time its point doesn't fall too far from, say, the Shah Rukh Khan, Irrfan starrer Billu (2009).

Neither of which were masterpieces, of course. But there was a certain visceral connect that Baghban had that would've flown past me if it wasn't for an old man, who was sobbing all through, sitting next to me at the theatre when I first watched that film. From a mainstream point of view Baghban was possibly the most impactful Bachchan movie in the early 2000s phase of his career. Quite similar to perhaps Rajesh Khanna in the same mould, in Avtar (1983) — no relation to James Cameron's Avatar, that Govinda believes was offered to him by the way!

Watch the trailer of Amitabh Bachchan starrer AB Aani CD Here:

Don't know if a Baghban like subject explains Bachchan agreeing to a minute-long cameo in this pic. Or is it the matured, Marathi actor playing the lead character here. It's been a minimum couple of decades at a stretch, surely. If I were to close my eyes and imagine the visual archetype for a dignified, Indian, educated, old family-man, with lines on his face that tell a common story, and a demeanour that captures the general ethos of the great desi middle class, I think the person who will show up is Vikram Gokhale — the man at the centre of this film.

There is something so real about him, and yet unique that he doesn't continuously merge with all the movies where he's played similar roles in (unlike, perhaps, Rajiv Verma, if you recall the rich daddy from Maine Pyar Kiya!).

Gokhale is a bona fide lead actor in Marathi cinema, which has been of fairly low quality over the past decade or so, compared to its rich cousin, Bollywood, next-door. It'd be triply 'meta' if the 79-year-old Gokhale doesn't get his due because of films like these.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Giorgia Andriani is enjoying lockdown with beau but she sure is missing family and the busy shoot life. From viral challenges to baking food and enjoying downtime with her friends – Giorgia is living it up even in lockdown. And once it ends, the actress has some exciting plans up her sleeve.

Giorgia is recently in Mumbai and once the lockdown ends her travel plans are already decided. On her Post Lockdown to-do list, she will be traveling to meet her parents in Italy. ''After the lockdown ends I'll go to Italy to hug my family'', Giorgia said.

On the work front, the Italian beauty Giorgia will soon debut in Bollywood with 'Welcome to Bajrangpur' starring Shreyas Talpade, Sanjay Mishra, and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Apart from that, she is set to raise the temperature with an Item Number in much-awaited 'Sridevi Bungalow' starring Arbaaz Khan and Priya Prakash Varrier.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Marriages in Tinsel Town have faced ups and downs, some have survived the toughest and harshest of times, a lot have ended, unfortunately. The latest marriage that has ended is that of Chahatt Khanna's sister Simran Khanna and Bharat Dudani. Speaking to SpotBoyE, she confirmed the news, "Yes, Bharat and I have divorced."

She added, "No animosity between us." When asked about the custody of their child, the actress said, "Well, Bharat has Vineet's custody. But I meet Vineet frequently. As I said, Bharat and I went separate ways but hold no grudges."

This is indeed a sad and shocking piece of news for all her fans and they are surely likely to be heartbroken. Just like a lot of other couples that continued their amicable relationship post their separation, we hope the same happens with these two.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Between cooking and watching TV, Sayantani Ghosh is making time to train herself in singing. "I could always sing, but I want to take it more seriously since I have the time. I have been checking online classes too," she says. Just like a lot of Bollywood and Television celebrities who are trying out new stuff, she is honing her singing skills.

Spreading love

Amid the grim situation, Aalisha Panwar hopes to spread some positivity among her fans. She says, "I want to bring a smile on their faces, so I have started an interactive session, Friday Fan Love to spend some time with my fans."

Slambook

Kunal Thakur

One superpower you wish to possess?
The power of teleportation.

Your last fantasy?
Penélope Cruz.

The last nightmare you had?
That I fell out of a window while trying to take a picture of the sunset.

One thing on your wishlist.
To buy a high-end motorbike and go on a road trip.

Your worst project?
A film that I backed out of because it didn't go as expected.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

TV couple Asha Negi and Rithvik Dhanjani, who met on the sets of the TV show Pavitra Rishta, have parted ways, according to reports. Negi and Dhanjani were together for over six years, and now the buzz is that they have called it quits.

Asha Negi and Rithvik Dhanjani never shied away from confessing their love for each other even in front of the media. They even participated in the popular dance reality show Nach Baliye 6 together and won the season. Speaking about the win, Negi had said, "It was difficult for me. I am very lazy and that's why I didn't want to be a part of this show as I had to go for my serial shoot. But Rithvik encouraged me and we took part in it."

Sources close to the development informed ETimes that the couple has broken up. The report further states that their close friends have known about it for a month now. Apparently, Asha and Rithvik were living together, and now, the latter has moved out of the house.

Earlier, when Asha Negi was asked about their marriage plans, the actress had said, "We are not thinking of marriage anytime soon. Not after three-four years. We want to be settled professionally first. We only think about our careers only at this point in time."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Animal lover Rishina Kandhari has rescued a stray cat and named it Sophia. The feline is the latest addition to her pets at home. The Tenali Rama actor is spending the lockdown by being with the cat.

Rishina has also been sharing information about coronavirus and how animals, especially pets, can't spread it. Calling on pet owners to not abandon their pets, she wrote, "The World Health Organization has Announced that Pets cannot contract #covid_19. Those lil ones won't give u #corona but humans will... social distancing, self-quarantine is the need of the hour. Please don't abandon your pets."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rishina Kandhari (@rishinakandhari) onMar 20, 2020 at 9:10am PDT

Bigg Boss 13 contestant Paras Chhabra has also been feeding stray dogs near his Malad residential complex. He says, "In these times of adversity, it is important to feed strays as they are hit hard and left without food."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Television actor Arjun Bijlani's mornings begin with a call to mother Shakti, the first of many times he dials her number throughout the day. His anxiety is not unfounded — last week, the highrise near Infiniti mall in Malad west, where his mother resides, was sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.

"The lockdown is not easy, especially if you have ageing parents. It's unbelievable that I am not able to meet my mother," says Bijlani, who lives with wife Neha Swami and son Ayaan in Lokhandwala, Andheri.

Arjun Bijlani

Even though he understands that the lockdown is a necessary measure to contain the spread of the virus, the Ishq Mein Marjawan actor notes that it poses difficulty for senior citizens. "I am worried for my mother because she is diabetic. Despite suffering from chronic back pain, she has no option but to do the household chores at the moment. My younger brother Niranjan and I are trying to help her in every way we can. [We are ordering the essentials online], which are then being delivered at the gate of the complex," he says.

Bijlani is trying to maintain an optimistic stance and be her emotional anchor in these trying times. He adds, "When I was talking to her recently, my eyes welled up as I listened to how she is running the house. After my father passed away, I have been her pillar of support. But, I feel helpless at this point as I can't rush to her."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Recently, there was news that Pavitra Rishta co-stars and real-life couple Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi had parted ways. Negi and Dhanjani were apparently together for over six years. 

Sources close to the development revealed that the couple had broken up. The report further stated that their close friends have known about it for a month now. Apparently, Asha and Rithvik were living together, and now, the latter has moved out of the house.

Recently, Rithvik shared a couple of posts on Instagram about love and has left everyone wondering if they're meant for Asha Negi. Check them out below:

One of Rithvik's posts reads, "To know love is to know how to give unconditionally. There is no greater wisdom than unconditional love." 

Rithvik and Asha met on the sets of their popular TV show Pavitra Rishta. The couple had also participated in season six of Nach Baliye and won it. Speaking about marriage, Asha had previously said in an interview, "We are not thinking of marriage anytime soon. Not after three-four years. We want to be settled professionally first. We only think about our careers only at this point in time."

On the work front, Rithvik was last seen as the host on the dance reality show, Super Dancer: Season 3. Asha Negi, on the other hand, was seen in the web series, Baarish, in 2019. The actress also has a film, Ludo, her film debut, in the pipeline.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

It is indeed a rough time and a tough time for all the Bollywood and Television celebrities that have been stranded in different parts of the world due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Right from Mouni Roy to Sanjay Dutt to Mithun Chakraborty to Irrfan Khan, some lost their parents, and some of their members are all by themselves. And now, Sanjivani 2 actress Chandni Bhagwanani has also been stranded in Australia amid the lockdown.

Talking to SpotboyE, the actress revealed some details about her stay in the country and how she has been coping up. She said, "I am all alone here. Initially, I was staying in a hotel for a month but when this lockdown got extended, I rented an apartment in Melbourne here with two other Indians." She further revealed, "I came down to Australia for a month for some professional work. And by the time I could come back, everything was shut due to corona and now, I am stuck here."

Talking about how she has been managing her finances, she said, "It's quite difficult. Everything is expensive here- stay, food, travel. But whatever savings I have, I am putting it here right now. Since my accommodation is on a sharing basis, it's quite comfortable for me than living in a hotel, studio apartment, or in a flat by myself. That must have been more difficult. Thankfully, I have these two girls around me and have people whom I can talk to in this crucial phase."

We hope she can come back home sooner and safer!

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Anchor-actor Maniesh Paul, who routinely tickles the funny bone with his on-stage acts, is proud of his 14 year long journey in Mumbai. On Tuesday, he took to Instagram and shared a picture of the awards he has received over the years.

"Gratitude! Gratitude! Gratitude!! The feeling that is the most predominant today...there is always so much to be thankful for...This lockdown has certainly given me time to think about the things I had no time for...got time to actually sit and see all the awards I have won...feels so good....at times we are so busy that we just move on fast, toooo fast," Maniesh wrote.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Gratitude! Gratitude! Gratitude!! The feeling that is the most predominant today...there is always so much to be thankful for...This lockdown has certainly given me time to think about the things i had no time for...got time to actually sit and see all the awards i have won...feels sooooo good....at times we are so busy that we just move on fast, toooo fast! This, the result of my hard work, my determination,the trust that was bestowed on me & all the love I have recieved over a period of 14 years in mumbai...gratitude! Gratitude! And only gratitude!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 #mp #awards #rewards #love #blessed #godiskind #happy #besthost #entertaineroftheyear #bestactor #theawards #win #gratitude #mumbaimerijaan #fanlove #kind #wordsarenotenough

A post shared by Maniesh Paul (@manieshpaul) onApr 27, 2020 at 9:08pm PDT

He also mentioned that all the awards are "the result of my hard work, my determination,the trust that was bestowed on me and all the love I have recieved over a period of 14 years in Mumbai".

