Actor-producer Chitrangada Singh has revealed that she is developing a web series under her production banner.
The actor, who ventured into production aspect of filmmaking with 2018 film “Soorma”, a biopic on former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh, said as a producer she wants to support content that is interesting and engaging.
“I want to tell stories which are engaging. I am currently working on two scripts as a producer. I am also developing a web series. There is a lot of hard work we are putting in it. Hope people will have something good to say about it,” Chitrangada told an agency.
She is also planning to act in one of her production ventures.
“I hope I will fit in one of my projects as an actor as well.”
The 42-year-old actor was speaking on the sidelines of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019 where she walked for Delhi-based designer Anjali Verma.
Titled ‘Deilah’, the collection was crafted in tone-on-tone colour palette in hues of biscuit beige, pista green, aqua green and dusty pink.
Chitrangadha, who wore a cherry red heavily-embellished floor-length gown, said the social media scrutiny celebrities have to go through for their fashion choices is “harsh”.
“We all are on social media sk somebody or other would put up picture and there will be comments on it. It does make me consious,” she said.
Actress Neha Dhupia has hit back at a publication who recently posted a piece with a headline that took a dig at her post-pregnancy weight gain.
The actress on Saturday took to Twitter to issue a strong statement against the fat-shaming. Captioning the post as “Thank you, next!”, the actress went on to write, “I don’t owe anyone an explanation because fat-shaming like this doesn’t bother me one bit. But I do want to address this as a larger problem because fatshaming needs to stop for EVERYONE and not just celebs. As a new mom, I want to be fit, healthy and energetic for my daughter. So I work out everyday, sometimes twice a day because for me…’Fitness’ is a priority and not ‘fitting into’ society’s standards regarding looks. And I hope in the future people are kinder to each other while making such vapid and vile comments. To quote @Pattonoswalt…Be kind. It’s chaos out there.”
The post, which has received over two thousand views since being shared was hailed by the film fraternity, with names like Karan Johar and Sonam Kapoor coming out strongly in support of Dhupia.
Karan shared Dhupia’s post and tweeted, “Neha! You are an amazing Woman! You walk so many paths with humour…with intelligence and with abandon! It’s never about losing weight it’s always about gaining perspective! And I hope the woman who wrote this has gained some today….”
Sonam Kapoor, whose film ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ just released, too shared the post and wrote, “You are beautiful no matter what any one says.”
Filmmaker and actor Farhan Akhtar and actor Taapsee Pannu also tweeted their sentiments.
While the former shared Dhupia’s post and just wrote “Low”, Pannu went on to write, “Whatever shape n size, u make it look super stylish ! @NehaDhupia.”
Neha Dhupia and husband Angad Bedi welcomed a baby girl on November 18 last year.
The budget is just an election gimmick so that people may vote for the BJP in the coming 2019 elections. People should not get carried away. Modi had made a lot of promises during the last four and half years of his tenure but did not fulfill any of them; not even the Rs 15 lakh which he promised to give every citizen of India. Who knows what will be in store for us next year in 2020 when the budget will be announced? It will be another hard five years for us if the BJP comes again to power.
Jubel D’Cruz
Unpardonable and condemnable garrulity!
Recently in a program held at the premises of Mumbai’s famous JJ Hospital, music of film ‘Gully Boy’ was released. Actor Ranveer Singh advised the organizers to make such loud noise that even dead bodies should get up from morgue of JJ Hospital. He also said not to worry about it since he had good contacts with police because he was Simbaa. Exhibiting such garrulity, in fact, proves the need for such people to learn good manners as a human being. Such garrulity shows the name and fame going to their head. Such people should be timely shown that their garrulous statements and irresponsible behaviour has no place here. You are in this field of art because of people. How can you dare to say anything to them? It is firstly wrong to organise such noisy programs in hospital area. Had Ranveer Singh even little empathy towards distressed patients treated at hospital, he would not have agreed to attend such program. It shows that what we see with eyes is not always true. We need to know true nature of these people. He held program in hospital area. He never thought of paying good will visit to patients admitted in hospital which was so close. How will he think of such things? The irresponsible comments he made about dead bodies, exhibit his lack of sense in understanding value of human life and the souls going through so much distress in hospital.
Jayesh Rane
How did Pakistani goods reach here?
