Author: News Desk

  • ‘I don’t care if it affects my career’: Alia Bhatt opens up on becoming a mother at career’s peak

    ‘I don’t care if it affects my career’: Alia Bhatt opens up on becoming a mother at career’s peak

    Bollywood actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Ranbir Kapoor were blessed with a baby girl on November 6th 2022. The duo has been on cloud nine ever since they announced their first pregnancy news.

    Ranbir Kapoor - Alia Bhatt delivers baby - Telegraph India

    The two welcomed their first baby at H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, Girgaon. The actress delivered her baby girl at 12.05 PM. It is indeed a happy moment for the Bhatt and the Kapoors. 

    Alia’s Take On Motherhood

    Alia was recently questioned about becoming a mother at the peak of her career. The Raazi star said, “There is no right or wrong in life. What works for me might not work for someone else. I have always been someone who listens to my heart. You can’t plan life. Life plans itself and you just have to follow that path. Whether it’s films or anything else, I always let my heart decide. Yes, at the peak of my career, I decided to get married and have a baby. But who says that marriage or motherhood will change anything to do with my work? Even if it does, so be it. I don’t care. I knew that in life, I would never regret the decision to have a baby. It’s a natural instinct. It’s the best decision that I have ever made. I have never been happier or more fulfilled.”

    Baby’s Name Announcement

    Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor name their daughter 'Raha'

    Bhatt shared a family photo, featuring her along with her newborn and husband-actor Ranbir Kapoor. Though the trio was blurred in the image, Ranbir can be seen holding their little munchkin. The image focuses on a jersey, which reads “Raha” in the capital.

    Giving the context to her Insta fam, the new mom explained the meaning of Raha while revealing the name given by her mother-in-law, Neetu Kapoor. “The name Raha (chosen by her wise and wonderful Dadi) has so many beautiful meanings,” wrote the Highway actress.

    Elaborating further, Bhatt penned, “Raha, in its purest form means divine path in Swahili she is Joy, / In Sanskrit, Raha is a clan, / In Bangla – rest, comfort, relief, / in Arabic peace, / it also means happiness, freedom & bliss,” in the caption. Before signing off, she wrote, “And true to her name, from the first moment we held her – we felt it ALL!,” followed by a red-heart emoticon.

    Concluding her sweet note for her daughter, the Dear Zindagi actress added, “Thank you Raha, for bringing our family to life, it feels as though our lives have only just begun,” followed by a couple of sun emoticons. As soon as she shared the post, a section of her fans flooded the comments section with wishes. Meanwhile, her peers Athiya Shetty, Sophie Choudry, Sonakshi Sinha, and sister-in-law Riddhima Kapoor Sahani also showered love on the announcement post.

    Strict Conditions:

    According to Indian media, the couple has listed out a set of rules for family and friends to visit their baby. A strict ‘no picture’ rule will be applicable to anyone who pays a visit.

    According to reports, the entire Kapoor and Bhat family are against exposing the baby to shutterbugs. In spite of repeated requests for respecting their private space, paparazzi chased the couple’s car while bringing their newborn home. Several videos and pictures of Alia and her baby girl are doing the rounds on the internet. However, as it turns out, all these pictures and videos are fake.

    The Brahmastra duo will also not allow anyone to visit their baby without a covid negative certificate. As newborns are prone to infections, the couple is extremely cautious of the baby’s health. Alia and Ranbir have also requested media and friends to abide by their rules atleast until the baby turns one.

    Professional Front

    Meanwhile, on the work front, Ranbir and Alia have many interesting projects in their pipeline. The actress will star in Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra. She also has Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Ranveer Singh, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, and Dharmendra in the lead. Alia will also be making her Hollywood debut with the film, Heart Of Stone, alongside Jamie Dornan and Gal Gadot.

    Ranbir, on the other hand, will star next in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal co-starring Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol in the lead. Produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series.

  • Feroze Khan hits out at netizen for cursing him, ‘2023 me jail Jao’

    Feroze Khan hits out at netizen for cursing him, ‘2023 me jail Jao’

    Actor Feroze Khan recently hit back at a netizen who cursed him on Instagram. A netizen commented under Khan’s post, “Hope 2023 brings jail time”. The Khaani star was quick to respond, “Wait in the line of my detractors.”

