Tag: Indian media

  • Indian media graphics show tank shooting Indian reporter

    Indian media sure knows how to grab the attention of their audience with extravagant graphics.

    An Indian news channel went out of their way with war graphics while reporting about the recent Russia-Ukraine war.

    In a video, which is making rounds on social media, a tank is seen entering into the studio room and then shoots the anchorperson, which apparently kills her.

    Many people have reacted to the video, with one saying, “Hope the anchor tank survived the attack.” One user compared it to Pakistani media.

  • New Indian channel promises to present ‘only good news’

    New Indian channel promises to present ‘only good news’

    India’s leading TV Channel, India Today has launched a Hindi-language TV channel that promises to present only “good news.”

    The latest channel named ‘Good News Today’ “will showcase stories of hope, human triumph, innovation and inspiration from different walks of life, from different parts of India and the world,” India Today Group vice-chairperson Kalli Purie told Arab News.

    “We need to spread positivity, good stories and personalities no matter what the reality is,” she added.

    According to Purie, the slogan of this channel is Achi Khabar, Sachi Khabar (good news, authentic news).

    The country’s position has been falling rapidly on the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. In 2016, it was 136th, but in 2020 it dropped to 142nd.

    Based in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India Today is a 24-hour English language television and has one of the largest viewerships in India. In addition, India has more than 160 national and regional news channels.

  • Indian media runs Arma-3 game clip, calls it Pakistan Air Force attacking Panjshir

    Indian media runs Arma-3 game clip, calls it Pakistan Air Force attacking Panjshir

    Republic TV and Zee Hindustan ran footage from a video game Arma-3 as visuals claiming that it was the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) attacking the anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir Valley.

    The channel aired the footage stating it was from Hasti TV and shows airstrikes by Pakistani drones in Panjshir Valley against resistance fighters.

    Republic TV posted the video with the caption, “Pakistan army supporting Taliban against Northern Alliance in Panjshir”. During the broadcast, the anchor can be heard repeating the claim that the footage shows airstrikes in Panjshir and claiming that Pakistan was behind it.

    Various Indian media outlets shared the fake video, claiming it as Pakistani Air Force attacking Panjshir.

    The video started doing the rounds on Twitter.

    Indian journalist Swati Chaturvedi tweeted, “No bigger disgrace to journalism than the shouty clown & his channel.”

    A Twitter user tweeted, “It’s not that Pakistani 5th Gen Warriors aren’t as skilled, but I think they just lack the sheer brazen confidence that Indian 5th Gen Warriors have.”

    Another person tweeted, “Indian media in a nutshell.”

    https://twitter.com/Ibn_e_Channa/status/1434840247553122304

    Schooling the channel for fake news, a Twitter user wrote, “This is so embarrassing and misleading at the same time. It’s a shame that we let channels like @republic test our sensibilities time and again. Shame on us for letting them exist.”

  • Video: Naseeruddin Shah bashes Indian Muslims for celebrating ‘the return of Taliban’

    Video: Naseeruddin Shah bashes Indian Muslims for celebrating ‘the return of Taliban’

    Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah has criticised “sections of Indian Muslims celebrating the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan”, and called it rather dangerous.

    In a recent video, the Mohra actor drew distinctions between ‘Hindustani Islam’ and what is practised in other parts of the world.

    “Even as the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan is a cause for concern for the whole world, celebrations of the barbarians by some sections of Indian Muslims is no less dangerous,” Shah said in a video shared on social media.

    A Wednesday actor went on to say that those who are celebrating the revival of Taliban, should question themselves, “if they want a reformed, modern Islam (jiddat pasandi modernity), or live with the old barbarism (vaishipan) of the past few centuries.”

    Shah also differentiated between what he called “Hindustani Islam” and what is actually practised in other parts of the world.

    He added, “May God not bring a time when it changes so much that we cannot even recognise it. He mentioned his own personal relationship with God, and that he doesn’t need political religion. “I am an Indian Muslim and as Mirza Ghalib said years ago, my relationship with God is informal. I don’t need political religion,” he said.

    Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on August 15 after seizing control from government forces across the country.

