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Rituraj Singh and SRK's debut film 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones'

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Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Rituraj Singh, who passed away at the age of 59 in the wee hours of Tuesday, was a member of TAG, the same Delhi theatre group as Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan.

The two used to rehearse together and play football. And they acted together in SRK’s debut film ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’.

Aired in 1989, it was made for Doordarshan by filmmaker-environmentalist Pradip Kishen based on Booker Prize-winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s script drawing heavily on her days as a student at Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture.

Those days, SRK, despite being well-known for his pivotal role in the TV serial ‘Fauji’, was nowhere near being the super star that he was to become, so the role that he was so keen to essay went to Rituraj.

In the film, which won two National Awards (Best Feature Film in English and Best Screenplay), Rituraj played the role of Arjun Kamat, who along with his girlfriend, Radha (portrayed by Arundhati Roy), hatches a plan to turn the hostile thesis panel in favour of the titular character and their friend Anand, known as Annie, during the submission process.

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Anand was played by Arjun Raina, a local actor who also acted in Kishen’s next film, ‘Electric Moon’, and is today better known as a Kathakali dancer and National School of Drama teacher whose students include Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Adil Hussain and Ashutosh Rana.

Arjun’s role, which he so badly wanted, slipped from SRK’s hands and he had to satisfy himself with a supporting part. SRK played a fellow student known as simply ‘Senior’. SRK, it is said, never really forgave Arundhati Roy for her casting call!

The central character in the film, Anand, is idealistic student who would study less and instead dream up utopian solutions to India’s problems (like planting trees alongside railway tracks where underprivileged Indians defecate — the faecal matter acting as compost and the water from sprinklers attached to trains doing the rest).

Set in the 1970s, the film was high on comedy and got praised for its realistic portrayal of contemporary college life. It also featured Roshan Seth, best known for playing Pandit Nehru in Sir Richard Attenborough”s ‘Gandhi’ (in ‘Annie’, he played the comical co.lege principal Y.S. Billimoria, a.k.a. Yamdoot), Manoj Bajpayee and Raghubir Yadav.

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‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ was never released in theatres but has over the years gained a cult status.

Rituraj Singh, who passed away in the wee hours of Tuesday, was discharged from hospital after he was admitted following a stomach infection. His health condition, however, deteriorated and he suffered a heart attack to which he succumbed.

–IANS

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Naqiyah & Vibhav celebrate 150 episodes of 'Shaitani Rasmein'; hail 'collective effort of our team'

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Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) The lead actors of fantasy thriller drama ‘Shaitani Rasmein’, Naqiyah Haji and Vibhav Roy celebrated the milestone of 150 episodes of the show, calling it the result of collective hard work of the team.

To celebrate the milestone of 150 episodes, the entire cast and crew came together to cut the cake and shared their happiness.

Expressing her views on the occasion, Naqiyah said: “Completing 150 episodes of ‘Shaitani Rasmein’ is a big achievement for us. This show is very close to my heart and has taken my career to new heights. I got the opportunity to play many different characters in my first lead role itself.”

“During this time, my acting talent was greatly appreciated by the audience, and I will always be thankful to Star Bharat, the fans, and the audience for this opportunity. I would also like to congratulate our cast and crew for their dedication and hard work,” she added.

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Vibhav commented: “Reaching this milestone is the result of collective effort and hard work of our team. This journey of 150 episodes has been very memorable, and I thank my viewers wholeheartedly. This show has been very important to my career, and I want to congratulate everyone who made it possible.”

He added: “This journey has been a wonderful experience for us. Every day we learned something new and felt connected with our characters. Also, the love and support of the audience inspired us to do better.”

The audience is witnessing many exciting twists in the current storyline of the show. The Gehlot family is now facing a new threat. Recently, the entry of Netra Dayan in the show has created a stir in the lives of Piyush and Nikki, which will be interesting for the audience to watch.

‘Shaitani Rasmein’ airs on Star Bharat.

–IANS

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Rapper Rich the Kid claims Kanye West is retiring from 'professional music’

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Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) Rapper-producer Rich the Kid has said that Kanye West is retiring from music, though it’s unclear what exactly that entails or if the decision is final.

According to a since-deleted screenshot of a text exchange posted by Rich the Kid from West: “I am retiring from professional music.”

The reason behind the decision, the musician hinted, is that he’s “not sure what else to do” as far as music goes, reports people.com.

However, Rich the Kid replied: “Retire? Why? How? The ppl NEED you the music you & Ty & we have made was the BIGGEST STAMP in culture to this date in 2024. Drop Ye about mine & V@ and we do it all over again the kids need you big…. maybe some time to chill but retiring ain’t it.”

Shortly after he posted the screenshotted-texts, Rich the Kid announced on X that he’s dropping new music with West featured on his forthcoming album, Life’s a Gamble. “WE DROPPING FRIDAY 7/19,” he wrote, confirming the project’s release date.

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According to the album’s tracklist, there’s an upcoming collaboration with West titled ‘Plain Jane’, also the already-released single ‘Gimme a Second 2’ featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Peso Pluma.