"Gratitude! gratitude! and only gratitude," he added.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

She can't go to the beach, so Bani J did the next best thing. The VJ has coloured her tresses ocean blue with a streak of sea green and a hint of lavender. The Four More Shots Please actor couldn't just post a plain photograph as it 'did not feel creatively satisfying'.

She shared her new look on Insta and captioned it, "The picture has morphed into a supremely intense mixed media project. I always get to know myself better through this process. I realise again how much I like minute details. How there must be meaning hidden or obvious. I like layers. I like shadows, I love depth. Can't have a flat image (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by âš¡Lady RocknRolla ♥ (@banij) onApr 27, 2020 at 4:13am PDT

The reason Bani turned her new hairdo into a 'work of art' was because "when I look back a few months down the line, I will always see more. One of the many great wonderful things about life (sic)." The details are what draw Bani in.

On the professional front, Bani Judge was last seen playing a homosexual character in Four More Shots Please! The second season of the series launched on April 17 on Amazon Prime Video in India.

The story picked up from the previous season's cliffhanger ending, bringing backstories of four unapologetically flawed ladies who live, love, blunder and discover what it really takes to build everlasting friendships in Mumbai.

Produced by Pritish Nandy Communications Ltd, the show is created by Rangita Pritish Nandy.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Jhansi Ki Rani is one of the most successful television shows and continues to enjoy a massive fan-following. It was known for its canvas and great performances and all the actors became extremely popular post its success. Two of them are Shaheer Sheikh and Ashnoor Kaur. And Kaur celebrates her birthday today and turns a year younger.

And taking to his Instagram account, her former colleague and co-actor wished her in the most fabulous way possible. He wrote- "Happy birthday to this little one, who's all grown up now ... but the charm and innocence is still intact!" (sic)

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Happy birthday to this little one, who’s all grown up now ... but the charm and innocence is still intact! May you achieve all that you’ve dreamt of and keep inspiring others to tread the right path. #happybirthday @ashnoorkaur

A post shared by Shaheer Sheikh (@shaheernsheikh) onMay 3, 2020 at 4:40am PDT

And also have a look at how the actress is celebrating her birthday amid the pandemic, as she describes herself, a very different celebration:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A different experience this birthday in a lockdown... Somehow felt good... Celebrated with our Corona fighters, the people working for us, the watchmen(of my society) and the smile on their faces made up for all the restrictions! #lockdownbirthday #sweet16 #howicelebrated #BirthdayInALockdown

A post shared by Ashnoor Kaur (@ashnoorkaur) onMay 3, 2020 at 11:29am PDT

Hope we can see this Jodi on the small screen again!

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

TV czarina Ekta Kapoor along with her friends Krystle D'Souza and Anita Hassanandani has shared a throwback video where the trio dances in a funny manner. Ekta took to Instagram and re-posted a video shared by Anita. The producer said she was coerced into joining by her two "mad" friends.

"Not on tik tok but got coerced into this cray video by two of my mad frns ! Since d lockdown is throwing out all old madness let it all be out there credit: @anitahassanandani... Girls just wanaaa have fun! #ThrowBack Merriii cuties @ektarkapoor@krystledsouza," she shared.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Girls just wanaaa have fun! #ThrowBack Merriii cuties @ektarkapoor @krystledsouza

A post shared by Anita H Reddy (@anitahassanandani) onMay 3, 2020 at 4:49am PDT

Recently, Ekta shared a throwback picture from the days of "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", the show that made Smriti Irani a household name as the nation's favourite telly-bahu, Tulsi.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Three of us ! Wat e throwback #tarunkatyal @smritiiraniofficial n moi! #thenandnow

A post shared by Erk❤️rek (@ektarkapoor) onApr 13, 2020 at 6:36am PDT

Anita built a fan following with shows like "Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Sahelii", "Kkavyanjali" and "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein" over the years. She was last seen in "Naagin 3". In Bollywood, she was paired opposite Tusshar Kapoor in the Ekta-produced film, "Kucch To Hai".

Krystle rose to prominence with her roles in "Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai", "Ek Nayi Pehchaan" and "Brahmarakshas".

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The man with outstanding sense of humor and exceptional wit Maniesh Paul always takes his audience by surprise be it on stage or off stage. His comic timing and intelligent banters always lifts up everyone's mood.

Well when it comes to hair styling,our mothers hold a special place as they were out first hairstylists and Maniesh shares a glimpse of his cute childhood days where his mother had given him an adorable hairstyle and we are gushing over the cute picture forever now.

Maniesh recently posted a picture of his childhood where he mentioned about his mother tying ponytails or buns when he had long hair. He took his Instagram and shared his picture where he captioned it saying, "Ek toh meri mummy ko meri pony-tail banana bada acha lagta tha....yahan pe juda (bun)banaya hai!!hahahahaha but what amazing and stress free days those were!!"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Ek toh meri mummy ko meri pony-tail banana bada acha lagta tha....yahan pe juda (bun)banaya hai!!hahahahaha but what amazing and stress free days those were!! #mp# childhood #free #mast #happy #memories #days #parents #delhiboy

A post shared by Maniesh Paul (@manieshpaul) onMay 6, 2020 at 11:50am PDT

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The two of the biggest superstars of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, also have an electrifying chemistry on screen. This was evident in Rakesh Roshan’s 1995 blockbuster Karan Arjun. Even in the romance saga Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, where Salman had a supporting part, the film went on another level whenever they came forward. Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam today is memorable chiefly because it starred both of them together. It’s been 18 years since they both came together, though they were sweet enough to do special appearances in each other’s films (Om Shanti Om, Tubelight and Zero). But to see them together in a two-hero flick is something that fans have been waiting for keenly. Their excitement did arise when reports emerged that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was planning to cast Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in his next flick. But sadly, the project failed to take off.

After SRK’s Zero tanked, the star took a long time in deciding his next and finally, if reports are believed, he has given his nod to blockbuster filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. However, as per a write-up by Rajeev Masand in Open magazine, Rajkumar Hirani had initially approached SRK with a different film. The article states that Rajkumar had the concept of a two-hero film in his mind. For this project, he wanted to cast both Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. However, when he met SRK, he insisted that he’s keen on doing a solo-starrer. Hence, Rajkumar Hirani went back to the drawing board and he finally came up with an idea which was fine to both the filmmaker and the actor.

Rajkumar Hirani is writing the script with his regular colleague, Abhijat Joshi. As it is his style, Rajkumar Hirani is taking his own sweet time to write and fine-tune the script. He’s been sharing all the drafts with the superstar, who also provides his feedback and input to Rajkumar. However, an official announcement regarding this film will happen only when a fully satisfied Rajkumar Hirani locks the script. This is being done at the behest of the filmmaker and Shah Rukh Khan reportedly has no qualms in delaying the announcement.

Recently, SRK had got his fans excited when in a reply to a fan question on Twitter, he had hinted that his film with Rajkumar Hirani is indeed on.

Wow both are awesome and I have met them...but Raju apna sa lagta hai...nahi? https://t.co/EuSsrTHtx5

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 20, 2020

Also Read: Rajkumar Hirani and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to have an insightful conversation on the Heart To Heart Show

<strong>EXPECTATIONS</strong> Considering that <em>Khandaani Shafakhana</em> is a Bollywood film, it has half a dozen songs in there. Otherwise a film with a subject revolving around 'let's talk about sex' hardly has the kind of premise which would warrant a music album. Nonetheless, this is indeed the case with this Sonakshi Sinha, Badshah and Varun Sharma film and one waits to hear what is in the offering. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-999303" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Khandaani-Shafakhana-Dil-Jaaniye-Sonakshi-Sinha.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" /> <strong>MUSIC</strong> As is the trend, a couple of recreated numbers - both courtesy composer and lyricist Tanishk Bagchi - open the soundtrack. First to arrive is Jasbir Jassi's <strong><em>'Koka'</em></strong> which is a good party number that has an immense foot tapping appeal to it. With Badshah and Dhvani Bhanushali joining the fun and Mellow D chipping in with additional lyrics, <em>'Koka'</em> has been a chartbuster over a period of time and would only consolidate its hit status in months to come as well. Next to arrive is <strong><em>'Sheher Ki Ladki'</em></strong> which was a rage back in time when seen in the film Rakshak. The song is recreated with Badshah and Tulsi Kumar, and the overall results are quite good all over again. The core hook of the song is what makes you revisit this one all over again, and there is someting intoxicating about <em>'Sheher Ki Ladki'</em> that it sounds as fresh as ever. After a couple of dance songs arrives a romantic track which is put to tune by Payal Dev and written by Shabbir Ahmed. Titled <strong><em>'Dil Jaaniye'</em></strong>, this one rendered by Jubin Nautiyal and Tulsi Kumar is a pleasant hear and stays well with you for its near five minute duration. With a bit of Punjabi in there, this one is fine while it lasts though, its heard-before feel means you don't quite carry it with you after you are through listening to it. It's back to party time with Badshah playing a triple role of composer, lyricist and singer for <strong><em>'Saans To Le Le'</em></strong>. As is the case with Badshah tracks, there is an inherent hook sound here as well and that's what sticks in your mind after you have heard it a couple of times. Though overall the song, which also has Rico chipping in as a singer, doesn't really give the impression of a major chartbuster in the first go, one waits to see how it is picturised. That could well make a difference to the overall popularity that it ends up gaining eventually. The song which arrives next actually turns out to be a soothing outing that makes one feel that it could well have appeared a bit earlier in the soundtrack. The manner in which Tochi Raina sings <strong><em>'Udd Jaa'</em></strong> is indeed quite impressive and the overall effort by composer Rochak Kohli and lyricist Kumaar is also something that you do notice. Yet again, this one isn't the kind that turns out to be an instant chartbuster. However, there is something soulful and serene about this situational number that you wouldn't mind playing it in loop and listening to it for long. Rochak Kohli concludes the album with Altamash Faridi sung <strong><em>'Bheege Mann'</em></strong> and this time around the end result is just about ordinary. A slow moving situational track written by Gautam G Sharma and Gurpreet Saini, it actually brings down the pace of the soundtrack. Had there been one of the three party numbers placed as the last song in <em>Khandaani Shafakhana</em>, it may just have made for a better end result. <strong>OVERALL</strong> The music of <em>Khandaani Shafakhana</em> turns out to be better than expected. One expected that most of the songs in there would be situational but this one actually turns out to be a good collage of songs with dance numbers, situational songs and a romantic number thrown in as well. <strong>OUR PICK(S)</strong> <em>‘Koka’</em>, <em>‘Sheher Ki Ladki’</em>, <em>‘Saans To Le Le’</em>, <em>‘Udd Jaa’</em>

31/01/2020

With the coronavirus lockdown forcing people to stay at home, they are turning to the internet to keep their spirits up such a turbulent time. The social media is flooded with hilarious memes, videos and other posts that not only kept the netizens entertained but also spread awareness about the importance of maintaining  social distance.

