Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®


On Wednesday, September 11, Publishers Lunch published an article by Erin Somers about payment issues at Dreamspinner Press, which I'm reprinting here with permission.

Dreamspinner Keeps Promising Authors to "Catch Up What Everyone Is Due" In Payments

Romance publisher Dreamspinner Press has not been paying royalties in timely fashion, authors have been reporting online, at least partially confirmed by emailed updates from the company that have been shared. Earlier this summer, authors posted on Twitter that the publisher had been inconsistent with payments for over a year, including delays in issuing both first quarter and second quarter 2019 royalties. In June, author TJ Klune posted, "Out of the last 8 quarters, this is the fourth time payments have been late, and the second in which I am owed penalties for said lateness." (Klune had said in March he would part ways with Dreamspinner after delivering three more books.) Author Suki Fleet posted, "I'm not waiting on a lot--but what I am waiting on is from foreign royalties paid to Dreamspinner this time *last* year, that I had to specifically ask for."

That month authors began announcing requests to revert their rights, a trend that continued over the course of the summer. There was some controversy within the romance community over whether authors withdrawing their work could cause the publisher to fail (or fail faster), in which case no one would get paid. Criticism extended to authors who supported the publisher as well, even though they were owed money.

Multiple agents PL spoke to said they were no longer doing business with Dreamspinner, except to negotiate their clients' rights back. They told us that acquisitions at the publisher had dwindled over the past year, confirmed by the sharp drop in PM deal reports, with Dreamspinner acquiring mostly from their existing authors, many of whom are unrepresented.

Dreamspinner provided authors a number of explanations in weekly emails, including writing that they had "not received payments from Amazon for UK or EU currencies," that they were awaiting deposits from "vendors," and that the late payments had been caused by a software glitch. In their latest update on September 4, the publisher said that they are anticipating a small business loan that will enable them to issue payments, and that they "can't offer a firm payment date to catch up what everyone is due." The email goes on, "With every set of deposits we receive, we've been sending payments, and we are continuing to respond as best we can to author requests." They added that they can't provide proof of the impending loan that authors have asked for because, "legal and banking documents are confidential and can't be posted online."

Meanwhile, authors including Indra Vaughn, Avon Gale, Jeff Adams, Will Knauss, CJane Elliott, Meredith Shayne, Tia Fielding, and many more have requested rights back. Fielding wrote on Facebook, "In the last year or so, they've repeatedly been more or less late in royalty payments." TJ Klune wrote in an email to the company that he posted on Twitter, that he is owed $27,448 in royalties and plans to involve a lawyer. A Facebook group of 75 former DSP authors has formed for people who have pulled their books or are considering it.

RWA has offered support for authors who have experienced trouble with Dreamspinner. They said in an August 21 statement: "We're aware of the situation, and members who need professional relations assistance, should contact memberadvocacy@rwa.org to reach our staff professional relations manager." Dreamspinner did not respond to PL's request for comment.

Writer Beware has been receiving similar complaints about late royalty and advance payments and confusing/conflicting explanations for the delays, with some authors saying they are owed four- and even five-figure amounts. According to a number of authors who contacted me, these problems have become more acute in the past few months, but they aren't new: periodic payment delays, with attendant excuses, began as much as two years ago.

Although Dreamspinner regularly sends out update emails (you can see an archive of these here), several authors told me they were having trouble getting responses from Dreamspinner CEO Elizabeth North.

Also of concern: in the midst of repeated payment delays, and despite its admissions of financial distress, Dreamspinner appears to be proceeding with sweeping expansion plans, including a shift to mass market paperback format, increasing the number of translations for the foreign market, and rolling out a new accounting and payment system (which several of the authors who contacted me told me they'd had trouble with). Multiple authors told me that they fear that author royalties, which Dreamspinner says go into an escrow account, are instead being used to finance company operations.

Authors' anger at the situation is growing. Meanwhile, Dreamspinner is still open for submissions. Writers who are considering approaching this publisher might want to hold off for the moment.

More information:

Tweets from authors Avon Gale, TJ Klune, Roan Parrish, KJ Charles (search "Dreamspinner" on Twitter to see many more).

Blog posts by authors Mary Winter, RJ Scott, Rhys Ford, TJ Klune.

Non-Dreamspinner author X. Marduk is compiling a Dreamspinner timeline, with lots of links to tweets and blog posts.

UPDATE 12/25/19: The payment problems at Dreamspinner appear to be ongoing. A group of Dreamspinner authors contacted RWA to request help:


You can read the entire letter here.

According to one of the letterwriters, RWA responded that there is nothing they can do. Dreamspinner's issues are now part of the implosion of Romance Writers of America, with writers increasingly furious over RWA's alleged foot-dragging in addressing complaints--not just about Dreamspinner, but generally.

UPDATE 12/28/19: Another of Dreamspinner's eminently reasonable-sounding but holy-crap-if-you-read-between-the-lines updates. (Summary, if you don't want to click on the tweet: they've hired a firm that specializes in financial restructuring to "develop a plan for 2020 and a structured repayment of all past due amounts." They promise to "be in touch with authors directly about their repayment schedule".)

And here's the latest Dreamspinner update. Um. Yeah. Financial restructuring. pic.twitter.com/dYjZaXKgrt

— Anna Zabo (@amergina) December 28, 2019

When you have to explain yourself by saying "We want to make clear that this isn't bankruptcy", it's not generally a good sign.

UPDATE 1/16/20: I continue to hear from Dreamspinner authors who have not been paid. Some are owed thousands of dollars for the first three quarters of 2019, and have received no payment at all; some have gotten partial payment, or are owed for fewer quarters. Bottom line: Dreamspinner owes a crapload of money to its authors.

According to the latest update from Elizabeth North, "Payments for November have started posting. They will all be submitted through Tipalti [Dreamspinner's accounting software] by Friday, January 10." What this appears to mean--at least, as of this writing and based on the authors who have contacted me--isn't actual payment (as in, money in bank account), but a status change on Tipalti from "In Process" to "Submitted For Payment." Also, the payments are for November royalties only. Anything prior to that will be folded into the restructuring plan Dreamspinner says it is pursuing.

Other stuff:

• Writers seem to be requesting rights reversion in droves. Many of them have multiple titles with Dreamspinner.
• In some cases,Dreamspinner seems to be unilaterally charging certain fees or expenses or other amounts against what they owe individual writers--i.e., reducing royalties owed by whatever the amount of the expense is. I don't want to provide details here, because I don't want to risk identifying the writers.
• The National Writers Union wants to hear from Dreamspinner authors who haven't been paid.
• Dreamspinner is fully enmeshed in the implosion of RWA. Claire Ryan has an exhaustive timeline of the crisis that's tearing RWA apart, with references to RWA's anemic response to Dreamspinner authors' complaints, and allegations that recently-resigned RWA President and Dreamspinner author Damon Suede may not have been eligible for the office based on his actual publications.

One thing that's really striking to me in this whole mess is how, if you look at just one of Dreamspinner's announcements and updates, they sound so very businesslike and reasonable. It's only if you go back and read them all in sequence--as I just did--that the facade starts to crumble, with unmet deadlines, moving goalposts, and unfulfilled commitments.

Back in June, Dreamspinner was promising that "the remainder of outstanding royalties" were about to be released...but here we are in January 2020, and they still owe tens of thousands of dollars. In July, they promised that they were "in the final steps" with the Small Business Administration loan, and "estimated funding has been moved back to mid-August"...but as of January, the loan is still pending. Over the months from June through December, they promised repeatedly to get everyone paid (especially, again and again, royalties for Quarter 2)...and then, in December, they suddenly announced the hiring of a firm to re-structure the entire debt from October backward, with no details about the process, or even an end date for it. Presumably, this firm will want a fee...from a publisher that can't afford to pay its authors.

I get that it's tough out there for small presses. Things go wrong. Vendors are tardy. Loans fall through. Personal emergencies happen. But read from beginning to end, Dreamspinner's updates--so reasonable-seeming individually--start to feel like mere excuses. Together with authors' frustrations and complaints, they paint a really troubling picture.

UPDATE 1/17/20: Re: all those November royalties that were to be released by January 10, and are currently listed in authors' Tipalti dashboards as "submitted" but not actually paid...this rather irate email from Tipalti to Dreamspinner in response to an author's inquiry about the delay suggests why nothing is landing in authors' bank accounts: Dreamspinner's payment account is not funded.


This is not good news. It's really starting to feel like there's some serious gaslighting going on here.

UPDATE 3/19/20: Dreamspinner has not provided an author update since January 7, and writers are still reporting that royalties are in arrears. Yet, amazingly, Dreamspinner is open to submissions:


Also seeking submissions: Dreamspun Desires.

Writer beware.

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®

In a super-crowded, hyper-competitive marketplace, one of the main challenges for book authors is to stand out. And where there's a need, there are always unscrupulous operators waiting to take advantage. The internet is awash in worthless schemes and outright scams designed to profit from authors' hunger for publicity and exposure.

I've written about a number of these--Hollywood book-to-screen packages, the hugely marked-up PR options offered by Author Solutions, the plague of marketing scams originating in the Philippines. Others to watch out for include book fair display packages (publishing industry expert Jane Friedman has a good article on why these are not worth your money), pay-to-play book review services, and what I'm going to talk about in this post: vanity radio.

What's vanity radio? In the "writer beware" context, it's radio air time that you, the program guest, have to pay for. Such schemes have been around forever in various forms, aimed at experts and creatives of all kinds, from services that explicitly sell pay-to-play interviews, to show hosts that charge interview fees to defray the fees they themselves have to pay their platforms.

The main selling point is the promise that your interview will be heard by a large and eager audience, giving wide exposure to you and your book (see the pitches that I've pasted in below). But vanity radio is primarily online radio, delivered via platforms like Blog Talk Radio and Spreaker, and streaming services like iTunes, iHeart Radio, and SoundCloud. Online radio listenership is steadily rising, but unless there are subscriber lists (as on YouTube, for instance), there's usually no way to determine the audience for any given host or show--or to authenticate any listenership claims the show may make. Lots of people may be tuning in...or no one at all.

As a result, the only verifiable benefit authors may receive for their money is an audio or audio-and-video clip that they can post to their websites and social media accounts. Whether that's worth it when it costs $99 or $150 or $200 is debatable enough. But when the price tag is four figures?

