Ram Charan’s wife Upasana Konidela is now a proud awardee of the very famous and prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for her great contribution as a Philantropist of the Year.
Upasana flaunted her Award trophy and she tweeted that she is really humbled and dedicates this award to all the positive people around her and who keeps her motivating everyday with messages on social media.
Many heroes who have no connection with the film industry click with their first film itself. And then, only some of them prove their mettle over time, picking engaging scripts over money-earning projects. Slowly and steadily, such heroes emerge as star heroes.
Whether it is Megastar Chiranjeevi then, or Natural Star Nani now, it’s the same case. Along with Nani, we have seen many young heroes popping up in Tollywood, but most of them are currently in a bad phase as either they have no films in hand, or they are failing to score even with at least one film. So, what sets Nani apart from them?
While most of the young heroes tried to build a glass palace around themselves by projecting themselves as box office spinners, Nani has built his palace with bricks, thereby giving confidence to his producers that he is a tough warrior who could make even an unworking story work at the box office. Unfortunately, when Nani is rising, glass palaces of many heroes got shattered, thereby giving a message.
If you want to rise to the top, earlier you used to work like Chiranjeevi, now work like Nani. Otherwise, there is no shortcut to reach the top. And the success of Jersey only reflects the brick buildings we are talking about.
Tollywood has witnessed a weird sentiment. Anyone who makes a successful directorial debut, will fall short of expectations with his second film.
Very recently, director Venky Atluri received a jolt in the form of ‘Mr. Majnu.’ His first film ‘Tholi Prema’ was runaway hit and then it happened. But two young directors broke this trend.
Well, they are Majili and Jersey directors, Shiva Nirvana and Gautam Tinnanuri respectively.
‘Majili’ was an emotional romantic drama. It appealed to the young and family audience while ‘Jersey’ is being reckoned as an authentic sports drama in Telugu for the first time.
‘Majili’ gave a much needed success to hero Naga Chaitanya and it also went on to gross Rs 50 crore at the box office.
Natural Star Nani too tasted success after delivering average grosses.
So the second film sentiment proves that content is the King and audience are not to be blamed here.
Abhishek Bachchan, who is currently on a vacation in Maldives with his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and their daughter Aaradhya, shared an absolutely stunning picture of Aishwarya from their beach dinner date.
“Honey and the moon,” he captioned the post, which marked their 12th wedding anniversary.
Aishwarya was dressed in a blue maxi accessorised with a clunky necklace. The picture has over 2.5 lakh likes while the comments section is filled with compliments for the Jazbaa actress.
Abhishek had also shared snippets of their vacation on his Instagram story.
On the other hand, so far Aishwarya has only shared a picture of the beautiful Maldives view from the Niyama Private Islands in Maldives.
Conventional wisdom has it that the current polls will not produce a clear-cut result as in 2014.
The reason is that there is no definite trend for or against any party at the national level although such tendencies are there in some states such as Tamil Nadu.
However, in the absence of an all-India “wave”, neither of the two main groups of protagonists – the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the parties in the “secular” camp – is expected easily to cross the half-way mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The general assumption is that the NDA may barely cross the finishing line or just fall short while the BJP will not get a majority of its own although it is likely to emerge as the largest party.
In that event, there is every possibility of the BJP being given the first chance by the President to form a government. Furthermore, there will be no difficulty for it if the NDA has a majority.
However, the thinness of the NDA’s lead over the other parties can pose a problem. For instance, the critics are bound to interpret the NDA’s slender majority as a virtual rejection by the voters of its legitimacy in view of the fall in its seats from the present 336.
There is a political need, therefore, for the BJP to repeat its 2014 performance if the party wants to persist with its current dominance.
The scene will obviously be even worse for the BJP if the NDA is unable to get a majority and there is a hung parliament. It has been suggested that it will then have to look for potential allies to cross the magical figure of 272.
In this context, several names are already in the air, such as those of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and the rising Andhra Pradesh leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, although both have been critical of the BJP.
Rao, for instance, had once taken the initiative to constitute a non-BJP, non-Congress federal front in Mamata Banerjee’s company, but the project went nowhere.
Reddy is at present too focussed on his battles with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to pay much attention to national politics. But he appears to have decided to keep his lines open for both the BJP and the Congress.
Another party whose name has figured in the speculation is that of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a one-time ally of the BJP which is now engaged in trying to maintain its dominance in Odisha against a combative BJP which has replaced the Congress as the BJD’s main opponent in the state.
