Twenty-year-old Viraj Madappa, one of India’s most promising talents, finished tied 29th at the 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School’s Final Stage to earn his maiden Asian Tour card in only his second season as a professional.

Madappa (73-67-69-72-71), who became the 2017 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year after amassing the highest earnings among the rookies in the season, posted an even-par-71 in the fifth and final round of the Final Stage at the Rayong Green Valley Country Club in Thailand on Sunday to total three-under-352 for the week. He thus finished inside the top-35 and ties for the week to claim his Asian Tour card.

Viraj, who as a rookie had six top-10s on the PGTI last year including a runner-up finish, made three birdies and three bogeys in the last round that saw him slip five spots from his overnight tied 24th. Nonetheless, Madappa’s final round performance was good enough for him to not only secure his card but also end up as the highest-placed Indian at the event.

The Kolkata-based Viraj had been one of India’s leading amateurs prior to turning professional in 2017.

Himmat Rai (71-71-71-66-74) was the other Indian to earn full playing rights on the Asian Tour as he closed the week in tied 34th place at two-under-353. Himmat, a former winner on the Asian Tour, dropped 16 places from his overnight tied 18th as a result of his final round of three-over-74 but still managed to make the grade by one shot. Rai now returns to the Asian Tour after a one year gap.

The event was won by Korea’s Seungtaek Lee who totaled 14-under-341.

The 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School Final stage saw 243 hopefuls from over 30 countries vying for their playing rights at the start of the week. The first cut was made after 36 holes and a total of 153 players made it into the third and fourth round.

A further cut was made after 72 holes and 78 players progressed into the fifth and final round where a total of 44 players from 12 countries securing their Tour cards for the 2018 season after making the cut-off mark set at two-under-353.

The Indians who did not finish among the top-35 players and ties and thus missed their card, were Angad Cheema (tied 51st at even-par-355), Veer Ahlawat and Deepinder Singh Kullar (both tied 69th at four-over-359) and M Dharma (tied 73rd at five-over-360).

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi two days ago made a fresh plea for building metro rail systems in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

He told the Prime Minister that “a specific road map and an action plan has to be drawn and implemented” without further loss of time.

On September 4, 2015, Naidu had set August 2018 as the deadline for completion of the first phase of the Vijayawada metro and December 2018 for Visakhapatnam metro.

However, neither of the projects moved an inch since then and, in fact, the AP government had even dumped the plan to build a metro network at Vijayawada.

Ironically, indecisiveness on part of the state government had been the main roadblock at least in the case of the Vijayawada metro, authoritative sources pointed out, adding that it could not get past the conceptual stage even after more than two and a half years.

The state government first wanted to go for a (medium) metro rail and got a detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in 2015.

In July 2015, after scrutinizing the DPR, the Union Ministry of Urban Development found Vijayawada “ineligible” for a metro for a variety of reasons, including a meagre financial Internal Rate of Return of just 3. 47 per cent against the stipulated 8 per cent and above.

But the Chandrababu government got it “sanctioned” citing a “political commitment” (made during the state’s bifurcation)from the Urban Development ministry which was at the time led by M Venkaiah Naidu.

The Centre eventually “rejected” the Vijayawada Metro proposal in March 2017 saying it was “not financially viable”.

‘Metro Man E Sreedharan also quit as principal advisor to AP government in July 2017, compounding the chaos.

In the meantime, the state government toyed with the idea of taking up a light rail system or an elevated bus rapid transit system for Vijayawada before finally settling for a light rail system.

“The light rail technology (LRT) is more flexible and profitable than the metro system. The LRT system is one of the most avant-garde technologies operating in Germany and France while the metro train system is more rigid,” noted a senior official of the Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation, a special purpose vehicle floated by the state government.

“We are now getting a DPR prepared for the LRT. A consortium led by French firm Systra has been engaged for this while KfW of Germany is funding it. Once the DPR is ready, we will submit it to the Centre for approval,” AMRC Managing Director N P Ramakrishna Reddy told PTI.

The case of Visakhapatnam Metro is more or less similar with a lot of time lost on deciding the corridors on which it has to be built and how the project should be taken up.

It was only late last year that the state government finally decided on the public-private partnership (PPP) route for the Rs 8,800 crore, 42-km project.

