Filmmaker Karan Johar says digital medium is a boon as well as a bane for artiste and cinema lovers but he believes the best part is that it pushes the writers to develop better content.
The filmmaker is conflicted as to how the newest medium affects the cinema as it also poses danger to the concept of watching films in theatres.
“Let’s look at the positive side. Today we have many more verticals of entertainment. Digital is the new addition and it provides platform to writers, story tellers, actors.
“On the flip side, it does pose a threat to the footfalls to the cinema and that is where we have to up our game. That is the challenge and that will only improve our content,” Karan told PTI.
Karan recently announced the launch of his new digital division called Dharmatic.
“We will be content providers to OTT platforms. We are storytellers.”
Ask him if he will direct something for the web,”There are some thoughts and we are working on it.”
In terms of storytelling, Karan believes that with time, cinema has undergone change.
“We have seen anti-establishment, love take over in the 90s. Today, we are in the age of high concept films like ”, ‘Raazi’, “Badhaai Ho’ or big event films like ‘Simmba’.
“One of these two is the future of Indian cinema and that is the way we can combat the forces of the digital medium that are coming towards us,” Karan adds.
Former India hockey player Raghbir Singh Bhola, a two-time Olympic medallist, has passed away aged 92, his family said on Tuesday.
Bhola, who breathed his last on Monday, represented India in the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics, winning a gold and silver medals respectively for the country.
His dedication and passion for field hockey continued in various aspects throughout his life and he served in diverse roles such as member of the IHF selection committee, FIH international umpire, manager of the Indian hockey team, TV commentator and government observer at the Olympic Games.
He successfully captained the Indian Air Force hockey and Services team from 1954-60 and won the Inter Services Hockey Championship three times and the National Hockey Championship on two occasions.
In 2000, he was honoured with the Arjuna Award for his achievements in hockey.
Bhola is survived by his wife Kamla Bhola, three daughters and three grandsons.
Kangana Ranaut’s much-awaited film “Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi” will feature the actor in various Khadi attires. Kangana and her co-stars will be seen in different Khadi costumes which have been sponsored by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
The costume crafted in Khadi for the title character showcases both strength and courage on screen and it has been meticulously crafted in khadi fabrics like, raw cotton, brocade and paithani.
We all know that in 1926, Gandhiji had upheld Khadi as the symbol of swaraj and spun the final yarn of India’s fabric of Independence. But, perhaps few people know that some several decades before Gandhiji’s tryst with Charkha, a girl born in Varanasi as Manikarnika or Manu, not only mastered reading the Vedas and Puranas, riding and sword fighting, but also learnt weaving before being proclaimed as the Queen of Jhansi, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said in a statement.
Saxena also revealed that the Khadi costumes have been designed by noted fashion designer Neeta Lulla. I think mainstream cinema will be able to do full justice in promoting the fabric to the millennial generation and the masses alike.
The much ambitious period-drama features Kangana in the titular role and is directed by Krish and Kangana, the film is to release on January 25.
Asserting that her dispute with former coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji is a thing of past, Indian women’s ODI captain Mithali Raj said Tuesday cricket has helped her deal with the adversities of life.
The Indian women’s team was at the centre of a huge controversy after its semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, with Raj accusing Powar of bias and Edulji of trying to finish her career.
“What has happened has happened, I have moved on. Cricket has taught me to move on whether it’s scoring a hundred or getting out on zero you have to be prepared for the next game, you need to tune in for the next day,” Mithali said ahead of the series against New Zealand.
“As professional cricketers everyone understands what it takes to play international level, we are here to represent the country and want the team to play as a unit and get the best result,” she added.
The Indian team’s New Zealand tour begins on Thursday with the first ODI at McLean Park. The women will play three ODIs and as many T20 internationals.
Mithali emphasised on the need to bring the focus back on cricket and said winning in New Zealand would help in that direction.
“This is what as international athletes and cricketers we look forward to, and I’m looking forward to the series because it is very important to get back the focus on the sport and on the team performance and this is a great opportunity.”
Asked how the team will deal with foreign conditions, Mithali said the side has prepared well.
“Most of the team might be inexperienced to the New Zealand condition but otherwise we are an experienced lot that has been together for 4-5 years. So I don’t think we are a troubled tourists but yes we look forward to acclimatising with the conditions.”
“All of us our coming from the match practice weather it is playing in the domestic season or couple girls are coming from the WBBL and he (coach) has just joined it’s his first series.
“We have arrived one week early to adapt to the windy conditions, we had a practice game and the girls are in good shape,” she added.
“It will be a challenge but I guess that’s where the experience counts we need to battle and negotiate different tracks and that’s what the bowlers will do,” she added.
Mithali also stressed that as the captain and the most experienced player she will bring the team together against the ‘White Ferns’.
In a report, Wood Mackenzie on Tuesday said that India’s oil demand growth recovered strongly in 2018, overcoming the aftermath of the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, and contributed 14 per cent of the global demand growth or 2,45,000 barrels per day. However, India will surpass China to become the second largest oil demand growth centre globally in 2019 on back of buoyant auto fuel and LPG consumption.
