Mrs Kapoor from “Kapoor and Sons” and Usha Parmar from “Lipstick under My Burkha” are mere glimpses of the potential that resides in acting powerhouse Ratna Pathak Shah, who asserts she can and wants to play all kinds of characters on screen.
The actor credits the writers of these films — Shakun Batra-Ayesha Devitre Dhillon and Alankrita Shrivastava — for developing characters which saw her sift through a variety of feelings.
“I feel lucky to be around when roles are being written for women of my age. It’s just a very fortunate condition that over the last few years the quality of scriptwriting has improved dramatically,” Ratna told an agency in an interview.
The 55-year-old actor believes there is a more free examining of issues in storytelling today.
“The exploration of different issues has become much more open and much more free. People are taking risks and I just happen to be there at the right time. That is good for me,” she added.
Ratna next plays a headstrong headmistress of an academy in Netflix original “Selection Day” and the actor said she yearns for more such parts.
“I’m headstrong, I’m bossy and I am who I am. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be anything else. I can be many other things and I want to be many other things… That’s what an actor really wants People different than who you are. I am who I am in any case,” she said.
“Selection Day”, based on Aravind Adiga’s novel of the same name, also features Rajesh Tailang, Mohammad Samad, Yash Dholye, Karanvir Malhotra, Shiv Pandit and Mahesh Manjrekar. The series will stream on Netflix from December 28.
Pop diva Jennifer Lopez has credited ex-husband Marc Anthony with boosting her confidence.
The 49-year-old star said Anthony, 50, made her believe in her singing abilities.
“While I was married to Marc, he really helped me with my confidence and he saw where I suffered. He was like, ‘You’re a great singer. Don’t ever let anybody tell you you’re not a great singer.’
“And I respected him so much ’cause I consider him one of the best singers of all time,” Lopez said during weekend episode of “Sunday Today”.
Lopez and Anthony divorced in 2014 after 10 years of marriage. They share a twin son and daughter, Max and Emme, who are 10.
Hollywood star Keanu Reeves has been secretly donating thousands of pounds to children’s charities for years.
The “John Wick” star, who leads a reclusive life, has been helping cancer research and kids’ hospital wards for “five or six years”, reported a leading magazine.
According to Snopes, a fact-checking internet site, Reeves told the publication, “I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research.”
He added, “I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does”.
Reeves was first inspired to get involved with the charities back in the 1990s, when his sister Kim was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld’ tour in Los Angeles was attended by a lot of celebrities, including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Halsey, members of ‘Migos’. But the one who caught everyone’s attention was Kanye West who attended the concert with his wife Kim Kardashian.
This comes just days after, the ‘I Love It’ rapper expressed his frustration with Scott on Twitter for letting Drake diss him in the track ‘Sicko Mode’. West, however, kept all the grudges aside and showed support for Scott by attending the show.
“Kanye and Travis are fine. Travis is very chilled just in general. He let Kanye air his frustration over Drake, so Kanye doesn’t have any issues with Travis now,” a ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ source told a leading magazine.
Kim posted several videos from the show on her Instagram story featuring her and her husband having a fun time at the show. She posted another picture posing with Halsey and her mother Nicole Frangipane.
Halsey’s ex, G-Eazy, was also present at the show but it’s unclear if the former lovers had any interaction. Kylie Jenner’s best friend Jordyn Woods was also spotted at the concert and she even took a ride on the onstage rollercoaster. Wiz Khalifa was seen in attendance.
Scott and West have been longtime friends and collaborators. However, Scott got involved into West’s feud with Drake specifically over the ‘Sicko Mode’ lyrics in which both Scott and Drake rapped about how they prefer ‘checks over stripes’ which refers to Nike, a brand they both have deals with, and Adidas, which makes West’s sneakers.
Shortly after West called out Scott on Twitter, he shared that the two are meeting up and later West tweeted that “it was all love” between them.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Scott hinted that he and West might officially become a family soon.