“This is at an advanced stage and we have invited bids for expression of interest and Korean, Malaysian and Indian companies have evinced interest in Visakhapatnam Metro. Filing of bids will close on February 27 and then request for proposal will be invited from the companies, the AMRC MD said.

He informed that of the total project cost, the private developer would have to spend Rs 4200 crore on non-civil works while the state government would invest the balance on civil works.

“We are approaching Korean and other foreign agencies for required funds (state share),” Ramakrishna Reddy added.

If things move as planned, the Visakhapatnam Metro could hopefully be chugging in four years.

Son of Juctice BH Loya, Anuj Loya, addressed a press conference today and said that the family is pained with the chain of events in the past few days.

Anuj cemented his earlier stand saying that his family has no suspicion regarding the death of his father.

Justice Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter, had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague’s daughter.

Loya’s son requested media and politicians to stop harassing the family asserting that there is no controversy about his father’s death.

“They (family members) had some suspicion then due to emotional turmoil, but they are clear now. I don’t have any suspicion now,” he said at the press conference.

“We have no allegations against anybody. We are pained by them and request you not to harass or trouble us,” he added.

Lawyer Ameet Naik, who was also present at the press briefing, said that there is no controversy regarding the death of Justice Loya. He urged not to politicize the issue.

“There is no controversy. This is a tragic event. We do not want to be victims of politicisation of the issue. Let it remain the way it is, non – controversial,” said the lawyer.

Just last week, the Supreme Court on Friday had termed the issue of alleged mysterious death of special CBI judge B H Loya in 2014 as a ‘serious matter’.

The apex court had sought a response from Maharashtra government on pleas seeking an independent probe into the matter. A bench of justices Arun Mishra and M M Shantanagoudar asked Maharasthra Government counsel Nishant R Katneshwarkar to file reply by January 15.

Bollywood’s evergreen beauty Madhuri Dixit flaunts a simple get-up in a sari in the first look of her Marathi movie debut “Bucket List”.

Madhuri unveiled the look via Twitter on Sunday. The poster features her dressed in a traditional green sari with a contrast blouse, a round red bindi on the forehead, a mangalsutra in the neck and her hair loosely tied. The make-up seems bare minimum, giving her a look reminiscent of that of Sridevi from “English Vinglish”.

And here is the first look of my first #मराठी film
“बकेट लिस्ट “
माझी, तुमची.. आपल्या सगळ्यांची!
तिळगुळ घ्या, गोड गोड बोला !!#SankrantiSurprise
भेटुया लवकरंच! @tejasdeoskar @DARPictures @bluemustangcs @Darkhorsecine pic.x.com/nmBD1g4q3l

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) January 14, 2018

The poster’s backdrop is colourful and teases the movie’s story with labels of the different roles that a woman plays in daily life — housewife, mother, friend, sister and daughter. Earlier, the makers had described the project as a slice-of-life film that revolves around the journey of self-realisation of a woman (Madhuri) with a dash of humour attached to its narrative style. The film will be directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, who has also written the film script along with Devashree Shivadekar.

Madhuri had said: “It is a story of every household yet it has a silver lining. It not only gives you hope and inspiration but also encourages you to live life in the true sense.”

Flagging concern about security during panchayat elections next month in Jammu and Kashmir, political parties have said the atmosphere is “worrisome” and “not conducive” for holding the polls at the moment.

The state government had recently announced that the panchayat polls would be conducted from February 15 and preparations for elections have been set in motion.

However, aspiring contestants and political parties including National Conference (NC), Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) are wary of the announcement, citing the law and order situation in the state, especially in Kashmir valley.

The apprehensions about a smooth conduct of the elections have been accentuated by the separatists’ call for boycott of the polls and the threats issued by militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

Earlier this month, an audio clip of a purported conversation between two HM militants went viral on social media, in which a commander of the outfit asked the cadres to pour acid into the eyes of those who stand for the upcoming panchayat elections.

Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo in the audio clip told another militant of the outfit, Sameer Tiger, that they should not threaten or kill anyone standing for elections but instead pour “strong acid — Sulphuric acid or Hydrochloric acid” into the eyes of these candidates.

Shafiq Mir, a former panchayat member and chairman of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), told PTI that though he wants the elections to be conducted, “the reports of security situation are worrisome”.

