Entertainment
Bollywood star Kajol says ‘facing one of the toughest trials of my life’, erases all Instagram posts
Bollywood star Kajol has announced that she is taking a break from social media.
The actress has erased all of her earlier Instagram posts, NDTV reported on Friday.
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Without getting into details, Kajol posted on Instagram and Twitter: "Facing one of the toughest trials of my life."
"Taking a break from social media," she captioned it.
While the actress has not said why she deleted all of her previous Instagram photos, netizens on the Internet inundated her post with comments such as "Sending you so much love" and "Please take care." "Hope you're doing well, take your time," said another. "Sending you all my love," another added. "Allow yourself plenty of time. We'll be there."
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Kajol is well recognized for her roles in blockbusters like as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Baazigar, Gupt, Dushman, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and My mention Is Khan, to mention a few.
Kajol was most recently seen in Salaam Venky, a film co-starring Vishal Jethwa and Aamir Khan (in a cameo role). Revathy directed the film, which was released last year. The actress's next appearance will be in Netflix's anthology film Lust Stories 2, said the report.
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In recent years, she has appeared in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, a National Award-winning film co-starring husband Ajay Devgn and actor Saif Ali Khan, it also said.
Kajol also appeared in the Netflix film Tribhanga, her digital debut. Tribhanga, directed by Renuka Sahane and starring Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar, was produced by Ajay Devgn, it added.
Playing Odin in Marvel's Thor movies was 'pointless acting', says Anthony Hopkins
Veteran actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has described his work in Marvel's Thor films as "pointless acting".
The veteran Welsh actor joined the cast of Thor as Odin – father of Thor and one of the principal gods in Norse mythology – in Kenneth Branagh's film version of the Marvel comic in 2011.Later, he also appeared in 2013's Thor: The Dark World and 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.
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"If you're sitting in front of a green screen, it's pointless acting," Sir Anthony, 85, told the New Yorker.
"They put me in armour; they shoved a beard on me," he told the magazine.
"Sit on the throne, shout a bit."
Anthony Hopkins made history in 2021 by becoming the oldest person to win an Academy Award for acting, winning a second Oscar for his role as a man with dementia in The Father, BBC reports.
His performance as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs earned the actor his first Oscar in 1992.
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Meanwhile his Thor co-star Chris Hemsworth told GQ magazine he loved the experience of making Thor movies, but joked he got sick of the character pretty quickly every couple of years, According to BBC.
"I love the fact that I've been able to do something fairly different throughout the process. Thor and 2 were their own thing, Thor 3 and 4 were a very different feel," he said.
He told the magazine that he was interested in returning to Thor and "seeing what they have to offer creatively, if there is something new" for the character. "But I really wanna do some other stuff for a while," the Australian actor said.
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Kolkata 20th Tele Cine Awards: Afzal Hossain, Chanchal Chowdhury, Bappa Mazumder honoured
Several Bangladeshi artists were honoured in multiple categories for enthralling audiences, transcending the borders between the two Bengala at the Kolkata 20th Tele Cine Awards on Sunday (June 4, 2023).
Eminent Bangladeshi thespian-painter Afzal Hossain received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while "Hawa"-famed star Chanchal Chowdhury received the award for best actor. Bidya Sinha Mim received best actress for her stellar performance in "Poran" and Bappy Chowdhury received a special award at the 2023 edition of the award.
Popular singer Bappa Mazumder received best male singer, and Samina Chowdhury was awarded best female singer at the awards, held at the Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata.
Also read: “Nodir Kul”: Coke Studio Bangla’s tranquil ode to Polli Kobi Jashimuddin
“For such a long time, we have been trying to take Bangla content to a whole new level. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, we couldn't screen our films and dramas here for many years but we are glad that now our audiences are able to enjoy our content," said Chanchal Chowdhury.
“I want to express my gratitude to the jury board and all of the participants and everyone associated with this event. I also want to express my gratitude to all of my listeners and well-wishers. Stay well everyone, and keep supporting our Bengali music," Bappa Mazumder wrote on his official Facebook profile.
At the 19th edition of the Tele Cine Awards in 2022, a number of Bangladeshi artists were honoured namely Momtaz Begom, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Mir Sabbir, Deepanwita Martin, Masud Hasan Ujjal, SI Tutul, Chanchal Chowdhury, Zakia Bari Mamo and Anika Tasnim.
