Baahubali: The Conclusion has become a rage and the team behind it deserves all the appreciation. Baahubali being a Telugu film has equally amazed and impressed those who do not understand the language.

The Hindi version of the film has a huge amount of effort put behind it to keep the essence of the original film intact and make it believable for the viewers.

The Hindi dialogue writer of Baahubali series Manoj Muntashir is a well-known lyricist. He has won IIFA award for best lyricist and holds a record of penning down maximum number of lyrics in one calendar year. “My responsibility was to make it more believable,” Manoj said.

“I was inspired by BR Chopra’s Mahabharata, the language was kept strictly Bollywood.” He said when asked about things you kept in mind while writing the Hindi version of Baahubali.

“Credit goes to SS Rajamouli as he said try and match the lips. During the film’s initial 15 minutes a viewer forgets if he is watching a dubbed film,” he added.

While writing both the films, the writer faced challenges. The first part had character build up challenge and second had pressure build up challenge.

When asked about his favourite character while writing the series he said, “Katappa especially in part 2. He is funny in the second part. People don’t associate funny lines with katappa.”

The writer expressed that he will wait for a film like Baahubali to write dialogues till then he will prefer to stay a lyricist.

The film Baahubali: The Conclusion, directed by SS Rajamouli released on 28 April.

On the eve of completing his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump has said this landmark timeline has been the most successful in the US' history.

In just fourteen weeks, Trump said his administration has brought profound change to Washington.

To mark the first 100 days in office, Trump is set to fly to Pennsylvania to address a massive rally to celebrate the landmark occasion.

“I truly believe that the first 100 days of my administration have been just about the most successful in our country's history,” Trump said in his weekly radio and web address to the nation yesterday.

Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20 and completes hundred days in office today.

In his weekly address, Trump said that during this short span of time, his administration has been successful in bringing back jobs.

“Most importantly, we're bringing back jobs. You asked the people of Michigan; you asked the people of Ohio; you can ask the people of Pennsylvania. See what's happening. See the car companies come roaring back in. They don't want to leave. They want to stay here. They want a piece of the action,” the 70-year-old said.

Asserting that the US was “going up” and that too at a fast pace, he said American companies were doing better.

They just announced fantastic profits, all because of what has happened in this rather short period of time, Trump said     

”And that's just the beginning. We're putting in a massive tax cut for the middle class and for business. It's going to have an enormous effect,” he said.

Listing out some of the accomplishments of his administration, Trump said the work of his government has been to fight for the American worker, defend the rule of law, and return the power to the American people.

“Since my inauguration, economic confidence has soared — reaching higher than any time in 9 years. Optimism among manufacturers is at a record high. And small business confidence has seen its largest increase in nearly four decades,” he said.

“Perhaps the greatest change of all is the renewal of the American Spirit. As long as we have faith in each other, and trust in God, then the sun will always shine on our very Glorious Republic,” he said.

Trump said the most fundamental change his government has brought about was in the relationship between the people and their government.

“For too long, politicians cared more about special interests than they did about a very successful future for all Americans. They took our taxpayers' money, and sent their jobs and wealth to other countries,” he said.

“Not anymore. From the first day of my administration, I have governed by a simple idea: My only allegiance is to you, our wonderful citizens. Together we are seeing that great achievements are possible when we put American people first,” he said.

That is why the US has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trump said.

“That day was a turning point for our nation. It put the countries of this world on notice that the sellout of the American worker was over,” he said.

Kings XI Punjab's skipper Glen Maxwell blamed his bowlers and fielders for their loss in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 26 runs here on Friday.

He also said the score posted by Hyderabad wasn't chase-able but they got few soft dismissals and that resulted in their defeat.

"It was chase-able. We were sloppy with the ball and in the field. We bowled either side of the wicket. There were a few soft dismissals in isolation. If you put together it looks bad," Maxwell said after the match here.

The Punjab skipper, however, lauded Shaun Marsh's brilliant 84-run innings. Marsh faced 50 balls and slammed 14 boundaries and two sixes.

"Marsh was absolute class, he was striking the ball beautifully. He has done it for Kings XI for 10 seasons. It is a quick turnaround for us. At least we will be at home and turn up next game," Maxwell said.

