Neeraj Pandey is inundated with appreciation calls and messages from army officials across the nation for the trailer of his upcoming espionage thriller ‘Aiyaary’.

Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey who can be termed as the pioneer of films based on uniformed officials is all set to present ‘Aiyaary’ based against an army background.

The trailer of the upcoming thriller recently released and has been intriguing the audience to witness yet another mind bending story.

The film based on army background has time and again received appreciation from none other than the army officials and when the trailer released filmmaker Neeraj Pandey was bestowed with appreciation calls and messaged from Jawans all over.

Earlier the Ministry of Defense had thanked the team of Aiyaary for their support during the Armed Forces week and now army officials have been praising the trailer of Neeraj Pandey’s directorial.

‘Aiyaary’ promises to offer not just a content heavy script but also power packed performances by the ensemble cast. Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Sidharth Malhotra in lead roles, Aiyaary also stars Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Rakul Preet Singh, Kumud Mishra, Pooja Chopra, Adil Hussain and Vikram Gokhale in pivotal roles.

Aiyaary revolves around two strong-minded army officers having completely different views, yet right in their own ways. The film portrays Sidharth Malhotra as an army officer sharing a mentor-protégé bond with Manoj Bajpayee.

With films like ‘Special 26’, ‘Baby’, ‘Rustom’ amongst others Neeraj Pandey has paid tribute to the uniform officials of the nation that serve its public. ‘Aiyaary’ will yet again be an ode to army officials.

The trailer of ‘Aiyaary’ has got everyone hooked and is adding to the excitement to the film. With all the love coming from the defense forces, Aiyaary is sure to be a treat this Republic day.

Plan C and Jayantilal Gada (Pen) presents ‘Aiyaary’ A Neeraj Pandey Film. Produced by Shital Bhatia, Dhaval Jayantilal Gada, Motion Picture Capital is slated to release on 26th January, 2018.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and discarded wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal have called on Pakistan selectors to show the same consistency as their Indian counterparts do while picking the national team.

Butt and Kamran feel that Indian selectors, compared to their Pakistani counterparts, show more consistency in giving chances to their players.
“India shows more consistency in allowing their players to play top-level cricket,” Butt noted.

“Rohit Sharma’s batting average was around 25 and 30 at one stage but the Indian selectors gave him consistent chances and today he has become a world class performer,” Butt said.

Butt and Kamran also felt that one reason for Pakistani not producing the same quality batting as India was because of the inconsistent nature of pitches used in the first class matches.

“You need to have pitches in domestic cricket where batsmen can build their innings and stay for long. This is only way to give them confidence and prepare them for international cricket,” Kamran said.

He noted that in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier first class event that just concluded, there were atleast 20 instances where teams were bowled out for less than 100 runs because of the pitches at different venues.

Butt and Kamran also noted that domestic cricket performances should be sole criteria for picking national teams.

They pointed out that if players who regularly do well in domestic cricket are not given consistent chances to become good international players, then Pakistan cricket growth will be affected.

The two test players said in recent years there were many instances where players were picked and dropped without getting proper chances at the international level.

At least 13 people died after a passenger boat capsized off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, two days after another ferry accident in the archipelago killed at least nine, police said today.

The boat was carrying 55 people along the Musi river when it hit a large wave and sank amid bad weather Wednesday, South Sumatra water police chief Robinson Siregar said.

He said the police were still searching for the captain, who reportedly survived but went missing.

“His assistant has been detained for questioning to find out, for example, whether or not the boat was seaworthy or there was negligence by the crew,” Siregar said.

Bodies were found along the riverbank, with one discovered by locals an hour’s walk from the accident site.

It was the latest deadly maritime accident in the vast Indonesian archipelago, which relies heavily on boats to ferry people around its 17,000 islands, but has a patchy safety record.

On New Year’s Day, at least nine people died after a passenger boat capsized when traveling from the city of Tarakan to Tanjung Selor on Borneo island.

Last July, eight people drowned in a boat accident on the same route.

On New Year’s Day in 2016, at least 23 people died when a tourist boat from Jakarta burst into flames.

It was carrying about 250 local holidaymakers to celebrate the New Year on Tidung island near Jakarta.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Singapore tomorrow.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government, reconnect them with their roots and celebrate their achievements and contributions.