    The netizen commented on this amidst Feroze’s legal battle with ex-wife Syeda Aliza over child maintenance post their divorce.

    Feroze Khan serves a classy response to a troll for referring to him as  'Gareebon ka

    Earlier, Khan clapped back at a netizen for referring to him as “Gareebo ka Shah Rukh Khan”.

  • Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    Police Rescue 15 helpline received more than 27 million calls in 2022: report

    The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.

    The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.

    Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.

    According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.

    Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.

    The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.

  • NSC likely to take ‘key’ decisions on terrorism today

    NSC likely to take ‘key’ decisions on terrorism today

    National Security Committee (NSC) meeting will be convened on Monday (today) to take “key decisions” concerning security and the economy.

    According to media reports, the meeting will also approve decisive action against terrorists.

    The meeting will be a continuation of the one held last week.

    Senior civil and military officials are expected to attend the meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif chairing the moot.

    On Friday, last week, the NSC meeting decided to turn up the heat on militancy with relentless counter and preemptory measures to neutralise threats present in the country in any form.

    In a statement, the PM Office said the participants of the NSC meeting unequivocally resolved that Pakistan’s national interests would not be compromised and no one would be allowed to undermine national security.

  • Hot and toasty chor: Designers Dolce and Gabbana criticised for stealing Pakistani art

    Hot and toasty chor: Designers Dolce and Gabbana criticised for stealing Pakistani art

    We may have progressed to a new year, but international brands continue with their decades-old, regressive mindset of stealing artwork from third world artists for cheap products. Writer Rafia Zakaria brought this to attention today when she shared a screenshot of a Dolce and Gabbana toaster which had designs copied from Pakistani truck art on it. The toaster is retailing for $850.
    Is it still ethical to steal art that holds a lot of significance within a particular culture, especially while knowing that this country was recently devastated by floods.

    ‘Dolce and Gabbana Pakistani Truck Art limited edition toaster a mere $850 People in Pakistan still starving. Perhaps send a few extra dollars their way.’

    Social media users sided with Zakaria’s criticism by sharing how unethical it is for international brands to steal art and profiting from it without giving credit to artists.

    https://twitter.com/amna_mir/status/1609779503844171776?s=20&t=bmGIgxNjOYxmmR6RjxDDog
    https://twitter.com/Rafeyah/status/1609763113972146179?s=20&t=bmGIgxNjOYxmmR6RjxDDog
  • ‘Yes, I was a playboy’: Khan recalls odd conversation with Gen (retd) Bajwa

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in an interaction with the media persons at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, has recounted a conversation he had with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, alleging that former army chief called the former prime minister a “playboy”.

    “General (retd) Bajwa called me a playboy, and in reply, I said to him yes, I had been a playboy,” said Khan.

    Khan didn’t share when the exchange took place between the two.

    “Bajwa was stabbing us in the back while also showing sympathy. The set-up he installed is still working in the establishment,” claimed Khan.

    The PTI chairman, without taking the name of the army chief, said: “In Pakistan, establishment is a name given to just one person.”

    The former premier accused General Bajwa of hiring the services of Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, for lobbying in DC against him.

    During the same media interaction, Khan also said his wife Bushra Bibi is not like his political opponent Maryam Nawaz because, “she does not wear make-up”.

    He went on with comparing his wife to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice-president, stating that his spouse does not wear make-up, but Maryam Nawaz spends plenty of money on cosmetic surgeries.

  • Can’t find your medicine? Pharmaceutical firms threaten to protest from January 5

    Can’t find your medicine? Pharmaceutical firms threaten to protest from January 5

    Pharmaceutical firms in Pakistan have threatened to start boycotts from January 5 after growing shortage of medicines and other life-saving drugs and to put pressure on the government to resolve the sector’s problems.


    After the federal government introduced policies to increase prices of raw material, several medicines including insulin, are now unavilable in markets.
    According to the Pakistan Drug Lawyer Forum President Noor Meher, 91% of raw materials used to create these medicines are imported to Pakistan. He said that stocks of new medicines are sitting at Karachi port and Lahore Dry Port, however government authorities are not providing clearance to deliver these to stores. Meher revealed that the dire situation has now pushed pharmaceutical workers to protest on streets to demand the government’s attention for the sector’s problems.