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The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 was handed over to eminent singer Runa Laila and evergreen Bangladeshi actor Alamgir, while late actor-politician Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque MP received the honour in 2021.
Govt taking action against illegal polythene producers: Environment Minister
The government is taking action against polythene producers as it is harmful to humans, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Monday.
“Mobile courts are being run against production, transportation, marketing and storage of banned polythene bags. From January 2019 to February 2023, a total of 2,198 raids were conducted and 3,617 cases were filed and 169 persons were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and 1,745 metric tons of polythene, grains and raw materials were seized,” he said.
Also read: Ensure strict implementation of laws to control plastic pollution: TIB
The minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the “World Environment Day and Environment Fair 2023” and “National Tree Planting Campaign and National Tree Fair 2023” at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
“Let us all collect saplings, plant trees in fallen and unused vacant areas around. Build a healthy and beautiful world for us,” he said.
Also read: Bangladesh has the answer to polythene menace
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dr Hasan Mahmud attended the event as the chief guest. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar and Md Saber Hossain Chowdhury, President of the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, were present as special guests.
The environment fair will be held from June 5-11. The tree fair will run from June 5-26 and from July 1 to 12 as there is an official holiday from 27 to 30 June for the Eid-ul-Azha. The fair will start at 9:00 am and end at 8:00 pm every day.
Also read: Anti-plastic laws not being implemented: Speakers
Ome's 'Female 3' coming to Bongo's YouTube channel
Following the success of "Female" and "Female 2"director Kajal Arefin Ome this time is making "Female 3" in collaboration with popular streaming platform Bongo.
The telefilm will be released on Bongo's YouTube channel on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha, said a media release on Saturday.
Currently, the director is completing principal photography.
Directed by Kajal Arefin Ome, “Female 3” stars Bachelor Point fame Mishu Sabbir, Ziaul Hoque Polash, Marzuk Russel, Chashi Alam, Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, Saidur Rahman Pavel, Musafire Syed Bacchu, Schumonn Patwary, Lamima Lam, Shimul Sharma, Arfan Mridha Shiblu and many others.
Earlier, the director's first web series "Hotel Relax" was released on Bongo on Eid-Ul-Fitr.
The web series broke Bongo's subscription sales record. Recently “Hotel Relax” hit another milestone by achieving 5 crore paid minute views.
Guess who’s returning to the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise?
After much speculation, it has been confirmed that a fan favorite character will be returning to the "Fast & Furious" franchise.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, last Thursday (June 1, 2023), revealed the news on social media that he is "one hundred percent confirming" that his character Luke Hobbs will be returning to the fray.
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Johnson also praised viewers for their enthusiasm and support for his unexpected appearance in "Fast X," which came out in May, reports CNN.
The Rock also hinted that there would be more between Hobbs and Jason Momoa's character Dante, it said.
“If you thought that ‘The Rock’ versus ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin headlining three WrestleManias was earth-shattering, well, wait until you see Dante and Hobbs collide,” he said, calling back to his days as a professional wrestler.
Also read: 'Hobbs & Shaw' is No. 1 but trails 'Fast & Furious' pace
While Johnson wasn’t explicitly clear on what the next “Fast” installment is, The Wrap is reporting that an untitled Hobbs movie is in the works at Universal Pictures that will be a “bridge” between “Fast X” and “Fast X: Part II,” instead of Johnson returning in a “Hobbs & Shaw” sequel film (“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” was a 2019 “Fast & Furious” spinoff starring Johnson and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw)
The "Black Adam" actor starred as Hobbs in 2011's "Fast Five" and went on to star in five more flicks in the franchise.
12 Most Anticipated South Indian Movies Coming in June 2023
June 2023 is set to be an exciting month for South Indian cinema, promising a range of buzzworthy films. From intense drama and epic adventure to thrilling, action-packed stories, this month's lineup is bound to mesmerise audiences across the south Asia region. This article unveils the highlights of the most anticipated South Indian releases in June.