Not just new content, even old content is making rounds of social media which is being seen in pretext of the lockdown. Union Minister Smriti Irani has shared a video to explain the importance of staying at home during the lockdown.

The video originally posted by popular Youtuber Ashish Chanchlani  in his page, Ashish Chanchlani Vines shows what would happen if American films were made in India. Portraying as a thriller, the video shows a man being chased by a masked man dressing like a ghost. As the man reaches at the doorstep of his house, he stops to remove his shoes and socks before stepping in, which customary in Indian households. After being prompted by the man, the killer removes his shoes too.

The union minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles posted the video on Instagram and captioned it as, "Lockdown Humour. Stay Home, Stay Safe!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onApr 12, 2020 at 9:54pm PDT

The post garnered 193,272 views and 23,209 likes on the photo-sharing app where many of her followers thanked her sharing the video along with posting hilarious reactions. One user said, "Culture with ever care vision (sic)." Another user said, "Kahani ghar ghar ki." A user said, "Nowadays, after entering the house both of them should wash their hands thoroughly too before continuing their run, otherwise donon ko corona mar degi!"

What do you think about this video?

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19, joining global efforts to find a quick preventive for the deadly infection spreading rapidly across the world, says a top Indian scientist. Nearly 70 'vaccine candidates' are being tested and at least three have moved to the human clinical trial stage, but a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021. As COVID-19 infects more than 1.9 million in the world and claims 1,26,000 lives, Indian scientists are also part of the global fight against the disease.

"While Zydus Cadila is working on two vaccines, Serum Institute, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Indian Immunologicals, and Mynvax are developing one vaccine each," Gagandeep Kang, executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, told PTI. Kang is also vice chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which noted in a recent study that the "global vaccine R&D effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in terms of scale and speed".

But it is a complicated process with many stages of testing and many challenges, explained experts. A vaccine for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, may not take 10 years that other vaccines do but it could be at least a year before it is proven safe, effective, and made widely available, they said. "Vaccine development is a lengthy process which often takes years, with many challenges," said E. Sreekumar, chief scientific officer at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in Kerala.

"Generally, vaccines take several months to pass the different stages of testing, and then approvals also take time. For COVID-19, we don't expect a vaccine to come in this year," agreed Rakesh Mishra, director of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Vaccine testing typically begins with animal and lab testing before going on to different stages of human testing.

"The human testing phase is composed of many phases," Sreekumar told PTI. "Phase one trials are small-scale, usually involving few participants, to assess whether the vaccine is safe for humans. Phase two trials often involve several hundred subjects, and mainly evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine against the disease," he said.
The final phase involves thousands of people to further assess the efficacy of the vaccine over a defined period of time, and can last several months, Sreekumar said.
"That is why we don't see a vaccine coming in at least a year from now."

Even after the vaccine is ready, he explained, there are a lot of challenges, including whether the vaccine is effective in all populations, and if it can be used for different strains of the novel coronavirus, which might start mutating as time passes. "There are lots of vaccines which are being tested for COVID-19, some of which are in the stage 1 clinical trial," Mishra added.

"But we still don't know how fast they will proceed towards a vaccine and they can take several months to reach any point," he said. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), three vaccine candidates are in the clinical testing phase, meaning they are able to be tested on humans, while nearly 70 are in the preclinical phase -- either in lab testing, or animal studies. Though Kang named six companies, the WHO has listed only Zydus Cadila and Serum Institute from India as among the global firms working on a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of April 8, 2020, said CEPI, the global COVID-19 vaccine R&D landscape includes 115 vaccine candidates, of which 78 are confirmed as active and 37 are unconfirmed.
Of the 78 confirmed active projects, 73 are currently at exploratory or preclinical stages, noted the CEPI team in an analysis published in the journal Nature reviews drug Discovery last week.

The most advanced candidates have recently moved into clinical development, including mRNA-1273 from US-based biotechnology company Moderna, Ad5-nCoV from Chinese biopharma company CanSino Biologicals, and INO-4800 from American pharmaceuticals company Inovio. Others in this list include LV-SMENP-DC and pathogen-specific aAPC from Shenzhen Geno-Immune Medical Institute in China.

Numerous other vaccine developers have indicated plans to initiate human testing in 2020, the CEPI scientists said. Experts believe the genome sequencing of the new coronavirus provided by scientists in China shows it shares 79 per cent of the same genetic material as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and 50 per cent of the same material as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a species of coronavirus which infects humans, bats, and camels.

This allows developers to use groundwork already created in research for vaccines for those viruses. Australia's national science agency CSIRO announced earlier this month that it has begun preclinical tests of a vaccine developed by Oxford University in the UK. A striking feature of the vaccine development landscape for COVID-19 is the range of technology platforms being evaluated, including nucleic acid (DNA and RNA), virus-like particle, live weakened virus, and inactivated virus approaches.

The CEPI noted that many of these platforms are not currently the basis for licensed vaccines, but experience in fields such as oncology is encouraging developers to exploit the opportunities that next-generation approaches offer for increased speed of development and manufacture.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

After thanking doctors, nurses and health care professionals, on Thursday, the Google doodle paid tributes to food service workers, who have been serving people amid the coronavirus crisis with an animated illustration on Thursday. The animated doodle is part of the Google doodle which the search engine giant launched last week in order to celebrate the coronavirus warriors.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all food service workers, thank you.

#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/QV09JLTULv pic.twitter.com/WvIaLPLYQo

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 16, 2020

When one hovers over the doodle, it shows the message, "To all food service workers, thank you." The 'Thank You' doodle for food service workers features a heart emoticon being sent across to food service workers, who have been preparing food for COVID-19 patients, doctors and staff of the hospitals.

Besides food service workers, chefs, restaurants and food delivery workers have also resumed work in order to help the country fight the global pandemic. Through its animated doodle series, google will be honouring people who have been leading the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all grocery workers, thank you.

#GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/XWOzYTjMqO pic.twitter.com/BudQ17hEMz

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 13, 2020

A few days ago, google released a doodle to thank medical professionals who have been leading India's fight against the deadly virus. To all doctors, nurses and medical workers; thank you." read the doodle message. The animated doodle also featured a little heart emoticon for everyone who is fighting the battle against COVID-19 on the frontline.

Talking about their animated doodle series to honours those fighting coronavirus Google said, "As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, people are coming together to help one another now more than ever. We're launching a Doodle series to recognize and honour many of those on the front lines."

Today marks the beginning of our #GoogleDoodle series recognizing and honoring those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, we’d like to say:

To all the public health workers and to researchers in the scientific community, thank you.

→ https://t.co/EcrUYgo0xU pic.twitter.com/PUPl7Z0WHO

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) April 6, 2020

Besides healthcare professionals and food service workers, Google has so far honoured public health workers, emergency services workers, sanitation workers, farmers, grocery workers, public transportation workers, and delivery workers among others.

Till yesterday, India had 10,824 active cases and 1514 discharged and cured cases while 420 people have died from the disease which originated in China. Maharashtra has been the worst affected state with 2919 COVID-19 cases including 187 deaths.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Smriti Irani's social media posts are easily the best with throwback grams, pictures of her family and memes!

This time she got us all nostalgic with her Instagram stories. She shared a couple of pictures which only the 20th century kids would relate to.

The first picture that she shared was of a white-shoe which was being polished. If you look carefully, you will realise that these are the same shoes that were worn by everyone during school days. She captioned the picture, "Kisko yaad hai? (Who remembers?)"

The second picture was of a landline phone with a round dial and the receiver kept down. In those days, it was the only way to stop the incoming calls. The text on this picture read, "How we blocked people in the 1980s."

The third image was of a cassette player with the cassette reel stuck in it. The caption of this picture read, "The youth of today will never know our struggle."

The last picture of the story showed a handle which was used to roll the car windows down before it was replaced with a button.

Feeling nostalgic yet?

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Bhopal: With most establishments downing their shutters in light of the COVID-19 lockdown in Madhya Pradesh, many have lost access to essentials, including hygiene products.

However, a non-profit organisation run by students has come to the rescue of underprivileged women in the slums of Bhopal, by providing them sanitary napkins in these unprecedented times.

A city-based organisation called Manasa distributed at least 3,000 sanitary napkins in slum colonies across the city to help women who could not buy these monthly hygiene products
during the lockdown. "Our group, which primarily consists of students, raised money for poor women. We pooled in Rs 16,000 to buy sanitary napkins," founder of the organisation Janvi Tiwari said.

The 21-year-old got in touch with different agencies and NGOs that were involved in distributing essentials in ghettoes and got them to give away sanitary pads as well. "I realised that women living in slums would find it difficult to purchase sanitary products during the lockdown. I didn't want them to use unhygienic cloth strips that can cause
infections" said Tiwari, who is pursuing a degree in psychology.

With the lockdown in place, the supply of sanitary pads to the city has dwindled and they were trying to access more sanitary napkins for distribution, said Tiwari, who has been working on the issue of menstrual health for the last two years.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

As the deadly coronavirus infection spreads fast in India and elsewhere, even faster is the spread of fake news regarding the pandemic and experts warn this 'infodemic' can have huge economic costs for companies across the world in addition to health concerns for the public at large. While authorities have announced severe penal actions for those spreading fake news regarding this pandemic, which has already caused nearly 2 lakh deaths globally with more than 28 lakh infections since its outbreak in China last December, widespread misinformation surrounding the disease has seen people drinking disinfectants and industrial alcohol while trying various rumoured treatments.

False claims and fake news, mostly forwarded through social media platforms, have also led to several cases of religion-based attacks, hate speeches and other discriminatory activities, while cyber frauds are also on the rise with scamsters seeking to take advantage of the crisis situation. In addition to the damages caused to public health and societal behaviour, experts warn the undeterred wave of fake news poses a huge risk to corporates, for whom it becomes difficult at times to filter out the right information that is crucial for them to ensure success of their business continuity, especially when almost the entire world is locked down.

Farah Lalani, who is a community creator for media, entertainment and information industries at the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), said businesses need to be proactive about calling out misinformation that is spreading about their brand, directing customers to official channels and making sure there is always clear and up to date information on all their social accounts. "While bad actors, fraudsters, and uninformed users can spread fabricated or misleading information, if businesses collaborate closely with the entire media ecosystem and regulatory bodies, they can start to work together to solve this very challenging problem," she told PTI.