Indian Republic completed 71 years but the country has not yet become totally free from bondage. There have been numerous known and unknown revolutionaries, right from Babu Genu who was an ordinary mill worker, who sacrificed their life for freedom of this country. Only then, we saw dawn of freedom and people felt that it would bring righteous governance; but they were disappointed. Rulers, so also citizens are responsible for the same. On January 26, it was found that goods such as spices and eatables prepared by Pakistani companies were sold at a mall in Vasai (Dist. Palghar, Maharashtra). It was learnt that Shiv Sena members stopped this sale. Isn’t using goods made by an enemy country, like sedition? They will certainly have to leave if they don’t get buyers here. Shopkeepers, wholesalers should not bring goods made in enemy country for sale in our markets. We need to make firm resolve of not getting things made by enemy country in own country and even in own house by taking necessary action. Especially, in case of enemy like Pakistan, which is killing our soldiers on borders, we need to know that by buying those goods, we are in a way helping their economy. Traders should keep away their greed and see to it that consumers buy maximum indigenous products. Celebrating August 15 and January 26 as just a formality is of no use but every action should show Indian citizens’ patriotism. If we develop the quality of sacrificing own selfish interests, only then there will be true righteous governance in this country!
Manisha Chandarana
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
At least seven passengers died and several others were injured early on Sunday when a rail fracture caused nine 11 bogies of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express to jump the tracks in Bihar’s Vaishali district, railway and police officials said.
The 12487 Jogbani-Anand Vihar Seemanchal Express originated from Jogbani in Kishanganj district and the accident took place around 4 am. Prima facie, the derailment was caused by a rail fracture, they said.
Chief Public Relations Officer, East Central Zone, Rajesh Kumar, said the accident took place at Sahadai Buzurg, close to Mahanar Road in the Sonepur division.
One general coach, one AC coach B3, three sleeper coaches – S8, S9, S10, and six more coaches have derailed, he said.
Principal Secretary, Disaster Management Department, Pratyay Amrit said seven people have died in the accident.
“The identity of the deceased was yet to be confirmed. Rescue operations are in full swing and an accident relief train has been sent to the site of the mishap. A team of the NDRF has also reached the spot,” Kumar said.
Twenty-four people have been injured in the accident, Superintendent of Police Manavjit Singh Dhillon said.
The injured were rushed to a hospital, where the doctors referred the seriously wounded to Muzaffarpur and Patna.
Teams of doctors have also rushed from Sonepur and Barauni to the accident site, Kumar said.
The office of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia each to kin of those killed, Rs 1 lakh each to the grievously injured people and Rs 50,000 each to those who received simple injuries.
All the passengers were served tea, food packets and packed drinking water. Each coach is being manned by commercial and RPF staff. Arrangements for refunds to the passengers who do not want to continue their journey have been ensured at different stations, the Minister added.
Local residents were aiding rescue teams in carrying out operations.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who expressed deep condolences over the deaths, said, “The district magistrate and the superintendent of police have rushed to the spot and are overseeing the relief work in coordination with the Railways.”
The 12 unaffected bogies are being moved to Hajipur where more coaches will be attached to the train and thereafter, it will leave for the onward journey, the officials said.
The Railways have issued helpline numbers – Sonpur 06158221645, Hajipur 06224272230 and Barauni 06279232222.
While underworld don Chhota Rajan is enjoying his “Achche Din” in Indian jail by getting VVIP treatment and all facilities, his gang member Ravi Pujari, who used to operate in Mumbai in the 1990s, has been arrested in Senegal. Pujari, who has an Interpol red corner notice issued against him, was on the run for several years and was reportedly travelling from Burkina Faso when he was detained by a West African police force. While talking about the arrest BJP MLA Santosh Raosaheb Danve asserted, “Arrest of such dreaded gangster like Ravi Pujari is an achievement for the government. The only agenda of our party (BJP) is to send all the gangsters behind the bars, be it local goons or national or international dons. As far as Dawood Ibrahim is concerned, he too will be behind the bar very soon as the Intelligence Bureau is doing their work with high speed.”
The fugitive gangster Pujari was earlier believed to be hiding in Australia. He is a school dropout and he started his criminal career at Andheri, Mumbai; Pujari was a small-time criminal until he killed Bala Zalte, a rival. He joined gangster Chhota Rajan who took a liking to him. He moved to Dubai in the late 1990s and extorted from real estate builders. They parted ways after Dawood Ibrahim made an attempt on Rajan’s life in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2000.