Chasing 207/3 posted by Hyderabad, Punjab were restricted to 181/9 with Shaun Marsh (84), Eoin Morgan (26) and Martin Guptill (23) the only major contributors.

Grappling with a crushing defeat in the civic polls, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday admitted that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made “mistakes” and that there was a need to “introspect” and “course correct”.

Till now the AAP leader had been blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the party's rout in polls.

Kejriwal said that based on his interactions with “volunteers and voters”, it was obvious that the party made mistakes and there was a need to go back to the “drawing board”.

“Need is action and not excuses,” he said, amid growing clamour in the party to desist from raking up the issue of EVMs being “tampered with” to favour the BJP, an allegation rubbished by the Election Commission.

The remarks are part of a brief written statement, shared by the AAP chief on Twitter, three days after the party was defeated by the BJP in the Delhi municipal polls.

“In the last two days, I spoke to many volunteers and voters. The reality is obvious. Yes, we made mistakes but we will introspect and course correct. Time to go back to drawing board,” he said.

He said it would be “silly” for the party to not evolve.

AAP was formed in late 2012, after the India Against Corruption movement led by Kejriwal and veteran activist Anna Hazare.

The party stormed to power in Delhi with an overwhelming majority of 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly in 2015, gaining prominence in the national stage.

Since then, it has focused on expanding its base beyond the national capital, but its foray in Punjab and Goa failed, and the party has also lost its grip over the national capital in the recent past.

In Punjab, the party did emerge as the primary opposition but the performance did not live up to the hype.

In Delhi, the party first lost the Rajouri Garden assembly bypoll and within days, received a drubbing in the civic elections, where the BJP retained control of all the three corporations.

“It's time to get back to work. And even if we slip from time to time, the key is to find the reserves to hold and pull ourselves up. People deserve nothing less. The only thing constant is change,” he added.

 An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale the island of Mindanao in Philippines on Saturday morning, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake struck offshore near Glan town in Sarangani province at a depth of 10 km around 4.23 a.m., 68 km south of the city of General Santos, Xinhua news agency quoted the USGS as saying.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief Renato Solidum said that residents near coastal areas in the region should be wary of possible tsunami waves.

However, no tsunami warning was raised after the quake.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or casualties.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday aimed at reversing Obama-era restrictions on offshore oil and gas drilling.

"Our country is blessed with incredible natural resources, including abundant offshore oil and natural gas reserves. But the federal government has kept 94 per cent of these offshore areas closed for exploration and production," Xinhua news agency quoted Trump as saying at a White House signing ceremony.

"This deprives our country of potentially thousands and thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in wealth," he said.

Trump said his executive order, titled "Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy", starts the process of opening offshore areas to "job-creating energy exploration."

The order reverses the previous US administration's ban on new offshore drilling leases in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, which was approved in late December by former President Barack Obama.

It also directs Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to conduct a review of the country's 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas exploration development plan, which was also finalised under the Obama administration.

The announcement was met with criticism from environmentalists, who pointed to past drilling disasters, such as the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"President Trump is taking aim at expanding this dirty and dangerous industry into new areas like the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Eastern Gulf of Mexico," Jacqueline Savitz, senior Vice President for Oceana, an ocean conservation organisation, said in a statement.

"Let me be clear: that would be a huge, bad, stupid mistake. I doubt President Trump would want to see Mar-a-Lago, or any of his other coastal resorts, covered in oil," Savitz added.

After spending time in West Bengal with party workers for expansion drive of the party, BJP chief Amit Shah started his two-day Jammu and Kashmir visit on Saturday to review the works of the party there.

The visit assumes significance in view of the deteriorating security condition in the state and tension between coalition partners–the BJP and the PDP–following certain remarks made by some BJP leaders and a minister.

"Shah will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir for two days on April 29 and 30," BJP state president Sat Sharma was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Sharma said that Shah will arrive in Jammu in the morning and will hold a conference with its party leaders and workers in which 200 to 300 people will take part.

Shah will hold meetings with ministers and others during the day.

"He will be meeting prominent citizens of Jammu region. A large number is expected to take part in the conclave in the evening," he said.

Juventus’ inexorable march towards their sixth-consecutive Serie A title continued on Friday, despite the Bianconeri being held to a battling 2-2 draw at Atlanta.