  • Olympian Neeraj Chopra disappointed with ‘vested interest’ of Indian Media

    Olympian Neeraj Chopra disappointed with ‘vested interest’ of Indian Media

    Indian Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has come out in defence of his fellow javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem saying that there was nothing wrong in what Nadeem did on the field.

    He slammed netizens and Indian media for spreading propaganda.

    Chopra tweeted a video with the caption:”I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda. Sports teaches us to be together and united. I’m extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.”

    In the video, Neeraj says, “I want to say that one issue has come up about something I said in an interview; that I took the javelin from Arshad Nadeem, the Pakistani javelin thrower. So, a huge controversy is being created around this statement.

    “It’s a very simple thing. We (javelin throwers) keep our personal javelins at the field and everyone and anyone can use that javelin. It is a rule. So, there’s nothing wrong in it. He was just preparing for his throw with that javelin and then I asked for the javelin back.

    “So it is not such a big thing, and I am very sad that some people are using my name to create a big issue about it. I request you to not do it. Sports teaches all of us to walk together.”

    Neeraj also requested people not to use his name as a medium to further their vested interests and propagandas. “I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda. Sports teaches us to be together and united. I’m extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.”

    “All of us javelin throwers share a lot of love. We all have good conversations. So please refrain from saying things that will hurt us,” Neeraj concluded.

    The 23-year-old athlete is the first Gold medal winner after the 2008 Beijing Olympics for India. Abhinav Bindra was the last person to win a Gold medal for India, while Arshad stood fifth in the contest.

  • Mahira Khan says she was scared of doing Indian projects

    Mahira Khan says she was scared of doing Indian projects

    Mahira Khan has opened up about the ban on Pakistani artists in India, saying said she was “scared” to sign web series on Indian platforms.

    Talking about the ban on Pakistani artists, Mahira in an interview with Film Companion, said: “I guess, having experienced it firsthand, it’s just sad. When I think about it… I mean, we have all moved on.”

    “That’s what we do, if we don’t have this, we do something else. That’s what happens. But I feel like a great opportunity for the entire subcontinent to come together and collaborate was lost. I think it might happen again. Who knows?” continued the actor.

    Khan, who will narrate one of the short stories, Guriya in an upcoming Zee5 series, said that she received offers for other digital projects but turned them down.

    “A lot of the other series were offered to me and at that time… I don’t know if anybody will understand when I say this, I was scared. I was genuinely just scared. It wasn’t about what people say, I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go there.’ And there was some content which was amazing, and I didn’t want to miss out on it,” shared the actor.

  • Aishwarya Rai reveals why she refused to play Tina in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’

    Aishwarya Rai reveals why she refused to play Tina in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’

    An old interview of  Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has recently gone viral on Indian media in which the actor shares why she refused the role of Tina Malhotra in Bollywood’s iconic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The role which was finally played by Rani Mukherji was also offered to Twinkle Khanna and Karisma Kapoor besides Rai.

    Read more – 25 years of DDLJ: Five things you didn’t know about the film

    “I’m in a catch-22 situation, really,” says Aishwarya in the video, which initially came out a year after the film released. “Though I’m a newcomer, I’m [being] compared [to] all senior actresses.”

    “If I’d done the film, it would have been tittered that, ‘Look, Aishwarya Rai is back to doing what she did in her modelling days — leaving her hair straight, wearing minis, and pouting glamorously into the camera.’ Ultimately, the hero goes back to the more real person.”

    “I know if I’d done Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I would have been lynched,” she added.

    Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which released in 1998, featured Sharukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherji in the lead. It was directed by Karan Johar and produced by Yash Johar. The film was a box office hit and went onto receive many accolades. It has also been listed as one of Bollywood’s most iconic films of all times.

  • Meesha Shafi shuts down fake reports of being sentenced to three years jail

    Meesha Shafi has trashed and shut down fake news reports which stated that she is being “sentenced to 3 years in jail for falsely accusing Ali Zafar of sexual harassment”.

    “Another day, another campaign spreading false information,” wrote the singer on Twitter. “Speaking up is way more exhausting than being groped.”

    Meesha further said: “This is why we end up suffering in silence. Sending lots of love and solidarity to all who speak up. It’s hard!”

