Thje city is facing many challenges amid the Coronavirus lockdown, but the one thing in its favour is the water stock. The lakes that provide water to the city have enough water to fulfil the city's needs through the summer.

As of Monday, the lakes have 29 per cent of the water stock, which will last for almost another 80 days, that is, until July.

This means, there will be no water cut this summer. Last year, when the city was facing a water cut, the total water stock was 19 per cent on the same date.

The BMC had imposed a 10 per cent water cut from November 2018 till July 2019. During the last monsoon, the lakes received rain till early December and as such, the water stock is still

The seven lakes — Bhatsa, Tansa, Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tulsi and Vihar — supply water to the city.

Their total water storage capacity is 14.47 lakhs MLD (million litres per day). As of Monday, there is 4.31 lakh MLD water in the lakes.

Last year, on the same date, the water stock was 2.88 lakh MLD.

The BMC supplies 3,800 MLD water to the city every day. Around 700 MLD water is being used by industries while the floating population — people coming from other cities — use around 50 MLD water.

"After the lockdown, the industrial water supply is obviously reduced but the city gets normal water supply. It means there is more water for residential areas," said Ashok Rathore, chief of the Hydraulic Engineering Department.

Due to the manpower crunch, the meter reading has not been taken and the exact use by industries and residences has not been measured.

As per the IMD forecast, the monsoon will be normal this year.

29
Percentage of water stock currently available

Available water stock (in mn litres)

Upper Vaitarna: 2,802
Modak Sagar: 61,632
Tansa: 38,539
Middle Vaitarna: 89,953
Bhatsa: 224,881
Vihar: 10,133
Tulsi: 3,478
Total: 4,31,418

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In a first, the Central Railway (CR) seems to have come up with a permanent solution for the falling boulders in the ghat section known for disrupting services during monsoon. Accordingly, CR has recreated steel tunnels which will trap falling boulders and protect the passing trains below.

Last year, CR deployed 60 additional CCTV cameras, posted gangmen, rock-bolting at 750m stretch and drone cameras to alert approaching trains, but all were of limited help.In 2017, three passengers on the Hubli-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) Express suffered injuries after a boulder came crashing through the roof while it was passing through Khandala ghat.

After the problem was analysed last year, it was revealed that the increased incidents of boulders falling on tracks along with mud had been due to heavy monsoon.

So, officials started working on the steel tunnel portal extension last year in four tunnels. "The work has been progressing with the lockdown in place and will be completed before the monsoon sets in," CR chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said. "Work of removing loose boulders is still underway and at present, we are running boulder special trains, and patrolling the mountains to scan loose boulders and tunnels," he added.

In the history books
Historically, the Indian Railways has been dealing with the problem of boulders in this stretch since its inception. But they never cancelled these many trains to manage the situation as they have done in recent years. The archival records of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, which is now called Central Railway, on the initiation of passenger rail service on the ghat section in 1864, had issued a notice on the operation of the 'terrain section' by dividing the entire stretch into 13 parts with three watchmen deputed for each.

4
Total no. of tunnels in which steel tunnel work is underway

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The Maharashtra Jail Administration has allowed prisoners to talk to their families over landlines. as family visits to jails have been disallowed due to the lockdown. 

There are a around 36,000 prisoners across jails in Maharashtra, out of which 8,500 prisoners have been convicted. The total capacity of these jails is 24,000 so most jails in the state are overpopulated. In an attempt to create social distancing within the prisons, 4,611 accused who were serving jail sentences for non-serious crimes, were released on bail. However, the state administration continues to keep those involved in serious crimes behind bars.

According to a jail official, allowing inmates to communicate over phone was allowed so that they could be in touch with their families. The officer said, "We have details of all the accused and on the basis of those, we call their houses and allow them to speak to their families." Otherwise the accused could meet their families once a month.

The phone call facility between the accused and their family members are being allowed in every jail in the state. Around 25 accused are able to talk to their families every day. Every accused gets to make a phone call once a month.

IG Prisons, Deepak Pandey told mid-day, "The jailer first confirms that the person on the other side of the phone is a member of the family of the accused, only then the call is allowed. A duration of 5 minutes is given for each conversation between the inmate and their family."

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Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who had been undergoing treatment for Neuroendocrine tumour since the last two months, breathed his last on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Paan Singh Tomar actor was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital for a colon infection. While a host of Bollywood celebrities mourned his death, politicians across parties took to Twitter to pay homage to the most 'Versatile' actor of the Indian Film Industry.

Irrfan Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020

Saddened by the demise of the late actor, PM Narendra Modi said that Irrfan Khan's demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. While offering his condolence to the the late actor's family, PM Modi said that Irrfan will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums.

With the untimely demise of #IrrfanKhan, we lost a versatile actor.
Not just a hardworking actor but he was also a good cricketer but couldn’t persue due to lack of funds. His TV and film presence is unparalleled and has been giving confidence & motivation to many.
(1/2)

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 29, 2020

Remembering the fond memories that he shared with the late actor, former CM of Maharashtra and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said that Irrfan was also a good cricketer but couldn't persue it due to lack of funds. While Rajya Sabha Member and actor Shatrughan Sinha said that Irrfan was a man of few words, but a volcano of talent.

Here's how other's paid homage to Irrfan Khan:

Heartfelt condolences on the untimely demise of a self made, brilliant, versatile actor par excellence our own #IrrfanKhan. He was certainly one of the best in our film industry. A thorough gentleman & fine human being @irrfank. A man of few words, but a volcano of talent.

— Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) April 29, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan.

One of India’s most versatile actors and a true gem of a person, my thoughts are with his family and friends in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 29, 2020

Sorry to hear about the untimely passing of #IrrfanKhan. He was a truly talented & versatile actor, who helped India shine around the world. His presence will be missed on & off screen. My thoughts & prayers are with his friends & family.

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) April 29, 2020

Saddened to hear about the passing of Irrfan Khan. The Indian film industry has lost a much accomplished artist, who was also a warm, affectionate and humble person. He will be missed by all!#IrrfanKhan #RIPIrfan pic.twitter.com/QrfhJxSYBR

— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) April 29, 2020

सिनà¥Â‡à¤Â…भिनà¥Â‡तà¥Â‡ à¤Â‡रफान à¤Â–ान याà¤Â‚à¤Âšà¥Âया निधनाà¤Âšà¥Â€ बातमà¥Â€ à¤Âà¤Â•à¥Â‚न दà¥Âà¤Âƒà¤Â– à¤Âालà¥Â‡. à¤Â…तिशय सà¤Â‚à¤Â˜रà¥Âष à¤Â•रà¥Â‚न पà¥Âढà¥Â‡ à¤Â†लà¥Â‡लà¥Âया या à¤Â…भिनà¥Â‡तà¥Âयानà¥Â‡ à¤Âœाà¤Â—तिà¤Â• सिनà¥Â‡मात à¤Â†पलà¥Âया à¤Â…भिनयाà¤Âšा ठसा à¤Â‰मà¤ÂŸविला हà¥Â‹ता. तà¥Âयाà¤Â‚à¤Âšà¥Âया निधनानà¥Â‡ दà¥Â‡श à¤Âà¤Â•ा महान à¤Â•लाà¤Â•ाराला मà¥Âà¤Â•ला à¤Â†हà¥Â‡.
तà¥Âयाà¤Â‚ना भावपà¥Â‚रà¥Âण शà¥Âरदà¥Âधाà¤Â‚à¤Âœलà¥Â€ðŸ™ðŸ¼

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) April 29, 2020

No stereotypical looks, no six-pack, no fancy dance steps, no dynastic claim to a place in Bollywood. It was just talent & a breathtaking screen presence. #IrrfanKhan your courage to speak up when others chose silence was your biggest asset & will be missed the most. God speed.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 29, 2020

We've lost a tremendous actor who shattered all the stereotypes of what a 'Bollywood hero' should be.
Heartfelt condolences. #IrrfanKhan

— Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) April 29, 2020

My sincere tributes to the great magician of an actor, the legendary #IrrfanKhan who weaved magical emotions into his characters with utmost ease in each of his acts!

Indian Cinema will struggle to fill the void to be felt by his absence!Condolences to near & dear#RIPIrrfanKhan

— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 29, 2020

Omar Abdullah, former CM of Jammu and Kashmir said that Irrfan had talent and a breathtaking screen presence which helped him cement a place in the Bollywood film industry. Poitician and advocate Prakash Ambedkar said that the Irrfan shattered all the stereotypes of what a 'Bollywood hero' should be, while former Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav said that Irrfan weaved magical emotions into his characters with utmost ease in each of his acts!

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Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone IV) on Wednesday wrote to Addl CP West Region Manoj Kumar Sharma, demanding stricter implementation of rules in the containment zones between Bandra and Andheri, especially the slum areas in the belt.

