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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

Kannada celluloid comedian 'Bullet' Prakash dead
2256 days ago
Sandalwood

Kannada celluloid comedian 'Bullet' Prakash dead

Bengaluru, April 7 (IANS) Kannada's popular comedian 'Bullet' Prakash (44) died at a private hospital in the city following multi-organ failure, an official said on Monday.## "Prakash passed away in the evening (4.45 p.m.) due to multi-organ failure, including liver and kidneys after he was put on a ventilator earlier in the day," a hospital spokesman told IANS.## Prakash was admitted in the specialty hospital on Cunningham road in the city centre on March 31 for treatment as vital organs were in serious condition.## Prakash was also a member of the ruling BJP.## Fans nicknamed him 'Bullet' for seen riding in the city over the years the Royal Enfield motorbike, which is as heavy and sturdy as he was in height and size.## According to the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce, Prakash acted in over 200 Kannada films in a career spanning over two decades. He acted as a comedian in hit films like "Mast Maja Madi", "Aryan", "Aithalakkadi" and "Mallikarjuna".## Prakash debuted on the silver screen in 2002 and acted along with Kannada superstars Puneet Rajkumar, Darshan and Upendra.## Stay tuned...

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Ankit Tiwari's new track 'Dushman' is about COVID-19
2256 days ago
Bollywood

Ankit Tiwari's new track 'Dushman' is about COVID-19

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) "Aashiqui 2" fame singer Ankit Tiwari has created a song titled "Dushman", about the ongoing health crisis due to the outbreak of coronavirus.## Through the soon-to-be-released track, Ankit is trying to urge people to stay at home.## "It was Pallavi my wife's idea when she heard me talk about the current scenario and the same was made into a song . She also put her shooting skills to use and directed the video for the same . Dushman has a strong message and we urge people to stay at home and fight this battle , take all precautionary measures suggested," Ankit said.## The song is penned by Prince Dubey.## Amid the coronavirus lockdown, singers have been seen doing their best to entertain fans. Recently, Sonu Nigam conducted an online music concert.## Not only this , singer Shaan is also coming up with a song about coronavirus.## Stay tuned...

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Divinaa: Times ahead could be tough for budding actors like me
2256 days ago
Bollywood

Divinaa: Times ahead could be tough for budding actors like me

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actress Divinaa Thackur, who features in the web series "Who's Your Daddy", says that budding actors like herself might just face a problem as the film industry is going through a tough time due to the COVID-19 lockdown.## Making her debut with the Kunal Kapoor-starrer Malayalam film "Veeram", the actress appeared in short films, web series and other regional films.## "In my understanding, there will be a change, but not in terms of getting opportunities. Maybe, in terms of pay-cut. Once the market opens, everyone will start shooting, so that they can quickly recover the money. The production houses are facing economical loses and workers who get paid on the field are suffering the most. So, many projects will come up and everyone will get a lot of work. But at the same time, there will be budget constraints and newcomers might get less amount of money," Divinaa told IANS.## "There is no point denying the fact that putting money on new talent is a risk. Since the industry needs faster recovery when the lockdown gets over and things come to normalcy, producers will rely on star power over budding talents. Having said that, I am an optimist. I live in hope. I believe things will be fine," she added.## Divinaa has acted in the short film 'Hickey' directed by Pradeep Sarkar, and was also seen in the Sanjay Dutt-starrer "Prasthanam".## In the Alt Balaji web series "Who's Your Daddy", she plays the character of a young girl named Mehek. The show also features Rahul Dev, Harsh Beniwal, Nikhil Bhambri and Anveshi Jain.## Talking about her upcoming film, she said: " I am acting in a very big Kannada movie titled 'Raymo' directed by Pavan Wadeyar. We were done with 90 percent of the shooting. We were just left with the shooting of two songs, and in the middle of the year, we were planning to release the film. Now, everything is on hold. We were supposed to shoot the song in April. It is really frustrating, but we should not fight reality in any other way but by staying at home. I really want things to be normalized and start rolling."## Stay tuned...

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Anuja Sathe on the challenges of playing mafia queen
2257 days ago
Bollywood