As always in the realm of junk marketing aimed at writers, Author Solutions has been both the pioneer and the primary practitioner. All its imprints sell vanity radio in some form: here's AuthorHouse's offering, for instance (just $1,099!). iUniverse's is identical. Xlibris and Trafford currently sell teasers rather than interviews (for significantly more money), but through 2017 they too hawked interviews.

Recently, however, AS's leadership in the realm of predatory marketing services has been challenged by a flood of scammy imitators. These copycat ripoff factories have adopted vanity radio in a big way, and they aggressively hawk it to authors, both on its own and as part of costly publishing and marketing packages. Here, for instance, is an offer from Book Vine Press (cost: $1,500):

From Author Reputation Press (cost: £1,500):


From Parchment Global Publishing (cost: $1,499):


The copycats re-sell the services of a number of show hosts (there's a list below), but the three personalities noted above--Kate Delaney with America Tonight Radio, Ric Bratton with This Week in America, and Al Cole with People of Distinction--make the most frequent appearances on the copycats' websites and in their email solicitations. Delaney and Bratton have substantial, legit resumes in TV and radio; Cole is a bit harder to research, but he too seems to have a sizeable track record as a talk show host.

What, if anything, do they know of the reputation and tactics of the copycats that are re-selling their services? I contacted all three for comment last week. Cole's assistant responded in email that "Al Cole knew nothing about this....Our office will certainly look into this." As of this writing, I haven't heard back from Delaney or Bratton.

Given that the copycats routinely charge an enormous markup on products they re-sell (see, for instance, this warning from the Combined Book Exhibit, whose book fair exhibit packages many of the copycats re-sell for hugely inflated prices; the copycats also seriously jack up the fees for paid book reviews such as Kirkus Indie and BlueInk Reviews), it seems a fair bet that the interviews' hefty price tags are substantially inflated as well.

Apart from the question of such interviews' value for book promotion, that seems like reason enough to avoid them.


Author Solutions copycats that sell interviews from the individuals mentioned above:

BookVenture, ReadersMagnet, Maple Leaf Publishing, Parchment Global Publishing, Rustic Haws, Branding Nemo, Creative Titles Media, Paradigm Print, Stampa Global, Books Scribe, Matchstick Literary, PageTurner Press, EC Publishing, WestPoint Print and Media: Ric Bratton

LitFire Publishing, Author Reputation Press, ReadersMagnet, BookTrail Agency, Book-Art Press, Box Office Media Creatives, IdeoPage Press, Book Agency Plus: Kate Delaney


ReadersMagnet, Author Reputation Press, Rustik Haws, URLink Print & Media, Workbook Press, Parchment Global Publishing, BookWhip: Al Cole


BookTrail Agency: David Serero

BookTrail Agency, Book Agency Plus: Angela Chester


UPDATE 1/9/19: Parchment Global has added the disclaimer in red to its solicitations for Al Cole interviews (it might want to do some proofreading):


I don't know if this was at Mr. Cole's behest (remember, he's the only vanity radio host who responded--if not very expansively--to my request for comment) or is just CYA by Parchment Global itself, but hey--it lets me know that the scammers are still reading my blog.

Do I believe Parchment Global has stopped taking a cut? What do you think?

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®


On this blog and elsewhere, I spend a lot of time warning about junk book marketing services: so-called marketing and promotional services that are cheap to provide, but can be sold at a big markup, and for the most part are of little worth for book promotion or can more effectively be done by the author him/herself. Some examples: press releases, email blasts, book trailers, book fair display, social media setup, and social media advertising.

All these and more are hawked to writers at exorbitant prices by assisted self-publishing companies like the various Author Solutions imprints--and also, increasingly, by their scam imitators. Either way, they're a ripoff...but the scammers demand even bigger fees, tell even bigger lies, and deliver even more shoddy results. And that's when they're not just taking your money and running.

A few weeks ago, I focused on pay-to-play radio interviews--another junk marketing service--and why they're not worth the huge fees charged by providers. This week, I'm going to talk about pay-to-play magazines. (You'll note that all the companies discussed below are on my Big List of Publishing and Marketing Scams.)

Have you ever received a solicitation like this one?

Or this one?

Or this one?

Of course the books haven't undergone "extensive evaluation", or been "carefully chosen", or showed to "a team" that "really like[s] your vision". Such solicitations are just spam, blasted out to addresses scraped from the internet or stolen from self-publishing company customer lists.

Nor are these real magazines, in the sense of publications that are widely available to the public. Instead, they're collections of ads, interviews, and "feature articles" sold to writers at huge prices, sometimes interspersed with general interest pieces (often really badly written) or, in the case of New Reader Magazine, with fiction, poetry, and art. These "publications" are never circulated in any meaningful sense; they may be posted online, but their primary mode of distribution is from tables in company booths at book fairs...where many of the authors buying ad or interview space have already paid a premium for display.


The prices the faux magazines charge for placement can be enormous. For instance, here's the  "Executive Full-Spread Ad" from Paperclips Magazine, which is owned by (not "partnered with" as claimed in its solicitation email) publishing and marketing scammer Legaia Books:


A "Showcase" full-page ad costs $3,698 ($2,218.80 on sale), and a "Premier" half-page ad clocks in at $2,599 ($1,299.50 on sale). Paperclips' parent company, Legaia Books, also sells publishing and marketing services at high prices, using deceptive sales tactics to target small press- and self-published authors.

Here's one writer's not very satisfactory experience with Paperclips. I've gotten emails from many others.

New Reader Magazine--which looks quite legit if you don't know better--is owned by New Reader Media. Though the magazine actually appears to provide small payments for content acquired via general submission, it charges anywhere from $5,000 and up for the magazine feature and "partnership" mentioned in its solicitation email. Like Legaia, New Reader Media also sells publishing and marketing services at gigantic prices, as well as book-to-screen services (always a scam).

New Reader has accumulated some online complaints due to its aggressive solicitation and poor performance. It has also been caught making false claims, such as that it was responsible for Christopher Paolini's bestselling novel Eragon being made into a movie.

The Christmas magazine that's the subject of EC Publishing's solicitation can be seen here (if you're brave, you can also check out the Las Vegas Edition, produced for the Las Vegas Book Festival). Like most of the pay-to-play magazines, it's a compilation of author-purchased ads and features, laughably badly-written general interest articles, and a smattering of actual advertising. Prices for inclusion range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on how much space is purchased.

Thanks to its aggressive soliciting, EC Publishing is the subject of a warning from the Australian Society of Authors.

Authors Press's Authorial magazine has its own website (note the "notice of non-affiliation and disclaimer" that pops up if you linger on the home page: the scammers read Writer Beware). Writers can buy a spot in the magazine, starting at fees of a few hundred dollars; ad space or "features" are also included in some of the more expensive promotional packages Authors Press offers.

Authorial's BEA 2019 issue consists of more than 75 pages of author ads, interviews, and excerpts. Just imagine the thousands of dollars in revenue generated by all those pages, some of which include ten or more ads. Also have a peek at Authorial's gallery page, which features photos of  the dozens of books displayed in Authors Press's BEA booth. In 2019, writers were being charged anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 for presence in the booth, depending on what level of activity they chose. Now multiply all of this by the seven book fairs Authors Press attended in 2019. It's not chump change.

From URLink Print and Media comes Harbinger Post. Like the others, it's nearly all paid content, interspersed here and there with staff-written features. Here's an example of the caliber of that writing:


Other scammy publishing and marketing companies that sell space in proprietary magazines (I've received multiple complaints about all these companies):

Global Summit House: Global Summit House
Litfire Publishing: WayFairer
AuthorCentrix: AuthorCentrix Magazine
Stonewall Press (defunct): GoldCrest Magazine

Print advertising is expensive, and how useful it is for book marketing is an open question. But if it is to be effective at all, it must offer the possibility of being seen by a large audience of potentially interested readers and buyers.

That means circulation, subscriptions, and quality content beyond mere advertising--not ad-stuffed, error-ridden, proprietary publications whose only exposure to the public is a "free, take one" stack on a side table in a book fair booth. Even if the ad slots weren't insanely expensive--and even if writers didn't have to pay for what real magazines never charge for, such as interviews--buying space in these fake publications would be a waste of money.

Writer beware.

UPDATE 1/29/20: It's not just scammers that run this kind of racket. Via its PW Select - BookLife feature (which I discuss here and  here), industry magazine Publishers Weekly has begun to sell a "very special" service:


These prices rival the scammers'. And the promise of print exposure is not quite what it seems. Per PW's Q&A explainer, the interviews appear not in the body of the magazine, but in "PW’s BookLife supplement, which is published the last week of each month bound into that week’s issue of Publishers Weekly". In other words, easy for readers to ignore or skip over.

PW actually has the wide circulation and industry audience the scammers only pretend to. But given the huge fees and the segregation of the interviews in a separate supplement--not to mention the open question of how useful any kind of print advertising is for book marketing--there's more than a whiff of the same kind of exploitation here.

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®

BookExpo (formerly known as BookExpo America, but still referred to as BEA) is the US's leading publishing industry event. Attended by publishers, agents, booksellers, retailers, librarians, and people and companies from all aspects of the book trade, it's an opportunity for industry professionals to network, do business, and learn about new trends, titles, and opportunities in the book world.

Although BEA doesn't happen until May 27 this year, it's not too soon for industry professionals to begin planning for attendance. It's also not too soon for authors to start receiving solicitations--by phone and by email--to buy expensive services and packages that supposedly will give their books visibility at the fair.

Here's what author and editor Jane Friedman has to say about paying to display at BEA. (Jane's website is an amazingly comprehensive and useful resource on all aspects of writing and publishing; you should definitely bookmark it.)

Aside from the Author Market [a designated area of the exhibit floor where self-published authors can buy display space], there are a handful of opportunities for authors to get visibility for their work at BEA. As far as I’m concerned—as someone who attended this show for 10 years, mainly as an editor with a traditional publishing house—it is not worth the investment. Here’s why.

The emphasis of the show is on traditional publishing, rights sales and pre-publication marketing, and does not favor indie title promotion. It is a New York industry event where traditional publishing insiders talk to other traditional publishing insiders. Yes, there are librarians and booksellers, but they’re rarely paying attention to the places where an indie book may be showcased or promoted.