“Our role is to contest elections and we are ready for that, but the government has to see the security situation.

The government has to see how it will create a secure atmosphere for people,” Shafiq said.

Asked about the Hizbul threats and poll boycott call by the separatists, the AJKPC chairman said panchayats have nothing to do with any kind of politics of Jammu and Kashmir and should not be linked to the Kashmir issue.

“Our institution is not a political one but a community institution. We want to tell those who are issuing threats that we have nothing to do with any kind of politics of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

“We are not associated with any politics. We are just going to be elected as a local governing body an executive body for local issues, local development,” Shafiq said.

He said 16 panchayat members were killed and 20 others injured in recent years since elections were held last in 2011.

The state’s main opposition party NC said the law and order situation in the state was “very worrisome” and “disconcerting”, and conducting the polls “should not be one more blunder” which in turn could affect tourism, industry and the state’s economy this year.

“Our point is simple, that the obtaining law and order situation in the state is very worrisome, it is disconcerting and unless they (the government) address that first, unless they address the threats issued to the probable panchayat candidates first, till then no other statement or rhetoric will make sense,” NC state spokesperson, Junaid Azim Mattu, told PTI.

President of JKPCC, G A Mir, said the announcement of the panchayat polls was only an image-building exercise and the ground situation was not conducive for conducting an election in Jammu and Kashmir this time.

A senior police official said the security agencies were fully aware of the threat issued by the militants and a strategy will be formulated to counter that.

“We will discuss it and formulate a strategy to counter the threat,” the official said.

He said that a high-level meeting, to be chaired by the chief minister, would discuss the issue after January 26 in the state’s winter capital Jammu.

Opener Rishabh Pant slammed 116 as Delhi outplayed Himachal Pradesh by 10 wickets in a North Zone match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament here on Sunday.

Chasing 145, Pant started assaulting the Himachal bowlers right from the start. He reached the 50-run mark in just 18 balls and then completed his ton in another 14 balls to become the second batsmen to score the fastest ton in the shortest format of the game. West Indian batsmen Chris Gayle was the fastest.

In his 38 ball innings, Pant slammed eight boundaries and 12 sixes. This is also the fastest century in T20 cricket by an Indian batsman.

Gautam Gambhir, at the other end remained unbeaten at 30.

Earlier, Put in to bat, Himachal Pradesh scored 144/8 with Nikhil Gangta (40) scoring majorly.

For Delhi, skipper Pradeep Sangwan scalped two wickets.

In other North Zone match, Jammu and Kashmir defeated Punjab by 23 runs.

Chasing 164/3, Punjab were bundled out for 141. Waseem Raza took four wickets for Jammu and Kashmir while Umar Nazir Mir sclaped two wickets.

In South Zone match, Karnataka defeated Kerala by 20 runs.

Mayank Agarwal (86) helped Karnataka score 181/6. Apart from him Ravikumar Samarth (27) also played a crucial knock in the middle-order.

Chasing 182, Kerala were bowled out for 161. Skipper Sanju Samson (71) and Vishnu Vinod (46) were the only successful batsman.

In another match, Tamil Nadu defeated Hyderabad by 16 runs.

In East Zone match between Assam and Jharkhand. Jharkhand won by eight wickets.

Chasing 148/6 set by Assam, Jharkhand batsmen applied themselves and overhauled the target in the 16th over. Ishank Jaggi (68) was the most successful batsmen.

In the second East Zone match, Bengal defeated Tripura by 9 wickets.

Model-actress Nora Fatehi, who plays the female protagonist in the thriller My Birthday Song, says booming digital entertainment platforms have given actors more opportunities to explore their talent.

After making special appearances in songs of films like Rocky Handsome and Baahubali: The Beginning, Nora is excited about her upcoming film releasing on January 19.

She said: “Performing in front of the camera is a different thing and shooting a whole film is another. So far I just did whatever came my way, instead of waiting for a film to come. I think that is the best part of new age entertainment.

“One does not have to get frustrated with getting an opportunity, whether it is film, short film, web series or TV shows… As an entertainer, opportunities have expanded.”

In the initial days of the shoot for My Birthday Song, Nora was a little worried. But as her co-actors and director started encouraging her, she gained confidence.

