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Applause Entertainment Announces New Series On Mahatma Gandhi Starring Pratik Gandhi

May 19, 2022 by www.filmibeat.com Leave a Comment

Applause Entertainment announces its most ambitious series yet… a sweeping tale of Indian Independence seen through the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi! The content studio acquired the rights to the two most definitive books on ‘Gandhi’ authored by noted historian Ramachandra Guha.

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Truth, love, non-violence and an iron-willed determination, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi are timeless. He was a great leader, a symbol of peace and a marvel of humanity, who with his extraordinary deeds changed the course of Indian history, and impacted generations of leaders all over the world.

Bringing alive the period of Indian Independence through the lens of our greatest freedom fighters, Applause Entertainment, a venture of Aditya Birla Group announces a monumental biopic on the life of ‘Gandhi’. Based on the writings of renowned historian and author – Ramachandra Guha, a premium, multi-season series will be adapted from his two books – ‘Gandhi Before India’ and ‘Gandhi – The Years that Changed the World’. The series will be produced at global standards for a worldwide audience and shot extensively across several Indian and International locations.

Applause Entertainment is delighted to cast Pratik Gandhi to essay the role of the great Mahatma, to recreate the amazing life and times of India’s greatest modern icon and the father figure of the Indian freedom movement.

From his earliest days to his actions in South Africa to the great struggle in India, the series will tell the lesser known stories of his life which played an important role in shaping young Gandhi into a Mahatma. It will also tell the stories of all his compatriots and contemporaries of the freedom movement, incredible personalities who, along with him, played an integral part in the shaping of what became free and modern India.

Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said, “Ramachandra Guha is a historian and storyteller par excellence, and we are honoured to adapt his classic books – Gandhi before India, and Gandhi – The Years That Changed the World – to screen. We couldn’t think of anyone better than the incredibly talented Pratik Gandhi to bring alive the Mahatma, and his philosophies of peace and love that shook the world. We believe that only a richly layered, multi season drama series will do real justice to Gandhi and to all the great personalities that embed the proud and illustrious history of India’s Freedom Struggle. This is a story of the birthing of modern India for a global audience.”

Renowned historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha said: ‘Gandhi’s work transformed the world, and his legacy still sparks the most intense debates. His life was an epic journey, played out across three great countries: India, England and South Africa. He fought nobly for freedom, for inter-faith harmony, and for the rights of the underprivileged. Along the way he made many friends and not a few enemies too. I am delighted that my books on Gandhi are now being adapted for this ambitious and exciting series being produced by Applause Entertainment. I am confident that it will bring the complex contours of Gandhi’s life and the moral essence of his teachings to viewers across the globe’.

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Says Pratik Gandhi, “I deeply believe in the Gandhian philosophy and his values that echo simplicity in its purest forms. Personally too, I strive to achieve and imbibe many of his qualities and teachings in my daily life. Moreover, playing the role of Mahatma is very close to my heart ever since my theatre days and now it is a huge honour to yet again essay the role of this legendary leader, on screen. I believe it’s a huge responsibility to essay this role with dignity, grace and conviction and I can’t wait to embark on this journey with Sameer Nair and his team at Applause.”

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IPL 2022 | Ambati Rayudu backtracks after announcing ‘IPL retirement’

May 14, 2022 by www.thehindu.com Leave a Comment

The unrest in Chennai Super Kings camp once again came to the forefront after senior batter Ambati Rayudu announced his “IPL retirement” on social media, only to backtrack within an hour after being talked out of it by the team management.

CSK are already out of play-off race with couple of matches left but already former skipper Ravindra Jadeja has gone home with a “bruised rib” but not before adding fuel to the speculations that he has had a fall-out with management after being told relinquish captaincy.

On Saturday morning, the 36-year-old former India white-ball player took to twitter to announce his decision.

“I am happy to announce that this will be my last ipl. I have had a wonderful time playing it and being a part of 2 great teams for 13 years. Would love to sincerely thank Mumbai Indians and Csk for the wonderful journey,” Rayudu had tweeted.

But within an hour, the post was deleted as CSK owners and team management were completely caught unawares about Rayudu’s decision which also raised questions about the communication channel in one of the most successful teams in IPL history.