These include Nehru Nagar (Juhu police station), Samta Nagar and Junaid Nagar (DN Nagar), CD Barfiwala Road and Juhu Galli (DN Nagar), Gaondevi Dongri, Gilbert Hill and Dhangarwadi (DN Nagar), Versova Village (Versova), Kranti Nagar, Anand Nagar, and Behraum Baug (Oshiwara). The municipal authority observed "that there is no fall in the rate of positively tested patients and are rather increasing. It appears that existing lockdown measures are inadequate," the communication said.

It asked local authorities to ensure that the localities, local pockets and chawls are strictly sealed and locked down to have effective control on spreading Coronavirus in these localities.

"This office has frequently informed senior inspectors of respective police stations regarding containment of areas in their respective jurisdictions on a day to day basis as and when positive cases are traced in particular localities," the letter read.

Sharma told mid-day that "the police have already increased patrolling in these areas and deployed more number of officials."

'Lack of individual toilets'

DCP Abhishek Trimukhe said, "We have barricaded these designated red zones and are ensuring that there is limited access. Only the government ration shops and medicine shops are allowed to be kept open. All other shops in red zones will remain closed. However, the main challenge in these slum pockets is that there are no independent toilets within the red zone itself. There needs to be a toilet facility otherwise people will keep venturing out of their homes to use the toilet. How can we keep denying people the need to use the toilet?"

Cops make the rounds of slum areas every day

He pointed out: "There is a heavy space constraint in these slum areas, as opposed to building societies, where containment is very good. The lanes are very narrow in some slum pockets and the population density is high."

Identification system required

Trimukhe said that the police had asked BMC to have some sort of identification procedure for people who are residents of these red zones. "Since the population of these areas is very high, a designated identification system would make it easier to identify and segregate people," he said adding that community meetings have been held with residents to explain the guidelines to them.

'Can't sit inside tiny homes all day'

Senior PI of Oshiwara police station Dayanand Bangar echoed Trimukhe's concerns. "People are always saying that they are either going to get medicines or buy milk but the biggest problem is that of common toilets," he said.

"Residents of these slum areas, who live in a 10x10 house, cannot sit at home all day," he said, adding that in areas like Kranti Nagar, there is zero growth of COVID-19 cases. "Even though this is a red zone, there are currently no positive patients here.

Seven people, who had gone for treatment, and are now back."

1.4k
No. of containment zones in city

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Despite a nationwide lockdown, people continue to step out for morning and evening walks in Aarey Milk Colony. Moreover, there have been instances of locals venturing into the forest area surrounding the VIP guest house, which is known for wildlife activity.

Taking note of this, the Thane Forest Department has written to Aarey police station requesting action against those found flouting the lockdown rules.

The volunteers monitoring leopard activity in Aarey informed the Thane Forest Department about locals venturing into the forest area. A volunteer told mid-day, "I learned from my sources that many people, including some morning and evening walkers and Adarsh Nagar slum pocket residents, venture into the forest surrounding the VIP guest House, which is even frequently visited by wild animals. This information has been passed on to the forest department."

Sources also said that residents of Adarsh Nagar slums regularly roam around the VIP guest house in groups, flouting social distancing norms.

Range Forest Officer (RFO), Santosh Kank said, "People are expected to stay indoors and maintain social distancing but volunteers, who have been doing camera trapping exercises to monitor leopard activity saw people roaming in the area surrounding the VIP guest House hillock. The area has seen leopard activity in the last few days and to prevent any man-animal conflict, people should not venture into the woods. We have already informed the Aarey police station through a letter and we expect them to take action against the violators."

Illegal encroachment taking place in Aarey

The boundary encroachers built surrounding a huge portion of land in Unit 13

A nature lover from Aarey has alleged that people have been trying to encroach Aarey Milk Colony Unit – 13 by axing trees and constructing boundaries around a huge chunk of land. Elijah Emmanuel, a teacher at the kindergarten for slum children, told mid-day, "For the last two-three weeks, I have seen people cutting down trees and building boundaries in Unit 13. During the monsoon, hutments will be constructed as no one comes to check. When I objected, they threatened me and my family. Today, more than 50 people from the area came to my house and abused and threatened me with harm. But the people from Aarey CEO office came and demolished the boundaries. I have registered a complaint with the local police station and hope they take necessary action against those threatening me."

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While the authorities may struggle to get the rest of the city to follow social distancing and lockdown norms, one area in the city which is on board with their plan—and in fact, implementing stricter measures without being forced to—is Cuffe Parade's Machhimar Colony. The residents of this fishing colony have sealed their society, not allowing anyone to step out unless it's absolutely necessary. The residents have also decided not to fish until May 3.

The colony decided upon these strict measures after a resident was sent into quarantine on April 20, after coming into contact with a positive patient. The resident eventually tested negative.

There are a total of six fishing colonies in the Cuffe Parade-Colaba area—Machhimar Colony, Machhimar Nagar, Bhai Bandarkar Machhimar Nagar, Sagar Sanidhya Machhimar Nagar, Shivshrishti Machhimar Nagar and Shiv Shastri Machhimar Nagar. The residents of all these areas have decided to seal the colony, without any prompt from
the government.

Bhuneshwar Dhanu, advisor of Machhimar Sarvodaya Sanstha Private Limited, Cuffe Parade-Colaba, says, "Only those involved in essential services are being allowed to step out. Besides this, a team comprising youths from the colony has been formed. They stand at the gate and go buy any items that are required, without charging anyone."

Jayesh Bhoir, a resident of Machimar Colony, says, "We go to the dock after fishing, but crowds gather and so following rules of social distancing are tough. Therefore, we decided to lock ourselves in."

Chanda Jadhav, A Ward officer, says, "It is good that the people of Machhimar Colony are following the lockdown in their colony. Similarly, if all Mumbaikars adhered to the rules, we will be able to beat the Coronavirus."

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On April 3, welfare groups across the city, along with medical professionals and lawyers, issued a press release demanding the immediate withdrawal of the civic body's plans to convert any building in Mahul into a quarantine centre. They cited health concerns, due to the neighbourhood's high pollution levels. And yet, a month on, nearly 30 residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi's Lumbini Baug have been shifted to a makeshift quarantine facility at Videocon Society, Mahul. The residents had come in contact with a 55-year-old woman from their basti, whose cause of death was posthumously ruled as COVID-19.

The quarantine centre, where residents of Chembur's Cheetah Camp have also been shifted, houses approximately 100 people. The building's first and second floors are currently being used as a quarantine facility, with not more than two people to a room. The chawl residents say that the place lacks basic amenities such as running and drinking water as well as the presence of permanent medical staff. The premises is also covered with dust, has shabby sanitation facilities. Further, there has been no segregation between children and adults so far.

Smoke coming from a nearby oil refinery pollutes the area's air

The April 3 press note states that Mahul has been declared "uninhabitable" by at least two Indian courts "given the toxic environment due to the presence of polluting industries."

Citing hazardous air quality conditions, it further reads: "Mahul is completely unfit for human habitation, much less for treatment and care. To establish a quarantine centre in Mahul would not be beneficial from the health point of view, but would prove detrimental towards efforts taken by MCGM to control this pandemic."

Residents say the water is dirty and the toilets not fit for use. They argue that they were better off at their chawl

A 22-year-old resident of Lumbini Baug says, "One of the main problems is the amount of dust. If there was any running water, we ourselves would have washed the premises. This dust can cause sneezing and coughing among people who have allergies or weak immune systems."

He adds, "There is no running water in the toilets. At home, we were at least taking our own Vitamin C tablets, maintain a healthy diet, and eating nutritious food. We expected basic facilities at the centre. There is also no permanent medical staff present here. We have not received any therapy or medical treatment yet."

Advocate Lara Jesani, one of the signatories to the April 3 press note, says: "It is dangerous for people to be quarantined in Mahul because of the high level of pollution in the area. The place is congested and poorly planned and therefore creates health hazards for people who may already have a weak immune system, making it harder for them to cope with the virus."

M East Ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi refused to comment or discuss the issue. Bilal Khan of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan says, "In cases filed by us, the High Court has passed two orders declaring Mahul polluted and unfit for habitation and hence, directed the government to shift the Mahul residents to an environmentally safe place. Coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome."

The faulty design and poor sanitation of the Mahul buildings [as established from CSA report] can also result in further spread of infection, thereby endangering the residents. "Without trying other abundantly available options it is shocking that the government has sent people to such a toxic environment and that too, as a quarantine measure."

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Mulund's T ward saw the biggest spike in COVID-19 positive cases since March 2020 on Monday. There were 52 cases reported in 24 hours taking the number to 123. The number of containment zones has reached 33.

But, a major cause for concern is that the cases reported are from the slum pockets of Mulund West.

Mulund had comparatively kept the infection down till date.

There were 71 patients reported in Mulund till date, of which 52 are under treatment. There were 28 containment zones declared till now, of which 18 are active.

Authorities are on alert as Indira Nagar (19 cases), Ramgadh (15 cases) have slums. Rigorous testing and screening camps have been held in these areas.

"We had conducted camps to trace more patients, we have now received positive reports of 52 people in one day," said Assistant Municipal Commissioner (T ward) Kishor Gandhi.