In India, some organisations including industry bodies and advocacy groups have begun compiling official and credible information about the COVID-19 fight and the ongoing lockdown to help companies in their preparedness for tackling the crisis. Leading advocacy group Chase India, which was among the first to start this practice right from the initial days of the COVID-19 crisis emerging as a major threat in the country, has been sending across multiple daily updates to its clients, including on the latest actions taken by the central and state governments and also on initiatives being taken by various corporates.

Experts said the correct information is necessary for companies to help them understand, analyse and then implement various new guidelines being issued by the central and state governments. "In today's circumstances, besides the current public health crisis of COVID-19 and socio-economic impact related to climate change, one of the biggest concerns is legitimate and timely sourcing of information," Chase India's co-founder and Executive Vice President Manash K Neog said.

"As a public policy consultancy, our key challenge during the pre-lockdown phase was to mitigate frenzy around rumours of lockdown for our clients as it was creating panic for the operational teams of clients. "Further to that, we have institutionalised mechanisms such as our hourly and daily COVID-19 advisory trackers for the central and state governments to support clients with timely and authentic information basis which they are able to better plan their business continuity strategies," he added.

According to experts, companies are working hard to ensure timely access to right information as costs could be too high for them if they fall for some misinformation and in such a situation the role of media is also very important. Releasing a new survey recently, which found that just about one-fourth of the consumers in India currently pay for news but nearly two-thirds are willing to pay, the WEF said the current coronavirus challenge further emphasises the indispensable role that the media plays in society today.

With social media becoming the main platform for spread of false claims, giants like Facebook and Twitter have also begun deleting such posts and taking other actions. Some of the posts deleted on such grounds include those of public figures as well, the most famous being posts shared by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in which he had claimed anti-malaria prescription drug hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Twitter had also deleted a post by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in which he had apparently endorsed a "brew" for eliminating infectious genes. Various social media platforms have also imposed several restrictions on advertisements claiming various cures for COVID-19, while hate content regarding the pandemic is also being dealt with sternly. However, all these steps have not been able to totally eradicate the fake news flow, which the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described as 'infodemic' in the context of the novel coronavirus.

"We are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an infodemic," he said, referring to fake news as something that "spreads faster and more easily than this virus". United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres too said last month that an "infodemic of misinformation" was also an enemy that we all need to fight while battling COVID-19.

"To overcome the coronavirus, we need to urgently promote 'facts and science' and 'hope and solidarity' over despair and division," he said.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked 17th in the latest world billionaires list by Forbes with a net worth of $44.3 billion – once again leading the tally from India's perspective.

Mukesh Ambani chairs and runs $88 billion (revenue) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India's most valuable companies. Reliance Jio has signed on more than 340 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services, and virtually free smartphones, said the report.

The next Indian on the 34th annual list -- veteran Mumbai investor Radhakishan Damani who is touted as India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his supermarket chain DMart – is at a distant 65th position with a net worth of $16.6 billion.

Damani got into retailing in 2002 with one store in suburban Mumbai and has been unstoppable since. His property portfolio includes the 156-room Radisson Blu Resort in Alibag and a popular beach-front getaway close to Mumbai, according to the report.

At 114th position, HCL Technologies Founder Shiv Nadar is worth $12.4 billion. One of India's leading philanthropists, Nadar has donated $662 million to his Shiv Nadar Foundation.

While Hinduja brothers are at 116th position with $12.2 billion net worth. Srichand and Gopichand live in London and Prakash resides in Monaco while the youngest sibling Ashok oversees their Indian interests from Mumbai. At 138th position, Uday Kotak is worth $10.7 billion. His Kotak Mahindra Bank is now among India's top four banks in the private sector, boosted by its 2014 acquisition of ING Bank's Indian operations.

In January this year, the bank reached an agreement with the Reserve Bank of India over the issue of reducing Kotak's stake in the bank to 26 per cent. Telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal is at 154th position with $9.5 billion net worth. Bharti Airtel today is among India's largest mobile phone operators with more than 418 million customers.

Others in the latest list are Cyrus Poonawalla who is founder of Serum Institute of India (at 161th position with $9.2 billion net worth), Gautam Adani at 162th position with $9.2 billion net worth and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal with $8.9 billion net worth at 170th spot, among others.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday penned down a poem paying tribute to the legendary lyricist and poet Gulzar thanking him for making lives happier with his magical work even during the lockdown.

Irani took to Twitter to share that she had a conversation with the poet and also posted the poem.

The poem ended with Smriti thanking Gulzar for making everybody's lives 'Gulzar' or a beautiful garden.

Irani who is also a former actor incorporated Gulzar's famous works like the iconic songs 'chappa chappa charkha chale' and 'chhaiya chhaiya.'

"Jinki kalam se gilehri key jhoothe matar ka swaad aajaye muh mei, jinhone chappe chappe mei charkha chalvaaya shabdo ka," read the minister's post.

"Jinki ek lakeer pe bade se bada sitaara chhaiya chhaiya karta hua, rail ki raftaar ki tarah dil se dil ko chhoo jaaye, unko salaam," her post further read.

She ended the post by saying that it is due to the senior poet's art that lives of many is still full of happiness even during the testing times of coronavirus crisis. "Kyunki unki kalam se corona mei bhi, zindagi kahi na kahi gulzar hai," Irani's poem further read.

The Amethi MP further complemented the 'Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi' lyricist in her caption and shared the details of her conversation with him.

"There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives, their works inspire millions & touch many a chords," she wrote.

"today I asked one such person "sab khairiyat Sir?". I've had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai," her post further read.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives , their works inspire millions & touch many a chords.. today I asked one such person “ sab khairiyat Sir ?“. I’ve had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai 🙏❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onMay 6, 2020 at 1:17am PDT

One of the most senior songwriters of the Indian cinema, Gulzar has given several marvels to music and poetry lovers.

A national award-winning lyricist, Gulzar has penned down songs for many iconic films like 'Dil Se,' 'Saathiya,' 'Masoom', and others.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Another gas leakage from LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam late Thursday triggered panic in areas near the plant and forced people to move to safe places.

Fumes were seen billowing out of the chemical plant, where the gas leakage in the early hours of the day claimed 11 lives and affected over 300 others.

People from Gopalpatnam, Simhachalam and Pinagadi areas, which are four km away from the plant, were seen moving to safe places.

The gas smell sent panic in certain areas late Thursday night. Many people rushed out of their houses and were seen heading to safer places by their vehicles.

Local police at few places advised people to move to safe places as a precautionary measure.

Officials, however, said the gas emission was continuing since the major leakage around 3.45 a.m. on Thursday.

Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner R K Meena said there was no need for panic. "Efforts are going on to neutralize the gas leak. There is no danger," he said.

The police commissioner hoped that the work to plug the emissions will be completed in a couple of hours.

About 12,000 people from RR Venkatapuram and four other villages were evacuated after the leakage early Thursday.

Visakhapatnam District Fire Officer Sandeep Anand said 10 fire engines and two foam fighters were kept ready in the plant. He said some ambulances were also on standby as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, a cargo flight carrying a team of experts and PTBC inhibitor, an antidote for styrene, landed in Visakhapatnam late Thursday.

The experts in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) disaster are likely to begin the operation to plug the emissions after assessing the situation at the plant.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

For all the cleanliness freaks out there, this will just bring a twinkle in your eyes! As we all are under the lockdown period, to fight against the coronavirus outbreak, one is surely finding something or the other to keep themselves occupied. And why not? We cannot just sit at home and do nothing for days, and maybe, months!

If you remember Monica's midnight cleaning shenanigans, Sheldon spraying disinfectant while covering his nose with his t-shirt and Emma cleaning a sharpener for 45 straight minutes, you're a true fan. With the lockdown extending, the reasons to not clean out your room are fading away by the minute.

Quarantine or not, cleaning is never a fun task. Well, unless you are one of these characters from popular TV series, that is. Here are 5 characters who will probably inspire you, if not, totally entertain you.

Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory:

If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Sheldon Cooper would not have contracted coronavirus ever. Even in case of regular cold, Sheldon likes to keep himself isolated from his roommate and asks everyone around the 'sick' person to use Purell if they have come in contact with the person. He is the epitome of 'Social Distancing' and we should all take a few tips from him. Tune in to Comedy Central and learn the art of social distancing directly from the artist.

Monica Geller in Friends:

There's one thing certain about Monica that everyone knows, and it is that she is a neat freak that needs everything to be very clean (she cleans her vacuum cleaner with a smaller hand-held vacuum cleaner) In fact, she freaks out if something's even slightly out of place. The entire gang knows that if anything is not in its 'place', Monica is going to be mad. In fact, while the COVID-19 outbreak ensues, Monica would have made sure to use the 'fancy' soap every time you wash your hands to help keep coronavirus at bay.

Emma Pillsbury in Glee:

She's the most credible OCD character according to fans with a traumatic incident to back her story. Emma has been bedeviled by mysophobia (fear of germs and dirt) since childhood, when her brother pushed her into a runoff lagoon at a dairy farm. If you think Monica is bad, wait till you watch Emma wipe every grape she eats with a tissue before eating it. You could probably borrow her gloves and disinfectant wipes to keep the germs away.

Claire Dunphy in The Modern Family:

Claire is a perfectionist who needs everything to be exactly how she thinks is perfect. She can't stop trying to make her house look perfect and even makes her assistant do all the dirty work when challenged not to do anything on a particular day. If cleaning and reorganizing is something you considered doing while you spend time at home, take notes on how she makes sure her home looks perfect.

Winston Schmidt in New Girl:

Schmidt is the cleanest person you know. His OCD tendencies might be just the thing you need in life. Let's face it, he knows how to scrub down. Not only does he love to look good, but that quality spills over into his home too which must look pic and pan. He is a neat freak and hates it when someone puts something where it doesn't belong or tries to do something in a way that isn't as efficient as he wants it to be.

Catch these characters on Comedy Central in their element to motivate yourself to clean and tidying up your surroundings as we stay safe at home.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Hollywood star Kate Winslet might have impressed fans many times over with her immense talent and glamour, but true-blue fans have always instantly remembered her as Rose in the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic". Winslet would realise as much during a trip to India after the film released.

"Titanic was everywhere. A couple of years after it came out, I went to India. I was walking in the foothills of the Himalayas, just me with my backpack on my back and a man came towards me with a walking stick -- he must have been 85 and was blind in one eye. He looked at me and said, 'You - Titanic'. I said yes and he just put his hand on his heart and said, 'Thank you'. I burst into tears. It really helped me understand how much that film had given to so many people," Winslet told Candis magazine, according to news18.com.

