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Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service. The IANS has its main offices located in Noida.

Articles Written By IANS News

Big B feels COVID-19 has successfully created 'one world'
2279 days ago
Bollywood

Big B feels COVID-19 has successfully created 'one world'

Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) COVID 19 has done what philosophers, optimists, musicians and geniuses could not do, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan declares. The global pandemic has brought everyone on one platform, successfully creating 'one world'. ## "Philosophers , purists , optimists , meditative geniuses , creators, musicians , educator of life lessons.. all spoke of eOne World' in multiple discourses over multiple years .. failed they did.. it took 19 , CoVid 19, to bring them together on one platform .. BRAVO !" wrote Big B in his blog. ## Big B also shared how he is taking prevention against the rapidly spreading pandemic and has also advised his staff to remain cleansed. ## "Soap washed the hands.. soap washed the face.. swiped the keys clean.. advised the staff repeatedly to remain cleansed.. stopped the Western hand shake greeting.. kept a slight distance with all.. mobile included.. turn every page every platform and hear just one word.. CoroNa 19," he wrote. ## Meanwhile, Bollywood box office has been badly affected in the current scenario. While upcoming releases have been indefinitely postponed with most cinema halls being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the business of Tiger Shroff's "Baaghi 3" and Irrfan's "Angrezi Medium" is facing a tough challenge. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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INOX staff allege forced leaves after cinema closure
2279 days ago
Bollywood

INOX staff allege forced leaves after cinema closure

New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Soon after the Delhi government announced the closure of cinema halls and multiplexes till March 31, the staff at INOX alleged that they were being forced to sign Privilege Leave application. ## An employee requesting anonymity told IANS over the phone: "We are ready to work, it's not our fault that the government has closed down the cinema halls. ## "We are being asked to sign leave documents. It is a kind of cheating to save their expenses by not paying our salaries but the fact is that many of us are sole bread winners of our families and if such a thing happens, our daily lives would be affected badly." ## One such document accessed by IANS, read: "My name is.....working as Operations Associate in INOX Delhi Patel Nagar unuit on the payroll of GI Staffing. I need leaves from 14th March 2020 to 31st March 2020, due to some personal reasons. Kindly approve my leaves & considered as my privilege leaves. Thanks & Regards" ## Several attempts were made to contact the INOX administration over their comment on the allegations, however, authorities did not respond even after repeated attempts. ## Throwing light on the legal aspects of such a move, social activist and lawyer Amit Sahni said: "Private jobs are contractual in nature and the same are governed by the contract's terms signed between the employee and the employer. ## "If there is any clause authorising the employer to force the employees to take leave for certain period in emergent situation that has arisen in the present scenario, then the privilege leaves can be forced upon the employees." ## He further added: "But ideally, the Employer/ Cinema Owners must make payment to their hapless employees and they can claim the compensation from Delhi or Union government, which has passed notification to shut down theatres. ## "At least either employer or the government should take note of it that the Poor employees should not suffer in any this painful situation." ## The Delhi government on Thursday declared coronavirus as an epidemic and to check the spread of the coronavirus in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that all the cinema halls will be shut down till March 31. ## "We are continuing the ongoing measures to check the spread of Coronavirus in Delhi. Along with that, we have decided to close all the cinema halls and schools which are not having examination till March 31," Kejriwal told media. ## There are 82 positive cases of coronavirus in the country with two deaths, one in New Delhi on Friday, the other in Karnataka on March 12. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Manushi: Want to contribute to portrayal of strong Indian women
2279 days ago
Bollywood

Manushi: Want to contribute to portrayal of strong Indian women

Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar, who will be seen opposite superstar Akshay Kumar in the historic drama 'Prithviraj', will like to contribute her bit towards the portrayal of strong Indian women in cinema. ## "It is a huge honour for me and I'm giving my everything and working really hard to try and get a lot of love and appreciation from audiences when my film releases. I'd want to contribute towards portrayal of Indian woman in cinema who are forward-thinking, beautiful, strong, vocal, independent and upright human beings," Manushi said. ## In the film, Akshay is essaying the title role of the king Prithviraj Chauhan, while Manushi will feature as Sanyogita, the love of his life. ## "Sanyogita is a dream role for me and I'm doing my best to do justice to the responsibility that has been entrusted on me," she added. ## "Prithviraj" is being made by Yash Raj Films. It will release on Diwali 2020. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Amit Sadh cancels New York trip due to coronavirus
2279 days ago
Bollywood

