Muneeb Butt, a beloved actor in Pakistan known for his versatile roles and self-made journey, recently had a memorable meeting with renowned Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee in Dubai.
The younger actor expressed his long-standing admiration for Manoj’s craft and his desire to meet him. Manoj responded warmly, and they both had a pleasant interaction.
Here is the meetup video :
Indian icon Shabana Azmi has revealed the secret to her successful marriage with renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.
“Even though we’re busy and have different schedules, we don’t meet often. But our similar backgrounds and thoughts keep us connected,” the Bollywood thespian said.
“Our fathers were both poets and communists from Uttar Pradesh, which creates a strong bond between us,” Shabana said, adding that people always assumed their marriage was arranged due to these similarities. However, Javed believes that their limited meetings are the key to their successful marriage.
Shabana and Javed got married in December 1984 and are nearing their 40th wedding anniversary. Before marrying Shabana, Javed was wed to Honey Irani in 1972 and had two children, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, before they separated in 1985. Shabana is the daughter of the famous poet and intellectual Kaifi Azmi.
Disturbing surveillance video published on Friday shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, corroborating allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit late last year.
Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterise him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims, and his homes were raided this year by federal agents.
The 2016 footage, which was obtained and published by CNN, shows the rap mogul hitting, dragging and kicking the singer known as Cassie, who in her recent lawsuit said Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs, plus a 2018 rape.
In the video, Ventura leaves a hotel room after which Combs, appearing to wear only a towel, chases her before throwing her to the ground and assaulting her. “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” read a statement from her lawyer Douglas Wigdor.
Casandra Ventura sued Combs in federal court last fall, a bombshell suit that was settled out of court but succeeded by a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims against the hip-hop star. Ventura met Combs when she was 19 and he was 37, after which he signed her to his label and they began a romantic relationship.
Combs has vehemently denied all accusations against him. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. In March armed agents entered Combs’ sprawling luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles, a heavily publicised bicoastal operation that suggested an investigation into the rapper is underway.
Sana Javed and Shoaib Malik are currently enjoying a trip to the USA. They’ve been sharing beautiful pictures and stories on Instagram from New York. Sana shared stories of rain, while Shoaib posted many solo pictures. The couple also shared a photo together.
Here, we’ve gathered all their pictures from the trip.
Emmy-winning actor Lee Jung-jae, known for his role as Gi-hun in the hit series ‘Squid Game,’ has announced the release date for Season 2.
Fans are excited to dive back into the intense storyline created by Hwang Dong-hyuk.
Lee Jung-Jae confirmed to Business Insider that ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 will premiere in December this year.
This supports Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ earlier comments about the new season arriving in the latter half of 2024, as reported by Screenrant.
Season 2 will follow Gi-hun’s quest for revenge as he tries to take down the organization behind the deadly games.
The season will continue exploring the struggles of contestants fighting for a huge cash prize, with Gi-hun’s transformation adding an exciting twist.
Returning and new faces
Lee Jung-jae will return in his iconic role, alongside Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, and Wi Ha-jun.
Fans eagerly await December to see Gi-hun’s journey and how new characters impact the game’s stakes.
The Cannes Film Festival is famous for the movies that premiere there, and for the glamorous gowns and high fashion that stars appear in on the red carpet. However, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s latest red carpet appearance has received mixed reactions from fashion critics and fans.
Aishwarya wore a black gown adorned with intricate golden patterns, designed by Indian designer Falguni Shane Peacock. The dress, meant to capture attention, had several unique elements that sparked different opinions.
The gown combined a fitted black base with large gold appliqués, creating a strong contrast that overwhelmed the dress instead of making a big statement. Adding to the complexity were the large white sleeves that billowed around her shoulders, making her look less flattering.
While puff sleeves can add a touch of Renaissance charm, in Aishwarya’s dress, they made the overall look too heavy. The gold details could have worked well without the sleeves, but instead of adding elegance, they distracted from the harmony and shape of the dress.
Adding to the drama was the train of Aishwarya’s dress, covered in intricate gold and white details. While it was meant to make a statement, the busy design of the train took away from the elegance usually expected at Cannes. She paired the gown with large gold hoop earrings, which, although meant to match the dress, added to the overall busy look.
Despite the mixed opinions, Aishwarya Rai’s fashion choices always capture global attention. As one of Bollywood’s most iconic stars, her red carpet appearances are always eagerly anticipated and widely discussed. Her bold choice at the 77th Cannes Film Festival may not have pleased everyone, but it certainly kept all eyes on her.
Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor, listed down the qualities of her ideal life partner. Janhvi Kapoor was questioned by reporters about the characteristics of a man she would pick as her life partner, during the song launch event of her next movie ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi.’
She responded, saying, “Aisa insaan jo ki mere sapno ko apna banade, jo ki mujhe himmat de, badhava de… Khushi de mujhe khushi. Mujhe hasaye (Someone who believes that my dreams are his, who gives me courage, encourages me, and ultimately makes me happy. Someone who grins at me).”
Kapoor is now working on her sports drama, ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi,’ which co-stars Rajkummar Rao and is schedule for release on May 31.
Famous actress Yumna Zaidi appeared at the ZAB Media Festival where she talked about her popular drama series ‘Tere Bin’.
During the Q&A session at the event, a journalist asked Yumna about defending critiques of her portrayal of a rude girl in ‘Tere Bin’.
Yumna responded confidently. “I feel that ‘Tere Bin’ is the most-watched drama of the Pakistan entertainment industry, so I do not need to defend it or my character. If the drama had a name but people were not watching it, then I would promote it. So, the answer is based on the viewership and viewers.”
