Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Alia Bhatt came together for a special project, reprising their roles from their hit films Dear Zindagi, Gully Boy, and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. In the new ad, the trio is seen talking about Ranbir and Alia’s marriage. In the one-minute video, Shah Rukh Khan returns as Dr. Jehangir Khan and offers advice to Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. He asks, “Bunny, Safeena, how’s your marriage going?” Alia Bhatt, in her Safeena avatar, says, “I will tell you. I asked this man to get some ice, he went to Ladakh. I asked him on call, ‘Why are you so busy?’, and he said, ‘Mountains are calling’.” She then recreated her iconic line from Zoya Akhtar’s film. She said, “Itna pahado ke sath gulu gulu karega toh thoptungi na isko“.
Ranbir then added, “Dr. Jehangir, I want to fly, I want to run, I just don’t want to stay in this house.” SRK, intrigued, asked, “But why?” Ranbir responded, “The other day, I climbed onto the roof to watch the sunset, and it broke. I don’t feel safe anymore.”
Alia Bhatt quickly responded, “Who asked you to do rock climbing at home?” Trying to calm the couple, Shah Rukh Khan intervened, saying, “I’ve heard both of you, and I have a solution.” He then pulled out a Rungta Steel TMT Bar from behind a wall and joked, “If you use this to build your home, I can’t guarantee your marriage, but your home will never break.”
Previously, the trio reprised their roles of Rockstar, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and Raees. Another ad had them reprise their roles from their films Student of The Year, Barfi and Jawan.
As soon as the ad made its way onto social media, likes and comments poured in from all sides. While one fan wrote, ‘This ad (Dr Jug-Safeena-Bunny) is better than the previous two (Jawan-Shanaya-Barfi and Raees-Gangu-Rockstar)’, another one added, ‘Most entertaining ad’. On the work front, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are preparing for their second film together, Love and War, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film will also feature Vicky Kaushal in a lead role. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan is working on King, directed by Sujoy Ghosh, which will also star his daughter, Suhana Khan.
Sobhita Dhulipala shared pictures from her Mangalasnaanam ceremony.
Sobhita Dhulipala’s haldi ceremony
In the first picture, Sobhita was seen smiling as she sat inside a huge vessel while family members poured water and flowers on her. She wore a yellow saree and accessorized them with traditional gold jewelery. A second picture saw Sobhita pose with her parents and sister Samanta.
There were several other stunning pictures of Sobhita in the saree, which highlighted the traditional drape and her look for the special occasion. Sharing the pictures, she wrote in the caption: “Raata sthaapana and Mangalasnaanam.”
More details
Chaitanya and Sobhita will get married at his family-owned Annapurna Studios on December 4. The wedding will be tight-knit with only their closest friends and family in attendance. The Akkineni and Daggubati families, apart from Sobhita’s parents and relatives, will be in attendance. The wedding ceremony will be traditional and Telugu, with the bride-to-be wearing traditional Andhra weaves.
Recently, Sobhita took to Instagram and shared pictures from her Pasupu Danchadam ceremony. “Godhuma Raayi Pasupu Danchadam And so it begins,” she captioned the post.
Chaitanya dated Sobhita for two years before getting engaged to her in August this year. Fans often spotted the couple on vacations, but they only made it official after their engagement. Chaitanya was previously married to actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu. They separated in 2021.
