Sidney Poitier, First Black Performer to Win An Academy Award for Best Actor, Dies at 94

BY Anusha Sundar On January 8, 2022

Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier, who created history and gave hope to the Black community in cinema, by becoming the first Black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, has died on Friday night. He was 94.

According to The New York Times, the actor’s death was announced on Friday by the ministry of foreign affairs of the Bahamas, Fred Mitchell. However, the cause of death was not mentioned.

Poitier was born on February 20, 1927, to Bahamian farmer parents who would travel to Miami, US, to sell tomatoes. Born unexpectedly in Miami, Poitier acquired a US citizenship, naturally.

Known for his ground-breaking roles, which represented his race, he earned his first Oscar nomination in 1958 for his work in The Defiant Ones, which itself was considered a huge feat for a Black man, just to be considered for an award in the lead role, at the time. Keeping up his contributions to the Black community, Poitier won the Academy Award for his film, Lilies Of the Field in 1963. He became the first Black person to be accoladed with the award, under the category of ‘best actor’. In the film, he played the role of a handyman, who helps a group of East German nuns, build a chapel in the Arizona desert.

Subsequently, in 1967, when racism was rampant in the US, he starred in three American films, with strong characters. They included, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, where Poitier played a widowed Black man engaged to a white woman, In the Heat of the Night, in which he essayed the role of a cop, facing racism firsthand, while getting involved in a murder investigation, and an immigrant teacher in a strict London school, in the film To Sir, With Love.

The official Twitter handle of the Academy Awards referred to Poitier as, “barrier-breaking and an enduring inspiration who advanced US racial dialogue through his art”.

During his lifetime, Poitier earned several nominations for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Primetime Emmy’s, BAFTAs, Laurel Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG). The late actor also served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan, from 1997 to 2007. He was also awarded the highest US civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama, in 2009.

Sharing a photo of himself along with the actor and his wife Michelle Obama, the former US president said “Sidney Poitier epitomized dignity and grace” through his “groundbreaking roles and singular talent”. Obama added, “He also opened doors for a generation of actors. Michelle and I send our love to his family and legion of fans.”

American talk show host, actor, and author Oprah Winfrey, shared an emotional note that read, “For me, the greatest of the “Great Trees” has fallen: Sidney Poitier. My honor to have loved him as a mentor. Friend. Brother. Confidant. Wisdom teacher. The utmost, highest regard and praise for his most magnificent, gracious, eloquent life. I treasured him. I adored him. He had an enormous soul I will forever cherish. Blessings to Joanna and his world of beautiful daughters.”

Actor, producer Viola Davis condoled his death by saying how “no words can describe how your (Poitier) work radically shifted my (Viola) life”. She further emphasised on how the late actor brought “dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity” in his roles, which showed others how the Black community mattered.

US President Joe Biden tweeted, “The son of tomato farmers in the Bahamas, Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor — but the trail he blazed extended leaps and bounds beyond his background or profession. Jill and I send our love and prayers to his loved ones.”

The late actor is survived by his wife, Joanna Shimkus, six daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Female Actor Abduction Case: Kerala HC Says Adequate Reasons Needed to Recall & Examine Witnesses

BY Chandhini R On January 8, 2022

In the female actor abduction and sexual assault case, the Kerala High Court on Friday asked the prosecution how filmmaker Balachandra Kumar’s revelations about Dileep would help them in the trial, according to The Hindu.

Justice Kausar Edappagath raised this question while hearing the arguments on the petition filed by the prosecution, challenging the orders of the Ernakulam Additional Special Sessions Court, which had rejected the application to recall or summon witnesses for re-examination.

The court observed that the petition for re-examination of witnesses was raised long after their examination was finished, questioning the prosecution’s need for making the request. It noted that valid reasons were necessary for re-examining witnesses. Reserving the verdict on the petition, the court reiterated that the rights of the accused and the victims should be protected.

While the trial in the case was nearing completion after five long years, the state government on January 5, moved to the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of the trial by six months, after Balachandra Kumar raised some serious allegations against Dileep.

Additionally, in a major twist, one of the witnesses who had turned hostile during the earlier trial, has now informed the prosecution through a friend that he is ready to reveal the ‘truth’. The identity of the witness has not yet been disclosed, Onmanorama reported.

In December 2021, director Balachandra Kumar submitted a complaint to CM Pinarayi Vijayan, in which he revealed that Dileep had influenced some of the significant witnesses in the case, who had turned hostile during the trial.

According to the report, a witness named Sagar was mentioned in Kumar’s complaint. He had given a detailed explanation of the circumstances in which Sagar had turned hostile in court, under the influence of the accused.

He also alleged that Dileep had watched the video of the sexual assault at his house and personally knew the prime accused in the case, Pulsar Suni. The filmmaker sought police protection as he was living under the fear of threat to his life, as he relinquished to direct Dileep’s film.

The special investigation team has sought legal advice for conducting a lie-detector test on Balachandra Kumar to check the authenticity of allegations, as the trial has come to its final stage.

On the other hand, police recently recorded the statement of Pulsar Suni’s mother, as part of the new probe. She submitted a letter written by Suni to her in 2018. In the letter, Suni revealed that he had executed the actions based on Dileep’s order, according to Mathrubhumi. He also alleged that a few other people in the film industry were involved in the actor’s abduction case. Suni handed over the letter to his mother on May 7, 2018, at the court.

Police have taken the letter in custody, to examine its authenticity.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan Stable After Testing Positive for Covid-19; To be Discharged Tomorrow

BY Anindita Banerjee On January 8, 2022

Filmmaker Priyadarshan, who was hospitalised in Chennai earlier this week after testing positive for Covid-19, is currently stable and his health condition has improved, his manager Shanavas told Silverscreen India.

“He was in the hospital for the past three or four days, but now his health has improved and he is currently doing fine. The doctors have said that he will be discharged tomorrow,” the manager said. The 64-year-old director has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai ever since the diagnosis.

Priyadarshan’s last release was the National Award-winning film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham starring Mohanlal in the lead role. While the film was shot in just 102 days without a break, he had to wait for over two years to release it in theatres due to the ongoing pandemic. The film, based on Kunjali Marakkar IV, the last of the Malayali naval leaders deployed by the Samoothiri of Calicut to fight against the Portuguese, had its digital release on Amazon Prime Video after a short run in the theatres.

The filmmaker also returned to the Hindi film industry in 2021 after a gap of eight years with Hungama 2 starring Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, and Meezaan Jafri. His last Hindi film directorial was Rangrezz (2013). The director also was a part of the 2021 Netflix anthology Navarasa in which he directed a segment titled Haasya. The story is based on the life of Malayalam comedian Innocent Vareed Thekkethala and Tamil actor Yogi Babu starred in it.

As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise across the country, several celebrities including Mahesh Babu, Trisha, Lakshmi Manchu, Ekta Kapoor, John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, Vishal Dadlani, and others have recently tested positive for the virus. Several states have either announced the closure of cinema halls or imposed occupancy restrictions in theatres. While Mumbai and Delhi are recording the highest daily numbers, Chennai continues to report the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the state of Tamil Nadu. On Thursday, India recorded over 1 lakh fresh Covid-19 cases.