“Since I was inexperienced in films, I thought it would be very intimidating to work with experienced people like Sanjay Suri and Samir Soni. But I must say they are very encouraging. They clapped when I gave a good shot,” she said.

An Indian born and raised in Canada, Nora is not very good with Hindi. Is it a hurdle for her?

“The only factor that keeps me going is constantly working on my skills. I have been learning the language for quite some time now, and mujhe kaafi acchi tarah se Hindi aati hai (I know Hindi quite well now).

“Of course, you cannot compare my Hindi with a Hindi-speaking person, but I am confident enough to hold a conversation in mixed Hindi-English,” she added.

The Bombay High Court has granted divorce to a 62-year-old man, observing that constantly blaming one’s spouse for failure to conceive amounts to cruelty.

A division bench of Justices K K Tated and S K Kotwal allowed the man’s petition challenging a May 2010 order of the family court refusing his divorce plea which he had filed in 1995.

The man, in his plea before the lower court and the HC, alleged that his 56-year-old wife was never cordial with him and had filed several complaints against him in the past without proper evidence, which amounted to cruelty.

The senior citizen also claimed that his wife blamed him for not being able to conceive.

The couple got married in 1972 but started living separately in 1993 after constant fights and discord.

The high court, after hearing arguments from lawyers of both the man and his wife, observed that the appellant (husband) had made out sufficient case for grant of divorce on the ground of cruelty.

“The cross examination of the respondent wife (before the family court) shows that she was blaming the appellant for her not being to conceive, which also amounts to cruelty meted out to the appellant,” the HC said in its order on January 12.

“We are of the opinion that because of the unreasonable criminal proceedings initiated by or at the instance of the respondent, the appellant had suffered tremendous mental agony and it was not possible for him to cohabit with the respondent,” the judges said.

The court, however, directed the husband to continue paying a monthly maintenance to his wife and also not raise any dispute regarding the flat occupied by her.

The Delhi government has informed the National Green Tribunal that steel pickling units fall under the prohibited list of industrial activity according to the Delhi Master Plan (DMP), 2021 and cannot operate in residential areas.

The AAP government told a bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice U D Salvi that pickling industries fall in the negative list of the master plan and are not allowed to function after three years commencing from September 23, 2013.

The green panel was also apprised that according to the notification issued by the city government, “under no circumstance, pickling activity should be allowed in non- conforming/residential areas. And in case any unit found operating illegally, the same will be shut down by the municipal corporation concerned”.

Noting the submissions, the tribunal asked the Delhi government to take appropriate decision in accordance with the law before February 12, the next date of hearing.

The NGT was hearing a plea filed by NGO, All India Lokadhikar Sangthan seeking execution of its order by which the green panel had directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to take action against stainless steel pickling industries.

The plea alleged that steel pickling units functioning at Wazirpur discharge effluent in open drains which ultimately meet the Yamuna river.

It contended that under the pretext of the decision- making, “time is being taken by the Delhi government and the environment is made to suffer continuously”.

The tribunal had earlier directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to inspect stainless steel pickling industries in Wazirpur, which were flouting mandatory pollution norms.

The NGO alleged that despite the tribunal’s order, the DPCC has failed to implement the direction passed on October 17, 2014.

Steel pickling is the process of removing impurities such as stains and inorganic contaminants from the metal.

 Popular sitcom Modern Family is slated to end after its tenth season next year, according to showrunners Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.

While ABC renewed the show for a tenth season, Levitan and Lloyd confirmed that as of now that will be its last.

“Our plan is to end it at 10. If we can leave with most of our audience wanting more, I think that’s the right way to do it. Never say never, but I just can’t imagine that we would go past that,” Levitan said.

Modern Family, featuring Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Sofia Vergara, premiered in 2009. It is lauded for its diversity as it featured a married gay couple and showed the life of immigrants.

The show is currently in its ninth season. The idea of a spinoff was posed in 2013 but nothing came of it.

Levitan says it is not something they have had “substantive conversations about”.

Lloyd, however, can see the benefit of doing a spinoff thanks to the audience interest in many members of the show’s ensemble cast; it’s something they will address as the show begins to wrap up.

