Bollywood is going through a great phase now, with new genres getting more recognition than the existing ones. Creativity is given more importance than anything else. Art films are viewed at par with commercial ones. The latest in the line being Vikrammaditya Motwane’s Trapped which stars national award winning actor Rajkummar Rao.

Actor Rajkummar Rao, who has created magic with his performances in Shahid and Aligarh spoke about his journey, his character in Trapped and a lot more in an exclusive interview to thestatesman.com.

Talking about his journey in Bollywood, the 32-year old actor said, “I am very fortunate to be here, god has been really kind to me as I have got a chance to do such amazing films and work with such great actors."

"I've grown with every film and I hope that things get better and better,” he said.

Counted among the most promising actors, Rajkummar feels happy about the way audiences feel about him.

“I am really happy to know that the audience has so much faith in me,” he said.

The actor then disclosed that he cannot work under any kind of pressure. “I cannot work under any kind of pressure, I just give my best and wait for good things to happen,” he said.

He also makes sure to read every script that he receives and gives it a nod only when he feels connected to the script.

Survival has been an unexplored genre in Indian cinema and this is the first time that a film is being made on this genre. While shooting the film, the actor had to undergo a lot of physical transformation and even had a bizarre diet plan.

“Yes, I was on black coffee and carrot diet for several days as my character too in the film was surviving on these two things,” the actor said.

On being asked about the aftereffects of the diet, he said, “Yes it was difficult as on some days I use to blackout completely and it would take time for me to normalise.”

The Aligarh actor not only changed his diet plan but slit his finger and gave his blood for a particular scene where his character was required to write a note with his own blood.

Rajkummar, whose film Aligarh and Shahid has born the wrath of the CBFC, expressed his displeasure over the way the film board functions in India.

“It is sad the way it functions here, according to me the audience should be left to decide what they want to watch and what they don’t want. It is entirely up to them whether they want to watch a particular film. Let them be the decision-makers. What happened with Udta Punjab is really unfortunate,“ he shared.

Rajkummar, who was born in Gurgaon and is a Delhi University graduate, believes that the industry is good to outsiders. “I don’t think an outsider is ill-treated in the industry. In fact, it is great to be a part of this industry at this point of time.I was an outsider and today here I am giving interviews about the film,“ said the Guragon born actor.

Although he has a very quiet demeanor, when it comes to expressing his views, the actor doesn’t mince his words,

“There is favoritism but as long as there is great talent on screen one shouldn’t have a problem. If favoritism is there for some really talented people then I don’t mind as I am very happy seeing great talent on screen but if it is there for someone who is not worthy then it is a problem,“ the actor said.

Talking about the kind of movies he looks forward to doing, the actor said,” I am looking forward to every kind of role that is offered to me. I don’t wish to be typecast and I want to explore every genre.” On being asked whether he would do a Dharma Productions kind of love story, the gleeful actor replied, “Yes! Why not? I will definitely do it if it is offered to me.”
 

Bollywood is going through a great phase now, with new genres getting more recognition than the existing ones. Creativity is given more importance than anything else. Art films are viewed at par with commercial ones. The latest in the line being Vikrammaditya Motwane’s Trapped which stars national award winning actor Rajkummar Rao.

Actor Rajkummar Rao, who has created magic with his performances in Shahid and Aligarh spoke about his journey, his character in Trapped and a lot more in an exclusive interview to thestatesman.com.

Talking about his journey in Bollywood, the 32-year old actor said, “I am very fortunate to be here, god has been really kind to me as I have got a chance to do such amazing films and work with such great actors."

"I've grown with every film and I hope that things get better and better,” he said.

Counted among the most promising actors, Rajkummar feels happy about the way audiences feel about him.

“I am really happy to know that the audience has so much faith in me,” he said.

The actor then disclosed that he cannot work under any kind of pressure. “I cannot work under any kind of pressure, I just give my best and wait for good things to happen,” he said.

He also makes sure to read every script that he receives and gives it a nod only when he feels connected to the script.

Survival has been an unexplored genre in Indian cinema and this is the first time that a film is being made on this genre. While shooting the film, the actor had to undergo a lot of physical transformation and even had a bizarre diet plan.

“Yes, I was on black coffee and carrot diet for several days as my character too in the film was surviving on these two things,” the actor said.

On being asked about the aftereffects of the diet, he said, “Yes it was difficult as on some days I use to blackout completely and it would take time for me to normalise.”

The Aligarh actor not only changed his diet plan but slit his finger and gave his blood for a particular scene where his character was required to write a note with his own blood.