Peter Bogdanovich, Oscar and Golden Globe-Nominated Director, Dies at 82

BY Shrija Ganguly On January 7, 2022

Peter Bogdanovich, the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker, who wrote and directed The Last Picture Show, died on Thursday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 82.

“Our dearest Peter passed away today from complications of Parkinson’s disease. The Bogdanovich/Stratten family wishes to thank everyone for their love and support in this most difficult time,” his family said in a statement to the publication.

Born in Kingston, New York, in 1939, Bogdanovich was the son of a Serbian painter who had immigrated to the US the same year, before the onset of World War II. According to the THR report, Bogdanovich was a film enthusiast from an early age and maintained a card file with his opinions on every movie that he had watched, when he was 12 years old. At 16, he graduated from New York City’s Collegiate School and studied acting at Stella Adler Conservatory.

He decided to get into directing around the same time.

After dabbling with a few theatrical productions, including Broadway, and working as a film journalist with the publication Esquire, Bogdanovich relocated to Hollywood, Los Angeles. There, he met director Roger Corman, who was familiar with his writings in Esquire, and offered him a project to direct.

Bogdanovich went on to rewrite the screenplay and direct the end of Peter Fonda’s 1966 film The Wild Angels. Two years later, he worked with Corman on Targets and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, under the pseudonym Derek Thomas.

He began to gain critical acclaim with the 1971 coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show, which was based on the 1966 novel of the same name. The film earned Bogdanovich the British Academy for Film and Television Award for Best Screenplay, and other nominations in BAFTA, the Oscars, as well as the Golden Globes, for best direction. The story revolves around a group of high-schoolers, who come of age in an isolated, decaying town in North Texas.

Some of his other notable works include, Paper Moon (1973), which also earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best direction, Nickelodeon (1976), Saint Jack (1979), Mask (1985), and Texasville (1990).

Apart from direction, Bogdanovich authored books, including, Who the Devil Made It: Conversations With Legendary Directors (1997), the 2004 collection of profiles and interviews titled Who the Hell’s in It: Portraits and Conversations, and the 1984 book The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten 1960-1980, which he wrote after the murder of model Dorothy Stratten, his former partner.

Bogdanovich’s last feature was the 2014 film, She’s Funny That Way.

Industry veterans such as Francis Ford Coppola and Guillermo del Toro paid their tributes to the filmmaker.

del Toro called him a ‘champion of cinema’, and wrote on Twitter, “He birthed masterpieces as a director and was a most genial human. He single-handedly interviewed and enshrined the lives and work of more classic filmmakers than almost anyone else in his generation.”

Francis Ford Coppola said in a statement to Deadline, “Oh dear, a shock. I am devastated. He was a wonderful and great artist. I’ll never forgot attending a premiere for THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. I remember at its end, the audience leaped up all around me bursting into applause lasting easily 15 minutes. I’ll never forget although I felt I had never myself experienced a reaction like that, that Peter and his film deserved it. May he sleep in bliss for eternity, enjoying the thrill of our applause forever.”

Actor Tatum O’Neal, who featured in Paper Moon and Nickelodeon, wrote on Instagram, “Peter was my heaven & earth. A father figure. A friend. From “Paper Moon” to “Nickelodeon” he always made me feel safe. I love you, Peter.”

Both of Bogdanovich’s marriages, first with Polly Platt and later with Louise Stratten, ended in divorce. He is survived by his daughters and grandchildren.

Prime Accused in ‘Bulli Bai’ App Case Sent to Police Custody for 7 Days

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 7, 2022

Alleged to be the main creator and conspirator behind the ‘Bulli Bai’ App on GitHub, 20-year-old Neeraj Bishnoi who was arrested from Assam on Thursday, has been sent to police custody for seven days by a Delhi Court, ANI reported.

Bishnoi, a resident of Assam’s Jorhat area who is a student of BTech from Vellore Institute of Technology in Bhopal, was arrested and produced by the Delhi Police Special Cell’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit at the Magistrate’s house, by Thursday night.

The app put up pictures of Muslim women as part of a fake ‘online auction’ along with the caption ‘Bulli of the day’ and their Twitter handles.

On January 1, nearly 112 Muslim women found themselves listed on a similar online auction including actor Shabana Azmi along with several journalists such as Ismat Ara, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Fatima Khan and Kashmir-based journalist Quratulain Rehbar. Author Saba Naqvi, poet Nabiya Khan, RJ Sayema, Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, activist Khalida Parveen, and several other female, Muslim activists who frequently voice their opinions on social media, were also listed.

Ara had filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, seeking immediate registration of an FIR and an investigation into the matter.

Based on Ara’s complaint, an FIR was registered by Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit on Sunday. On Monday, the Delhi Police also sought information from Twitter and the GitHub platform about the app and its developer, as per police sources.

The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell had also registered an FIR, based on which they detained and arrested 18-year-old Shweta Singh from Uttarakhand and 21-year-old engineering student Vishal Kumar from Bangalore, on Tuesday. After the case was transferred to the IFSO, they arrested Mayank Rawat, a 21-year-old student of B.Sc Chemistry at Delhi University’s Zakir Hussain College, from Kotdwar, Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Kumar was first arrested and had revealed the identity of Singh, who was using a fake Twitter handle with the name JattKhalsa07, for uploading hate posts and objectionable photos and comments. Following her arrest, Singh alleged that she was working on the instructions of a friend, a Nepal national named Giyou.

During the investigation, the police also informed that the status of the Twitter handle linked to the app, read that Bulli Bai is “a community driven open source app by Khalsa Sikh Force.” The Twitter handles used to share the photos on the ‘Bulli Bai’ app include @bullibai_, @sage0x11, @jatkhalsa7, @wannabesigmaf, @jatkhalsa and @Sikh_khalsa11, among others.

The police has reportedly said that the use of the Twitter handle names closely related with the Sikh community could have potentially led to communal tension, considering the women targeted in the case belong to a different religion.

Jon Stewart Clarifies He Did Not Accuse JK Rowling With His Harry Potter & Antisemitism Comparison

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 6, 2022

Jon Stewart, the American television host, comedian, and writer, clarified that the remarks he made regarding antisemitism on the Harry Potter films and books were just a part of “a lighthearted conversation” and he was not accusing its writer JK Rowling, of the same.

“I do not think JK Rowling is antisemitic. I did not accuse her of being antisemitic. I do not think the Harry Potter movies are antisemitic. I really love the Harry Potter movies, probably too much for a gentleman of my considerable age,” he said.

Stressing on it further, Stewart said, “I am not accusing JK Rowling of being antisemitic. She need not answer to any of it. I don’t want the Harry Potter movies censored in any way. It was a lighthearted conversation.”

On Monday, a video clip from his podcast show The Problem With Jon Stewart went viral where he was seen comparing the goblins who work in the Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Harry Potter, to that of the antisemitic caricatures from the 1903 literary text, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

In the episode that aired on Apple tv + on December 16, talking about Jews, Stewart said, “Talking to people, here’s what I say: Have you ever seen a Harry Potter movie? Have you ever seen the scenes in Gringotts Bank? Do you know what those folks who run the bank are? Jews! And they’re like, ‘Oh, from Harry Potter!’ And you’re like, ‘No, that’s a caricature of a Jew from an antisemitic piece of literature.’ JK Rowling was like, ‘Can we get these guys to run our bank?’ It’s a wizarding world- we can ride dragons, you can have a pet owl, but who should run the bank? Jews. But what if the teeth were sharper?”