“It got to a point where I was like, ‘I need [Kylie] with me to operate. She’s that one. We’ll get married soon. I just gotta sturdy up – I gotta propose in a fire way,” Scott had said.
American singer Selena Gomez, who recently underwent mental health treatment following an emotional breakdown, has now become healthier and happier, sources said.
The 26-year-old singer was spotted with her friends at several places in California looking visibly fitter, reported an online portal.
The ‘Slow Down’ singer was dressed in a white sports bra, black leggings, and a colour coordinated cap.
“Selena’s back at her house and feeling good. She’s been spending time with her friends and family and just getting back into her normal routine. She’s healthy and feeling a lot happier. The time away was good for her to reset and figure out some new ways of dealing with the issues that have been bringing her down,” according to a source.
The source also shared how Gomez is maintaining a daily routine of working out and eating healthy.
“She’s focused on her physical and mental well-being and is conscious of the things she needs to do to stay healthy. She has a routine that involves working out, eating healthy and therapy sessions. She is surrounding herself with her best girlfriends and positive influences in her life. She’s happy to be back home and seeing friends again,” the source added.
On Thursday, Gomez was snapped hiking with her friends in Malibu. She was also spotted in Hollywood on a trip to snowy Big Bear, California, with her gang.
Gomez made headlines in October after she entered a treatment center for the second time this year to seek help on issues related to anxiety and depression.
The news came weeks after the ‘Heart Want What It Wants’ singer was hospitalised for conditions related to her autoimmune disease lupus and a kidney transplant that she had undergone last year.
Very important for a dancer is to be relaxed, calm & confident
Nowadays, stage performances and stage shows have become very common and popular. Every student who enrolls for a dance class wants to start performing. There was a time an artist was told not to even step onto the stage if they were not fully ready, in the dancing language, if the dancer was not poora taiyaar (fully accomplished), their Guru’s did not allow them to appear on stage.
Few Indian classical dance forms even till date practice and celebrate the first time stage appearance or performance. Months and years of practice are put behind a dancer before they show off their skills. I know of many Guru’s and highly accomplished teacher who for years did not allow a student to perform because they felt the student needed more training and lot more finess. But I guess those days are gone and we as a modern society are looking to give opportunities to people earlier in life, now whether that is correct way or not is very debatable.
Nevertheless, we today see people from all walks of life, size, shape, sex, age come ahead and showcase whatever they know. It is not important how good or bad a dancer you are or what kind of dancing quality you possess, but it is more about being there on stage, under that spot, breaking a leg.
Most of the international celebrities whom I taught to dance, I have always asked them how do they fight ‘backstage jitters’ just before a performance. Madonna, Shakira, Beyonce, and even Kenny G have the same fears. My student actress Kajol once told me due to the fear of stage fright, she can never do live performances. It is natural for any dancer to feel nervous right before going on stage. Often this nervousness can hinder a dancer’s performance. As we become seasoned performers, we learn how to use this nervousness to our advantage.
This tension comes from the adrenaline that naturally will release into the body. It is hard to feel calm once this happens! This will happen when a person embarks on a venture that requires a great deal of courage. Dancing on stage can be downright scary at times. One way to better performance is to have been on stage enough times to just naturally feel comfortable! This, unfortunately, isn’t an option for less experienced dancers. But there are a few things a dancer can do to lessen this tension and to use it towards the performance ahead.
Be Ready
· Before you get called to the wings by the stagehands; practice breathing and stretching. Make sure you are completely warmed up, stretched, and calm. Taking deep breaths is very important so you have a great surplus of oxygen flowing through your lungs and muscles. By the time you get to the wings, you should be calm enough to handle last minute nerves.
· Never go on a stage without practicing the piece at least twice. Being physically warmed up will assure better performance and that should ease a little tension right there.
· Make sure you have enough time the night before, to sleep at least 9 hours that night. This will help your performance and your tension.