Anuja Sathe on the challenges of playing mafia queen

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actress Anuja Sathe says essaying the role of a mafia queen in the web series "Ek Thi Begum" demanded immense emotional and mental investment.## "We've usually seen films and stories on the mafia/ dons helmed by men, this story talks about a woman rising above her sorrows and becoming the mafia queen of her time," Anuja said.## "I've portrayed a variety of roles before, but this is an opportunity that I just couldn't let go of. Ashraf has many shades to her and reflecting that on-screen was a challenge that I wanted to take up. It took immense emotional and mental investment. I hope that people appreciate and enjoy the series as much as we did while making it," she added.## Set in the 1980s in Mumbai, MX Original Series "Ek thi Begum" chronicles the life of Ashraf Bhatkar aka Sapna (played by Anuja). Her life changed when the city's biggest don Maqsood (Ajay Gehi) turned responsible for the death of her husband Zaheer (Ankit Mohan).## The 14 episodic series is created, written and directed by Sachin Darekar. Inspired by true events, the series will stream on MX Player from April 8.## Talking about the project, Darekar said: "This narrative brilliantly captures the resilient strength of a woman who was pushed to the brink but emerges as a dominant force. All the characters play a crucial role in the story and they have truly brought this project alive with their performance."## The show also stars Chinmay Mandlekar, Rajendra Shisatkar, Resham, Abhijeet Chavan, Pradip Doiphode, Vithal Kale, Nazarr Khan, Vijay Nikam, Anil Nagarkar, Suchit Jadhav, Raju Aathavale and Santosh Juvekar amongst others.## Stay tuned...

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CINTAA urges members to pitch in with financial aid
2257 days ago
Bollywood

CINTAA urges members to pitch in with financial aid

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Amid the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, the Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) has appealed to A-list members as well as masses to pitch in with rations and funds as a donation for daily wage workers.## CINTAA is an autonomous body registered under the Indian Trade Union Act.## "Since CINTAA has a very limited corpus, we are not a cash-rich association. Our charitable sister trust, the Cine Artist Welfare Trust (CAWT) is also running out of funds," said actor Amit Behl, Senior Joint Secretary & Chairperson Outreach Committee CINTAA.## "We have appealed to all our members and A-listers to start helping us by donating ration and some funds. We have also circulated the account number and IFSC of Cine Artist Welfare Trust giving them the benefit of 80G certificate," Behl added.## The responses have already started pouring in. There are many many of CINTAA's senior and well-established actors who are also sending their appeal videos.## CINTAA has also approached the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Government of Maharashtra, urging them to request the broadcasters to release payments in times of crisis.## "Generally, there is a 90-120 day cycle where payments are cleared," said Behl.## Meanwhile, the association has pledged to help its members in need. They have been making and distributing ration packets, also, Rs. 2000 per member based on the actual needs is also being compensated.## "The start has happened. We are trying our best to help our members," Behl added.## Stay tuned...

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'Angrezi Medium' family reunites virtually
2257 days ago
Bollywood

'Angrezi Medium' family reunites virtually

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) Irrfan Khans "Angrezi Medium" released at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to hit India, resulting in the closure of theatres around the country. Now with the film finding its way onto the digital medium, the team of the movie got a chance to reunite, virtually, and watch it together.## The film had its world digital premiere on Disney+ Hotstar VIP on April 6.## The "Angrezi Medium" cast got emotional with the digital medium bringing them together -- despite the distance and lockdown.## Irrfan and Radhika Madan were joined by Kiku Sharda, Pankaj Tripathi, Deepak Dobriyal, Ranvir Shorey as well as Dinesh Vijan and Homi Adajania during the video chat. Irrfan, however, didn't come in front of the camera during the video chat.## Directed by Homi Adajania, "Angrezi Medium" revolves around a father-daughter relationship, played out by Irrfan and Radhika. It also features Dimple Kapadia and Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film is presented by Jio Studios and Prem Vijan and is a Maddock Films production.## Talking about the film coming on a streaming service, Kareena said: "Naina is always going to be a special character for me. But more importantly, as an artist, it is fascinating to explore new mediums to reach audiences. I can't wait to catch ‘Angrezi Medium' on Disney+Hostar VIP -- the film is a sure shot cure for these isolation blues."## To this, Deepak added: "At a time like this, it's very important for all of us to stay home and stay safe. But we hope to keep you entertained during this process and I am extremely excited that ‘Angrezi Medium' is now out on a digital platform. This movie is very close to my heart and has worked with Irrfan bhai yet again is a joyous feeling."## Stay tuned...

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Mika Singh records song with next-door neighbor Chahatt Khanna
2257 days ago
Bollywood

Mika Singh records song with next-door neighbor Chahatt Khanna

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Singer Mika Singh, and his neighbor and actress Chahatt Khanna worked on a new single titled "Quarantine love" during the lockdown period that started last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.## While Mika has lent vocals to the song, the "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain" actress features in the video.## "Mika and I had plans of collaborating for a long time, but nothing had materialized. But now that we are just homebound and we are neighbors, we thought of creating something exciting," said the actress.## "It was just the two of us who shot it and we had taken all the precautions while shooting it. It was super fun and I am sure everyone is going to love the outcome," she added.## They are planning to unveil the track this week.## Meanwhile, Chahatt, who was last seen on the big screen in "Prassthanam", has been putting up her photos and videos on Instagram.## Stay tuned...