According to T ward data, Amar Nagar found three new cases, Indira Nagar, 31 more cases and Ramgadh, 8 new cases in the last 24 hours. "The rising number in slum pockets is definitely worrisome, as they have narrow lanes and common toilets," said a health official on condition anonymity.

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The fact that food delivery has been classified as an essential service seems to have escaped some Mumbai Police personnel. Restaurateur Saransh Goila found this out the hard way after three separate instances of a cop entering the Andheri West outlet of his franchise, Goila's Butter Chicken, and beating up the workers there even though they were within their rights to keep the eatery functional.

The latest instance took place at 9 pm on Wednesday, when — according to Goila — an officer hit his workers with a lathi on their legs and shoulders, telling them to shut shop around 9 pm. "I had reached out to the DN Nagar police around 10 days ago [after the first two incidents] and was told that the situation wouldn't arise again since we are allowed to operate our business. So, it's unfortunate that it's been repeated. The incident occurred at 9 pm. That's not an ungodly hour, and as an essential service, we are anyway allowed to function beyond the curfew [of 7 pm]. The fact that they entered the store and beat up my guys has scared them," Goila said.

He added that he'd prefer it if the police made their stand clear. "They should just tell us straight up if they don't want us to operate and we will leave quietly," he said, voicing a thought that National Restaurants Association of India president Anurag Katriar echoed in a tweet after Wednesday's incident.

It read, "Dear @MumbaiPolice — We request u to kindly clarify if the home delivery is permitted or not? If yes, a sincere request to sensitise ur on-ground forces better & if not, do let us know. We will comply as law-abiding citizens. We have utmost respect for u. Thank u [sic]!"

In response, Senior Inspector Parmeshwar Gamne of DN Nagar Police Station said: "There are several restaurants around Golia's Butter Chicken restaurant. Not just their delivery boys, but even customers who come by to pick their orders, don't maintain social distancing rules. The crowding certainly calls for strictest action, considering the threat it poses for spread of the Coronavirus. Similarly on Wednesday, we had to take action and shut the restaurants after they refused to abide to the precautions. Social distancing cannot be compromised on."

With inputs from Shirish Vaktania

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With the cases of coronavirus continuing to surge in Mumbai, the Mumbai Police has been pulling all stops to ensure the safety of the people. The police department has been active not just in the public space but on social media with their public interest messages urging people to respect the lockdown and follow the precautions put in place by the government.

In their latest post on Twitter, the Mumbai Police has posted a series of posters used some of the famous musical bands’ names such as Backstreet Boys, Linkin Park, Oasis and U2 to make sure people follow the lockdown rules.  The police department urged their followers through slogan coined with puns asking people not to visit Linkin Park,  reminding ‘U2’ stay home and that your home is your ‘Oasis’.

The Mumbai Police said in the caption, “Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'.

Stay indoors, for we are on the streets, playing your favourite safety tunes with our 'Band-o-bast'. #LockdownPerformance #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/ejPW0Ofbfw

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 7, 2020

The post shared on Thursday morning has garnered more than 1,900 likes and was retweeted 333 times. Users commenting on the post lauded the the police department’s creativity on their social media posts.

You guys have a great taste in music!

— Rudresh Solanki (@rudresh97) May 7, 2020

Huge respect to the person/group of people managing this account and showing his/their creativity even in this tough situation!!
Kudos to the team guys.
More recognition to you all.@MumbaiPolice @OfficeofUT

— Rishabh 🇮🇳 (@Rishabh4593) May 7, 2020

You always amaze with something 😍 new.. it's a pride to b a Mumbaikar and to be safe with Mumbai police 🙏

— roshan bangera (@roshbangera32) May 7, 2020

Creativity level genius 🔥

— Karen P (@Head_in_d_cloud) May 7, 2020

What do you think about this post?

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At a time when the Coronavirus outbreak has thrown people all over the world into despair, jazz legend Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a wonderful world’ bring a sense of hope and positivity. The song’s message of having a happier and better tomorrow couldn’t be any more relevant at such a time, which is why a rendition of the song that has gone viral on YouTube has won hearts online.

The video shared by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association features four melodious singers, Prabhakar Mundukur, Shalini Gupta, Subhash Kamat, and Rajeev Raja, who are a part of the Marketing and communications field.

The video opens with a message flashed on the screen that reads, “A musical message of optimism from the four members of the Marcom industry,” after which the singers present their soothing rendition of the famous song accompanied by the piano and the flute.

Shared on Tuesday, the video has garnered 4,885 views on YouTube with tons of comments praising the rendition and how the song made them feel refreshed.

A user said, “It’s people like you who make India a splendid part of this wonderful world.” Another user said, “Wow.. what a masterpiece !! Feel so refreshing.” One more user said, “Thank you, it is indeed a wonderful world and thank you for your part in making sure we hear it in your amazing voices. Beautiful!!"

What do you think about the post?

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Dear Diana,
I met this doctor when I was hospitalised. She took care of me and gave me unconditional attention during my stay there. We exchanged our numbers and she promised to keep in touch. After getting discharged from the hospital, she regularly sent me good morning messages. In fact, the first time she came home, we indulged in some physical romance. However, she doesn't communicate much and is always mum when I tell her that I want to take the relationship ahead. I don't know what to do.
– Confused patient

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Dear Confused patient,
It's obvious there is some chemistry between the two of you. However, seeing how she keeps ignoring you advances for a relationship, it only suggests that she isn't interested in one. Don't read too much into her text messages, it could be bulk message that she sends to everyone on her list. As for getting physical with you, well may be that all she wanted from the short relationship. If you are still curious and confused about what to do, then talk and express your desire to take the relationship forward. Tell her that you are serious about her. Chances are that you will never hear from her again or she may respond to your gesture and express her true feelings. This could either be positive or negative, so don't be too heart broken if she tells you that she is just not that into you. Take it in your stride, respect her decision and move on. May be the next time you can check out the patient next to you in stead of the doctor or nurse in charge. Statutory warning: There is no medication prescribed for broken hearts, so don't dwell much on it and look for someone who feels the same way about things the way you do.

India is riding the fashionable wave inspired by Bollywood as 2017 saw movie buffs buying trends inspired by their favourite stars online, says an annual fashion report by e-commerce site Flipkart. The latest findings and trends of 2017 by Flipkart Fashion saw shoppers getting their hands on trendy outfits inspired by Bollywood.

According to the findings, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan starrer "Badrinath Ki Dulhania"; Aditya Roy Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor starrer "Ok Jaanu"; Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha starrer "Half Girlfriend"; Vidya Balan starrer "Tumhari Sulu"; Salman Khan starrer "Tubelight" and Kangana Ranaut starrer "Simran" ruled the fashion sense of the millenials.

According to Flipkart fashion report, Alia Bhatt's latest hit became the fashion guide for Indian outfits in 2017. Her style statement in the movie refreshed shopper's style quotient by purchasing cold shoulder cholis, bandhani lehenga skirts and jhumkas donned by her in the movie, said a statement. Flipkart sold thousands of jhumkas and bandhani skirts within the first month of the movie's release. The first week alone saw the sales of 2,500 plus pairs.

Shraddha made a popular fashion statement of embroidered shorts and skirts in the remake of the iconic Rahman classic "Humma Humma" in "Ok Jaanu". She again made fashion trend with skater dresses, off shoulder tops and layered looks in "Half Girlfriend". From silks to Kanjeevarams to georgettes and crepes, Vidya has always shown her love for the sari. In "Tumhari Sulu", the actress created trends again with people buying saris inspired by her looks. Smaller cities like Bhopal, Chandigarh, Nagpur and Indore shopped for the Vidya Balan look.

Another fashion trend that hit the country was the Kangana-inspired red dress from the movie "Simran". Also men's fashion wasn't far behind as Salman Khan's look with the brown shoes hanging around his neck in "Tubelight" created a lot of buzz making fans wanting to get their hands on a pair at the earliest. The brown shoes topped men's footwear search across cities for two weeks on Flipkart after the movie released.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by mid-day online. This story is taken from a syndicated feed & is published on AS IS basis.

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Deepika Padukone

We were first introduced to Suhani Parekh of Misho Designs last year, when we did a feature on the "cool gangs" that knew the best of where to eat, drink and soak in art, around the city. When we hung out with Parekh and her friends - curator Arshiya Lokhandwala and artistes Justin Ponmany and Prajakta Potnis - she seemed like someone to watch out for. One year later, we can't help, but be in awe of her steady rise.

Suhani Parekh flaunting one of her designs

If you are a social media buff, there is no way you have missed Misho Designs and all the people wearing it. Rihanna has worn it and so has Kim Kardashian. Back home, it's Deepika Padukone, Masaba Gupta and Aishwarya Rai. "I was a sculptor, so I hadn't ever thought of jewellery. I used to design some pieces for myself and then, as people saw me wearing them, they said, can you make us a pair. It's then that we just decided to sit down and make more," says Parekh, who studied to be a sculptor at Goldsmiths University in London.