Rajkummar, whose film Aligarh and Shahid has born the wrath of the CBFC, expressed his displeasure over the way the film board functions in India.

“It is sad the way it functions here, according to me the audience should be left to decide what they want to watch and what they don’t want. It is entirely up to them whether they want to watch a particular film. Let them be the decision-makers. What happened with Udta Punjab is really unfortunate,“ he shared.

Rajkummar, who was born in Gurgaon and is a Delhi University graduate, believes that the industry is good to outsiders. “I don’t think an outsider is ill-treated in the industry. In fact, it is great to be a part of this industry at this point of time.I was an outsider and today here I am giving interviews about the film,“ said the Guragon born actor.

Although he has a very quiet demeanor, when it comes to expressing his views, the actor doesn’t mince his words,

“There is favoritism but as long as there is great talent on screen one shouldn’t have a problem. If favoritism is there for some really talented people then I don’t mind as I am very happy seeing great talent on screen but if it is there for someone who is not worthy then it is a problem,“ the actor said.

Talking about the kind of movies he looks forward to doing, the actor said,” I am looking forward to every kind of role that is offered to me. I don’t wish to be typecast and I want to explore every genre.” On being asked whether he would do a Dharma Productions kind of love story, the gleeful actor replied, “Yes! Why not? I will definitely do it if it is offered to me.”
 

The US state of Kansas has recognised March 16 as 'Indian American Appreciation Day' to honour an Indian techie who was killed in February, 2017 in a racially-motivated hate crime.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar in Olathe on February 22 before yelling "get out of my country". Madasani and American national Ian Grillot were injured in the attack.

Asserting that the senseless act of violence "will not divided or define" the state, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said, "The unique contribution of Indian community has made Kansas a better place. We are very very thankful to them."

"These actions can never overshadow our shared values and believes, the dignity of mankind…We will continue to welcome and support the Indian community in the State of Kansas," Brownback said at an event in Topeka, the state capital.

Madasani and Grillot also attended the event to commemorate the life of Kuchibhotla.

Brownback publicly apologised for the loss of life and injury to Madasani.

"I'd like to thank Ian Grillot for his heroic efforts to intervene, and I wish Alok and Ian both a speedy recovery," he said at the event during which he issued a proclamation to recognise March 16 as the 'Indian American Appreciation Day'.

"We find peace in the Sanskrit mantra Satyamev Jayate or truth alone triumphs. With this proclamation today, I am declaring Indian American Day in the State of Kansas," the Governor said.

"This is a deplorable act that happened, We will not let it define us as people," he said.

"Srinivas, embodied what it means to be a Kansan," Brownback said, adding that his is a similar story of tens of thousands of Indian Americans who have called Kansas home over the generations.

"Moving forward, Kansas remain committed to standing with the Indian community. We will always reject the acts of violence and harm. We reject hatred in all its forms," he said.

Brownback said Kansas is committed to protect all its neighbours and its guests.

In his brief remarks, Madasani said the proclamation is an honour that Kuchibhotla would be proud of.

Meanwhile, India House, Houston held a candle light vigil to honour Kuchibhotla.

The US state of Kansas has recognised March 16 as 'Indian American Appreciation Day' to honour an Indian techie who was killed in February, 2017 in a racially-motivated hate crime.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed when 51-year-old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani at a bar in Olathe on February 22 before yelling "get out of my country". Madasani and American national Ian Grillot were injured in the attack.

Asserting that the senseless act of violence "will not divided or define" the state, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said, "The unique contribution of Indian community has made Kansas a better place. We are very very thankful to them."

"These actions can never overshadow our shared values and believes, the dignity of mankind…We will continue to welcome and support the Indian community in the State of Kansas," Brownback said at an event in Topeka, the state capital.

Madasani and Grillot also attended the event to commemorate the life of Kuchibhotla.

Brownback publicly apologised for the loss of life and injury to Madasani.

"I'd like to thank Ian Grillot for his heroic efforts to intervene, and I wish Alok and Ian both a speedy recovery," he said at the event during which he issued a proclamation to recognise March 16 as the 'Indian American Appreciation Day'.

"We find peace in the Sanskrit mantra Satyamev Jayate or truth alone triumphs. With this proclamation today, I am declaring Indian American Day in the State of Kansas," the Governor said.

"This is a deplorable act that happened, We will not let it define us as people," he said.

"Srinivas, embodied what it means to be a Kansan," Brownback said, adding that his is a similar story of tens of thousands of Indian Americans who have called Kansas home over the generations.