Sri Lanka’s consumer price index fell 2.1 per cent year-on-year in November after dropping 0.8 per cent in the previous month, the statistics department said on Friday. The Colombo Consumer Price Index, a leading indicator for broader national prices, tracks inflation in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city. Prices in the food category slipped to 0.6 per cent this month from 1 per cent in October. In the non-food category, prices dropped to minus 3.3 per cent on the month from minus 1.6 per cent in October. Reductions in power tariffs and fuel prices as well as an appreciating rupee have helped to reduce inflation to the lowest point in nine years, analysts said. “Deflation is expected to be around till February and we are likely to see inflation reach the central bank’s projection of 5 per cent around August or September 2025,” said Dimantha Mathew, head of research at First Capital. Sri Lanka suffered record inflation after its worst financial crisis in decades pummelled the economy, which has stabilised since it secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March 2023. Taking advantage of low inflation, Sri Lanka’s central bank set a new single policy rate of 8 per cent on Wednesday, easing monetary settings below previously used benchmarks and setting the stage for a sustained recovery from the crisis. Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to grow by 4.5 per cent-5 per cent in 2024, slightly above the World Bank’s estimate of 4.4 per cent, latest central bank data showed. On Tuesday, Sri Lanka launched a long-awaited bond swap, a major step to completing its $12.55 billion debt restructuring and enabling its fragile economic recovery to continue. Bondholders have until Dec. 12 to vote in support of the proposal, which would see them swap existing bonds for a set of new issues.
Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala started their pre-wedding festivities with a Haldi ceremony yesterday (November 29). The actress took to her Instagram profile to share some unseen pictures from the Telugu rituals Raata Sthaapana and Mangalasnanam ahead of their wedding. Check out the photos here:
Social media is in awe as Sobhita shared some mesmerising clicks from the celebrations, wearing a yellow silk saree paired with a bandeau blouse. She complemented the elegant mustard yellow saree with a golden temple jewelry collection. In one of the pictures, she was seen sitting in a large vessel filled with water as her family and relatives applied Haldi on her. Another picture featured Sobhita posing with her parents and sister, Samantha. The actress captioned the post, “Raata Sthaapana and Mangalasnanam.” Many fans called her a ‘goddess’ as soon as she shared the pictures online.
Sobhita Dhulipala & Naga Chaitanya Are All Smiles During Intimate Haldi Ceremony | WATCH
Earlier, a source close to the wedding revealed that the couple would follow traditional Telugu rituals for their pre-wedding ceremonies, including the Pelli Raata ceremony, which is typically conducted before the bride becomes a bride. This was followed by the Mangalasnanam ritual, the Telugu equivalent of Haldi. “They also had the Pelli Kuthuru ceremony, where Sobhita donned bridal attire. An Aarti was performed, and she was blessed by married women who gave her bangles. Later, Naga Chaitanya and his family joined for lunch,” the source revealed. Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita will tie the knot at Annapurna Studios on December 4. Naga Chaitanya was previously married to Samantha Ruth Prabhu in 2017, but the couple divorced in 2021. He has been dating Sobhita for two years and got engaged to her in August this year.
Pyaar ka Punchnama turned out to be a big hit after its release in 2011.
Patralekhaa looks back
In an interview with Mashabla India, Patralekhaa looked back at her experience and how she handled the rejection.
Patralekhaa said, “Before CityLights, I was auditioning for Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2. Luv sir was taking the auditions, and his auditions are always very elaborate. There was Nushrratt, Kartik, Omkar, Sunny, and many other girls. These three-four people were finalised, and they wanted 2 more new faces. I auditioned, and felt that I will get this role. Then later on, I was in the gym, and Luv Ranjan called me. Phone tab aata hai jab aapko milta hai (You get a call when you bag the role). He asked me to come over and I felt so excited. I took a shower and wore my best clothes to head over to his office”.
Patralekhaa was initially upset about the rejection.
She added, “He sat me down and no one was there, it was just me and him. In my mind, I thought that he will break the good news and people will come in with flowers, chocolates, and cakes. He said, ‘Yaar, yeh jaane de (Let this one go)’. At that moment, I felt really bad and thought, ‘How can he just call me and say no to my face, its not cool’. I came out and was super upset. I went back home and it dawned upon me later that he gave me so much respect as an artist and actor. He calls me to his office and says, ‘Beta nahi hopaaya, but hum aage jaake kaam karenge na (Child, it couldn’t work out this time, but we’ll work together in the future)’. That’s a lot, and I think that’s why I got Wild Wild Punjab”.