We forecast oil demand to grow at the same level in 2019. This will result in India becoming the second largest demand growth centre globally in 2019, behind the US but ahead of China. Transport fuels gasoline and diesel and residential LPG will continue to be the two main drivers of oil demand growth, it said.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), India is currently ranked behind the United States and China as the world’s third-largest oil consumer. It consumed 206.2 million tonnes (over 4 million bpd) in the 2017-18 fiscal year. During April-December, consumption of petroleum products has been 157.4 million tonnes, up 2.5 per cent over year-ago period. Last August, oil cartel OPEC projected India’s oil demand to rise by 5.8 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2040, accounting for about 40 per cent of the overall increase in global demand during the period.
Mackenzie said that diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country, is projected to grow by 6.4 per cent or 1,12,000 bpd year-on-year in 2019 compared with 93,000 bpd in 2018. This was because of buoyant commercial vehicle sales facilitated by sustained infrastructure growth, and increasing demand from the construction, logistics, e-commerce and consumer goods sectors.
Also, the push will come from a demand-based approach instead of a tax-based approach in the logistics sector, following the implementation of the GST, which has led to the removal of inter-state taxes. This is a structural shift, resulting in increased demand for heavy and medium-duty trucks to achieve economies of scale and operational efficiency. More importantly, general elections in May will lead to increased travel activity for campaigning and implementation of infrastructure projects, which will bolster demand in the first half of 2019, Mackenzie said.
It also said that the key risks ensue as crude price volatility is expected to persist. Historically, short-term gasoline demand has been relatively inelastic to retail prices in developing economies such as India. Even though higher retail prices affect consumer sentiment for new vehicle purchases, we believe this trend will continue with income effects driving the demand, subduing the price effects. LPG demand growth will remain robust in 2019 at 5 per cent (40,000 bpd) although it is lower than the 56,000 bpd growth achieved in 2018. The number of new household LPG customers continued to surge, driven by the Ujjwala scheme to promote clean cooking fuel in rural areas. That said, there is a largely untapped market, as around 50 million households remain deprived of LPG. On the use of electric vehicles, it said only 2,60,000 EVs have hit Indian roads, majority being two-wheelers.
Electric car sales, for instance, declined by 40 per cent to a mere 1,200 units in the financial year 2018 over the financial year 2017, while electric two-wheeler sales rose 138 per cent to 54,800 units during the same period. In contrast, China had a stock of 1.8 million EVs and 258 million e-bikes at the end of 2018. This year, it will be an important year as the final version of the National Auto Policy and the second phase of the FAME scheme will be released. The question is the timing will it be before or after the elections? Will the Modi government change tack if it is not re-elected? Will this ambiguity continues to deter wider adoption? Automakers seem to have realised that the EV adoption is not a question of ‘if’. For instance, Maruti Suzuki, the largest automaker in India, will launch an electric version of one of its best-selling entry-segment cars the Wagon R in Q1 2019, Mackenzie said.
Another key challenge will be stakeholder management and coordination across the different ministries, government bodies and industry participants while the policy is formalised. Stating that two-wheelers will dominate the electric mobility landscape in the personal transport sector, it said that India offers huge potential for automakers as car ownership levels are very low (23 per 1,000 capita). Rising income levels will increase car ownership and most global automakers are closely watching this lucrative market. At the same time, two-wheelers should not be ignored with current ownership six times larger than four-wheelers.
We believe that the two-wheelers are the more effective option given their utility in intra-city travel, less need for public charging infrastructure and availability of battery technology. Two-wheelers will eventually leapfrog four-wheelers towards the goal of a greener and sustainable mobility future, it added.
Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Madrid for a court date on Tuesday in which he could be fined 18.8 million euros ($21.4 million) for tax fraud as part of a deal reached with the Spanish taxman.
As part of an agreement arranged in June with the former Real Madrid hero’s lawyers, prosecutors are also asking that the Portuguese attacker, who last summer left the Spanish capital for Italian champions Juventus, be handed a 23-month jail sentence.
However, Ronaldo would not spend a day in prison as sentences of up to two years are generally not enforced in Spain for first-time offenders in non-violent crimes.
The hearing, due to start at 9:50 am (0850 GMT), is expected to last just a few minutes as the deal is officially presented to the judge.
He in turn will give the final sentence on Tuesday or the coming days, according to a spokesman for the court in northern Madrid.
Ronaldo will not be given special treatment when he arrives and will have to climb up the courthouse steps amid a likely media scrum despite the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s lawyers asking he be allowed to enter the building by car to avoid the spotlight.
The court president refused the request, saying that despite his “great fame”, he wouldn’t “compromise security” at the building, according to a court document. His request to appear via videoconference was also denied.
At least eight persons were killed and about 35 others injured on Tuesday when a mini- truck carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in the forested area of Odisha’s Kandhamal district, a senior police officer said.