The actress starred in James Cameron's multiple-Oscar winning romantic tragedy opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World has come up with something interesting for all Potter heads out there. The official Twitter account of Wizarding World on Tuesday shared a video featuring seven of the celebrities, including, Daniel Radcliffe who have been line up to read chapter-by-chapter of 'Harry Potter', in a series of video recordings.

"Surprise! We've got a treat for you...From today, amazing friends of the Wizarding World are going to take turns reading Harry Potter book one. And to start us off with Chapter 1, we think you'll agree we have the perfect narrator...#HarryPotterAtHome" read the tweet.

The video began with Eddie Redmayne followed by Dakota Fanning, and Claudia Kim, saying that they are "at home."

The brief video then features Stephen Fry, Noma Dumezweni, and David Beckham explaining that they are at their respective homes sitting in the "living room, book room, cosy corner" and so on. The stars further said that they are really excited to read "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling."

Towards the end of the 34-second long video, actor Daniel Radcliffe introduces himself and begins to say: "This is chapter one of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Each of the stars will read different sections of the book for all the fans of 'Harry Potter' across the globe.

Cited by Variety, all 17 chapters of the book will be released between now and the middle of the summer. Videos will be posted weekly on harrypotterathome.com, with an audio-only version available for free on Spotify.

The special series is part of the 'Harry Potter At Home' project, an initiative developed by Wizarding World Digital and Rowling's agency, to bring cheer among the people during these trying times.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Actress Jennifer Anistons representative has dismissed reports claiming that Brad Pitts daughter Shiloh, has started calling her ‘mommy. The Australian weekly publication, New Idea magazine, recently claimed that Shiloh, 13, had developed a "special bond" with the former "Friends" actress before the COVID-19 lockdown.

"They've been spending so much time together and been bonding, it felt like a natural next step for Shiloh," said a source in that report. Aniston's representative has come forward to set the record straight, reports express.co.uk.

"This is just another complete fabrication and has no relationship to reality," said the representative. The claims come after sections of the media reported that Pitt's estranged wife and actress Angelina Jolie had banned her children -- Maddox, 18, Zahara, 15, Pax, 16, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11 -- from meeting Pitt's former lover Aniston.

Earlier this year, Pitt and Aniston had a few flirtatious encounters during the award season, making fans curious if a romantic reunion was about to happen. In January, Aniston and Pitt were spotted backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he touched her wrist and they chatted a while.

The pair shared another moment during the awards ceremony as Pitt accepted a supporting actor prize for "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood". He quipped that "it was a difficult part. A guy who gets high, takes his shirt off, and doesn't get on with his wife. It was a big stretch". The camera then cut to Aniston, who could be seen clapping at the joke.

At the Golden Globes, she looked delighted when he was declared Best Supporting Actor for "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood".

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

American actor Jennifer Aniston is sick and tired of the novel coronavirus and is asking it to go away in her own unique style. She shared a picture on Instagram where she is seen flipping Covid-19 the bird and asking it to go away. The 'Friends' star took to Instagram on Thursday (local time) and shared a throwback image of herself giving the middle finger to something or someone. Along with the picture she wrote, "Dear Covid... You can kindly F**k off now thank you BYE."

In the picture, Aniston is seen sporting a grey tank top and orange pants, sitting at an outdoor dining table as she pulls back her hair into a ponytail. The picture received more than 3.5 million likes and the official Oprah magazine Instagram account commented: "Nothing but respect for our President Jennifer Aniston."

According to Fox News, the 'We're the Millers' star's latest post comes just hours after she shared a similar vibe on her Instagram Story from her time being holed up in her Los Angeles residence with her two dogs. In the photo, Aniston is seen sitting in front of her washing machine, watching it spin while the American rapper Tyga's single 'Bored in the House' played on the snap.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Aniston (@jenniferaniston) onMay 7, 2020 at 11:14am PDT

Recently, the 'Murder Mystery' star told Jimmy Kimmel that she was finding the shelter-at-home period easier to adjust to than she expected. Aniston told the late-night host in early April during a video appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,'"I'm a born agoraphobe. This is kind of a dream." She continued, "Not a dream, it's obviously a nightmare. But, me personally, it's not been that much of a challenge. The most challenging thing is watching the news and trying to digest [everything] that's going on out there."

Aniston also surprised Kimball Fairbanks, a cardiovascular nurse from Utah, who contracted the virus with a 10,000 USD gift certificate from Postmates.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The Panchgani police have booked a Mumbai based adventure firm for negligence after a 45-year-old South Korean national died when his glider crashed during an event near Panchgani in Satara district. The police identified the deceased as Sang Teak Oh, a professional paraglider.

Superintendent of Police, Satara, Pankaj Deshmukh said Oh's last rites will be performed in Wai as his family members have given their consent. Oh came to India on a tourist visa and landed in Wai on February 10.

Assistant Police Inspector Trupti Sonawane said, "On Tuesday evening, Oh took off from Rajpuri near Panchgani, but strayed off the course and descended into forest area. He was rescued by the team present at the event, but had been seriously injured by then."

She added, "He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital in Wai. We have registered a case against the event firm and arrested its event manager under IPC section 304 (A) (causing death by negligence). Oh's body was handed over to the Korean embassy after a postmortem."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

A 40-year-old man allegedly attacked his wife with a chopper after he felt she was giving more importance to watching a show, 'Pakistani Drama', on her mobile phone than speaking to him, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, Asif Sattar Nayab, has a business of installing hoardings and stays with his family in the Salisbury Park area, they said. Nayab was arrested by the Swargate police and booked for attempt to murder after his wife registered a complaint against him on Monday evening, the police said. According to the police, the couple had a quarrel on Monday morning.

"The woman had sent her son to bring milk from a shop but when she found that the milk pouch was damaged and some milk had spilled over, she started scolding him. "Listening her voice, Asif intervened, which led to a heated argument between the couple," said a senior officer from the Swargate police station. The woman, in her complaint, said the quarrel escalated in the evening when Nayab came home and found she was not speaking to him, he said.

"When Asif came home from work, his wife went to the bedroom. When he went to the bedroom to speak to her, she kept watching a show named 'Pakistani Drama' on her mobile. "Asif felt she was ignoring him and giving more importance to the show on her mobile phone. Felt ignored, Asif attacked her with a chopper (a knife-like tool) in which her right hand's thumb broke," the officer said.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

“We need to just understand the management of water for our "Present and Future”. This is a story of about Rohan (Abraam Pandey) and Pooja (Jashpreet Kaur) who are eager to learn about rain water harvesting in college. They set out to adopt the idea of conserving water. While they do face a lot of obstacles, they overcome it all eventually. The story and dialogues are penned by Shravan Kumar Rathore.

Pappu Tiwari and his dysfunctional family have got by comfortably till now by selling his properties. Now, with only one ancestral property remaining and a financial crunch lingering on his head, Pappu is thinking of selling this ancestral land for a best possible price. But since this thought popped in his head, his late mother has started haunting him in his dreams. Unable to find a connection, one day on a visit to his family Pandit ji, Pappu is told that he has a yog of hidden treasure in his horoscope. Now realizing what his late mother ‘Amma ji’ was trying to communicate to him, the whole family is ecstatic on the news. Lured by the prospects of becoming a millionaire, Pappu rejects all the offers he was getting for the property. To add to the good times, Pandit Ji brings a marriage proposition for his daughter Goldie with Kani’s son (Rakesh). Kani is the new richy-rich of the city, who has recently turned to politics. Kani throws Pappu’s life in a tizzy by dropping the dowry bomb. Pappu agrees to everything, as he believes his sacrifices will be returned when it is his turn to demand a dowry for his son. An unfortunate incident leads Pappu and Family to believe that Amma ji’s spirit has possessed Goldie in order to help them out find the hidden treasure in the ancestral property. With the date of marriage approaching, creditors lining up, real estate price going down and no hint of hidden treasure to fulfil the dowry demand, the eccentric family in this hour of adversity gets the true lesson of life as to what is the ultimate treasure they always had but never realized.

With the entire nation coming to a standstill by the pandemic, there are professionals whose livelihood has been dearly affected. In a distressing situation like this, Hrithik Roshan has stepped forward again to help duty officers who are working non-stop. The actor delivered hand sanitizers to the Mumbai Police.

Mumbai Police, on Thursday, tweeted, “Thank you @iHrithik for this thoughtful gesture of delivering hand sanitisers for Mumbai Police personnel on duty. We are grateful for your contribution towards safeguarding the health and safety of our frontline warriors. #MumbaiPoliceFoundation.”

Hrithik expressed his gratitude towards the officials. “My gratitude to our police forces, who have taken our safety in their hands. Stay safe. My love & respect to all in the line of duty,” he on Friday morning.

My gratitude to our police forces, who have taken our safety in their hands. Stay safe. My love & respect to all in the line of duty ???????? https://t.co/aaE75HAjG0

— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) May 8, 2020

Earlier, Hrithik Roshan extended support by arranging for N95 and FFP3 masks for the BMC workers and caretakers and also facilitated over 1.2 lakh nutritious cooked meals for the needy. He has also financially supported the paparazzi of Bollywood who are facing the brunt of the lockdown.

ALSO READ: Hrithik Roshan, Anushka Sharma, Varun Dhawan and other Bollywood celebrities react to Vizag Gas leak

Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor seem to be enjoying the lockdown with indoor games and he makes sure to get as much exercise in as possible. Being a fitness enthusiast, he makes sure to get his daily dose of workout in even during leisure hours. With nothing much to do during the lockdown, he engaged in a fun round of carrom with his wife, Sunita Kapoor.

Anil Kapoor took to his Instagram to share a couple of pictures where Sunita and Rhea Kapoor candidly capture the moments. Anil, Sunita, Rhea, and Harshwardhan Kapoor are at their house in Mumbai while Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Anand Ahuja are in Delhi. Take a look at the pictures that Anil Kapoor posted.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

And the winner is.... Me (Obviously)! ⁣ 1 ???? : @kapoor.sunita ⁣ 2 ???? : @rheakapoor ⁣ ⁣ #quarantinegames #chasingthequeen #candids #stayhomestaysafe

A post shared by anilskapoor (@anilskapoor) on May 7, 2020 at 7:47am PDT

On the work front, Anil Kapoor will next be seen in Karan Johar’s multi-starrer magnum opus, Takht.

Also Read: Disha Patani, Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kunal Kemmu are all smiles during their virtual reunion!

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been using some of his spare time in lockdown to teach British kids how to speak Spanish.