It was winning a fashion magazine award for being a young designer of note that put Parekh firmly in the spotlight. "I think every young designer needs a platform that helps them put themselves out there. It was a turning point for me," the Shivaji Park resident tells us.

Misho's aesthetic, which Parekh has described as "wearable sculpture", is characterised by architectural forms and chic geometric shapes. She is inspired by Bauhaus ideology and Japanese minimalism, and names Misho after an ancient Japanese Bonsai technique, which means the process by which a seed turns into a Bonsai tree.

Parekh insists that being consistent, and staying true to one's design language has helped her brand. "I think you have to recognise where there is a gap in the market. We have lovely traditional jewellery, but how does one buy edgy pieces. I think Misho filled that void. And so, when we sent out the jewellery for fashion shoots or to a celebrity, who was on a promotion spree, they got chosen, and I am grateful for that."

It is through social media network, Instagram, that Parekh really connects with her audience. The designer, who has around 16k followers, says that it's about constantly innovating. "You can't keep doing the same thing, you need to keep pushing the envelope," she says. She also shares an important insight about the site. "Instagram likes people not products. There is a tricky balance between the two. So, what we at Misho do is, that we don't bombard people with the same kind of posts. We post around three to four times a week, and keep mixing it up. We are exposed to so many different kinds of images, and over-posting is a no-no." But, the most important lesson Parekh says is also about connecting and interacting with the audience. "I talk to people all the time, and respond to the comments. It's the best way to reach out directly."

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Uncertainty is so intrinsic to sports that elite athletes will not have much trouble coping up with a pandemic-forced lockdown, feel India's top sports psychologists as they become a part of their journey into an unchartered territory. Rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted minds as much as health and productivity, sports pyshologists Dr Chaitanya Sridhar, Nanaki J Chadha, and Keerthana Swaminathan are dealing with athletes across disciplines and economic spectrum, being their "sounding board, friend" and enabling them to process the magnitude of the situation.

"When you are dealing with athletes, you can broadly divide them in three categories—the elite, the ones who are at national level aspiring to make it and the next group is academy bunch. The reaction to lockdown will be different," said Dr Sridhar, who is associated with JSW Sports and has worked with GoSports Foundation and IPL franchise RCB.

For performance analyst and sports psychologist Nanaki, this is the time when "you help them steer clear of negative thoughts." For Keerthana, there is light at the end of the tunnel where a lot of athletes, who probably had injuries or may have been going through slump in form, get a chance to "recuperate both physically and emotionally" in the time away from sport.

But yes, there is also the disappointed lot, which was hitting the peak in what was to be an Olympic year. "As a psychologist, it breaks my heart to see those who were really peaking before the big tournament. They are the ones likely to be disappointed more. But I am a big believer in Rahul Dravid's statement: 'Control the controllables'."

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The Belgian Formula One Grand Prix scheduled for August 30 is in doubt after the country's ban on public gatherings was extended until the end of that month, organisers said. "All scenarios are being studied: postponement, holding it behind closed doors, or cancelling it. No-one can say what the situation will be in four and a half months," Vanessa Maes, the grand prix's director general, told Belga news agency.

Holding the event behind closed doors is unlikely with local backers unhappy with the financial fallout, according to the newspaper La Derniere Heure. The race is expected to join nine other grands prix that have already been cancelled or postponed this season as Formula One grapples with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our absolute priority remains the health of the Belgian people and the spectators who come to Spa-Francorchamps," the race venue, said Maes.
The French Grand Prix scheduled for June 28 is also in doubt. A decision on whether to go ahead with the race behind closed doors or to postpone or scrap the event is expected in the coming days.

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Legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra believes once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, it could be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports due to absence of much foreign exposure. "The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure. We need to build our own coaches and our own support staff," Bindra said on Monday. The entire sporting calendar has come to a grinding halt across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. Major sporting events, including Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon, have either been postponed or cancelled.

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, alongwith Nandan Kamath, lawyer and managing trustee GoSports Foundation, on Monday addressed the newly-appointed assistant directors and other senior officials of Sports Authority of India (SAI) during a special session. Bindra said that as sports administrators they need to work towards creating an alternate skill development programme for athletes to ensure their well-being in the long run.

"We need to look after athletes because the very nature of sport is that more will fail than succeed. It is important that athletes have backup plans in case their sports career doesn't work out," he pointed out. Bindra further said that sports administrators need to understand the psychology of an athlete to be able to build them up because athletes pass through different phases because of the nature of sport and the probability of failure.

"An expert can give a larger overview of the various elements that go into sporting performance and that's where you will understand where performance is built and what are the various elements that go into performance and then you will start to have a better and deeper understanding of where performance is built. Results at a competition cannot be the only denominator when planning for an Olympic Games or an Asian Games," he added.

Bindra spoke at length on his experience as an athlete and also on the future of sports in India. "The one per cent (of athletes) makes all the difference in sport, and as our sports ecosystem starts maturing, we need to start focussing on that one percent for all athletes," he said.

Stressing on the need to build a strong talent identification and nurturing programme, he added, "Getting foundations right is important, a lot of work on that has already been started with the Khelo India programme and also emphasis placed on junior programme of different sports.

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Formula One boss Chase Carey on Monday targeted the Coronavirus-hit season eventually starting in Austria on July 5 after the French Grand Prix was cancelled and fans barred from the British race at Silverstone.

The French Grand Prix, which was to have been held on June 28, was the tenth race of the season to be scrapped or postponed. "We're targeting a start to racing in Europe through July, August and beginning of September, with the first race taking place in Austria on 3-5 July weekend," Carey said in a statement.

"September, October and November, would see us race in Eurasia, Asia and the Americas, finishing the season in the Gulf in December with Bahrain before the traditional finale in Abu Dhabi, having completed between 15-18 races."

Chase Carey

French GP called off
Carey's statement followed quickfire announcements from the French organisers and a statement from the owners of the Silverstone track where the British Grand Prix is due to take place on July 19.

"Given the evolution of the situation linked to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the French Grand Prix takes note of the decisions announced by the French state, making it impossible to maintain our event," the race's managing director Eric Boullier said.

It joins nine other races in the decimated 2020 championship to be either cancelled (Australia, Monaco) or postponed (Bahrain, China, Vietnam, Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada).

Organisers of the race at Le Castellet were forced to act after President Emmanuel Macron's announcement last week that the lockdown in France will be extended until May 11 and public gatherings banned until mid-July. Ruling out holding the race behind closed doors, Boullier said: "Le Castellet are already turning towards the summer of 2021".

What about the fans?
F1 supremo Carey said he expected "the early races to be without fans" but hoped that spectators would be allowed back "as we move further into the schedule". He added: "We still have to work out many issues like the procedures for the teams and our other partners to enter and operate in each country. The health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority one and we will only go forward if we are confident we have reliable procedures to address both risks and possible issues."

Revised F1 calendar

July 5: Austria
July 19: Great Britain
August 2: Hungary
August 30: Belgium
September 6: Italy
September 20 Singapore
September 27: Russia
October 11: Japan
October 25: United States
November 1: Mexico
November 15: Brazil
November 29: Abu Dhabi

Races postponed: Bahrain (March 22), Vietnam (April 5), China (April 19), Netherlands (May 3), Spain (May 10), Monaco (May 24), Azerbaijan (June 7), Canada (June 14)

Races cancelled: Australia (March 15), France (June 28)

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Silverstone owners said on Monday that no spectators would be able to attend the British Grand Prix due to the coronavirus pandemic but the race is still scheduled to go ahead.

The French Grand Prix scheduled for June 28 was cancelled on Monday but while organisers have not yet made a final decision on postponing or cancelling the July 19 British race, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle paved the way for a behind-closed-doors race.

"I am extremely disappointed to tell you that we are unable to stage this year's British Grand Prix in front of the fans at Silverstone," Pringle in his statement on Silverstone's Twitter account. "We have left this difficult decision for as long as possible, but it is abundantly clear given the current conditions... that a grand prix under normal conditions is just not going to be possible."

Britain has been one of the countries worst affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, with the number of deaths topping 20,000. The actual toll could be much higher when deaths in the community are taken into account, particularly at care homes. The French Grand Prix is the 10th leg of the 2020 championship to be either scrapped (Australia, Monaco, France) or postponed (Bahrain, China, Vietnam, Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada).

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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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American singer Ciara, who is expecting her second child with National Football League (NFL) star hubby Russell Wilson, has some advice for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several hospitals and healthcare facilities in many countries have decided to ban partners from accompanying pregnant women for their doctor's appointments or entering the delivery room.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ciara spoke about how pregnant women should make optimum use of technology to involve their partners during the maternity period.

Ciara revealed how she had to FaceTime Russell so that he could experience the ultrasound with her. "It was the first time we ever had that kind of experience and it was really a moment that marked the time we are living in... we made the best of it, but it was definitely surreal. I took tons and tons of videos, tons and tons of photos during the ultrasound and made the best of that. Also, what we do in our house is we sing to the belly," Ciara said.

