If you find yourself feeling bored and at a loss for what to do next while you're quarantined at home, you only have to head on to Karan Johar's Instagram page and check out videos of his twins. Roohi and Yash Johar, are super adorable, and they keep entertaining themselves and everyone else with their shenanigans. From calling papa KJo's clothes 'girl clothes' to annoying mama Hiroo Johar, Yash and Roohi will surely bring a smile to your face.

Recently, Karan Johar shared another sweet video of his babies giving their father a reality check about his bathroom. Roohi declares that bathtub is "useless", to which Karan replies, "It is rather useless. I have to say because I have never used it ever". He moves his attention towards Yash who goes about fiddling with one of the taps to the tub. Karan asks him what he is doing to which Yash answers, "I am washing dadda".

Sharing the video, the director wrote, "Now in the bathroom! We have moved from the closet #lockdownwiththejohars (sic)". Take a look at the video:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Now in the bathroom! We have moved from the closet #lockdownwiththejohars

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onMay 5, 2020 at 11:30pm PDT

Earlier, the filmmaker had shared a video of his kids calling him a "bad dancer".  Sharing the video on Instagram Karan wrote, "Ok I have had enough!!!!!!!! I want to weep into my blanket! I am the Talentless MR JOHAR according to my children! #lockdownwiththejohars (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Ok I have had enough!!!!!!!! I want to weep into my blanket ! I am the Talentless MR JOHAR according to my children! 😪😪 #lockdownwiththejohars

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 11, 2020 at 12:30am PDT

Earlier the filmmaker had shared a video in which his kids express their dislike for his singing.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

So ever since I can remember I have loved singing! Am so glad to know I have a loving audience .....#lockdownwiththejohars

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 9, 2020 at 12:51am PDT

In another video that he shared, the kids were seeing body shaming their father. "I have been body-shamed!!!! #lockdownwiththejohars #toodles (sic)", he wrote.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I have been body shamed!!!! #lockdownwiththejohars #toodles

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 6, 2020 at 11:56pm PDT

There are a lot of other videos that you all must see to cheer yourselves in case you have a bad day!

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Several showrunners are speeding up the post-production work to release their digital offerings during the lockdown. Though the idea of having all eyes glued to his show sounds tempting, director Ali Abbas Zafar is in no hurry to reach the finish line. The director — whose political drama, tentatively titled Dilli, is currently in post-production — says he would rather revel in the satisfaction of a series made well than join the rat race.

"On Twitter and Instagram, people have been asking us to release the show now. So, there has been pressure, but we don't want to rush the process. Our series was supposed to drop in the last quarter of 2020, and we will stick to that deadline. If the show was ready, we would have released it now because it is an ideal time to grab eyeballs," says Zafar, happy that the Saif Ali Khan-starrer has piqued the audience's interest.

When it comes to developing an offering for the global audience, the post-production is a long-drawn process. "Once you deliver your project, it has to be dubbed in nine languages. So, the post-production takes three to four months, longer than the shoot itself."

Ali Abbas Zafar

As his team gives the finishing touches to the project, Zafar, nestled in his hometown Dehradun, has begun writing the sophomore season. "[The top brass of] Amazon Prime have seen the rushes, and basis that, they have decided to sanction the second edition," he says, beaming with pride.

Point out to him that the drama has found its way into the second instalment, but has yet to find an apt title, and he laughs at the irony of the situation. While the working title was Tandav, the makers rechristened it Dilli, only to have a change of heart later. "We are struggling with the name. That's why Amazon has not been able to make an official announcement."

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There are a lot of actors that have gone for adoption to embrace parenthood. Sushmita Sen immediately comes to mind. And another name that comes to mind is Sunny Leone, who adopted a baby girl from Latur, Nisha Kaur Weber. And Leone seems to have inspired Shefali Jariwala, who has spoken to Times of India about how Leone's story moved her.

She said, "I discussed adopting a baby with Hindustani Bhau inside the Bigg Boss 13 house. I was actually moved by Sunny Leone's decision when she adopted a girl child. I always wanted to adopt a baby girl and after I got married to Parag when we were discussing about starting a family." She added, "I shared my views with him and he is a very supportive husband."

Highlighting the importance of adoption, the actress said, "There are a lot of children in the world who need home and I think I am in a position where I can give them a secure, good life then why not. I want to give that child a good home, education and a good life because God has given me everything!"

And if all goes well, there might be a new little member in the house very soon. "I have been blessed with all this so I want to share my blessings with that child. But the adoption process in this country is a little tedious. There's a lot of paperwork involved and there's a lot of waiting also. So we are currently in the middle of the process and if God is kind and your wishes are with us, my dream to bring my child home will come true. I'll become a mother and bring a lovely girl home," said Jariwala.

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Given people today have the tendency to make memes on almost anything and everything, how could a tv show like Mahabharat stay away? It's a cult show and making history in terms of TRPs even in 2020. But in one of the episodes, 49 to be precise, they spotted an AC cooler and made a lot of memes on the scene.

And now, talking about this to Times of India, Khanna has broken his silence and reacted to it. He has said, "I had been hearing about a picture of mine from the sets of Mahabharat going viral where I am shown sitting in front of a cooler, for the past few days. I want to know yeh picture aayi kahan se and secondly yeh kisne spot kiya? I doubt if this picture is from a still from the show. And if it is, it is a huge mistake. But from what I can say after seeing it is that it appears to be clicked in between shots. I don't think such a glaring mistake would have happened from BR Chopra's side. He was too careful with the making and the editing of Mahabharat."

However, to bear the heat, there were AC coolers on the sets for the actors, as revealed by Khanna. "We were shooting in Film City which was fully air-conditioned. However, since I had such heavy costumes and to top it all a long beard which I had to wear most of the day I used to feel extremely hot. Especially because of the beard. So, I requested BR Chopra Ji to allow me to use an air-cooler. The beard was such that after shots I used to sweat a lot and it used to irritate me," said the actor.