The Argentina international has been signed up by the BBC as part of its home-schooling initiative while educational establishments are closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Aguero is teaching kids how to count in Spanish. His lessons became available on a day kids in Britain would have usually returned to school after the Easter holidays.

Aguero says it's a tough time for children at the moment, and also for parents trying to keep them focused on their education from home. Aguero hasn't played a competitive match since March 8 because soccer is shut down in England and across most of the world during the outbreak.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Consider yourself a big La Liga fan? Check out this list of expressions that no true La Liga lover should be unfamiliar with.

1. “Croqueta”
A ‘croqueta’ is a way of quickly shifting the ball between a player’s feet, especially when tempting a defender into making a challenge by first slowing down and then sprinting away. The signature move of former Barcelona captain and nine-time LaLiga winner Andres Iniesta, the word literally means ‘croquette,’ that famous staple of Spanish tapa bars and granny’s cooking.

2. “Sombrero”
In Spanish Sombrero is a hat, but in Spanish football it is where a player lifts the ball over his opponent’s head and controls it as it drops to the floor, leaving his rival confused and out of the play. A famous example would be Neymar’s goal for Barcelona against Villarreal in LaLiga in 2016, which was nominated for that year’s FIFA Puskas award.

3. “Chilena”
When a player pushes himself into the air with one foot, then acrobatically volleys it with the other, often lifting his boot well over head height. Similar to a ‘bicycle kick’ in English. Although a ‘Chilena’ literally refers to someone from Chile, its most famous exponent was Mexico international Hugo Sanchez. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have more recently scored screamers like this.

4. “Colgarse del larguero”
Literally meaning ‘hang from the goalposts,’ the expression is used when a team brings all their players back to defend inside their own penalty area. Similar to the English phrase ‘Park the bus,’ the tactic is often used by a team defending a narrow lead or facing a much more powerful opponent and used to criticise them by managers whose team cannot find a way through.

5. “Hacer la cama”
A team thought to not be making 100% effort in games can be said to be ‘making the bed’ for their coach, which means trying – consciously or not – to get their boss fired!

6. “Zamorana”
The patented signature move of legendary 1920s and 30s Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora was to fake catch a ball, then double his arm, flex his elbow and propel the ball far up the pitch with surprising power. Besides clearing danger from his own box, the ‘Zamorana’ often helped start counter-attacks and had a highly demoralising effect on shocked opposition strikers, too.

7. “Tirarse en la piscina”
To ‘throw yourself into the swimming pool’ is a nicely poetic Spanish way of saying a player dived, or threw himself to the ground without any contact from a defender, to deceive the referee into whistling for a foul. Sometimes also described as ‘simulación’ which is closer to the English ‘simulation.’

8. “Tener flor”
A player, or more often a coach, who ‘has a flower’ is thought to have good fortune, similar to being 'charmed’ in English. The expression is also often used by defeated opposition fans or pundits as a way to avoid praising tactical or technical excellence in an opposition team.

9. “Rabona”
When a player plants one foot in front of the ball, and then sweeps his other leg around behind to spectacularly strike the ball, you have a ‘Rabona.’ One-time Barcelona winger Ricardo Quaresma is an expert, while former Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals scored a superb rabona against Huesca in 2019.

10. “Pase de la Muerte”
The ‘pass of death’ has a specific meaning in Spanish football. It refers to a through ball which breaks an offside trap to leave a teammate clear in front of goal. Quite a few of Barça captain Lionel Messi’s 12 LaLiga assists this season have met this description. Deadly, and very hard to defend against.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

German footballer Manuel Neuer, 34, who split from his wife Nina only four months ago, is said to be dating a teenage student in Munich.

Bayern Munich's star goalkeeper is reportedly in a relationship with Anika Bissel, 19, a fashion management student, who also plays for a local handball club team named Kuties. Interestingly, Anika bears a striking resemblance to Nina.

Manuel Neuer's ex-wife Nina

According to leading German magazine Bunte, Anika owns a flat in Munich but is seen spending most of her time at the footballer's luxurious home.

It is learnt that 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Manuel is very serious about his relationship and has even introduced Anika to his mother, Marita.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

The year 2019 has seen the release of big-budget period action films and all of them have been well received by the audiences, like MANIKARNIKA – THE QUEEN OF JHANSI, KESARI and SYE RAA NARASIMHA REDDY. Now the final 2019 film in this league, PANIPAT, is all set to release, and it promises to be a grand and entertaining affair. So does PANIPAT manage to give the audiences a great time? Or does it fail? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1048659 size-full" title="Movie Review: Panipat" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Panipat-4-5.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Panipat" width="720" height="450" /> PANIPAT is the story of one of the most important chapters of history. The year is 1760. The Marathas under Sadashivrao Bhau (Arjun Kapoor) finally annexe the Udgiri Fort in present-day southern Maharashtra and thereby finish the Nizamshahi rule for good. The Marathas have now occupied most of India. Nana Saheb Peshwa (Mohnish Bahl) is very happy with the developments and especially with Sadashiv. Nana Saheb's wife Gopika Bai (Padmini Kolhapure) however feels insecure with her hubby’s fondness for Sadashiv. At her insistence, Sadashiv is given the responsibility of handling the treasury. Sadashiv is shocked at this development as he has always been a warrior. Nevertheless he accepts this change of duty. He also gets to spend time with Parvati Bai (Kriti Sanon), a physician. Both fall in love and get married. Meanwhile, while checking the finances, Sadashiv realises that the kingdoms up North are not paying the dues to the Marathas, as they had promised. A message is then sent to all these kings, including Mughal empeor Alamgir II (S M Zaheer). Najib-Ud-Daula (Mantra) is a part of the Mughal court and he’s asked to leave. He’s so frustrated with the high handedness of the Marathas that he decides to defeat them once and for all. To do so, he knocks on the doors of Ahmed Shah Abdali (Sanjay Dutt), the Afghan ruler of Kandahar. At first, Abdali declines since he realises that Najib-Ud-Daula is seeking his help for his selfish gains. But then he also realises that if he manages to capture a large part of India, it would add to his prowess. Hence he sets off to India. The Marathas find out about Abdali's plans and that he is approaching with 1 lakh soldiers. Sadashiv however feels that despite having lesser number of soldiers, the Marathas can still defeat Abdali. Nana Saheb gives Sadashiv the responsibility of going up North to stop Abdali with 40,000 soldiers. On the way, Sadashiv seeks help from various kingdoms and forges alliances. Most of them agree to be on his side and provide armymen. Shuja-Ud-Daula (Kunal R Kapoor) is the Wazir of Awadh and Sadashiv asks for his help as well. In return, he agrees to make him the Wazir of Delhi once Abdali is defeated. Shuja-Ud-Daula asks for this agreement in writing. The Marathas agree to do so and said that they’ll return in a few days with the written assurance. In the interim, Abdali’s men meet Shuja-Ud-Daula. They too make the same offer that he’ll be made Delhi’s Wazir and what’s more, they get the written agreement with them. Shuja-Ud-Daula hence joins Abdali. This serves a blow for Sadashiv since Shuja-Ud-Daula’s alliance would have helped him immensely. Nevertheless, he agrees to fight, come what may. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Chandrashekhar Dhavalikar, Ranjeet Bahadur, Aditya Rawal and Ashutosh Gowariker's story is close to reality. It is praiseworthy that Gowariker and his team chose this topic as it’s one of the significant battles of Indian history. Also, many viewers would not be aware that the Marathas at one point were so strong in India. Hence, it turns out to be an entertaining as well as enlightening experience for them. Chandrashekhar Dhavalikar, Ranjeet Bahadur, Aditya Rawal and Ashutosh Gowariker's screenplay is fine for most parts but is not consistent. A few scenes don’t pack a punch and hence, bring the impact down. A few scenes however are exceptionally written. Ashok Chakradhar's dialogues are nothing great. Ashutosh Gowariker's direction is neat and uncomplicated for most parts. He’s in form after a long time. He very beautifully presents the Maratha Empire in all its glory. The battle scenes in the second half keep the interest going. Also noteworthy is the scene of the truce between Sadashiv and Abdali. But the politics and the problems faced by Marathas in getting help in battling Abdali ought to have been better explained. Also, the film could have been more commercial and massy as there were several scenes that had that kind of appeal. The length is another issue. At 2.53 hours, the film is quite long, especially in the first half. Another big problem with the film is that the tagline is ‘The Great Betrayal’. This bit comes out in a crucial scene in the climax. But the build up to it is very weak. Hence, audiences don’t really get a shock when the man who does the ‘great betrayal’ shows his true intentions. Hence, the impact gets diluted. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>“I disagree that Abdali was a VILLAINOUS character…”: Sanjay Dutt | Arjun | Kriti | Ashutosh | Panipat</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/celeb-interviews/i-disagree-that-abdali-was-a-villainous-character-sanjay-dutt-arjun-kriti-ashutosh-panipat/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> PANIPAT begins on a fair note with the scene of the Udgiri Fort annexation. The film then falls a bit as the focus shifts to the politics happening within Shaniwar Wada, Pune. Also, the romantic track of Sadashiv-Parvati Bai is decent but nothing extraordinary. The entry of Abdali is quite interesting and it enhances interest. The film dips once again and the interest then only rises during the intermission point. This is an excellent sequence, when Sadashiv and Abdali come face to face and it sets the mood of the second half. The post interval portion starts off well as Sadashiv comes up with a great plan of capturing Delhi’s Red Fort. This sequence is quite significant, also because viewers might not be aware of this chapter of history. Ashutosh Gowariker however reserves the best for the finale. The truce sequence followed by the 30-minute-long climax engrosses viewers. The betrayal bit however could have been better explained. The final scene of Abdali is fine and it is a great way to end the film. Arjun Kapoor gives his hundred per cent. His physique comes in handy for this character and he indeed looks like a ferocious warrior who can induce fear in enemies. In non-action scenes too, he is quite good. But in a few scenes, he’s a bit off. This is especially in the romantic portions. Sanjay Dutt too tries his best to be menacing but succeeds partly. A fine effort, nevertheless! Kriti Sanon is quite confident and gives an impressive performance. She is not there in the film for the heck of it. She has a very important part and her action scene would be loved! Mohnish Bahl is dependable but he’s hardly there in the second half. Sahil Salathia (Shamsher Bahadur; Bajirao and Mastani’s son) leaves a tremendous mark and it’s great to see that he got such an important part. Same goes for Nawab Shah (Ibrahim Khan Gardi). Mantra understands his character and brings the require jealousy and immaturity. Zeenat Aman (Sakina Begum) is excellent in the cameo and her scene with Kriti Sanon is one of the highpoints of the film. The other actors who do a good job are Padmini Kolhapure, Kunal R Kapoor, S M Zaheer, Milind Gunaji (Dattaji Shinde) Abhishek Nigam (Vishwas Rao), Ravindra Mahajani (Malhar Rao Holkar) and Suhasini Mulay (Sadashiv’s grandmother; presumably Radha Bai). Ajay-Atul's music is a big letdown. None of the songs are memorable. <em>'Mard Maratha'</em> is shot well but the song is very dull. Same goes for <em>'Mann Mein Shiva'</em>. <em>'Sapna Hai Sach Hai'</em> lacks soul. Ajay-Atul's background score is way better and exhilarating. Muraleedharan C K's cinematography is spectacular and captures the battle and other scenes effectively. Raju Khan's choreography is worth appreciating in <em>'Mann Mein Shiva'</em>. Nitin Chandrakant Desai's production design, as expected, is grand and visually stunning. However, some sets seem too similar to that of JODHAA AKBAR [2008] and PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO [2015]. Neeta Lulla's costumes are quite authentic and in sync with the bygone era. Vikram Gaikwad's makeup and hair design is very detailed. Abbas Ali Moghul's action makes for a great watch and is sans gore or too much of bloodshed. VFX is done by Ashutosh Gowariker’s company (AGPPL VFX) and is fine in most scenes. The slow-motion shots in climax fight adds to the impact. Steven Bernard's editing could have been tighter. On the whole, PANIPAT throws light on an important chapter of Indian history with the battle scenes as its USP. At the box office, it will need a strong word of mouth since it faces competition in the form of PATI PATNI AUR WOH.