Nobody is going to notice your book there. Your book is likely to be promoted with many other books, with no way of attracting attention even if someone did pause for a second within 50 feet of your book. Imagine setting a copy of your book down in the world’s largest book fair, and expecting someone to not only notice it, but be entranced by it so much they can ignore 10,000 other things happening at the same time.

If you—the author—are not present to advocate for it, your book doesn’t stand a chance. Services that offer to promote your book at BEA are rarely, if ever, hand-selling or promoting your book in a meaningful way. But they will be happy to cash your check and say that your book had a “presence” at BEA. If you want to satisfy your ego, go ahead. But it’s not going to lead to meaningful sales. (I challenge anyone in the comments to provide evidence that a self-published book gained traction at BEA because the author paid a fee to secure placement—and the author was not present.)

I'll add a fourth consideration: You will likely be hugely overcharged, especially by companies that sell book fair packages, or re-sell the exhibit services of others.

SOLICITATIONS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER


1. You may already have received an email from the Combined Book Exhibit's New Title Showcase. The CBE, an area of standing bookshelves outside the entrance to the BEA display floor, offers display packages for a few hundred dollars. For a few hundred more, you can buy an ad in its catalog; for many hundreds more, you can buy an autographing session.

Your book will be placed on a shelf with hundreds of others, in no particular order: there are no separate areas for genres, for instance. I've attended BEA many times, and the CBE is often completely deserted, with not a customer or a staff person in sight. I've never seen more than a handful of people browsing it at any one time. There is definitely no handselling involved.

A number of predatory marketing companies re-sell CBE services for enormous markups. The CBE is aware of this, and has posted a warning on its website (it's no coincidence that all the companies named in the warning appear on the scam list in the sidebar of this blog).

2. If you've chosen an assisted self-publishing company, you may be encouraged to buy presence in their BEA booth.

The Author Solutions imprints sell BEA as part of a package that includes several fairs and costs nearly $3,000. (What do you get for that? Basically, a spot on a shelf, higglety-pigglety in among an unknown number of other books by writers no one has heard of). Xulon Press sells BEA on its own, but with multiple options for spending big bucks, from shelf space only ($599) to a "Boutique High Top Table with 30 Books" ($1,999--do you get to take the table home?).

Outskirts Press re-sells CBE services--for over $150 more than you'd pay if you dealt with CBE directly.

3. Vanity publishers (yes, vanity publishers do attend and display at BEA and other fairs) may offer their authors the "opportunity" for BEA presence--at extra (possibly significantly extra) cost.

Here's my post about SterlingHouse, a vanity publisher that is now defunct but in its heyday charged its authors as much as $9,500 for BEA display of their books, signings, and other perks. (As Jane indicates above, being present to advocate for your book may make a difference--but $9,500 worth? Even if the author sold all 150 books included in the package, they wouldn't come close to making that money back.)

Here's one of the many BEA-related solicitations with which the late, unlamented PublishAmerica bombarded its authors:


4. Some unscrupulous literary agents sell slots in catalogs or portfolios that they claim to bring to BEA, supposedly to market to publishers.

Examples of this scheme that I've seen involve fees of anywhere from $150 to four figures (here's one that charges $300). If your agent is the kind of agent who exploits clients in this way, they are not the kind of agent who has contacts with publishers.

This sort of thing is far less common than it used to be, thank goodness (there are fewer literary agent scams in general, thanks to self-publishing and the many small presses that deal directly with authors), but it's still a ripoff. Don't do it.

5. The most aggressive solicitations--especially by phone--come from unscrupulous or scammy marketing companies.

Services run from the basic--a spot on a shelf in a not-always-very-professional-looking display area (you have to supply the book)--to basic with perks--mostly junk marketing, like press releases, a listing in the company's proprietary magazine, and a "post fair fulfillment report"--to elaborate packages that include an autographing session.

Prices I've seen range from $750 for shelf space only, to mid-four figures for signing packages. For instance, here's Stonewall Press's deluxe offering, which doesn't even include author presence. Note the effort to create faux urgency by pretending that space is limited.


Looking for a bargain? AuthorCentrix is a tad more economical--here are its 2019 BEA packages. The "standard" doesn't include a badge, which would add around $400 to the total.


BOOK FAIR RIPOFFS AREN'T LIMITED TO BEA

Multiple predatory marketing companies and PR services hawk book fair presence to authors. It's one of the most common marketing solicitations you'll receive. Why? Because it's insanely lucrative--for the predator.

The photo below is last year's BEA booth for publishing and marketing scammer URLink Print and Media.


More than 100 books can be counted in this photo. All the authors have paid to be there. URLink also sells ad space in a 50-page catalog, with most of the pages listing eight book per page. Writers have bought the banners shown in the photo, and others have paid to host signings. Still others have bought ads and features in URLink's fake magazine, Harbinger Post, which sits in piles on a table on the off chance someone picks one up.

The minimum cost for any of these "services" is several hundred dollars, with more elaborate packages running into the mid-four figures (see the examples above). From one book fair, a company like URLink can gross well over $100,000--a considerable profit, even taking into account the cost of booth rental, travel, and badges. Now multiply that by multiple book fairs attended per year.

The Miami Book Fair, which along with BEA is one of the fairs most frequently targeted by marketing scammers, appears to be aware of the exploitation, and provides a warning.

THE TAKEAWAY

My feeling about book fairs is the same as Jane Friedman's: book fairs are not the best place for authors to self-promote. If you do decide to attend, do it with the aim of learning and having fun--not getting "discovered"--and don't pay someone else to take you or your books there. At best, you'll get little return on your money. At worst, you'll be ripped off.

Man, this is a fine example of why it pays to be a reasonable, good human being, and not mess with your servicemen. This plumber was just doing his job, to the requirements asked of him, and the clients decided to make a mess of the whole peaceful operation. Clearly, they were trying to skip out on paying the whole bill. So, the plumber was extra sweet with finishing up the job. What might seem like a petty revenge on the surface, really evolves to be more of a cold and calculated pro revenge that likely haunted the folks for a long while after the job was "done."

Prior to the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 final between Russia and Argentina, FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Brazilian star Falcao with an Award for Sporting Achievement.

Fatima Sana Shaikh is an actress who brings life to characters with her passionate acting skills. With a busy 2020, she has multiple releases between Ludo where she will be seen alongside actor Rajkumar Rao and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari alongside Manoj Bajpayee.

The actress has really made a huge impact on the industry, from being a child actress to her spectacular performance in Dangal and Thugs of Hindostan. Suraj pe Mangal Bhari will see Fatima in the avatar of a Marathi girl for which she learnt how to deliver dialogues in Marathi with fluency.

Recently, in an interview with a daily, Fatima's Suraj pe Mangal Bhari co-star Manoj Bajpayee was all praises for the actress, he said, "Fatima comes from a middle class family and despite her recent successes has held on to the values she grew up with, and that's what makes her special. We stay in touch through video chat these days."

No matter how far you go and how much success you achieve it is important to remember your roots and your core values and actress Fatima Sana Shaikh does just that. The actress grasps and absorbs skills working alongside remarkable actors while also holding on to her values and adding color of her own authenticity which is what makes for Fatima's exceptional acting skills. Hang on tight for her next release!

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Manoj Bajpayee is celebrating his 51st birthday today with his family, and there cannot be a greater feeling for any actor to spend time with his loved ones and that too on such a special occasion. But how will he be bringing on the special day? Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, he spilled the beans on the same.

He said, "I am in the hills with my family. There can be no better setting." However, since nobody can step out due to the lockdown, Bajpayee even spoke about this and said, "The only problem is that we're not allowed to go out of the compound here, and as all the houses are far apart from each other, there is hardly any human contact." His wife Shabana and his parents are in Delhi right now and he also talked about his concern.

He said, "We are constantly in touch with them and have asked friends to check on both our parents." The actor has been working in Hindi Cinema for the last 25 years and given some unforgettable performances in films like Satya, Kaun, Shool, Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, and more recently, The Family Man. He's now gearing up for Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari and Mrs. Serial Killer!

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A month after she noticed what looked like an insect bite on her hand, Chanda Verma, 45, mysteriously died, after spending 22 days in the ICU. Before the Verma family could even process what had happened, the hospital handed them a bill of Rs 3 lakh, and refused to release the body until they paid up.

Late August, Chanda noticed a small sore on her hand. As a single mother supporting two kids on a modest income as a vegetable vendor, she brushed it off as an insect bite. But, in a few days, her hand swelled up and the pain became unbearable, and she was admitted to Sai hospital in Chembur, where she underwent surgery.

Mystery illness jolts family
Despite treatment, her condition deteriorated, and her entire body was swollen. She was moved to the ICU, where she spent 22 days in comatose state before succumbing to the infection on Tuesday. The shocked family's ordeal had only begun. When the family said they wanted to perform her last rites, they were handed a bill instead. The hospital held the body for nearly 12 hours, until the Vermas paid a portion of the bill.

"Around 10 am, I was informed that my sister had passed away. The hospital immediately gave us a bill of Rs 3 lakh. When I asked them when I could take the body, they ordered me to pay the pending amount, and threatened that they wouldn't release the body otherwise. We waited and pleaded, to no avail. Then my friends helped me collect Rs 50,000, which we gave before collecting the body," said Chanda's brother Ratan Verma, who runs a small local business. Chanda had died at 4 am, and her body was eventually released at 3 pm. She is survived by two children, aged 16 and 18.

Hospital says
A hospital staffer told mid-day, "The patient had a pending bill, so we couldn't release the body. The family members tried to shrug it off saying they didn't have any money. Later, they paid Rs 50,000 and took the body. What would we have done with the body anyway?"

Administration in-charge Padma Joseph said, "We had given them a lot of time to clear the bills. She was admitted for 20 days and the bill amount rose to above Rs 3 lakh. They paid around R1lakh, so, we asked them to pay the remaining as this is a private hospital and we can't let go of unpaid bills. This does not mean we held back the body. When they informed us that they could pay only Rs 50,000, I told the director who instructed us to give them the discharge file." Dr Abid Sayyed, director of the hospital, said, "We had informed the family about the estimated amount and also asked them to shift the patient to another hospital, but they didn't listen. When the patient died, the doctor had to negotiate the pending amount. We never stopped them from taking the body," he said.