Pyaar ka Punchnama was released in 2011, and worked well at the box office. Pyaar Ka Punchnama featured Kartik Aaryan, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Sunny Singh, Divyenndu, Omkar Kapoor, Ishita Raj Sharma, and Sonnalli Seygall.
About Patralekhaa
Patralekhaa made her web debut with Bose: Dead/Alive (2017). She has featured in projects such as Love Games, Nanu Ki Jaanu, Badnaam Gali, Wild Wild Punjab, Cheers, Teerandaz and IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
Madhu Chopra recently shared how her son, Siddharth Chopra, ended up being affected by Priyanka’s success. She explained that Siddharth was just a teenager when she had to be with Priyanka. Since her husband, Dr Ashok Chopra, was also busy with work, Siddharth grew up without much parental guidance. On the Something Bigger Show’s YouTube channel, Madhu opened up about how her son, Siddharth, was unintentionally affected by Priyanka’s success. She explained that while her husband was busy with work and she was supporting Priyanka, Siddharth, a teenager at the time, had to grow up largely on his own. Madhu became emotional as she reflected on the challenges Siddharth faced during that period.
When asked to elaborate, Madhu explained that she still sees Siddharth struggling every day. She expressed that despite the challenges, she reminds herself to count her blessings, recognizing the positive things in life. Madhu concluded by sharing her gratitude for having two wonderful children who love and care for her.
In a previous interview with Hindustan Times, Priyanka shared details about her childhood with Siddharth. She mentioned how they often squabbled like most siblings, with her taking the role of the older sibling and bullying him at times. Despite this, she noted that Siddharth would always stand by her with love and a smile. Priyanka emphasized the strong bond they share, saying that while much remains unspoken between them, they both know they will always be there for each other. Priyanka’s brother, Siddharth Chopra, married Neelam Upadhyaya in August, with Priyanka attending the wedding in Mumbai. The couple got engaged in April, and the engagement ceremony was also attended by Priyanka’s husband, Nick Jonas, and their daughter, Malti Marie.
Priyanka Chopra made her Bollywood debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. The actor’s mother revealed she did not intend to do films at that point.
Priyanka Chopra is one of the most well known faces in Hindi cinema, having established herself as a leading actor in the industry after working for two decades. The actor won the title of Miss World in 2000, and that is where her journey began. In a recent interview with Rodrigo Canelas for his Something Bigger Talk Show podcast, the actor’s mother Madhu Chopra revealed that the actor wept while signing her first film reluctantly. She wanted to continue with her studies and was not interested in becoming an actor. (Also read: Priyanka Chopra’s mother Madhu Chopra regrets sending her to boarding school when she was 7: ‘I still cry over it’)
Priyanka Chopra with her mother Madhu Chopra.(Instagram)
What Madhu said
During the chat, Madhu said, “There were a lot of people coming to sign films with her. But, she didn’t want to, because she wanted to study. She was a brilliant and intelligent girl. Her objective was something else. This just happened. She wanted to study science subjects, become a criminal psychologist or an aeronautical engineer. She had all those plans in her head, but destiny had other plans. So, the first film she signed, there were big blobs of tears on that contract.”
‘I had to put the pressure on her’
She went on to add, “I said just do it once during the summer, and if you don’t like it, go back to doing whatever you want. Studies don’t go anywhere. It’s an opportunity, see if you like it, no one is forcing you. I had to put the pressure on her. When she did it, she kind of liked it. But she went back to college, more offers came, and then that’s history.”
Priyanka made her acting debut with the Tamil courtroom drama Thamizhan opposite Vijay. Her first Hindi movie was Anil Sharma’s The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, featuring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta.
Priyanka transitioned her career in Hollywood. She is married to Nick Jonas. Next, she will be seen in Idris Elba, John Cena’s action-comedy Heads of State. The actor will also feature in the American swashbuckler action drama titled The Bluff. She has just wrapped up shooting for the second season of Citadel.