Dani Alves’ diving header in the 83rd minute looked to have sealed their fourth league win on the trot, only for Atlanta to equalise via almost-comical fashion when two Juve defenders collided with each other to allow Remo Freuler to bundle home in the 89th minute.

Despite having a UEFA Champions League semifinal against Monaco on Wednesday, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri chose to start all of his big names, including the likes of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain, for the trip to 5th-ranked Atlanta.

The hosts were unbeaten at home in 2017 and gave as good as they got agains the Serie A leaders in a game which had plenty of end-to-end action.

Both teams had plenty of half-chances in the opening exchanges but the first clear-cut chance fell to Atlanta, when Giorgio Chiellini injured himself while clearing the ball to an Atlanta midfielder who immediately fed forward Alejandro Gomez. Gianluigi Buffon was alert to the danger and came out of his line quickly to make a vital stop and it would be Juventus’ turn to squander a golden opportunity next.

Chiellini sent in delightful cross at the far-post from the left flank and but Juan Cuadrado could only send his volley just wide to let the hosts off the hook.

Dybala and Higuain had shots from distance and while the former’s was well over, the latter didn't trouble Atlanta keeper Etrit Berisha much as his shots went straight to him.

And it would be the hosts who would got the breakthrough, Andrea Conti’s acrobatic volley from Gomez’s cross beating Buffon at the far post after some scrappy build-up play seconds before half-time.

Juve knew they needed a goal quickly if they wanted to stand a chance of winning the tie and they did just that, equalising with just five minutes played in the second-half, benefitting from a stroke of luck as Leonardo Spinazzola headed Mirajlem Pjanic’s free-kick into his own net.

The sides continued to trade chances post the equaliser, with Dybala testing Berisha from an acute angle before Gomez let fly with a venomous shot from distance which Buffon had no option but to play it over and tip it over the bar. 
There was a moment of controversy in the second-half, as Rafael Toloi clearly handled Alex Sandro’s cross, but referee Marco Guida felt otherwise. 

Higuain went close finding Juventus’ second when he got on the end of Mario Mandzuk’s cross but Berisha was equal to the task

And just as it looked like Juve would be frustrated by the in-form Berisha, Alves popped up with a brilliant diving header to give the Bianconeri a narrow lead in the closing stages.The Brazilian wing-back took of his shirt  earning a yellow card for his celebration and it looked like Allegri’s men had nicked it with just seven minutes remaining. 

Atlanta, however, needed just six to equalise and Juventus will be kicking themselves for letting in such a soft goal. Pjanic had intercepted an Atlanta cross from the right but his first-touch took him towards substitute Stephen Lichsteiner and the Juventus players got confused about whose ball it was, allowing Atlanta midfielder Freuler to equalise in dramatic circumstances. 

With the result, Allegri’s Juventus remain in first place on 84 points from 34 matches while second-placed Roma are nine points behind having played one game fewer. 

Atlanta go level on points with fourth-ranked Lazio, who have played a game less and their hopes of securing the Champions League play-off remains alive. 

Canada will allow Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania's citizens to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport, a ministry statement has said.

Starting May 1, those citizens of these countries who have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa would be eligible to apply for the eTA, the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said on Friday.

They would not need a visitor visa, to travel to Canada by air, Xinhua news agency reported. 

However, those who do not meet these criteria or were travelling to Canada by car, bus, train, or boat would still need a visitor visa.

"This initiative will make it easier for eligible travellers to come to Canada and to transit through a Canadian airport. It will also encourage them to make repeat visits." 

"The end result will be more travel and tourism and more economic benefits for Canadians," said Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen.

The Ministry also said Canada was to lift the visa requirements for all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens on December 1, 2017. 

At that point, the citizens from these two countries' would no longer need a visa to travel to Canada. However, similar to other visa-exempt travellers, they would need an eTA to board their flight to Canada.

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, cannot apply for an eTA and would need a valid Canadian passport to fly to Canada. 

Permanent residents of Canada were also not eligible to apply for an eTA, and, as usual, must show their permanent resident card or a permanent resident travel document when travelling to Canada.

Hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a grim warning on Friday that "military action" should be considered an option to deter North Korea's nuclear programme, Pyongyang responded by defiantly testing a ballistic missile.

The missile test was, however, a failure and it blew up within North Korean territory, according to US and South Korean military.