The Nirbhaya gang rape case of 2012 in Delhi shocked one and all across the country. What added to the astonishment was that one of the violent assaulters was a minor. It generated a debate on whether juveniles can be treated like an adult in cases where the crime committed is exceptional and of an extremely violent nature. Yash Raj Films’ latest offing, MARDAANI 2, also deals with this burning topic and coincidentally, comes around two weeks after a similar violent gang rape committed in Hyderabad sparked nationwide outrage. So does MARDAANI 2 manage to shock as well as thrill the audiences? Or does it fail to keep the viewers engaged? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1051871 size-full" title="Movie Review Mardaani 2" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Movie-Review-Mardaani-2.jpg" alt="Movie Review Mardaani 2" width="720" height="450" /> MARDAANI 2 is the story of a psychotic rapist trying to challenge the police. Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) is now the SP of Kota, Rajasthan. In this town, a girl named Latika (Tejaswi Singh Ahlawat) attends a fair where she fights with her boyfriend Monty (Pratyaksh Rajbhatt). A mysterious person, Sunny (Vishal Jethwa), witnesses the way Latika blasts Monty. He has an issue with such outspoken women and on an empty stretch, he abducts her. He takes her to an abandoned place where he brutally tortures Latika, rapes and then kills her. Shivani is shocked with the violence but carries out the investigation immediately. At the press conference, she calls the murderer 'dedh shaana'. This hurts Sunny and he decides to teach Shivani a lesson. He sends her flowers with a taunting note. He sneaks into her house and steals her clothes and accessories. He wears her saree to trap a journalist Kamal Parihar (Anurag Sharma) and eliminates him, as part of the contract given to him by a local politician Panditji (Prasanna Ketkar). Sunny then smartly gets employed in the tea stall outside Shivaji’s police station. Hence he gets access to visiting the police station and even eavesdropping what the cops are talking about the case. When a kid, who had seen Sunny, comes forward to identify him, Sunny kidnaps him from the police station toilet and kills him. Shivani hence faces backlash for what is termed as a lapse on her part. She is transferred. But as everyone is busy with Diwali celebrations, the replacement is expected to take charge only 2 days later. Hence Shivani has 48 hours to crack the case and nab Sunny. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Gopi Puthran's story is excellent and serves as a worthy sequel to the first part. It also makes a nice comment on misogyny. Gopi Puthran's screenplay is highly effective and also entertaining. The way he has thought of novel ways to show the villain's sharp mind is seen to be believed. He could have avoided a few cinematic liberties in the second half though. Gopi Puthran's dialogues are acidic and work very well. Rani Mukerji's monologue during her TV interview is applause worthy. Gopi Puthran's direction is terrific, also considering that this is his debut film. He adds the required thrill and entertainment to keep the viewers gripped. Also there are sub plots in the film, of the fellow cops who don’t like taking orders from a female officer and of a politician using Sunny for his gains. All of it is brought together nicely. On the flipside, the film gets a too convenient in the second half. The antagonist is freely roaming in the city although his picture is out everywhere. Moreover the film has a lot of disturbing content. The scene where the forensic doctor (Deepika Amin) is explaining Latika's injuries will make viewers highly uncomfortable. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Mardaani 2 | Public Review | Rani Mukerji | First Day First Show</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/mardaani-2-public-review-rani-mukerji-first-day-first-show/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> MARDAANI 2 is just 105 minutes long and doesn’t waste time. The villain gets introduced in the beginning itself and the way he smartly traps Latika and then violates her shocks you. The astonishment continues as Sunny manages to kill Kamal Parihar as well and passes it off as suicide. The sequence where he abducts the child also keeps the thrill going. Post interval, one expects the film to drag but a surprise awaits here as Shivani finds Sunny minutes after second half commences. And it’s after this scene that the film drops a bit. The cat and mouse chase becomes a bit repetitive. Also after a point it becomes unconvincing the way Sunny is always able to outsmart Shivani and has thought ten steps ahead. The climax however is massy and viewers would surely break into applause. MARDAANI 2 belongs to Rani Mukerji and Vishal Jethwa. Rani yet again delivers a terrific performance as Shivani Shivaji Roy. It’s great to see how she understands her part so well. She is tough but she also has a sensitive side, as seen during her conversation with the forensic doctor and also in the very final scene. But both the characteristics look very organic and nothing seems forced. She also gets the action scenes right. Vishal Jethwa rocks the show and how! He impresses from the first scene itself when he breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to viewers. Surprisingly, he gets more screen time than Rani in the first half! Throughout the film, he gets the menacing bit perfectly. Tejaswi Singh Ahlawat is decent while Deepika Amin is fine in a special appearance. Other actors who do a fine job are Pratyaksh Rajbhatt, Prasanna Ketkar, Shruti Bapna (Bharti), Sumit Nijhawan (Brij Shekhawat), Sunny Hinduja (Viplaw Beniwal) and Richa Meena (Sunanda). Rajesh Sharma (Amit Sharma) is quite good as the reporter and his scene with Rani is one of the highpoints of the film. Mardaani 2 is a songless film. John Stewart Eduri's background music is loud but exhilarating. Jishnu Bhattacharjee's cinematography is quite neat and captures the small town feel to an extent. Sukant Panigrahy's production design is passable. Leepakshi Ellawadi's costumes are realistic. Vikram Dahiya's action is realistic. Shanoo Sharma's casting is spot on. Monisha R Baldawa's editing is uncomplicated. On the whole, MARDAANI 2 is a gripping thriller that boasts of an exciting script and bravura performances by Rani Mukerji and Vishal Jethwa. At the box office however, it will need a strong word of mouth to sustain.

Saif Ali Khan excels in all kinds of roles but his role of a cool dude in light-themed films has been a favourite for many moviegoers. He played such characters in several memorable films like HUM TUM [2004], SALAAM NAMASTE [2005], LOVE AAJ KAL [2009] and got immense praise. Now the actor is back in this space after a hiatus with JAWAANI JAANEMAN. It’s a special flick as it’s the first production under his new banner, Black Knight Films. So does JAWAANI JAANEMAN emerge as a fine piece of entertainer? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1069154 size-full" title="Movie Review: Jawaani Jaaneman" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Movie-Review-Jawaani-Jaaneman.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Jawaani Jaaneman" width="720" height="450" /> JAWAANI JAANEMAN is the story of a 40-year-old playboy whose life suddenly turns upside down. Jassi aka Jazz (Saif Ali Khan) is in his 40s and is based in London. He's single and in no mood to commit. By profession, he's a real estate broker and works with his brother Dimpu (Kumud Mishra). But he spends most of his time partying and getting involved with girls. He is also about to seal a redevelopment deal that will make him the biggest broker in London. Life is going great for him until one day he meets Tiya (Alaya F). At first he flirts with her, with the ultimate aim to take her to bed. However, she drops the bomb that she might be his daughter! To make matters worse, the DNA test confirms that they are related. And that's not all. It also comes to light that Tiya is pregnant! So Jazz finds out that he's not just someone's father but also to-be grandfather! What happens next forms the rest of the film. JAWAANI JAANEMAN is a remake of an Italian film. The plot is promising and could have made for a hilarious and touching entertainer. The screenplay however is inconsistent and weak at many places. Only some scenes work and provide laughs. Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal's dialogues are witty and try their best to enhance the impact. Nitin Kakkar's direction is average. He doesn’t keep the flow of the film organic. Some developments happen suddenly, be it Jazz developing feelings for Rhea (Kubbra Sait) or Jazz asking Tiya to shift in his house. These scenes are still digestible. But a scene in the second half where a local randomly accuses Jazz of cheating him in a property deal comes out of nowhere. Till now, viewers knew Jazz as a lazy worker but not someone who is deceitful. Hence, this revelation seems bizarre. On the positive side, he gets the emotion and humour right in some scenes. Also, he keeps the duration in check (119 minutes). JAWAANI JAANEMAN starts off on an okay note as the viewers get introduced to Jazz and his playboy lifestyle. The film gets interesting once he gets Tiya home and she reveals the truth. It makes for a hilarious watch. Another memorable scene in the first half is when Jazz and Tiya meet Dr. Kriplani (Kiku Sharda). One expects lot more to happen but story just doesn’t move then. The intermission point is a bit awkward. Post interval thankfully there’s some movement in the story. But now the film drags. Also, the impact is weakened by property deal track. What brings some respite is the track of Ananya (Tabu) but even that loses fizz soon. The final scene of the film is heartwarming. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Jawaani Jaaneman | Public Review | Saif Ali Khan | Alaya Furniturewalla | Tabu | First Day First Show</strong></span> <iframe id="jwiframe" class="playerFrame" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/videos/first-day-first-show/jawaani-jaaneman-public-review-saif-ali-khan-alaya-furniturewalla-tabu-first-day-first-show/?jwembed=1" width="800" height="340" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Saif Ali Khan is completely in his element and entertains thoroughly. Such kind of a role suits him to the T and he constantly tries to rise above the script. Alaya F makes an excellent debut and puts up a confident act. She looks gorgeous and is the only actor who moves viewers to an extent. She has a promising career ahead. Tabu has a late entry but raises loads of laughs. But her character has no emotional arc. Chunky Panday (Rocky) doesn’t have much to do initially. He has a crucial scene in the second half in the hospital but it doesn’t work. Kubbra Sait is adorable and one wishes to see more of her. Kumud Mishra is dependable. Kiku Sharda is funny. Dante Alexander (Rohan) is over the top, as per the character’s requirement. Rameet Sandhu (Tanvi) leaves a mark. Farida Jalal (Jazz’s mother), Shivendra Singh Mahal (Jazz’s father) and Diljohn Singh (Grover) are okay. Songs are all forgettable. <em>'Ole Ole 2.0'</em> gets registered a bit as it’s a popular tune. <em>'Gallan Kardi'</em>, <em>'Bandhu Tu Mera'</em> and <em>'Mere Baabula'</em> don’t work. <em>‘Jinhe Mera Dil Luteya’</em> is played in the end credits.  Ketan Sodha's background score is sans complaints. Manoj Kumar Khatoi's cinematography is pleasing. The locales of London are well captured. Urvi Ashar Kakkar and Shipra Rawal's production design is superior. Sanam Ratansi's costumes are quite glamorous and all the actors in the film look great. Sachinder Vats's editing (additional editing by Chandan Arora) jumps at places. On the whole, JAWAANI JAANEMAN boasts of fine performances by Saif Ali Khan and newcomer Alaya F. But the direction is weak and emotionally, the film doesn’t work. At the box office, it will be a tough ride for the flick considering the lack of buzz.