Even though it is still more than a year away, Lloyd says they have begun to form some “loose ideas” about how to end the series.

Arsenal travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on AFC Bournemouth in a Premier League clash on Saturday and the lineups for the tie have been revealed by their respective managers.

📰 Headline team news ahead of our @premierleague game against @Arsenal.

🔘 L Cook and Gosling start
🔘 Fraser returns
🔘 King out injured

Live ➡️ https://t.co/w6PcHVopQD#BOUARS | #afcb 🍒 pic.x.com/vYfurA3Q31

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 14, 2018

Eddie Howe’s men, 17th in the table, are trotting out in a 3-4-3 formation with Asmir Begovic retaining his place between the sticks behind a three-man defence of Nathan Ake, Simon Francis and Steve Cook.

Must read: Listless Chelsea held by 10-man Leicester City

Adam Smith and Charlie Daniels are the wing-backs for the tie against the Gunners while Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook anchor the midfield with Jordon Ibe and Ryan Fraser giving Callum Wilson support up top.

Here’s how we line up for #AFCBvAFC pic.x.com/gw3WTb8Pji

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 14, 2018

Sixth-ranked Arsenal, are in their standard 3-4-3 but the omission of wantaway winger Alexis Sanchez from the matchday squad has added fuel to the fire that the Chilean is on the verge of a possible move to Manchester United.

Don’t miss: Leicester City boss Claude Puel gives verdict on Chelsea draw

Petr Cech starts in goal behind of a back-three of Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding while Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are operating on the wings.

Jack Wilshere partners Granit Xhaka in the midfield pivot with Alexandre Lacazette leading the line and the Frenchman will have Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck for support form the wings.

Also read: Antonio Conte updates on Gary Cahill’s injury

Bournemouth have shown signs of a revival in recent weeks and will be backing themselves to nab three invaluable points against an Arsenal side that have struggled to win away from home.

Bournemouth: Begovic, S Cook, Ake, Francis, A Smith, Daniels, L Cook, Gosling, Fraser, Ibe and Wilson.

Arsenal: Cech, Chambers, Mustafi, Holding, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Welbeck and Lacazette.

Match starts at 13.30 GMT/1900 IST.

Hit TV show The Simpsons producers are definitely going to address the controversy over Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, said actor Hank Azaria, the voice behind the character.

At the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, California, Azaria said he was aware of the concerns raised by comedian Hari Kondabolu in his documentary “The Problem with Apu”, which argues that the character, a convenience store owner, perpetuates negative stereotypes, reports variety.com.

“The idea that anybody, young or old, past or present, was bullied or teased or worse based on the character of Apu on The Simpsons the voice or any other tropes of the character is distressing,” said Azaria.

“And especially in post 9/11 America, the idea that anybody was marginalized based on it or had a hard time was very upsetting to me personally and professionally,” he added.

Azaria, who has played Apu for nearly 30 years on the sitcom and earned three Emmy Awards for his work, said he only wanted to “make people laugh and bring joy. So, that it caused any kind of pain or suffering in any way, it’s disturbing, actually”.

The actor said “The Simpsons” exists on that fine line between what is funny and what is insulting.

“‘The Simpsons’ over the years has been pretty humorously offensive to all manner of people Republicans, Brazilians, presidents, high school principals, school principals, Italians, you name it. And they take a lot of pride over there in not apologizing for any of that. I think, over the years, they’ve done a really good job of being, shall we say, uniformly offensive without being outright hurtful,” he said.

Going forward, he said “The Simpsons” producers will address the controversy.

“They are giving it a lot of thought,” he said. “We’ve discussed it a little bit, and they will definitely address, maybe publicly, but certainly creatively within the context of the show, what they want to do, if anything, differently with the character.”

Several BJP and RSS leaders on Sunday met at the residence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh here to hold deliberations on the upcoming assembly polls in three northeastern states — Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Besides Singh, Krishna Gopal, a senior RSS functionary, and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who oversees his party’s affairs in the Northeast, were among the leaders present at the meeting.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also attended the meeting.

Though details of the deliberations were not immediately clear, sources said the political situation in the region was at the centre of the discussion.

In Tripura, where the stakes are high for the BJP, the party is likely to ally with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which represents a section of the state’s tribal population.