    Meesha’s lawyer Asad Jamal also trashed the reports saying that “no such verdict has been passed by [the] trial court in the frivolous criminal defamation case instituted by Ali Zafar.”

    According to a report published in Samaa News, the entire matter started when fake news claiming that Shafi has been given a three-year sentence in a defamation case filed by Zafar started flashing on different Indian media outlets.

    On March 12, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)published an article titled ‘Pakistani Singer Faces Prosecution for Accusing Pop Star of Groping Her‘. The report explained how Meesha “set off the country’s most high-profile #MeToo debate when she accused a fellow pop star of groping her. And now she was being prosecuted on a criminal defamation charge and is facing possible prison time.”

    UK-based tabloid Daily Mail misinterpreted the article in WSJ and wrote a misleading and false headline, which the Indian media picked and ran without verification. It is pertinent to add here that Zafar is a well-known name in India as he has worked in several successful Bollywood films.

    Later, Meesha also shared how she deals with “propaganda, abuse and false information”, detailing an hour-by-hour account of her day.

    Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan approved Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar for hearing, which meant that the SC granted permission to hear the appeal based on its legal points and will deliberate whether Shafi’s accusations of sexual harassment come under the workplace harassment law.

    Background of the case

    In 2018, Meesha first came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar. She later filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson. After her appeal was rejected, she approached Governor Punjab, who upheld the ombudsperson’s decision. Meesha then challenged the Governor’s decision in Lahore High Court which again dismissed Meesha’s case for hearing on grounds that she did not have an employer-employee relationship with the accused.

  • Amazon Prime offers rare apology ‘to anyone who felt hurt’ over ‘Tandav’

    In a rare move, Amazon Prime has issued an apology to its Indian viewers over the scenes in its political drama Tandav which sparked outrage and hurt religious sentiments, Reuters has reported.

    In a statement, the streaming said that it deeply regrets that viewers found certain scenes to be objectionable.

    Amazon apologises “unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt,” read the statement, adding that it will continue to “develop content while respecting the diversity of audiences’ culture and beliefs”.

    While Tandav controversy began in January, soon after the series released, it escalated last week when police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) questioned one of Amazon’s top executives for hours in one case filed against the show.

    When asked about the company apology, a senior state police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities would continue to investigate the matter.

    Read more – ‘Tandav’: A weak script saved by brilliant performances

    Featuring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Gauahar Khan and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles, Tandav has been accused of disrespecting Hindu deities, with several political leaders including Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya demanding legal action against the team. Karni Sena also announced a Rs 1 crore award to the person who will chop of the tongue of Tandav’s makers.

    Earlier, following the backlash and outrage, Tandav creator Ali Abbas Zafar issued an “unconditional apology” on behalf of the team and, clarified that “Tandav is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental” and that’s how one should also take it. While the series does appear to have been inspired by real-life incidents, it is also imperative to keep in mind that creative liberty has been taken.”

    Later, Ali issued another statement, in which he said that the makers decided to “implement changes” to the web series after concerns were raised. At least two scenes were removed from the show.

  • Ambani plans to make the world’s biggest zoo in India

    According to Indian Mangazine The Week, owner of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani, is planning to make the world’s biggest zoo and animal sanctuary in Gujrat, India. This is the pet project of the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani.

    The zoo and animal sanctuary will be set up on 280-acre land will be named as, “Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom”.

    Moreover, the animal venture, which also includes a rescue center to support the local government, is scheduled to open in 2023. The project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year but this year, work is being done as fast as possible.

    The zoo and animal sanctuary will have close to 100 different species of animals from India and across the world. The African lion, cheetah, jaguar, Indian wolf, Asiatic lion, pygmy hippo, orangutan, lemur, fishing cat, sloth bear, Bengal tiger, Malayan tapir, gorilla, zebra, giraffe, African elephant and the Komodo dragon are expected to be the part of the zoo.

    As per, Al Jazeera Mukesh Ambani is world’s 12th richest person of the world.

    Three month ago, Mukesh Ambani became a grandfather after his son Akash and daugther-in-law Shloka Mehta welcomed a baby boy.