NIKHIL SOSALE-HEAD OF BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS-RCB, ASHISH NEHRA-BOWLING COACH-RCB AND NEELIMA BURRA-COUNTRYMARKETING DIRECTOR-HP INDIA PARTNERED WITH ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE IN LAUCHING ITS JERSEY FOR IPL 2018.

FARHAN AKHTAR'S AUNT DAISYIRANI SAYS SHE WAS RAPED AT 6

YUDHVIR JASWAL, GROUP EDITOR AND CEO OF Y MEDIA WITH ACTOR, SINGER, PRODUCER GIPPY GREWAL AND ROSHAN PRINCE AT THE PRESSCONFERENCE OF PUNJABI MOVIE, SUBEDAR JOGINDER SINGH THAT WAS ORGANISED BY Y MEDIA AND HELD AT THE HIGH-END MAYURARESTAURANT IN BRAMPTON. THE MOVIE SUBEDAR JOGINDER SINGH RELEASING ON APRIL 6TH WORLDWIDE.

PV SINDHU SUFFERS INJURYSCARE AHEAD OF CWG

KAPIL SHARMA CANCELS SHOOT WITH TIGER SHROFF,DISHA PATANI, CHANNEL IN DAMAGE CONTROL MODEMUMBAI - The shoot for comedian Kapil Sharma's upcoming show,Family Time with Kapil Sharma, was cancelled recently, Sony Enter-tainment Television informed. "There has been a technical issue onthe sets which cannot be resolved immediately. Hence, today's shoothad to be rescheduled. The press conference is also been resched-uled. We will update you on the revised dates. We apologise for anyinconvenience caused," the channel said in a statement. Kapil wasscheduled to shoot with the team of the upcoming film, Baaghi 2,scheduled to release on March 30 (the show will premiere on March25 with Ajay Devgn as the special guest), but 'due to technical diffi-culties' the shoot was not only cancelled, but also rescheduled.

Shriya Saran wedding pics withRussian boyfriend Andrei leaked

SHRIYA SARAN MARRIED BOYFRIEND ANDREI KOSCHEEV IN UDAIPURRECENTLY. THE TRADITIONAL WEDDING INCLUDED A SANGEET

CEREMONY, ENGAGEMENT CEREMONY AND A HOLI PARTY.

MUMBAI - Child star of the 1950s, Daisy Irani, who happens to be thematernal aunt of actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and director FarahKhan, has opened up about how she was raped, aged 6, by her guard-ian. Tweeting on Friday, Farhan said: "Hear tbroken upon reading thisar ticle but proud that my aunt #DaisyIrani spoke up. It's tragic to seeparents push their kids to breaking point in order to achieve successvicariously through them. This should serve as wake up call for thefilm and TV industry. Be aware. Be warned."

PRIYANKA CHOPRA HAS STARTED A TALENT PLATFORM THATWELCOMES APPLICANTS WHO HAVE THE APTITUDE AND PASSION INAREAS SUCH AS ACTING, SCREENPLAY WRITING, CINEMATOGRAPHY,EDITING AND FILM DIRECTION.

NEW DELHI, (PTI) Olympic andworld championship silver med-allist P V Sindhu today sufferedan injury scare but there is noimmediate threat to her par tici-pat ion in the Commonweal thGames star ting next month. The22-year-old Indian suffered asprain in her right ankle whilepractising at the Gopichand Acad-emy in Hyderabad under thewatchful eyes of India chief coachGopichand and assistant coachMohd. Siyadutallah."She had hur t her ankle whiletraining at the academy today. Sowe did an MRI to be 100 per centsure that everything is fine. Nobone or ligament injury was found, so I am happy. we didn't want totake any risk," Sindhu's father P V Ramana told PTI."Now she will rest for a day and day af ter tomor row she will star trunning again. She will go to the ground tomorrow and do somestrengthening experience. There is enough time as CWG starts withteam event. So nothing to wor ry." World No 3 Sindhu is a favourite towin the Commonwealth Games gold medal. She had won a bronze inthe last edition at 2014 Glasgow CWG.

I PIC BY BASHIR NASIR

18 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

TIGER SHROFF AND DISHA PATANI AT THE PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMME OF MOVIE BAAGHI 2, IN MUMBAI.

I have no regrets and complaints: Saurabh Shukla

b o l l y w o o d

MUMBAI, (PTI) From playing 'Kallu mama' in "Satya" to essaying therole of 'Judge Tripathy' in "Jolly LLB", Saurabh Shukla continues to bea Bollywood favourite when it comes to layered characters and theactor says he feels privileged that filmmakers still consider him forsuch interesting par ts. Shukla, who features as a power hungry poli-tician in his latest release "Raid", says he is happy with the waythings have shaped up for him in the industry in the past 25 years."I find myself for tunate as I have played roles that were praised,loved and talked about, whether it was in 'Satya', 'Bar fi', 'Jolly LLB' or'Hey Ram'. I have no regrets and complaints. I keep praying that goodroles keep coming to me," Shukla told PTI. The actor adds that thescript and the director are still the primary factors that attract him to

a project. Shukla says his role in the Ajay Devgn-starrer was quitechallenging for him as he has never explored his dark side as aper former."I am lucky to have got such a character. I am this dark, evil person.This was quite a challenging par t as I have played grey charactersearlier but not dark. I was excited and scared as to whether I will beable to make the mark or not. I always feel a maker plays an impor-tant role as he has a great influence on actor. I have respect for RajKumar as his films has lot of layers and characters," he says. Theactor says he still "get jitters when I star t a new work and it is be-cause I star t from a blank mind." The crime drama, which releasedlast Friday, has already minted IRs47.27 crore at the box office.