“I can confirm that Ambati Rayudu is not retiring from IPL. Yes, he did tweet about it. May be it was in an emotional state he tweeted. He has been spoken to and subsequently deleted the tweet,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

It is not the first time Rayudu made U-turn from retirement decision. He made news following his “3 dimensional” tweet aimed at India selector MSK Prasad in the backdrop of his exclusion from World Cup 2019 squad.

Subsequently, Rayudu retired from international cricket in July the same year only to overturn his decision.

During his over-decade IPL career, Rayudu, an IPL legend, represented two franchises. He was first picked up by Mumbai Indians in 2010 after being granted amensty by BCCI to return to the main fold following his stint in the de-recognised Indian Cricket League in 2007 and stayed there till 2017.

Rayudu is one of the most successful players in the IPL as he has been part of the title-winning sides on five occasions (2013, 2015, 2017 with Mumbai Indians and 2018, 2021 with Chennai Super Kings).

In his entire IPL career, Rayudu, 36, accounted for 4,187 runs at an average of 29.28, scoring one century and 22 fifties.

The Hyderabad middle-order batter also is the 10th Indian to reach the milestone of 4,000 runs in IPL.

In the ongoing IPL season, Rayudu has scored 271 runs at a strike-rate of 124 but has often been seen struggling for fitness on the ground.

In the last IPL in the UAE, Rayudu scored 257 runs from 13 innings with a tournament-best of 72 not out. He was retained by CSK but later the four-time champions successfully picked his up for Rs 6.75 crore.

Rayudu played 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India, accumulating 1694 and 42 runs respectively. His best score in the ODIs is 124 not out against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in 2015.

Pregnant Sophie Turner enjoys some quality time with her daughter Willa, one, at an indoor playground in LA

May 19, 2022 by www.dailymail.co.uk Leave a Comment

Sophie Turner was seen soaking in some quality time with her daughter Willa, one, at Ball N Bounce Indoor playground in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

As she headed into a baby physical activity class, focused on helping kids refine their motor skills, the 26-year-old Survive star bared a glimpse of her baby bump in a cropped long sleeve and matching sweatpants.

The expectant star, who is due to give birth to her second child with her husband Joe Jonas this summer, completed her casual look with a pair of brown Yeezy slides and an olive green backpack.

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Doting mom: Sophie Turner was seen soaking in some quality time with her daughter Willa, one, at Ball N Bounce Indoor playground in LA

She wore her fiery red tresses in loose waves that cascaded past her shoulders and black sunglasses perched on top of her head.

Sophie Turner showcases her growing baby bump while enjoying… Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra steal kiss during softball…

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The Games of Thrones alum’s little girl wore a backwards green baseball cap, white graphic t-shirt and a pair of beige patterned pants.

While Willa carried a green balloon, her mom toted her other possessions, including a purple water bottle.

Fun day: As she headed into a baby physical activity class, focused on helping kids refine their motor skills, the 26-year-old Survive star bared a glimpse of her baby bump in a cropped long sleeve

Her latest sighting comes just weeks after she raved that the ‘greatest thing in life is seeing’ her ‘daughter go from strength to strength.’

‘We’re so excited to be expanding the family. It’s the best blessing ever,’ she continued.

The happy couple was initially linked after they were seen getting affectionate at a 2016 concert in the Netherlands.

Low profile: The expectant star, who is due to give birth to her second child this summer, completed her casual look with Yeezy slides

The singer was previously romantically involved with figures such as Taylor Swift and Gigi Hadid before he met his now-wife.

Turner and Jonas went on to announce that they had become engaged after a year of dating in October of 2017.

The couple shocked many when they held a wedding ceremony in Las Vegas in May of 2019.

Growing family: In March, reports emerged that Turner and Jonas were expecting another little one

The pair held a second wedding ceremony, which took place in France, later that year.

It was revealed that the X-Men: Apocalypse actress was pregnant with her first child in February of 2020.

Turner later gave birth to her firstborn that same July, and she and her husband have often been spotted while spending time with their daughter.

Earlier this month, the actress spoke out about how the pressure from starring in Game Of Thrones coupled with social media use ‘completely consumed’ her.

Going strong: Turner and Jonas went on to announce that they had become engaged after a year of dating in October of 2017

Sophie confessed that she has since distanced herself from Instagram as comments would make her feel ‘fat’ and ‘undesirable.’

