Unrealistic to compare shelf-life of heroes and heroines: Preity Zinta

By

-

November 19, 2018

Preity Zinta says if female actors devote as much time as their male counterparts to the film career, it would be possible for heroines to have a longer shelf-life.

The 43-years-old actor said the fact that the society is still patriarchal makes it tough for women to pursue their careers and same is the case with movie stars.

“If a female actor dedicates that many years then she would also (get that kind of stardom). Lot of actresses get married, have children, take a break. I personally took quite a few years of break. One has to compare apples to apples. You can’t compare apples to oranges. The moment an actress gets married and has children she is taking care of the children, she is out of circulation,” Preity said in an interview.

“Having said that, it is a patriarchal society but the real test of time will be with newer bunch of actors who is getting married and still working, to see how things go. It is unrealistic to compare heroes and heroines as their lifespan is different,” she added.

The actor believes the approach towards women has changed both on- and off-screen today.

“Who would have thought ‘Veere Di Wedding’ with all women do Rs 90 crore (business)? Nobody. It is the most exciting time for an actor like me as well. There are interesting roles out there and I would not like to do what I did 20 years ago. I want to grow and do progressive roles.”

Expressing her views on India’s #MeToo movement, which has seen many a stalwart such as Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Subhash Kapoor, Vikas Bahl, Subhash Ghai, Anu Malik and Rajat Kapoor fall, Preity said Bollywood is “very safe” for women.

“People treat you the way you want to be treated. If I am ready to say I am ready to do anything, then why would a guy not do anything. But when I say this is my work, keep it all professional… No guy has ever misbehaved with me. Having said that, I don’t want to talk about ignorance, I became successful in my first attempt, ‘Dil Se’, ‘Soldier’ became blockbuster, ‘Kya Kehna’ became a game changer.

“All these films were commercial hits. Nobody messes with you as now you have already succeeded. You can be a ‘no nonsense’ girl but if you are not successful, maybe there are people in position of power who can misuse it. But if you are not willing to fly with it, no one is going to force themselves (on you), that’s what I think, maybe there are some creepy people,” she said.

Shraddha Kapoor recovers from dengue

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Good news for all Shraddha Kapoor fans, as the Bollywood diva has finally recovered from dengue fever after taking a month’s rest.

The 31-year-old actor has regained her health and is back to work, she took to her official Instagram account to share the news and thanked everyone for their unconditional love and support.

The ‘Stree’ actor also expressed gratitude to the film teams she is working with currently for being patient and understanding.

On the work front, Shraddha was last seen in ‘Stree’, opposite Rajkummar Rao, the flick received immense appreciation from both audience and critics. The horror comedy also did exceptionally well at the box office. Apart from ‘Stree’, she was also seen in ‘Batti Gul Meter Chalu’ opposite Shahid Kapoor.

Shraddha has three other movies in her kitty including ‘Saaho’ which marks her debut in the South Indian Film industry and also stars Prabhas, ‘Chhichhore’ and Bhushan Kumar’s biopic on Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal.

Alok Kumar Verma files response in SC on CVC probe report

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma Monday filed in the Supreme Court his response on findings of the CVC’s preliminary probe report on corruption charges against him in a sealed cover.

The apex court had earlier in the day asked Verma to file his response “as quickly as possible” during the day” and made it clear that it will not adjourn the scheduled hearing on Tuesday after his lawyer sought more time.

“Even though we sought a little time from the court, the sealed cover reply of Mr Verma was filed with the secretary general at 1 pm,” lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Verma told PTI.

The apex court, on November 16, had asked Verma to file his response in a sealed cover to the preliminary probe report of the Central Vigilance Commission on corruption charges against the CBI Director by 1 pm on Monday.

The bench made clear that it will not shift the scheduled date of hearing and asked him to file his response “as quickly as possible” during the day by 4 pm itself to enable it to peruse the reply.

Earlier, the apex court had said that the CVC has made some “very uncomplimentary” findings in its probe on corruption allegations against Verma and wanted further investigations into some of the charges which required more time, adding there were also some “very complimentary” conclusions.

Summing up the “exhaustive” confidential report of the CVC given to it, the court ordered that its copy along with the annexure be given to Verma in a sealed cover.

Verma had approached the apex court challenging the Centre’s decision to divest him of his duties and sending him on leave following his feud with special CBI director Rakesh Asthana, who has levelled corruption allegations against him. Asthana has also been divested of his duties and sent on leave.