COULDN'T HAVE STUCK TOTELEVISION JUST FORMONEY, SAYS RONIT ROYMUMBAI, (PTI) He was the highest paid actor on televi-sion, but Ronit Roy decided to "forego" his TV star statusdue to the dear th of well-written characters. The actor saysgetting away from the small screen did cause him a lot of"grief and pain", but he had reached a point in his careerwhere he could not have imagined to compromise with hischoices."TV is like a mother to me, it gave me a second bir th as anactor. But there came a point where I said I love my ar t andcraft so much that I can't be just keep doing it for money. Iwas the highest paid actor on TV, travelling in businessclass, staying in luxury hotels... But one had to forego allthat," he told PTI. In the initial days of his career, Ronitappeared in films like "Jaan Tere Naam", Ajay Devgn-starrer"Hulchul", "Army" with Sridevi among others.But later, he turned towards TV and became a prominentface of popular shows like "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" and"Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi". He, however, distancedhimself from daily soaps and tried to revive his film careerwith movies like "Udaan", "Shootout at Wadala", "2 States","Ugly", "Kaabil". His per formance in the films were appre-ciated by both critics and the audiences. "Not doing TVcame with its share of grief and pain. I was like, 'nowwhat, how to pay the EMIs?' But it came to a point where Iwent 'What do you have for me?' because I am not going todo what I did 10 years back," he adds.

Rahman launches Irshad Kamil'sINK Band music seriesMUMBAI, (IANS) Oscar winning A.R. Rahman, on the oc-casion of World Poetry Day on Wednesday, launched lyri-cist Irshad Kamil's INK Band music series, via which eightmusic videos consisting of the writer's non-film songswill be released. Kamil, who has penned songs like"Matargashti", "Agar tum saath ho" and "Aaj din chadeya",has carved a niche for his kind of film lyrics - poetic,melodic and yet conversational.His brand of poetry is carried forward with The INK Band,which per forms verses recited by Kamil interspersed withsinging, and music, making for unusual but easy listening.Having per formed at events and live gigs since 2015, andhaving garnered a tremendous positive response, The INKBand will now release eight music videos consisting ofthe writer's non-film songs. This collective will form Sea-son 1 and subsequent seasons will follow. The first video"Vo Ladki" was launched digitally by Rahman.

VARUN DHAWAN FOUGHT STAGE FRIGHTMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Varun Dhawan, a confident dancer and versatile actor, says stage fright was a hiccup he overcame byobserving veterans in the industry. The makers of Rani Mukerji's "Hichki" are promoting the film uniquely by asking prominentpersonalities to share their untold weaknesses and how they eventually conver ted them into massive strengths.On this, Varun said in a statement: "When I walked up onstage for the first time, I just froze. Seeing Madhuri Dixit, the lateSrideviji and so many cinema idols in the front rows, I lost my tongue for some time. "And when I did speak, I spoke so fastthat I was barely coherent. Since I had never faced issues while facing the camera, this 'hichki' came up quite unexpectedly.I decided to address it by listening to and observing my idols." The sta r of films like "Badlapur" and "Badrinath Ki Dulhania" saidthis didn't work in his favour immediately.

MidWeek 19MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

10songs

NIT KHAIR MANGA RAID

AASHIQ BANAYA APNE HATE STORY 4

GAZAB KA HE DIN DIL JUUNGLEE

SANU IK PAL CHAIN RAID

LAE DOOBA AIYAARY

CHHOTE CHHOTE PEG SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY

SWAG SE SWAGAT TIGER ZINDA HAI

SALE SAPNE PADMAN

SUBAH SUBAH SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY

top

SONG

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPRAID 45 CR

HATE STORY IV 25 CR

VEERE KI WEDDING 10 CR

HICHKI 7 CR

BAA BAAA BLACK SHEEP 5 CR

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICEHICHKI HIT

BAA BAAA BLACK SHEEP AVERAGE

RAID HIT

HATE STORY IV AVERAGE

VEERE KI WEDDING AVERAGE

FILM

DIL DIYANGALLAN

TIGER ZINDAHAI1

SUPER DANCER CHAPTER 2 - VARUN DHAWAN PROPOSES TO SHILPA SHETTY IN THE PRESENCE OF GEETA KAPOOR ANDANURAG BASU IN MUMBAI.