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American TV star and model Olivia Culpo celebrated a unique prom night during self-isolation with her National Football League (NFL) star boyfriend Christian McCaffrey, 23.

The couple partied with Olivia's sister Sophia and Christian's mother Lisa besides other family members. "Tonight is prom night with our quarantine crew," the Sports Illustrated model Olivia wrote on social media alongside pictures and a video of their celebration. "Lisa made all the boys do a "promposal" and now's she torturing all of us with chores," added Olivia, 27.

The outdoor party in a cocktail lounge area could also be a celebration of Christian's four-year $64 million (R484 crore) contract extension signed with NFL side Carolina Panthers in April.

The group ate, drank and also played with a unique bubble machine, blowing bubbles for everyone around.

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Pranav Mody, mixologist at Sassy Spoon, puts final touches on the Berry Berry Khatta

While creating the bar menu for Juhu's +91, head of operations Jatinkumar Jajal, was clear about one thing: The teetotallers shouldn't feel shortchanged. Having refrained from boozy binges whenever in the driver's seat, Jajal was familiar with the plight of non-drinkers, who often have little to woo them at bars. "I wanted to go beyond the regular fresh lime soda," he says. That the restaurant has been inspired by the highlights of regions across India, meant the drinks had to toe the line. Jalal spent three months travelling the length and breadth of the country as part of his research.

Puerto Rican Sunrise. Pics/Bipin Kokate

Today, +91's bar menu boasts of 40 options, of which 20 are mocktails including a Slushy Aam Imli Panna prepared from raw mangoes of Konkan and Banarasi Paan Colada made of paan, fresh cream and pineapple from Varanasi. "Most restaurants don't exceed four options," he says. As it turns out, Jajal isn't the only one applying his talent to non-alcoholic drinks.

The bartender at +91 garnishes the Slushy Aam Imli Panna. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

Jitin Merani, chief operating officer of Drinq Barmen and Academy, who has designed the menu for Irish House and Magazine Bar and Kitchen, feels bars are no longer all about alcohol. In fact, he recently designed an elaborate mocktail menu for Kill Cafe at Seven Bungalow with over 20 options. "A lot of traditionally teetotaller communities like Marwaris and Jains have started frequenting bars. Hence, restaurant owners are feeling the need to invest in their non-alcoholic section," he says. Merani feels it's the holistic experience that counts. "People want a good ambience, great food and a drink worth their salt, whether alcoholic or not," he says.

Pranav Mody, mixologist at Sassy Spoon, believes the trend has picked up in the last couple of years. "A lot of people who visit the restaurant don't prefer alcohol, either because they're teetotallers, are trying to go healthy," says Mody adding that the festivals season also witnesses a drop in demand for alcohol. The Sassy Spoon upped its mocktails menu during a revamp last year. "We felt mocktails offered a chance to experiment with fresh fruits and herbs that hold health properties," he says. In fact, one of their signature mocktails, the Berry Berry Khatta made of fresh mulberries muddled with oranges, grapes and kala khatta, inspired a cocktail. "We decided to spike it with some Absolut raspberry vodka, and the flavours blended beautifully."

The inherent ability of alcohol to lend flavour to a drink has made many bartenders focus more on cocktails. "Alcohol has its own elements that bind flavours together. Mocktails, on the other hand, are notoriously known for having high sugar content," says Mody. He gives us the example of a Virgin Mojito and Caprioska, which are almost impossible to prepare without sugar. "I do get several requests from patrons for sugar-free variants of these drinks, but if I don't end up adding sugar, it'll taste extremely sour," he says. That's where fresh fruits and sugar replacements like honey and stevia count.

While some restaurants may have upped their mocktail menus, it's still not up everybody's alley. Terttulia at Prabhadevi has refrained from having a mocktail section altogether. But as owner Imrun Sethi insists, his team entertains requests for mocktails. "Most of our cocktails can be made into mocktails. In fact, our bartenders are always customising drinks based on requests we receive. No mocktail has ever been a high seller even in the past and the current health wave doesn't help," he says. Sethi is of the opinion that many teetotalers have now moved from drinking mocktails to other beverages, and therefore they never see a very high demand for mocktails.

Fernando Alonso

McLaren yesterday said they would drop Honda engines in favour of Renault at the end of this season, ending a troubled partnership with the Japanese manufacturer as they bid to return to the top of Formula One.

The celebrated British marque announced a three-year deal covering 2018, 2019 and 2020 with France's Renault, who simultaneously unveiled a split with Toro Rosso — who will now be powered by Honda. Honda's exit is likely to convince Fernando Alonso to stay at McLaren next year.

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo topped the timesheets by a dominant margin ahead of teammate Max Verstappen, as Red Bull marked themselves out as contenders for victory on the opening day of Singapore Grand Prix practice.

Ricciardo put in a dazzling one minute 40.852 second lap under the floodlights, setting a new record around the Marina Bay street circuit after having already lowered the earlier benchmark with the fastest time in the opening session.

His effort was a massive 0.556 seconds quicker than Verstappen's best. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton meanwhile, chasing a hat-trick of wins this weekend, was third fastest after having been fourth in the opening session.

His title rival Sebastian Vettel, second in the evening, was inconspicuous at night with only the 11th fastest time.

Singapore's tight twists are expected to play to Ferrari and Red Bull's strengths and Vettel briefly lit up the timing screens. Valtteri Bottas, who agreed a one-year contract extension with Mercedes, ended the day fourth-fastest.

F1 leader Lewis Hamilton heads into this weekend's Japanese GP grateful to have extended his overall championship advantage, but conscious that his Mercedes team have their work cut out to rediscover their car's lost speed. The German team were the third slowest team for the second weekend in a row at the last race in Malaysia, after also similarly struggling for pace in Singapore.

Lewis Hamilton

The Briton heads into Sunday's race at the Suzuka circuit, where he has won twice before, with a heftier 34-point lead over the Ferrari driver with five races to go, but only because of the misfortune that has blunted the German's championship charge.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton after claiming pole in Melbourne on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images

World champion Lewis Hamilton claimed the first pole position of the 2018 Formula One season, unleashing a dazzling display of speed that stunned his rivals in the dying seconds of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver, who goes into the season as favourite to clinch a fifth world championship, lit up the timing screens with a late one minute 21.164-second lap, the fastest ever around Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit.

That put him a gaping 0.664 seconds clear of his closest challenger Kimi Raikkonen, who will line up alongside the Briton on the front row. The Finn’s Ferrari team-mate and 2017 title runner-up Sebastian Vettel was third 0.674 seconds off the pace.

Yesterday’s pole was the 73rd of Hamilton’s career. The 33-year-old is already Formula One’s most successful qualifier, having surpassed Michael Schumacher’s previous benchmark of 68 pole positions last year. He now also holds the record for most poles at Albert Park, with yesterday’s effort his seventh around the 5.3-kilometer long circuit.

“You would think it had become the norm with all the success we've had these last years, but it's still just as intense,” said Hamilton whose Mercedes team have swept to four straight constructors' titles.

“My heart is racing. I'm always striving for perfection and that was as close as I could get today."

Qualifying offered the first chance of the season for fans to see how the teams all stacked up against each other.

The initial runs in the final pole-position shoot-out phase of qualifying fuelled hopes of a three way battle between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull at the front.

Hamilton held provisional pole after the initial laps, but only just, with Vettel a marginal 0.034 seconds adrift and Max Verstappen 0.061 seconds off the pace. He then dashed all hopes of an evenly matched contest, pulling out all the stops and banging in the lap that clinched him pole.

Vettel, who won at Albert Park last year after starting alongside pole-sitter Hamilton, and Raikkonen were refusing to write off their chances, however.

Mercedes are known to switch the engine on to a more powerful qualifying-only mode — dubbed the ‘party mode’ this year — with their advantage shrinking on race day as they opt for a more normal setting.

“Yeah, I hope they did turn it on today, as that means they have to turn it off tomorrow,” said Vettel.

“I think it’s very close. I think we saw yesterday in the long runs that the pace is very close, so let’s see.”

Hamilton denied turning the engine up between the two runs with team boss Toto Wolff putting it down to the Briton simply getting the car and tyres into the sweet spot.

“What were you doing before?” Vettel asked kicking off an amusing round of banter between the two four-time champions who, in an unprecedented scenario in Formula One history, will be going head-to-head for a fifth title.

“I was waiting to put a good lap in, wipe the smile off your face!” Hamilton shot back.

Verstappen had to eventually settle for fourth, with Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo fifth. The Australian, however, will start his home race eighth after copping a three-place grid penalty for speeding under red flags in practice on Friday. Both Red Bulls have opted to start the race on the more durable supersoft tyre as opposed to their rivals who will start today’s race on the ultra-soft.

Kevin Magnussen will instead start fifth for Haas ahead of team-mate Romain Grosjean as the American team continued to turn heads with their speed after chalking up their best ever qualifying result.

Nico Hulkenberg qualified eighth but will start seventh on account of Ricciardo’s penalty. His Renault team-mate Carlos Sainz will start ninth.

Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne just failed to make it through into the top-ten shootout in McLaren’s first qualifying session since ditching Honda for Renault power. The pair set the 11th and 12th fastest times.

Valtteri Bottas provided the biggest drama of the session, crashing his Mercedes in the final phase of qualifying without setting a time. The incident brought a brief red flag.

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Gaganjeet Bhullar, who was tied 3rd last week in the Queens Cup, moved into contention once again with a superb six-under 66, which carried him to 14-under at the Sarawak Championship here yesterday. Bhullar was three behind the leader Paul Peterson of the US who posted a bogey-free three-under-par 69 to hold a narrow one-shot lead over countryman John Catlin in the third round.

Bhullar had rounds of 68-68 on first two days and is now in prime position to make a charge for his first win this season and the ninth on Asian Tour in his career. Bhullar had seven birdies, four on front nine and three on back nine against just one solitary bogey on Par-3 eighth. Among other Indians, Himmat Rai (68-67-70) was tied 11th and Ajeetesh Sandhu (68-71-67) was tied 16th. S Chikkarangappa (70-67-70) was tied 19th, while Khalin Joshi (68-70-71) and Honey Baisoya (71-69-69) were tied 31st.

The other two Indians who made the cut were Aman Raj (74) at tied 44th and Jeev Milkha Singh (73) at tied 53rd. Rashid Khan (75) was tied 63, while Viraj Madappa, Chiragh Kumar and M Dharma missed the cut. Bhullar said, "I hit the ball really good. I hit all the fairways and missed only three greens. Overall it was a good day in terms of ball striking. I got off to a good start with two birdies and that gave me a lot of boost and confidence.

"I'm happy to be in this position. I've been striking the ball really good in the last four months. The trick is all mental now. If I'm able to do the same thing in the last few days, I will be happy with my game." "Golf is a funny sport and anything is possible. Everybody is giving their 100 percent and so am I. I'll go out there and do my best. Game wise, I'm feeling really confident and I've been converting a lot of good scores and giving myself a lot of opportunities."

Bhullar opened with birdie-birdie and then had three pars. He followed up with birdies on sixth and seventh and dropped his only shot on eighth. On the back nine, he birdied on the 10th, 12th and 17th. Peterson, who won his first Asian Tour title in January, fired three birdies on his homeward nine to hold on to his lead for the third straight day on 17-under-par 199 at the Damai Golf and Country Club.

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Fernando Alonso, 37, who announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, could get married to Italian supermodel Linda Morselli, 29, soon.

According to reports in Socialite program, one of the reasons that could have made Alonso take the decision to leave F1 is that he wants to lead a happy married life and start a family with his girlfriend of two years.

Linda Morselli. Pic/Getty Images

While announcing his retirement, Alonso, had said in a statement: "After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it's time for me to make a change and move on. I'm having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures."

Recently, Morselli posted this picture on social media kissing Alonso and captioned it: "Love you." If Alonso gets married, it will be his second wedding. He was married to singer Raquel del Rosario till 2011.

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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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Actor Rahul Bose will reveal his secret lockdown wellness hacks on Being Yoga, India's first Virtual Wellness Festival.

At a time when the world is amidst a lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, personalities from different walks of life are coming together to conduct a virtual yoga wellness festival.

"I am really looking forward to sharing my secret lockdown wellness hacks with you. Do join Being Yoga on May 3 to raise funds for COVID-1919," said Rahul. The wellness festival will be held on May 2 and 3.

From doctors to spiritual gurus, yoga practitioners, the festival will see the participation of names who will talk about the importance of wellness, philosophy and relevance in our lives during these challenging times.

Actor Ashish Vidyarthi, tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi and more will be joining in and speaking about the importance of yoga.

"I'm used to a rigorous fitness and work routine and staying motivated during lockdown hasn't been easy. Find out how I've been keeping fit and how I've made the lockdown into a very productive time," said Mahesh.

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Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, Bollywood celebrities have been flaunting their culinary skills on social media. Actor Pulkit Samrat treated his actress-girlfriend Kriti Kharbanda to some prawns.

Kriti took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of the prawn curry made by Pulkit and she captioned it: "And then, death by amaze food happened! @pulkitamrat showing off his cooking skills."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

@pulkitsamrat ❤️

A post shared by Kriti Kharbanda (@kriti.kharbanda) onApr 24, 2020 at 3:03am PDT

Recently, Kriti shared a post where she could be seen enjoying a champi (oil massage on the head) by her boyfriend Pulkit Samrat. She also jokingly claimed that her new motto in life is to make Pulkit give her a champi!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

First I made him look like Champak, then made him give me a champi! 😋😋😋 @pulkitsamrat heya! Thanks ya! 😛😘 #quarantinememories #yelocozyolo (this is officially my new motto in life)

A post shared by Kriti Kharbanda (@kriti.kharbanda) onApr 14, 2020 at 10:28pm PDT

Meanwhile Pulkit took to Instagram and posted a black and white picture of himself along with his dog -- a husky.

"Ek Dooje Ke Liye (for each other)" he captioned the image.

On the work front, Kriti and Pulkit were together seen in Anees Bazmee's comedy caper "Pagalpanti. Kriti will next be seen in "Taish". Pulkit will next be seen in "Haathi Mere Saathi and "Taish".

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As Irrfan Khan leaves us with memories and also a lot of pain, Bollywood celebrities are taking to their Twitter accounts to express their thoughts on this irreparable loss. Priyanka Chopra, who worked with the actor in 7 Khoon Maaf and Gunday, has also tweeted about him.

She wrote - "The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues... You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family." (sic)

Have a look right here:

The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family. pic.twitter.com/vjhd5aoFhc

— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) April 29, 2020

Both 7 Khoon Maaf and Gunday were poles apart in their storytelling and performances, and displayed Irrfan Khan's talent and tenacity. If 7 Khoon Maaf was a thriller about a woman and her seven husbands, where Khan played the trickiest part, Gunday was an action potboiler that was bathed in the kind of masala people enjoyed watching in the 70s, with Irrfan playing one of his most delicious and heroic roles.

The actor will truly be missed by one and all!

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Irrfan's passing is a huge loss for the entire film fraternity, but I have lost a dear friend today. We were destined to be friends. I was 19 when I first met him at the National School of Drama, where I was a few years junior to him. Since then, Irrfan has played different roles in my life — sometimes he was a pal, other times, an elder brother. There were times when he would push me to work harder, like a mentor.

Not many know that he was a part of my first directorial venture in Mumbai — a show called Hum Bambai Nahin Jayenge for Business India TV (BITV). Shekhar Kapur was the creative head of the channel, and asked me to direct the show. I reached out to Irrfan, who had come to Mumbai four years before me, and that was the beginning [of our professional collaboration]. We worked on several serials for Star Bestsellers, and finally collaborated on Haasil (2003).

Tigmanshu Dhulia

He was a gentle human being who was so evolved in his ideas. He was an outdoor guy who expressed concern for the environment. In fact, he used to love flying kites. Whenever we needed time to prepare for a shot, we used to hand him a kite. He would happily indulge in it till we were ready. He was a charming, happy-go-lucky guy.

Over the last few months, we could not speak regularly because he had stopped using his cell phone. So, I would keep in touch with his wife Sutapa. I visited him at the hospital on Tuesday. He was unconscious but breathing; it was heart-wrenching to see him like that. Right now, I am numb; it will take time to process his loss. I will miss a friend with whom I could have any discussion without the fear of being judged. I will miss hearing his insightful views and taking his advice on matters.

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Filmmaker Anurag Basu, who directed Irrfan Khan in his 2007 movie Life In A... Metro, said he was hopeful the actor will come out of the cancer battle. Irrfan died on Wednesday, losing a two-year battle with neuroendocrine tumour, a rare form of cancer that targets various organs of the body.

He was 53. Basu, who has himself battled cancer, said he hoped that Irrfan would also win his fight with the disease as he did. In 2004, the director was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. "I was hoping he would pull it off. I was hopeful because I had pulled through it. He was responding well to the treatment so we thought... This is very unfortunate. I couldn't meet him. I am feeling very very bad for it as I will never get to see him.

#Throwback to our Television days
It was always a challenge to capture your brilliance.
You left us too soon.
But then you were always gypsy at heart and never liked to stay in one place too long.
You lived a hundred in your 53 years . pic.twitter.com/rGipwSOZAD

— anurag basu (@basuanurag) April 29, 2020

"But I did meet Sutapa (Irrfan's wife) while the treatment was going on. It was a long, long fight. He fought this battle alone away from everyone," the filmmaker told PTI. Basu said when Irrfan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, his wife Sutapa was shaken and had made several queries to ascertain how he got cured.

"After he was diagnosed, Sutapa had called me as she wanted to know the details because I had gone through the same. I didn't meet him in person after that. But I was in touch with him over phone when he was in London. When he came here sadly I couldn't meet him in person,' he said. The filmmaker, who has worked with Irrfan on 2007 movie 'Life in a... Metro', believes there will never be an actor like him.