Speaking in a candid interview with Elle magazine, Sophie revealed that she had a companion during her 2019 battle: ‘It’s a live-in therapist, who would ensure I wasn’t doing anything unhealthy with my eating habits.

‘One night, I was playing over and over in my mind a comment I’d seen on Instagram, I was like, “I’m so fat, I’m so undesirable,” and spinning out.’

Happier than ever: Since the end of her hit HBO series in 2019, Sophie has said motherhood was ‘the perfect thing to move on to’ (seen in late March)

Sophie explained how she had noticed social media was making her ‘incredibly anxious’ and has since distanced herself from the apps.

She continued: ‘I wish I’d never got myself involved with it in the first place. I look at the comments on Instagram and think, “Oh, f**k. Everyone thinks this about me.” It would completely consume me.’

Since the end of her hit HBO series in 2019, Sophie has said motherhood was ‘the perfect thing to move on to.’

Best chapter yet: Back in March of 2021, Sophie wrote on Instagram that being a mother was ‘my favourite job I’ve ever had’ (seen with Jonas earlier this month)

At the time, Sophie spoke out about her ongoing battle with mental health and depression in April 2019.

She revealed how she was forced to turn to therapy when film and TV studios pressured her to lose weight amid her woes.

Sophie made the admission during an interview with Marie Claire Australia, where she explained: ‘Everyone needs a therapist, especially when people are constantly telling you you’re not good enough and you don’t look good enough.

In character: Sophie recently admitted she found it hard to grow up on screen on HBO’s Game of Thrones (pictured), where she plays Sansa Stark, having started the show at just 13 years old

On set: She revealed how she was forced to turn to therapy when film and TV studios pressured her to lose weight amid her woes (Pictured during season one of Games Of Thrones)

‘I think it’s necessary to have someone to talk to and to help you through that.’

Back in March of 2021, Sophie wrote on Instagram that being a mother was ‘my favourite job I’ve ever had.’

That new job has taken some getting used to for the singer and the actress. In June, Joe admitted that his busy touring schedule made balancing family and work difficult.

Telling the world: The couple confirmed the news of their new arrival in a statement released in July 2020 that said they were ‘delighted to announce the birth of their baby’

‘It’s definitely a new experience now that we are all kind of back. I’m going on tour, she’s starting a project,’ he told E!’s DailyPop. ‘It’s going to be a lot of flying back and forth on days off, for me at least. It’s kind of a new territory.’

The couple confirmed the news of their new arrival in a statement released in July 2020 that said they were ‘delighted to announce the birth of their baby.’

Joe’s younger brother, Nick Jonas, and his wife, Priyanka Chopra, also recently became first-time parents as they welcomed a daughter via surrogacy.

Uncle and aunt: Joe’s younger brother, Nick Jonas, and his wife, Priyanka Chopra, also recently became first-time parents as they welcomed a daughter via surrogacy

Deal or no deal, Elon Musk could upend Twitter’s business for a long time

May 19, 2022 by edition.cnn.com Leave a Comment

New York (CNN Business) Nearly a month after Twitter agreed to sell itself to Elon Musk in a stunning $44 billion deal, the fate of the acquisition remains very much uncertain .

In recent days, Musk has said the deal “cannot move forward” until he sees more information about the amount of spam and fake accounts on the platform and has flippantly pushed back at careful explanations from Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on the matter.

Twitter ( TWTR ) , meanwhile, remains unwavering that the acquisition will go through. In a statement to CNN Business on Tuesday, the company said it intends “to close the transaction and enforce the merger agreement.”

Musk’s back-and-forth with the company is widely viewed as him setting the stage to renegotiate the offer price, or else back out of the deal entirely. No matter what happens next, however, one thing is certain: Musk has created a big mess for Twitter, the effects of which won’t be easily or quickly undone. And in the meantime, the company’s employees, users and shareholders hang in the balance.

Twitter board says it will ‘enforce the merger agreement’ despite Elon Musk’s latest move

In one scenario, Twitter is bracing for an innovative but erratic billionaire owner who is expected to cut some staff, overhaul the leadership team and potentially undo years of content moderation efforts with uncertain outcomes for advertisers, users and the morale of the staffers who remain.