Stewart further said that it was one of those things where he saw it on screen and expected the crowd to react that Rowling “just threw Jews in there to run the fucking underground bank in a wizarding world.”

While media published articles with headlines that Stewart “called out” or “accused” Rowling of antisemitism, a volunteer-led charity organisation, ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’, issued a statement pointing out that Rowling has been a defender of the Jewish community. They expressed gratitude towards the writer for standing against antisemitism, over the years.

“The portrayal of the goblins in the Harry Potter series is of a piece with their portrayal in Western literature as a whole,” they said.

Earlier, Rowling has also been embroiled in controversies for her transphobic or anti-transgender comments, when she tweeted an opinion piece on “people who menstruate” in June 2020.

US Court Dismisses Spencer Elden’s Child Pornography Lawsuit Against Nirvana

BY Shrija Ganguly On January 6, 2022

Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against the American rock band Nirvana was dismissed by a federal judge in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, after Elden missed a deadline to respond to the defendants’ appeal to dismiss the case, according to a Reuters report.

US District Judge Fernando Olguin gave Elden time until January 13 to file an amended complaint to address alleged problems the defendants identified in his case, the report added.

Elden, who appeared on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind, sued Nirvana in August 2021 and alleged that the nude image of him as a baby constitutes child pornography. He sought damages worth $150,000 from each of the defendants that includes surviving band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic.

The album cover depicted a naked four-month old Elden in a swimming pool, trying to grab a note stuck to a fishhook, which Elden’s lawyer Robert Y Lewis argued in the suit, made him appear “like a sex worker.” Lewis added that Elden’s parents had not consented to the usage of the image.

The band’s attorney, Bert H Deixler, sought for the dismissal of the suit and called the complaint absurd in that it is time-barred.

He also noted that the 30-year-old Elden has “spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby.’ He has re-enacted the photograph in exchange for a fee, many times; he has had the album title Nevermind tattooed across his chest; he has appeared on a talk show wearing a self-parodying, nude-coloured onesie; he has autographed copies of the album cover for sale on eBay; and he has used the connection to try to pick up women.”

It is notable that prior to slapping the band with the lawsuit, Elden recreated the iconic cover for the 17th, 20th, and the 25th anniversaries of the record, and called the experience “cool, but weird” during a 2016 interview.

However, that same year, while speaking to Time magazine, Elden said that he was “upset” while growing up. “I never met anybody. I didn’t get a call or email. I just woke up already being a part of this huge project. It’s pretty difficult – you feel like you’re famous for nothing,” he had said.

Prince Andrew Urges Court to Dismiss Sexual Assault Case; Judge Not Convinced

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 6, 2022

Prince Andrew, on Tuesday, urged a New York court to dismiss the civil suit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accused late American financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse and trafficking her to Andrew and others.

But, as per a Daily Mail report, the judge “made it very clear he did not accept” the arguments put forth by the Duke of York, and said that a decision will be pronounced soon in the case.

Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, denies Giuffre’s claims that she was trafficked by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. He says that he does not recollect meeting her.

However, Andrew’s lawyer sought the dismissal focusing on a court document released on Monday that revealed a settlement agreement from 2009 between Epstein and Giuffre. As per the unsealed document, Epstein had paid her $500,000 to drop the case without any admission of liability or fault.

Giuffre had “waived her rights” to sue Andrew by signing the settlement, the Duke of York’s lawyer argued.

The judge hearing the case did not accept these arguments. Noting that the part from the 2009 settlement that protects other potential defendants, on which Andrew was grounding his arguments, was “unclear,” the judge also pointed out two sentences from the same that suggested that it could not be used by Andrew. He further noted that the language in the settlement agreement implied that it is ‘not intended to be used by any other person’ to protect themselves from lawsuits without Giuffre and Epstein’s consent.

In July 2019, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and exploiting several girls and women. As per her lawsuit, Giuffre was one of Epstein’s victims from when she was 16. Epstein had kept her as a “sex slave” and forced her to have sex with Andrew at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of late media baron Robert Maxwell, she said in her complaint. Ghislaine Maxwell, who is also named in Giuffre’s suit, was recently convicted by a New York court for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls.

Andrew is a known friend of Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Giuffre has alleged that Andrew also abused her at Epstein’s mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and on a private island that Epstein owned in the US Virgin Islands.

Andrew, who stepped down from his royal duties in 2019, has been denying the sexual abuse allegations since the beginning.

Seeking compensatory and punitive damages, Guiffre sued Andrew under the Child Victims Act, a New York state law that allows child sexual abuse victims to “pursue claims against their abusers, even if the abuse occurred decades earlier.”

Betty White: The Golden Girl of TV, Dies At 99

BY Anindita Banerjee On January 5, 2022

Just shy of turning 100, the iconic American television actor Betty White, passed away on 31st December.

White, who created two of the most memorable characters in sitcom history, Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, changing the face of American television, in the span of her eight decade-long career. She became a phenomenon in popular culture, through the years.

Born as Betty Marion White on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, her family moved to Los Angeles during the Great Depression, where she attended Beverly Hills High School. She started her entertainment career with radio in the late 1930s, and went on to co-host a live TV talkshow called Hollywood on Television, in 1949 . Soon after, changing the course of history of females in the industry, White co-founded a production company and became a co-creator, producer, and star of the 1950s sitcom Life With Elizabeth. Unsurprisingly, she was nominated for her first Emmy Award for best TV actress in 1951.

One of White’s most-loved characters on television went on to be Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s. It even won her two Emmy Awards. This gave her the pathway to another iconic character, Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls, which revolved around the lives of four older women sharing a house in Miami. This again, won her an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, in 1986.

Apart from sitcoms, game shows were her specialty. She appeared on To Tell the Truth, I’ve Got a Secret, What’s My Line?, and The Match Game. Her most notable game show appearance however, was Password, whose host, Allen Ludden, she married in 1963.

After The Golden Girls ended its seven-year run in 1992, White still remained a known face in television. She had a recurring role in The Bold and the Beautiful from 2006 to 2009 and went on to make several on-screen appearances well in her late 90’s, too.

Fans of White even started a Facebook campaign after seeing her in a commercial and asked her to be made a host on the famous Saturday Night Live. And indeed, she went on to be the same. White became the oldest ever person to host Saturday Night Live, joking about the fact that at her age she contacted old friends not with Facebook but with an ouija board. The episode became a phenomenal hit and she ended up winning her eighth Emmy for this in 2015.

Apart from acting, White also published two books in 2011. One was If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t), a collection of essays and anecdotes about her life and career. The other one, Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo, was about her immense love for animals.

She made her last public appearance in September 2018 at the Primetime Emmy Awards. “It’s incredible that I’m still in this business and you are still putting up with me,” she joked at the time.

Still not fading away from the spotlight in her late 90s, White did voice-overs till 2019. The actor was planning to celebrate her 100th birthday with a one-night-only film to be shown in select movie theatres.

Betty White, “The First Lady of Television”, will forever live on, in our hearts.

Update: As per a TMZ report, the actor’s official cause of death, as listed by the Los Angeles county, was a cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for stroke.