Against apex court, HC ruling
The hospital's alleged insistence on payment before releasing the body is in violation of human rights and a judgment given by the Bombay High Court in January. The HC, while hearing a public interest litigation on bill disputes at hospitals, stated that detaining any patient for an unpaid amount is illegal. Last year, the Delhi High Court had issued a similar judgment, ordering that hospitals cannot hold patients "hostage" to extract money for unpaid bills. A few years earlier, the Supreme Court had also ruled similarly, advising hospitals to recover dues by moving court for legal recourse. In 2016, HC asked the state government to develop a mechanism which would enable the state to take action against hospitals and doctors who detain patients and hold up bodies over non-payment of bills.

Expertspeak
Dr Shivkumar Utture, president of Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), said as private hospitals do not come under the purview of the council directly, there are no specific rules for that, but under the court rules, it is prohibited. "No hospital can refuse to release a body over unpaid bills. It would be a violation of the court judgment."

The Bombay HC also ordered the Maharashtra government to publish the legal rights of patients online, so that such harassment is not meted out to less privileged patients. However, seven months on, the government is yet to follow the directive. "Patients need to know about their rights so that private hospitals can't harass them. The state government hasn't done anything to spread awareness among people," said Dr Ravindra Singh, a health activist. Advocate Shailesh Sadekar said, "As per a SC ruling, it is illegal to hold a body and deny a chance to carry out the last rites over a bill," he said.

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Instagram has introduced a feature that allows users to make payments. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app will now allow users to add their credit or debit card with their profile and set up a security pin. They can make purchases within the photo-sharing service and make payments without having to leave the site, Cnet reported.

Payments is the next big thing for tech giants who are looking at retaining users in the form of customers by offering them a one-stop destination for all their needs, including social, photos, and now e-commerce. The new native payments feature is currently available through limited partners and businesses on Instagram.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from ANI)

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Representational picture

California: A year after introducing the ability to send or request money on Android app, Gmail is finally extending its pay friends feature to its iOS users.

As part of the new update version 5.0.180422, iOS users will be able to send and request money from Gmail, Cnet reports.

In addition to that, iOS users will also be able to snooze emails. The feature makes the email disappear for a while and then show up later as a fresh email.

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One97 Communications Limited, the firm that owns digital payment major, Paytm, announced the unification of bank transfers for its customers with the new 'My Payments' feature on its app.

This will enable Paytm users to make recurring, high-value payment and other monthly expenses in an instant. Using the Paytm app, bank transfers can be done from and to any bank account, making it easier for customers to make payments at zero charge, a facility which even non-KYC Paytm users can avail.

With this new addition to its multilingual app, Paytm is aiming to process Rs 60,000 crore in monthly bank transfers alone by the end of this year. The company is also planning to invest Rs. 5000 crore in its core business, expecting to increase the number of transactions from one billion to two billion this year.

"We have now simplified these payments with 'My Payments' and are expecting six-fold growth owing to this rapid shift in consumer behavior in favor of going cashless. Our users understand that Paytm is more than just a digital wallet company and we will continue adding more such customer-centric features while educating users about the convenience they can experience by using Paytm every day," said Paytm Senior Vice President, Deepak Abbot.

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In the two days of staged photographs, there is not one photo of Modi hugging Xi, his trademark personalised diplomacy of forcibly embracing other leaders. Pic/AP

One of the better things during the Karnataka Assembly election, no matter who emerges the single largest party tomorrow, was Congress president Rahul Gandhi's press conference in Bangalore. You may not have seen it on TV. It is on YouTube, however. Rahul again comes across in a light different to the whispers about him during the past two decades, proving how it was all the doing of a well-oiled BJP machine. My favourite part was Rahul's take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Wuhan in central China for an "informal" summit with President Xi Jinping.

Here's what he said:
"I expected the PM to go to China as the leader of our country [and] speak to them about Doklam... He didn't say a word. [He] had a conversation with the Chinese President with no agenda. Are you telling me there's no agenda? There is an agenda, it's called Doklam; there is an agenda, it's called the Maldives; there is an agenda, it's called Nepal... The agenda is that we're surrounded on all sides; it's pretty clear. But you guys don't like to raise that, I don't know why.

"Our foreign policy has been completely decimated. And it's because the PM views foreign policy as an individual exercise. He's of the impression that he can go have a conversation with the president of China, or he can go have a conversation with the president of Nepal, and everything will magically happen.

"The PM needs to carry his own people with him. Are there any conversations going on with the finance minister, with the defence minister about this type of strategy? No. It's a one-man show."

Briefly: China tried to seize the Doklam plateau in Bhutan last year but after a 73-day standoff against our troops, it backed down. It has reportedly since built an infrastructure leading to Doklam. In the Maldives, China is displacing India: President Abdulla Gameen last year welcomed three Chinese warships, and last month hosted the Pakistan army chief. In Nepal, despite Modi's visit this weekend to promote Janakpur, Sita's birthplace, as a religious tourism spot, the Nepalese have drifted from us after India's five-month blockade in 2015 - we were pushing for greater political inclusion of the Madhesis. Modi is a villain for the Nepalese, as evident on social media.

China has seized advantage of India's pathetic neighbourhood behaviour, and, as Rahul said, has India surrounded. No wonder many think Modi went to beg Xi to keep relations calm in the run-up to the 2019 parliamentary election. That Modi's governance is election-oriented is no secret. Will the Chinese will play ball? When the two-day "informal" summit ended, the Indian side issued a statement and reportedly urged the Chinese to issue their own. Compare the two and you see a difference: while India mentioned a strategic direction to our respective armies to avoid tension on the Line of Actual Control, China only said the armies would follow past protocols. Joint statements are never easy, but individual statements are a piece of cake.

Modi had to supplicate himself because he cannot afford to go into the 2019 election after a showdown with China. Even a short skirmish will humiliate India. Unlike tension on the Line of Control with Pakistan, which benefits Modi since it can be dovetailed into communal rhetoric, tension with China gives Modi no benefit. Modi cannot help but humour China.

The Chinese were amenable to being humoured since they have now what they wanted in Doklam. China nowadays also wants to be seen as a responsible global power: hence it has nudged North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un into meeting his South Korean counterpart and, next month, with Donald Trump. China has also reached out to Japan, with whom relations are more complicated than with India.

Mainly, it was because Modi agreed to humiliate the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader who has lived in India since 1959. India prohibited its ministers from attending a Dalai Lama function (ironically, to thank India) and asked him to shift it from Delhi to his base in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. It was an insult; worse, he privately expressed the fear that he might be expelled.

The Chinese gave us time but they did not give Modi a hug. In the two days of staged photographs, there is not one photo of Modi hugging Xi, his trademark personalised diplomacy of forcibly embracing other leaders. Rahul Gandhi is right: Modi has decimated India's foreign policy. It's too bad that this and other aspects of his press conference were ignored by the TV media. But then, after Gujarat, Karnataka has been good practice for him. Modi's obsession with the 2019 election means that governance will suffer, so Rahul will get more occasions to show the public his mettle.

Aditya Sinha's next book, The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, co-written with a former RAW chief and a former ISI chief, is out next week. He tweets @autumnshade Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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Ahead of the crucial Legislative Council election in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday paid a courtesy visit to Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of Maharashtra Day and met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Their meeting lasted for around 20 minutes. The move comes at a time when the Election Commission of India (ECI) is scheduled to hold a meeting over elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9.30 am today. Every year, Governor and Chief Minister meet on Maharashtra Day in a traditional parade at Shivaji Park but this year the celebrations are curtailed due to COVID-19. So, the Chief Minister went to Raj Bhavan to call on the Governor, a CMO official said.

Earlier, Governor Koshyari had requested the ECI for the election to nine seats of the Legislative Council in the state. The Governor has made the request in a letter to the Election Commission, to fill the 9 seats in the legislative council, that has been lying vacant from April 24, "with a view to ending the current uncertainty in the state." He has stated that the Central government has announced many relaxation measures regarding the enforcement of lockdown in the country. As such the elections to the council seats can be held with certain guidelines, said Koshyari.

"Since Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the Council before May 27," he added. Earlier, Election Commission had withheld the election process for these 9 seats in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. This came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his nomination to the State Legislative Council. According to sources, Thackeray sought Prime Minister Modi's help, saying if it doesn't happen, he will have to resign.

Prior to that, the Maharashtra Cabinet had on April 28 once again had asked Governor Koshyari to nominate Chief Minister Thackeray to the State Legislative Council.

Before that on April 9, the state cabinet had recommended Thackeray's name for one of the two vacant MLC seats that were to be nominated by Koshyari to the Legislative Council to avoid a constitutional crisis.

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The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the next of kin of all the migrants who were run over by a goods train near Aurangabad. Expressing deep anguish over the incident which killed 16 migrants, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the mishap will be borne by the state government. "We are in constant touch with the Centre to make arrangements for running as many trains as possible for the migrants to return to their homes. I appeal to them not to give up hopes," Thackeray urged.

The Chief Minister said that the victims were working for a steel company in Jalna and were proceeding along the railway lines, apparently to their homes in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. At night they slept on the railway tracks but early Friday a goods train ran over them, killing 16 and injuring many others.

Thackeray said in the past 4-5 days around 100,000 migrants have reached home safely and more trains are being organized, including from Mumbai, to send the other stranded workers to their respective states.

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Bollywood star Irrfan was admitted in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection on Tuesday and passed away on Wednesday April 29, 2020 at the age of 53. 

Many stars from the Indian sports fraternity took to social media to pay tribute to the late actor Irrfan Khan. From the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag, to Saina Nehwal and Sunil Chhetri, here are some of the heartfelt posts shared on Twitter.