"Moving forward, Kansas remain committed to standing with the Indian community. We will always reject the acts of violence and harm. We reject hatred in all its forms," he said.

Brownback said Kansas is committed to protect all its neighbours and its guests.

In his brief remarks, Madasani said the proclamation is an honour that Kuchibhotla would be proud of.

Meanwhile, India House, Houston held a candle light vigil to honour Kuchibhotla.

Cricket enthusiasts in Asia are in for a big feast as Sri Lanka will host a tri-nation T20 series, featuring India and Bangladesh in March 2018.

“The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) technical committee and cricket committee is looking into it, but at the moment we would like it to be a T20 triangular — that’s what the agreement is,” SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said in a statement on Thursday.

However, Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour India ahead of the tri-series in 2018.

The series will include three Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is, though the SLC proposed to convert some of the ODIs into T20Is to gain some substantial monetary benefit from Asian clash.

“We made this appeal to India in about June or May last year,” Sumathipala added, emphasising that the shortest format of cricket might get them maximum profits.

Cricket enthusiasts in Asia are in for a big feast as Sri Lanka will host a tri-nation T20 series, featuring India and Bangladesh in March 2018.

“The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) technical committee and cricket committee is looking into it, but at the moment we would like it to be a T20 triangular — that’s what the agreement is,” SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said in a statement on Thursday.

However, Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour India ahead of the tri-series in 2018.

The series will include three Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is, though the SLC proposed to convert some of the ODIs into T20Is to gain some substantial monetary benefit from Asian clash.

“We made this appeal to India in about June or May last year,” Sumathipala added, emphasising that the shortest format of cricket might get them maximum profits.

The Madras High Court was on Friday informed that city police commissioner S George will appear before it on March 22 in connection with a contempt petition.

An undertaking to this effect was given before Justice N Kirubakaran by Additional Advocate General Venkatramani.

Recording the undertaking, the Judge posted the matter for March 22.

The judge had ordered the presence of the commissioner on a petition by Pon Thangavel for allegedly not complying with the court's earlier directive to provide him protection.

The court had ordered protection to Thangavel after he had filed a petition seeking action against city corporation councillor V Annamalai for declaring in his electoral affidavit that he does not have any property though he and his family allegedly owned 12 immovable assets.

The Income Tax department, which was ordered to hold an inquiry into assets owned by Annamalai, recently submitted a report stating that the councillor and his family owned properties worth Rs.4 crore.

When the matter came up on Thursday the judge had flayed the attitude of officers in not complying with the judicial orders and summoned S George to appear before it in a contempt petition.

Facebook videos continue to dominate the social media, driving growth, engagement and media consumption, a new report has said.

Social media analytics platform Quintly examined 167,000 profiles during the last six months of 2016 and found that 47 per cent of those profiles used video of some sort in their Facebook campaigns, including video from any source and Facebook Live video. 

"Of those profiles, 90 per cent use Facebook's native video tools, 30 per cent preferred YouTube and 9 per cent used Vimeo or other sources such as proprietary players," the study noted.

According to a report in Adweek on Thursday, Facebook's video dominance becomes even clearer when looking at individual posts as nearly 85 per cent of posts on Facebook use the social network's native video, while YouTube represented just over 10 per cent of posts and Vimeo and other sources accounted for less than 5 per cent.

In terms of average interaction rate between Facebook and YouTube, Facebook showed a lead of almost 110 per cent during the last six months of 2016. 

Some of the videos on Facebook were shared 4.5 times more than YouTube videos.

During the period of study, Facebook native videos had on average a 477.76 per cent higher share rate compared to Youtube videos and the number of shares increased in December 2016 to over 1055.41 per cent.

"Through Facebook Live videos, Facebook users — consisting of private accounts and businesses — have the ability to directly engage with their audience by discussing topics in real-time," the study noted.

Scores of municipal sanitation workers on Friday staged a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence here, demanding payment of their salaries and arrears.

The safai karmacharis from the corporations raised slogans near the 6 Flagstaff House in Civil Lines area, partially obstructing the flow of traffic in the street.

"We have been telling time and again that our salary and arrear issues be resolved comprehensively but we are stuck between the AAP government and the BJP-led corporations.

"We have assembled here today to demand from Kejriwal that a meeting of the three municipal commissioners be called by him and the issue be resolved once and for all," Mazdoor Vikas Samyukta Morcha president Sanjay Gehlot said.

He said the workers have also threatening to go on an "indefinite" strike if their demands were not met.