Amit Sadh cancels New York trip due to coronavirus

Mumbai, March 14 (IANS) Amid the coronavirus outbreak, actor Amit Sadh has cancelled his New York trip where he's supposed to attend an acting workshop for two months. ## "I was looking forward to this trip but health comes first. Before travelling becomes more difficult I wanted to be in my own motherland. There's no way to know how long it will take to contain the pandemic. I think the responsible thing to do now is to follow the precautionary guidelines," Amit Sadh said. ## On the professional front, Amit will be seen in the second season of web show "Breath". He is also awaiting the launch of his digital series, titled "Avrodh". ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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COVID-19: Shoot of Shahid's 'Jersey' halted, actor confirms
2279 days ago
Bollywood

COVID-19: Shoot of Shahid's 'Jersey' halted, actor confirms

Chandigarh, March 14 (IANS) Actor Shahid Kapoor on Saturday announced that the shoot of his upcoming film "Jersey" has been stopped in the light of the coronavirus outbreak. ## "At a time like this, it is our social responsibility to do everything in our capacity to curb the spread of this virus. Team #Jersey is suspending shoot so as to enable all unit members to be with their families and in the safety of their homes. Be responsible. Stay safe," Shahid, who was shooting for the film in Chandigarh, tweeted. ## Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, "Jersey" is a Hindi remake of the Telugu hit of the same name. The story is about a talented but failed cricketer named Arjun, who decides to make a comeback in his late thirties and play for India, in order to fulfill his son's wish. ## The film also features Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Kapur. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Vistara bans Kamra from flights till April 27
2279 days ago
Bollywood

Vistara bans Kamra from flights till April 27

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Full-service carrier Vistara has banned stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from availing its services till April 27 for 'unacceptable behaviour' onboard an IndiGo's flight in January this year. ## "Based on the 'Order' passed by an internal committee constituted by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. in compliance with the respective CAR and following due process, we have placed the passenger on our no-fly list until 27 April 2020," a Vistara spokesperson said. ## Last month, IndiGo had halved the six-month flying ban on Kamra. An 'Internal Committee' had heard both parties in February and passed an order pursuant to which Kamra has been suspended from flying IndiGo for a period of three months. ## IndiGo said that it will comply with the order of the Internal Committee. ## Lately, Kamra had challenged the airline's decision to bar him from its flights in the Delhi High Court. ## In January, IndiGo had barred the stand-up comedian for six months for "unacceptable behaviour" onboard one of its flights. ## It was alleged that Kamra, while travelling on a Mumbai-Lucknow IndiGo flight, provoked a TV news anchor by asking questions over his news presentation style. ## Following IndiGo's announcement, some other airlines also barred Kamra from flying on any of their flights. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Gulshan Grover: Era of villains ended with me
2280 days ago
Bollywood

Gulshan Grover: Era of villains ended with me

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Actor Gulshan Grover, fondly known as the 'Bad Man of Bollywood', says the era of being the villain or making a Bollywood career out of screen villainy, ended with him.## Gulshan had made the role of a villain interesting in his films such as "Sadma" and "Ram Lakhan".## "Legends like Pranji and others made a huge contribution to movies as a villain. Hence, when I started playing a villain, I realized there must be some innovation. I never wanted to portray the same role again, that's why I used to improvise my characters. Although, today is a bit different as there is no specialized villain. The era of being the villain or making it a career ended with me. Nowadays, it's not enough to be a villain to be successful," he said.## Expressing his regrets towards a role that was not offered to him, he said: "I remember being approached for this Hollywood movie villain who had a bullet stuck in his neck and he said he could not feel pleasure or pain. I was fascinated by this villain who had no emotion for anything."## He opened up on a chat show on Tata Sky Classic Cinema.## For more and latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned with us.

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Big B went gujiya-gorging on Holi!
2280 days ago
Bollywood

Big B went gujiya-gorging on Holi!