Kangana Ranaut Granted Exemption from Appearing Before Court in Javed Akhtar Defamation Case

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 5, 2022

Hindi actor Kangana Ranaut known to be embroiled in several controversies and legal tussle, was granted another exemption from appearance on Tuesday, by the 10th Metropolitan Magistrate court in Mumbai. This was in association with the ongoing criminal defamation case filed against her, by veteran lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar.

Despite opposition, the court passed the order and allowed exemption as per the law, confirmed Akhtar’s lawyer Jay Bharadwaj.

“Application for permanent exemption has already been filed, the court will hear and pass appropriate order in accordance with the law on the next date,” he added.

The court has scheduled the matter for hearing on February 1. Akhtar had also filed for the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against her, in case she does not appear before the court, which the court will be hearing on the next date.

Back in November 2020, Akhtar had filed a complaint against Ranaut, alleging that she had made defamatory remarks about him during an interview with Republic TV, after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on July 14, 2020.

In the interview which aired on July 19, 2020, Ranaut had said that some of the senior members of the Hindi film industry, including Akhtar, were part of a “gang” that was against “outsiders”.

After several failures to appear before the court in the case and upon receiving a warning about a warrant being issued against her if she failed to appear, Ranaut finally appeared before the court on September 20. At the time, she had sought to transfer the defamation case claiming she had “no faith in the court”. On October 21, her plea was dismissed by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade, Mumbai.

On December 13, Akhtar had moved a plea in the court seeking a non-bailable warrant against the actor, for not appearing before the court in the case, alleging Ranaut of ‘deliberate attempts’ to delay the court proceedings. He also pointed out that Ranaut did not place any medical certificate on record, while seeking exemption due to ill health. Further submitting a few of Ranaut’s Instagram posts at the time, he stated that she had attended other events during the time she did not appear in court, citing ill health.

On Tuesday, Ranaut’s lawyer once again sought exemption from her appearance stating that she was travelling and also indisposed, and that her presence was not necessary as she had already stated that her plea could be recorded by her lawyer, as per an India Today report.

Despite the court mandating that the accused should appear in person, to put forth their stance as per the procedure, Ranaut while disagreeing with it alleged that the Magistrate has been harassing her.

Court Doc Reveals Jeffrey Epstein’s Secret Settlement With Prince Andrew Accuser in 2009

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 4, 2022

On Monday, a New York court document revealed a settlement agreement from 2009 between the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse and trafficking her to the Duke of York and Queen Elizabeth’s second son, Prince Andrew, and others, CNN reported.

Ahead of an oral hearing of the civil suit filed by Giuffre against Andrew on Tuesday, the unsealed document showed that Epstein had paid her $500,000, to drop the case without any admission of liability or fault.

However, Andrew’s name does not appear explicitly in the document as a party, as viewed by CNN. The agreement serves to “remise, release, acquit, satisfy and forever discharge” parties and “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant” without explicitly naming anyone.

Along with the settlement agreement, two other sealed documents were filed, one titled “Stipulation of Dismissal” and a complaint from Epstein.

Stating it as a “final resolution” of a disputed claim filed in Florida, which intended to avoid litigation but “shall not be construed to be an admission of liability or fault by any party”, the agreement declared that it is not to be used in civil or criminal proceedings against Epstein. The said document has signatures of Giuffre and Epstein on different dates in November 2009, as well.

However, Giuffre’s attorney has issued a statement saying the settlement is “irrelevant” to her claim against Andrew.

In July 2019, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and exploiting several girls and women. Andrew is said to have been linked to Epstein, who had died by suicide in prison in 2019, while awaiting trial.

As per the complaint, Giuffre was a victim of Epstein’s sex-trafficking and abuse from 2000 to 2002, from when she was 16. Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” and forced her to have sex with Andrew at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of late media baron Robert Maxwell, she said in her complaint. Ghislaine, who is also named in Giuffre’s suit, was recently convicted by a New York court for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls.

Giuffre added that Andrew also abused her at Epstein’s mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and on a private island that Epstein owned in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Andrew, who stepped down from his royal duties in 2019, denied the sexual abuse allegations.

‘Bulli Bai’ App Case: Mumbai Police Detains Woman From Uttarakhand and 21-year-old Student From Bangalore

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 4, 2022

The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell has detained a woman from Uttarakhand, who is reportedly the main accused, and a 21-year-old engineering student named Vishal Kumar from Bangalore, in connection with the ‘Bulli Bai’ app case, ANI reported.

The app put up pictures of Muslim women as part of a fake ‘online auction’ along with the caption ‘Bulli of the day’ and their Twitter handle. The police arrested and produced Kumar before Mumbai’s Bandra Court on Tuesday. The accused was asked to remove offensive content related to the issue, reported ANI.

Further, the police have registered a case against the accused, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.

In a span of six months, Muslim women found their photos and personal information being misused in an online auction, twice.

In July 2020, nearly 80 Muslim women were listed “for sale”, on a fake online auction, which was known as the “Sulli Deals“, also hosted by GitHub. “Sulli” is a derogatory term used by Hindu men against Muslim women. The Delhi Police had registered a First Information Report, after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and the National Commission for Women had called for an investigation but no action had been taken, at the time.

On January 1, nearly 112 Muslim women found themselves listed on a similar online auction including actor Shabana Azmi along with several journalists such as Ismat Ara, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Fatima Khan and Kashmir-based journalist Quratulain Rehbar. Author Saba Naqvi, poet Nabiya Khan, RJ Sayema, Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, activist Khalida Parveen and several other Muslim women activists who frequently voice their opinions on social media, were also listed.

Ara, who is an investigative journalist with The Wire, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, seeking immediate registration of an FIR and an investigation into the matter, under sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups based on religion), 153B (assertions that damage national integrity), 354A (punishment for sexual harassment) and 509 (insult to modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

In her complaint, she mentioned that “Bulli bai” is a derogatory term used exclusively against Muslim women that “seems disrespectful” and the content on the website “bullubai.github.io” is “clearly aimed at insulting Muslim women and the entire website seems to have been designed with the intent of embarrassing and insulting Muslim women.”

Ara added that the website “objectifies and dehumanises” women. “This is nothing short of online harassment and the tweet referred to herein is per see liable to criminal action.”

The Journalist Federation of Kashmir (JFK) has also strongly condemned the “online bullying and auctioning” of Muslim women which this time has included one of their colleagues Rehbar.

“This systematic abuse, demonization and patronising of these brave women are a testimony to the fact they are surely frustrating the forces and power centres they spoke and wrote against. We stand in solidarity with all these women and Quratulain, who will continue their journey of speaking truth to power,” JFK wrote.

The National Commission for women has also written to the Delhi Police to expedite its action in the case, PTI reported.

Actors Swara Bhasker and Richa Chadha also came out in support and expressed solidarity in the issue. Raising his voice against the alleged online auction, lyricist Javed Akhtar also questioned the silence of every one including his own and the Prime Minister’s.

Met Police Investigating New Sexual Assault Allegation Against Harvey Weinstein

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 4, 2022

Bringing the total number of accusers from the UK to 12, another woman has accused jailed producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, Daily Mail reported.

Weinstein, the 69-year-old American film producer is currently serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in the US.

Scotland Yard is currently investigating the new allegations raised by a woman who had been employed by both the UK and US entities of The Weinstein Company. In her report, the woman has alleged that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel in Westminster, in the 1990s.