Well, Mahabharat is enjoying a dream run on television and as days and episodes pass by, the TRPs are only likely to grow!

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Actor Gurmeet Choudhary became a household name after playing Lord Ram in the 2008 TV show "Ramayan". If given a chance, he would like to revisit the character, but for a film. It's been a while since the audience saw him in a mythology show. Asked if the genre still interests him, Gurmeet told IANS: "I'd definitely like to do (a mythology project) if I like it. The audience saw me as TV's Ram, but I'd really like to do a film called 'Ramayan', and I'd like this film to reach all over the world." Looking back at the show, he shared that he didn't want to copy actor Arun Govil, who originally played the role in Ramanand Sagar's blockbuster mythological series "Ramayan" way back in the eighties.

"When I was very small, I had watched Ramanand Sagar's 'Ramayan'. But I remembered very less about it. As I grew up, my dad would narrate stories of 'Ramayan'. So story-wise I knew it. When finally 'Ramayan' was given to me, I had a thought that before doing another 'Ramayan' if I watch the 80s 'Ramayan' then as an actor...Arunji had acted really well. Had I seen his version of Ram again then there might have been chances of me copying him. Every actor can understand that he needs to do his own style, so I tried to act in my own style," he recalled.

And he gave a lot to playing Ram in his show, which has been brought back on the small screen by Dangal TV. "I had given many auditions and then mock shoot happened. During that duration, I got many ideas on how to play my version of Ram. While shooting for 12 hours, I used to be in that character only," he said. He focussed on his character's walking style and smile.

"Everyone used to tell me to switch on and off (the character) otherwise I'd become a brahmachari (celibate) or quit acting but I have always believed that as an actor, it was one character that very few people got the opportunity to play. I gave my 200 percent," said Gurmeet. "Ramayan" brought him fame but there was also a fear of getting typecast.

"It generally happens that when actors do mythology shows, they get typecast. But I got saved. I didn't get typecast. It didn't happen suddenly though. I had prepared myself," he said. Talking about moving on from the character, he said: "Once 'Ramayan' got over, I did some reality shows. So people saw me and said 'he is young, wears jeans, T-shirt, dances and does action. Then I won 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' and participated in 'Nach Baliye', did 'Punar Vivaah' and then due to God's blessings, I got films. 'Khamoshiyan' was my first film. Mahesh Bhatt had launched me. My film journey started there," said the "Paltan" actor.

In fact, prior to the announcement of the lockdown in March, he was shooting for a film, which he would like to wrap up once work starts again.

"I really like black coffee. So I'll have that in a coffee shop. The shooting of my film 'The Wife' was happening in Jaipur. We had shot 50 per cent of the film. I really liked the film's script. So after coffee, I'd catch a flight and complete its shooting," he said.

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No strings attached, here's the money!
Gigolos, who cater exclusively to women and used to be considered a sort of urban legend, has now become mainstream as more women are willing to pay for sex in no-strings-attached situations.

No cuddling only sex!
Researchers have found that acts of affection like hugs and kisses were more important to men than women.

Men who reported frequent kissing and cuddling were three times as happy, on average, as those who had less snuggling with their wives or girlfriends.

Women, meanwhile, said that such shows of affection had very little impact on their happiness.

But men were more likely to say they were happy with their relationship while women were more likely to report being satisfied with the sex.

Love watching two guys!
It may not at all surprise you to learn that some men watch lesbian porn. However, what may come as a shock is the news that some women are into erotica featuring men having sex with men.

An online porn study, led by an Indian-origin neuroscientist, has unveiled a shocking new vision of human desires that overturn conventional thinking: plenty of straight women are into male-male porn and erotica.

Long kisses
Women tend to use kissing to create a bond with their partners, and to assess them as potential mates. Meanwhile, men use kissing as a means to an end," say relationship experts.

While women usually consider a bad kiss to be a deal-breaker, men reported that they would more than likely still have sex with a woman even if she were a bad kisser.

Psychologists hypothesize that males "perceive a greater wetness or salivary exchange during kissing as an index of the female's sexual arousal/receptivity, similar to the act of sexual intercourse," they said.

Is he hitched? I want him!
A scientific study has found evidence that women like to target men who are already in relationships.

Researchers at an eminent university in the US use the term 'mate poaching' to describe this phenomenon.

During the study, they showed a picture of a moderately attractive man or woman to participants.

Half of the participants were told that the prospective mate was single, while the rest were told that they were not.

Researchers observed that 90 per cent of the women participants were interested in a man when told that he was in a relationship, compared to 59 per cent when told the same man was single.

The results showed that only single women were more interested in pursuing an attached target rather than a single target.

According to some women, they like paying for what they called the "perfect boyfriend experience", because at the end of the night, they pay the guy to go away.

Cheesy chat up lines
The next time you approach a girl, do not hesitate to try out a cheesy chat-up line because girls absolutely love it, for they give a glimpse of a man's sense of humour.

According to a study, six out of 10 ladies are more likely to fall for a man if he breaks the ice with a light-hearted one-liner.

Conducted by a poll website, the survey, which questioned 4,000 adults, revealed that four out of 10 women were still dating or were married to a man who first approached them with a funny quip.

However, not every line can do the trick for you-it was found that there are do's and don'ts in the dating game as well.

Lines such as "Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?", and "Apart from being beautiful, what do you do for a living?" worked "most of the time".

But "Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes" and "Is there a rainbow, because you''re the treasure I''ve been searching for," were likely to end up in red-faced failure for being "too over the top".

A truly clean shaven man
Researchers have found that a majority of women really do prefer a man with a smooth chest. They team from Slovakia, who compared the attractiveness of men before and after shaving their chest, and found only 20 percent of women preferred the more hirsute version. They admitted to being baffled as to why so many women chose the hair free men.

One of the most prominent theories has been that, by choosing a hairless mate, women are actually trying to avoid the lice and other bugs that can live in a furry male.