‘Tere Bin’, now returning for a second season, after transcending geographical borders and was deemed the most watched Pakistani drama in India as well. Its popularity stemmed from audiences captivated by the story of Meerab, an ambitious woman, whose life is transformed after marrying the dominating Murtasim, played by Wahaj Ali.
Agra, India – Born at the bottom of the Hindu faith’s rigid caste system, voters like Anil Sonkar will determine whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power next month.
More than two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion people are estimated to be on the lower rungs of a millennia-old social hierarchy that divides Hindus by function and social standing.
Politicians of all stripes have courted lower caste Indians with affirmative action programmes, job guarantees and special subsidies to mitigate long-standing discrimination and disadvantage.
But Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has established itself as India’s dominant political force with a different pitch: think of your religion first, and caste second.
“There are no economic opportunities and business has never been so bad for me,” said Sonkar, a 55-year-old fishmonger and a member of the Dalit castes, once disparagingly known as “untouchables”.
“But under this government, we feel safe and proud as Hindus,” he told AFP in the tourist city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. “That is why, despite everything, I voted for Modi.”
Modi’s party is expected to easily win this year’s national election once it concludes in June, in large part due to his government’s positioning of the Hindu faith at the centre of its politics.
His government has been accused in turn of marginalising the country’s 200-million-plus Muslims, leaving many among them fearful for their futures in India.
But its strategy of appealing to pan-Hindu unity, and directing the faith’s internal frictions outwards, has reaped political dividends.
“The BJP’s base among the marginalised has grown over every election since 2014,” political scientist and author Sudha Pai told AFP.
The party, she added, had successfully forged a new pan-Hindu political coalition by showing respect to the “cultural symbols, icons and history” of low-caste voters, and in the process furthering its goal of building a “Hindu nation”.
Caste remains a crucial determinant of one’s station in life at birth, with higher castes the beneficiaries of ingrained cultural privileges, lower castes suffering entrenched discrimination, and a rigid divide between both.
Modi himself belongs to a low caste, but the elite worlds of politics, business and culture are largely dominated by high-caste Indians.
Less than six percent of Indians married outside their caste, according to the country’s most recent census in 2011.
Modi’s political coalition has managed to bridge this internal divide by trumpeting a vision of a resurgent and assertive Hindu faith.
The prime minister began the year by inaugurating a grand temple to the Hindu deity Ram, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque razed by Hindu zealots decades earlier.
Construction of the temple fulfilled a long-standing demand of Hindu activists and was widely celebrated by Hindu voters, whatever their caste group.
Modi’s rise also coincided with the declining fortunes of caste-based political parties that had dominated politics for decades in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more people than Nigeria and its most important electoral battleground.
Many in the state accused these parties of directing welfare programmes and other benefits of political power to their own caste groups, a situation they say changed when Modi came to power and made them available for all disadvantaged voters.
“The soles of my slippers wore off as I ran around trying to get a card for free rations,” homemaker Munni Devi, 62, told AFP at a BJP campaign rally over the din of frenzied drum beats and music.
“But Modi gave me one immediately after coming to power,” she told AFP.
The BJP has been able to unite a broad array of caste groups into a single bloc of support, but caste discrimination remains a fact of life both in politics and society at large.
Despite Modi’s own low-caste origins, the senior ranks of his ministry, party and civil service remain overwhelmingly dominated by upper-caste functionaries.
“Our lawmaker is from our caste and from the BJP,” said farmer Patiram Kushwaha, a Modi supporter reconsidering his allegiance.
“He cannot do anything for us because those sitting at the top don’t listen to him.”
More than two dozen opposition parties in this year’s poll have campaigned on a joint pledge to address the structural causes of discrimination by staging a caste-based national census and redirecting resources to the most disadvantaged.
Analysts nonetheless expect Modi to triumph convincingly over the opposition bloc, but Neelanjan Sircar, of the Centre for Policy Research think-tank in New Delhi, said the BJP faced a monumental challenge in holding its coalition together over the long term.
“This balancing act of keeping together groups which don’t really get along with each other is extremely tough in the long run,” he told AFP.
“At some point, you have to face the demons of those contradictions.”
sai/gle/sco
© Agence France-Presse
Hania Amir’s social media is full of photos showing her easy-dimpled smile but the actor also uses her online platform to speak up for mental health. So, when Indian actor and influencer Dolly Singh shared a post about fighting body shaming, Hania felt compelled to reshare it on her own Instagram story.
Singh, who has faced years of negative comments about her body shape, wrote a post about her struggles with weight gain and loss. She ended with a powerful message about how she had overcome unwanted judgment.
“Like most people, my weight goes up and down,” began Dolly. “Being naturally skinny, I tend to lose weight easily, and it’s hard to gain it back.”
Dolly added that she no longer worries about what others say about her weight, “I love my body in every state because it supports me. I grew up despising my body, hating every bit of it, so this…this is growth.”
Even though she’s come to terms with her body, Dolly noted that not everyone around her was as understanding, so she set boundaries for her mental well-being. “The other day, as I was about to see someone, I decided against it because I realised they’re not my safe space,” she wrote.
Dolly explained that she had distanced herself from people and places that didn’t make her feel loved and accepted. She urged her fans and followers to be the change others needed to see. “If you could do something today, try to be someone’s safe space,” she encouraged in her post. “And count your own blessings from people in your life who don’t care about the kilos fluctuating but the smiles on your face.”
Moved by Dolly’s powerful words, Hania wrote, “It takes a lot of courage to face your fears and insecurities, turn every mean comment into your armor, and try to give your community something positive out of the negativity you received. You’re a queen! Thank you for this strong message!”
Dolly Singh then reshared this on her Instagram story and wrote, “Hania you’re a queen.”
As people with large followings keep sharing positive messages against body shaming and their struggles, their message might slowly spread throughout society.