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News/Entertainment/Bollywood/ Priyanka Chopra’s mother Madhu Chopra reveals why actor was in tears when she signed her first film
Last year in March 2023, when actor Satish Kaushik left the mortal world for a heavenly abode, he left everyone in a state of shock and disbelief. He was not just one of the finest actors in the industry, but also the most humble and grounded human being. Thus, remembering him, his friends and colleagues said some of the sweetest things. For instance, last year while reminiscing about Satish Kaushik, his friend, and Bollywood’s renowned script writer Rumi Jaffrey mentioned the late actor’s plans – he wanted to live long enough to see his daughter Vanshika settled in life. “Satish and I were friends for more than 30 years. Yeh ekaayak jaana bahot nainsaafi hai (his sudden departure is not fair). And it wasn’t as if he wasn’t taking care of his health. He was eating on time and eating right. He was going on morning walks. He wanted to live long enough to see his daughter settled in life. But God had other plans,” Rumi shared. Vanshika was only 10 years old when Satish Kaushik passed away. The actor was 56 years old when his little girl made her way into his life. Talking about the same in an interview with Economics Times in 2015, Satish shared, “To have a kid at this age makes me feel much younger (laughs). But yes, to have a child so late in life is quite challenging.” “Vanshika, my daughter, is three now and keeps telling me, `Papa, mere peeche bhago. Papa, mujhe pakdo’. Ab main usko kaise bataon ki I can’t run after her now! So I act like I am running after her, since I am a good actor. I can’t let her down. She’s lovely and has just started going to school. She is the best thing to have happened to me,” he added. Vanshika came into Satish Kaushik’s life 16 years after he lost his 2-year-old son SHanu in 1996. Thus, she was his miracle baby, a blessing that brought light in the darkest of hours.
The small South American country of Suriname plans to share revenues from newly discovered oil- and gasfields off its coast.
After several discoveries of oil reserves by an offshore drilling project known as Block 58 from 2019 to 2023, President Chan Santokhi has unveiled an ambitious initiative called Royalties for Everyone” (RVI), aimed at ensuring that all Surinamese benefit from the wealth generated for the country, which experts value at about $10bn over the next 10 to 20 years.
“The RVI instrument means that every Surinamese who lives in our country receives a savings note worth US$750 with an annual interest of 7 percent. The money will be paid out in the future from the royalty income of Block 58,” Santokhi said. Oil and gas production is to begin in 2028.
The royalties programme is designed to distribute the anticipated profits from the nation’s natural resources directly to its citizens, marking a significant shift in the country’s economic policy and potentially transforming the lives of the Surinamese people.
So how have the reserves been discovered, and how will the royalties scheme work?
Where have the reserves been found?
Block 58 is a large $10.5bn, deepwater oil and gas project situated off the coast of Suriname, which became a Dutch colonial post after the British traded it for New Amsterdam (now Manhattan, New York) in 1667. Despite gaining independence in 1975, Dutch remains the official language in Suriname.
French energy giant TotalEnergies, which is working in a joint venture with the United States energy company Apache Corporation (APA Corp), is the project operator of Block 58.
The venture aims to tap into a substantial oilfield 150km (nearly 100 miles) off the coast of Suriname that has the potential to produce up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
Is Suriname the only country sharing oil wealth in this region with its citizens?
No, and it is not the only country that has benefitted from offshore oil exploration in the region.
Guyana, its neighbour, announced last month that hundreds of thousands of Guyanese citizens at home and abroad aged 18 and over will each receive cash payments of about 100,000 Guyanese dollars ($480).
Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s president, said in a statement in October: “Over the past week, thousands of Guyanese have engaged me and members of my cabinet, providing extremely favourable feedback on the measures.”