At the all-India level, the BJD’s position is for maintaining equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. However, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is of the view that he will go with that party at the centre which will show special consideration for the state.
It doesn’t take much perspicacity to believe that if push comes to shove for the BJP, struggling to maintain the NDA’s majority in the Lok Sabha, it will listen to Odisha’s plea for help with greater sympathy.
Given such possibilities, it is obvious that the BJP will not be able to display the kind of chutzpah that it does at present. It is bound to be far more subdued, a posture it adopted recently when concluding pre-poll seat arrangements with the Shiv Sena, the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party.
How will the national opposition fare in these circumstances? For a start, it will have to accept the inconvenient truth about itself that an inability to get its act together to stand united against the BJP made it lose the race.
Moreover, the ego hassles among its senior leaders which scuttled the earlier talks about forming a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) with a single opposition candidate against the BJP in every constituency will continue to help the BJP retain its hold on power.
The only card which the opposition can play even in its fractured state is to assert that the 2014 outcome was an aberration caused up by two factors – the unexpected rise of Narendra Modi as a popular leader and the equally unexpected collapse of the Congress because of corruption – an old malady – and policy paralysis, a new affliction.
In the absence of either one or the other of these two factors, the scene would have been different. In a way, this is what appears to be happening at present, with the BJP losing some of its earlier momentum and the Congress partly recovering its old self under a new leadership.
From this aspect, there has been a return to a more or less level playing field with a slight tilt in the BJP’s favour. But the opposition can make good the lost ground if the BJP is foxed by the complexities of a hung parliament.
Telangana, which witnessed hectic election schedule for the last few weeks, is gearing up for yet another electoral battle.
The Telangana State Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for the conduct of the elections to Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs and MPTCs).
Elections will be held for the posts of 5,817 MPTCs and 583 ZPTCs in three phases – the first phase on May 6, second phase on May 10 and the final phase on May 14.
The notification will be released on April 22, calling for nominations from the same day. For the first time, nominations can be filed online, apart from manually.
As many as 1.56 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise through ballot papers in 32,007 polling stations spread across the State.
The polling stations would be set up in 13,651 locations while the authorities have decided to set up 510 distribution centres and 129 counting centres to facilitate smooth conduct of the polls.
According to the schedule, elections would be held for 212 ZPTCs and 2,365 MPTCs in the first phase on May 6.
The notification for the second phase, covering 199 ZPTCs and 2,109 MPTCs, is expected to be issued on April 26 and polling would be held on May 10 and the notification for the third and final phase for elections to 124 ZPTCs and 1,343 MPTCs is likely to be issued on April 30 with May 14 as polling day.
The counting of votes for all the three phases will be held on May 27.
Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday took exception to the Election Commission imposing restrictions on his review meetings and wondered if the Model Code of Conduct applies only to Andhra Pradesh.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to hold review meetings with the Intelligence Bureau and other departments and the poll panel has imposed no bar on him.
“Why there are restrictions only on Andhra Pradesh,” asked Naidu. He said if there were rules governing the review meetings, they should apply to all.
Reiterating the allegation that the Election Commission was working at the behest of Modi, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President said the poll body should work for India and not for Modi.
Naidu, who turned 69 on Saturday, was addressing a news conference here.
The Chief Minister said his fight was not against the EC but the manner in which it was functioning. He urged the poll body not to make mockery of democracy through its actions.
Naidu said the helicopters of the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Odisha were searched but when an official searched the chopper of Modi, he was suspended.
The TDP chief said the democratic institutions were under threat and the Modi government was even trying to misuse the Election Commission.
Naidu recently held a review meeting on Polavaram project and state capital infrastructure works which did not go down well with the Election Commission.
On a complaint by YSR Congress Party, the Election Commission told the state government that it cannot hold meetings as the Model Code of Conduct still stands in the state.
Recalling that he started his political journey during student days from Tirupati, Naidu since then he had been fighting for justice and working hard with honesty.
Congress leader and former lady superstar Vijayashanti is returning to films. This is no more a gossip or speculation.
She has officially given her nod to the role offered by director Anil Ravipudi for Mahesh Babu’s movie.
Vijayashanti took time to decide about the role. Now that Lok Sabha elections were concluded in Telangana, she is ready to make a comeback. Vijayashanti has signed the film officially.