Pyongyang's defiance was directed not only at the US, but also at Russia and its patron, China. 

While Moscow and Beijing opposed any talk of force at a high-level Foreign Mininsters' meeting of the Security Council, they also condemned North Korea's nuclear build-up and demanded that it denuclearise.

President Donald Trump pointedly tweeted: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China and its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"

In a day of hectic diplomatic activities at the UN, Tillerson tried to rally world opinion for stronger economic and diplomatic sanctions, reminding other members of the Council that they "are within striking distance of North Korean missiles".

He said sanctions must be backed by a "willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action if necessary".

China, Russia and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres countered with warnings about the risk of military escalation.

Delivering what was probably the starkest apocalyptic warning heard at the UN in recent times, Tillerson told the Security Council, "The threat of a North Korean nuclear attack on Seoul, or Tokyo, is real."

"And it is likely only a matter of time before North Korea develops the capability to strike the US mainland," he added. "Indeed, North Korea has repeatedly claimed it plans to conduct such a strike."

Guterres, who spoke before Tillerson, said, "I am alarmed by the risk of a military escalation in the region, including by miscalculation or misunderstanding."

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov also said that a misinterpretation or a bad move could have catastrophic consequences and declared that the option of force was completely unacceptable.

But Tillerson said, "Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences." He added, "We have said this before and it bears repeating: the policy of strategic patience is over."

Tillerson threatened sanctions against countries, organisations and people supporting North Korea's illegal activities in defiance of Security Council sanctions. But there was no mention of Pakistan, whose former Head of Nuclear Weapons Programme, Qadeer Khan, had transferred technology to North Korea.

In calling for actions against Pyongyang, Tillerson called out Beijing, which economically props up the regime of Kim Jong-un.

"China accounting for 90 per cent of North Korean trade; China alone has economic leverage over Pyongyang that is unique, and its role is therefore particularly important," he said.

But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi countered that it was not solely his country's responsibility to contain North Korea. He spread blame for the developments there, virtually accusing Washington of provoking Pyongyang by deploying an anti-missile defence in South Korea.

That action, he said, also undermined China's security and created mistrust.

In a conciliatory gesture to Kim Jong-un, Tillerson assured the 33-year-old dynastic dictator that "our goal is not regime change".

He recalled the $1.5 billion that the US had given North Korea in earlier phases of interaction since 1995 and held out promise of resumption of assistance and cooperation if North Korea gave up its nuclear weapons.

India's top cueist Pankaj Advani lost to China's Lv Haotian in the summit clash of Asian Snooker Championship here on Friday, as he failed in his bid to win the continental double of billiards and snooker titles in the same year.

Advani lost 3-6 in the final to his Chinese opponent and it meant that he could not become the first player to win both Asian titles in Billiards and Snooker in same calendar year.

The defeat in the final also meant that Advani could not complete a career Grand Slam in cue sport.

Having won all the major events — Nationals, Asian and World Championships in both Billiards and Snooker and in both the long and short formats, this is the one title (15-red Asian Snooker) that has eluded Advani.

A victory would have made Advani the only player in history to win all Majors in two sports at all levels and across all formats.

The Chinese player took the first frame before Advani drew parity. This was the only time the two finalists were on equal terms.

From there, Haotian was on song as he scored heavily to always keep the sixteen-time world champion Indian at bay.

At 1-3 and just before the interval, Advani made a comeback with two well-crafted breaks to give himself a chance at a recovery.

But at 2-3, Advani was yet again kept away from the table by his Chinese opponent. At 3-4, Haotian won the next two frames narrowly to clinch the Asian snooker title.

Advani lost 32-95(65), 75(58)-31, 43-69, 24-65(57), 78-0, 6-102(102), 61-48, 48-59, 69-71.

This is the first silver Advani has won this season, the rest all gold medals — at the National Championships of Billiards, 6-red Snooker and 15-red Snooker, as well as the Asian Billiards Championship.

Advani will now prepare to defend his Asian 6-red Snooker title next month in Kyrgyzstan.

Scotland tennis star Andy Murray advanced to the Barcelona Open semi-finals after defeating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Viñolas 2-6, 6 -4, 7-6 (4) in a tough game that kept both players on the court here for three hours on Friday.