In another scenario, Twitter faces the prospect of a prolonged legal battle with the world’s richest man if he tries to back out of the deal, not to mention the possibility of other acquirers coming out of the woodwork. The result could be unending background noise that adds to challenges for Twitter to hold on to staffers and regain momentum.

As Wedbush analyst Dan Ives put it on Friday, after the Tesla ( TSLA ) and SpaceX CEO first said he was putting the deal “temporarily on hold ” over the spam account issue, the “Twitter circus show” has morphed into a “Friday the 13th horror show.”

A prolonged fight

From the start, there have been doubts about the deal going through, including from Musk. Shortly after announcing his offer to buy Twitter last month, Musk said in an on-stage interview at the TED conference, “I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to acquire it.” Industry watchers have also questioned whether Musk will be able to finance the acquisition. The recent decline in Tesla shares, which he’s partly using to back his financing of the deal, has only added to those concerns.

Twitter’s stock has traded noticeably below the $54.20 per share Musk offered throughout the deal process, an indication of investor skepticism about the deal being completed or completed at that price. As of this week, Twitter stock has wiped out all the gains since Musk first disclosed taking a large stake in the company early last month.

With his latest public statements, Musk raised the possibility that Twitter has significantly undercounted the amount of spam and fake accounts on its platform in its quarterly disclosures, though he has yet to provide evidence to support that claim. In the process, some legal experts say, Musk appears to be trying to lay the groundwork to argue inaccurate information would constitute a “material adverse event,” which might entitle him to back away from the deal.

But the bar for such a claim is high. Twitter has made the same boilerplate disclosure — that spam accounts make up less than 5% of its active users — for many quarters. Moreover, a recent securities filing from Twitter revealed that Musk waived due diligence before making his offer to buy Twitter. That concerns over spam may squash the deal is all the more curious considering Musk said part of his motivation to acquire Twitter in the first place was to rid it of such accounts.

Elon Musk has been raising doubts about his ability to complete the takeover of Twitter since the day he and the company announced the deal.

Should Musk ultimately try to back out of the deal, he could be on the hook for a $1 billion breakup fee. He could also effectively open the door to litigation from Twitter to enforce the terms of the merger agreement and compel him to buy the company.

Brian Quinn, a professor at Boston College Law School, told CNN Business that Twitter is in “a very strong legal position” if it tried to go to court and force the deal on the original terms. But there are still business risks here for Twitter in going that route, which could push the company to negotiate a somewhat lower deal price.

As Wedbush’s Ives put it: “Then it gets caught in the courts for 12 to 18 months. It’s a significant overhang on Twitter, and it becomes just a fiasco as they’re basically just caught up in this circus show.”

Twitter and Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Challenges for Twitter either way

Even if the deal is completed, the company could still be in for a period of significant turbulence.

Musk has said he plans to remove content restrictions on the platform in the name of what he calls “free speech,” by which he has said he means all legal speech in the various markets in which Twitter operates. Musk has also said he would restore former President Donald Trump’s account on the platform and do away with many of the permanent bans that Twitter and other platforms have used to handle repeat violators of their rules.

Such steps could move Twitter closer to some less moderated social media sites popular with conservatives that have yet to gain significant traction, in part, some say, because many users and advertisers prefer not to be on platforms rife with harmful content like misinformation and harassment.

“The places which are just cesspools of no content moderation have not taken off,” said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame. Thus, there could be conflict between Musk’s stated goal to grow Twitter’s business and his plans for how to handle content moderation.

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If the deal doesn’t go through, Twitter could still face renewed scrutiny of its business, its spam accounting methods and its content moderation decisions, after Musk has spent weeks criticizing the company on these fronts.

For much of its life as a public company, Twitter has struggled to grow its audience and to boost its stock price. Prior to Musk taking a stake last month, Twitter’s stock was trading below the closing price from its first day of trading more than eight years ago.

If the deal collapses, it may only reignite investor pressure on Twitter to bolster growth — and to do so at a time when the broader tech sector is struggling. It also raises the possibility of other acquirers attempting to scoop up the company at a discount from what Musk offered.

In a regulatory filing this week, Twitter said its board had considered whether to reach out to other companies about a potential acquisition. It opted not to because Musk’s offer had been publicly disclosed and because “other parties were unlikely to have the interest in, or capability to, acquire Twitter … based on the regulatory, financing and other execution risks applicable to each party discussed.”