The notorious gangster Pujari has been wanted in dozens of cases of threat calls to Bollywood stars and other prominent personalities. He is believed to be having an Australian passport. He often called up the police claiming to have targeted people close to Dawood or his aide Chhota Shakeel. On February 13, 2016, over the controversy of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) protests, Ravi Pujari threatened to eliminate hardliner Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Last year, JNU student Umar Khalid, student activist Shehla Rashid, and Dalit leader and Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani had allegedly received death threats from Pujari.
From 2009 to 2013, Pujari threatened many Bollywood actors like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Rakesh Roshan, and Shahrukh Khan. Ravi Pujari threatened Shah Rukh Khan for his relationship with Karim Morani who is a friend and business partner of Shah Rukh Khan. Talking to AV about arrest of the notorious gangster, Additional Commissioner of Police Ravindra Sengaonkar commented, “The system didn’t give so much attention to these hooligans and they did all the robberies, loots, extortions and another sort of crimes and became the national and international dons, but now the time has changed since they have already damaged so much to our nation, the system has focused their eye on these dons. In result, some fled the country and some are behind the bars now.”
“We have almost finished rowdyism from Mumbai after Dawood, Abu Salem, Chhota Rajan, and Ravi Pujari. All the three have been arrested and are in jail now except Dawood. We also hope that the gangsters like these people would not be into existence in our country in the coming time. As a matter of fact, Dawood Ibrahim too will be nabbed very soon. His arrest is the security for common people,” he added.
Rajan, 55, on the other hand, is facing more than 70 criminal charges. He was arrested by the Indonesian police in Bali on October 25, 2015. After the Maharashtra government decided to hand over his dossier to the CBI on the eve of his deportation to India on November 6, 2015, reports began to surface that Rajan had spoken of a nexus between Mumbai Police officials and gangster Dawood Ibrahim, the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
Rajan and Pujari, both are considered to be Hindutva loving underworld dons, who follow rightwing ideology. In 2017 and 2018, various activists in India including students and MLAs filed police complaints that they were receiving death threats from Ravi Pujari asking them to stop criticising the Modi government. Within five years of Modi-BJP government, that too ahead of the general elections, both Rajan and Ravi’s return to India leads to many speculations. However, discussing with AV on the role of the Modi led BJP government making the country terror free, Congress MLA Ameet Subhashrao Zanak commented, “Since 2014, the BJP government and Modi has done nothing but given false promises and jumlebazi to the whole nation. They promised many things to the farmers which have been proven completely false.”
“Modi had used the name of Dawood Ibrahim during his rallies for 2014 polls just to grab votes; his intention was never to nab Dawood. It has been four and a half years now and still, nobody knows where Dawood is. This is a jumlebaaj government.”
However, PM Narendra Modi’s actual promise was to bring back Dawood and put him behind the bar. During 2014 election speeches, Narendra Modi suggested a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. He urged the youth to elect a government that can do justice to the innocent victims of 1993 bomb blast while taunting the UPA government for their ineffectiveness to arrest Dawood! Was the promise made by Modi to extradite Dawood an election jumla to lure the voters? If not, then, how long all the innocent victims of 1993 blast or other terror activities in India have to wait to see Dawood behind the bar?
Criminal Lawyer Abbas Kazmi stated, “Neither BJP had any information about gangster Ravi Pujari nor has it played any role in the arrest, but it is taking the credit by default. It was South African police department who nabbed the gangster on the basis of their suspicion and then handed over to the Indian embassy.”
“Modi led BJP government is expert in doing jumlebazi and giving false promises to the people. Nobody has seen any activities done by Modi or his government which indicates that he actually wants to catch the most wanted don Dawood or he wants to make the country rowdies free. Dawood will never come in the hand; he can’t be nabbed, simply because nobody knows where he lives,” Kazmi added.
Retired ADJ of Police Meeran Borwankar said, “Dawood has full support of Pakistan government as he has full shelter of the Pakistan government, it is difficult to arrest him. Only on international intervention can make it possible to nab him.”