Gadkari will attend the session on ASEAN India Economic Partnership at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Saturday morning.

Filmmaker Ridley Scott is in negotiations to helm The Merlin Saga.

The four-time Oscar-nominated director is in negotiations with Disney studio to helm the movie based on T.A. Barron’s novel series, reports variety.com.

The script of the movie will be provided by Philippa Boyens.

“The Merlin Saga” is based on a young Merlin who becomes a mentor to King Arthur. It chronicles the complete story of Merlin’s life and times spanning 12 novels.

While NCP chief Sharad Pawar has alleged that right-wing forces are behind the violence that took place at Bhima-Koregaon, his party MP on Friday backed the two pro-Hindutva leaders accused of inciting the violence.

Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi and Sambhaji Bhide, the founder of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, are in the spotlight for allegedly “orchestrating” the violence at the anniversary celebrations of the battle fought 200 years ago in Bhima-Koregaon.

The NCP MP and descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Udayanraje Bhonsle, said Bhide had cried after being accused of instigating the violence, which led to protests by Dalits in Maharashtra, paralysing life in Mumbai and other places.

“Milind Ekbote is my friend. I want to tell him to avoid speaking anything which may cause tensions,” Bhonsle told a Marathi TV channel in Delhi.

“Bhide cried before me and said he had nothing to do with the violence. He told me he was going there to clean the samadhi (memorial) in Vadhu Budurk village near Bhima Koregaon),” he said.

Many in western Maharashtra believe that Vadhu Budruk is where Sambhaji, the eldest son of Shivaji Maharaj, was cremated after being killed by the Mughals in 1689.

Also Read: Rajya Sabha expresses concern on Maharashtra violence, appeals for peace

The legend goes that Sambhaji’s body was mutilated and thrown into a river by Aurangzeb and it was Govind Gaikwad, a Dalit resident of Vadhu Budruk, who gathered the body parts together and made arrangements for the last rites.

Sambhaji’s memorial was said to have been erected by the Mahars (Dalits) of that village. Consequently, Govind Gaikwad’s tomb was also erected in the village.

Cases have been registered by the Pimpri police against Ekbote and Bhide for allegedly inciting the Bhima-Koregaon violence. The two organisations headed by them had opposed the celebration of “British victory” in the battle of Bhima- Koregaon.

Pawar, this week, alleged that “outsiders” came and provoked the residents of Vadhu village. The NCP chief said there was no history of violence in last several years of the celebrations marking the anniversary of the battle.

You may also like to Read: Yechury questions government’s silence on Maharashtra violence

Clashes between Dalit groups and supporters of right-wing Hindu organisations during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district on January 1 had left a man dead.

Dalit leaders commemorate the British victory, as it is believed that soldiers from the Mahar community – then considered untouchable – were part of the East India Company’s forces. The Peshwas were Brahmins, and the victory was seen by them as a symbol of assertiveness by the Dalits.

Shraddha Kapoor commented on her co-star Prabhas’ GQ cover. The actress has taken to her social media handle in order to compliment her Saaho co-star Prabhas.

Shraddha Kapoor took to her Facebook handle and wrote,”LOVE IT”

This is Prabhas’ is first ever magazine cover and we can say the talented actor has completely nailed.

The Saaho actor has undergone a complete transformation for his GQ cover shoot.

Prabhas is seen in complete formal look in suits, which he has donned for the cover.

The talented actor has mesmerized his fans with his recent GQ Cover in which he is seen in a completely never seen before avatar.

Every picture from the shoot is getting fans from across the country go ga-ga over this Baahubali star.

Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhas both share a very cordial bond with each other and both have a great amount of respect for each other, as both are known to speak highly of each other.

Their fresh pairing has become the talk of the tinsel town ever since the news was announced that both of them will be working together in Saaho.

They both wrapped the first schedule of Saaho in October 2017.

Saaho is a big scale trilingual film, featuring Prabhas in lead role alongside Shraddha Kapoor.

Pakistan’s former captain and coach Javed Miandad has called on his country’s Cricket Board to forget about playing India in the near future and instead focus on improving the game’s structure.

“They don’t want to play with us so be it. Our cricket will not die if we don’t play with India. We should move on and forget about them,” Miandad told the media at a function in Karachi.

The veteran of 124 Tests said there was no need for the PCB to “beg” the BCCI for bilateral matches.