Pursuant to the top court’s order, the CVC’s inquiry against Verma was conducted under the supervision of former apex court judge Justice A K Patnaik and the report was filed in the court on November 12.

Besides the plea filed by Verma, the court is also seized of the PIL filed by NGO Common Cause, which has sought a probe by a special investigation team against CBI officers.

Besides, it had barred Rao from taking any major policy decision but granted him liberty to perform routine tasks that are essential to keep the CBI functional.

On November 4, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had also moved the top court contending that divesting Verma of his statutory powers and functions is “completely illegal and arbitrary”.

In an interlocutory application filed in the pending petition, Kharge, who is also a member of the three-member selection committee which appoints the CBI director, said that “as a concerned stakeholder he brings to the attention of the court the brazen and illegal actions” of the political executive in interfering with the independent functioning of the CBI director.

There’s still time, says Alia on getting married

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Alia Bhatt might be in news for her professional success and her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor but the actor says people will have to “keep waiting” as there is still time before she ties the knot.

Recently, Bollywood couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh got hitched in a private ceremony in Italy. Reports suggest Priyanka Chopra is set to tie the knot with her fiance Nick Jonas in Jodhpur on December 1.

When asked about Priyanka’s wedding, Alia told reporters, “I am very happy and excited. I am very excited to see PC in her wedding attire. I am very fond of her and I have a lot of love and warmth for her.

“I wish she has a beautiful wedding and I am sure she will make for a beautiful bride and she should have a beautiful life.”

The “Raazi” actor was asked about her marriage plans, to which she replied, “Keep waiting. There’s time for that.” Alia was speaking at the Lux Golden Rose Award, Sunday night.

Sara is a born star, says Kareena Kapoor

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan says she is sure Sara Ali Khan’s debut “Kedarnath” will work at the box office and believes the latter is a “born star.”

Daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, Sara recently said she looks up to Kareenawho married Saif in 2012and wants to imbibe her professionalism.

When asked what are her feelings regarding Sara making her Bollywood debut, Kareena told reporters, “I hope God willing and I am sure that the film will be a super hit but irrespective of that I think she is a born star.”

Kareena was speaking at the Lux Golden Rose Award, Sunday night.

Sara will be seen opposite Sushant Singh Rajput in “Kedarnath”, set against the backdrop of one of the worst human tragedies. The film, directed by Abhishek Kapoor, is scheduled to release on December 7.

Post that, Sara will be seen in Rohit Shetty directed “Simmba” featuring Ranveer Singh, releasing in the last week of December.

Amy Schumer returns to work after hospitalization

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Actor and comedian Amy Schumer is back at work after her recent hospitalisation.

According to reporta, the 37-year-old comedienne, who recently announced her pregnancy, was admitted to a hospital in Texas on account of hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe nausea, occurring during pregnancy.

The ‘I Feel Pretty’ actor had canceled a couple of comedy shows scheduled in Dallas and Austin, Texas last week due to her condition.

On Saturday, she returned to the stage and performed a comedy show at the New Jersey Performing Art Center’s 2,800-seat theater Prudential Hall. Following her show, she wrote on her official Instagram account, “Thanks for bringing me back to life Newark (something no one else has ever said).”

View this post on Instagram

Thanks for bringing me back to life Newark (something no one else has ever said) ? @marcusrussellprice

A post shared by @ amyschumer on Nov 18, 2018 at 8:40am PST

The event was supposed to take place in September but was later rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict for Schumer. The star will perform shows in cities including New York City, Oakland, Seattle, Phoenix, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Chicago through November and December.

Last month, Schumer had announced that she was expecting her first child with husband Chris Fischer, eight months after the couple got hitched during a surprise ceremony in Malibu.

John Barrowman confirms ‘Arrow’ return as Malcolm Merlyn

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Actor John Barrowman has confirmed he will be reprising his role as supervillain Malcolm Merlyn in “Arrow”.

The actor told a online portal that he has already filmed a return appearance.

“I can’t tease anything about it, but I will be returning to the show this year. I just filmed some stuff for it recently. If you follow my Instagram and social media, you might’ve seen something a couple of weeks back,” Barrowman said.

Barrowman also revealed that the show’s bosses were looking to rope him in again in the future.