After Chhota Rajan, now Ravi Pujari is arrested. Ravi Shulya Pujari was born in Udupi, Karnataka. He has two brothers and one sister. He is blessed with two daughters, and one son. He came to Mumbai at his teenage and started working in Restaurant and remained a small-time criminal until he killed rival Bala Zalte and made his identity in Underworld and started his unlawful activities from Andheri, Mumbai. In those days the gangs of Dawood and Chhota Rajan were very active in Mumbai. Chhota Rajan got impressed with this newcomer and gave him entry into his gang. Rajan mentored Ravi in underworld syndicate and soon Ravi became the right-hand person to Rajan. In the late 1990s, Ravi Pujari moved to Dubai to set up his own business. He earned money through extortion of real estate builders, owner of the hotel etc. In the mid-1990s, his men shot Om Prakash Kukreja of Kukreja Builders in his office. Eight years later, a Navi Mumbai builder, Suresh Wadhwa, escaped an assassination attempt by ducking under his office desk. However, when Chhota Rajan split with Dawood Ibrahim after the March 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, Guru Satam and Ravi Pujari cast their share with him and the trio set up base in South East Asia and continued their operations. While Rajan relocated to Kuala Lumpur, where he was protected by a powerful local mafia, Satam parked himself in Hong Kong and Pujari travelled extensively in South East Asia supervising the gang’s operations. Satam and Pujari were the trusted aides of Rajan, until a futile attack was made on Rajan’s life in Bangkok by a team sent by Karachi-based Chhota Shakeel, Dawood’s right-hand-man, in September 2000. After the attack, Chhota Rajan was suspecting the involvement of his own people. Rajan’s sharpshooter called Rohit Verma, who was killed in the Bangkok created misunderstanding between Rajan, Guru Satam and Ravi Pujari. Rohit Verma was a small-time robber raised as a sharpshooter, managed to be the right hand of Rajan. Angry Rajan got his own people and his associates like Vinod Shetty and Mohan Kotian brutally murdered at Panvel and Bangalore respectively by Rajan’s shooters in India. Unable to convince Rajan about their loyalty, Guru Satam and Ravi too got separated and set up their own gangs and they all were operating from different world capitals.
Thereafter, Rajan became less active and his wife was allegedly doing extortion on behalf of him, Sujata Nikhalje got arrested by Chembur cops in several such cases. Devastated Rajan got busy bailing out his wife. His daughters were at the peak of their studies. Don had to tame down in such situations around him, moreover, underworld activities in Mumbai became difficult. His younger brother Vijay Nikhalje got in politics and during 2014; he rendered his support to BJP. There was a rumour that because of this support, Chhota Rajan was tactically brought to India since he returned his family is having holiday time with him. He has been provided with a television in his cell, he plays loud music on it and this has been troubling for many inmates. He is also provided with all sort of facilities from food to clothing, his family frequently visits him. Chhota Rajan’s deportation and arrest was a big political plot. Rajan, 57, is facing more than 70 criminal charges. He was arrested by the Indonesian police in Bali on October 25, 2015.
Dawood, who is believed to be out of Karachi in Pakistan and is sheltered by the country’s security forces round-the-clock, is likely to be succeeded by one of his brothers and Anees Ahmed is the front-runner, but keeping all the control in his own hand. Dawood’s trusted lieutenant Chhota Shakeel – often referred to as the gang CEO – has many connections in India. Dawood made his empire tech savvy. His return to India seems to be very difficult as he is one of the richest person in Pakistan and also a mastermind in Pakistan’s act of creating unrest in India. Ravi Pujari always maintained that his mission is to eliminate both Dawood and Chhota Shakeel.
Ravi Pujari’s wife, Padma and his 24-year-old son were detained at Mumbai international airport, the duo was deported to India. Padma was on a red corner notice. Former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma had arrested Padma in 2005 in a fake passport case. Padma had forged documents to obtain her passport and those of her two daughters. She was released on bail after a month, but she fled the country within six months by secretly making another passport from Mangalore in the name of Sridevi Pujari. Since then, a lookout notice was issued against her. Padma got bailed out again and she and her kids are already having their life on Indian soil, her husband Ravi Pujari who is known as patriot gangster, soon to be extradited to India. Both the families of Rajan and Ravi will have new life on their soil. Now interesting is to see, who and when and how Dawood would be brought back to India.
In 2014, during election speeches suggesting a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, Modi, delivered his speech by stating that the government should do more and speak less when it comes to capturing terrorists like the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Terrorism, Maoism, narco-terrorism and fake currency, all these issues are destroying the country from within. The government should have a zero-tolerance policy against them. While speaking to Sandesh News channel, he taunted UPA saying that Why is the Indian government not able to get Dawood? Do these things happen through the medium of newspapers? Did the U.S. issue a press note before they killed Laden? Did the U.S. government hold a press conference saying that they will go on this particular date to get bin, Laden? Modi urged youth to elect his government to bring back Dawood and do justice to all those innocent victims who had lost their lives in 1993 bomb blast. We voted him, and it’s been five years now, he too simply passed statements but silent on Dawood may be his plan to get Dawood mutely before the 2019 election. Let’s keep faith in the promises he made, still there is two months time.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Women left a bag with money worth Rs 8 lakh on January 27, 2019, in the afternoon and got it recovered with the help of the police.