“Officers from the Met’s Complex Case Team have now received a total of 12 allegations of sexual assault from victims under Operation Kaguyak’,” said a Scotland Yard spokesperson.

As per court documents, the survivor alleged that she was “summoned to the hotel” where she was left alone with the producer, where he removed his clothes and sexually assaulted her.

Earlier, a woman had accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at London’s Savoy Hotel, while another had accused him of multiple assaults, including one that happened at a hotel in London.

As per the investigation, officers have received 17 allegations from 12 women, spanning from the 1990s to 2015 against the producer. They have also interviewed several victims in the US, who stated that they had been assaulted in London, during events such as movie premieres.

While serving his jail term in New York, Weinstein was charged with several cases in California in 2020, for crimes in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013, formally being indicted on April 11, 2021. He was extradited to Los Angeles in June to face trial on 11 charges, involving five unnamed women.

Since October 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, following which he was dismissed from Miramax, the production company he had co-founded with his brother Bob Weinstein, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

In February 2020, Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York. Following a trial in the Manhattan Supreme Court, he was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment, for mainly two cases: a first-degree criminal sexual act, when he forcibly performed oral sex on a production assistant in 2006, and the other for committing third-degree rape in 2013.

Throughout, Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all the charges of sexual assault and rape and has recently filed a motion to dismiss the entire case of the 11 charges in a Los Angeles Court.

Javed Akhtar Seeks Dismissal of Defamation Suit Over His RSS-Taliban Remark

BY Namrata Ganguly On January 4, 2022

Javed Akhtar, the veteran lyricist and poet, has sought the dismissal of the civil defamation suit filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) party member over his comments comparing the right-wing organisation to the Taliban, Live Law reported.

Seeking a response from RSS member Vivek Champanerkar, who filed the suit against Akhtar, the court has scheduled the matter for hearing on February 10.

The complaint is based on an interview that Akhtar, an active commentator on Indian politics, had given to a news organisation where he had drawn parallels between the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to the Muslim extremist and military organisation Taliban that recently took over Afghanistan.

On September 3, in an interview with NDTV, Akhtar had said that he could see an “uncanny resemblance” between the Taliban and the people in India who want to become like them. He said these people often impose restrictions on women and are keen to turn the country into a Hindu rashtra.

“The Taliban is barbaric, and their actions are reprehensible, but those supporting the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal are all the same,” he had said.

Following this, Champanerkar filed a defamation suit before Thane’s Chief Judicial Magistrate in Maharashtra seeking compensation of Re 1 and a permanent injunction against Akhtar from making any such statements against the RSS.

Champanerkar further alleged that the lyricist made derogatory remarks against the organisation. The suit stated that Akhtar’s remarks were a “mere political score in a well-planned move to set narrative against the RSS.”

In his complaint, Champanerkar also said that he would have appreciated if Akhtar criticised RSS in a “parliamentary manner” but that the “malicious” allegations compelled him to file the suit.

Seeking dismissal, Akhtar submitted that Champanerkar does not have the locus or cause of action in his favour for the suit to be maintainable.

In the application, Akhtar also stated that the remarks in question were general in nature and were not specifically about the RSS or any member of the organisation.

The application further stated that as per Champanerkar’s own admission, Akhtar’s remarks were directed towards people who would like to join the RSS, which is an indeterminable group of persons and hence, “it does not amount to defamation at all.”

Citing parts of the suit itself, Akhtar submitted that the complaint should have been filed by the indeterminable group of persons and not Champanerkar in his individual capacity just grounded on the assumption that the remarks were against a particular class of people.

“I seek justice”: Actor Sexual Assault Case Survivor Writes to Kerala CM Seeking Further Probe

BY Chandhini R On January 4, 2022

The female Malayalam actor, who was abducted and sexually assaulted in February 2017, recently wrote to the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking further investigation in the case, The New Indian Express reported.

The actor broke her silence after special public prosecutor (SPP), VN Anilkumar, resigned from the case last week. In her letter to the CM, she noted that two special prosecutors had stepped down one after the other during the trials. She urged the CM to examine the reasons behind the trend of quitting and appoint a capable SPP at the earliest. A copy of the letter was submitted to the State Police Chief.

Expressing her distress, she urged the CM to investigate the case with reference to recent revelations made by director Balachandra Kumar and help her get justice.

Earlier last week, Balachandra Kumar revealed in various interviews with media outlets that actor Dileep was in possession of visuals of the sexual assault, even before he watched it along with his lawyer at the magistrate’s chamber in December 2017. Balachandrakumar alleged that the audio in the original clip was enhanced for Dileep’s viewing, according to a report by The News Minute.

On February 17, 2017, the actor was abducted while she was travelling from Kochi to Thrissur in Kerala. She was sexually assaulted and then dropped near the residence of director Lal. Soon after the incident, the first accused in the abduction case, Pulsar Suni, the driver of the vehicle she was assaulted in, was arrested. In June 2017, Pulsar Suni revealed that Dileep had conspired in the assault.

The survivor has now questioned why nothing has been done to look into the fresh allegations raised by Balachandra Kumar against actor Dileep. Noting that the allegations need to be investigated, she wrote, “I seek justice.” The report noted that the actor is yet to get any reply from the CM’s office.

Following this, actor Dileep who is the 8th accused in this case has lodged a complaint against the investigation officer in the case, Baiju Paulose, to the Chief Minister and State Police Chief, according to a report by Mathrubhumi. In the complaint, he alleged that the new revelations were based on a conspiracy between Balachandra Kumar and officer Paulose. He added that Kumar’s statement was framed by Paulose in a bid to wreck the trail.

He said that the resignation of the SPP has created a blockage in the trial procedures. He urged the concerned officials to check the phone call details of Balachandra Kumar and Baiju Paulose. He also requested that the case not be investigated further. Dileep also wrote that Balachandra Kumar came up with these revelations during the release of the former’s new film Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan because the director had a vendetta against him since he refused to give dates for a film.

Chennai Court Fines Vishal Rs 500 for Delaying Proceedings Related to Non-Payment of Service Tax

BY Anusha Sundar On January 3, 2022

A Chennai court has levied a fine of Rs 500 and chided actor Vishal for wantonly delaying legal proceedings in a case filed by the city’s zonal unit of GST department over non-payment of service tax by his company.

The Chennai zonal unit of the GST department had reportedly issued at least 10 summons to the actor between 2016 and 2018. When Vishal failed to appear for inquiry despite these summons, the tax body decided to take the matter to court.

After going through the submissions, the additional chief metropolitan magistrate noted that the non-appearance of the actor in the matter shows “malafide intention” to disrupt the probe and escape from the clutches of the law.

However, as Vishal had subsequently complied after the case was filed, the magistrate added that lenient punishment was sufficient and thus a minimal fine of Rs 500 was imposed on the actor.

The magistrate also strongly condemned the actor’s behaviour vis-a-vis delaying the legal process. “It may be true that he is a very busy person involved in very many activities. But, at the same time, he has a bounden duty to comply with the summons issued by the authorities under the judicial proceedings and to cooperate with them. The circumstances show that but for the issuance of summons in this complaint, he would not have attempted to appear before the complainant for the enquiry,” said the magistrate.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Vishal, who was last seen in Enemy, recently wrapped up the shoot of Veerame Vaagai Soodum, directed by Thu Pa Saravanan. The actor is also producing the film under his home banner Vishal Film Factory.