Unnerving movements for debt mutual funds investors!

Just last week my colleague, Divya explained the fiasco at Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, which took a decision to abruptly wind down six debt mutual fund schemes, namely:

• Franklin India Low Duration Fund
• Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund
• Franklin India Credit Risk Fund
• Franklin India Short Term Income Plan
• Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund
• Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund

In all, the above debt mutual fund schemes had an AUM of Rs 30,854 crore as of March 31, 2020.

The fund house cited, "severe market dislocation and illiquidity in the fixed income space" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the reason behind the decision.

Investors in these schemes are now left in the lurch: they cannot sell (nor buy) these funds and will have to rely on the fund house to get back their hard-earned money. Investors will have to hold their investments in these schemes until liquidity is available to the mutual fund house by either selling securities in the fund's portfolio or receiving maturity proceeds.

Currently, a fact is, not just Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, but debt mutual fund schemes of many other fund houses are have a remarkable exposure to stressed assets.

According to portfolios disclosed on March 31, 2020, mutual funds collectively held Rs 1.38 trillion of exposure to debt securities issued by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). Approximately Rs 51,000 crore of the exposure in debt securities has a maturity profile of less than 3 months; and now, mutual funds fear that there will be defaults.

NBFCs and other corporate borrowers claim that they do not have enough liquidity to fulfil their obligations and have requested for additional time. Given that, rating downgrades from rating agencies look likely.

However, some companies are playing smart: they are approaching the Courts to prevent a rating downgrade, plus seeking a stay on sale of pledged shares. Of course, they are well within their right to approach the judicial authority or Courts and contest.

Join Now: PersonalFN is now on Telegram. Join FREE Today to get 'Daily Wealth Letter' and Exclusive Updates on Mutual Funds

But the capital market regulator, seems to be in no mood in offering them any leeway. On the contrary, the regulator is asking the mutual fund industry to act against the issuer of securities who are possibly carrying high credit risk; facing asset quality problems.

Delays in repayments would mean the creation of more side-pockets by mutual funds. And in my view, more the losses investors suffer, more frustrating it will be for mutual fund houses and their investors. Eventually retail and High Net-worth Individuals, particularly, will lose confidence and may not be keen to invest in debt funds.

If you are wondering what has gone wrong, here's everything you may like to know about liquidity, credit risk and the exposure of mutual funds to corporate debt in the present scenario.

If you remember, the capital market regulator had mandated large corporations to source at least 25% of their borrowings from the bond markets from the beginning of FY 2019. This move was expected to deepen Indian bond markets and reduces the stress on banks. Just a year later, the same move is proving fatal for companies that went to the bond markets to raise money.

Now that the COVID-19 lockdown has forced many business units to shut off temporarily or operate much below their optimal operational capacity with a skeletal staff, companies, including the large organisations that relied heavily on debt markets, are finding it difficult to honour maturity claims on Commercial Papers (CPs), Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs), and Bonds.

They were hoping for an 'at-par treatment' with Banks when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered a moratorium period to borrowers. But the RBI circular came to them as a shocker. The devil was in the details.

On March 27, 2020, the RBI issued a notification allowing a three-month moratorium on all outstanding term loans and working capital facilities on account of disruptions caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. This circular did not cover around 10 thousand NBFCs, who mainly depend on CPs, NCDs, and Bonds for their funding requirements.

As far as NBFCs are concerned, the RBI has already provided them with a liquidity facility through the banking channel. The RBI directed banks to utilise funds infused under Targeted Long Term Repo Operations (TLTRO) facility to invest in 'investment-grade' CPs, NCDs, and Bonds issued by NBFCs. Also, RBI mandated banks to allocate 50% of Rs 50,000 crore of liquidity introduced by way of TLTRO 2.0 to small and mid-size NBFCs and small finance banks.

But NBFCs seemed not too happy with just liquidity and many of them are now approaching courts to prevent rating downgrades. This is not a best practice for the industry, although fund houses may be well within their rights to contest.

Recently, Indiabulls Housing Finance was successful in receiving the interim order from Delhi High Court, throttling any coercive action against the housing finance company for its inability to repay its bondholders. The Delhi High Court will hear the case further on May 19, 2020.

This has added to the worries of mutual fund houses that now fear other NBFCs will follow the same path.

The capital market regulator, only recently (a few days ago) following the three moratorium by RBI (due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic) has relaxed the valuation norms for debt and money market instrument held by mutual funds vide a circular dated April 23, 2020, wherein it states as under:

• Based on assessment, if the valuation agencies appointed by AMFI are of the view that the delay in payment of interest/principal or extension of the maturity of a security by the issuer has arisen solely due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and/or in light of the moratorium permitted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (vide notification no. RBI/2019-20/186, dated March 27, 2020) creating temporary operational challenges in servicing debt, then valuation agencies may not consider the same as a default for the purpose of valuation of money market or debt securities held by Mutual Funds.
  
  However, in the scenario, as stated above, if there is any difference in the valuation of securities provided by two valuation agencies, the conservative valuation shall be accepted.

But then what is the point of coming up with these valuation norms as an afterthought, and not in close synchronisation when the RBI came with its notification a month ago?

The damage now is already done and companies are anyways approaching the Courts to prevent a rating downgrade.

Let's say shares of a company are pledged and to recover the proceeds -- if they cannot be sold due to a court order -- then such lending would be as good as unsecured lending.

Also, why should that not be construed as an instance of deviation from the stated fundamental attributes of a debt mutual fund scheme? After all, mutual fund investors invest in debt fund schemes taking into account a certain level of risk. Change in the risk profile of a scheme is a change in the fundamental attribute/s.

According to India Ratings, NBFCs having the asset base of Rs 500 crore to 5,000 crore, largely fall between "A" and "BBB" rating categories.

The mid-path could be a decision on payment or deferring the payment in consultation with all stakeholders, including debenture trustees. The industry will require a blanket resolution because a case-to-case resolution approach is cumbersome and may create more chaos.

Unless the RBI takes a clear stance on NBFCs and other financial institutions, mutual fund houses are likely to feel the heat of redemptions. Suppose, there's no further statement issued by the banking sector regulator; mutual funds will have to be prepared to handle large-scale defaults, which might look inevitable. After all, a majority of NBFCs' customers are retail borrowers and they enjoy a moratorium on the EMI payment for 3-months. This has been the trickiest part for NBFCs.

While COVID-19 outbreak has been the genuine reason for the potential defaults this time, asset-liability mismatches of NBFCs are well-known. Many NBFCs have gone overboard with cheap credit available during stable market conditions. Their credit underwriting has been questioned widely. The industry has also witnessed belly-up instances such as IL&FS and DHFL. Many mutual fund houses have burned their fingers badly in such defaults.

At the time of writing this piece, to ease the liquidity pressure on mutual funds, the RBI today decided to provide a special liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 crore for mutual funds. Under this facility, the RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate. This will be on-tap and open-ended, and banks can submit their bids to avail funding on any day from Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). The scheme is available from today i.e., April 27, 2020, till May 11, 2020, or up to utilization of the allocated amount, whichever is earlier. The Reserve Bank will review the timeline and amount, depending upon market conditions.

The RBI has stated further that the liquidity support availed under the Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds shall be used by banks exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of mutual funds by, 1) extending loans; and (2) undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against the collateral of investment-grade corporate bonds, CPs, debentures and certificates of Deposit (CDs) held by mutual funds.

Having taken this measure, keep in mind that it does not make investing in debt mutual funds risk-free. Considering the prevailing investment environment, you should stay away from mutual fund schemes whose portfolio characteristic appears compromised. Also, avoid credit risk funds and corporate bond funds as they are likely to be more vulnerable amidst the financial crisis followed by COVID-19 pandemic.

As a thumb rule: Choose mutual fund schemes from fund houses that follow prudent judicious investment processes and stringent risk-management systems.

In these uncertain times, it would be wise sticking to liquid funds and overnight funds while considering debt funds.

Our friends at Quantum Mutual Fund have highlighted the secret behind their debt management strategy which has helped them provide safety and liquidity to investors when it comes to investing in quantum funds. Don't Worry, Quantum Liquid Fund always aims for Safety and Liquidity.

As with all financial matters, better be safe than sorry!

PS: If you wish to select worthy mutual fund schemes, I recommend you to subscribe to PersonalFN's unbiased premium research service, FundSelect.

Additionally, as a bonus, you get access to PersonalFN's popular debt mutual fund service, DebtSelect.

Each fund recommended under FundSelect goes through our stringent process, where they are tested on both quantitative as well as qualitative parameters.

Every month, PersonalFN's FundSelect service will provide you with insightful and practical guidance on equity mutual funds and debt schemes - the ones to Buy, Hold, or Sell.

If you are serious about investing in a rewarding mutual fund scheme, Subscribe now!

Join Now: PersonalFN is now on Telegram. Join FREE Today to get 'Daily Wealth Letter' and Exclusive Updates on Mutual Funds

Author: Rounaq Neroy

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

Disclaimer:
The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.