"Sad to hear the news of #IrrfanKhan passing away. He was one of my favorites & I've watched almost all his films, the last one being Angrezi Medium. Acting came so effortlessly to him, he was just terrific. May his soul Rest In Peace. Condolences to his loved ones," tweeted cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Sad to hear the news of #IrrfanKhan passing away. He was one of my favorites & I’ve watched almost all his films, the last one being Angrezi Medium. Acting came so effortlessly to him, he was just terrific.
May his soul Rest In Peace. 🙏🏼
Condolences to his loved ones. ☹ï¸Â pic.twitter.com/gaLHCTSbUh

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 29, 2020

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli tweeted: "Saddened to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. What a phenomenal talent and dearly touched everyone's heart with his versatility. May god give peace to his soul"

Saddened to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. What a phenomenal talent and dearly touched everyone's heart with his versatility. May god give peace to his soul 🙏

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 29, 2020

"Khan sahab, you were brilliant at what you did and that will always live on. Thank you for bringing your art to us the way you did. Strength to those grieving," said Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri.

Khan sahab, you were brilliant at what you did and that will always live on. Thank you for bringing your art to us the way you did. Strength to those grieving.

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) April 29, 2020

"A great actor and a great talent. Heartfelt Condolences to his family and well - wishers #IrfanKhan," said former India batsman Virender Sehwag.

A great actor and a great talent. Heartfelt
Condolences to his family and well - wishers #IrfanKhan

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 29, 2020

"Saddened to hear the passing away of #IrfanKhan. Condolences to the entire family. An actor of great caliber! You will be cherished by us until eternity. RIP," tweeted fast bowler Mohammed Shami.

Saddened to hear the passing away of #IrfanKhan. Condolences to the entire family. An actor of great caliber! You will be cherished by us until eternity. RIP. pic.twitter.com/wLTWUz8w6Z

— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) April 29, 2020

Badminton star Saina Nehwal tweeted a picture of herself and Irrfan. "With the legend during one ad shoot ... great memories sir #RIPIrrfanKhan," she said.

With the legend during one ad shoot ... great memories sir 🙏🙏 #RIPIrrfanKhan pic.twitter.com/GOKyVjqAoR

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 29, 2020

The actor had been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a while back, and has been under medical attention for the same. He even went abroad for treatment.

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Thali Sweet accompanied by kadio bodio

For Bandra resident Sophia Netto, the month of September meant eight days of festivities, courtesy the iconic Bandra Fair that the suburb hosts annually. Held in four lanes that dot Bandra's Mount Mary Basilica neighbourhood, it celebrates the birthday month of Mother Mary. "You could spend an entire day at the fair. There would be pageants like September King and Queen, games and cane product stalls that everyone would throng to, and all-night long jam sessions by Catholic bands at Mount Carmel's September Garden with an entry fee of `1. We would binge on potato chops, candy floss and kadio bodio, a deep-fried sweet stick of refined flour dipped in sugar. Even black chana would be heaped at stalls," recollects 54-year-old Netto, who offers black chana and kadio bodio as complimentary treats at BKC's SodaBottleOpenerWala as part of the outlet's ongoing festival, Bandra Feast, which recreates the fair experience.

East Indian Pork Sorpotel

In collaboration with chef de cuisine Danesh Vakshoor, Netto has created a special menu comprising East Indian and Goan delicacies. The menu features Mutton Potato Chops (Rs 195), where fried-till-golden breadcrumb crusted mashed potato shell is stuffed with minced meat, and Vegetarian or Chicken Lonvas (Rs 295), cooked with the famous East Indian bottle masala and thick coconut milk. It also stars East Indian Pork Sorpotel (Rs 295) and East Indian Vindaloo (Rs 295) where the pork is marinated overnight and slow-cooked. "Most homes in Bandra would be open to guests till midnight, who would arrive from different parts of the city and beyond to seek blessings at the basilica. I remember my mother making kilos of sorpotel and vindaloo. I've used her traditional recipes for the menu," she adds. End the meal with Thali Sweet (Rs 175), a festival speciality made with coconut semolina and eggs.

Sophia Netto

The restaurant has also been dressed up with ribbons and balloons that are a throwback to the helium balloons, which were a common sight at the fair. The line-up also includes a retro jam session with in-house DJ Farhan and saxophonist Amar Sukhi on Thursday night, and breakfast housie on Sunday. The idea, says Netto, is to revive the fair's charm. "Unfortunately, it has now turned into an extension of the Hill Road hawking zone," she rues.

Jacqueline is one of the most successful actresses who has given commercially hits as well as some great performances. With every project, the actress has entertained the audiences and will be soon making her digital debut with Mrs. Serial Killer up next.

Stirring things up a bit this time, Jacqueline has opted for a role which is completely opposite of her Miss sunshine avatar, in reel-life with her OTT debut Mrs. Serial Killer which is just a couple of days away from the release. The film is all set to premiere on 1st May.

The actress will be seen alongside celebrated actor Manoj Bajpayee and sharing her experience on working with the actor for the first time, Jacqueline says, "I met him at the shoots in the high altitudes; he is so full of energy and has so may stories to tell you. He is a bit funny as well and that made the shoot worth the while."

Earlier as well the actress had shared how she is a big fan of Manoj Bajpayee's body of work and for her OTT debut grabbed the opportunity to work with him. The actress also loved Manoj's work in 'The Family Man.'

Jacqueline loves to always experiment with her projects and never shies away from trying out something new. Her OTT debut performance is something we are all looking forward to. From the trailer itself, Jacqueline looks extremely promising and we're excited!

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Joining Punjab Police's 'Main Bhi Harjeet Singh' campaign named after the police personnel whose hand was chopped off on duty, actor Anil Kapoor on Tuesday paid tribute to the frontline warriors who are fighting against COVID-19. The superstar took to Twitter to express solidarity and laud the frontline workers.

Here’s a salute to our front line warriors! You have our full support and we stand in solidarity with you in this war!#MainBhiHarjeetSingh #MainBhiPunjabPolice

— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) April 28, 2020

"Here's a salute to our front-line warriors! You have our full support and we stand in solidarity with you in this war!" Kapoor tweeted and adding hashtags #MainBhiHarjeetSingh and #MainBhiPunjabPolice to his tweet.

"Main Bhi Harjeet Singh" - Personnel of Punjab Police on Monday sported name badges of their colleague, whose hand was chopped off while he was trying to impose COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the state.

The initiative was part of a day-long campaign launched on Monday by Dinkar Gupta, DGP Punjab to display solidarity towards Sub-Inspector Harjeet Singh, who was part of the police team that came under attack allegedly by a group of Nihangs who were asked to show their curfew passes at a vegetable market in Patiala on April 12.

Doctors had reattached the hand of the 50-year-old in a surgery post the attack.

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Versatile Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away at the age of 53 on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 11:11 am due to colon infection. The actor was undergoing treatment for Neuroendocrine cancer and was admitted at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Tuesday due to a colon infection. The actor was buried at the Versova kabristan in Mumbai at 3 pm on Wednesday in the presence of his family, close relatives and friends.

Irrfan Khan's mortal remains being taken to Versova Kabristan. Image credit: Yogen Shah

Irrfan's family including wife Sutapa Sikdar, son Babil Khan and relatives and his industry friends had rushed to the hospital to pay their final respects to the actor. 

Irrfan Khan's son Babil Khan and relatives. Pictures courtesy: Shadab Khan

On Tuesday, the Piku actor had been admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection and was in the Intensive Care Unit. In 2018, Irrfan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour and was undergoing treatment for the same.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns director Tigmanshu Dhulia was spotted at the hospital as well.

Tigmanshu Dhulia at the hospital

Shoojit Sircar, with whom Irrfan had worked in the blockbuster hit Piku, also visited the hospital. Mourning his loss, the director had earlier tweeted, "My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute (sic).

Shoojit Sircar at the hospital

An official statement regarding Irrfan's demise read, "'I trust, I have surrendered', these were the words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away..."

The statement further read, "Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it (sic).'"

Irrfan Khan, who made his debut with a small role in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay in 1988 was known for his performances in Maqbool, The Namesake, A Mighty Heart, Paan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox, Haider, Gunday, Piku, Talvar, and Hindi Medium, amongst others. His last film Angrezi Medium released in March this year. 

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Though Irrfan and I did not share screen space, we featured together in two films, Akash Deep's Ghaath (2000), and Suparn Verma's Acid Factory (2009).

In the second, we were together in only one fleeting scene. We knew each other because our roots [lay in] theatre. I knew him from the time we began our careers, and we followed each other's journey in films. I looked at him with tremendous regard. We went through the same [experiences] at the same time: We struggled together, and as outsiders, fought for the same thing: to earn our place in different types of films.

We faced both rejection and acceptance from the audience, and the industry.

It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that Irrfan is no more. His contribution to the industry and the world of acting will live on. He still had a lot more [to offer], so his passing away is difficult for a colleague and contemporary [to come to terms with].

As told to Shaheen Parkar

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Priyadarshan: He wanted to do a comedy when he came back

Irrfan was a dear friend. We worked together in Billoo, and often spent the evenings together. He would talk about his struggles and [being apprehensive about] carving his place as an actor, in movies, because of his looks. He'd say he was advised to stick to theatre because he didn't have the qualities of a hero, but [would remind himself] that 'somebody needs [to see] somebody like me [as a hero]'.

He had told people that if he came back [following his treatment in London], they should keep scripts [ready] for him. But when he returned, he told me he [was easily] tired, and couldn't work for more than five hours. I spoke to him four months ago, and he said that though the treatment had made him weak, he [had been] cured. He wanted to do a comedy and told me to call him with a script.

As told to Upala KBR

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Mithila Palkar: He taught me to focus on nuances

My fondest memory of Irrfan sir was him referring to me as Binaca Geetmala, because I'd always sing on the sets of Karwaan. If he liked something that I was humming, he would request [me to sing] it.

I haven't been to acting school. But merely [being in his] presence was like attending one. My lesson from observing him was to focus on the small details in a scene, and understanding nuances. We lost a gem and I don't think this void can be filled.

As told to Sonia Lulla

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Actor Manoj Bajpayee struggles to put his thoughts into words, and says everything has just gone "haywire" ever since he heard the news of Irrfan Khan's demise. The actor says though Irrfan wasn't his "best friend", they were connected with a very unique thread of rejection and acceptance in showbiz.

"For me to put my feelings in words and really frame it in a way that it all looks organised is tough. After hearing the news of his demise, everything went haywire mentally," Manoj told IANS. "I don't know how to react to it. The only emotion which is happening inside of me is extreme sadness. I am so sad that it is difficult for me to even think of anything. And I feel exhausted with the heaviness that I am feeling," he added.