Vishal earlier announced that the title of his upcoming pan-Indian film with filmmaker Adhik Ravichandran is Mark Anthony. It was also revealed that SJ Suryah will be co-starring in the family-oriented action film that is set to go on floors in February.

Vishal also has the films Laththi and Thupparivaalan 2 in the pipeline.

GK Pillai, Veteran Malayalam Actor, Dies at 97

BY Chandhini R On December 31, 2021

Veteran Malayalam actor GK Pillai died on Friday morning in Thiruvananthapuram. According to a report in Mathrubhumi, the 97-year-old actor passed away due to age-related ailments at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

GK Pillai was born in July 1924. He studied at the Chirayinkeezhu Sree Chithira Thirunal High School and served in both the Indian army and the navy, before pursuing a career in cinema. In 1954, he made his acting debut with the film Snehaseema, which was directed by SS Rajan and written by Ponkunnam Varkey.

In a career spanning over six decades, Pillai acted in over 300 films and transformed the antagonist’s role in Indian cinema and television. The 1970s and 1980s were a turning point in Pillai’s career with appearances in notable action and historical films. During this period, he further cemented his status as a celebrated villain by starring in the ‘Vadakkanpattu’ genre of films.

He was part of prominent films like Ashwamedham (1967), Aromalunni (1972), Aanakkalari (1978), Paalattu Kunjikannan (1980), as well as Padayottam (1982), the epic period drama noted for being the first 70mm film in South India.

Pillai also acted in a lot of Malayalam television series including Kadamattathu Kathanar and Kumkumapoovu.

Condoling the demise of the actor, Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a social media post, wrote, “GK Pillai was an actor who gained a place in the minds of different generations through his unique acting style. His acting career spans more than six decades from black and white films to television serials.”

Several artists from the Malayalam film industry, including, Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Manju Warrier, paid their respects to the late actor via social media.

As per the Mathrubhumi report, Pillai’s wife Ulpalakshi Amma passed away a few years earlier. The later actor is survived by his six children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

‘Bachpan Ka Pyaar’ Singer Sahdev Dirdo Hospitalised after Bike Accident; “Has Regained Consciousness,” Says Rapper Badshah

BY Anindita Banerjee On December 30, 2021

Sahdev Dirdo, the boy who earned viral fame for his Bachpan ka Pyaar video, is doing “better” after meeting with a road accident on Tuesday, according to rapper Badshah.

Badshah, who released a remix version of Bachpan ka Pyaar, featuring Dirdo, in August, took to Twitter to share an update on the young singer’s condition. “Sahdev is better now and has regained consciousness. Will go to Raipur to see a good neurosurgeon. Thank you for your prayers,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, Badshah revealed on his Instagram stories that Dirdo had met with an accident and was taken to a hospital. “Sahdev Dirdo had an accident, injuries on his head, unconscious, on his way to the hospital which is a 100 kms away. In touch with his family and friends. I am there for him. Need your prayers,” the rapper had shared.

According to News18, Dirdo got injured when the motorcycle he was riding pillion on, skidded. The accident took place at around 6.30 pm in Shabri Nagar, Sukma. As he was not wearing a helmet, the 10-year-old suffered a serious head injury, while the rider only sustained minor bruises, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Sunil Sharma.

Dirdo was rushed to the district hospital and after preliminary treatment was shifted to Jagdalpur Medical College hospital, Sharma added.

Both Sharma and Sukma Collector Vineet Nandanwar visited the district hospital and enquired about the boy’s condition after being alerted about the accident. The report further states that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel instructed Nandanwar to provide the best medical aid at the earliest to Dirdo.

In 2019, Dirdo became an internet sensation after a video of him singing the song Bachpan Ka Pyaar went viral. The video was reportedly shot in 2019 inside his classroom by his school teacher. After his sudden fame, while several content creators used his video to make their own content, Badshah created a remix of the song and included Dirdo in the music video, along with Aastha Gill.

Jeffrey Epstein’s Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted for Trafficking & Sexual Abuse of Underage Girls

BY Shrija Ganguly On December 30, 2021

A New York court convicted Ghislaine Maxwell on Wednesday for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls. The then teenagers were coaxed by the British socialite to engage in sexual activities with the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein in the 90s and early 2000s, according to an Associated Press report.

The daughter of former media baron Robert Maxwell is yet to be sentenced.

The verdict comes after a month-long trial that was primarily centred around the testimonies of four survivors who described being abused as teens at Epstein’s palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.

In July 2019, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and exploiting several girls and women. Maxwell was found to be complicit in these crimes. She is said to have provided Epstein and his associates – including Prince Andrew and former US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton – with multiple underage girls to obtain sexual favours from.

The testimonies of the four women echoed similar experiences and told of Maxwell using her charm and gifts to gain their trust, taking an interest in their adolescent challenges, and giving them assurances that Epstein could use his wealth and connections to fulfill their dreams.

The first victim to testify said that she was coaxed, when she was 17, into giving massages to Epstein that turned sexual. Another victim said that she was one of several underprivileged teens who lived near Epstein’s Florida home in the early 2000s and took up an offer to give massages in exchange for $100 bills. She added that she had also involved another underage friend of hers after Epstein had asked her to.

In an instance from 1994, a then 14-year-old said that she was instructed to follow Epstein into a pool house at the Palm Beach estate, where he masturbated on her.

Annie Farmer, who testified last with her real name, shared an instance where Maxwell touched her breasts while giving her a massage at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch and then Epstein unexpectedly crawled into bed and pressed himself against her.

Maxwell denied all the charges against her and her defence noted that they were all “for things that Jeffrey Epstein did.” Her legal team insisted that she was “a victim of a vindictive prosecution devised to deliver justice to women deprived of their main villain.”

Epstein died by suicide in his cell, in 2019, while awaiting trial.

Apart from the testimonies of the four accusers, statements from housekeepers and pilots were also recorded. Bank records were presented as evidence as well, showing a transfer of $30.7 million from Epstein to Maxwell.

This is not the only case against Maxwell. She is also named in a separate lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who sued Prince Andrew earlier this year for allegedly sexually assaulting and battering her when she was 17. The trial in Giuffre’s case is still pending.

Kaithapram Viswanathan Namboothiri, Malayalam Music Director, Dies at 58

BY Chandhini R On December 30, 2021

Kaithapram Viswanathan Namboothiri, the award-winning Malayalam music director, died on Wednesday afternoon in Kozhikode. He was 58.

According to The Indian Express, the musician was under treatment for cancer at MVR Cancer Center, Vellalasseri.

Viswanathan was born on December 4, 1963, in Kaithapram village in Kannur to Carnatic musician Kannadi Kesavan Namboothiri and Adithi Antharjanam. His brother Kaithaparam Damodaran Namboothiri is a prominent lyricist and musician, who was bestowed the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the arts field.

An alumnus of Swathi Thirunal Thiruvananthapuram Music College, Viswanathan managed the orchestra for songs composed by his brother for filmmaker Jayaraj’s film Desadanam (1996). He made his independent composing debut with Jayaraj’s Kaliyattam, the 1997 film starring Suresh Gopi, Lal, Manju Warrier, and Biju Menon.