b o l l y w o o d

TORONTO - Tu Hi Re is a musical concer tborn from a unique concept and vision ofToronto-based vocalist and Indian classicalvocal teacher, Bi joy Chakrabor ty. Whatmakes this show par ticularly interesting, isthe seamless and unique fusion between In-dian classical and Bollywood styles of mu-sic that will appeal to a wide range of musiclovers. Almost all ar tists featured in Tu Hi Re are well known local vocalists and musicians. Bijoy Chakraborty is an engineer byprofession but since he was a child, music has been his greatest passion. Beginning his classical music training at the age ofthir teen, he has pursued and grown his musical career throughout his life. A disciple of the renowned maestro Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,Bijoy has his own distinctive style influenced by Kirana Gharana, however he enjoys studying and per forming various different styles(Khayal, Thumris, Bengali semi-classical, and modern Bengali and Hindi songs).Bijoy currently per forms solo on stage and on Canadian and Indian television programs, as well as with many star Bollywoodmusicians. He is a teacher of classical music himself at Gharana Music Academy, and has released many cover singles in 2017. TuHi Re features Toronto-based artist, per former, teacher and composer : Prosenjit Deoghoria, a distinguished classical vocalist who isrecognizable by his polished vocal technique (Indore Gharana). Prosenjit holds a Masters degree from Bhathkande Music Academyin Lucknow, India, and is a disciple of Dr Surendra Shankar Avaishti.He is a recognized vocalist by many legends in their own right, and has also placed first to win the Maharishi Award, at the prestigiousAll India Gandharva Veda Music Competition, and the Doverlane Music Conference. Prosenjit successfully runs Sangeet PratishtaMusic Academy. Both Bijoy and Prosenjit are dedicated to the promotion of Indian classical music in North America. Prosenjithasrecently released his first Bengali music album "Chole gecho tumi". Featured for the first time overseas, at Tu Hi Re, is Kolkata-basedvocalist, Koyel Bhattacharya. Koyel has been a student of classical Indian music from the age of four and had discovered this was hervocation in life from the tender age of three. Koyelis currently a student at a Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust, and for the past twelveyears, takes vocal training from her guru UstadRashid Khan. She is a recognized singer from various signing competitions over theyears in styles of Kheyal and Bhajan: most notably winning first prize at Bharatiya Sanskriti Ustav. She looks forward to sharing hertalent as an up and coming young classical vocalist.

TU HI RE CONCERT COMES TO TORONTO

20 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018b o l l y w o o d

hollywoodPITT, ANISTON TOREKINDLE RELATIONSHIP?LOS ANGELES, (IANS) Actors Brad Pitt and JenniferAniston are repor tedly consider ing giv ing theirrelationship another chance. Pitt and Aniston have beensecretly meeting after actor George Clooney encouragedPitt to reach out to her following her split from actor JustinTheroux, repor ts aceshowbiz.com. "They've been secretlygetting together for late night hook ups, and it's all because ofGeorge. George was the first person to call him when his marriageto Angie (Angelina Jolie) imploded. After Jen and Justin Therouxannounced their split, he encouraged Brad to reach out andgive their relationship another chance," a source told Starmagazine. While Aniston was close to Clooney when shewas with the Pitt in late 1990s until early 2005, Clooneywas shunted out of Pitt 's life by Jolie during Pitt 'srelationship with the "Maleficent" actress. And now thatJolie has left Pitt, Clooney took the oppor tunity to get Pittback together with Aniston.

Amber Rose slams son's criticsLOS ANGELES, (IANS) Model Amber Rose has slammedsocial media users who shamed her son Sebastian onhis reaction upon getting a gift from singer Taylor Swift.Sebastian, 5, is a big fan of Swift. In an Instagram videosshared by Rose, Sebastian was seen looking very excitedwhen Swift sent him a special package of her album"Reputation". He also received concer t tickets as wellas a note from the singer. He then gave a big smile to thecamera and said, "Thanks, Taylor." Instagram usersflooded the comment section of the post with negativeresponses. Many of them judged her son for his musical tasteand even called him "gay" for liking Swift. Rose took down thecritics in a long note on the photosharing website, repor tseonline.com. "Shout out to all of the hyper masculine men andignorant dumba** women that will call a five-year-old gay for likingTaylor Swift. This is why young kids kill themselves and this is alsowhy our society is so f***ed up. Liking a certain type of music willnot make you 'pick' your sexuality," she wrote. Rose said she allowsher son to be himself. "He can listen to whatever music he likes, hecan like whatever colour he wants and we let him bepassionate about whatever his little hear t desires. "Wedon't make our son live by society norms that's why he'sso special. P.S. my son just got accepted into the mostprestigious private school in Los Angeles because he'ssmar t and creat ive l ike his parents," she added."Regardless if he's gay or straight, when he gets older hewill be around the most amazing loving people that willsuppor t him no matter what."

Katrina Bollywood's most popular actress outside India: Repor tMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Katrina Kaif has secured the top spot in a list of popular Bollywood actress outside India, according to astudy. She is followed by "Pari" star Anushka Sharma, "Highway" actress Alia Bhatt, "Udta Punjab" star Kareena Kapoor Khan and"Dilwale" star Kajol. The findings are a part of consumption trend study done by Spuul, a video-on-demand (VOD) streaming platformsfor Bollywood and regional movies, read a statement. The repor t is based on a demographic data and consumption pattern whichresulted in interesting insights about what Indians and Indian diaspora are viewing. As per the study, Diljit Dosanjh is themost popular Punjabi actor outside India. Neeru Bajwa finds the second spot in the list, followed by Jimmy Sheirgill. Punjabimovies are also popular on foreign shores, with the highest consumption in Australia followed by the US, New Zealand, the UK,Pakistan and Canada. Tamil movies have more popularity and its viewership is the highest in the US, followed by Singapore,Malaysia, the UAE and the UK. The study says that 50 per cent of consumers of video-on-demand content fall in the age groupof 25-34 years, followed by 21 per cent in 34-44 years and 20 per cent in 18-24 years of age. Of this, 80 per cent are male.Subin Subaiah, CEO, Spuul, said: "Last year, we saw high demand for Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies. Thisyear we aim to make Bhojpuri, Marathi and Bengali movies accessible to all as we see it getting more popularity. "Simultaneously, weare working towards upping the ante in terms of our technology to create superior customer experience." The data in the report wasgathered from January 1 to December 31, 2017 from more than 40 million registered Spuul users in India, Australia, New Zealand, theUK, the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and the UAE.