Manoj has immense respect for Irrfan as "a contemporary, a colleague, co-actor and as somebody who started at the same time". "We faced similar kinds of rejections, struggles and acceptance. I feel that I lost a co-traveler. Though he was not my best friend, somewhere I felt that he was somebody whose journey was known to me and who knew my journey," said the actor, who will soon be seen in Netflix's "Mrs. Serial Killer".

Manoj continued: "It is like we were traveling in the same compartment, looking at each other from a distance but not fully knowing personally. It was enough to look at each other from a distance and admire each other. His contribution to cinema and the world of acting is going to be lauded and appreciated for very long."

Irrfan breathed his last early on Wednesday at the age of 54. Irrfan was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, unfortunately he succumbed to his ailment. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babil and Ayan.

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor breathed his last in a hospital in Mumbai on the morning of April 30, 2020. His passing has left a huge void in the film industry and in the lives of his family, close friends and millions of fans across the world. Tributes have been pouring in for the original chocolate hero of Bollywood, and Aamir Khan, too, took to Twitter to bid a final goodbye to his Fanaa co-star.

Aamir wrote, "We have lost one of the greats today. An amazing actor, a wonderful human being, and 100 per cent a child of Cinema. Thank you for all the joy you brought to our lives. Thank you for being the actor and human being that you were. You will be badly missed Rishiji."

We have lost one of the greats today. An amazing actor, a wonderful human being, and 100% a child of Cinema.
Thank you for all the joy you brought to our lives.
Thank you for being the actor and human being that you were.
You will be badly missed Rishiji.
Love.
a.

— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) April 30, 2020

Rishi Kapoor passed away at the age of 67 after battling cancer for two years. The actor was suffering from leukaemia, and he died with wife Neetu Kapoor by his side. Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor's co-star in a number of films, was one of the first to confirm the news of his passing.

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Rishi Kapoor has gone too soon! For many of his fans and cinema lovers, this was the most exciting phase of his career and the man was making some fascinating choices as an actor. On one hand, he gave us Agneepath and Aurangzeb, and on the other hand were titles like Luck By Chance, Kapoor & Sons, and Do Dooni Chaar. How could he go without giving some more of such great works? But destiny had other plans, it seems.

He passed away on April 30 at 8:45 am IST after battling leukaemia for over two years. His last rites were performed at the Chandanwadi Crematorium in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, near the H.N Reliance hospital where he was admitted. Family members and close friends were at the rites throughout.

Almost everyone from the Bollywood industry took to their social media accounts to pay homage and tribute to the actor and his legend and legacy. Shah Rukh Khan, who began his career in films with him in 1992's Deewana, directed by Raj Kanwar, had something more to say than just paying condolences. His had to be a memorable read, something that intrigued and hooked the readers.

It was pure nostalgic bliss when he recollected those good old days when he was a new kid on the block trying to learn the ropes of acting and wanting to rule the marquee. Here are some bits of what he wrote- "As a young man entering the daunting world of films, I was insecure about the way I looked and afraid I was not talented enough. The thought of falling meant nothing though, because even if I failed, I would have worked with the greatest actor I knew of- Rishi Sahib." (sic)

He continued, "On the first day of the shoot, he sat for my scene to finish after pack-up, then with that famously radiant smile on his face he said "yaar tujhme energy bahut hai". That day in my head I became an actor!" (sic) Have a look right here:

Heartfelt condolences to the Kapoor khandaan. May Allah give you all the strength to deal with your loss. pic.twitter.com/GAZXPq3uRp

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 30, 2020

He also shared a picture of himself and the actor from this film and everything about Khan's debut and Kapoor's legacy could come before you like a flash. These are the moments Cinema is made for, pure cathartic but also equally chocking. The note also says how he met him again to inquire about his health and Neetu Kapoor even posted that picture on her Instagram account last year in May, have a look right here:

 

 

 

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To make pple feel good about themselves is a rare quality!!! Shahrukh is all of that his love care is so so genuine !!! besides his amazing work I admire him as a very good and a real human being 🥰

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54) onMay 16, 2019 at 7:32am PDT

Rishi Kapoor will continue to live on with his films, music, performances, and of course, that radiant smile that also charmed Shah Rukh Khan!

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It's still hard to swallow the fact that two of Hindi Cinema's giants, Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, are no longer amongst us. Their selfless and tireless contribution to Hindi Cinema can never be forgotten. Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29 at 11:11 am at the Kokilaben hospital due to complications arising out of Colon infection, and left behind some incredible performances and characters. For a moment, the entire fraternity was left numb. Almost all the major Bollywood celebrities paid condolences to his legacy.

And on April 30, we lost another genius, Rishi Kapoor. He was honest and always humorous, full of life, and zeal. Entertaining the audiences for over five decades, Cinema was his life and his passion. It was another major setback for the Hindi film industry and the entire Bollywood was shocked again. Battling leukaemia for the last two years, he passed away at 8:45 am IST in hospital. Tributes began pouring soon on social media.

But these tributes weren't limited to Bollywood, but even Southern legends paid homage. One of them is Mahesh Babu, who even worked with Irrfan Khan in the 2006 action-drama, Sainikudu. Talking of Irrfan first, this is what Mahesh Babu wrote- "Deeply saddened by the news of #IrrfanKhan's untimely demise. A brilliant actor gone too soon. He will be truly missed... My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP." (sic)

Have a look right here:

Deeply saddened by the news of #IrrfanKhan's untimely demise. A brilliant actor gone too soon. He will be truly missed... My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP 🙏🏻

— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) April 29, 2020

And this is what he had to say about Rishi Kapoor's demise- "Heartbreaking to hear about #RishiKapoor sir. Yet another irreplaceable loss in our world of cinema... A complete entertainer and an incredibly talented actor... A true legend. My deepest condolences and strength to Ranbir and his family. May his soul rest in peace." (sic)

Have a look:

Heartbreaking to hear about #RishiKapoor sir. Yet another irreplaceable loss in our world of cinema... A complete entertainer and an incredibly talented actor... A true legend. My deepest condolences and strength to Ranbir and his family. May his soul rest in peace. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) April 30, 2020

With the demise of two powerhouses of performers, Bollywood will never be the same!

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A prayer meeting was held on Sunday for actor Rishi Kapoor, who passed away earlier this week after battling leukemia. The prayer session was held at the late veteran actor's residence in Mumbai.

A picture is also doing the rounds on the internet in which Rishi Kapoor's wife Neetu Kapoor and son Ranbir Kapoor are seen sitting next to the former's photograph.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

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Prayer Meeting of Late #rishikapoor Ji 🙏 #ranbirkapoor #rishiranbir #fatherson #likefatherlikeson #rishikapoor #rishikapoorji #rishikapoorfans #riprishiji #restinpeacerishikapoor #riprishikapoor

A post shared by Pallav Paliwal (@pallav_paliwal) onMay 3, 2020 at 1:04am PDT

Ranbir is seen wearing a red tilak and saffron-coloured turban. Rishi Kapoor's daughter Riddhima, who could not be in Mumbai on time to attend her father's last rites, reached the city on Saturday night. She traveled all the way from Delhi to Mumbai via road with daughter Samara. Here are some pictures:

Riddhima Kapoor Spotted In Mumbai For Father Rishi Kapoor's Prayer Meet: Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah

Samara Sahni Arriving In Mumbai: Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah

Rishi Kapoor breathed his last on April 30 at the HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai.

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Filmmaker Karan Johar has quashed reports that the team of his upcoming production Brahmastra has to take pay cuts amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. He has requested everyone to wait for an official announcement rather than jump to conclusions based on rumours.

Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor star in the ambitious Ayan Mukerji-directed superhero adventure, which has been billed as the first part in a trilogy. The film also stars Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy.

There were reports stating that as a measure to keep the film commercially viable, the entire cast has volunteered pay cuts. Rumours suggested that Ranbir, Alia and Ayan came forward for a pay cut.

Johar took to Twitter to set the record straight. "My hugest request to my media friends not to reach any assumptions on our fraternity films...these are challenging times for the business and false news only makes the situation worse," the filmmaker tweeted.

"Please wait for official news on any account!! This is a humble request," he added.

Brahmastra: Part One is set to release in five languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and is produced by Dharma Productions in association with Fox Star Studios.

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With the health crisis in the country, while PM Narendra Modi has extended the lockdown till May 3 and Indians are currently locked up inside their homes, there are several warriors who are fighting the battle for us. Whether it's the police force, doctors, nurses, soldiers or the NGOs feeding the needy ones, these Covid-19 warriors, as they are called, have been relentlessly working for us. Bobby Deol who appreciates their efforts has now paid a humble tribute to them in a music video where he's recited a poem - Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron - for the first time.

 

 

 

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we will win this war ... let’s be kind and appreciative of all the efforts put in by our #COVIDWarriors ... thank you @sanjaymasoomm for writing such beautiful words and making me a part of it ... #StayAtHomeIsStillSafe in this #Lockdown3.0 let’s be careful and not go out unless necessary, ये सब हमारी भलाई के लिए ही किया जा रहा है! 🙏🏻 #SaveLives #IndiaFightsCorona #StayHome #Lockdown #Covid19 #Coronavirus @my_bmc @cmomaharashtra_ @mumbaipolice

A post shared by Bobby Deol (@iambobbydeol) onMay 4, 2020 at 3:04am PDT

Interestingly, Bobby has never recited a poem on camera ever before but when Sanjay Masoomm came up with idea and approached him for it, he immediately agreed. The 2-minuter has been titled Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai and it not only salutes the bravado of every Indian Covid-19 warrior who are out there, protecting us from the deadly virus but is also a soul-stirring testament of the indomitable human spirit and the unity which binds Indians together. What's more interesting is while the video has been completely shot at home, it's Bobby's younger son Dharam Deol who has filmed him.

Bobby shares, "When Sanjay told me about this poem, I was taken in by the simplicity of his expression of gratitude towards the COVID warriors, i resonated with it. It makes me very happy to be associated with this positivity, and I appreciate the way this situation has made us all join hands and come together. Who knew that social distancing could bring people together, with all of us checking up on one another and being their for people emotionally, if not in person. Although these are tough times faced by everyone around the world, it is heart warming to see how this has brought us together to fight against a common enemy. We can all be a part of this noble fight by just staying at home and being supportive of our frontline warriors."