“They haven’t played against us since the last 10 years, so what? Has our cricket gone down? No we have done well. The Champions Trophy win is an example. Cricket cannot die in Pakistan. We have also survived without international cricket at home since 2009,” he pointed out.

India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket since 2012 owing to political tensions between the two countries after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The former captain urged the PCB to manage its finances better.

“Today the PCB is financially stable but there is a need for proper accountability of where the money that comes from the ICC is spent.

“There is a need to reduce the administrative expenses of the board and get rid this army of advisors, consultants and employees. The PCB can easily function without paying such heavy salaries to an over-sized staff,” he said.

Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and Billboard Magazines Executive of the Year Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith are set to create, curate and produce Black Panther: The Album.

The album will feature music from and inspired by Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film including the lead single, “All the stars”, featuring Lamar and label mate SZA, produced by Sounwave.

Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler, stars actors like Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o.

Lamar and Tiffith will collaborate with Coogler in the creation of music specific to the needs of the film.

This will mark the first time that Lamar will write, produce, perform and curate for a major motion picture.

“Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director. The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture,” Lamar said in a statement.

“I’m truly honoured to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision,” he added.

Lamar was hand-picked by Coogler.

“I am honoured to be working with such an incredible artiste whose work has been so inspirational, and whose artistic themes align with those we explore in the film,” said Coogler.

Top Dawg considers working on such a “powerful movie” a great opportunity.

The Rajya Sabha was Friday adjourned sine die with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urging members to seriously introspect on their conduct in the House which lost almost 34 hours due to frequent disruptions.

The Rajya Sabha, which had 13 sittings during the winter session that started on December 15, saw the passage of nine government bills.

Also read: Lok Sabha adjourned sine die; 12 bills passed in Winter Session

Ahead of adjourning the House sine die at 1 pm in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naidu said the session had its highs and lows, but lamented that it ended up losing some degree of esteem on account of disruptions.

“It is unfortunate that despite discharging its responsibilities to a great extent, the august House ends up losing some degree of the esteem of the people on account of disruptions and substantial loss of functional time.

Also read: Union Budget on 1 February, session to begin on 29 Jan

“Intense and passionate submissions and debates are the order of democracy, but disruptions are certainly not. I urge upon members to seriously introspect in this regard,” he said.

Naidu also said it was “an opportunity for all of us to review, recall and introspect” about how the proceedings have been conducted in the House.

This, he said, was the first full session after he took over as the Chairman and it could have been better than what it proved.

Naidu said though Parliament was a political institution, it “cannot be an extension of politics in its typical sense which is marked by deep divisions and acrimony.”

Parliament is an important institution for furthering the shared socio-economic goals of the nation, critical to fulfilling the aspirations of citizens, he said.

“The legislatures of our country including the apex Parliament need to quickly evolve the way we conduct our proceedings so as to meet the needs of our evolving nation,” he said.

Naidu said 19 private members’ bills were introduced and one was discussed at length.

During the five days when Question Hour was taken up, he said as many as 46 starred questions were orally answered and 51 members made Zero Hour submissions and another 28 made special mentions.

The House functioned a total of 41 hours.

Actor Lakeith Stanfield has reportedly joined the cast of The Girl in the Spiders Web, the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

The thriller also stars Claire Foy as Lisbeth Salander, Sylvia Hoeks as Salander’s twin sister, and Claes Bang as the villain. The film’s production will commence this month in Berlin and Stockholm, reports variety.com.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is slated to release in October this year. It will be directed by Fede Alvarez, who helmed 2016’s “Don’t Breathe”.

The screenplay of the project, based on David Lagercrantz’s bestseller, has been co-penned by Steven Knight with the team of Alvarez and Jay Basu.

Indian and Pakistani soldiers on Friday traded heavy gunfire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.

Defence Ministry sources said the clashes began after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy firing on Indian positions in Shahpur area.

“We retaliated strongly and effectively. No damage or casualty has been reported from our side,” an official said.

On Thursday, the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an attempt by militants to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan on the international border in Arnia sector of Jammu district.

One intruder was killed by the BSF. Police said the unarmed victim could have been a guide to the infiltrating militants who pulled back into Pakistan.

The BSF also said it destroyed two mortar pickets of Pakistan on Thursday.

Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Tiger Zinda Hai has collected Rs.291.55 crore at the box office in its 14 day run and is now inching towards the Rs.300 crore mark.

Tiger Zinda Hai, a sequel to blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, is unstoppable at the box office and is on a constant momentum to enter the elite Rs.300 crore club by dethroning Sultan, another Salman film.

The film, which opened to positive to mixed reviews, collected Rs.5.05 crore on the 14th day taking the total collections to Rs.291.55 crore. The film is enjoying a phenomenal run at the box office as it broke numerous records and stand atop the mountain as the highest earning Bollywood film of 2017.

#TigerZindaHai has a TERRIFIC Week 2… Will cross ₹ 300 cr mark + *lifetime biz* of #Sultan [₹ 300.45 cr] in Weekend 3… [Week 2] Fri 11.56 cr, Sat 14.92 cr, Sun 22.23 cr, Mon 18.04 cr, Tue 7.83 cr, Wed 5.84 cr, Thu 5.09 cr. Total: ₹ 291.55 cr. India biz. #TZH #TigerZindaHai biz at a glance… Week 1: ₹ 206.04 cr Week 2: ₹ 85.51 cr Total: ₹ 291.55 cr Decline in Week 2: 58.50%… EXCELLENT trending. India biz. #TZH BLOCKBUSTER.

A post shared by Taran Adarsh (@taranadarsh) on Jan 5, 2018 at 12:28am PST

With no major competition till 19 January, it is quite safe to say that Tiger Zinda Hai will soon enter the Rs.300 crore club and rank among the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time in India.

Interestingly, the milestone will also mark Salman’s third Rs.300 crore film in the club, a feat which has not been accomplished by any other actor so far.

Tiger Zinda Hai is also doing exceptionally well in overseas market and has grossed more than Rs.100 crore worldwide. Also, it added one more feather to its hat, when it became the highest grossing Bollywood film in Fiji beating the likes of Dangal and Golmaal Returns.

#TigerZindaHai sets a NEW RECORD… Emerges HIGHEST GROSSER EVER in Fiji… Check out TOP 5 grossers… 1 #TZH Fiji$ 392,502 2 #Dangal Fiji$ 343,262 3 #GolmaalAgain Fiji$ 339,907 4 #PRDP Fiji$ 321,723 5 #Dilwale Fiji$ 308,074 @Rentrak

A post shared by Taran Adarsh (@taranadarsh) on Jan 3, 2018 at 9:48pm PST

After starting the year with a bang, it’ll be interesting to see when the film will cross the Rs.300 crore mark and whether it will continue to reign supreme at the box office in the coming days.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Tiger Zinda Hai was released worlwide on December 22, 2017.

Actress DeWanda Wise is on board for a supporting role in Captain Marvel, which stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn and Jude Law.

Captain Marvel will be Wise’s first movie role, reports deadline.com.

She has earlier featured in the series Shots Fired and Underground and currently plays the lead role of Nola Darling in Netflix’s series She’s Gotta Have It, which was renewed for a second season recently.

Captain Marvel is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with its script penned by Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman.

The project is based on the Marvel character Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident and becomes Captain Marvel as a result of being with the super powers of strength, energy project and flight.

Details of the plot are still under wraps. It is slated to release on March 8, 2019.

At least 20 persons have been killed and 30 others injured here in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State terror group, an official said.

The attack happened on Thursday night in Banaee area of Kabul where a group of police officers were handling a protest, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

A police official told Efe news that the suicide attacker was on foot and wore a vest loaded with explosives that he detonated near the policemen watching the demonstration.

Earlier, the police said 11 people, including five police personnel, were killed. The number of fatalities jumped to 20 on Friday.

The Islamic State took responsibility for the attack through its news outlet Amaq. It said a suicide attacker with an explosives vest had targeted “a gathering of Afghan intelligence and police”.

Tawab Khan, a resident, said a large number of security personnel had gathered in the area for a crackdown on shopkeepers involved in trading illicit substances.

Several shops and vehicles were also damaged in the area.

Six persons were arrested on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district for allegedly faking Army documents to obtain mobile phone SIM cards, police said.

The arrested persons were working as overground module of militants, a police officer said.

Acting on inputs provided by the Military Intelligence, the six were taken into custody for faking the Army documents using forged stamps.