Critics not impressed with Jacqueline Fernandez's Ek Do Teen versionMUMBAI (IANS) The video for Jacqueline Fernandez's take on Madhuri Dixit Nene's Ek Do Teen is finally out and critics aren'timpressed. The iconic song from 1988's Tezaab shot Dixit Nene to fame and has been remixed for the upcoming Baaghi 2, whichreleases in the UAE on March 29. In the new track, Fernandez, "whose repertoire and range of facial expressions go from A to B asopposed to Madhuri's A to Z," according to one critic, sees the younger actress dress like Dixit Nene in the original song. The track hasbeen choreographed by Saroj Khan, director Ahmad Khan and Ganesh Acharya. The song was originally sung by Alka Yagnik, withShreya Ghoshal lending her voice to the new version.

KANGANA RANAUT PLANTS 31 SAPLINGS AT HER MANALI HOME TO CELEBRATE HER 31ST BIRTHDAY.

MidWeek 21MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 b o l l y w o o d

'Hichki': An emotional inspiring film

CAST: : MUKERJI, SUPRIYA PILGAONKAR,

SACHIN PILGAONKAR, NEERAJ KABI

DIRECTOR: SIDHARTH P. MALHOTRA

Adapted from a 2008 released English film, "Front of the Class",which is based on Brad Cohen's book "Front of the Class: HowTourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had", directorSidhar th P. Malhotra's "Hichki" is a feel good, emotionallypacked and inspirational film. It is the touching story of NainaMathur, a young girl who would not let Tourette Syndrome keepher from doing what she loved most; teaching. Despite herspeech defect, she sets out to become a teacher.Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder which sets offmultiple motor tics which include compulsive throat-clearing,knee knocking, violent muscle twitches and piercing barks.These tics are beyond one's control. While the exact cause thatsets off these tics is not known, it is believed to involve acombination of genetic and environmental factors. Rani Mukerjias the plucky Naina Mathur is flawless. She por trays hercharacter with sincerity."I can't see you as a teacher," one blunt administrator tells her.To which, she replies, "Before meeting me, did you know aboutTourette Syndrome? Well, now that you know, I have educatedyou." This simply tells you how persevering she is. The filmreveals how as a student she was expelled from twelve schoolsbefore finally being accepted whole hear tedly at St. Notker'sHigh School. The same school later accepts her as a teacher,mid-term, not because of her brilliant academic credentials butbecause of a crisis situation.She is hired to teach a class of underprivileged, reluctantmisfits. How she wins everyone's hear ts, forms the crux of thetale. Looking back periodically to show Naina as a child, thefilm is most power ful in some of those flashback sequences.How as a child, she convinces herself that Tourette Syndrome

is her lifelong companion and that could teach her impor tantlessons about human nature. That bit of disassociationwhich is crucial helps her cope with otherwise difficultsituations.This comes through in her strained relationship with herfather and also when she tells her school teacher, Mr. Khan,"Treat me like other students." The film is packed withdramatic moments that are as truthful as they are inspiring.Every scene resonates with sentiments. With apt metaphorsand lingo, the writing is simple and straightforward. Andwhile the film intends on communicating life-affirmingvalues, there are moments in the first half that seem forced.The second half, despite the painstakingly moralistic notes,touches the right chords. You get so immersed with thecharacters especially Naina. You feel sor ry for her whendespite her sincere effor ts, her class gets suspended, for nofault of theirs. What elevates the film is the brilliant per for-mances by the suppor ting cast. You can relate with everycharacter as each one of them is well-etched. The ones thatstand out apar t from the gang of students are Sachin andSupriya Pilgaonkar as Naina's estranged parents, IvanRodrigues as the School Principal, Neeraj Kabi as Naina'scolleague at school who is keen to dismiss Naina's studentsfrom the school and of course the character who playsNaina's brother.The loving relationship between the siblings is well-defined.With ace production values, the film is well-made. The onlysore point is the loud background score that kills thesubtlety of the subject. Overall, "Hichki" remains in yourmental space long after you leave the theatre.