Sanjay Masoomm who has conceptualised the entire thing shares, "Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron is just our way of showing respect and lending hope and encouragement to all these Covid warriors who are working day and night to keep us safe, while we stay locked inside our houses. This time of crisis also highlights our biggest strength - unity in diversity - and it was important to underline it. When I wrote the lines, I wanted someone whose voice will add weight to them. I have worked with Bobby Deol in several films and I know he's not only got a powerful voice but also a heart of gold. He's a very emotional man and his voice will help this ode reach out to more people. Bobby has read it out wonderfully with all the feeling and emotions."

Chand Roz Ki Baat Hai Yaron, featuring Bobby Deol and conceptualised by Sanjay Masoomm.

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As several stars pledged contributions to aid the fight against the Coronavirus, actor-businessman Sachiin Joshi announced a Rs 3 crore programme to distribute food packets to the frontline workers. The move came as a surprise to former employees of Joshi's Viiking Ventures, who have claimed non-payment of dues over past several months.

Taskeen Naik, who had joined as the social media head, and public relations officer to the chairman in August 2018, says she has been waiting for her full and final payment to be cleared since her exit in May 2019. "When I personally reached out to Mr Joshi, he blocked my number. Despite following up [with the HR team] every month, I have yet to be paid," she rues.

This paper is in possession of a document that lists 30 former employees of Viiking Ventures and its communications wing Think Tank, whose salaries have not been cleared since as early as March 2019. The cumulative amount stands at a little over Rs 30 lakh.

Krishna Choudhary, former marketing manager at the company that has verticals across FMCG products, realty and entertainment, reveals that since his joining in October 2018, the salaries would usually be deferred. "On March 26, 2019, Mr Joshi sent an e-mail assuring that the salaries will be timely from April. That month, they cleared all our salaries up to February 2019. But I was not paid a dime after that. I tendered my resignation in June, and have since been pursuing the HR to clear my four months' salary. While my pleas fell on deaf ears, the department sent an e-mail last December citing lack of funds as the reason for delayed payments. How does the company have money for charity, but not to pay our pending salaries?"

A snapshot of the complaint  submitted to the Chief Labour Commissioner by an employee  

When mid-day reached out to Joshi, his spokesperson issued a statement that read, "We hired a particular CEO [now no longer with us] who undertook unlawful practices and fraud, with a bunch of employees. All those people working with the said CEO are now under scrutiny and their payments are being held. The procedure should be completed by end of June 2020. Those who are given a clean chit will get their rightful dues, and the management will take legal action against those found guilty."

However, the former employees in question maintained that they were not informed about being part of an ongoing investigation. Interestingly, another former employee, on condition of anonymity, revealed that he had joined the company in May 2019 — long after the said CEO's departure — and was still subjected to similar fate. "Of my eight-month stint, I have not been paid for three-and-a-half months. I was not allowed inside the office premises when I went to meet Mr Joshi. When he recently went live on Instagram, many [former employees] asked him to clear their dues, in the comments section. I'm contemplating legal action."

Joshi was in the news in 2017 when he bought Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Villa in Goa for Rs 73 crore in a bank auction.

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From Mahesh Babu to Allu Arjun, from Ram Charan to Vijay Deverakonda and Nani, several sourthern superstars offered condolences to the families affected by the unfortunate gas leak at LG Polymers in RR Venkatapuram village of Visakhapatnam on Thursday morning.

At least 10 casualties have been reported at the time of publishing, while hundreds were rushed for treatment to hospitals after complaining of breathing difficulties and burning sensation in the eyes. Reacting to the shocking news, Mahesh Babu tweeted: "Heartwrenching to hear the news of #VizagGasLeak, more so during these challenging times... Heartfelt condolences and strength to the bereaved families in this hour of need. Wishing a speedy recovery to those affected. My prayers for you... Stay safe VIZAG."

Heartwrenching to hear the news of #VizagGasLeak, more so during these challenging times... Heartfelt condolences and strength to the bereaved families in this hour of need. Wishing a speedy recovery to those affected. My prayers for you... Stay safe VIZAG.

— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) May 7, 2020

Allu Arjun too prayed for the safety and well being of the victims. "It's really heart breaking to see Vizag, which one of the most special places in my life, in such a state. I am deeply saddened by this horrific accident. Condolences to families who have lost their lives and hoping for a speedy recovery for the rest," he wrote.

It’s really heart breaking to see Vizag which one of the most special places in my life in such a state. I am deeply saddened by this horrific accident. Condolences to families who have lost their lives and hoping for a speedy recovery for the rest .

— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) May 7, 2020

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli, who is known for helming the "Bahubali" franchise, is extremely disturbed by the visuals from the Vizag Gas Leak.

"Praying for the recovery of those admitted to the hospital. Heartfelt condolences to those who lost their near and dear ones," Rajmouli added.

Deeply disturbed by the visuals from the #VizagGasLeak. Praying for the recovery of those admitted to the hospital. Heartfelt condolences to those who lost their near and dear ones.

— rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) May 7, 2020

Actor Ram Charan is also heartbroken. "Heart breaking to see the visuals of #VizagGasLeak. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who are no more. I hope all necessary measures are taken to make sure the affected people recover at the earliest. My thoughts and prayers with the people of Vizag," he grieved.

Heart breaking to see the visuals of #VizagGasLeak. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who are no more. I hope all necessary measures are taken to make sure the affected people recover at the earliest. My thoughts and prayers with the people of Vizag. 🙏🏼🙏🏼

— Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) May 7, 2020

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Prince Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary are setting couple goals, and no one can deny that! The duo is simply smitten by each other, and can't get enough of it. As the country is under lockdown, many celebrities have been sharing encouraging videos of them spending time at home and finding multiple ways to keep themselves occupied, away from boredom.

Prince Narula too shared a video of him being a fun husband during the time of lockdown. But his prank didn't turn out as he planned! The Roadies judge was trying hard to make his wife laugh with a lighthearted game. As the video proceeds, it seems like Yuvika didn't like the prank, at all! Take a look.

In fact, when the Ex-Bigg Boss contestant shared the video, he wrote, "Prank video having fun with my wife @yuvikachaudhary. Video k baad mera kya haal hua dakheye is video main [sic]"

 

 

 

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A post shared by Prince Yuvika Narula (@princenarula) onApr 15, 2020 at 5:29am PDT

OMG! Nobody saw this coming, did you? Well, Prince Narula, don't trouble your wife, especially during the lockdown time.

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Almost a month into the lockdown, it has become increasingly difficult to keep the wheels of the economy turning, and several companies are resorting to pay cuts to stay afloat. Closer home in Bollywood, Ekta Kapoor, founder, Balaji Telefilms, had announced on April 3 that she was forgoing her annual salary of Rs 2.5 crore so that "my co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis."

Despite her best intentions, it has been heard that the studio — which has ALT Balaji and Balaji Motion Pictures as subsidiaries — is having to implement a three-month pay cut for its employees.

A source reveals, "On Monday, the staff was apprised of the decision. Those with annual salaries of up to Rs 12 lakh will have to take a 20 per cent pay cut while those in the Rs 12 lakh to Rs 36 lakh bracket are looking at a 25 per cent pay reduction. A 30 per cent pay cut is being implemented for those with annual pay packages between Rs 36 lakh and Rs 60 lakh, and the senior management will take only half their pay. The variable pay that is disbursed at the year-end is likely to be delayed as well."

mid-day reached out to Kapoor, who did not respond till press time.

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Several television celebrities will get together in a virtual music concert to pay a tribute to Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, who passed away last week. Titled Dard-e-Dil, the concert includes artistes like Bharati Singh, Maniesh Paul, Hina Khan, Arjun Bijlani, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Sukhwinder Singh and Aditya Narayan among others.

"This tribute is a great chance for us to pay respects to these two legends of Bollywood. Both Rishi Kapoor ji and Irrfan Khan have given so much joy to us fans through their work. The last week was indeed the worst week for Indian Cinema as we lost two legends one after the other. They may have gone from the world but they will live in our hearts forever through the work they have done. I am honoured beyond words that I have been chosen to give them tribute to them through this concert. We will celebrate their unforgettable contribution to Bollywood and pay the tribute," Bharati said.

Irrfan breathed his last on April 29 at the age of 54. He was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection. However, unfortunately he succumbed to his ailment. Rishi Kapoor passed away a day later at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital on April 30. He had been battling leukemia for the past two years.

The concert will be aired on Colors channel on Sunday, May 10.

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With his debut in the OTT space actor Karan Tacker has taught many of us that it is never too late to try new things in life. While he has always been a charmer with his craft, Karan has played roles that have stayed with his fans forever. Whether on television or in the web-space, his acting prowess has always been worth admiring. And Karan has come a long way professionally, as he completes 11 years in the industry today, the actor looks back at how it all began.

On this special day, Karan reminisces how he started his journey with an Gujrat based cold drink brand and received a paycheque of only Rs 1500 for the same. But a big breakthrough for him which gave him the confidence to do what he wanted to do was for the moisturizing cream Nivea. The actor continues to share, how he had a business that was suffering financial loss before he entered showbiz. Well, he tried his luck and fortune smiled upon him, from there is amazing journey began and ever since there has been no looking back.

We have seen him as one of the finest artists on television, yes, Karan went on to do some very popular shows on the small screen and the chocolate boy of the tube was also a celebrated host. More than a decade later, Karan made his debut into the OTT space as the leading man for Neeraj Pandey in the web-show Special Ops and while he took the medium by storm with his power-packed performance as Officer Farooq Ali, we are sure there is lot more to come from the talented actor in the future.

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The Philippines' Bureau of Internal Revenue has launched a digital tax payments system.

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.

On Monday, the Bombay High Court directed Eros International Media Ltd to pay Rs 19.39 lakh to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bhansali Production within three weeks. This move comes after Bhansali had approached the court to restrain Eros International from exploiting rights over actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh starrer Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela.