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) It seems Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan had a great time on Holi, spending quality time with family and gorging on a whole lot of sweets -- especially gujiyas! ## Big B took to his blog to share a few pictures from Holi celebration at home. In one of the images, we can see the actor munching on gujiya. ## "...have a gujiya," he captioned the image. ## In other images, he is seen standing next to his wife Jaya Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and granddaughter Aaradhya, and enjoying Holika dahan. ## In the post, Amitabh Bachchan also revealed the reason behind his children Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan's absence from the celebration. ## "Abhishek is shooting for ‘Bob Biswas' in Kolkata. Shweta is on her way back. She was travelling," he added ## On the film front, Big B will be next seen in "Gulabo Sitabo" and "Chehre". ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Milind Soman: Sports can help prevent youth from getting radicalised
2280 days ago
Bollywood

Milind Soman: Sports can help prevent youth from getting radicalised

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Supermodel-turned-actor and sports enthusiast Milind Soman feels that in these socio-politically polarised times when youngsters are increasingly getting involved in political violence, promoting a culture of sports can help combat the situation.## "Sports is a very positive outlet to utilize your energy. Sports help you build a healthy body and mind and also benefit in our spiritual growth through discipline. It is a great engagement for youngsters. Once you have a healthy mind, no one can radicalize you easily. We can protect those children from getting brainwashed by the negative influence. That is why I believe that this is high time we bring the sports culture and make it popular among kids to build a progressive nation," Milind, who has penned "Made In India: A Memoir", told IANS.## In one of the chapters of his book, he mentions how, as a 10-year-old boy, he used to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha every day for a year and how, during those days, the organization would focus on instilling discipline in every member, for becoming responsible citizens, contrary to the present image of the body.## Cricket aside, not many sports are celebrated in India -- becoming an athlete, for instance, is not as glamorous as becoming a cricketer. Milind feels the approach needs to change.## "I think that is the problem. Whenever we learn a skill, we tend to look for what we are getting out of it, as in the commercial benefit. So we look at sports as a career as risky because of the short span it has, says, for a cricketer or a football player. That is not how sports should be. You play the sport you are good at despite its commercial benefit. One does not always have to get into competitive sports," said the actor, who represented Maharashtra at the National level in swimming.## Whether it is swimming, modeling, acting or marathon running, Milind has always pushed the limits. "Success never made me complacent. So, I did not stop exploring things that are new to me. When I started modeling, I did not even know that it could be a profession. When I did my first marathon, my idea was to do it just one time. Then I got hooked to it and ever since I am running the marathon, and now I have become a part of the fitness movement over the last 17 years," he signed off.## For more and latest news about Bollywood and Sports, stay tuned with us.

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COVID 19 effect: Ranveer, Vicky, Farhan's films get new release dates
2280 days ago
Bollywood

COVID 19 effect: Ranveer, Vicky, Farhan's films get new release dates

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) From Ranveer Singh's Jayeshbhai Jordaar to Farhan Akhtar's Toofaan and Vicky Kausal-starrer Sardar Udham Singh, makers of several high-profile films have rescheduled release dates of their respective movies in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. ## "Jayeshbhai Jordaar" is now slated to release on October 2, which was the initial release date of "Toofaan". The Farhan Akhtar boxing drama has now been scheduled for September 18. ## The decision was conveyed by Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Excel Entertainment, producers of "Jayeshbhai Jordaar" and "Toofaan" respectively, on behalf of YRF owner Aditya Chopra and Excel co-owner Ritesh Sidhwani. ## "In the interest of both films and to ensure an ideal theatrical release, #AdityaChopra & @ritesh_sid have decided to release their films on different dates. YRF will release #JayeshbhaiJordaar on 2nd October and @excelmovies will release #Toofaan on 18th September 2020," a post read on the official Twitter page of YRF. ## Later in the evening, actor Vicky Kaushal took to social media and shared that his upcoming film "Sardar Udham Singh" has been pushed to January 15,2021. The film is based on the story of Udham Singh, who assassinated Michael O' Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of Punjab in pre-Independence India, to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and hanged in July 1940. ## "On March 13th 1940, #SardarUdham singlehandedly assassinated Michael O' Dwyer in London to honour the lives lost at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. His story deserves justice onscreen. Keeping that in mind, we will now see you in cinemas on 15th January 2021," Vicky wrote. ## The decisions comes a day after the Delhi government officially announced the shutdown of all cinema halls in the Capital until March 31 due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Bihar, Orissa, Karnataka, Kerala and Jammu are other centres where cinemas have been shut down, at the time of going to print. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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COVID 19 scare: Bollywood appeals everyone to stop panicking
2280 days ago
Bollywood