The world No.1 sweated against 10th seed Ramos-Viñolas to avenge his defeat a week ago in the last-16 of Monte Carlo, where he fell before the Catalan tennis player, reports Efe.

Murray will next face Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem, who defeated Japanese Yuichi Sugita 6-1, 6-2 in 52 minutes.

Though a daughter of Odisha, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Aloka Kanungo’s adopted home is Kolkata. She is an Odissi exponent, who teaches, performs, writes and researches in order to extend the boundaries of her genre. A purist, she has no penchant for diluting the art form, which she has imbibed from her mentor, the legendary multi-faceted genius, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

Armed with a senior fellowship from the Union ministry of culture, she has been into serious research on Bandha Nritya since 1995, which has given her a vision that has in many ways found reflection in her work. Inspired by the Manmatha Nauka Chitra Bandha, she has choreographed Mana Samhara that has been embellished with many bandha or acrobatic postures. The grammar of acrobatic postures as practised by the Gotipuas has been rigorously inculcated in her disciples.

That was evident in the spectacular performances presented in her institution, Shinjan Nrityalaya’s grand annual programme at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata. Debasee Sen and Srinithi Mitra stood out as good dancers in Mana Samahar — a wonderful musical composition by Guru Ramahari Das. It consisted of a garland of tihais or three-time repetition of a bol (tihais are known as mana in Odiya). Bhaunri mana and Lagana mana were extensively used in the composition. The piece was set to raag Shankarabharana and aditaal of 16 beats. It was a challenging piece and Kanungo, the choreographer, was at her best in it giving a fresh dimension to time and space. The dancers formed a kaleidoscope of different shapes and designs and covered the stage with the varied and typical stances that Odissi is known for while bending the body in tribhangi or the threebend postures. The tihais or the manas were finely woven as in a Pallavi — a creative innovation while meandering through the lanes of tradition. The eight performers danced with élan.

The final and last item of the evening’s presentation at Rabindra Sadan was a Prabandha Geeta — it was again another topic of Kanungo’s research. The Prabandha Geeta possesses four limbs— biruda- sabda, pata-taal, tenaka – nam tom like the swara- sapta swara of music. This Prabandha Geeta by Gopinath was on the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Each avatar was first enacted with music followed by the song in Odiya describing their story. Among all the avatars, Narasimha, Bamana, Parshuram and Rama were excellently delineated.

Apart from showcasing dances based on her research work, Kanungo presented her students in a number of other pieces too.

The programme started with an invocatory item Nama Ganesh, a customary tribute to the elephant-headed God who removes all obstacles. The music composition was by legendary sitar maestro Deepak Choudhury and it was set to a seven beat rhythm in different intricate configuration. The junior students standing on either side holding lamps resembled temple sculptures.

Rangagapuja or the customary worship of the stage was the next piece. A handful of dancers paid tribute to the ten directions and their custodian deities such as Eishan, the invisible power that governs the universe; Indra, the god of heaven; Agni, the god of fire; Yama, god of death; Nairuta, the god of the demons; Kubera, the god of wealth; Vayu, the wind god; Varuna, the god of water; Brahma, the creator and Vishnu, the preserver. The dancers did justice to the choreography. Indian mythology is a storehouse of such stories, just waiting for creative minds to make aesthetic presentations on. The symbolism of the directions represented by the deities would perhaps be the subject matter of Kanungo’s next choreography.

Not satisfied with the threefold objective of practising, propagating, and preserving Odissi dance in its purest form, Kanungo has quite a few other projects up her sleeve like following the guru-shishya parampara to its last detail. Her students receive training in such a way that it is a lifelong commitment to their learnt form. Her students have branched out individually and are recipients of scholarships that would equip them to take up dance as their profession. The institution has grown from strength to strength from the time of its inception in 1996.

For the students of Shinjan, dance is a way of life. Kanungo constantly trains them to do everything connected with dance. They do administrative work, besides helping in making costumes, stage decor and looking after other details. They organise their own festivals, seminars and workshops and the repertory members of Shinjan are always invited for prestigious festivals all over the country. Kanungo said that her troupe’s performances at Khajuraho, Konark, Nisagandhi and Kalakshetra festivals of dance are still fresh in the mind of spectators. Under her able guidance, Shinjan Nrityalaya boasts a large number of gifted and graceful dancers, who are the proud recipients of scholarships and fellowships.