· Do stay hydrated and have some protein in your pre-performance meal. Don’t eat heavy but try to eat enough so that you feel energetic. Eat 3 to 4 hours before your performance so that it is digested for energy stores at the time you’ll need it. Do not eat sugar or drink caffeine. And absolutely no smoking or alcohol!
· Make sure your dance bag, costumes, accessories and makeup are all packed and checked the night before.
· Arrive at the venue at least an hour before you’re required to be there. This will give you time to practice on the stage area and will lessen your chances of any late arrival, which will, in turn, cause increased tension.
· Try your shoes on the floor when it’s rolled out. Make any last minute adjustments according to the floor.
Be Focused
· Make sure you listen to your music and visualise the performance before you go onstage. Visualisation is a very powerful tool and can relax the mind and body.
· Don’t let a chatty friend take all your crucial last moments before a performance! Try to centre yourself and stay in a very focused state of mind.
Try to use whatever mood you’re feeling that day towards your performance. Any energy is good energy. This is the difference between a good dancer and a phenomenal performer.
Be positive
· Backstage nervousness is also a twist of anticipation and excitement. Remember these other factors and keep your mindset positive. Anticipate your best performance yet, and enjoy the excitement of your finally getting to perform this piece after all the hard work you’ve done! Enjoy instead of dread it! Be pro-active!
· Dancers need to come together as a group in a positive light pre-performance. It always helps to pray together, massage each other’s shoulders or do a pep cheer! This pep cheer can be a team ritual that gets everyone in the mode and into the spirit. It brings positive energy to the group that translates on stage.
· Have confidence in yourself! You have worked hard and know the choreography. You were chosen for this part because you earned it! Have pride in your part no matter how large or small it may be. This humble and thankful mindset will give off inner happiness that will shine for your fellow dancers, your choreographer and your audience.
Just remember one thing do not be overconfident about your dancing skills, it is the humbleness attitude that makes a dancer more attractive. A dancer dances on the ground and not in the clouds, so the attitude should also be down to earth and not something that carries a clip on the shoulder.
A dancer without jitters is a bird without wings. Use this energy towards your movement and know that it is normal. We can’t be dancers forever! So enjoy these moments, and soar on that stage! You are there for a reason, let it shine!
– Sandip Soparrkar
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed the petition of activist Anand Teltumbde seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him by the Pune police on January 8 in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence. The court has, however, granted Teltumbde protection from arrest for three weeks.
The court on Monday had reserved order on the petition moved jointly by activists Gautam Navlakha, Teltumbde and Stan Swamy. While Teltumbde has been named as an accused, the Pune police told the HC last week Swamy was still just a “suspect”. Navlakha was granted protection from arrest till January 14.
The bench has heard a bunch of petitions filed in the case by Teltumbde and his co-accused Navlakha, who was arrested in August by the Pune police for his alleged links to “Maoists” and an event, Elgar Parishad, held on December 31 last year.
According to Pune police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists. At the event which was held a day before January 1 caste clashes at Bhima Koregaon, the activists allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the violence, the police said.
Several activists were named in the FIR including Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Navlakha who were initially put under house arrest on the directions of the Supreme Court. However, all of them except Navlakha was re-arrested and taken into custody by the Pune police recently.
In a setback to the Congress in Telangana, four MLCs on Friday urged Chairman of Legislative Council K Swamy Goud to merge their party in the upper house with the ruling TRS.
The Congress MLCs — M S Prabhakar Rao, T Santosh Kumar, K Damodar Reddy and Akula Lalitha — met the chairman and submitted a petition.
The four MLCs said in the letter that a meeting of Congress Legislature Party in the Council was held on December 20 and its merger with that of TRS in the Council was discussed.
“In the said meeting, we the undersigned have decided and agreed to merge into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council,” the letter read.
They said they have the required strength for merger into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party under para 4 of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
“There are six members of Congress party in all in the Telangana Legislative Council,” they said.