However, in one of the biggest ever studies into women’s body hair preferences, the team found this so-called “ectoparasite avoidance hypothesis” was not the answer.

The taller the better!
The research team at a prominent American university in Utah opine that women find tall men more attractive. Greater height is also associated with health, social dominance, symmetrical faces and intelligence in men and women.

These correlations have led some scientists to suggest that women prefer tall men because height indicates "good genes" that can be passed on to offspring.

The alternative explanation is that tall males among our ancestors were better able to defend their resources, partners and offspring. If males can hit down harder than they can hit up, a tall male has the advantage in a fight because he can punch down to hit his opponent''s most vulnerable targets.

Jackie Shroff and Rishi Kapoor have starred in a film together, but surprisingly, they have never shared a frame or had scenes together. With Rishi Kapoor’s untimely passing, the industry mourns the massive loss we suffered last week. Rishi Kapoor’s colleagues have taken the time out to share how special and jolly he was around others and would always care for others.

In his recent interaction with another portal, Jackie Shroff said that his dream of sharing the screen space with Rishi Kapoor will never come true now. He recalled how Rishi Kapoor would tell him that he wanted to do a film with him since they had never faced each other on camera. Being Jackie’s senior, he obviously wanted to be in the same frame as the legendary actor. He was upset that it can no longer come true and that the industry has lost a piece of jewel from the crown.

Jackie Shroff further recalled how he first saw Rishi Kapoor after Bobby’s release and was completely awestruck by his presence and personality.

Also Read: Imtiaz Ali reposts a video of Rishi Kapoor dancing at former’s brother’s wedding in Kashmir

The Coronavirus-induced lockdown will complete two months on May 24. And yet, the situation hasn’t improved, with the cases increasing everyday. The entertainment sector has been hit the hardest. They got shut first and hence, they might also be the last ones to open. And even if cinema halls commence operations, there are fears that viewers will not come in hordes. Taking advantage of this situation, OTT platforms have been approaching filmmakers with tempting offers. Few of them are already in advanced talks. This includes not just filmmakers of smaller films but also the producers of one of the biggest films of 2020, Laxmmi Bomb, starring Akshay Kumar.

Rumours were abuzz that the makers of Radhe - Your Most Wanted Bhai too were open to offers from web streaming giants. Jordy Patel, manager of superstar Salman Khan, who is the film’s leading actor and producer, was also quoted as saying that they were ready to accept the offer, provided that they be offered a staggering Rs. 250 crores.

When Bollywood Hungama contacted Jordy Patel, he declined having made any such statement. “I haven’t given any figure,” he told this writer. He adds, “All I said was that we are ready to release Radhe - Your Most Wanted Bhai on an OTT platform, once the film is complete and once we evaluate the situation. Only then, we’ll take a call.”

So if not Rs. 250 crores, do they have any figure in mind that they’ll like to quote when meeting the OTT representatives? He explains, “We don’t have a figure in mind. The film is not yet complete. How can I quote an amount? We have got songs which are yet to be shot and even a couple of scenes.”

So how long are the makers planning to hold the release of Radhe - Your Most Wanted Bhai? After all, cinema halls are expected to start in August or September. Jordy Patel retorts, “Would people like to go to watch a film in August? It seems unlikely. So we’ll see what the situation is then and take a call accordingly.”

Radhe - Your Most Wanted Bhai, besides Salman Khan, also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff. It was to release on Eid 2020.

Also Read: Salman Khan keeping himself in shape to shoot for the climax of Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai post lockdown

The Coronavirus outbreak has infected millions of people across the globe and claimed many lives prompting governments to issue lockdown orders. The order has forced offices to provide facilities for working from home. Now with professionals working from home and attending meetings through video conferences, they have resorted to wearing casual clothes. But what if a last-minute video conference is planned? One has to rush to change into work clothes and attend the meeting. A man has come up with an instant solution to this problem which men can use, which has impressed industrialist Anand Mahindra.

The chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra group took to Twitter to post about this man's tutorial video about 'instant suit', with the hashtag #WhatsappWonderbox. The industrialist says in the post, "I'm going to ship this gentleman a lungi, so that he can complete his outfit by wearing it under his 'instant suit."

So I see that creating a new Video conference dress code is a global obsession. I’m going to ship this gentleman a lungi, so that he can complete his outfit by wearing it under his ‘instant suit.’ 😊 #whatsappwonderbox pic.twitter.com/pMWB7DYBV9

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 15, 2020

The post shared by the Mahindra on Wednesday garnered more than 126,400 views with over 7,800 likes and was retweeted more than 1,100 times, with hilarious reactions in the comments.

Is this for real?? Well, necessity is the mother of invention!

— $hilp_$aaz (@ar_shilpz) April 15, 2020

😆👍
Actually Lungi Coat combination looks quite decent 😂😂
👇 pic.twitter.com/ZPetaY3ni3

— Dr Charuhas (@charuhasmujumd1) April 15, 2020

May be Half of half kurta too 😆

— Sanjay (@Sanjay87911567) April 15, 2020

I would totally buy a female equivalent thing 😂

— rujuta (@ObliqueRays) April 15, 2020

Ha Ha ... Lungi & Gamucha would be a deadly combination with relaxation too.

— LUV â™»ï¸ÂðŸ’¯ðŸ”™ (@luvv_agarwall) April 15, 2020

Make sure it is a chequered lungi with red and yellow squares please 😋. 🙏

— Conphucious 🇮🇳 (@Conphucious1) April 15, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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Sophie Turner, who stars as Phoenix in the film series "X-Men", has said that she would relish the opportunity to reprise her role in the future.

"I don't even know what the deal is, whether Disney wants to continue on the 'X-Men' journey. I would always be down to go back to that character and that cast and that experience ... We had the best time on those movies. I would kill to go back," she said in a video chat seen on Twitter, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Turner is currently starring in the TV series "Survive", where she plays a survivor of a plane crash who has to make it back to civilisation. She hopes the new show will make those suffering with mental illness feel "less alone".