Those unknowns risk adding to the apparent chaos and uncertainty already generated by Musk’s takeover inside Twitter.

“If I’m an employee right now, I’m probably throwing my resume around, looking around for new jobs,” said Angelo Zino, senior industry analyst at CFRA research. “In a situation like this, you could potentially lose some great talent.”

In fact, Twitter already has. The company confirmed to CNN Business this week that three senior employees have left the company. Twitter also said last week it had implemented a partial hiring freeze and parted ways with two longtime executives: general manager of consumer Kayvon Beykpour, and revenue product lead Bruce Falck.

Agrawal addressed on Twitter last week why a “‘lame duck’ CEO would make these changes if we’re getting acquired anyway” and the difficult state of the tech industry that the company is navigating.

“While I expect the deal to close, we need to be prepared for all scenarios and always do what’s right for Twitter,” he said. “Regardless of the company’s future ownership, we’re here improving Twitter as a product and business for customers, partners, shareholders, and all of you. … Our industry is in a very challenging macro environment — right now. I won’t use the deal as an excuse to avoid making important decisions for the health of the company, nor will any leader at Twitter.”

ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot – Full Card, date, timings, telecast & live streaming details

May 18, 2022 by www.mykhel.com Leave a Comment

In the main event of ONE 157, Petchmorakot Petchyindee defends the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title against Jimmy Vienot, while Prajanchai PK.Saenchai puts the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship on the line versus Joseph Lasiri.

Apart from the two title bouts, the event will also feature the quarter-finals of Muay Thai Flyweight World Grand Prix – two on the main card and two on the lead card.

Top-ranked contender Jonathan Haggerty will face Walter Goncalves, while current World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will compete against Jacob Smith in the main card.

Also on the main card, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Ruotolo brothers – Tye and Kade will also have their ONE debuts in a pair of submission grappling matches. While Kade faces former ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki, Tye will face #4-ranked featherweight contender Garry Tonon.

In the main card opener, Brazilian heavyweights clash in a mixed martial arts bout as Marcus Almeida takes on Hugo Cunha after the close of the lead card.

The lead card, meanwhile, will feature nine bouts including the two other Flyweight Muay Thai Grand Prix quarter-finals and also two Indian MMA stars will be in action.

In the flyweight muay thai world grand prix quarter-finals, #3-ranked contender Superlek Kiatmoo9 faces #4-ranked Taiki Naito, while Savvas Michael meets Amir Naseri. Plus, Asha Roka and Zeba Bano will represent India at the event in their respective MMA bouts.

Here is the full card, timing in IST, telecast and live streaming information:

ONE 157 Full Card

Main Card

1. ONE Muay Thai Featherweight Championship Bout: Petchmorakot Petchyindee (c) vs. Jimmy Vienot

2. ONE Muay Thai Strawweight Championship Bout: Prajanchai P.K.Saenchai (c) vs. Joseph Lasiri

3. ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jacob Smith

4. Lightweight Submission Grappling Bout: Garry Tonon vs. Tye Ruotolo

5. Heavyweight Bout: Marcus Almeida vs. Hugo Cunha

6. Lightweight Submission Grappling Bout: Shinya Aoki vs. Kade Ruotolo

7. ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Jonathan Haggerty vs. Walter Goncalves

Lead Card

1. Heavyweight Kickboxing Bout: Rade Opacic vs. Guto Inocente

2. Women’s Atomweight Bout: Asha Roka vs. Alyse Anderson

3. ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Superlek Kiatmoo9 vs. Taiki Naito

4. ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Savvas Michael vs. Amir Naseri

5. Featherweight Kickboxing Bout: Davit Kiria vs. Mohammed Boutasaa

6. Women’s Strawweight Bout: Nat Jaroonsak vs. Zeba Bano

7. ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Alternate Fight: Panyapak Jitmuangnon vs. Josue Cruz

8. ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix Alternate Fight: Sherzoo Kabutov vs. Denis Puric

9. Strawweight Bout: Elipitua Siregar vs. Robin Catalan

ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot – Telecast and Live Streaming Information

Watch ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot , beginning with the lead card at 2 PM IST on Friday (May 20) followed by the main card at 6 PM IST live and exclusively on Disney+Hotstar .