Vijayashanti ruled Telugu film industry as the top actress in the 90’s. She used to get pay check in the range of then top male stars.
The reason why she agreed this movie is that the role is unique. Hers will have huge importance in the film.
However, she is not going to play mother’s role as everyone is assuming. Vijayashanti also is fond of Mahesh Babu as he had acted her son when he was kid.
Tall and lean beauty, Rakul Preet Singh, has always been admired for her great figure. Her latest body transformation left many in awe as she lost quite a few pounds. Her recent public appearances mesmerized everyone and many have feasted their eyes on her for her unprecedented makeover.
The actress posted the latest gym video where she is seen doing high-intensity cardio workouts. Rakul has absolutely nailed it and we can see how she is loving her sweat-hour. The video provided much-needed motivation for netizens and people started commented over her unmatched dedication levels.
Rakul looked very active and sober as she focused on her exercises. In her gym-attire, Rakul also captioned the video, “Fitness is not about being thin it’s about being healthy, fit and high on energy .. releasing toxins from your body .. so burn and sweat it out”.
The actress was last seen in NTR Kathanayakudu in a prestigious role of playing late Sridevi in NTR’s life story. She is currently busy with Bollywood’s De De Pyaar De opposite Ajay Devgn and Telugu’s most-awaited flick Manmadhudu 2 with evergreen Nagarjuna.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwbVSqMHVWq/?utm_source=ig_embed
Indian cricketers, Hardik Pandya and Lokesh Rahul who were in headlines for their controversial remarks on a popular TV chat show, received another shock from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Hardik and Rahul were fined Rs 20 lakh each by the BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain.
The Supreme Court appointed Ombudsman further said Rahul and Hardik will further face no punishment as they have issued an unconditional written apology to the BCCI. The fine that was laid on both the cricketers will have to be made within four weeks from the day of it is issued.
The fine of Rs 20 Lakh includes a payment of Rs 1 lakh each to widows of ten constables of Para-military forces who have lost their lives while on duty, through ‘Bharat Ke Veer App.’ And another Rs 10 Lakh each for the fund created by the Cricket Association for the blind.
Many heroes who have no connection with the film industry click with their first film itself. And then, only some of them prove their mettle over time, picking engaging scripts over money-earning projects. Slowly and steadily, such heroes emerge as star heroes.
Whether it is Megastar Chiranjeevi then, or Natural Star Nani now, it’s the same case. Along with Nani, we have seen many young heroes popping up in Tollywood, but most of them are currently in a bad phase as either they have no films in hand, or they are failing to score even with at least one film. So, what sets Nani apart from them?
While most of the young heroes tried to build a glass palace around themselves by projecting themselves as box office spinners, Nani has built his palace with bricks, thereby giving confidence to his producers that he is a tough warrior who could make even an unworking story work at the box office. Unfortunately, when Nani is rising, glass palaces of many heroes got shattered, thereby giving a message.
If you want to rise to the top, earlier you used to work like Chiranjeevi, now work like Nani. Otherwise, there is no shortcut to reach the top. And the success of Jersey only reflects the brick buildings we are talking about.
Other day’s release, Nani’s Jersey has also received a unanimous positive talk from all the quarters. And that made this April 2019 a fulfilling one as the likes of Majili and Chitralahari have earlier done a good job. But here is a demand from one particular section of audiences.
Whether it is Chaitanya and Samantha in Majili, Sai Dharam in Chitralahari or Nani in Jersey, all these lead actors not only played the roles of underdogs but also made audiences shed tears at some parts. They made sure that audiences will get choked with the emotional content and that led to the success of these films at the box office.
But an overdose of sweet will always taste bitter, and a section of audiences are now expecting Tollywood to deliver some F2 like movies where they could simply laugh and go. Because watching these emotional films back to back in the same month might have burdened their heart. They are now saying ‘Chaalu Baboi’.
However, talk is that even Mahesh Babu’s Maharshi is also an emotional treat only if we have to believe reports.
When it comes to the name Disha Patani, we always remember her for those lingerie pictures where she slips into Calvin Klien outfits and stuns the internet with her hottest curves. But other day, this stunner hasn’t shared yet another saucy teasing picture.
Surprisingly after sharing the first look of her upcoming film Bharat, where she shares the screen with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani has revealed an interesting thing about her sister. Sharing a picture of Kushboo Patani, this Loafer beauty revealed that her sibling is a Lieutenant in the Indian armed forces.