Around 10 am, about 50-60 people were on their way to Brahmanigaon village from Suluma area in the district to participate in a church programme when the driver lost control of the mini-truck, which then slipped down the Poiguda Ghat, near Baliguda, in the district. At least eight people, including a woman and a girl, died on the spot. The injured were first taken to the nearby Brahmanigaon government hospital, where the doctors suggested that those with critical injuries be shifted to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, the officer said.
A team of doctors from the district headquarters has reached Brahmanigaon to provide emergency treatment, while five ambulance vans have been engaged to shift the seriously injured to MKCG. As of now, police officers, forest personnel, along with local people, are carrying out the rescue operation. Kandhamal Collector Brundha D and Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced ex -gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the family members of the eight who dies in the accident. Patnaik also directed the officials to provide free treatment to the injured.
BSP supremo Mayawati Tuesday demanded that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls be held using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The demand comes after a self-proclaimed US-based Indian cyber expert Monday made a sensational claim that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were “rigged” through the EVMs, which, he said, can be hacked.
“The latest revelations have made the doubts on the EVMs more serious. It is better under such conditions that the future elections, especially the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, be conducted using ballot papers which can be verified at three levels unlike the EVMs,” she said in a statement issued in Lucknow.
Urging the Election Commission to take strong note of the issue, Mayawati said the latest “revelations” are most sensational and expose the “conspiracy” of the BJP.
“This has directly put the BJP in the dock but the central government is unlikely to take any positive step to address the issue because of its egoistical and stubborn attitude,” she alleged.
She said that the BSP was the first party to question the credibility of EVMs.
Mayawati claimed that the people have also started to feel that their votes are being continuously “looted” in an organised manner.
The BSP chief said the people’s apprehension over ‘vote humara, raj tumhara’ (our vote, your rule) needs to be addressed.
A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a man at a private school in a village in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.
The main accused, Azim Khan (21), and two school teachers, who allegedly helped Khan in committing the offence, were arrested after the incident that took place on Sunday, Chhapiheda police station in-charge Sangita Solanki said.
The Class 9 student in her statement to the police said that the accused lured her while she was standing at a bus stand in Sandawata village and then took her to the school, located nearby, where she was a student, Solanki said
The two other accused, Ritik Kushwaha (21) and Shyam Prajapati (22), both working as teachers at the same school, then locked the girl and Khan in a room on the campus where the latter allegedly raped her, the official said.
The girl later went home and informed about the incident to her family members, who registered a complaint at the Chhapiheda police station on Monday.
The three accused were subsequently arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code Section 376 (rape) and also relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Solanki said.
The school’s director, Abbas Khan, in an application to the police claimed that he was out of the village on Sunday due to his father’s illness, she said.
The director also told the police that Kushwaha was in possession of keys of the school building, the police official added.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Tuesday tabled an estimated Rs 85,429 crore budget for the year 2019-20 in the state Assembly.
Out of the total budget, Rs 65,803 crore is on the head of revenue expenditure while Rs 19,626 crore is on capital expenditure, the chief minister said in his budget speech.
In the budget Rs 23,377 crore has been earmarked for general area, Rs 28,882 crore for social area and Rs 33,170 crore for financial area, Das said.
Speaking on collection of funds, Das said that the state tax revenue is pegged at Rs 20,850 crore, non-tax revenue at Rs 10,674.20 crore, central assistance at Rs 13,833.80 crore, states share in central taxes at Rs 29,000 crore, public loan at Rs 11,000 crore and loan and advances at Rs 71 crore.
Speaking on financial situation of the state, the Chief Minister said that Rs 3,16,731 crore has been estimated based on current price for 2019-20 fiscal, which shows an increase of 10.5 per cent compared to 2017-18 GSDP of Rs 2,86,598 crore.
On the basis of current price on GSDP, Rs 2,36,866 crore has been estimated for 2019-20, which is 6.9 per cent more than last fiscals Rs 2,21,587 crore, Das said.
The Chief Minister said that revenue loss in the 2019-20 has been estimated at Rs 7,155.63 crore, which is GSDPs 2.26 per cent.
Filmmaker Karan Johar says digital medium is a boon as well as a bane for artiste and cinema lovers but he believes the best part is that it pushes the writers to develop better content.
Kangana Ranaut’s much-awaited film “Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi” will feature the actor in various Khadi attires. Kangana and her co-stars will be seen in different Khadi costumes which have been sponsored by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
In a report, Wood Mackenzie on Tuesday said that India’s oil demand growth recovered strongly in 2018, overcoming the aftermath of the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, and contributed 14 per cent of the global demand growth or 2,45,000 barrels per day. However, India will surpass China to become the second largest oil demand growth centre globally in 2019 on back of buoyant auto fuel and LPG consumption.
At least eight persons were killed and about 35 others injured on Tuesday when a mini- truck carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in the forested area of Odisha’s Kandhamal district, a senior police officer said.
A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a man at a private school in a village in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.