“Also, just before I went into isolation, they checked my availability again. We were like, ‘You guys knew the schedule. I’m not available right now, so it’ll have to be after the new year’,” he said.

Mandy Morre and Taylor Goldsmith now married!

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

American singer-songwriter Mandy Morre and her musician fiance, Taylor Goldsmith are married.

The couple, who got engaged at their home in September 2017, got hitched in an intimate backyard wedding at Mandy’s home in Los Angeles, that started just after sundown on Sunday evening (local time) with family and close friends, confirmed a portal.

Giving boho vibes, the altar was surrounded with rugs and the flower arrangements were beautiful with lots of large feathers for the wedding.

After the nuptials, guests traveled to The Fig House, which is a private event space in the Highland Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Some attendees include Minka Kelly, Wilmer Valderrama, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissy Metz and Sterling K. Brown.

The private wedding ceremony comes after Mandy hinted that her ceremony wouldn’t be an over-the-top affair.

“It’s not going to be some lavish affair, its maybe something that isn’t going to require as much planning or at least that’s what I’m telling myself,” the ‘Tangled’ star previously told E! Online. “I picked a funny profession for someone who doesn’t like all the attention focused on them so I’ve already done my girls weekend.”

Back in September 2017, Taylor proposed to the ‘This Is Us’ star after dating for more than two years. Since then, the actress has been able to celebrate with her close friends on multiple occasions.

Kylie Jenner trying to teach Stormi new words is the most adorable thing

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

Kylie Jenner attempted to teach her 9-month-old daughter Stormi Webster some new words and shared the adorable video on her social media account.

The makeup mogul posted the video on her official Instagram account, alongside a caption, “trying to teach her some new words.”

View this post on Instagram

trying to teach her some new words ??????

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Nov 18, 2018 at 11:02am PST

The 21-year-old reality star can be seen repeating “Kylie Cosmetics” to her daughter, while the little one who is sitting on a bed holding an eye makeup palette babbles in return, “Dada.” To which Kylie asks, “Dada?” with a laugh and her baby girl also giggles.

Travis Scott commented on the sweet video, writing, “Da da. I’m otw back momma.”

Kylie revealed in a Snapchat live post in October about the father-daughter bond, “She is just like her dad, but she does look like me, so. She is obsessed with her dad, though. They have this crazy connection and she’s definitely a daddy’s girl. It’s cute to watch. When dad’s around, [it’s like] I’m not even there,” reported a leading portal.

On Saturday, the ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ star posted cute photos of the 26-year-old rapper holding a smiling Stormi backstage at his inaugural ‘Astroworld Festival’ in Houston.

The couple began dating after Kylie’s split with Tyga in April 2017 and welcomed Stormi in February 2018.

Earlier in July, the ‘Life of Kylie’ star topped Hopper HQ’s Instagram rich list for 2018 with a price tag of a whopping 1 million USD for a single post.

NSE launches online platform for retail investors to buy g-sec

By

Afternoon Voice

-

November 19, 2018

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) Monday launched a mobile application and web-based platform for retail investors to buy government securities.

The new app – NSE goBID, was launched by SEBI chairman Ajay Tyagi.

The platform will allow retail investors to invest in treasury bills (T-Bills) of 91 days, 182 days and 364 days and various government bonds from one year to almost 40 years.

“The launch of the app for investing in government securities is an important milestone at a time when the country is seeing a surge in digital payments. The retail participation in government securities only started after SEBI allowed exchanges to set up non-competitive bidding platforms by exchanges,” Tyagi said.

He said compared to fixed deposit returns offered by banks, the government bonds are currently offering better yields, and retail investors should get the opportunity to earn higher returns.

The 10-year government bond yield is trading at 7.80-7.83 per cent.

He, however, said the participation of retail investors in the government securities has been low, so far, and there is a need to increase it through publicising such platforms.

“We, on a regular basis, will review the progress (of such platforms) and will try to co-ordinate with exchanges to improve it further,” Tyagi said.

The app will be available to all the registered investors with NSE’s trading members and will also facilitate members to acquire new retail investors.

It will allow investors to make payments directly from their bank accounts using the unified payments interface (UPI) and internet banking.

The Union Budget 2016-17 had announced that RBI will facilitate retail participation in the primary markets through stock exchanges.

RBI conducts auction of G-sec and T-bills on a weekly basis where 5 per cent of the notified amount is allotted for eligible investors under the scheme for non-competitive bidding facility.