Kanungo’s worthy disciples Atreyi Majumdar, Baishali Kolay, Nivedita Daw, Sriparna Bose and Sampa Banerjee have all been awarded the national scholarship with fellowship holder, Arpita Venkatesh making them a perfect team.

Imagine being at the crest of the hill called popularity and then, giving it all up to answer one’s inner spiritual calling. It decimates every convention but when was Vinod Khanna ever concerned about following set notions?

Born in Peshawar in 1946, Khanna was, without an iota of doubt, the most gorgeous male star of the 1970s but even so, he did not allow the burden of beauty to intrude his cinematic path. What else could account for him playing the moustachioed and dreaded dacoit, Jabbar Singh in Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh? Though leading man Dharmendra received his only Filmfare Award nomination for the film, it was Khanna’s turn that still dazzles viewers — those bloodshot eyes and that tilaksmeared forehead spells menace even today. That said if one casts their minds back, Khanna started out playing negative characters in films like his debut feature, Man Ka Meet, followed by Purab Aur Pashchim, Sachcha Jhuta and Aan Milo Sajna.

Those were times when casting to type was the norm in popular Hindi cinema but Khanna was probably one of the first actors to successfully switch to solo hero parts from villainous ones. His first foray as a leading actor was in Hum Tum Aur Woh, which was followed by films like Achanak, Inkaar, Gaddaar, Aap Ki Khatir, Jail Yatra and Daulat.

But it was in multi-hero affairs that Khanna excelled beyond measure. Foremost among them has got to rank Manmohan Desai’s Amar Akbar Anthony — who can forget that incredible fight sequence with Amitabh Bachchan in a slum. Moving on from there, Khanna again memorably shared screen space with Bachchan in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar where he played a righteous lawyer in an eminently watchable performance. Qurbani with Feroz Khan, Zeenat Aman and Amjad Khan, saw him portraying a smooth criminal and the film certainly gave ample mileage to his unbridled good looks.

And then just like that, in 1982, he bid the arc lights adieu to follow his avowed guru, Osho on a spiritual quest at his ashram. Saira Banu, who worked with him on numerous films, says, “He was a superstar, who was praised for his extremely good looks. He did not care for that and went ahead to be a gardener. We used to ask him, ‘Why are you doing this and sabotaging your career this way?’ We used to tease him and call him a maali (gardener). He never took it to heart or felt bad. He just smiled and said, ‘But this is what gives me peace, and I am finding a lot of peace with it’.”

Five years later, Khanna made a comeback with back to back hits in Insaaf and Satyameva Jayate. The 1990s were quite barren for him on the work front but after the turn of the millennium, he reinvented himself as a character actor, mainly playing the role of the father in films like Wanted, Dabanng and Dabanng 2. His last screen outing was as Shah Rukh Khan’s father in Dilwale, a couple of years ago.

Lest one forget, Khanna was a four-time BJP Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur in Punjab and was in office at the time of his death.

But for the millions who love Hindi cinema of the 1970s and 80s, he was a shooting star who left a trail of glittering light in his wake.

A witness has described how actor Tom Hardy was seen apprehending a suspected moped thief after pursuing him through gardens and a building site. The Hollywood star looked like he “switched into superhero mode” as he collared the man before checking him for weapons after the chase near his home in Richmond, south west London, an onlooker told The Sun. With Hardy’s help two suspects were detained in connection with the theft, The Sun said. The witness said two males had jumped a red light at a busy junction before crashing into a £50,000 Mercedes. “Hardy must have been walking down the road. He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious”, Arun Pullen, 22, said. He added, “I asked him what happened and he told me he chased him through my back garden and caught him around the block but the route was like an assault course.” Hardy, 39, who starred in blockbusters The Dark Knight Rises and The Revenant and recently co-wrote and appeared in BBC drama Taboo, reportedly performed a citizen’s arrest on the fleeing suspect. Pullen’s girlfriend, Kalisha, a fan of the actor, told the newspaper, “There was no mistaking him.”