Hansa Mavji Ravariya, 30, along with three other family members, was travelling from Lohiya Nagar, Vile Parle West to attend a wedding at Police Parade ground Ghatkopar East. She said, “After getting down from auto, when I asked one of my family members for the bag, the auto fled with the bag. One of my phones was also in the bag.”
She said that being failed to nab the driver, they decided to visit nearby Pant Nagar Police Station and reported the incidence.
The bag was brown in colour orange dark colour bag containing gold ornaments worth Rs 8 lakhs and Vivo Mobile Y53 Rs 10,500 and house key kept on the backseat of the auto.
“The cops checked the CCTV Footage of the stretch and got auto registration number (MH02CT 9892). I would like to take this opportunity to express my salutation, appreciation and gratitude to the team of Pant Nagar Police Station for extending their efforts in helping me get my things back, added Hansa.
The Shiv Sena on Friday asked how a Lokayukta, appointed by the chief minister, will investigate his or her boss.
The party’s remarks, which were made in its editorial mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, come in the backdrop of the Maharashtra cabinet’s decision to bring the chief minister’s office under the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
The decision was welcomed by social activist Anna Hazare, who began a hunger strike on Wednesday to press his demand for appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and passage of the Lokayukta Act in states.
The Shiv Sena, an ally of the ruling BJP, claimed that an ombudsman who could end corruption was yet to be born.
“Now the chief minister is also under the scope of (probe by Lokayukta). But the question is how will the Lokayukta, appointed by the chief minister, probe his or her boss?” it asked.
The party mouthpiece said contesting and winning polls required “huge money”.
Horse-trading happens during polls and the person who occupies the chief minister’s post has to collect money for contesting elections, it said, without naming anyone.
“That money is not earned through sweat, but from under the table,” the Shiv Sena said.
It alleged that the Lokayukta and the Anti-Corruption Bureau don’t act even when opposition parties give evidence of corruption through public speeches.
Without taking any names, the Shiv Sena claimed a party’s budget for civic polls was around Rs 400 crore.
It suggested that this money doesn’t come through honest means.
“Farmers do not get fair support prices for their produce, but who are these ‘dharmatmas’ (saintly people) who give thousands of crore of rupees to the rulers. And why do they give money to the rulers only?” the Shiv Sena asked.
The party also asked if Anna’s agitation would answer these questions.
The editorial further claimed that the origin of corruption lay in the election process. It alleged that the Election Commission always worked as a “puppet” in the hands of the ruling parties.
“The Lokayukta who will end corruption is yet to be born. What exactly will be done by bringing the chief minister under the ambit of Lokayukta?” it asked.
In a dig at the BJP, the Shiv Sena said, like there was no corruption in Rafale purchase, the chief ministers too are ‘epitomes of probity’.
The Bombay High Court issued a notice on Friday to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over a PIL seeking directions to make voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) devices more transparent and error-free.
The petition has been filed by city resident Prashant Yadav.
It claims that the VVPAT machines are susceptible to tampering as they depend on the human interface at two levels — while uploading the application software at the manufacturing stage, and while uploading official symbols of political parties into the devices at the offices of returning officers.
The petitioner told a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamdar that he had written to the ECI several times in the past year with suggestions to minimise the VVPAT system errors.
However, the ECI was yet to respond, he said.
The bench directed that a notice be served to the ECI and the petitioner gives his suggestions to the poll body on the next date of hearing.
The VVPAT devices dispense a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted, thus enabling verification of the voting process.
A truck transporting gas cylinders caught fire on Thursday night on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, killing its driver instantly, police said.
The driver has been identified as Santosh Yadav (45), a Manor police station official said Friday.
“The truck was carrying gas cylinders and was on its way from Gujarat to Mumbai. It caught fire near Manor overbridge in Nandgaon village Thursday night around 8 pm. Driver Santosh Yadav was charred to death,” he said.
It took four hours to bring the blaze under control, he added.
At least seven passengers died and several others were injured early on Sunday when a rail fracture caused nine 11 bogies of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express to jump the tracks in Bihar’s Vaishali district, railway and police officials said.