'Baa Baaa Black Sheep': A comicthriller gone hopelessly awry

CAST: : ANUPAM KHER, KAY KAY MENON,

ANNU KAPOOR

DIRECTOR: VISHWAS PAANDYA

The opening frame of the film states, "Dedicated to the cinemaof my growing up years." Well, throughout the narration, there isno reference to any cinema of any era. So you can just imaginethe outcome. Planned as a comic thriller with a staid plot and abit of romance, the film seems stuck in some kind of time-space warp. Set in Goa with drugs, ar t forgery, local mafia andpoliticians thrown in for ample measure, it is the story of anunconventional contract killer.Balbir Sharma (Manish Paul) aka Baa Baa, the son of a timidcashew trader Charudutt (Anupam Kher) is in love with Angelina(Manjari) the daughter of Brian Moris, an ar t teacher who alsocharades as Santa Claus, the supplier of fake paintings.Unbeknownst to Balbir, while Charudutt pretends to be housebound, non-aggressive and a simpleton dad, in reality he is anace, sought af ter contract killer. This he learns is a professionbequeathed to his father by his ancestors. And Baa Baa is thethir teenth generation to car r y on the legacy.How Baa Baa gets roped into the family business of contractkilling, forms the crux of the tale. While the premise soundsinteresting and has all the trappings of an intense comic crimethriller, its execution is simply pea-brained. The gags are staidand lame as the writing is super fluous and mundane. What isworse, the dialogues written in different lingos make the entire

proceedings seem like some sor t of mishmash.With some unwarranted as well as over-stretched scenes,the narrative meanders at a snail's pace making the entireviewing experience tedious. Maniesh Paul is a brilliantper former on television, but on the larger format, he does notshine. His comic timing seems staged and forced. The scriptoffers Anupam Kher a brilliant canvas to display his histrion-ics and he puts his hear t into the role. But unfor tunately theend result seems rusty and descaled.Kay Kay Menon as Assistant Commissioner of Police ShivrajNaik is worn out. He seems to be sleepwalking as theenthusiastic investigating officer eager to capture drugpeddlers. Manish Wadhwa looks refreshing as the corruptHome Minister but is limited with his scope of acting.Mounted with moderate production values, the productiondesigns are appropriate and realistic. The visuals byAmalendu Chaudhary's lens are clear and sharp but BakulMatiyani's editing is a bit slack.Transitions in cer tain scenes are clumsily handled. Shaan,Roshan Balu and Gourov Dasgupta's background score andmusic are run of the mill. The song with the lyrics, "Heer,Heera" in Punjabi is an aberration in the narrative. Overall,"Baa Baaa Black Sheep" fails to engage you.

It takes hard work to survive:Amitabh BachchanJODHPUR, (PTI) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has onceagain shared the details of the gruelling schedule of hisupcoming film "Thugs of Hindostan". The 75-year-oldactor, who is currently in the city f i lming the VijayKrishna Acharaya-directed movie, has been busy withovernight shoots."Mornings begin for some ... end for some. Depends howyou wish to see them. How else can the pattern of ourwork be described... it began yesterday in the evening ofthe day and has just ended in the morning of the today. Ittakes hard work to survive and breathe," Bachchan wroteon his blog at around 6:00 am today. The actor recentlysparked health concerns when he asked his team of doc-tors from Mumbai to pay him a visit.There were repor ts that Bachchan was ill, but the actorand his wife, Jaya, soon confirmed that he was havingback and shoulder pain. Aamir, who stars in the moviealong side Bachchan, had revealed that the veteran actorhad suffered a back and shoulder injury. The Yash RajFilms project also features Katrina Kaif and Fatima SanaSheikh.

Will ensure 'Zero' deliversmore than what it promises:Aanand L. RaiMUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Aanand L. Rai, busy shootinghis upcoming film "Zero", says he will ensure the moviewill deliver more than what it promises. Rai interactedwith the media at a special screening of "Baa Baaa BlackSheep". His film "Zero" features Shah Rukh Khan, AnushkaSharma and Katrina Kaif.On the response received for the film's teaser, Rai said: "Iam getting really good feedback but this time. I am tryingto give the audience things which are coming from myhear t and with Shah Rukh sir, I think, I am being able toachieve that. "The kind of fun we all are having while mak-ing this film is what I always look for… I still require twomonths for the completion of the shoot, but I will ensurethat the film delivers more than what it is promising."The film's actors keep sharing social media posts to keepfans abreast on the fun they are having while shooting thefilm. In fact, Shah Rukh recently referred to Katrina as his'media manager' in a photograph he posted on his Twitterpage. "Katrina is having fun doing all this. I think 'Zero' istechnically and emotionally a difficult film, so it requiredthat kind of individuals who can create fun atmosphere onthe film set and that is what Katrina is doing."It is so nice of her and entire team to have this kind ofatmosphere all around." "Zero" is a romantic drama writ-ten by Himanshu Sharma and directed by Rai. It is set torelease on December 21. In the last few months, Rai hasproduced films including "Happy Bhaag Jayegi", "ShubhMangal Saavdhan" and "Mukkabaaz", which received apositive response from the audience. "I always wanted toassociate myself with those films which could give audi-ence a different kind of light," he said on his success.Among Rai 's upcoming co-product ions is a lso"Manmarziyaan", which brings Abhishek Bachchan backto the screens. "I don't know why people are terming it ashis comeback film. He was always there. I think it is goodfor actors also to take gaps as per their wish. "He is atalented actor. I always wanted to collaborate with Abhishekand with this script, we are working together under AnuragKashyap's direction."