The Independent

Abigail Breslin has said she did not report her rape to the police because she was afraid they would not believe her. The actor, who first rose to fame for playing Oliver Hoover in the widely acclaimed film Little Miss Sunshine, said she was “in complete shock” and “total denial” about the ordeal. The 21-year-old, who has frequently been vocal about sexual assault, explained she found it difficult to see herself as a “victim” so ended up pretending the incident had never taken place. Addressing it in a forthright Instagrampost, Breslin said she was in a relationship with the person who she claims raped her. “I did not report my rape. I didn’t report it because of many reasons,” she said. Earlier in the month, she shared a short message about consent, saying, “You are not obligated to have sex with someone that you;re in a relationship with. Dating is not consent. Marriage is not consent.”

Maya Oppenheim/Independent

‘You live as long as you dance,” said Soviet ballet dancer and choreographer, Rudolf Nureyev. Today, the world celebrates International Dance Day to revel in the universality of this art form, to cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers and bring people together with a common language. Ace dancer and choreographer, Shiamak Davar known as the guru of contemporary dance in India has theShiamakDance Movement — the largest in the world. His unique “Shiamak Style” is constantly introducing new moves and forms, while his institution, Shaimak Davar’s Institute of Performing Arts is churning out extraordinarily talented dancers. It has reached out to over a million enthusiasts across India, Canada, Australia, UK, and UAE. Excerpts:

Q What is it about dance that inspires you?

From the time I started out, I’ve realised that dance is therapeutic. It has the power to heal. I’ve had people of all ages who come to learn and in process see and complete transformation in their personality. They learn to let go of their fears and inhibitions, gain confidence and learn to work as a team. Seeing these success stories keeps me inspired and motivated.

Dance is also a beautiful visual medium to make music come to life. Every new song inspires me, it tells a story and this is what I interpret through movement and choreography. Good music inspires me to choreograph. My dance company is the physical interpretation of my vision.

In terms of ideation, everything is an inspiration. From nature to animals, music to different cultures— there is always something to observe, grasp and translate into motion. As a performing artist, it is your self-driven motivation and the yearning to stay inspired that keeps you driven.

Q Why do you think “The Shiamak Effect” is felt so strongly across the world?

I wanted to make people experience the same joy that I derived from dancing and performing. My motto is “Have Feet. Will Dance.” It reiterates the fact that everyone can dance. I wanted to create a platform for people to come and express themselves through movement, without being judged. The sense of achievement and fulfillment they get by learning and performing on stage is greater than any other feeling. It’s been over 30 years and it’s great to see the impact it has had globally. People like things that are original and new. This has created a dance community globally where they always learn things that are relevant yet original. It is the freedom for everything to learn that has made the maximum impact. I’ve always incorporated our culture in the choreography, so internationally people feel a sense of belonging and reconnect with their culture through the classes.

Q How has choreography in Bollywood changed over the years?

It has definitely become more structured and stylised. Dil Toh Pagal Hai had created a revolution in terms of introducing fit dancers doing synchronised movements. From there on, a trend started and it has moved in a positive direction. But technology also has a huge role to play in it. The advantage of an editor makes it easier for stars to do one movement at a time with multiple cuts. Honestly, I find this very boring, I miss seeing pure dancing. When you look back, Helenji used to dance an entire sequence effortlessly. That is dance — that was natural talent.

Q What does it take to be a good choreographer?

You need to inspire students in terms of knowledge, dance ability, fitness, flexibility, stretch and strength. This is a continuous learning process, so you have constantly keep reinventing and evolving. With the easy access to YouTube, people feel that watching and copying makes them teachers and choreographers. But passing on half-baked knowledge is the worst— you can harm people’s bodies.

Focus on training, find your area of specialisation and create your original style that is uniquely “you”. The longevity of your career will depend on how knowledgeable and relevant you are.There are plenty of avenues today so find your calling and work whole-heartedly towards it.

Q How do you see this art as a profession in India?

Dance is now a viable career option. Over the last three decades I’ve observed a positive and impactful change in people’s attitude towards this profession. The industry has opened up tremendously — arts and culture have become hugely popular and in effect people don’t fear making their passion a profession. The talent in our country is unbelievable. We no longer need to look at the West as there are plenty of opportunities here. Whether it is becoming a dance instructor in schools, teaching hobby classes, teaching families for Sangeets, performing in films and award shows, being a part of professional teams that perform in musicals or even going abroad and taking up dance full time—the prospects are endless. What is the most important is to constantly have that hunger to learn, train and then pass on the knowledge.