Turner said: "What drew me to the script was the way that mental illness was written so accurately in my opinion. It felt real to me. I also loved the notion that this girl who wanted to die so badly ends up fighting for a life that she never wanted to live in the first place."

She also feels "Survive" will help to make people feel less alone. "I hope that the story of this girl finding something to live for helps others find the ability to do that, too," she said.

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Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering the lives of Tyler Rake and the boy. An action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller directed by Sam Hargrave, Extraction is an AGBO Films and TGIM Films, Inc. production, produced by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Eric Gitter, and Peter Schwerin.

Amidst the action, the fights, the chaos and gangster war, Ovi (played by Rudhraksh Jaiswal) develops a special bond with Tyler Rake. He becomes Ovi's hero for being a brave man in the way he rescues people and is the best at what he does. Ovi sees Tyler's emotional side, hidden behind an otherwise strong exterior, and touches the chords of his heart with his kind words. The two share a beautiful bond of trust and friendship which is showcased throughout the film.

The film also stars Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyuli and David Harbour, among others. Extraction releases exclusively on Netflix on April 24, 2020.

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Veteran actress Julie Andrews says she wants a third part of "The Princess Diaries" franchise to happen soon as she is "getting awfully old". It's been 16 years since the second film in "The Princess Diaries" film opened. The series also stars Anne Hathaway.

During her appearance on "The Talk", the 84-year-old actress opened up about the prospect of a third movie, reports dailymail.co.uk. "It's long been talked about but nothing sort of been on my desk or anything like that. I think I would (do it). I'm getting awfully old and crotchety," she said.

Andrews played Queen Clarisse Renaldi, the ruler of Genovia in "The Princess Diaries", with Hathaway playing her granddaughter, Princess Mia Thermopolis.

The first movie followed the Queen as she groomed the princess to rule the land of Genovia. The movie made on a $26 million budget was a surprise hit. In 2004, Andrews and Hathaway reunited for the sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", about Mia preparing for marriage and finding love.

Talking about the franchise, Andrews said: "'I'm not sure if it's the right timing, but I think to work with Annie (Hathaway) would be lovely again. And yeah, sure I would be up for it. I think we should wait if the script comes in just wait for that."

Filmmaker Garry Marshall, who passed away in 2016, directed both movies, with Gina Wendkos writing the first movie and Shonda Rhimes writing the sequel.

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Hugo Lloris believes that ending the English Premier League season without declaring Liverpool champions would be "cruel", but the Tottenham captain wants the final table decided on the field. The goalkeeper is following the English social isolation rules at home with his family in London, helping his two oldest daughters with their homework while trying to stay fit in case the reason restarts.

"We're in a situation where everyone wants to finish and get the verdict from the pitch," Lloris told French sports daily L'Equipe. "It would be terrible if it all ended like that with nine or 10 games to go in the Premier League." "We're coming into the most exciting, beautiful time of the season. Nobody wants it to end like this." Liverpool lead the table by 25 points. "It would be cruel for Liverpool with the lead they have. They're practically champions. "There would be a taste of the unfinished business." The France captain says that resuming the Premier League without fans will be strange. "It'll be weird wherever it happens. Football is not a closed-door sport," he said.

"Without spectators, it's not the same sport. That's not how I see football. "We're here to bond, to share our emotions. We all want full stadiums, with atmosphere, fans, colour and song." "But you have to take the context into consideration." "Everyone has to find the right compromise between health, which is above all else, and the need to finish this season," he added. The British government still has not given any indication when football will be able to resume.

"We have to be ready. Just in case," said Lloris, who was among the players to return to Tottenham's training centre last week for individual sessions. The World Cup winner contributed the gloves he wore when Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool in France for one charity auction. They raised 4,800 euros ($5,250). He also organised a France team auction with Blaise Matuidi, the Juventus midfielder, and Raphael Varane, the Real Madrid defender, and raised more than 300,000 euros for Paris hospitals. "This gesture does not represent much compared to the investment made by caregivers," he said.

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The head of the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has raised the possibility of playing shorter matches to lighten the load on players if the season can restart. English clubs remain committed to completing the campaign despite severe concerns over player welfare. Players could be tested up to three times a week and be forced to stay quarantined in hotels away from their families for a number of weeks to help limit the risk of them becoming infected with coronavirus. With 92 matches in the Premier League season still to be played, players could have little preparatory time to work on their fitness in group training before being rushed back into playing twice a week.

FIFA have proposed increasing the number of substitutes allowed per side from three to five to also lessen the risk of fatigue and injuries for players on their return. "Safety has to be paramount," PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor told the BBC. "We don't know the future. What we do know is what propositions have been put, what ideas have been put, the possibility of having more substitutes, games possibly not being the full 45 minutes each way.

"There's talks of neutral stadiums. There's been lots of things being put forward. "Try and wait and see what the proposals are, and then have the courtesy to let the managers and coaches and players also assimilate all those and come to a considered view." The Premier League's "Project Restart" has been met with some resistance over plans for all remaining games to take place at up to 10 neutral venues.

The remaining matches would need to be played behind closed doors, but there are fears fans could congregate around stadiums. Some top-flight clubs have argued that under those circumstances there should be no relegation as the sporting integrity of the competition is compromised. However, chairman of the English Football League (EFL) Rick Parry said denying promotion to three Championship clubs would end up in legal battles.

"The lawyers are going to get wealthy if that happens," Parry told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday. "There would be a degree of outrage from a number of clubs in our Championship, and it would be a breach of the tripartite agreement. "The safe answer is that it would get very messy. Our expectation is there would be three clubs promoted from the Championship."