A port that will support offshore oil production is under construction near the mouth of the Demerara River in Georgetown, Guyana, on November 19, 2024 [Matias Delacroix/AP]
How was oil discovered off the coasts of Guyana and Suriname?
Although much of Guyana’s and Suriname’s oil reserves have been found only within the past 10 years, early onshore exploration in the 1800s and 1900s found “oil seeps” – naturally occurring liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons – according to World Oil, a journal focusing on oil and gas exploration.
These early oil seep discoveries were understood to be evidence of the existence of larger oil reserves and possible functioning petroleum and gas systems beneath them.
In May 2015, ExxonMobil, a Texas-based multinational oil and gas corporation, and its partners made their first major oil find at the Liza-1 oil well, located in the Stabroek Block 193km (120 miles) off the coast of Guyana.
Although early oil exploration in Suriname began in the 1930s, Suriname’s oil industry was not born until the first commercial discovery of oil in the Calcutta Field, located in the Saramacca District in northern Suriname in 1965 by Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), a joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil.
With the founding of Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname NV in 1980, Suriname significantly enhanced its control over its state oil resources. While more recent exploration for oil and gas reserves began in the 2000s, TotalEnergies did not begin its operations in Block 58 until 2019.
A miniature model of ExxonMobil’s Liza Unity oil platform is displayed at Guyana’s Energy Conference & Exposition in Georgetown on February 19, 2024 [Sabrina Valle/Reuters]
Will newfound oil wealth change economic prospects for Guyana and Suriname?
Oil wealth has not always translated into economic wealth for nations with large oil and gas reserves.
Santokhi told the AFP news agency that he was “quite aware of the oil curse”, also known as the “Dutch disease”, which had fallen on resource-rich countries such as Venezuela, Angola and Algeria – none of which has seen big uplifts for their economies despite a wealth of natural resources.
Only Norway has managed to escape the curse – mostly by building a sovereign wealth fund also known as the Government Pension Fund to act as a buffer against the highs and lows of oil prices after one of the world’s largest oilfields was discovered off the Norwegian coast in 1969.
Suriname
Learning from this, Santokhi said, Suriname has set up a similar fund in expectation of the oil cash influx.
According to the 2022 Suriname Poverty and Equity Assessment, conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank, the national poverty rate in Suriname is 17.5 percent. This is nearly double the average 9.2 percent of the global population (about 700 million people) currently living in extreme poverty.
Guyana
According to 2019 estimates from the World Bank, the poverty rate in Guyana is even more dire – at 48.4 percent, down from 60.9 percent in 2006, making it one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean and Latin America despite the oil boom there.
Although Guyana possesses one of the world’s largest shares of oil per capita, almost half the population still lives on less than $5.50 a day, according to a 2021 USAID report, and has been hard hit by the global cost-of-living crisis in recent years.
According to the report, “Guyana’s political instability raises concerns that the country is unprepared for its newfound wealth without a plan to manage the new revenue and equitably disburse the financial benefits.”
Although poverty remains a challenge, the oil discoveries have lowered the poverty rate and opened the door for more state projects.
In September, the government outlined plans to build a $1.9bn gas-to-energy project aimed at doubling energy output.
“If you haven’t lived through what we lived through, you won’t understand what this mind-boggling growth means,” Guyanese media analyst and entrepreneur Alex Graham told The Guardian newspaper.
Which other countries use wealth from natural resources to benefit citizens?
Mongolia
In 2008, Mongolia established the Human Development Fund, which is responsible for distributing mining revenues to citizens via cash payouts. The programme was also designed to use revenues from state-owned coal and copper mining companies such as Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi and Erdenet Corp to fund social programmes, infrastructure projects and healthcare.
According to a 2012 article from the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan policy think tank based in Washington, DC, the Mongolian parliament mandated in 2011 that 805 billion tugriks (about $567m) from the fund be allocated to all citizens. This allocation was intended to cover health insurance costs and student tuition fees. Additionally, a cash payout of 21,000 tugriks (about $15) was made to each citizen.
