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IANS News

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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

Jasleen Royal: There's a lack of female composers
2248 days ago
Bollywood

Jasleen Royal: There's a lack of female composers

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Music composer, and singer Jasleen Royal points at the fact that there are few female composers in the Indian music industry.## "I want to see more women in key roles in our music industry. I want to see them taking the Indian music scene to a higher level. Today, the situation is better -- more female solo singers have come up, but there is still a lack of female composers. I really want to see that change in the upcoming time," Jasleen told IANS.## Jasleen, who is the voice behind hits such as "Love you Zindagi" ("Dear Zindagi") and "Nachde ne saare" ("Baar Baar Dekho"), had created singles like "Panchhi ho javan", "Mai ni" and "Din shagna da" before stepping into Bollywood. She had also appeared in the first season of the reality TV talent hunt show "India's Got Talent". One the show, she was given the tag of a one-woman band as she is able to collectively play different musical instruments while singing.## On recalling her journey so far and how she carved a niche for herself, Jasleen got emotional.## "I am really grateful for all the opportunities and for the people who gave me work. It's been a long journey. I got a chance to work with Karan Johar sir and Zoya Akhtar ma'm at such an initial stage of my career. That was really something big for me," she said.## Jasleen believes in creating good music and paying less attention to the result. "There were days when I felt like my songs were not working. I started doubting myself. I remember when 'Din shagna' came out, initially it didn't do well. It hardly reached out to the masses. Then, suddenly a few months later when Anushka-Virat got married, the song was playing in the background of their videos and it became viral! It was playing everywhere. I made a jingle for Paytm and it became viral after demonetization. So, I believe one should do their best and not worry much about the result. Everything takes time to flourish," Jasleen added.## Stay tuned...

Chrissy Teigen hopes not to relive quarantine through future TV shows
2249 days ago
Hollywood

Chrissy Teigen hopes not to relive quarantine through future TV shows

Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Model Chrissy Teigen said she hopes her favorite TV shows don't make her relive the experience of being in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic.## Teigen, who is married to musician John Legend, wrote on Twitter: "One thing I hope doesn't happen is all our reality shows airing themselves in quarantine when this is all over and better. Like the next season of housewives being them in quarantine. I don't wanna live all this over again."## She has remained active on social media during her time in lockdown, recently saying she loves listening to "murder podcasts", reports femalefirst.co.uk.## She also said that she struggles to sleep without listening to a crime story before she goes to bed.## "none of my favorite murder podcasts are updating and I can't sleep without their terror I don't really like murder podcast commentary shows :( I like just hearing the story end the calls. You can tell me your favorite but I promise I've tried it and I just don't like the silly giggling"## Teigen shared that she likes "Casefile", "Dateline", "Sword and Scale", "Dr. Death", "To Live" and "Die in LA", T" he Thing About Pam" on murder podcast.## "The first 3 are single episode stories but the others are fantastic podcast series," she tweeted.## Prior to that, Teigen said she's been feeling a little "emotional" due to the coronavirus pandemic.## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

Arshad Warsi: Loved 'Benji' as child
2249 days ago
Bollywood

Arshad Warsi: Loved 'Benji' as child

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actor Arshad Warsi has revealed that as a child he was fascinated with the world of "Benji", the fictional mixed-breed dog that has been the central character of many films since it first appeared on screen in 1974.## "The first movie that I ever watched was a very, very long time back. I was in a boarding school and every second Sunday, we would get to see a film, so we would watch ‘Force 10' from Navarone. There is one film that I remember, as a child which used to fascinate me. It was called ‘Benji'. I used to love dogs, and I remember as a child, ‘Benji' was one of the films that I completely loved," said Arshad.## The actor also confessed his love that he can watch the iconic sitcom "Friends" again and again. "I can watch ‘Friends' over and over again. I like it, my children like it too," he said, during an interview for IMDb.## Stay tuned...