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The virtual war between WAGs Rebekah Vardy, 38, and Coleen Rooney, 34, is far from over. It is learnt that Rebekah, wife of Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy, wants a public apology from Coleen, the wife of former England captain Wayne Rooney, for accusing her in October of leaking fake stories to the press via social media.

While both ladies are currently locked in a legal battle, it is learnt that they will have an arbitration meeting on Zoom this week in a bid to avoid a costly court case, reported British tabloid, The Sun.

"Becky [Rebekah] is adamant she's done nothing wrong and has told her team she wants a public apology," an insider told the newspaper. "She was hurt that Coleen went straight on social media to lay the blame at her door, rather than speaking to her privately. She has maintained her innocence throughout and doesn't want this to be brushed under the carpet without Coleen publicly apologising," added the source.

The two used to be good friends before Coleen claimed in October that Rebekah's Instagram account had been leaking false stories to the press. Subsequently, Rebekah endured a lot of abuse on social media.

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Anoushka Shankar, who scored the recently restored silent film, Shiraz, recalls the challenge of the task, her upcoming India tour with the film and why Mumbai will always remain special

An emperor's love for his queen was immortalised in white marble in 1653. Three centuries later, when cinema was still at a nascent stage in India, the Taj Mahal and the love story of Shahjahan and Mumtaz Mahal became one of the earliest subjects to be celebrated on the big screen with Franz Osten's silent classic, Shiraz (1928). Almost 90 years on, the film starring Himanshu Rai, Charu Roy, Seeta Devi and Enakshi Rama Rau was restored to its former glory by the British Film Institute (BFI), in a manner most fitting.

The music for Shiraz is a blend of Indian and western instrumentation

While sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar was invited to score the music of the film, she will also present a live performance, alongside a screening in four Indian cities, being brought here by the British Council and BFI.
We spoke to Shankar about what went into reliving an era musically. Edited excerpts from an interview:

How did a project of this nature come about?
The BFI undertakes frequent film restoration projects, and in 2017, as part of the UK-India Year of Culture, they decided to work on Shiraz. When they asked me to do the score, I was thrilled. I had been wanting to start scoring films for some time. And this seemed like a lovely fit with my musical background and skill set.

Stills from the restored film

How did you approach the music for a silent film?
It's much more challenging to score for a silent film because there's no conversation, and this means it needs constant music. The sheer volume of output required was huge. While we tried to give a feel of the time in which the film is set and the time in which it was made, we also wanted the audience to enjoy a cinematic effect in the music with a rich, modern sound. In some ways, it's been the most creative process that I have been a part of. I found it incredibly fulfilling.

Shiraz: A Romance of India. Pics/British Council and BFI

What does the music sound like?
We are an eight-member orchestra, and it's relatively evenly spaced out for the Indian and western instrumentation. We've used Indian percussion, the bansuri, sitar, cello, piano, violin, clarinet and some elements of live electronic music as well. It's a long film of an hour and 47 minutes, and throughout the duration, I have tried to create variety. For example, the opening piece is purely classical and then, within the course of the first half hour, we move to a different soundscape. When scoring the film, I knew it was going to be a live show as well and I was mindful of making music that people would want to sit and listen to and watch as a show.

How has composing music for Shiraz impacted you as a musician?
Whenever I take up any music project, it involves a mix of something that I have to offer, but also an opportunity where I can learn and grow. With Shiraz, I have grown a lot as a composer. I have learnt how to orchestrate my own music for an ensemble within a western harmony, in a way that allows Indian music to stay. I have also learnt a lot technically.

Around the time Shiraz premiered in London, the Taj was called a blot on Indian culture by an Indian politician...
If you take out the politics and think of it in terms of people, it's like one person putting another person down in order to make himself feel bigger. There is a lack of confidence in that. If someone is a fantastic human being in a way that's different from me, it doesn't make me a bad human being. We are different, but we can both be wonderful. As a culture, we have so much diversity in our history that there is room to celebrate everything.

How do you look at Mumbai as a performance venue?
Mumbai is a place that I have been coming to since I was a child. As a classical musician, it's such an important city. I have had years of memorable concert experiences here with my father initially, and with my own work in more recent years. I am always happy to play for Mumbai. It's a kind of place where you get a cosmopolitan audience that listens to diverse types of music.

On: November 5, 7.30 pm
At: Sri Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Sion East.
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Saqib Saleem swings the bat in a CCL Tournament

A love for cricket is common between Saqib Saleem and coach Rajeev Mehra, much like most Indian men. What sets them apart though, is how much they want to give back to the game. Saleem, who hails from Greater Kailash in Delhi, is poised to start a cricket academy in his hometown, that will cater exclusively to underprivileged children. The two have known each other since the time Saleem, a state-level cricketer, was playing for Delhi in a match against Mumbai, that Mehra was part of. "I remember Delhi won that game," laughs Mehra as we get the two chatting. "Saqib was very keen on the game, wanting to learn new things. His discipline during practise sessions was admirable." After Delhi, Saqib went on to play for Kashmir too. "I played for a year, after moving there. My mother is Kashmiri. However, as much as I loved the sport and was devoted to it, life clearly had other plans," the actor says.

While the two kept in touch, they only got the chance to meet again, four months ago. "I was toying with the idea of starting a cricket academy because I missed having to do something with the game. I was clear that I did not want to build an institution that would become one more of many. It's Rajeev who suggested we do something to help those in need." Mehra interjects, "I have worked with the less fortunate. I make it a point to have at least four of them in each training session. So, yes, it is familiar territory." It was Mehra's approach to the game, that convinced Saleem about the collaboration. "I needed someone who had a connect with the children. And Rajeev was perfect."