"We have not got our due salaries and arrears and we will continue to protest till we don't," he said.

Gehlot claimed employees from all three civic bodies took part in the protest outside Kejriwal's residence.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had in late February approved a loan of Rs.200 crore to the cash-strapped North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) for payment of its employees' salaries.

In January, he had announced a fresh fund of Rs.119 crore to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).

The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was trifurcated in 2012 into NDMC, SDMC and EDMC.

AAP government has said that adequate fund has been given by it to the three corporations, which have "not been properly utilised" by the MCD.

Gehlot alleged that despite announcement of release of funds, "workers have not received it."

The government in Lok Sabha recently had said that salaries of sanitation workers in NDMC have been paid till January.

"The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has informed that there is no pendency of disbursement of salary to its employees.

"The salary of EDMC employees other than sanitation staff are reportedly pending for January and February 2017," the Centre had said in the Lower House.

The international terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS) in their newly released graphic showed India’s heritage monument Taj Mahal as their next possible target.

The graphic, which showed an image of Taj Mahal watermarked with an ISIS militant standing next to it was posted by the Ahwaal Ummat Media Center, according to reports.

Site Intelligence Group, known to track jihadi activities on the web has confirmed the report.

The symbolic poster was released after a week Indian forces carried out a 12-hour anti-terror operation in Uttar Pradesh where one accused Saifullah was killed and six others were arrested.

Saifullah, allegedly linked to ISIS, was involved in the Ujjain-Bhopal train blast on March 7 where at least 10 people were injured.

Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian was photographed wearing a skimpy top sans lingerie as she stepped out for a lunch date with her mother Kris and sister Kendall Jenner.

Kourtney flaunted ample cleavage in an almost see-through top with a tracksuit bottom and a pair of strappy heels, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Kendall looked ravishing donning a yellow top with lacy neckline and matching baggy trousers. She completed her chic look with a matching clutch bag and huge hoop earrings. Meanwhile, their mother Kris went all black with simple black top, trousers and black jacket. 

In yet another setback for the Congress in Goa, party leader Savio Rodrigues on Friday resigned, expressing deep concern over the party’s decision not to go to the state governor to form government.

"I have resigned from the Congress. I am too small a voter to merit even a phone call," Rodrigues said in a series of tweets.

"Alliance or non-alliance. We got enough numbers. Did we not fail to go the governor or elect leader," he said in another tweet.

His resignation comes a day after Congress MLA Vishajit Rane resigned from the party and the Assembly in Goa, complaining against the party's functioning in the state.

State party leaders have expressed concern over the party leadership, especially Digvijaya Singh, for wasting the mandate won by the MLAs.

The Congress failed to form government despite winning 17 of the 40 seats in Goa.

All opposition members other than the Congress joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form government under Manohar Parrikar.

Parrikar on Thursday won the trust vote with 22 MLAs backing his government. The Congress managed to get the support of only 16 legislators.

US President Donald Trump's administration will appeal rulings by two federal judges who blocked his second attempt to institute a travel ban, media reports said.

"We intend to appeal the flawed rulings," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in his daily press briefing on Thursday, referring to temporary stays issued by federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland.

Spicer said Trump had the authority to impose a 90-day ban on the issuance of visas to people from six Muslim-majority countries…and halt the US refugee program for 120 days, Efe news reported.

"The danger (of terrorists entering the US) is real. And the law is clear," said the White House spokesman.

He added that the Trump administration was exploring all available options to vigorously defend the revised executive order.

Trump's original travel ban suspended US entry for all refugees as well as travellers from a group of Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Imposed on January 27, the travel ban also was blocked by a federal judge.

Among the alterations made in the revised order were the removal of Iraq from the list of targeted nations and an exemption for lawful permanent residents and travellers who obtained US visas ahead of the January 27 announcement.

The revised order also does not indefinitely bar Syrian refugees from entering the US.

The federal judges who issued the latest stays found that Trump's order did not offer solid evidence of a terrorist threat and was unconstitutional because it discriminated against people on the basis of their religion.

The 20th Gollapudi Srinivas National Award for the Best Debut Film of 2016 was bagged by Hemanth Rao for his critically-acclaimed Kannada drama Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, the organisers announced on Friday.

According a statement, the film was selected from 20 nominations across the country from many languages.

The film revolves around Venkob Rao, played fittingly by veteran actor Anant Nag, a middle-aged man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, going missing. His son embarks on a journey to search for him with a female doctor.