12 Upcoming South Indian Movies in June 2023
Vimanam
"Vimanam" is an upcoming drama film in Telugu and Tamil, directed and written by Siva Prasad Yanala. The movie boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including Samuthirakani, Meera Jasmine, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Rahul Ramakrishna, Motta Rajendran, Dhruvan, and Dhanraj.
Scheduled to release on June 9, 2023, the story revolves around a young boy's desire to travel by aeroplane and his efforts to fulfil this dream, even in the face of adversity. The film beautifully portrays the theme of dreams and determination, with cinematography by Vivek Kalepu and music composed by Charan Arjun.
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Adipurush
"Adipurush" is an Indian film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, directed and written by Om Raut. Produced by T-Series and Retrophiles, this star-studded movie features Prabhas as Raghava (Lord Rama), Kriti Sanon as Janaki (Sita), Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh Ravan (Ravana), Sunny Singh as Lakshmana, and Devdatta Nage as Bajrang.
With a whopping budget of over BDT 900 crore (US$88 million), "Adipurush" is touted as the most expensive Indian film ever made.
The movie revolves around Raghava and Lakshmana's mission to rescue Raghava's abducted wife, Janaki, from the demon king Lankesh Ravan. Prepare for a grand spectacle when it hits theatres on June 16, 2023, with music composed by Ajay-Atul and Sachet–Parampara.
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Hari Hara Veera Mallu
Set in the 17th-century Mughal Empire, "Hari Hara Veera Mallu" is an Indian Telugu-language period action adventure film directed and written by Krish Jagarlamudi. It is an epic tale as Veera Mallu embarks on a mission to steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Mughals.
The movie delves into the life of the legendary outlaw Veera Mallu, portrayed by Pawan Kalyan. The stellar cast also includes Nidhhi Agerwal, Bobby Deol, Nargis Fakhri, and Vikramjeet Virk.
Although the film's release has been postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other commitments of the lead actor, it is finally set to hit theatres in June 2023. "Hari Hara Veera Mallu" will be released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.
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Kolla
"Kolla" is an upcoming Malayalam movie directed by Suraj Varma, slated for release on June 9, 2023. Crafted by Jasim Jalal and Nelson Joseph, the film presents a captivating plot that revolves around Rajisha Vijayan, Priya Prakash Varrier, and Vinay Forrt as the main stars.
Produced by K.V. Rajeesh and Ravi Mathew under the banners of Rajeesh Productions, "Kolla" offers enchanting music composed by Shaan Rahman. Rajavel Mohan handles the cinematography, while Arjun Ben takes charge of the editing. Sree Gokulam Movies and Ravi Mathew Productions are the production companies behind this project.
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“Nodir Kul”: Coke Studio Bangla’s tranquil ode to Polli Kobi Jashimuddin
Showcasing a multi-instrumental, soothing musical fusion through upholding the glory of Polli Kobi Jashimuddin’s captivating Bhatiyali lyrics, Coke Studio Bangla launched its sixth track of the second season titled “Nodir Kul” on Thursday night.
Simultaneously released across Coke Studio Bangla’s social and digital platforms on Facebook, YouTube and Spotify from the Chittagong Boat Club, the song is sung by Ripon Kumar Sarkar (Boga) and rearranged with a refreshing, pacifying composition by Coke Studio Bangla curator and producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob.
Aside from the successful duo of Arnob and Boga from season one’s mesmerising track “Chiltey Roud”, the song featured a majestic clarinet performance by Idris Rahman, a Bengali-English clarinettist, saxophonist and record producer based in London.
Eminent flautist Jalal Ahmed, alongside Coke Studio Bangla’s diverse house band, also performed in the 9 minutes 22 seconds ode to the endless beauty of riverine Bangladesh. The track is originally written and composed by Polli Kobi Jashimuddin and sung by legendary singer Abbasuddin Ahmed.
A Bhatiyali song of its origin, “Nodir Kul” also features a unique blend of Kirtan - a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas, native to the Indian subcontinent. “The fusion of ‘Kirtan’ and ‘Bhatiyali’ feels inseparable, representing the traditional, co-existing lifestyle of our community,” Coke Studio Bangla describes the motif behind the fusion.
Pop-music sensation Tina Turner dies at 83
Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and '70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping "What's Love Got to Do With It," has died at 83.