After the 2012 elections, however, the government implemented austerity measures to address Mongolia’s dire economic situation. It discontinued cash payouts and reverted to a more targeted approach, focusing solely on monthly payments for children.
Due to structural inefficiencies in the Human Development Fund, it was eventually replaced in 2016 with the Fiscal Stability Fund, which focuses on stabilising the economy rather than distributing direct cash benefits.
Processing facilities at Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia [File: B Rentsendor/Reuters]
Botswana
Botswana’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Pula Fund, was founded in 1993 to manage revenues from diamond exports. The fund underwent a significant restructuring in 1997 under the Bank of Botswana Act of 1996.
The Pula Fund does not make direct payments to citizens. Its primary purpose is to cushion the economy against cyclical financial shocks.
According to a 2023 estimate from GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company, Botswana is the world’s second largest producer of diamonds and accounts for about 20 percent of global diamond production. But in 2023, Botswana exported $3.2bn in diamonds – a 31 percent drop from 2022’s exports.
After independence in 1966, Botswana was the world’s second poorest country, but according to recent World Bank economic reports, it is now considered an upper middle income country with most of its growth driven by diamond exports.
United States
In the US, some states are heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues, and some have found ways to benefit citizens directly.
Alaska
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend was established via a constitutional amendment shortly after oil production began in 1977 at the state’s petroleum reserve – the largest ever identified in North America. The oilfield is located in Prudhoe Bay in the North Slope region.
The fund was set up to use revenues from oil production to make dividend payments to “current and future generations of Alaskans”. According to state officials, roughly 600,000 Alaskans are eligible for the dividend, worth $1,702 this year.
Alabama
In Alabama, 28 percent of revenues generated from the sale of oil and gas are transferred to the Alabama Capital Improvement Trust Fund. This state fund primarily pays for technology and infrastructure projects that include construction and renovation of roads, bridges and government buildings, all providing an influx of jobs for the state.
Montana
In 1976, the Montana Coal Severance Tax Trust Fund was created through a voter-approved constitutional amendment. Half of it is funded by taxes on coal extraction revenues. The fund is responsible for job creation, school facility projects, new infrastructure and renewable energy projects.
After a sudden accident faced by Kashmera Shah in the US, husband Krushna Abhishek informs what happened with her as he gives an update on her health
Kashmera Shah recently met with an accident while she was in the US, away from her family. The actor had informed about the incident on social media by sharing a picture of blood-stained tissues on her car seat, followed by a picture of her nose covered in bandages. While the incident got everyone worried, her husband, actor-comedian Krushna Abhishek informs that she is doing fine.
Krushna Abhishek on Kashmera Shah’s health after accident
Explaining what happened and how the accident took place, Krushna shares, “She bumped into a glass mirror on the street, when she was in Palm Springs. Since she was not in Los Angeles, she got a bit more worried as she didn’t know people around there, and even Indians are not so much in that area. The shattered glass entered her nose, and she lost a lot of blood and had a major swelling. But she was taken to the hospital, and the situation was taken care of.”
Sharing an update on her current health status, Krushna informs, “Kashmera is one of the strongest women I have ever seen. She takes good care of herself and the family. The accident could have been worse, but she got saved. She is all okay now and will be returning to India in two to three weeks.”
Taking to Instagram, even Kashmera had updated about the incident saying, “I walked into a glass that could have shattered my whole face and it only jnjured my nose. And of course my emotional health as I was away from my friends and family in a far away city.” However, she ended the note with a quip, revealing that while Krushna did want to leave his shoot and come to her in the US, she didn’t let him: “The reason I did not let him come is because I did not want him to say Finally Naak kaat Li Apni.”
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News/HTCity/Cinema/ Krushna Abhishek shares wife Kashmera Shah is doing fine after her accident: She is a strong woman