Jassie Gill shoots his latest music video on phone
2249 days ago
Song

Jassie Gill shoots his latest music video on phone

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Punjabi star Jassie Gill has unveiled his latest track "Ehna chauni aa". He got creative during the ongoing lockdown period and shot the song's video on a phone.## According to a source, the song was ready and they had to release it with a video. As it's not possible to gather the whole team now, he shot it on phone.## "This song just like every other song of mine, is pure melody and is all about love. It was a different experience, having shot the whole video on an iPhone 11 pro and we are sure the fans will love it," said Jassie.## The romantic single has received a lot of love on YouTube. Many of his fans have left hearts in the comments section and appreciated him for shooting a video on a phone.## The singer and actor has also urged people to stay home, stay safe and take the required precautionary measures that one needs to.## Meanwhile, after making his Bollywood acting debut in "Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi" in 2018, he starred in "Panga" this year.## Stay tuned...

Selena Gomez: Fame got out of control
2249 days ago
Hollywood

Selena Gomez: Fame got out of control

Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Pop star Selena Gomez has admitted that there was a time in her life when fame "got out of control" and gossip was "killing" her.## Gomez opened up about dealing with media scrutiny from the time she was a teen during a conversation with Amy Schumer for Interview magazine, reports hollywoodreporter.com.## "My intention was never to become a tabloid," the 27-year-old said while talking about living life under constant media scrutiny, adding: "So when things kind of happened that way, it got out of control. And then I was like, 'Wait, none of this is true'."## Gomez got stardom in 2007 at age 15 through "The Wizards of Waverly Place". She said that "the way the media has sometimes tried to explain things has made it sound really bad".## "When in reality, there's nothing wrong with the fact that I needed to go away or that I fell in love," she said, referring to her stints at mental health facilities and her relationships with former boyfriends like Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.## "I had to start opening up because people were taking away my narrative, and it was killing me," she said, adding: "I'm so young, and I'm going to keep changing, and no one has the right to tell me how my life's going."## Gomez confessed that she makes a conscious effort to raise awareness for causes that are meaningful to her. As a survivor of lupus and her recent bipolar diagnosis, Gomez said she wants to help those who have suffered similar experiences.## "I've gone through a lot of medical issues, and I know that I can reach people who are going through similarly scary things -- an organ transplant, or being on dialysis, or going away for treatment," said Gomez, who underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 due to lupus complications.## "A huge part of why I have a platform is to help people. That's why I think I'm OK with the magnitude. I mean, I'm not really OK with it -- but I'm going to say that I am because it's worth it. I know that I'm making someone somewhere feel good, or feel understood or heard, and that's worth it for me," she added.## Gomez also spoke about returning to music, with her third album, "Rare".## "I wrote it at the beginning of last year and had just gotten out of treatment," she said, adding: "It was a moment when I came back, and I was like, 'I'm ready to go into the studio with people I trust and start working on songs.' There was an air around it where people were very happy because it was like I was going to finally be me. But I didn't necessarily see it that way at the time. When I wrote the song, I was basically saying that I needed to hit rock bottom to understand that there was this huge veil over my face."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

Lakshya Kochhar: 'Second Hand' explores dichotomy in new-age relationships
2249 days ago
Bollywood

Lakshya Kochhar: 'Second Hand' explores dichotomy in new-age relationships

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actor Lakshya Kochhar, who is playing an important role in the upcoming short film "Second Hand", says that the story of the film quite realistically shows a modern-day relationship.## Sharing insight into his character, Lakshya said: "The film explores the dichotomy in modern-day relationships through its turbulent journey, dotted with ups and downs. Till what level can you push yourself to make a relationship work? What role does your past play in being the best self in your current relationship? And how do people react when they have no options left in the relationship. Either all in or out?"## The short film is directed by Navjot Gulati and releases on the OTT platform ZEE5 on Wednesday.## Lakshya, who earlier appeared in the Akshay Kumar-starrer "Gold" said that in the upcoming film his character looks very "non-glamourous", and he stopped working out for a while to put on a few kilos to look the part.## He added: "To reach the psyche of the character, it was very important to browse through my own experiences. Insecurities come with love and hence the balance between being possessive and insecure is the thin thread we walk on, to make any relationship work. We live in a very complex world and too many interlinked dynamics are at play. Manoeuvring your relationship through this chaos and surviving the ride can be very challenging. So in that sense, I feel most people will relate to the film and draw something from it."## The short also features Abhishek Banerjee and Parul Gulati.## Stay tuned...