Bhansali had sought urgent reliefs to restrain Eros International from selling, exploiting, distributing , licensing and renewing rights over the film. Bhansali Productions had challenged an intimation filed by Eros International with Bombay Stock Exchange of an all-share merger with its parent company Eros International Plc and Hollywood's STX Filmworks.

Bhansali's Production house claimed that the merger was based on incorrect and misleading disclosure and that STX Filmworks or other companies cannot claim any rights in the film.

Meanwhile, the advocates representing Eros International said that the film Ram Leela was specifically mentioned in annual returns published for the fiscal ending March 31, 2019 and therefore there was no urgency to grant interim reliefs to the Bhansali Productions.

While the court has directed Eros International to pay Bhansali production the dues, it also said that the Production will have the liberty to approach it for relief against the merger after regular court resumes post lockdown.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Eros India said “The Bombay High Court has adjourned the case in our favour. Eros always sticks to best corporate governance and business practices and had already given the cheque in advance as per our agreement. We will take appropriate legal action against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production for this mala fide and unfounded action, which has also been duly noted by the court”.

Indian cinema lost two icons, one week ago. On April 29, actor Irrfan Khan passed away after his prolonged battle with neuroendocrine tumour. Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor breathed his last on April 30 after two years of battle with leukemia. Tributes have been pouring in for the two actors who have made immense contribution to the cinema.

In the memory of two stars, Colors TV will be paying tribute to them with an event called Dard-e-Dil: A Tribute to the Legends. The virtual event will witness artists’ from films and TV who will celebrate the achievements of the actors and send in their pre-recorded videos. This will also be followed by some musical performances.

The line-up includes Maniesh Paul serving as the host of the event, comedian Bharti Singh, singers Sukhwinder Singh, Aditya Narayan, Abu Malik, and TV actors and former Bigg Boss contestants Hina Khan and Devoleena Bhattacharjee. Arjun Bijlani will be crooning ‘Om Shanti Om’ from Karz whereas Aditya Narayan is set to perform ‘Suit Suit Karda’ from Hindi Medium. Hina Khan has already recorded ‘Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar’ from Deewana.

The event is set to be aired this weekend!

ALSO READ: Irrfan Khan could have been part of Anand Gandhi’s pandemic movie Emergence

Hyderabad: In a humanitarian gesture, a police officer in Hyderabad paid Rs 20,000 from his pocket for the emergency surgery of a man from Himachal Pradesh who got stranded here due to the lockdown.

B.L. Laxminarayan Reddy, inspector and Station House Officer of Kukatpally police station under Cyberabad police commissionerate, not only got Lalit Kumar admitted to a private hospital but also paid the hospital bill from his pocket.

Lalit Kumar, a resident of Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, was stranded due to the lockdown at Kukatpally here and was in need of medical surgery. He approached the police and the inspector came forward to get him admitted to Omni Hospital.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur appreciated the police officer's kind gesture.

Dattatraya, who hails from Hyderabad, spoke to Laxminarayan Reddy over the phone and lauded him for the immediate help he rendered to the man in distress. He said that the official's action is an inspiration to all.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister sent a letter to Laxminarayan Reddy. "This act was a great gesture on your part and I appreciate your exemplary effort. Your deed is an inspiration to all the persons involved in the fight against COVID-19," Thakur wrote.

"Your concern beyond humanity towards Mr Lalit who got stranded due to lockdown really deserves this appreciation. Admitting him at the hospital and supporting financially on your own, proves once again that police are there to reach every needy. Proud of you dear SHO, Kukatpally," tweeted Telangana Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy, who also posted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister's letter of appreciation for the police official.

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Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday raised the issue of low salary paid to the intern doctors performing their duty amid the nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus and demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should raise their pay.

"Intern MBBS doctors in UP are performing their duty in this crisis with all sincerity. Their lives are also in danger. And they get only Rs 250 per day. Chief Minister Yogi Aditynathji, their salary is very low. In my understanding, it is your duty to increase the salary of intern doctors at this time of crisis," Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the party in-charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh, said in a tweet.

Her remarks came after several intern doctors in the state raised the issue of getting Rs 250 per day. On Monday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 1,955 with 31 people losing their lives due to the pandemic across the state. A total of 335 people have been cured in the state so far.

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Legendary Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away due to complications arised from cancer on Thursday morning, leaving behind a legacy of almost 50 years in the film industry. Ever since the news of his passing broke, tributes have been pouring in for the actor from the film industry and the political world, where he was remembered as a jovial person.

Prominent politicians have taken to Twitter to express their grief and offer their condolences to the Kapoor family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Jawadekar, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among the politicians who offered their condolences on Kapoor’s passing on the micro-blogging site.

Multifaceted, endearing and lively...this was Rishi Kapoor Ji. He was a powerhouse of talent. I will always recall our interactions, even on social media. He was passionate about films and India’s progress. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2020

This is a terrible week for Indian cinema, with the passing of another legend, actor Rishi Kapoor. A wonderful actor, with a huge fan following across generations, he will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans all over the world, at this time of grief.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2020

Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of actor Rishi Kapoor. He entertained several generations of Indians throughout his career. What a terrible loss.. My condolences to the grieving family. May God bless his soul.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 30, 2020

Saddened by the sudden demise of #RishiKapoor who left a profound imprint on Bollywood by his versatile acting. Have grown up watching many of his films since my student days.
A great loss to the world of creativity.
My sincere condolences!
à¥Â शानà¥Âति!!

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) April 30, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of veteran actor #RishiKapoor. He has been an inspiration for budding actors and will always be remembered for his iconic performances.

My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti.

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 30, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of veteran actor #RishiKapoor. He has been an inspiration for budding actors and will always be remembered for his iconic performances.

My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti.

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 30, 2020

Another film legend passes away... Saddened by Rishi Kapoor’s sudden demise. The film fraternity has lost a gem of an actor who always spoke his mind out. Heartfelt condolences to his family #RishiKapoor pic.twitter.com/0Dvpx8eu09

— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) April 30, 2020

Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday. His notable films as a romantic hero are "Laila Majnu", "Rafoo Chakkar", "Karz", "Chandni", "Heena" and "Saagar". He was, however, more proud of his second innings as an actor, which he found more satisfying. His notable films as a character artiste are "Do Dooni Chaar" with wife Neetu, "Agnipath", "Kapoor & Sons" and "Mulk".

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Emphasising on the plight of migrants and the money being charged from them for ferrying them back to their home, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that the party will bear the cost of their rail tickets.

In a statement, Sonia Gandhi said, our workers and labourers form the "backbone" of our economy and their hard work and sacrifice are the foundation of our nation.

She said that as the Central government barely gave a four-hour notice of the lockdown, workers and migrant labourers were denied the opportunity to return to their homes. Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot - without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones.

"The very thought of their plight is enough to break our hearts as there was also the outpouring of support from fellow Indians for their inspiring resolve," she said.

The Congress leader lamenting at the government said, "What is the responsibility of our government? Even today, lakhs of workers and migrant labourers are languishing in different parts of the country and wish to return to their homes and families but there is neither adequate money nor provision for free transport."

"What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the rail ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis," she said.

Sonia Gandhi said, "The Congress has, therefore, taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee (state unit) shall bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard."

"This will be the Congress' humble contribution in service of our compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them," she said.

Her remarks came amid the reports that the migrants were being charged for their travel by trains to their respective states.

The railways has earlier said that it was charging the state governments for the Shramik special train tickets.

The railways also clarified that the Shramik Special trains are meant for "nominated people" identified and registered by state governments and the railways will not issue any tickets to any individual or entertain any request from any groups.

The railways has started to run the Shramik Special trains for transporting the labourers from May 1, almost 40 days after the passenger, mail and Express trains services were suspended.

Till now the national transporter has run over a dozen of Shramik Special trains on the request of the state governments to ferry the migrant labourers.

Emphasising on the role of labourers in country's growth she said that they are the ambassadors of our nation's growth.

Attacking the government, she further said that when our government can recognise its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly Rs 100 crore on transport and food, etc. for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the Rail Ministry has the largesse to donate Rs 151 crore to the PM's corona fund, then why can't these essential members of our nation's fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress?

She said that Congress has been raising the issue of transporting the migrants from the outset of the lockdown.

"There needs to be provisions for the safe and free rail travel of migrant workers and labourers to their home-towns. However, despite our repeated demands, the Central government and the Rail Ministry have chosen to completely ignore the same," she said.

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Ever since the cases of Coronavirus outbroke in the country, the police personnel, healthcare staffs and other essential workers working on the frontline to contain the spread of the pandemic are being hailed as heroes. In a move to express gratitude, the Indian Air Force helicopters showered flower petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in different parts of the country on May 3. Also, the COVID team of the Delhi Police did a sirened parikrama of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to thank the healthcare workers.

Now a video of a cop from Delhi Police singing 'Teri Mitti' from Akshay Kumar’s 2019 film Kesari to thank healthcare workers has been making rounds of social media of late. This one-minute-eight second-long video posted by Rajat Rathor on Facebook got netizens swooning over his voice and guitar skills. He sang the song wearing his uniform to express his gratitude to the corona warriors fight to contain the pandemic in the frontline.

He captioned the video, "A tribute from my side. For all The heroes who are fighting with this pandemic. Doctors and force member salute to all of u. This song is one of My fav song" The video posted last week garnered 26,253 views on Facebook with more than 1,000 likes and was shared 670 times.

A user said in the comments, "It is a very lovely voice. I like this (sic)." Another user commented, "Totally impressed from ur art in delhi police department...... (sic)" One more user said, "Salute to all Indian policemen."

What do you think about the post?

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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.

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After mourning the demise of the late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, WWE champion and Hollywood actor John Cena has now taken to social media to pay homage to Irrfan Khan, who too passed away.

Remembering Irrfan, Cena posted a picture of the former from his famous movie Life of Pi. Reacting to the post, several users thanked Cena for paying tribute to Irrfan.

"You care for the Indian people ..love you Cena," a social media follower commented. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Cena (@johncena) onMay 2, 2020 at 4:40am PDT

Irrfan breathed his last on April 29 at the age of 54. He was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. However, he succumbed to his ailment.

This is not the first time that Cena has posted a picture of an Indian celebrity. His account also includes pictures of the likes of the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, actress Shilpa Shetty and Bigg Boss 13 contestant Asim Riaz.

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