“We therefore, request you to accept our merger into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council with immediate effect and our names may be shown in the list of Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council,” they said in the letter.
Reserve Bank of India and Union Finance Ministry should look into the serious issue of black money transactions through benami demand drafts/pay orders where such instruments continue to be exchanged like currency. Even there exist certain firms which act like a sort of ‘banker’ where demand drafts/pay orders made in their names are easily accepted in markets, and these firms give cash after deducting their commission to holder of such demand drafts on a date nearing validity period.
Now, with numerous households connected with banks under ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna’, stress should be on banking transactions replacing cash dealings. Validity of demand drafts should be further reduced to 45 days with the compulsion of printing name and account number/address of purchasers on these instruments. Demand drafts/pay orders of above Rs 10,000 may generally not be made from cash. Travellers Cheques and Gift Cheques in different denominations should be re-introduced for ease of carrying and gift money without risk and reducing cash transactions while promoting bank transactions.
Madhu Agrawal
Two bank strikes to affect badly
Total banking system is likely to be paralysed with bank officers and other staff-unions of public sector banks going on strike on December 21, 2018, and December 26, 2018, with only December 24, 2018, being the banking day with three holidays of Saturday, Sunday and Christmas Day. It is unfortunate that officers and staff unions conspirated to have the strike on two nearing different dates in a bid to paralyse banking system harassing the common public.
Bank strikes have become a usual phenomenon requiring some permanent solution. Recommendations of the Pay Commission should be applicable for all Public Sector Undertakings including banks. Even persons on top posts like the President, Vice President and Supreme Court judges should get salaries and post-retirement benefits equivalent to the highest paid bureaucrat. To overcome extra expenditure caused by bringing bank staff at parity with government employees, complete plan of merger of all the public sector banks in some selected anchor-banks should be implemented at the earliest for drastic cut in overheads due to so many different banks and the further possibility of merger of nearing bank branches. Shortage of staff will turn into excess of staff which can provide much needed seven day per week banking services without any holiday by giving employees two rather than present one and half weekly holiday.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Loan waivers are not beneficial
The agenda of loan waivers that the Congress party is pursuing is in no way beneficial to the economy as a whole. Rahul Gandhi said, “We will not let Modi sleep till he waives farmer’s loans”. Increasing loan waivers will mean a greater fiscal burden on the economy and the government which in return may slow down the GDP growth in the long run. In the pursuit of power, the country’s economic development should not be sacrificed.
Najmul
All states should give a hand to the farmers
Two days after the newly elected Congress governments announced farm loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced a similar relief for thousands of farmers and their families, clearing short term loans of up to Rs 2 lakh from co-operative and nationalised banks. Now the Congress, of course, will have to suffer some difficulties to maintain the budget in all three states, but the step of waiver was the most pressing need of the hour as the farmers are being ignored all around the country. Now, all the BJP-led government states also should come forward to give a helping hand to the farmers who are living under the burden of loans.
FT Mulla
The Centre is yet to help Tamil Nadu
It was shocking to learn that the Centre is yet to release the Tamil Nadu’s due share of Rs 1,000 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund to carry out relief and restoration work after Cyclone Gaja. The cyclone has created extensive damage in the state’s fertile delta region. It shows the low priority of the central government towards the suffering people who are yet to get proper accommodation for their survival. Some families even lost their breadwinners in the cyclone. The government should consider that the people of the state, particularly in coastal areas are in desperate situation and so it must provide them the financial support as soon as much.
Mohd Usmani
Congress should move on
Congress should move on now that the Rafale deal has been dusted, sealed and given a green signal by the Supreme Court. The highest court’s verdict should be respected and the political parties should not waste the precious time of the nation further to debate on an issue that needs no further investigations. It is we, the people, who elect a government and we must have faith in the representatives we elect, more so on matters that are sensitive and cannot be disclosed due to security reasons. Rafale deal made a lot of noise in the media but I hope that the aircrafts remain silent and we never ever have to use them for warfare and most of our border disputes get settled with peace talks. Wishful hoping peace returns and we concentrate on development and progress rather than on arms and warfare in future!