He composed music for about 23 films, including Kannaki (2001), Thilakkam (2003), starring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan, Daivanamathil (2005), Ullam (2005), Madhyavenal (2009), and Neelambari (2010). He has worked with singers such as KJ Yesudas, P Jayachandran, KS Chithra, and G Venugopal.

Viswanathan was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Background Music in 2001 for his work in Kannaki.

Some of his popular compositions include Saare Saare Saambare, Enikkoru Pennundu and Neeyoru Puzhayayi from the film Thilakkam and Kayyethum Dhoore Oru Kuttikkalam from the film Ekandham (2006).

Before entering the film industry, Viswanathan worked as a music teacher at Mathamangalam School, Kannur and Rajah’s HSS, Nileshwaram. He established a music school named Sruthilaya in Payyanur.

Several artists from the Malayalam film industry, including actors Manju Warrier and Shwetha Menon, singer KS Chithra, and producer NM Badusha took to their social media handles to pay tribute to the late composer.

“Farewell to my dear music wizard. Every song is a miracle,” wrote the director of his debut film, Jayaraj, recalling Viswanathan’s composition for films like Kaliyattam, Deshadanam, Kannaki, and Daivanamathil.

Filmmaker VA Shrikumar expressed regret that audience can only experience the sweetness of Viswanathan’s music in a handful of films due to his untimely demise. “However, he has left behind melodies that we will continue to hum. As a Carnatic musician, music teacher and music director, he made a mark which can never be erased,” he added.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condoled the death of the late music composer and termed it ‘extremely painful’.

Viswanathan is survived by his wife Gowri Antharjanam and three children – Aditi, Narmada and Keshav.

Actor Sruthi Lakshmi Questioned by ED in Connection with ‘Antique-Dealer’ Monson Mavunkal Case

BY Chandhini R On December 29, 2021

Sruthi Lakshmi, the actor who works predominantly in Malayalam films and television serials, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate about her alleged connection with self-proclaimed ‘antique business dealer’ Monson Mavunkal, who has been arrested in a multi-crore cheating case.

Sources told Onmanorama that the ED had found out that there were some money transactions made by Mavunkal to Sruthi’s bank accounts and the agency had therefore asked the actor to explain her relationship with the ‘antique dealer’. The actor is also said to have been present at events organised by Mavunkal.

While Sruthi had told ED that she only had a professional relationship with Mavunkal, the actor was still asked to appear in person. She did so and her statement was recorded on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old actor made her debut as a child artist in the television serial Nizhalukal, which was telecast on Asianet in 2000. Sruthi made her film debut in 2007 with Romeoo. She went on to act in films like Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha, Ithu Thaanda Police, and Pathemari, among several others. She was last seen in the 2020 film Al Mallu.

Sruthi is also a trained classical dancer and a recipient of the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actress for her performance in the teleserial Pokkuveyil.

Mavunkal, a native of Cherthala in Alleppey, was arrested by the Kerala Crime Branch in September for swindling Rs 24 crore from various people, according to The News Minute. Six Kerala natives filed a complaint against him alleging that he had introduced himself as a diamond merchant and antique business dealer and borrowed crores of rupees from them between June 2017 and November 2020. The complainants added that Mavunkal has so far not returned the money.

Mavunkal had reportedly fooled the complainants by transforming his rented residence in Kochi into a museum of antiques. As per the TNM report, he had claimed that his ‘rare’ collection included two of the 30 coins that Judas received for betraying Jesus, a piece of clothing that Jesus had worn, a chalice that Prophet Mohammed used, the throne of Tipu Sultan, and more. His museum had several high-profile visitors, including celebrities, politicians and other VIPs, which lent him credibility.

Arjun Kapoor, Sister Anshula, Cousin Rhea Kapoor Test Positive for Covid-19

BY Anindita Banerjee On December 29, 2021

Actor Arjun Kapoor and his sister Anshula Kapoor have tested positive for Covid-19. On Wednesday, Kapoor’s cousin Rhea Kapoor took to her Instagram stories and informed fans that she too has tested positive along with her husband, filmmaker Karan Boolani.

“Yes, I’m positive for Covid in spite of being super careful. But this is the nature of the pandemic,” she wrote. “My husband and I are isolating and taking all prescribed medications and precautions. Everything tastes bad except chocolate, my head hurts, and I’m still grateful that I got it the way I did and we will be fine in no time. To everyone reaching out to make sure we are okay, we are not too bad, thanks for checking. We love you,” she added.

Arjun Kapoor, however, has not issued an official statement yet.

According to a report in the Times of India, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sealed his Mumbai residence after the actor tested positive along with his sister. The apartment is currently being sanitised by the BMC. Another TOI report states that filmmaker Boney Kapoor has tested negative. It also adds that everyone in the family is doing well and only showing mild symptoms.

Arjun Kapoor had earlier tested positive for the virus in September 2020 but recovered without complications. Recently, his aunt Maheep Kapoor and cousin Shanaya Kapoor had tested positive for Covid-19.

Along with them, Kareena Kapoor Khan had tested positive too. However, she has recovered since and the actor had even attended a party at her sister Karishma Kapoor’s house, which was also attended by Arjun Kapoor along with Malaika Arora Khan.

Arjun Kapoor will be next seen in Kuttey, which is written by Aasmaan and Vishal Bhardwaj. The actor also has Lady Killer with filmmaker Ajay Bahl in his line-up.

Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded 1,333 cases on Tuesday. This is the highest single-day surge in the city since May 26, when 1,352 cases were registered.

Malayalam Actor Abduction Case: Kerala HC Seeks Response from Dileep & Other Accused on Prosecution’s Pleas

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On December 29, 2021

The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, sought a response from actor Dileep and the other accused in the Malayalam actor sexual assault case, on two separate petitions from the prosecution.

One of the petitions is the state government’s appeal against the trial court’s orders declining its plea to summon further witnesses in the case. The prosecution had filed a petition to produce 16 more witnesses. But, on December 21, the trial court had only allowed the summoning of three witnesses and rejected the State’s request to summon the others.

Challenging this, the prosecution has filed a plea noting that “out of the 16, nine where additional witnesses and seven were those who had already been examined,” and thus the lower court’s decision to allow only three witnesses was “illegal and improper and would cause prejudice in arriving at a right decision in the case.”

The other petition is related to getting certified copies of the call records of the accused. The prosecution has sought the original customer applications of 25 phone numbers, including that of Dileep, as well as certificates to obtain the call detail records for eight numbers. The petition stated that fresh certificates are being sought as the previous ones “did not furnish the entire details.”

Justice Viju Abraham sought the stand of the accused regarding both of the petitions from the prosecution and listed the matter for hearing on January 6, 2022.

The case so far

A female Malayalam actor was abducted on February 17, 2017, while she was travelling from Kochi to Thrissur in Kerala. She was sexually assaulted and then dropped off. Soon after the incident, Pulsar Suni, the driver of the vehicle she was assaulted in, was arrested as the first accused in the case.

In June 2017, Suni said that Dileep had conspired in the assault and on July 20, the actor was arrested as the eighth accused in the case. Dileep was later granted bail that October.

In December 2019, the Supreme Court set the deadline for the Ernakulam Addition Special Sessions Court to complete the trial in six months. After a hiatus, the trial resumed in January 2020. However, the deadline was extended by another six months in August 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In August 2021, the Supreme Court gave the district court yet another extension of six months to complete the trial.