There’s also the track ‘Carnival’ with Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla $ign, 42, that was featured on the latter’s collaborative Vultures 1 album with West, which dropped in February. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following month.

West’s retirement announcement comes weeks after he and Ty Dolla $ign were slated to release their sequel project, ‘Vultures 2’.

According to an Instagram post shared by Ty Dolla $ign, the duo are next set to bring their Vultures listening experience to Korea on Friday, August 23.

However, it’s unclear if they’ll perform their follow-up project, which still doesn’t have a confirmed release date.

–IANS

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Katy Perry teases new album ‘143’ in collaborations with Doechii, 21 Savage

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Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Katy Perry has announced her 6th studio album ‘143’. She went live across her social media profiles to share snippets of songs off the record.

The album, which arrives on September 20, is what the pop singer described as a dance album, something she’s “always wanted to make”, reports Variety.

“I’ve been talking about [doing] two albums the past eight years and that’s a dance album and an acoustic album,” she said on Instagram Live. “I haven’t yet made the acoustic album. Well, we never stop writing. But I finally made the dance album, the album I always wanted to make.

“This record is super high energy, it’s super summer, it’s very high BPM,” she continued. “We just had a family dance party to one of the songs, and it’s just full of so much joy, so much love, so much light.”

As per Variety, while signing vinyl inserts for ‘143’, Perry previewed three songs from the album on both Instagram Live and TikTok Live. The first clip she played was for a song called ‘I’m His He’s Mine’ featuring Doechii, constructed around a sample of Crystal Waters’ 1991 hit ‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)’.

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She followed with an upbeat number entitled ‘Nirvana’ as well as ‘Gimme Gimme’ featuring 21 Savage. “‘143’ is honestly a dance party,” she added on TikTok. “All fandoms, invited. And it’s high energy, lots of love, mostly lots of love and BPM, summer, sexy. And it’s for y’all.”

Perry initially teased this upcoming era last month with the news that its first single, ‘Woman’s World’, will arrive July 11 along with a music video. Though no tour has been announced, Perry mentioned on TikTok that she cleared her schedule so she’d be able to tour in the near future.

–IANS

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Matthew McConaughey gets a swollen eye from bee sting

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Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey, who is known for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, ‘Interstellar’, ‘True Detective’ and other films, had an apparent run-in with a bee.

The actor recently shared a close-up photo of himself on his Instagram showing his right eye completely swollen shut, reports People magazine.

While the actor did not specify exactly what happened to him, he hinted at an unfortunate incident with a bee with a punny caption: “Bee swell.” Despite the alarming eye injury, he appeared otherwise in good spirits in the photo and held a grin for the camera.

Aside from McConaughey’s apparent bee incident, the actor has been busy as of late: he and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey shared birthday wishes to their eldest son Levi on Sunday, July 7, by sharing a montage of photos of the 16-year-old with his parents and a voiceover message.

“Alright Levi, coming on that age, buddy. About to be out on your own”, the star said in part during his voiceover. “Me and your mom hope we’ve done as good of a job as we can. You’re not gonna really have us as a safety net out there in the wonderful, wild world forever.”

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As per People, Matthew and Camila also share two younger kids: daughter Vida, 14, and son Livingston, 11. In June, McConaughey admitted during a conversation with fellow Texas native Glen Powell for Interview magazine that he once took a two-year break from working in Hollywood after he felt he was struggling to book movie roles outside of the romantic comedy genre, where he made early 2000s classics like ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ (2003).

“Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation,” he shared of the hiatus. He recalled that he told his wife at various points during this time that he was considering teaching high school, studying to conduct music or working as a “wildlife guide.”

–IANS

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Siddharth P. Malhotra says he looks out for characters whose sacrifices make communities stronger

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Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Director Siddharth P. Malhotra says as a filmmaker he tries to tell soul-stirring human stories and that he has always been on the lookout for strong protagonists.

The filmmaker’s latest features Junaid Khan in his debut role alongside Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, and Sharvari (in a special appearance), the film was released on June 21.

“As a filmmaker, I have tried to tell soul-stirring human stories with my last two films ‘Maharaj’ and ‘Hichki’. It feels incredible that both these films about human perseverance have become huge global hits coming from India!” Malhotra said.

He added: “I have always been on the lookout for strong protagonists who leave an unforgettable mark on society and sacrifice a lot to better our community.”

Talking about ‘Maharaj’ and Junaid’s character of Karsandas, he said: “Karsandas (played by Junaid) and Naina Mathur (played by Rani) have that in common and I respect both these characters immensely. People who fight against all odds are those who we need in society.”

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Siddharth is deeply thankful to the global audience for showing so much love for ‘Maharaj’.

“A film through which we tried to honour a great social reformer of India, Karsandas Mulji. His story needed to be told and it looks like the world is paying him a salute,” he said.

Siddharth added that it is incredible that both his films with YRF, ‘Hichki’, and ‘Maharaj’ have been global hits.

“At a time when projects from across the world are winning hearts, I’m proud that India is also shining on the global content map with films like Maharaj becoming a huge hit,” he added.

–IANS

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