Turner died Tuesday, after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, according to her manager. She became a Swiss citizen a decade ago.
Few stars traveled so far — she was born Anna Mae Bullock in a segregated Tennessee hospital and spent her latter years on a 260,000 square foot estate on Lake Zurich — and overcame so much. Physically battered, emotionally devastated and financially ruined by her 20-year relationship with Ike Turner, she became a superstar on her own in her 40s, at a time when most of her peers were on their way down, and remained a top concert draw for years after.
With admirers ranging from Beyoncé to Mick Jagger, Turner was one of the world's most successful entertainers, known for a core of pop, rock and rhythm and blues favorites: "Proud Mary," "Nutbush City Limits," "River Deep, Mountain High," and the hits she had in the '80s, among them "What's Love Got to Do with It," "We Don't Need Another Hero" and a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."
Her trademarks were her growling contralto, her bold smile and strong cheekbones, her palette of wigs and the muscular, quick-stepping legs she did not shy from showing off. She sold more than 150 million records worldwide, won 12 Grammys, was voted along with Ike into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 (and on her own in 2021) and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2005, with Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey among those praising her. Her life became the basis for a film, a Broadway musical and an HBO documentary in 2021 that she called her public farewell.
Until she left her husband and revealed their back story, she was known as the voracious on-stage foil of the steady-going Ike, the leading lady of the "Ike and Tina Turner Revue." Ike was billed first and ran the show, choosing the material, the arrangements, the backing singers. They toured constantly for years, in part because Ike was often short on money and unwilling to miss a concert. Tina Turner was forced to go on with bronchitis, with pneumonia, with a collapsed right lung.
Other times, the cause of her misfortunes was Ike himself.
As she recounted in her memoir, "I, Tina," Ike began hitting her not long after they met, in the mid-1950s, and only grew more vicious. Provoked by anything and anyone, he would throw hot coffee in her face, choke her, or beat her until her eyes were swollen shut, then rape her. Before one show, he broke her jaw and she went on stage with her mouth full of blood.
Terrified both of being with Ike and of being without him, she credited her emerging Buddhist faith in the mid-1970s with giving her a sense of strength and self-worth and she finally left in early July, 1976. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue was scheduled to open a tour marking the country's bicentennial when Tina snuck out of their Dallas hotel room, with just a Mobil credit card and 36 cents, while Ike slept. She hurried across a nearby highway, narrowly avoiding a speeding truck, and found another hotel to stay.
"I looked at him (Ike) and thought, 'You just beat me for the last time, you sucker,'" she recalled in her memoir.
Turner was among the first celebrities to speak candidly about domestic abuse, becoming a heroine to battered women and a symbol of resilience to all. Ike Turner did not deny mistreating her, although he tried to blame Tina for their troubles. When he died, in 2007, a representative for his ex-wife said simply: "Tina is aware that Ike passed away."
Little of this was apparent to the many Ike and Tina fans. The Turners were a hot act for much of the 1960s and into the '70s, evolving from bluesy ballads such as "A Fool in Love" and "It's Going to Work Out Fine" to flashy covers of "Proud Mary" and "Come Together" and other rock songs that brought them crossover success.
They opened for the Rolling Stones in 1966 and 1969, and were seen performing a lustful version of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" in the 1970 Stones documentary "Gimme Shelter." Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett gave Oscar-nominated performances as Ike and Tina in the 1993 movie "What's Love Got to Do with It," based on "I, Tina," but she would say that reliving her years with Ike was so painful she couldn't bring herself to watch the movie).
Ike and Tina's reworking of "Proud Mary," originally a tight, mid-tempo hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival, helped define their assertive, sexual image. Against a background of funky guitar and Ike's crooning baritone, Tina began with a few spoken words about how some people wanted to hear songs that were "nice and easy."
"But there's this one thing," she warned, "you see, we never ever do nothing nice and easy.
"We always do it nice — and rough."
But by the end of the 1970s, Turner's career seemed finished. She was 40 years old, her first solo album had flopped and her live shows were mostly confined to the cabaret circuit. Desperate for work, and money, she even agreed to tour in South Africa when the country was widely boycotted because of its racist apartheid regime.
