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Moscow, Jan 1 (IANS) Streaming giant Netflix will have to stream 20 state television channels in Russia starting in March. ## The country's media watchdog Roskomnadzor registered the platform as an "audiovisual service" this week, reports Engadget. ## Among the channels Netflix will have to carry are the flagship Channel One, entertainment network NTV and a Russian Orthodox Church channel called Spas (which means "Saved"). ## Streaming services with more than 100,000 daily users in Russia are included on the register, which was established late last year, the report said. ## Not only must registered platforms offer state TV channels, but they also need to set up a Russian company, according to The Moscow Times. ## Companies on the register also have to abide by Russian laws. For one thing, Netflix will not be allowed to promote "extremism". Critics claim that provision has been wielded against those who support the Kremlin's opponents. ## Other video services in the country reportedly argued that Netflix should be added to the register to level the playing field since it meets the requirements. ## The Russian version of Netflix is operated by Entertainment Online Service, a subsidiary of National Media Group, which has a stake in Channel One. ##

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has revealed on the show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' that he will make his debut as a music composer at the age of 76 with his upcoming movie '36 Farmhouse'.## He will be appearing as a special guest on the singing reality show.## "When I was finalizing the story of the film ('36 Farmhouse'), I thought that I should create a song for it too. So, I took some help from the students of Whistling Woods International and created two songs from scratch. The idea was to see if I could also be a music composer. As artists, I feel we should always grow, and see what we can do with our capabilities", he says.## "Hence, this was my attempt at rediscovering myself as a music composer. When the songs come out, you all will be able to tell me how I fared", he adds.## The singing reality show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa', judged by Himesh Reshammiya, Vishal Dadlani, and Shankar Mahadevan, airs on Zee TV.## Stay tuned...

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Actor Rumi Khan feels that new years are all about new opportunities. ## Rumi, who has acted in TV shows like 'Ishq Ka Rang Safed', 'Mahabharat' and 'Sher-e-Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh', feels it takes too much effort to stick to our resolutions. ## He says: "We all know that it takes effort to build a strong social circle. Sometimes, it takes stepping out of our comfort zone, or getting rid of a bad habit. The arrival of New Year is the perfect time to make little changes that can have a big impact on our social life. With New Year just around the corner, I plan to learn something new, and after experiencing the pandemic, I feel there should be no place for hate in life." ## The actor, who is known for his roles in ‘Uttaran' and ‘Ek Veer Ki Ardaas: Veera', wants to learn the art of resolving conflicts. ## He adds: "Disagreements happen and we do get offended. Misunderstandings occur even between the best of friends. It doesn't have to lead to major drama, and damage our relationships. I'm trying to make it my goal to nip conflicts in the bud in the New Year. ## "If there's a rift between me and my friends, I will make the effort to have a conversation about the problem. I will hear my friends out when they share their perspectives. I will be respectful and considerate while sharing my own. And remember, it's always important to apologise if I have hurt someone's feelings. The better you are at keeping the drama to a minimum, the stronger your friendships will be in the long run." ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Actor Kapil Arya, who tied the knot with 'Dil Hi Toh Hai' actress Gurpreet Bedi on December 22, plans to focus on the professional front in the New Year. ## He says: "Given the uncertain pandemic vibes of 2021, which clearly is the worst thing that happened globally, I have to say that our wedding was the highlight of this year. The New Year will see me focusing on the professional front, as I have some interesting projects lined up." ## The 'Doli Armaanon Ki' actor also wants to explore new hobbies in 2021. ## "I've always been an ardent fan of singing and have used the time in lockdown to write and compose my own songs with the plan of releasing my album some day soon. In fact, I wrote one of them for Gurpreet and sang it at the engagement ceremony," he wraps up. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) From Bharti Singh, Haarsh Limbachiyaa's fun banter to 'Bijlee Bijlee' fame Palak Tiwari teaching superstar Salman Khan her dance moves, 'Bigg Boss 15' will see New Year celebrations with a flurry of performances and games. ## Salman will be sharing the stage and celebrating the New Year with special guests, including actress Waluscha De Sousa, Palak Tiwari, Anu Malik, Sheykhar Ravjiani, Siddharth Nigam and Jannat Zubair. ## During the New Year special 'Weekend Ka Vaar', Bharti and Haarsh will play some interesting games with the housemates. They ask the female contestants to impress Abhijit Bichukale after which Devoleena, Tejasswi and Shamita try to woo him. ## Meanwhile, actress Waluscha De Sousa too entertains everyone with her performance on the song ‘Bollywood Wala Dance'. Later, Anu Malik and Sheykhar Ravjiani perform some of their popular songs. ## Siddharth Nigam and Jannat Zubair also have some fun moments with Salman as they tell him about the ongoing social media trends. ## 'Bigg Boss 15' airs on Colors. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Sunny Pancholi says 2021 was special for him as he got opportunities to explore as an actor. ## The actor, who was last seen in the show "Balika Vadhu 2", says: "The year 2021 was special for me as I got the opportunity to act for a very beautiful show, 'Balika Vadhu 2'. I earned a lot of popularity and appreciation for my acting in the show. Even if I talk about my personal front, I made some genuine friends. The best part of the year was I got to explore and experiment a lot as an actor." ## Sunny, who started as a production assistant on the show "Mere Apne" and made his acting debut with "Behnein", looks forward to doing more social work in the New Year. ## "I want to pay attention to the people around me and see whatever I can do to make their lives a little easier. An act of kindness, any simple gesture can improve someone's day. I also wish to be an active part of an NGO who helps the poor, empowering them with financial freedom, soil harvesting as it is the burning issue in the coming decades," he adds. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Gender biases are often seen not only in rural but in urban areas also and the short film, 'Love Raddi', is about the same, featuring Harshita Gaur and actor-director Adeeb Rais. ## 'Sadda Haq' actress Harshita will be seen playing a dentist who is forced to face emotional abuse since childhood. ## Harshita says: "My character, Sara Malik, is a young dentist, who although independent and intelligent, is subject to emotional abuse since childhood. The film highlights how even in well-to-do urban households, some parents continue to treat their daughters and sons differently." ## According to Harshita, the on-screen character is confident from the outside, but feels restricted and unable to speak up in actuality. ## The actress, who feels a lot of young Indian girls will connect with her character, says: "What really attracted me about this particular short film when I was reading it was a very basic line, which said that sometimes when you speak up for yourself, you're not just trying to fix the problem, but probably you are just trying to fix yourself. Speaking up is an act of courage and self-love." ## The other lead actor, Adeeb, says his character, Kabir Kohli, appears like the boy-next-door but slowly the audience will realise that there's a lot of unhealed pain and anguish within him. ## He says: "Kabir Kohli has grown up seeing his mother being psychically abused by his father and continues to be haunted by the trauma. He's highly relatable on surface level, but deeply complex from within, which makes the character really exciting." ## Adeeb further explains the reason for such gender biases in the society. ## "The problem lies in the Indian parenting system where parents are given a larger than life Demi God's stature. This pressure is unfair to both the children and the parents. Indian media too has generally portrayed parents in a very one-dimensional fashion, and I feel it's time we highlight these unspoken issues." ## The 20-minute short film produced by Madmidaas Films is available on YouTube on the Madmidaas Films channel. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Actor Fahmaan Khan, who is currently playing Aryan Singh Rathore in the popular show 'Imlie', considers the year 2021 as a blessing, and looks forward to growing more in 2022. ## He says: "2021 was very welcoming for me. I was blessed to be part of two popular shows... I got so much love and support from my audience. I'm thankful to them for appreciating my work. I look forward to growing more as an actor and a human being in 2022. I aim to make my parents more proud of me." ## Fahmaan, who made his acting debut in 2017 with the TV show 'Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka?', wants to be recognised more for his acting over his looks. ## "I believe in making a mark by performing well. I want to work hard and become famous for my acting. I don't want my viewers to remember me just for my looks. And for that I'm putting my best and respecting every work I take on. I play each role with dedication to impress my audience," he adds. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) 'Choti Sarrdaarni' fame Piya Valecha says that she is single not by chance, but by choice. ## "I am single not by chance, but by choice. Marriage is not a plan for me as of now. I will think of it in future once I find someone eligible for me. But for now, my work is my topmost priority," she says. ## The actress, who previously featured in shows like 'Maddam Sir - Kuch Baat Hai Kyunki Jazbaat Hai', says she learnt to deal with challenging situations in 2021. ## "The year 2021 was full of ups and downs for me. But I learnt to deal with challenging situations and stay focused... Keeping myself all positive and motivated," she says. ## "I learnt to take all the work opportunities and make them best for me," she adds. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Actor Athar Siddiqui, who is popularly known for playing an antagonist in TV show 'Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2', has talked about learning boxing and being passionate about it. ## He says: "In the year 2021, I learned a lot of new things like the basics of boxing, shooting and some military training. I have grown interested in learning boxing which I will continue and accomplish in the new year 2022. ## "I look forward to playing stronger roles which are challenging and promising irrespective of the medium they are shot for." ## The actor looks forward to discovering himself and is sure that boxing shall be helpful to him. ## "The inner struggle is a common theme in the sport of boxing. It's one of the only sports in the world that forces an individual to look deep inside of themselves to discover who they really are. ## "Between the confines of the cold ring ropes and the outstretched canvas, people find out what they are capable of in some of the direst situations," he added. ## Stay tuned.

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Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Singers Shaan and Neeti Nigam have recreated late legendary singer-actor 'Kishore Kumar's song 'Aate Jate Khoobsurat' from the movie 'Anurodh' while recording the title track of upcoming show 'Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey'. ## Speaking of the track, Shaan said: "I am a big Kishore Da fan and it's a great feeling to sing this legendary melody composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. No matter how hard I try, I could never create the magic already created in the original, so I just sang to the brief and guidance of the music producer Dhruv." ## Neeti called it a wonderful start for the new year and also a memorable experience. ## She added: "Recording the title track for their upcoming show 'Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Sey' was a wonderful and very memorable experience. Its soul-stirring lyrics can turn the worst day into a better one effortlessly. ## "While recreating this iconic song, we kept in mind the need to create something memorable, inventive, and something which created a sense of warmth in the new year for everyone." ## "The tone of the song had to be young, uplifting, and joyous while capturing the beautiful journeys of the variety of characters which this show will have." ## Neeti said that they have given their all to "make it sound at least a little bit closer to what Kishore Da made it sound like and are hoping for everybody to love the song as well as the music video." ## Kabhi Kabhie Ittefaq Seya will start from January 3 on Star Plus. ## Stay tuned.

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Hyderabad, Dec 31 (IANS) The grand finale of the reality show 'Bigg Boss Season 5' garnered decent ratings on TRP, although it fell short of the previous season's finale, according to reports. ## The ratings of the four-and-a-half-hour-long episode are out. According to BARC, Star MAA has got 18.4 (SD+HD) TVR Ratings for the Grand finale. ## While the TRP ratings indicate some impressive numbers in the Urban category, the grand finale of 'Bigg Boss Telugu 5', as indicated by the TRP chart, doesn't draw higher ratings than those of seasons 3 and 4. ## India's top stars Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor appeared in the show's grand finale along with director SS Rajamouli and the 'Brahmastra' team. ## Also, the 'Pushpa' team- Rashmilka Mandanna, Devi Sri Prasad, and Sukumar were present to promote their movie, as well as take the show forward. ## The event had Nani and his 'Shyam Singha Roy' co-actors Sai Pallavi and Krithi Shetty as well. With Nagarjuna as the host, the season had ended on a high note. ## The makers of 'Bigg Boss' have announced the OTT version of the reality show, which is likely to begin in February 2022. ## Stay tuned.