With one foot in Bollywood and the other in Hollywood, Ali Fazal has been having the best of both worlds. After making his debut in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots’, there has been no looking back for the actor. Ahead of his next big Hollywood release, ‘Death on the Nile’ co-starring Gal Gadot, ETimes caught hold of the actor for an exclusive interview. In a freewheeling chat, Ali spilled the beans on how his mother prepped him up for the big screen unintentionally, his stint in Hollywood, and his journey in films back home in Bollywood. Excerpts… Would it be wrong to say that the year 2020 has been bittersweet for you? You incurred a loss on the personal front, but professionally you were on a roll... I suppose that could be the go-to word. It has been introspective. I mean we all are dealing with the larger problem; the world has also hurt a lot. How did your journey in showbiz begin? It happened purely by accident; I didn’t plan it this way. My life was normal; I was a ... » Learn More about #BigInterview! Ali Fazal on facing racial discrimination in Hollywood: There is systematic racism; it is something we are used to
Sauk meaning in hindi
‘I believe only facts matter’: Sonia Faleiro
Goa-born, London-based author and journalist Sonia Faleiro is out with her second book of reportage, The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing, which was released last month in India. Combining reportage with the narrative skills of a fiction writer, The Good Girls documents the 2014 gang rape and murder of two minors in Katra Sadatganj — an “eyeblink of a village” in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun district — where land is power, security and identity. And where a girl’s life is “everyone’s business”. In Katra Sadatganj and its neighbouring hamlets, honour killings are common — girls are killed for marrying outside their caste, religion, even for having engaged in premarital sex. The rape and murder of 16-year-old Padma Shakya and 14-year-old Lalli Shakya (not their real names) — cousins as alike as “two grains of rice” — shocked the country at a time when the Nirbhaya case was still fresh in public memory. In an email interview, Faleiro, who is also the co-founder of the global journalists’ ... » Learn More about ‘I believe only facts matter’: Sonia Faleiro
Myanmar police intensify crackdown
Myanmar police moved decisively on Saturday in a bid to prevent opponents of military rule gathering throughout the country after Myanmar’s UN envoy urged the United Nations to use “any means necessary” to stop a February 1 coup. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the Army seized power and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election that her party had won in a landslide. The coup has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters to Myanmar’s streets and drawn condemnation from Western countries,with some imposing limited sanctions. Myanmar police arrested hundreds of protesters on Saturday in their most extensive crackdown on demonstrations against the military coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) rights group said. “We can definitely say hundreds,” AAPP representative Aung Myo Kyaw told Reuters. “More than 10 prison buses went into Insein prison with about 40 to ... » Learn More about Myanmar police intensify crackdown
Factbox: Four takeaways from China’s poverty alleviation drive
Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Which lessons have China learned from its successful battle against poverty? New China Research, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a research paper on Sunday to shed light on the rationale for China's anti-poverty drive, including the following four conclusions: OPTIMAL DISTRIBUTION MAKES DEVELOPMENT BETTER FOR POVERTY REDUCTION The practice of poverty alleviation around the world has proved that economic development alone does not necessarily equate to poverty eradication. Wealth has been snowballing, but poverty has become increasingly like a fortress. How should we solve this huge imbalance? The answer is optimal distribution. "You make a cake to divide it, and dividing it properly will promote the baking of a bigger cake." This clear logic runs throughout the history of poverty alleviation in China. China's basic economic system sees public ownership play a dominant role with diverse forms of ownership ... » Learn More about Factbox: Four takeaways from China’s poverty alleviation drive
Factbox: Five subjects of China’s anti-poverty drive and their interactive logic
Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Which key players stand behind China's anti-poverty drive? New China Research, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a research paper on Sunday to shed light on the rationale for China's anti-poverty drive, explaining the performance of the following five key "players": CAPABLE GOVERNMENT: RESTLESS HAND OR ENABLING HAND? How has China achieved an effective interaction between the state and its citizens to eradicate absolute poverty? The key to China's success lies in the effective interaction and coordination between a top-down government leadership and bottom-up grassroots innovation. Four areas of improvement are needed to boost the state's anti-poverty efforts, namely in leadership, innovation, mobilization, and implementation. In addition, multi-faceted supervision, anti-graft efforts, improvement in official governing style as well as public participation have all contributed to China realizing the goal of ... » Learn More about Factbox: Five subjects of China’s anti-poverty drive and their interactive logic
Salman Khan says he is ‘awkward, embarrassed and yet delighted’ to have his paintings going on display