SN Kabra
Fire in hospitals
Through Afternoon Voice, I have written extensively on fire prevention. The hospitals are not carrying out fire safety audits. Carrying out regular fire drills is very important. In doing this, they may include willing persons who come to care for the patients. I have seen that many such “sage wala” are quite fit and helpful including a transgender, whom I saw caring for others in the ward at Sion hospital. Being alert and active is important. Escape routes must be marked by retro reflective tapes, not very high from the ground. In a smoke laden atmosphere, bend down and escape (not walking or running straight). Be confident and don’t cry or panic.
Mahendra Singh
I thank ISRO for its incredible job
Really it makes us feel proud to see that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) working hard to equip the country with modern tools, as it launched the GSAT-7A, a geostationary communication satellite, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. This new satellite, along with GSAT-7 and GSAT-6, dubbed the “Indian Angry Bird”, will form the band of communications satellites for use by the Indian military. I extend my deepest congratulations to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for this incredible achievement. The entire country feels proud of ISRO to keep on innovating and setting high standards of scale, achievements and success. I wish India to go further ahead in science and technology and to attain all equipment of modern technology.
Mohd Faheem
Another case of fire
I am totally shaken by this news that at least 10 people, including a 6 months old baby, died and 157 were injured after a major fire broke out at the state-run ESIC Kamgar hospital in Andheri East on Monday. It is also shocking that one victim jumped from the fourth floor to escape the blaze and died after crashing to the ground. A matter of great concern is that many incidents of fire have happened repeatedly in this year, so the administration should take this incident to heart and after finishing the process of investigation the culprits should be punished.
A Zafar
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Filmmaker Rohit Shetty, who is back as the host of action-adventure based reality show “Khatron Ke Khiladi”, says it is a tough show and lot of hardwork goes into designing the stunts.
The director said the credit for the show’s success goes to the technical team.
“‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ is a very tough show. Lot of planning goes into designing stunts, work begins at least three to six months before the show goes on air. We first have to scout for apt location for the season. Plan and do the stunts we end up doing three stunts a day, overall there are 100 stunts performed performed during the entire season.
“The credit for the show goes to the technicians who work hard I just come in the end look at the stunts and tweak a bit if required. And on TV it may look like the stunt is performed in few minutes but the reality is it takes six months of pre-planning. Once the show is edited it looks cool on TV,” Rohit told reporters in Mumbai on Thursday at the launch of “Khatron Ke Khiladi”, season nine.
According to Rohit, “Khatron Ke Khiladi” is a proper reality show as the stunts performed are real.
He added, “When we do stunts contestants do stunts even when the weather plays a spoilsport. Like last season which was held in Cape Town it was raining on the day when we were supposed to do the finale shoot but we planned the stunt with rains. This season the contestants have performed stunts in minus 1 or 2 degree temperature that’s how much real the show is.”
Celebrities including Bharti Singh, her husband Harsh Limbachiya, Sreesanth, Vikas Gupta, Aditya Narayan, Shamita Shetty, Jasmine Bhasin, Ridhima Pandit, Zain Imam, Puneet Pathak, Avika Gor, Aly Gony have participated this season.
“‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ this season is like masala entertainer movie it has all the right ingredients like action, drama, comedy and emotion. This season the stunts are unique,” Rohit said.
“The contestants are actors they are not stunt artists. My job is to encourage them to do stunts and also see to it they are safe and secure,” he added.
The show will go on air from January 5 on Colors channel.
Pop diva Jennifer Lopez has credited ex-husband Marc Anthony with boosting her confidence.
Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld’ tour in Los Angeles was attended by a lot of celebrities, including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Halsey, members of ‘Migos’. But the one who caught everyone’s attention was Kanye West who attended the concert with his wife Kim Kardashian.
Very important for a dancer is to be relaxed, calm & confident