Vir Das, Richa Chadha, Kunal Kamra, Vinod Kapri Voice Concern over Police Brutality on Protesting Resident Doctors

BY Namrata Ganguly On December 29, 2021

Several celebrities, including comedian Kunal Kamra, actor-comedian Vir Das, actor Richa Chadha, filmmaker and author Vinod Kapri, satirist Akash Banerjee, and cartoonist Manjool, have expressed concern on social media about the police brutality at the ongoing resident doctors’ protest in Delhi.

Tuesday marked the 12th day of the agitation called by the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association India (FORDA) to expedite the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) post-graduation Counselling 2021 for medical studies.

The examination that was scheduled to be held in December 2020, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and was finally held in September 2021. However, following the results, the admission process and the allocation of colleges for both under-graduate as well as PG students have been stuck due to a legal tussle over the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) quota. The Supreme Court is reviewing the matter, which is scheduled to be heard on January 6, 2022.

Junior doctors have come out in protest claiming that the delay in the counselling process is unacceptable and have also threatened a complete shutdown of medical services if fresh doctors are not brought in.

Beginning with a call for “withdrawal of all routine services” by resident doctors across the country on December 4, the protesting doctors subsequently took to the streets on December 17.

As per FORDA, around 2500 resident doctors were detained at the Sarojini Nagar police station, on Monday, as they were marching towards the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Earlier in the day, protesting resident doctors were marching towards the Supreme Court when they were halted, pushed and dragged by the police.

Condemning the brutal act and demanding the immediate release of the doctors, FORDA has declared a complete shutdown of healthcare institutions.

However, the police has denied using excessive force on the protesting doctors and said that they were detained because they had assembled illegally. “Everyone was released later and no case was filed against anyone,” police officer PS Yadav told NDTV.

The incident has been met with concern from several celebrities, who took to social media to express this and voice their support for the doctors.

Comedian Vir Das tweeted, “To our Doctors, You have done a greater service to this nation, and are more patriotic than any leader or citizen. You deserve respect, gratitude, support, and to be heard.”

Filmmaker, author and journalist Kapri, who wrote 1232km The Long Journey Home (a book on the migrant labourers who walked home during the first lockdown in 2020), has been tweeting updates on the ongoing protest. “Police is beating doctors but Modi media does not have the courage to ask questions to the government,” he wrote.

“Historical movement of doctors after farmers. You will be surprised to know that the health minister of Narendra Modi, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, has not even met him for 7 days. But take it in writing – this time again the ego of the government will be broken, it will definitely be broken,” he tweeted on Monday.

“Somebody has given knowledge to Narendra Modi that the third wave of corona can be fought by beating doctors,” he further tweeted on Wednesday.

Comedian Kamra, who has been facing contempt of court charges for allegedly cracking jokes on the Supreme court, wrote, “Stand with the young doctors of this country who go see patients not with those doctors who sit in cabins and see papers…”

“Waiting for someone to say that beating up doctors during a pandemic is service to the nation,” tweeted Chadha.

Jean-Marc Vallee: A Look Back At the ‘Big Little Lies’ Director’s Life & Work Through the Eyes of His Collaborators

BY Shrija Ganguly On December 28, 2021

Jean-Marc Vallee, director of Oscar-winning films like Dallas Buyers Club and The Young Victoria, died on December 25. According to a New York Times report, while details about the cause of death were not immediately available, a spokesperson for the police department said that he was found by friends who had gone to visit him.

He was 58.

The Canadian filmmaker was born in 1963 and graduated from the University of Quebec, in Montreal. He was known for his naturalistic and generous approach to filmmaking, as per the report. His colleagues and others remember him as a dreamer and a passionate filmmaker.

Vallee dabbled in short films before making his feature film debut in 1995, with Black List which was nominated for several Genie Awards- the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars. Black List‘s success was followed by Los Locos (1997) and Loser Love (1999). However, what catapulted Vallee to stardom, and led to his consequent collaboration with Hollywood bigwigs, was the 2005 film C.R.A.Z.Y..

The film revolves around a boy with sexual identity issues growing up in the 1960s and ’70s. The French-language drama shot in Montreal was also the top-grossing Canadian film of 2005, and won the Best Canadian feature film award at that year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The recognition brought Vallee to the notice of producers like Graham King who later co-produced Vallee’s film The Young Victoria (2009), starring Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria, along with famed filmmaker Martin Scorsese. The film won the BAFTA and the Oscars for costume design.

In 2013, Vallee directed Dallas Buyers Club, a true-life tale about Ron Woodroof who started smuggling drugs as alternative medicine after being diagnosed with AIDS. Actor Matthew McConaughey played the lead role. The film also saw the return of actor Jared Leto after a hiatus of three years. Both McConaughey and Leto won the Golden Globes as well as the Oscars for lead and supporting roles, respectively for the film.

Post Vallee’s death, McConaughey took to Twitter, and wrote, “With a gentle hand and heart, Jean-Marc was a true receiver- he didn’t romanticize life so much as he saw life romantic – from the struggle to the pain to the wink and the whisper, love stories were everywhere in his eye.”

Leto called Vallee “a filmmaking force and a true artist who changed my life with a beautiful movie called Dallas Buyers Club.”

Actors Shailene Woodley, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern, the cast of Vallee’s show Big Little Lies, also remembered the director through a series of photos from the sets.

Witherspoon, who also worked with Vallee on the film Wild, wrote, “I will always remember you as the sun goes down. Chasing the light. On a mountain in Oregon. On a beach in Monterey. Making sure we all caught a little magic in this lifetime. I love you, Jean Marc. Until we meet again.”

In an Instagram post, Woodley wrote “You asked all the questions, and demanded so few absolute answers. You let the journey be the destination. The seeking be the sought. The unknown was where you thrived because it meant you were open to the magic of the experience.”

The NYT report added that in an interview published by HBO, in 2018, Vallee spoke about having four female protagonists in Big Little Lies, and said, “I’m not afraid of intelligent, strong women. You got to create a space where they’re going to feel respected and comfortable.”

Kidman shared a bunch of photos from the sets of Big Little Lies, and wrote, “He was at the center of my creative universe and I can’t overstate his significance to me. Jean-Marc was not only responsible for some of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career, but his friendship, kindness and love were an inspiring force I will carry with me.”

Vallee, who directed just the first season of the show, won the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Direction.

Dern took to Instagram, and sharing a photo of hers and Vallee, wrote, “Beautiful Jean-Marc Vallee. The world has lost one of our great and purest artists and dreamers. And we lost our beloved friend. Our hearts are broken.”

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, also paid his tribute to the director, and wrote on Twitter, “Jean-Marc Vallée’s passion for filmmaking and storytelling was unmatched – so too was his talent. Through his work and with his art, he left a mark in Quebec, across Canada, and around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans as they mourn his sudden passing.”

Apart from the above projects, Vallee also directed Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer Demolition, and HBO’s show Sharp Objects.

The Toronto International Film Festival acknowledged Vallee’s work, and noted on social media, that he was the only director whose films both opened (Demolition) and closed (The Young Victoria) the event.

Vallee, a divorcee, is survived by two sons, Alex and Emile.