Industry has star ted lookingat me differently: NushratMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Nushrat Bharucha, who is basking in thesuccess of her last release "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety", says people inthe film industry have started looking at her differently. "Industry hasalready started looking at me differently. And that difference is ofbelief. I can feel a sense of belief in me," Nushrat said in a statement.On her success, the "Pyaar Ka Punchnama" fame actress said:"When you have been persistent for as long as I have been, you haveto exercise a certain amount of caution, but I want to do everything. Iwish there were 48 hours in a day and 14 days in a week." "Sonu KeTitu Ki Sweety", a new-age love triangle set with a 'bromance' twist,released on February 23, and has crossed the IRs 100 crore mark.Film expert Taran Adarsh tweeted: "Truly unstoppable. 'Sonu Ke TituKi Sweety' marches into IRs 100 crore club… Second film to crossIRs 100 crore mark in 2018, after 'Padmaavat'."

Katrina keeps an atmosphere of fun,friendship on sets: Aanand RaiMUMBAI, (PTI) Filmmaker Aanand L Rai is happy the wayhis forthcoming project "Zero" is shaping up, and is spe-cially pleased with Katrina Kaif who, he says, has addedwarmth to the film's sets. Shah Rukh Khan, who stars in"Zero" as a vertically challenged man, has been postingpictures from the sets and once quipped how Katrina hasbecome his and the film's new social media manager.Rai, who is working with Kaif for the first time, said it iswonderful to have her on the sets. "She is having a lot offun doing this. Thanks to her and the entire set because thefilm is technically and emotionally so difficult it was impor tant forcertain kind of people to associate with it who would create anatmosphere like this on sets," Rai told epor ters. "That's what Katrinais doing. She keeps an atmosphere of friendship and fun on thesets...which is so nice of her and the entire team, to have this kind ofatmosphere on sets, all around," he said. The filmmaker is happywith the way the audience received the movie's teaserearlier this year and is excited the way it is shaping up.

ROOTS PREMIER LEAGUE (RPL) WAS INAUGURATION IN RANVEER SINGH`S PRESENCE AT THE EVENT.

IPL 2018: RAHANE REPLACESSMITH AS CAPTAIN OFRAJASTHAN ROYALS

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS 2018:AFGHANISTAN BEAT

IRELAND BY 5 WICKETS

NEW DELHI - Afghanistan beat Ireland by five wickets onFriday to qualify for Cricket World Cup 219. Asghar Stanikzaihit 39 runs not out off 29 balls to guide his side to 213 for fivein reply to Ireland's 209-7. Afghanistan will join fellow quali-fiers West Indies in the 10-team World Cup to be staged inEngland and Wales from May 30-July 14, 2019, alongsidedefending champions Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,Bangladesh, England, South Africa and New Zealand.Brief scores:Ireland 209/7 in 50 overs (Paul Stirling 55, Kevin O'Brien 41;Rashid Khan 3-40)Afghanistan 213/5 in 49.1 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 54,Asghar Stanikzai 39*; Simi Singh 3-30)Player of the match: Mohammad Shahzad.

Afghanistan stun Windies in finalHARARE, (IANS) Afghanistan extended their fairytale run asthey upset the West Indies by seven wickets in the final ofthe ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier at the Harare Spor tsClub here on Sunday. Teenage off-spinner Mujeeb Rahmanreturned figures of 9.5-0-43-4, including three wickets infour balls of his last over, as the Windies were skittled outfor 204 in 46.5 overs after electing to bat first.During the chase, Mohammad Shahzad stroked his secondsuccessive half -century, while hitting a 93-ball 84 with 11fours and two sixes to steer his side home with 9.2 overs tospare as Afghanistan clinched their first major ICC title. Thesestellar per formances in the final came af ter 19-year-oldRashid Khan, the world's number-one ranked ODI bowler,had become the fastest bowler to 100 ODI wickets. Heachieved the feat in his 44th ODI when he dismissed ShaiHope to beat Australia's Mitchell Starc's record in 52 ODIs.

Steve Smith ball tempering: AustraliaPM calls for end to cricket sledgingSYDNEY, (AFP) Australia's prime minister called for an endto sledging in c ricket today, saying it was "right out of control" as heurged the spor t to clean up its image amid a ball-tampering scandal.Malcolm Turnbull described the cheating crisis in which captain SteveSmith admitted to masterminding a plot to change the ball'scondition during the third Test against South Africa onSaturday as a "shocking affront to Australia".

NEW DELHI, (IANS) In the aftermath of the recent ball tamperingcontroversy which forced Australia skipper Steve Smith to step down, his IPLfranchise Rajasthan Royals on Monday also stripped Smith of the captaincy andnamed Ajinkya Rahane to lead the side in the upcoming Indian Premier League.The Royals, returning to the IPL fold after serving a two-year ban on charges ofcorruption, had on Sunday sought time to take a final call ahead of the star t of the11th edition of the cash-rich league. "Ajinkya Rahane has been an integral part ofthe Royals family for a long time now and he understands the culture and values ofour team. We have absolutely no doubt that he will be a great leader of the RajasthanRoyals," the team's head of cricket Zubin Bharucha said in a statement. "Theincident in Cape Town has certainly disturbed the cricketing world. We have beenin constant touch with the BCCI and taken their counsel. Furthermore we have beenin regular contact with Smith." "It's in the best interest of the Rajasthan Royals thatSmith steps down as captain so the team can get ready for the start of the IPLwithout the ongoing distractions." he added. Welcoming Rahane as the captain ofthe team, Ranjit Bar thakur, executive Chairman, Rajasthan Royals, said: "AjinkyaRahane has stepped up as a leader whenever he has been given the oppor tunity,be it for India or at Rajasthan Royals. We consider him the right candidate to leadthe side this crucial season when the team is coming back to the IPL aftertwo years. We wish him all the best.