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Akshay, Ayushmann, Tiger, Kriti in inspiring song amid COVID-19 crisis
2257 days ago
Bollywood

Akshay, Ayushmann, Tiger, Kriti in inspiring song amid COVID-19 crisis

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Tiger Shroff, Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday, Kriti Sanon, Rajkumar Rao, and Taapsee Pannu are among a slew of Bollywood celebrities who feature in a new song, "Muskurayega India", which aims to boost people's spirits in the fight against the novel coronavirus.## Sung by Vishal Mishra, the track's video begins with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech.## Rakul Preet, Sidharth Malhotra, and cricketer Shikhar Dhawan are also part of the song.## In the video, the actors can be seen urging Indians to spread smiles.## Akshay took to Instagram and shared the link of the song. "All we need is a united stand. Aur Phir #MuskurayegaIndia! Do share with your family and friends," he wrote.## "Muskurayega India" has been presented by Jackky Bhagnani's JJust Music in association with Akshay Kumar's Cape of Good Films.## Stay tuned...

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Milind Soman suggests meditation to beat COVID-19 stress
2257 days ago
Lifestyle

Milind Soman suggests meditation to beat COVID-19 stress

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actor-model-fitness enthusiast Milind Soman suggests meditation for peace of mind in these times of COVID-19 stress, often triggered off by all the rumors, speculations and fake news emanating about the disease.## "So much conflicting information online. So much uncertainty. What will the world be like in a few months? What about the virus. What about the economy. Let's not overthink this. Go with the flow. Whatever shape the world takes, we must be prepared. Our minds must be prepared. Strong. And centered," Milind wrote on Instagram.## "Meditation, if practiced for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and achieve a greater capacity for relaxation," added the 54-year-old.## He also offered suggestions about how to perform meditation for those who do not know.## Milind wrote:## "How to Start Meditating?## Set a timer. Start with 5 mins.## Put on Music that you find calming.## Sit or lie down comfortably in a quiet place.## Breathe normally through your nose, with your mouth closed. Focus on your breath, as you inhale and exhale. If you notice your mind being distracted by thoughts, gently bring it back to the breath."## Stay tuned...

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Priyank Sharma confirms relationship with Benafsha with loved-up pic
2257 days ago
TV

Priyank Sharma confirms relationship with Benafsha with loved-up pic

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actor Priyank Sharma has made his relationship with "Bigg Boss 11" housemate Benafsha Soonawala official with a mushy photo online.## In the photo, the two are seen cozied-up, with Priyank's lips on her cheek. He simply captioned it: "Confirmation", with a red heart emoji.## Benafsha also used the same image and got a little music for the caption. She used pop star Justin Bieber's song lyrics for it. She wrote: "Can't nobody keep me like you, Call it unconventional, My love is habitual."## This might be their "confirmation" photo, but they have often taken to Instagram to post their photos which made their fans speculate about their relationship long ago.## The duo was seen sharing screen space during their stint in the "Bigg Boss 11" house in 2017. Even after the show, they took their friendship ahead of and now it has finally resulted in an official relationship.## Benafsha had made her film debut in 2019 with "Chopsticks".## Last year, when IANS asked her about being romantically linked to Priyank, she had said: "We are just friends and will always be buddies."## Stay tuned...

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Sara Ali Khan's lockdown mantra: Riyaz, training, repetition
2257 days ago
Bollywood

Sara Ali Khan's lockdown mantra: Riyaz, training, repetition

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actress Sara Ali Khan has tips for her fans to beat lockdown boredom -- especially the Monday blues during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## Taking to Instagram, Sara posted a throwback dance rehearsal video. What's more, the budding actress seemed to be in a poetic mood, rhyming her advice in the caption.## "Monday motivation...Sara's suggestion- dance edition... Revisit any previous tradition... Riyaaz, training, repetition... It'll all come to fruition... And of course- I must mention In this ‘quarantine' any routine will help your condition.#sarakishayari #QuarantineKiTayari #stayhome #staysafe," she wrote.## Reacting to the post, a user commented: "Much needed motivation."## Another one commented: "Beautiful and amazing."## On the work front, Sara will be next seen opposite Varun Dhawan in the remake of "Coolie No.1". She will also be seen sharing screen space with Dhanush and Akshay Kumar in "Atrangi Re".## Stay tuned...

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Kajol's tips on how to spend time amid lockdown impresses Madhuri
2257 days ago
Bollywood

Kajol's tips on how to spend time amid lockdown impresses Madhuri

Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Actress Kajol has come up with an innovative way to tell her fans how to spend time at home during the coronavirus lockdown. She recently took to social media and shared a series of pictures of herself to give netizens meaningful advice in a humorous way.## Sharing a picture of herself and actress Madhuri Dixit Nene taking a selfie together, Kajol wrote: "Stay connected with your friends through video calls."## Responding to the tweet, Madhuri said: "Absolutely Kajol, staying in touch with your friends is so important to keep yourself sane during this time!"## She also posted a still of her from her movie "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" in which she's seen reading a book.## "Read... it increases knowledge," she captioned the image.## On the work front, Kajol recently wooed the audience with her short film, "Devi". Now she will be seen in Netflix's film "Tribhanga".## Stay tuned...

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