A video featuring John Abraham in conversation with media-persons has garnered attention for all the wrong reasons. Abraham, who features opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the latter’s return vehicle, Pathaan, dodged every question relating to the film with a pithy: ‘Next question’.
John Abraham
Why is John so upset?
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A video featuring John Abraham in conversation with media-persons has garnered attention for all the wrong reasons. Abraham, who features opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the latter’s return vehicle, Pathaan, dodged every question relating to the film with a pithy: ‘Next question’. When he was repeatedly prodded to share his thoughts on the film, he eventually walked off the stage. While fans claimed the actor seemed miffed with the makers for the manner in which the trailer was cut, anyone who has caught a glimpse of the trailer would agree that Abraham has been given abundant screen-time. Furthermore, this isn’t the first time that he has been at the receiving end for his demeanour before media-persons. Once quizzed about acting in a regional film, Abraham expressed anger while responding, and stating that he was a ‘Bollywood actor’ alone. On another occasion, he claimed that while he would be willing to explore the web space as a producer, he wouldn’t want to act in a web series because he has a “problem with” being “available for Rs 299 or Rs 499”.
Gratitude
Yo Yo Honey Singh has expressed gratitude towards Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar for helping him return to the industry, by offering him songs in their upcoming movies, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, and Selfiee. “Salman bhai called and told me that he wants to do a song with me. We last collaborated on Yaar na mile from Kick, but I couldn’t feature in it as I was shooting for a Punjabi movie in London. Akshay paaji also called me, and we shot a song titled Kudi chamkili for the movie Selfiee. I want to thank these two legends for helping me in my struggle to come back again. I hope 2023 is going to be massive for me,” he said.
Sami does it again
Adnan Sami courted controversy after hitting out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for celebrating RRR’s success at the Golden Globes by stating that the “Telugu flag is flying high”. “Telugu flag? You mean Indian flag, right? We are Indians first and kindly stop separating yourself from the rest of the country. This ‘separatist’ attitude is highly unhealthy, as we saw in 1947,” wrote the singer, who received flak from Twitter users. “If only you could read the underlying emotions of a Teluguite expressing his ethnic pride, you wouldn’t have come up with your Nationalism platitudes. Being regional makes us no less Indian than any of our Northern counterparts.” Minister Gudivada Amarnath also said, “You are no one to pass a judgement on our patriotism. [Our] pride in being Telugu does not take away from our identity as Indians.”
Four years in the making
Amit Trivedi took almost four years to work on the music of Anurag Kashyap’s directorial venture, Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat. Kashyap said in an interview: “I and Amit go a long way. It has been a friendship of 15 years, and every time we have collaborated, he has given me some unforgettable melodies. Amit has put his heart and soul into the album of this movie, and has been patient with. Amit spent four years working on the music because it’s a different world to belong to, lyrically.”
Not a thought
His impassioned speeches may suggest otherwise, but Paresh Rawal says he did not intend to enter the field of politics when he began his career. “I didn’t have any intention of getting any seat of power. In 2014, I thought, it was a good opportunity. But I made it clear that politics would never be a career for me. My stint in 2014 was the only innings I was going to play. I am not a politician. I just want to support somebody, and if my contribution is put to good use, I will have done my bit for India. That was my only motive. I will continue to do my bit as and when I can. Similarly, my wife [Swaroop Sampat] is into education, and I support her.” Rawal, who belonged to the Bharatiya Janta Party, is a former Lok Sabha MP. He ended his political career in 2019.
Taxing job
Anushka Sharma has sought help from the Bombay High Court against an inflated tax notice that she states she has received. The court directed the Maharashtra Government to reply to Sharma’s plea challenging two orders. In her petition, Sharma claimed that the authority had “erroneously” noted that she had acquired copyright through endorsements and by anchoring award functions and had sold or transferred it. On the other hand, her counsel Deepak Bapat said that it was the producers of the shows who always owned the respective videos’ copyright and that she could not sell or transfer it.
Can’t stop the release of Abhay’s next
The Delhi High Court has refused to stay the release of the upcoming Netflix series Trial by Fire, starring Abhay Deol, which is based on the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy. Earlier, the court reserved its ruling on a petition filed by a real estate magnate Sushil Ansal, seeking a temporary halt to the streaming of the series, expected to drop online today. Ansal had previously filed a suit seeking permanent and mandatory injunction against the series based on parents who lost their young children in the 1997 catastrophe. A Delhi court sentenced Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil to seven years in prison each for tampering with evidence. However, the sessions court lowered it to the already completed period in July of last year. They were released after serving little over eight months of the total sentence.