"I have done some of my best work in television with Irrfan. People just know that we have worked in `Life In a Metro' but we have worked together a lot on television. Irrfan is a unique actor. "He has created a space for himself on his own here and in Hollywood. Nobody can take that space from him. There is no the other actor like Irrfan Khan and there will be no one like him. He was unique."

Basu also revealed that he had discussed the story idea about 'Life in a 'Metro' sequel with Irrfan, which the actor had liked. "I was supposed to start a film with him. We were talking about 'Metro' sequel. We were waiting for Irrfan and didn't start that film. We had discussed the idea back then and he loved the character and he wanted to do that again. This was one month before he was diagnosed.'

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Hindi and world cinema lost a shining star when Irrfan Khan passed away yesterday, April 29, 2020. The actor, who was battling Neuroendocrine cancer for two years, left his fans and the industry in shock and sorrow after he passed away.

Irrfan Khan was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri, Mumbai, for a colon infection, where he breathed his last. Irrfan was laid to rest at 3 pm yesterday.

In a recent interview with ETimes, actress Mrinal Kulkarni opened up about Irrfan Khan, who was her TV show Shrikant co-star. Kulkarni shared, "The thing is, I am working with cancer organisations for the last few years and then I got to know about Irrfan. We were connected to each other when he was a cancer survivor but his cancer was of a rare type and even after being a strong-willed person he couldn't win the battle. Sometimes, there is nothing in our hands and that is true."

Mrinal Kulkarni, who worked with Irrfan Khan in another TV show, Sparsh, added, "Actually, I knew he was not well and it was a tough fight. After losing his mother, he became more weak and emotional. I somewhere felt that there were tough times ahead for him." Irrfan Khan's mother, Saeda Begum, passed away on April 25, 2020, at age 95.

Talking about Irrfan Khan as an actor and individual, Kulkarni shared, "He used to speak very less. I didn't know that we would ever become friends. After that, we worked together a lot and we became best friends."

Irrfan Khan's last film, Angrezi Medium, released in March this year. He was known for his performances in films like Maqbool, The Namesake, A Mighty Heart, Paan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox, and Hindi Medium, among others.

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After singing an African lullaby, O lele, Kalki Koechlin is now singing a Portuguese lullaby, Nessa rua, to baby daughter Sappho. Taking to Instagram, the actor posted a video in which she is seen strumming the ukulele and singing to the two-month-oldKoechlin informed that she learnt it while playing the Portuguese character Tara in the web series, Smoke. It seems the baby does not sleep till mommy sings.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kalki (@kalkikanmani) onApr 27, 2020 at 10:39pm PDT

Kalki Koechlin is known to be an eco-warrior and the actress has many a time appealed to her fans to take care of the environment more. Looks like the actress believes in doing what she preaches!

Baby Sappho was both on February 7. Kalki, who turned mother, even shared a long post thanking everyone for her wishes and positive energy. She also gave all the respect to all the women who go through the intense and gruesome experience of birth.

On the professional front, Kalki Koechlin was last seen in Zee5's Bhram and Netflix' Sacred Games.

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For me, Rishi is more than a colleague. He has been a friend, for many years. His loss is a blow to all of us on both personal and professional levels. Rishi was a pure soul who was known not to mince his words. I am going to deeply miss him.

We have done five films together and I have some wonderful memories of us working. Bol Radha Bol was an experience I will always remember. The last few years was hard on Rishi but he never let people know what he was going through. It's hard to believe he isn't amongst us any more and it's a loss that I don't know how we'll recover from.

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Rishi Kapoor wasn't just a phenomenal actor but also a very lively and lovable human. As exhilarating as his on-screen persona, his real-life demeanour was just as entertaining. In a devastating piece of news, he left us for heavenly adobe on Thursday, 30 April at 8:45 am after a two-year battle with leukaemia. His last rites were performed at the Chandanwadi Crematorium in Kalbadevi, Mumbai, near the H.N Reliance hospital where he was admitted.

Apart from son Ranbir Kapoor, wife Neetu Kapoor, Rishi's death left his daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni bereaved. Riddhima, who lives in Delhi, could not make it to the funeral in Mumbai. Riddhima took to her Instagram and poured her heart out through multiple Instagram stories.

Riddhima shared a couple of photos on her Instagram story, which will bring tears to your eyes. In the pictures, we can see Rishi, Neetu and Riddhima in their happier times. "I miss you already. Come back na papa". "Wish I could be there to say goodbye to you papa," she wrote.

The ace jewellery designer also shared a throwback picture with her brother Ranbir Kapoor. The kids can be seen enjoying with late Rishi Kapoor.

Before this, Riddhima had posted a picture with her dad along with an emotional Instagram post. “Papa I love you I will always love you - RIP my strongest warrior I will miss you everyday I will miss your FaceTime calls everyday! I wish I could be there to say goodbye to you ! Until we meet again papa I love you - your Mushk forever (sic)",  she wrote.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Riddhima Kapoor Sahni (RKS) (@riddhimakapoorsahniofficial) onApr 30, 2020 at 1:13am PDT

Rishi Kapoor had been battling cancer since 2018 and had spent a year in New York seeking treatment for the same. He breathed his last at age 67.

His mortal remains were taken directly to a crematorium near the hospital. The funeral was attended by Saif Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Rajiv Kapoor, and other members of the Kapoor family. 

Rishi Kapoor has left behind millions of memories for all his fans and Cinema lovers that can never be forgotten. With a career of over five decades and tons of blockbusters and classics, we shall make sure he's always alive and among us!

You will be missed Chintuji!!

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I came to know about his demise through Amitabh Bachchan's tweet. Then I called up his family, but there was no response. When I switched on the TV, I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. Earlier this year, we spoke about his new film and shooting. I asked him, 'Why do you work? You should take rest now. God has rung an alarm'. He said, 'You can rest, but I can't. In the last five years, you didn't make any film after Kaanchi. Make a new film, I am with you, everyone is with you'. It was like my dad scolding me whereas I had gone to scold him! I started laughing.

For me, he is always Chintu, a kid. I could see a child in him till the end of his life. Our relationship was not at a professional level. He was one of my dear friends. He was a simple soul, blunt, frank, honest. Agar galat baat pe lada toh woh phone karta (if he fought on wrong issues, he would call up) to apologise. I would always tell him he is a star with a loverboy face, so no one would give him roles of a mafia chief, a dada or a gay man. Later in life, he did those roles and shocked me. And said, 'Now you write a role for me'.

He knew that if he suited a character, I would cast him; otherwise, I wouldn't. We used to often meet at functions, share meals at each other's homes. Generally, after a film gets over, the actor forgets you and moves on. People used to be surprised thinking 'these two don't do films together but dosti bahut hai'.

I would include Rishi Kapoor in one of the top five finest actors of India. He belonged to a family that was always united. He struck a great balance between family and professional values. That was the best quality in Rishi Kapoor. That was the best quality of Rishi Kapoor. A child star has gone. An actor who remained a child star for 45 years (sic).

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Actress Rati Agnihotri, who worked with Rishi Kapoor in films like "Tawaif" and "Yeh Hai Jalwa", says the late actor will be greatly missed.

"(It's) A huge loss. (He used to be) So alive. I will miss him a lot. He was a wonderful person. Rest in peace Rishi, " Rati, who currently lives in Poland, told IANS.

Rishi, who died on Thursday in Mumbai after a two-year battle with leukaemia, had featured in several iconic films in his career of over four decades. And in his Bollywood journey, he had been a part of several women-oriented films. "Tawaif", in which Rati has the starring role, is one such film.

In the movie, Dawood (Rishi) accepts Sultana (Rati), a courtesan, as his wife in spite of being in love with an author, Kaynat (Poonam Dhillion).

Rishi had even once shared his happiness to be part of such films.

"Since the olden time whenever there were films made on the idea of women empowerment, I was part of those films, like 'Prem Rog', 'Damini', 'Tawaif', 'Chandni', and many more. I have done many films that reflect the future way of thinking. I have always played my part. I have always helped and encouraged women empowerment," he once said.

"No one can say that I haven't done anything; you can blame other actors who have always done macho films and actions films. I am the one who has supported and made such films I can't think of anyone else who has," Rishi had said.

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Kulmeet Makkar, CEO, Producers Guild of India (PGI), died on Friday morning. He was 60.

Makkar suffered a massive heart attack and passed away in Dharamsala, PGI spokesperson told PTI.

In a statement PGI remembered Makkar for his immense contribution in the growth of Indian film and television industry.

“Today we lost our pillar of strength. Kulmeet is irreplaceable. His passion, integrity,resourcefulness and commitment were only matched by his deep empathy and unique ability to find a way through the toughest situations.

“Today we have lost someone who has played an integral role - always unassumingly and behind the scenes to nurture and grow the Indian film and television industry. Our dearest Kulmeet, you will always be missed. Your legacy will live on,” the statement read.