Smith steps down, punished byICC over ball tampering issueCAPE TOWN, (IANS) Steven Smith stepped down as Australia captainfor the remainder of the ongoing third Test against South Africa andwas penalised by the ICC on Sunday in the wake of the ball-tamperingcontroversy. Smith's deputy David Warner also stepped down asvice-captain. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine acted as captain at Newlands,with both Smith and Warner taking the field on Sunday.The decision comes on the back of the ongoing ball-tampering controversy, withAustralia's Cameron Bancroft caught on cameras using what is believed to be atape before attempting to hide the object down the front of his pants, momentsbefore the umpires seemingly inquired about the contents of his pockets on thethird day of the Cape Town Test on Saturday. Television footage later showedBancroft rubbing the ball and then seemingly putting an object back in his pocket.

Women's T20I: England beat Indiawith record chaseMUMBAI, (IANS) England completed a record chase to thrash India by sevenwickets in a Women's T20I Tri-Series match here on Sunday. Chasing aformidable target of 199 runs, England pulled off the feat in 18.4 overs. OpenerDanielle Wyatt played a starring role for the visitors, smashing England's highestever Twenty20 individual score as she plundered 124 runs off just 64 balls. Herknock included 15 boundaries and five sixes. She also smashed the fastest evercentury for England in women's cricket, reaching three figures off just 52 deliveries.Wyatt produced a partnership of 96 runs with Tammy Beaumont which laid thefoundation of a successful chase for England. Beaumont's 23-ball 35 includedthree hits to the fence and a six. Although both were dismissed in quicksuccession by Indian spinner Deepti Sharma late in the innings, NatalieSciver and Heather Knight combined to carry England to a comfor table vic-tory. Earlier, India rode on half-centuries by openers Smriti Mandhana andMithali Raj to produce a formidable total of 198/4 after being asked to bat first.Mandhana smashed 76 runs off just 40 balls while Mithali scored a steady53 off 43 deliveries.BRIEF SCORES:England: 199/3 in 18.4 overs (Danielle Wyatt 124, Tammy Beaumont35; Deepti Sharma 2/36) vs India: 198/4 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 76,Mithali Raj 53; Tash Far rant 2/32).

KARACHI: Islamabad United dominated with the bat and ball as theydefeated defending champions Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets onSunday to lift the trophy of the third edition of the Pakistan Super League.The highlight of the match was United opener Luke Ronchi's rapid 52 of26 deliveries, making Zalmi's fighting total off 148 runs look relativelyeasy. "I've just batted with a clear mind, amazing how things work out ifyou do that," Ronchi said in the post-match ceremony. "The order is tojust go out and bat the way I bat. If it comes off, brilliant. Otherwise, we'vegot a brilliant batting order. The quality of the local players, par ticularlythe fast bowlers, has been phenomenal in the PSL."They've got a good depth of talent coming through, they should behappy with where they are at the moment. This is my first win for afranchise, a great end to a great tournament," he said. Peshawar pacersappeared to have brought their team back into the game in the late overas Islamabad wickets fell in quick succession, but some late hitting byAsif Ali helped United make it over the finishing line for the second timein the three-year history of the tournament.

ISLAMABAD UNITED BEATPESHAWAR ZALMI BY THREEWICKETS, WIN PSL 2018

MidWeek 23MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 s p o r t s

KINGS XI PUNJAB MENTOR VIRENDER SEHWAG AND CAPTAIN RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN UNVEIL THEIR TEAM JERSEY FOR IPL2018 IN NEW DELHI (PTI).

BCCI CLEARS SHAMI OF CORRUPTIONCHARGE, GIVES CENTRAL CONTRACT

NEW DELHI, (PTI) The BCCI today cleared India speedsterMohammed Shami's central contract after its Anti-CorruptionUnit (ACU) exonerated him of corruption charges levelled by hiswife Hasin Jahan. Shami has been given a Grade 'B' annualcontract, which will make him richer by Rs 3 crore. He willalso be free to play in the Indian Premier League for hisfranchise the Delhi Daredevils, star ting April 7. The BCCI haddecided to withhold Shami's contract after Jahan made a seriesof allegations, including adultery and domestic violence, andlodged a police complaint against him. Shami has denied all theallegations. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) specificallyasked its ACU chief Neeraj Kumar to investigate charges thatthe bowler accepted money from one Mohammed Bhai through

a Pakistani woman named Alishba."The Hon'ble Supreme Cour t of India appointed Committee ofAdministrators (CoA) had requested Mr Neeraj Kumar, formerPolice Commissioner of Delhi and Head of BCCI Anti-CorruptionUnit, to investigate the allegations against Mohd. Shami in sofar as they per tain to the provisions of the BCCI Anti-Corr uptionCode," COA stated in a media release. "Mr Neeraj Kumar hassubmitted his confidential repor t to the CoA. Based on theconclusions in the said repor t, the CoA is of the view that nofur ther actions/proceedings under the BCCI anti-corr uption codeare warranted in the matter. For this reason, the BCCI shallproceed with offering a Grade B' annual retainership contract toMohd. Shami," the release fur ther stated.