COVID 19 scare: Bollywood appeals everyone to stop panicking

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) Amid rapidly the spreading coronavirus pandemic, Bollywood celebrities have taken up the responsibility to appeal to everyone to stay safe, take precautions, stop panicking and desist from spreading rumours. ## Sharing a selfie where she wears a mask, Sonakshi Sinha wrote on Instagram: "As the world battles #coronavirus, let's ensure we do not add to the pandemic by circulating unverified information. Be safe, take necessary precautions and also be responsible. Don't add to the panic. Last but not the least, try and make the most of the compulsory 'me' time!" ## Kartik Aaryan shared a video from an outdoor set in Lucknow, where he can be seen walking in a mask along with other crew members. The actor captioned: "Stay safe guys. Can't stress this enough. #WashYourHands #CoronaStopKaroNa" ## Earlier in the day, as reported by IANS, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan expressed his thoughts on the outbreak with a self-composed poem about coronavirus. The actor took to Twitter to recite the short poem. In a video tweeted by Big B, he says in Hindi: "Over the past few days, people have been discussing a lot about coronavirus. People are suffering losses and everybody is scared and worried. This morning I had a feeling that I should also say something on the issue. So I have penned a few lines which I want to share with you all." Saying this he recites the poem. ## Sharing a couple of pictures where he can be seen holding some documents, the actor wrote in a separate tweet: "T 3469 - Getting set to advocate the preventions necessary about CoVID 19, ... this is for UNICEF, and the Health Ministry of GOI.. the message should be out soon.. Be safe.. be careful." ## Anupam Kher shared a video on Twitter and Instagram where he appeals to everyone to stop panicking and discover the joy of being alive. ## In the video, the veteran actor says: "Worry should not kill you before a virus kills you... There is fear everywhere and unfortunately, this fear is very real. But more than anything else, it is impacting our daily lives, it is affecting our minds, our psyche in a very frightening manner. Suddenly the whole world seems to be depressed and rightfully so because maybe for the first time in modern times, we are collectively feeling helpless...Maybe, unknowingly, we are also discovering the importance of being alive. I think one of the only ways to deal with this crisis is to change our attitude towards life. We can't do anything about it except being careful...One virus has made us unimportant, extremely vulnerable and to some extent ordinary and lonely human beings. So why don't we enjoy every single moment and discover the joy of being alive?" ## Pooja Hegde also shared her picture wearing a mask from Istanbul's new airport. The actress arrived at the Turkish Capital to shoot for her upcoming film with Prabhas. "The things I do for the love of films... Georgia, here I come...(Rocky Theme song playing in the background)," she wrote. ## "Thappad" helmer Anubhav Sinha tweeted: "Just checking... If someone is working towards stopping the spreading of this shit... Or we are too busy panicking???" ## Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri tried to boost morale with his tweet: "Italy looks the worst hit while everywhere else #Corona is more or less in control. I am sure the success rate should give hope and confidence to worried people." ## Sharing a workout video in a separate tweet, he wrote: "Let others panic, you keep making yourself strong - Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Eat healthy, home-cooked, satvik food. Don't indulge. Stay happy.". ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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Aamir cuddles Gippy Grewal's son, pic goes viral
2280 days ago
Bollywood

Aamir cuddles Gippy Grewal's son, pic goes viral

Chandigarh, March 13 (IANS) Superstar Aamir Khan is having fun time on the sets of his upcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha in Amritsar. A lot of his pictures from the set went viral, and among them it was his picture with singer Gippy Grewal's son that stole the hearts of the netizens. ## Gippy on Thursday took to his Instagram account and shared a string of images in which we can see Aamir cuddling the former's little son Gurbaaz. ## Here are these photos: ## #AamirKhan with #GippyGrewal’s baby on the sets of #LaalSinghChaddha pic.twitter.com/xpgTacGepF— Sacnilk Entertainment (@SacnilkEntmt) March 13, 2020 ## Aamir is seen in a striped blue polo shirt while posing amidst the background of mustard fields. ## Reacting to the post, a user commented: "So cute." ## Another one wrote: "Such a simple actor." ## Meanwhile, Aamir will turn 55 on Saturday, and he is going to have a working birthday. He will be busy shooting "Laal Singh Chaddha", which is an official Hindi remake of the Hollywood Classic "Forrest Gump". The film also features Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead role. ## Aamir's fans have already started wishing him a happy birthday in advance on social media. ## "Happy birthday world's biggest superstar," a user tweeted. ## For more and the latest news about Bollywood, stay tuned to us.

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