Established in 1998, The Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Foundation presents the award each year in the memory of Gollapudi Srinivas, a young director, who tragically passed away in an accident during the shoot of his maiden Telugu film in 1992.

The award is announced annually on March 17 and presented on August 12. It includes a cash prize of Rs.150,000.

Over the years, several first-time filmmakers such as Shonali Bose, Aamir Khan, Ram Madhvani and Anusha Rizvi among others have won this award.

Actor Chris Hemsworth thought he had been fired when his Marvel character Thor didn't appear in Captain America: Civil War.

The 2016 movie featured most of the cast of Marvel's ensemble cast The Avengers, including Captain America played by Chris Evans, Iron Man essayed by Robert Downey Jr, Black Widow by Scarlett Johansson and Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner, but Thor did not make an appearance.

Speaking about his omission from the script, Chris told Entertainment Weekly magazine: "I was like, 'What? Are we being fired?' Marvel quickly reassured us, 'No you guys have got your own journey going on, and in order for that to work you can't be a part of this one.' Look, it turned out just perfect because we got to do a whole different kind of thing we wouldn't have able to do otherwise."

Thor's absence from Captain America: Civil War comes as the superhero is set to be involved in his own adventure when his third solo venture Thor: Ragnarok hits screens in November this year, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The movie will see the return of Hemsworth as the crown prince of Asgard, joined by his adoptive brother and nemesis Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston.

Hemsworth is also set to star in the third instalment of the ensemble movie series, when "Avengers: Infinity War" lands in theatres 2018.

McDonald's on Friday tendered apology to US President Donald Trump for criticising him in a tweet, saying the account was hacked by an external source.

"You (Trump) are actually a disgusting excuse of a President and we would love to have Barack Obama back, also you have tiny hands," the hacked tweet said.

Though the tweet was deleted quickly after it was posted but before that it got attention of many people and was retweeted by more than 1,000 times.

“Based on our investigation, we have determined that our Twitter account was hacked by an external source,” McDonald's said, adding, “We took swift action to secure it, and we apologise for the tweet as it was sent through our corporate McDonald’s account."

Fruits make up a healthy diet and fruity slushes are loved by people of all ages. When we talk about healthy​ food with taste and sweetness, fruits top the list. They are a storehouse of nutrients and antioxidants, which can fight diseases, provide energy and improve overall health. But if your kids find them little boring, make them interesting.

Including fruits in your child’s daily diet can strengthen their body’s immunity and boost their health. Here are 10 fruity recipes in the form of slushes and smoothies your kids would love.

Slushes –

Watermelon slush: Put chopped and deseeded one cup of watermelon cubes in a high-powered blender along with little ice and few drops of lemon. Blend on high speed until the ice is crushed and fruit is blended. Add few mint leaves while blending to give a special flavour.

Strawberry slush: Put one cup of chopped strawberries with half cup of ice cubes and little honey. Blend until all the ingredients blend smoothly. You may add basil leaves to give a yummy punch.

Litchi slush: Put one cup of chopped litchis after removing the seeds in a blender. Add half cup of ice. Blend till litchis and ice are completely crushed that can be sipped.

Mango slush: Put one cup of mango pieces with half cup of ice in a blender. Process until the ice is completely crushed and mango is blended smooth. You may add vanilla flavour to enhance the taste.

Kiwi slush: Put one cup of peeled and diced kiwis in a high-powered blender, adding half cup of ice and little honey. Blend till all the ingredients are crushed properly. Add few lemon drops to give a bit of lemonade feel.

Smoothies –

Mango and pineapple smoothie: Take half cup of diced mango and pineapple. Blend them together, adding little milk and ice until smooth.

Berries smoothie: Take half cup of strawberries, one-fourth cup of blueberries and one-fourth cup of raspberries. Add one tablespoon of honey, little milk and few cubes of ice. Blend until smooth.

Muskmelon and cherry smoothie: Take one cup of diced muskmelon and 10 to 12 cherries (deseeded). Blend them smooth, adding little ice and apple juice.

Banana and kiwi smoothie: Take half banana and half cup of peeled and diced kiwi. Add little milk and ice in it. Blend all until smooth.

Apple smoothie: Put one cup of peeled and diced apple in a blender along with little pomegranate juice and few ice-cubes. Blend until smooth.

These drinks are heavenly. The temperature will start to rise soon. To beat the heat and give your kids a complete fruity nutrition, we have come up with these easy solutions. Incorporate these sweet and luscious drinks and fruit salads full of nourishing goodness in their daily diet.