Coach Rajeev Mehra at his training academy in Mumbai

Making cricket, that is largely seen as an elite sport, accessible to those deprived of opportunities could be a task. But Mehra doesn't want to complicate things. "Ultimately, it's about helping the kids play. Give them the space, the equipment, the push." It is the uber glamorisation of the game that has turned it into an occupation of the elite, opines Mehra. "Cricket has always been India's top sport, but the way it has been commercialised, is affecting the talent pool. Coaches are demanding crazy amounts — currently the price of one personalised session in Mumbai can go up to Rs 2,000 — and parents are willing to pay. I don't remember receiving formal training. Most of us have learnt the sport by playing with friends who were equally serious about it." The 30-year-old coach who runs his own academy in Mumbai, often attends inter-school matches where municipal schools participate, to spot talent. "The lower strata is a goldmine of talent."

Saleem shares a slightly different view. It is not the sport that is elite, he argues, but that access is tough. "Today, a decent cricket bat costs Rs 20,000. So, even though we have abundant talent, not everyone can afford it. We want to find the gems who can't," he says, adding, "I spend a lot of time watching interviews of veteran cricketers. I remember one of Imran Khan, who spoke of how he discovered Wasim Akram, then a young boy from a small city, and groomed him for the national side. And gave the world a cricketing legend. That is my inspiration."

Mehra is in the process of formulating a curriculum for the academy that will train no more than 40 kids aged seven to 18 at a time. "I want each kid to get adequate personal attention," Saleem says, ahead of travelling to Delhi next month for selection. "I think I was being selfish, I just wanted a chance to go back home and find more excuses to play the game," he laughs.

My friend wants me to decide whether or not the boy she is dating is someone she should get into a relationship with. I don't want to make that kind of decision because I don't want to be blamed later if it doesn't work out. What do I tell her?
Why can't you tell her what you just said? That you don't want to be blamed if it doesn't work out? She's your friend, so why can't you just be honest about how you feel?

I detect a pattern of constant negativity in my boyfriend. He is never really happy about anything, no matter what happens. If he has a great birthday party, some little thing will ruin it for him. If we watch a great movie, he will be upset at the end of it because there's a traffic jam. If I get him something nice to surprise him, he will find some fault in it and wonder why I didn't get him something else. This is a constant habit and it's really getting on my nerves because I am a very positive person. His behaviour constantly drags me down and I don't want to turn into someone like him. How can I get him to change?
Negativity is a powerful force that can drag someone down, along with everyone in his or her orbit. It's great that you're a positive person, because it means you are probably helping to keep him afloat. I suggest you get him to speak to a professional, because someone needs to evaluate where this negativity comes from. Is it a sign of depression, for instance? Also, try and understand why he feels the way he does. It's obvious that you care about him, but it's also important for him to know that you have to deal with his negativity and that it affects you, too. He should be aware of the consequences of his actions, especially if he assumes they don't affect anyone but himself.

The inbox is now open to take your most carnal and amorous queries. Send your questions on email to lovedoc@mid-day.com

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Representational Image

It may sound audacious to some but Facebook thinks that sharing with a trained employee of the company the intimate images that you fear might go viral in the social networking platforms can help it stop their spread, thereby protecting your privacy.

The social networking giant on Tuesday said it was testing a reporting tool so that people who worry that someone might want to harm them by sharing an intimate image can proactively upload it, which will eventually help Facebook to block anyone else from sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger.

Facebook said it entered into partnership with safety organisations on a way for people to securely submit photos they fear will be shared without their consent -- images that are also referred to as "revenge porn" or "non-consensual pornography".

"This pilot programme, starting in Australia, Canada, the UK and US, expands on existing tools for people to report this content to us if it's already been shared," Antigone Davis, Facebook's Global Head of Safety, wrote in a Facebook post.

From anxiety and depression to the loss of a personal relationship or a job, the result of having most intimate moments shared without permission can be devastating for a person.

And while these images harm people of all genders, ages and sexual-orientations, women are nearly twice as likely as men to be targeted, Davis said.

"This week, Facebook is testing a proactive reporting tool in partnership with an international working group of safety organisations, survivors and victim advocates, including the Australian Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and The National Network to End Domestic Violence in the US, the UK Revenge Porn Helpline and YWCA Canada," Davis added.

As part of this initiative, anyone who fears an intimate image of them will be shared can contact one of Facebook's partners to submit a form.

After submitting the form, the victim receives an email containing a secure, one-time upload link. The victim can use the link to upload images they fear will be shared.

Thereafter, one of a handful of specifically trained members of Facebook's Community Operations Safety Team will review the report and create a unique fingerprint, or hash, that allows the social network to identify future uploads of the images without keeping copies of them on its servers.

Facebook said once it creates these hashes, it will notify the victim via email and delete the images from its servers within seven days.

"We store the hashes so any time someone tries to upload an image with the same fingerprint, we can block it from appearing on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger," Davis added.

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Vikramaditya Motwane. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Vikramaditya Motwane, who is readying for the release of his upcoming film Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero, says the movie is about a b*****d child. Except, the protagonist is not a person, but a city. This city. With star kid Harshvardhan Kapoor playing Bhavesh, the film uses a superhero premise to discuss the water mafia, and what happens when vigilantes take matters in their own hands. The story started off as one film about a man, keen to take care of his street, but changed gears somewhere.

"I have been here 40 years, but my love for the city faded away when Bombay became Mumbai. I have mixed feelings about it now, although I can't live anywhere else. It's treated like a b****** child, which no one cares about. Everyone just wants to leech off it. People around the world take pride in where they live. Not us," says the director before he gets into the studio for a morning edit. At 41, Motwane is old enough to know that a superhero cannot solve a megalopolis' crises. But Batman and Superman arrived on the scene, he argues, because justice failed. "It takes one brave person to change society. Come watch my movie, and have fun, and if you walk away with being inspired to do the right thing, great. Make a change, and be a hero yourself," he smiles. Like Bhavesh then, Motwane is grappling with ills that threaten to destroy his city. Mid-day discusses what gets Vikramaditya Motwane's goat, over a cup of morning coffee.

Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero

Traffic
Traffic management is a nationwide problem. Cars are weapons; how can you let anyone and everyone drive? We all know how easy it is to get a license. I read somewhere that around 382 people die every day on our roads. Anywhere else, there would be a suit filed against the RTO for murder. And, we don't have pavements. Pedestrians have first right of way, but if they don't have anywhere to walk, they will walk the road and it's up to motorists to avoid them. This often leads to traffic snarls and accidents. Bombay has a phenomenal public transport system, but it's ageing. And so, people like myself drive. But traffic makes it stressful.

Garbage disposal
My apartment in Juhu started a waste management programme six months ago. It's 2018 and we are talking about segregation now! An incident, actually one of many, that led me to make Bhavesh Joshi was watching a mother and son eat pizza in heir car, and then fling the box and remains on the street. The other side to this conundrum is that the city doesn't have enough dustbins, and those that are there get stolen. But how do you blame a scavenger for wanting to make money off scrap metal?

Water harvesting
My father owns a building in Juhu. A few years ago, he got a waste water harvesting system installed there. Through it, dirty water is cleaned up and goes back into loos for flushing. It cost him only two-and-half lakh rupees. Every housing society can do it. We suffer floods every year in low lying areas because we get sufficient rain and our drains are clogged, but we waste that water.

Pollution
I have a three-year-old daughter and she gets a cold every other day. It's nothing but the polluted air that we breathe that's causing it. No one is working towards stopping it. We use too many cars, especially older cars. We don't have an incentive to use public transport anymore. I love walking — I walk to my mixing studio, which is one kilometre from home. I don't mind the heat, but just give me a pavement to walk. Because if you can't walk comfortably, you will end up using transport.

Also Read: Here's Why Vikramaditya Motwane Put Bhavesh Joshi Superhero On Hold For Over 5 Years

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Former Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar wants Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to play the lead character if ever a biopic is made on his cricketing journey.

Akhtar has always been a fan of Khan, considering the number of times he has praised the Bollywood star. In 2016, he met the Bollywood actor in Dubai and tweeted a picture saying, "I really enjoyed my time with Salman Khan in Dubai. Great work is being done by his Being Human foundation."

And now, the Rawalpindi Express has stated he would like to see the 54-year-old Indian actor portray him on the big screen if a biopic was made on the former Pakistan speedster.

"If ever my biopic is made, I want Salman Khan to play the lead in it," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq on his Twitter handle.

Biopic of a cricketer has the potential to attract many eyeballs as was the case when a movie on former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was made few years ago.

More recently, a movie on Team India's historic 1983 World Cup winning campaign Kapil Dev was supposed to hit the theatres but had to be postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.

Akhtar represented Pakistan in 46 Tests and 163 ODIs in which he scalped 178 and 247 wickets respectively. Besides, he also played 15 T20Is for the Men in Green in which he picked 19 wickets. He is counted among one of the fastest bowlers to have played the gamne of cricket.

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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

It looks like former England skipper Nasser Hussain doesn't want to remember the 2002 Natwest Final against India.

The official Twitter handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday posted a photo of the Indian team celebrating a victory and asked the fans to name the win that the Men in Blue are celebrating.

Scenes 🙌

Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating? pic.twitter.com/Grh0VUwzBx

— ICC (@ICC) May 6, 2020

"Scenes, Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating," ICC tweeted.

As soon as one sees the picture, ardent cricket fans will quickly conclude that the image is from the 2002 Natwest Final when India gained a memorable win against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

However, to ICC's query, Hussain replied: "No".

In the Natwest final, India was set a target of 326 to win the match. India was struggling at 146/5 when both Yuvraj and Kaif got together at the crease.

The duo put on a partnership of 121 runs to give India a glimmer of hope in the match. Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 runs, but Kaif batted well the tailenders to give India a win in the final over by two wickets and with three balls to spare.

After the win, then skipper Ganguly took off his shirt and celebrated in style at the Lord's dressing room.

During England's innings, Nasser Hussain also scored a century and went on to play a knock of 115 runs.

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India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel recalled an incident when former Australia opener Matthew Hayden wanted to punch him in the face. Parthiv said he made fun of the Australian after he was dismissed during a match and that made Hayden lose his cool.

Parthiv was just 18-year-old when he travelled Down Under and got into the bad books of Hayden. Chasing a stiff target of 304 against India in Brisbane in 2004, the southpaw slammed a century but was dismissed for 109 by Irfan Pathan.

Hayden's wicket proved to costly for Australia as India ended up winning the match by 19 runs. After getting dismissed, Hayden was in no mood for fun and games and Pathiv got to know that in the most hostile manner.

"I was carrying drinks in Brisbane, it was the match in which Irfan Pathan got him out. He had already scored a hundred and it was a crucial stage when Irfan got him out. I was just passing him by and I did a 'hoo hoo' to him," Parthiv said during an interaction on 100 hours 100 stars.

"He got so angry at me. He was standing at the Brisbane dressing room which is like a tunnel. He was standing there and said 'if you do this again, I will punch your face'. I said 'sorry', I stood around and he went off," he added.

Parthiv also revealed the duo went on to become good friends after they opened the innings for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

"Yeah, Hayden wanted to beat me up in Brisbane. But we became good friends after that. We played a lot of cricket together at CSK," Parthiv said.

"We enjoyed each other's company. Opening the batting was fun with him. We've had good times off the field as well. So we patched up after that Brisbane incident.

"Even after the IPL finished, I went to Australia with an emerging side. Hayden called me home, prepared chicken biryani and dal for me," he added.

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South African spinner Keshav Maharaj admitted that he is interested in captaining the Proteas in all formats one day. The position of South Africa's Test captain has been vacant since Faf Du Plessis stepped down from the position in February. Maharaj has not been among the frontrunners for the position but he led the Dolphins to the domestic One Day title. The Dolphins were awarded the title by Cricket South Africa after the season had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've really enjoyed captaincy from the time I've been handed the opportunity this past season," he is quoted as saying by Sport24. "I really want to captain the Proteas. It's been my dream. Not a lot of people in the national set-up actually know that, but the few who have approached me on the matter know that." Maharaj even said that he would like to captain South Africa in all formats and lift trophies with the team. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is captain of the ODI side and had led South Africa in T20Is against England and Australia this year.