In her Instagram story, the actress shared this picture adding that she loves her sister’s dedication a lot. Actually, there are many heroines in Bollywood who come from army backdrop as their parents and siblings still serving the nation. The long list of Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Preity Zinta and much more, now see the name Disha added to it.
On film’s front, Disha is expecting that Salman’s Bharat will change her fortunes when the film releases on June 5th this year, while she’s part of Mohi Suri’s upcoming Malang as well which releases on Feb 14, 2020.
Back in the late 80s and 90s, we have to say that life is a different game altogether. While the whole of the communication system is different, also there are very few brands when it comes to chocolates, soft drinks and other eateries as foreign brands are not allowed to directly sell their products in India without local partners.
While some rich brats used to enjoy Gold Spot like soft drinks, others used to drink to local made Badam Milk. This is a favourite soft drink of many, and people used to count how many pieces of almond they got in their drink. There is a similar scene in Jersey where comedian Praveen counts the almonds in his bottle compared to that of Nani’s bottle.
This scene made many of the guys in mid-30s and early 40s quite nostalgic as most of them used to behave in the same way back then. Generally, films showcase only products of that time, but here in Jersey, director Gautham Tinnanuri has also shown the behaviour in the same way. That’s what heart touching, we have to say!
A former junior Court assistant, who worked between 2014 to 2018, accused the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual assault in an affidavit addressed to the Supreme Court on April 19, 2019.
She has alleged that after the sexual harassment happened on Oct 11, 2018, she was abruptly detained from her post. The Supreme Court has responded today and all the allegations have been denied. The decision says that the officer’s claims contradict the complaint and that there was never any occasion for the CJI to interact with her. Talking about her termination, the statement was passed that the officer was dismissed from service as per the procedure.
The whole accusations were labelled as “false and scurrilous”. The affidavit that she submitted to SC included the apparent victimisation of she, her husband and family members underwent over the past few months.
If speculation in Telangana is to be believed, then Telangana Chief Minister and TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao is trying his best to ensure that other party MLAs who have supported the pink party from outside are really sure to resign. Apparently, the TRS chief discussed on the party strategy and plans for the upcoming MPTC and ZPTC elections along with the new revenue law he is planning to implement in the state, with local leaders, legislators and party cadre at Telangana Bhavan.
Additionally, he also wanted to meet leaders from other parties who extended support to the pink party who couldn’t attend the meeting at Telangana Bhavan. So, the TRS chief is said to have rushed to his Camp Office and met these MLAs from Congress and TDP there. In the meeting the TRS chief discussed with them in detail about their interest in the party and whether they were really willing to resign their party and join the TRS.
Meanwhile, the TRS’ plans of removing Telugu Desam Legislative Party and Congress Legislative Party have fallen flat as Aswaraopeta MLA Mecha Nageswara Rao from the TDP did not resign the party while Satthupalli MLA, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, had resigned but hasn’t joined the TRS yet. Similarly, other Congress leaders too have resigned their party membership but haven’t joined the Pink Party bandwagon.
With these MLAs still not joining the TRS, KCR is making sure that they are on his side at a time when the party did not do well in the MLC elections and is now preparing for local body polls. So, the speculation in Telangana’s political circles is that whether KCR is slowly exposing his fears of dwindling support within the TRS.
Other day, Jr NTR has tweeted big time about Nani’s Jersey and commented that the film is a ‘brilliant’ one. And a time when there is criticism that he hasn’t even tweeted a word about NTR biopics in the last January and February, one wonders why he might have put tweets for Jersey.
The big hook that people are talking about is, generally for Jr NTR’s films and Kalyan Ram’s movies, there is this ‘warning/advice’ card at the start of a film where Jr NTR’s voice asks audiences to drive slowly, carefully and responsibly such that the accidents that happened in their family won’t happen with others. And now, ‘Jersey’ film has seen the same voiceover card.
At the same time, the actor tweeted just hours after the film’s release that he liked it immensely. And then, the banner animation of Sithara Entertainment features legendary NTR’s images all over, giving rise to a doubt, as to what is the connection between NTR, Jr NTR and this producer.
Joining these dots, many now feel that maybe Jr NTR is just showing his love for his Aravinda Sametha producer, whose Haarika & Haasini Creations is a mother firm of Sithara Entertainment.