Many from the film industry including filmmakers Karan Johar, Ashoke Pandit, Subhash Ghai and actor Sanjay Suri among others paid tributes to Makkar on social media.

Johar said he tirelessly worked towards advancement of the film industry.

Kulmeet you were such an incredible pillar to all of us at the Producers Guild of India....relentlessly working for the industry and towards its enhancement and advancement... you left us too soon...We will miss you and always Remember you fondly.... Rest in peace my friend, he posted on Twitter.

Kulmeet you were such an incredible pillar to all of us at the Producers Guild of India....relentlessly working for the industry and towards its enhancement and advancement... you left us too soon...We will miss you and always Remember you fondly.... Rest in peace my friend... pic.twitter.com/GUcapyjfMo

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) May 1, 2020

Ashutosh Gowariker wrote, "A sad day for the Film & Television Producers Guild of India! The CEO #KulmeetMakkar has passed away. Kulmeet, THANK YOU for always being there - to help, solve, inform, strategize, corporatize & build relations! You will be missed! Heartfelt condolences to the family.”

A sad day for the Film & Television Producers Guild of India! The CEO #KulmeetMakkar has passed away.

Kulmeet, THANK YOU for always being there - to help, solve, inform, strategize, corporatize & build relations!
YOU will be missed! 🙏

Heartfelt condolences to the family! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/pKJjgYSiWl

— Ashutosh Gowariker (@AshGowariker) May 1, 2020

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Rishi Kapoor 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. His niece Karishma Kapoor had something more to say than just paying condolences. Karishma shared a beautiful family portrait on her Instagram handle. The picture includes Neetu Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Babita Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rima Jain, Armaan Jain, Aadar Jain and Kunal Kapoor, among other members of the family.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Family ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) onMay 1, 2020 at 4:23am PDT

The picture left Rishi's fan emotional who poured their heart out in the comments section by saying that they will miss Rishi.

Karisma is the elder daughter of Randhir Kapoor who is Rishi's elder brother. Earlier in the day, Karisma had shared a black and white throwback photo and wrote, "Always looking over family... chintu uncle will miss discussing food and restaurants with you... #uncle #legend".

 

 

 

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Always looking over family..💔 chintu uncle will miss discussing food and restaurants with you.. #uncle #legend

A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) onApr 30, 2020 at 1:06am PDT

Kareena Kapoor Khan, too, remembered her Chintu uncle in a sweet way. She shared a clip from husband Saif Ali Khan's film, Hum Tum, in which Rishi Kapoor can be seen singing the classic Hindi song, 'Main Shayar Toh Nahi', from his own movie Bobby, which was his first leading role.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) onApr 30, 2020 at 8:34am PDT

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

The best boys I know... Papa and Chintu uncle ❤ï¸Ââ¤ï¸Â

A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) onApr 30, 2020 at 2:02am PDT

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Rahul Bose has been in association with Akshara Centre, an NGO that works towards women empowerment, to develop a campaign against domestic violence for over a decade. The actor believes the video—titled #LockdownOnDomesticViolence and featuring a string of celebrities, including Karan Johar, Sachin Tendulkar, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma—was the need of the hour as cases of domestic violence have witnessed a spike amid the lockdown.

"The video had to be in three languages—Marathi, because the majority of our state understands the language, and Hindi, for the migrant population in the state. The English campaign has been noticed by people the world over," says Bose.

The state government has launched several numbers, including the uniform state helpline number 100, where women can register their complaints. One can probably determine the endeavour's success by studying if there has been a drop in the cases reported since the video released. However, he disagrees, "We have to consider the other possibility that domestic violence is continuing, and yet, women can't report it."

Ever since the release of Kabir Singh in 2019, and consequently, Thappad earlier this year, there has been a larger discussion about representation of casual violence on screen. The actor, however, believes movies have minimal effect on social behaviour. "There's little co-relation between the two factors. Films don't need to carry a positive message, but they shouldn't carry a negative one, that does disservice. A ground-up campaign, in which the same message is passed on consistently, film on film, year on year, can change behaviour more than a movie can." To make his case, he cites how the state of California launched a multi-media campaign against tobacco consumption, leading to a 12 per cent drop in sales after 20 years. "So, looking at the misogyny and status of women in India, we need a ground campaign over decades to attain gender justice. Then the Delhi gangrape happened, there was a significant push forward, but we need to be at it for decades."

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Actress Rakul Preet Singh has relived her childhood days in a new post she shared on social media. Rakul took to Instagram and shared a video where she plays games like "dog and the bone", "Kabbadi" and "chidiya ud" with her brother Aman Preet.

"When time takes you back to your childhood #quarantinediaries," the actress captioned the video. 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

#quarantinediaries with @amanpreetoffl ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Rakul Singh (@rakulpreet) onMay 2, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

On the acting front, Rakul will soon be seen in a cross-border romantic-comedy with actor Arjun Kapoor. The film is directed by debutant Kaashvie Nair and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham.

Rakul will also be seen in Kamal Haasan's ambitious upcoming film "Indian 2", which also stars Kajal Aggarwal and Vidyut Jammwal.

Her brother Aman Preet Singh is all set to make his Bollywood debut with the film "Ram Rajya". It also stars Shobita Rana, Salman Sheikh, Shashwat Pratik, Rajesh Sharma, Govind Namdev, Manoj Bakshi, Sandeep Bhojak, Mukhtar Dekhani and Mushtaq Khan.

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The leaked video of Rishi Kapoor in the ICU has enraged Bollywood. Industry folk consider it a violation of privacy and have demanded a probe. Singer and minister Baabul Supriyo reportedly said,  "Hospitals should have a zero tolerance policy for such acts and the person concerned may well be sacked for good."

Reacting to such forwarded video clip, several celebrities including Arjun Kapoor, Karan Wahi and Mini Mathur called out the hospital for staff negligence. Without mentioning the particular leaked video, Arjun wrote: "The choice is not to post something is sometimes as important as to be the first to post something. Images have a lot of power lest we forget.

"Sometimes humanity and empathy must prevail over being first to embrace use of sly voyeuristic material presented to you."

Actor Karan Wahi admitted that he too saw the video and decided to delete it immediately, rather than share it among others as he found it disturbing. Karan said: "There's a forward that a ward boy or someone from the hospital has shot of Rishi Kapoor in his hospital just before he passed. I saw it. And think it's a gross violation of his privacy. If you receive it, delete it rather than forward it further."

He added: "Actors are also human beings. Please do not forward or post them just to be the first one. Have some respect."

Actress-anchor Mini Mathur urged people to "stop the insensitivity". She tweeted: "Just came across a disgusting, completely invasive video of Rishi sir on WhatsApp in hospital actually titled "last video of RK" obviously shot by a hospital staff member. I know humanity is at sea at the moment but can we PLEASE STOP THIS INSENSITIVITY and not be party to this?"

Mini also tagged Mumbai Police to take strict actions against the offender. "If you see a video like this on any group can you please insist that it's taken down??? Can we stop this vicarious celeb goggling even when they are indisposed and unaware? It should be a legal offence @MumbaiPolice and met with the strictest action," Mini added.

The management at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, where Rishi Kapoor breathed his last, issued a statement on Friday saying they would investigate the leak and circulation of videos featuring the actors mortal.

A Facebook post on the hospital's official page reads: "A message from Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital's management. #RespectForLife.

"It has come to our attention that a video of one of our patients is surfacing on digital media platforms. At Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, patient confidentiality and privacy is of utmost importance to us and we strongly condemn such actions. The hospital management is investigating the incident and strict action will be taken against the perpetrators."

Several netizens have questioned the morality of hospital staff, assuming they shot the videos since there is no question of outsiders amid the lockdown.

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Taapsee Pannu's Thappad won rave reviews on its release in the last week of February. Just as the film was gaining steam, the theatre lockdown brought its box-office run to a screeching halt. With the Anubhav Sinha-directed venture dropping online over the weekend, Pannu believes it has arrived at the right time, given the sharp spike in cases of domestic violence.

"Thappad was in theatres for only two weeks, and its numbers were rising due to positive word-of-mouth. It would have run for another three weeks. But in March, COVID-19 was a far bigger crisis than the [box-office] numbers of any movie. Everyone associated with the film got their due, and now, it's out there for others to watch too," says the actor, who shone as Amrita, a doting wife who finds herself re-assessing her marriage after an episode of domestic violence.

A still from Thappad

By bringing powerful women-driven narratives to the screen, Pannu has built a loyal fan base over the past few years. But where audiences have hailed her for becoming the voice of the everyday woman, a section has labelled her 'feminazi', misreading her fight for women's rights as an attack on the opposite sex. "I don't understand the term 'feminazi', but most people around us don't even know what feminism means. It stands for equal opportunities. We have only started exploring the different shades of women and their heroism on screen. For decades, men have bashed up villains; nobody described them as 'male-Nazi'. Then why is Thappad or any film that champions a woman's right and asserts her existence seen as the work of a 'feminazi'? There needs to be equality even in these definitions, and artistes are working towards it."

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