Rock stars helped bring her back. Rod Stewart convinced her to sing "Hot Legs" with him on "Saturday Night Live" and Jagger, who had openly borrowed some of Turner's on-stage moves, sang "Honky Tonk Women" with her during the Stones' 1981-82 tour. At a listening party for his 1983 album "Let's Dance," David Bowie told guests that Turner was his favorite female singer.
More popular in England at the time than in the U.S., she recorded a raspy version of "Let's Stay Together" at EMI's Abbey Road studios in London. By the end of 1983, "Let's Stay Together" was a hit throughout Europe and on the verge of breaking in the states. An A&R man at Capitol Records, John Carter, urged the label to sign her up and make an album. Among the material presented to her was a reflective pop-reggae ballad co-written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle and initially dismissed by Tina as "wimpy."
"I just thought it was some old pop song, and I didn't like it," she later said of "What's Love Got To Do With It."
Turner's "Private Dancer" album came out in May 1984, sold more than eight million copies and featured several hit singles, including the title song and "Better Be Good To Me." It won four Grammys, among them record of the year for "What's Love Got to Do With It," the song that came to define the clear-eyed image of her post-Ike years.
"People look at me now and think what a hot life I must have lived — ha!" she wrote in her memoir.
Even with Ike, it was hard to mistake her for a romantic. Her voice was never "pretty," and love songs were never her specialty, in part because she had little experience to draw from. She was born in Nutbush, Tennessee in 1939 and would say she received "no love" from either her mother or father. After her parents separated, she moved often around Tennessee and Missouri, living with various relatives. She was outgoing, loved to sing and as a teenager would check out the blues clubs in St. Louis, where one of the top draws was Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. Tina didn't care much for his looks the first time she saw him, at the Club Manhattan.
"Then he got up onstage and picked up his guitar," she wrote in her memoir. "He hit one note, and I thought, 'Jesus, listen to this guy play.'"
Tina soon made her move. During intermission at an Ike Turner show at the nearby Club D'Lisa, Ike was alone on stage, playing a blues melody on the keyboards. Tina recognized the song, B.B. King's "You Know I Love You," grabbed a microphone and sang along. As Tina remembered, a stunned Ike called out "Giirrlll!!" and demanded to know what else she could perform. Over her mother's objections, she agreed to join his group. He changed her first name to Tina, inspired by the comic book heroine Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and changed her last name by marrying her, in 1962.
In rare moments of leniency from Ike, Tina did enjoy success on her own. She added an explosive lead vocal to Phil Spector's titanic production of "River Deep, Mountain High," a flop in the U.S. when released in 1966, but a hit overseas and eventually a standard. She was also featured as the Acid Queen in the 1975 film version of the Who's rock opera "Tommy." More recent film work included "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and a cameo in "What's Love Got to Do with It."
Turner had two sons: Craig, with saxophonist Raymond Hill; and Ronald, with Ike Turner. (Craig Turner was found dead in 2018 of an apparent suicide). In a memoir published later in 2018, "Tina Turner: My Love Story," she revealed that she had received a kidney transplant from her second husband, former EMI record executive Erwin Bach.
Turner's life seemed an argument against marriage, but her life with Bach was a love story the younger Tina would not have believed possible. They met in the mid-1980s, when she flew to Germany for record promotion and he picked her up at the airport. He was more than a decade younger than her — "the prettiest face," she said of him in the HBO documentary — and the attraction was mutual. She wed Bach in 2013, exchanging vows at a civil ceremony in Switzerland.
"It's that happiness that people talk about," Turner told the press at the time, "when you wish for nothing, when you can finally take a deep breath and say, 'Everything is good.'"
Popular singer Imran Mahmudul ties the knot
Popular singer Imran Mahmudul has got married recently.
The singer announced the news on his Facebook profile on Wednesday.
"Alhamdulillah. Marriage is a very important part of people's lives. By the grace of Allah, my wife Meher Ayat Zareen and I have started this new chapter of our lives from today,” Imran wrote in his post.
"This is an arranged marriage." As a result, the ceremony was held on a small scale in a homely environment. Insha Allah, when my eldest sister and brother-in-law will return from the United States in November, we will organize a post-wedding celebration for all of my favorite people. Please pray for us so that we can continue to share our joys and sorrows for the rest of our lives," he also said.