"I'd like to captain the South African team across all three formats and I want to raise a World Cup trophy with my own hands, as the leader of the side," he said.

"I didn't merely want to play for the Proteas. Lifting that silverware has always been my childhood dream."

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The Treasury Department has ordered President Donald Trump's name to be printed on all stimulus checks being sent to millions of Americans struggling financially because of coronavirus. The unprecedented decision announced by the Treasury Department on late Monday, states that when recipients open the USD 1,200 paper checks, which the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, "President Donald J. Trump" will appear on the left side of the payment, The Washington Post reported.

It will be the first time when a president's name appears on an IRS disbursement, whether a routine refund or one of the handful of checks the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one. The checks are the centerpiece of the US government's USD 2 trillion stimulus economic relief package to stave of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The package was passed by a bipartisan vote in Congress and signed by the President.

The Post reported that the decision is another sign of the president's effort to cast his response to the pandemic in political terms. Three administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Trump had privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, to formally sign the checks. However, the president is not an authorised signer for legal disbursements by the US Treasury. It is standard practice for a civil servant to sign checks issued by the Treasury Department to ensure that government payments are nonpartisan, the media reported.

Computer code must be changed to include the president's name and the system must be tested, these officials said. "Any last-minute request like this will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay," said Chad Hooper, a quality-control manager who serves as national president of the IRS's Professional Managers Association. A Treasury Department spokeswoman, meanwhile, denied any delay and said the plan all along was to issue the checks next week.

Since the beginning, Trump has repeatedly called the legislation "a Trump administration initiative" and placed himself singularly at the center of what the government is doing to help Americans during the coronavirus response. About 150 million Americans and others are expected to receive the one-time payment. The first wave of recipients includes mainly people who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and gave the IRS their direct-deposit information.

Under the stimulus plan, single filers earning up to USD 75,000 a year will receive a payment of USD 1,200. Married couples earning up to USD 150,000 a year will receive a payment of USD 2,400. Parents will receive an additional USD 500 for each child under 17, the media reported.

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Three-quarters of Europeans want the European Union to do more to tackle tax evasion, according to a new survey by Eurobarometer.

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Startup companies today are using various innovative approaches to test the caliber of an employee during the interview process. Along with number of degrees, a lot of other skills are expected from the candidate to get placed in a startup firm.

Part of an individual's making decisions digest viewed the affect on associates as thus their communities he or sthey are looking for home patron a online internet home industry for who could conducted viably with regard to it a standard...

Before Bipasha Basu, Bollywood hunk John Abraham was head over heels in love with Riya Sen.

The seizure of a large cache of sophisticated weapons have also raised serious questions on how such weapons were smuggled to India.

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Australia has stepped up its enforcement of foreign bribery since 2012, when the OECD Working Group on Bribery last evaluated Australia’s implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, with seven convictions in two cases and 19 ongoing investigations.

Australia has stepped up its enforcement of foreign bribery since 2012, when the OECD Working Group on Bribery last evaluated Australia’s implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, with seven convictions in two cases and 19 ongoing investigations.

A new OECD/ EUIPO study maps counterfeit trade routes, and they’re complicated, writes Bill Below from the OECD Directorate for Public Governance.

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A Motown classic and Beatles favourite that went on to become perhaps the first postmodern pop song: David Cheal on the many lives of 'Money (That's What I Want)'. Credits: Motown Records Inc., EMI, Simitar.  

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There are lots of pressures on household budgets at the current time, but experts on the FT Money show are here to guide you through it. On this week's podcast we’re going to be talking about worker’s rights if companies want to cut their pay; whether you should take a ‘payment holiday on your mortgage’, and how to get a refund on a holiday you can no longer take - our Money Mentor Lindsay Cook is here to help. And with children at home, we’ve also got ideas to inspire them to learn more about money matters - and there’s even a competition parents can enter for sharing their best ideas.

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Newer employees like their appraisals upfront and often

Ahead of the Budget, chancellor Sajid Javid has some tough choices to make

Tareck El-Aissami has little experience — and a $10m US bounty on his head

The French luxury goods group LMVH has made a surprise $14.5bn offer for Tiffany’s, the New York jeweller immortalised in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  Harriet Agnew and Vanessa Holder talk to Katie Martin about whether the takeover bid will succeed and the merits for both sides in the current geopolitical climate.

Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, Harriet Agnew, Paris correspondent and Vanessa Houlder, Lex writer. Producers: Persis Love and Fiona Symon

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Winners of the FT’s personal finance competition love learning about money

For many college seniors, school is a time for self-exploration, considering options, leisurely contemplating the future. Yet that’s rarely the case for computer engineering students who either attend the world’s best universities or rise to the very top of their classes. Almost immediately after choosing their courses during the first week of school, they typically […]

Saar Gur is adept at identifying the next big consumer trends earlier than most: The San Francisco-based general partner at CRV has led investments into leading consumer internet companies like Niantic, DoorDash, Bird, Dropbox, Patreon, Kapwing and ClassPass. His own experience stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred his interest in three new investment […]

Saar Gur is adept at identifying the next big consumer trends earlier than most: The San Francisco-based general partner at CRV has led investments into leading consumer internet companies like Niantic, DoorDash, Bird, Dropbox, Patreon, Kapwing and ClassPass. His own experience stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred his interest in three new investment […]

Saar Gur is adept at identifying the next big consumer trends earlier than most: The San Francisco-based general partner at CRV has led investments into leading consumer internet companies like Niantic, DoorDash, Bird, Dropbox, Patreon, Kapwing and ClassPass. His own experience stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred his interest in three new investment […]