We’ve all seen Bollywood star Salman Khan paint portraits at home or on the sets. According to the actor’s latest tweet, his paintings will now go on display at an art exhibition in Bengaluru. Not just that, his masterpieces will be displayed alongside works of artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore , and VS Gaitonde. Reacting to the news, Salman tweeted, “Awkward, embarrassed n yet delighted, honoured, privileged n over the moon to display my work amongst such great artist n legends like Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore, & VS Gaitonde.” “In all humility, thank u for the honour,” he said graciously. Reports state that Salman’s painting named ‘Immortal’, which is said to be based on Mother Teresa will be displayed at the exhibition. Besides hitting a personal high, the actor is also getting ready to give his fans an action-packed 2021. The star has his film ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’ set for release on Eid. He has also begun work on ... » Learn More about Salman Khan says he is ‘awkward, embarrassed and yet delighted’ to have his paintings going on display
Salman Khan sends out his best wishes to Isabelle Kaif and Sooraj Pancholi for their film ‘Time to Dance’
Salman Khan recently took to his social media handle to give a shoutout to Katrina Kaif's sister Isabelle Kaif and Sooraj Pancholi 's film 'Time to Dance'. Read Also Exclusive: Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif perform a puja before meeting Shah Rukh Khan The superstar shared the posted featuring the two leads. He wished them all the best for the film. He even added the link to the trailer in his Instagram bio. The post was captioned as, ''Wish you all the best team #TimeToDance (Trailer Link In Bio) @soorajpancholi @isakaif @lizelleremodsouza @stanley_dcosta @rajpalofficial @waluschaa @remodsouza @tseries.official''. Check out his post here: Isabelle is all set to make her big Bollywood debut with Stanley Menino D'Costa’s film. In this film, we can see their love and passion for dance. The movie also stars Waluscha De Sousa , Rajpal Yadav and others in key roles. ‘Time To Dance’. It will hit the theatres on March 12, 2021. Meanwhile, on the work front, ... » Learn More about Salman Khan sends out his best wishes to Isabelle Kaif and Sooraj Pancholi for their film ‘Time to Dance’
Vikramditya Motwane, Sudhir Mishra discuss book-to-screen adaptations at Jaipur Lit Fest
During a virtual session on Evolving Narratives: The Digital Dreamscape at the Jaipur Literature Festival , filmmakers Sudhir Mishra and Vikramaditya Motwane , author Vikram Chandra, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member Vani Tripathi Tikoo and Vice President, Content of an OTT platform Monika Shergill discussed how more books are being adapted into films and series now. Due to the flexibility of digital platforms, directors have an option to tell the story in the format (films/series/shorts) they think better suits the book. It is not as much about directors as it is about writers and actors Discussing how writers are finally getting their due with books being adapted into series, films or short films, and how streaming platforms are allowing creators to tell these stories, Vikramaditya Motwane said, “If Sacred Games had to be made into a two-hour film (instead of a series) we would have lost so many lovely characters, who became fan favourites. I think ... » Learn More about Vikramditya Motwane, Sudhir Mishra discuss book-to-screen adaptations at Jaipur Lit Fest
Bigg Boss 14’s Nikki Tamboli creates a nostalgic moment by sipping coffee from her favourite Bigg Boss mug
Bigg Boss 14's second runner up Nikki Tamboli has taken the fans on a trip down the memory lane by sipping coffee in her favourite mug. Nikki's fierce, fun and cute moments from the house were loved by all. There have been a lot of cute moments of Nikki, witnessed by the fans but the one that took the fans head over heels was when she posted a picture of herself sipping her early morning coffee. The post read: "Awww! #NikkiTamboli sipping coffee from her favourite Bigg Boss cup, giving major Bigg Boss missing feels. Remembering the coffee stealing, hiding the coffee and those lil coffee chit chats! #Nostalgic (sic)" In an exclusive interview with Times Of India, Nikki had stated that she will take some time to adjust with the outside world. She said, "I think I will take at least a week to live my life normally. Living inside a house for five months with the same people and so many different situations really changes a person. I can still hear Bigg Boss’s voice and ... » Learn More about Bigg Boss 14’s Nikki Tamboli creates a nostalgic moment by sipping coffee from her favourite Bigg Boss mug
‘All of us have multiple identities’
Ela Gandhi , Mahatma Gandhi's grand-daughter and a peace activist was honoured on Thursday by President Pranab Mukherjee at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas-2014. Gandhi was born in 1940 in South Africa and now resides at Durban. She was the member of the South African Parliament in 1994-2004. She has been an active member of the African National Congress. In Parliament she represented the Phoenix area of Inanda in the KwaZulu Natal province. She spoke to rediff.com ’s Sheela Bhatt on the award. On the Pravasi Bhartiya award I feel very honoured. But I’m very conscious that the awardee is not just for me but the people who I work with so I’ll be receiving the award on behalf of those people. I think the PBD is a very good concept, something that’s very unique. It develops the identity in terms of culture value which is important no matter where you are. But you know it’s important to preserve some of the rich heritage that we have in this country. So in that ... » Learn More about ‘All of us have multiple identities’