SHOOTER VALARIVAN WINS GOLD AT JUNIOR WORLD CUPSYDNEY, (IANS) Emerging Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan clinched the gold medal along with a couple of world records in thewomen's 10 metre Air Rifle event at the the ISSF Junior World Cup here. Valarivan was in red hot form and star ted off brilliantly byshooting 631.4 in the qualification round and created a new junior world record in the process. She never looked back since andcontinued her good run into the finals and shot 249.9 to seal her maiden World Cup crown.India also annexed the gold in the team event as Valarivan, Shreya Agrawal and Zeena Khitta shot a combined total of 1876.9 pointswhich was again a world record in the junior category. "I am really glad with my performance here in Sydney. I have shooting reallywell and I knew the way I have been per forming over the past few months, a victory of this magnitude was around the corner. I wouldlike to dedicate this win to my parents and thank Gagan Sir and my coaches at GFG who have been working continuously behind meto make a shooter capable of winning titles at the world stage," Elanevil said in a statement.

STOLARZ LEADS ROYALS TO VICTORY OVER BRAMPTONREADING, PENNSYLVANIA - The Brampton Beast threw everything they had at Reading Royals starting goaltender Anthony Stolarzbut the opposition netminder stopped all but one of the 32 shots he faced to lead the Royals to a 5-1 victory on Saturday night atSantander Arena in Reading.The game star ted off well for the Beast, as they were the first to find the back of the net. David Vallorani accepted a great pass fromErik Bradford at the right wing circle and he picked the top corner for a beautiful goal, giving the Beast the 1-0 lead at 7:03 onVallorani's tenth goal of the season. The Royals countered quickly and struck twice in the next two minutes and ten seconds withgoals from Matt Wilkins and Brian Morgan to take a 2-1 lead by the 9:13 mark of the opening frame.Reading would add another goal before the end of the opening frame as Adam Schmidt beat Beast star ting netminder Chris Dreidgerat 17:27, finishing off a busy first period of scoring. The pace picked up in the second period and it was the Beast leading the charge,outshooting the Royals 9-6 in the frame. Royals star ting goaltender Anthony Stolarz was up to the task, stopping every puck he faced,including an acrobatic behind-the-back save off a bouncing puck from behind the goal.

Marino Makes History but Beast Drop Close GameBrandon Marino became the Beast All-Time leading goal scorer, but Brampton would fall to Adirondack by a score of 3-2. Bramptontook on rival Adirondack live from the Powerade Centre on Sunday afternoon. The Beast got on the board first cour tesy of captainBrandon Marino. The shot came in from Jordan Henr y and was kicked out and wide by Thunder starter Olivier Mantha.Marino picked up the disc in front, made a nice move and tucked it home for his 50th career goal. He now owns the Beast all-timegoals scoring record and has passed Jason Pitton. The goal came at 4:22 to give the Beast a 1-0 lead. Just as quickly the Thunderanswered with a goal of their own. It was Austin Orszulak, who slid the puck past Marcus Hogberg at 4:33 to tie the game at oneapiece. The Thunder weren't finished yet as Kenton Miller was able to give Adirondack at 2-1 lead at 14:56.He tipped a hard point shot that just managed to squeeze through the pads of Hogberg. Brampton headed to the first intermission down2-1 but ahead in shots by a count of 13-9. Brampton controlled the play through the second period, but the score would remain thesame, as neither Hogberg nor Mantha would give up anything. It was 2-1 Thunder at the end of the second with Brampton leading inshots by a slim margin of 22-20.

England women crush Australia by 8 wickets in Tri-SeriesBY NIKHIL BAPATMUMBAI, (PTI) England romped to a convincing eight-wicket victor y over Australia, riding on Natalie Sciver and TamsinBeaumont's blistering half -centuries to star t their campaign in the Tri-Nation Women's T20 series on a rousing note. Optingto field after winning the toss, England restricted the Australians to 149 for eight at the Brabourne Stadium.Rachael Haynes top-scored for Australia with a 65 off 45 balls, knock that included eight boundaries and a six. For England,medium pacer Jenny Gunn and Sciver finished with three and two wickets, respectively. In reply, the English team chaseddown the target with as many as three overs to spare. The chase turned out to be a walk in the park as Sciver (68 not out off43 balls) and Beaumont (58 not out off 44 balls) forged an unbeaten 116-run par tnership for the third wicket in just 73 balls.Beaumonth and Sciver , who play in the Women's Big Bash League, took a listless Australian bowling to task as they over-hauled the target with plenty to spare. In the process, they steered the team out of trouble from 34 for two. The carnage beganin the sixth over with the right-handed Beaumont hammering four consecutive boundaries off Megan Schutt, as England racedto 51. Sciver too joined the par ty as she hit two sixes in the eight over and followed it up with three fours in the 10th.Australia tried as many as seven bowlers, but nothing stopped the brutal assault of Beaumont and Sciver and the sloppyfielding by the Aussies only aided them. While Beaumont struck eight boundaries, Sciver hit 10 fours and two sixes in theirrespective knocks.

24 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018