The Union home minister had recently assured it of forming a high-powered committee to look into their demands aimed at protecting and promoting socio-economic and cultural interests of the state’s indigenous population.

Though the IPFT has long sought a separate state for tribals, the BJP leadership has made it clear that it does not support the demand.

Following Singh’s assurance to the IPFT leadership, its president N C Debbarma had on Thursday announced a tie-up with the BJP for the polls. The BJP is yet to make an announcement.

Debbarma had said his party would keep the separate state demand in abeyance for now as the central government had agreed to examine their problems and take corrective measures.

The BJP has emerged as the main challenger to the ruling Left Front in Tripura.

In Meghalaya and Nagaland, two Christian-majority states, the BJP hopes to put up a good performance, especially in the former, where the Congress is in power. The Naga People’s Front, which is in power in Nagaland, is a BJP ally.

The Coast Guard has traced the Aircraft Voice Data Recorder (VDR) of the Pawan Hans helicopter which crashed off the Mumbai coast on Saturday, while the recovery of the remaining debris is in progress.

“Search for the missing ONGC crew continues till recovery. Aircraft Voice Data Recorder (VDR) has been recovered and recovery of balance debris is in progress,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said Sunday.

Simultaneously, the Navy has widened its search operations for the two missing crew members of the chopper.
Five bodies were recovered on Saturday, the Coast Guard and the Navy said in their statements earlier.

Earlier, Indian Navy has launched large scale rescue operations to search for the missing Pawan Hans helicopter.
Four Indian Naval Ships (T11, T45, Tarasa and Teg), one Dornier aircraft and one helicopter have been deployed towards the area.

The helicopter took off from Juhu at 10 am and was enroute to Oil Rig ‘NQO’ in Mumbai High North, 92 miles North West of Mumbai.

Communication with the helicopter was lost at 10:36 am, while it was 37 nautical miles from Mumbai. The helicopter had five passengers in addition to two pilots.

The search efforts are being augmented by one P8I Long Range aircraft. In addition, CG ships and aircraft have also been deployed for SAR.

Additional ships and aircraft are being kept ready at Mumbai for deployment as and when required.

ONGC, Coast  Guard and Navy pressed helicopters and speed boats as soon as the information of the chopper going missing was received at the Juhu helibase.

ONGC has key oil and gas fields off the Mumbai coast and Pawan Hans helicopters routinely ferry company employees and officers to the oil installations that are situated as far as 160 kilometres from the coastline.

The helicopter crash is not the first accident in ONGC’s history. In August 2003, an Mi-172 helicopter crashed off the Mumbai coast killing 27 people and pilot on-board.

(With agency inputs)

Actor-filmmaker-singer Dhanush on Sunday launched “Koova”, the first single under Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Ondraga Originals, aimed at promoting independent music.

“Happy to launch Gautham Menon’s Ondraga Originals’ first single ‘Koova’. Loved the music and vocals. And great choreography by Satish. Enjoy,” Dhanush tweeted.

Menon, who directed Dhanush in “Enai Noki Paayum Thota”, felt he was the perfect fit to launch the new track on the digital platform given his success with “Kolaveri di”.

“He put a Tamil song on Hindi radio stations. The song jettisoned across the world. He is the reason we take our ‘views’ so seriously.

“A phenomenal actor, multi-faceted, singer, songwriter, producer, director. Ondraga Originals’ first single released by Dhanush. Privileged,” tweeted Menon.

“Koova” is a first in a series of songs, originals and independent of films under the banner.

Actor Siddharth chose the auspicious occasion of Pongal on Sunday to unveil the first poster of his maiden Malayalam film Kammara Sambhavam in which he sports a moustache.

“My first poster of my first Malayalam film, the epic Kammara Sambhavam, directed by Rathish Ambat and written by Murali Gopy. This is a most special Pongal! Honoured to share this film with you all soon,” Siddharth tweeted.

The actor, who has earlier featured in Tamil, Telugu as well as Hindi movies, is seen sporting slicked back hair and a handlebar moustache and he holds up a glass of whiskey in the poster.

Siddharth also shared festive greetings with his fans.

“We reap what we sow. Let us come together and learn to be kind. Let us harvest the good in all of us. Let us reap the bounty of compassion for each other… Peace and love,” he wrote.