Tisca dedicates 'Hostage' role to first responders, care givers
2249 days ago
TV

Tisca dedicates 'Hostage' role to first responders, care givers

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actress Tisca Chopra has dedicated her role of Dr. Mira Anand in the series "Hostages" to first responders and caregivers amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.## Tisca took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of herself dressed in a doctor's gear.## "#DrMiraAnand in #Hostages on @starplus... From tonight at 10:30 pm. I humbly dedicate this role to all our first responders - doctors, nurses, hospital staff, delivery and logistics workers.. doing our little bit to entertain you, with our dream team: @madhoknikhil @sameern #sudhirmishra @ronitboseroy @d_eepak_dhar @segaldeepak @castingchhabra @aashimgulati @disneyplushotstar @applausesocial @banijayasia @starplus @surya_sharma_09 @malhaar_rathod," she captioned the image.## "Hostages", a crime thriller, is directed by Sudhir Mishra. It is an official adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name. It also stars Ronit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Aashim Gulati and Mohan Kapoor.## Amid lockdown, Tisca is using her time to hone her filmmaking skills. She has been taking online classes on how to direct feature films.## Stay tuned...

Lockdown diaries: South stars spend quality time with furry friends
2249 days ago
Tollywood

Lockdown diaries: South stars spend quality time with furry friends

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) With shooting stopped and everybody confined to their homes amid the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown, South actors and actresses can be seen utilizing the time doing household chores. While some can be seen trying their hands at cooking, some are busy cleaning the house. However, those who have pets, are utilizing their quarantine days to try and spend maximum time with their furry friends who have now become a favorite on social media.## One such social media favorite is Pranitha Subhash's husky Blu. The dog's photos and videos where he can be seen sitting in front of a laptop wearing a pair of spects as he "works from home", trying to catch food from the actress' hands, barking from outside a glass window or playing with his favorite "corona squeeze toy" is absolutely adorable. In a recent post, Pranitha shared: "It was love at first sight" for her after meeting Blu!## Another pet winning heart on social media is actress Keerthy Suresh's dog Nyke. A picture of the dog sitting alone on the terrace and watching sunset has captured hearts of netizens who are showering it with love!## One more social media star is actress Nidhhi Agerwal's labrador Boozo, who loves to eat idli and toast and hates it when he is not given a share while the family dines together!## Actress Payal Rajput's pet dogs Bunny and Candy define the word "cute" and we bet you cannot stop staring at them! In a recently shared video, the actress can be seen trying to put Candy to sleep while the lullaby "Rock-a-bye baby" plays in the background.## Payal captioned: "Finding my inner peace. The steadiness of her breath brings peacefulness and a feeling of warmth. Watching them play with each other, relax with a chew toy, sleep soundly, or explore their surroundings on our walks provide me "ah ha" moments."## Actor Sushanth's golden retrievers Thor and Leia are a visual delight! The actor recently took to Instagram to share a photo of the two sleeping together on the floor and captioned: "Twinning during quarantine times! #Thor #Leia #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #retrieversofinstagram #StayHomeStaySafe". The actor also urged citizens not to abandon their pets reminding everyone that the virus doesn't spread from animals.## However, not just south stars, Bollywood celebs are also spending time with their furry friends and keep sharing their photos and videos on social media. The pets who are enjoying immense social media attention of late include Preity Zinta's pet dog Bruno, Raveena Tandon's pet cat Puma and Kriti Sanon's pet dogs Disco and Phoebe among others.## While actors are spending quality time with their furry friends, they have also taken up the responsibility to remind people time and again not to abandon their pets as the virus doesn't spread from animals.## Stay tuned...

Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman's alter ego Diana has 'evolved' in new film
2249 days ago
Hollywood

Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman's alter ego Diana has 'evolved' in new film

Los Angeles, April 14 (IANS) Actress Gal Gadot, who will return for Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman 1984", shared how Wonder Woman's alter ego Diana has "evolved" in the upcoming installment .## "The first movie was a coming of age, it was Diana becoming Wonder Woman. She was very naive and she didn't understand the complexities of life. A fish out of water. In this movie, that's not the case whatsoever. Diana has evolved. She's much more mature and very wise," Gadot told Empire magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.## She said that "something crazy" will happen involving Chris Pine's alter ego, Steve Trevor.## "However, she's very lonely. She lost all of her team members and she's guarded. And then something crazy happens."## Gadot opened up about how she and Jenkins were keen on working with Pine again.## "Chris was an integral part of the movie, and of its success. And because he and I and Patty really enjoyed working together, we all wanted to have him back. And Patty and (co-writer) Geoff Johns found the best way that serves the narrative to bring Steve back."## For more and latest news about Hollywood, stay tuned with us.

Here's how Taapsee Pannu beats promotion stress
2249 days ago
Bollywood

Here's how Taapsee Pannu beats promotion stress

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Great acting in itself is never enough for an artist to reach out to the masses. While stardom and glamour do matter, an important role in modern-day showbiz is played by promotions.## Acting powerhouse Taapsee Pannu would be aware of that, but she would tell you promotional activities is hectic and can cause a lot of stress. To beat the stress, Taapsee says she has always fallen back on meditation.## "This might easily pass off as latest quarantine time picture but this is how I beat the stress of the promotion. With 4 releases in a year this makeshift meditation while getting my hair done became the need of the hour. #Archive #QuarantinePost," she wrote on Instagram along with a throwback picture that shows her meditating while getting her hair done.## On the film front, Taapsee's latest role in Anubhav Sinha's "Thappad" has been widely acclaimed. The actress will be seen in "Haseen Dillruba", "Rashmi Rocket" and "Shabaash Mithu" in the coming months.## Stay tuned...

When Lata Mangeshkar met BR Ambedkar
2249 days ago
Bollywood

When Lata Mangeshkar met BR Ambedkar

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) On Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar's 129th birth anniversary on Tuesday, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar recalled the time was fortunate to meet the Father of the Constitution of India in person.## Mangeshkar took to Twitter on Tuesday and paid her tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar, who was also a social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards untouchables.## "Namaskar. Bhartiya samvidhan ke janak mahamanav Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ji ki jayanti par main unko koti-koti vandan karti hoon Main unko pratyaksh roop se mil saki yeh mera saubhagya hai (On the anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar ji, father of the Indian Constitution, I offer him a million prayers. I met him in person and that is my good fortune)," tweeted @mangeshkarlata.## Mangeshkar's tweet currently has 506 retweets and over 7.7K likes on the micro-blogging website.## Meanwhile, Mangeshkar earlier donated Rs 25 lakh to the Maharashtra CM Relief Fund to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.## The 90-year-old singer, fondly called Nightingale of India, joins a growing list of celebrities from the Hindi film industry who have extended support in the battle against the coronavirus.## Stay tuned...

'Game Of Thrones' actor survives the COVID-19 battle
2249 days ago
Hollywood

'Game Of Thrones' actor survives the COVID-19 battle

London, April 14 (IANS) Actor Kristofer Hivju, who shot to global fame playing Tormund Giantsbane in the blockbuster series "Games Of Thrones", is "fully recovered and in good health" after battling COVID-19.## The actor took to Instagram to share the health update, saying he and his wife, Gry, who he believes was "most likely" infected too, are finally "free of all symptoms".## "Hi! We are fully recovered and in good health after I was infected by the coronavirus, and most likely my wife @grymolvaerhivju… After several weeks in quarantine, and also a couple more indoors after being free of all symptoms, we are finally safe and sound," he posted, along with an image with his wife.## The actor feels they were "lucky to only have mild symptoms of the COVID-19".## "We send our love and thoughts to all of the people where the virus has hit much harder, and to everyone who has lost their loved ones due to the coronavirus. Thank you for all of your support, and please remember to stay vigilant and keep your distance, wash your hands, and most of all; take care of each other in this strange time. Lots of love from us," he added.## Last month, he had shared that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus through a post on his Instagram account.## "Greetings from Norway! Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID-19, coronavirus. My family and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health - I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for who this virus might be a devastating diagnosis," he said.## Stay tuned...