    In October 2022, healthcare organization GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that it was shutting down the production of Panadol tablets, Panadol Extra Tablets and Cildren’s Panadol Liquid Range in Pakistan after suffering financial losses.


    In a letter to PM’s Principal Secretary Syed Tauqir Shah, the CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare Pakistan, Farhan Haroon had written:


    “We are incurring heavy financial losses on the production of the entire Panadol range due to an increase in the price of their raw ingredients and in the absence of due approval by the federal government on the recommendation of Drug Pricing Committee of Drug Regulatory Committee of Pakistan. Due to these challenges, manufacturing of Panadol range on negative margins is unsustainable and despite exhaustive efforts of the company to mitigate the issue through dialogue, the situation is now beyond our control, compelling us to declare force majeure.”

  • FACT CHECK: The video of snowfall in Makkah is fake

    FACT CHECK: The video of snowfall in Makkah is fake

    Claim: A video clip of heavy snowfall in Makkah’s Grand Mosque has been circulating on various social media platforms. The video appeared on YouTube and Facebook showing heavy snowfall close to the Grand Mosque and pilgrims enjoying the rare phenomenon. The 55-second video appeared on YouTube channel Bazme Masarrat on Saturday.


    Fact: The National Meteorological Center (NMC) of Saudi Arabia said that the video is fake. The video is actually doctored.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • 32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    32,000 job seekers fill stadium in Islamabad to take police force test

    Pakistan is facing serious financial troubles, and rising unemployment is just making matters worse for the country. Thousands of applicants can be seen seated on a stadium field to take a written test to be hired as constables by the Islamabad Police in a video that has recently surfaced on social media.

    For the written exam, which was held on Saturday at the Sports Complex in Islamabad, at least 32,000 applicants were forced to sit outside in the cold.

    For the 1,667 openings for police constables that were announced, more than 30,000 male and female applicants from all over Pakistan, according to Islamabad police, took the written test.

    The positions of police constables have been unfilled for the past five years.

    A new debate on how to increase employment in the nation has been ignited by the massive turnout at the Islamabad Police recruitment. Pakistan’s unemployment rate has peaked. The number of unemployed people is also steadily rising because there is so little hiring for government positions. Despite this, thousands of applicants are vying for open positions in the public sector.

    Over 31 per cent of the country’s youth are unemployed, according to a report published by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in 2022. There are 51 per cent girls and 16 per cent of boys among them, and many of them have professional degrees.

    Pakistan has approximately 60 per cent of its population under the age of 30, and its unemployment rate is currently 6.9 per cent. 

  • ‘The Legend Of Maula Jatt’ set to release in India?

    ‘The Legend Of Maula Jatt’ set to release in India?

    The Legend of Maula Jatt headlined by Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Mahira Khan is by far the most expensive film to come out of Pakistan. The film opened to packed houses on October 13th and continues to earn over 200 crores globally.

    In December 2022, Pinkvilla reported that Bilal Lashari’s blockbuster was set to release in India on December 30th after gaining massive appreciation from countries worldwide.

    However, Hindustan Times has reported that the film will not release in India. It was earlier speculated that the Pakistani film’s screening has been stalled indefinitely.

    “We have been informed by the distributors that the film’s release has been postponed. We were told this two-three days ago. No further date has been shared with us,” a PTI report quoted an INOX official as saying.

    The official added, “Zee Studios had acquired the rights of The Legend of Maula Jatt as they were expecting the film to do well. But because of the resistance from certain sections, the decision was made to not release the movie.”

    Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader and president of their cinema wing Ameya Khopkar tweeted about the cancellation of the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt and wrote, “Impact Of Raj Thackeray’s Warning! After the warning given by MNS, the screening of the Pakistani film ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ has now been completely cancelled. Not only in the state but also anywhere in the country, this film will not be released anymore.”

    He added, “Again, if anyone has feelings of love for Pakistani artists, then this one warning is enough for them. Heartfelt congratulations to all my colleagues for this victory of the MNS movement.”

    Previously, Bollywood Hungama had reported that the release has been stalled for the unforeseeable future. A source close to the development revealed, “Zee Studios had already acquired a clearance for The Legend Of Maula Jatt from the Central Board of Film Certification. But on Monday the CBFC recalled the film.”

    Since 2019, there has been a cultural exchange ban between both India and Pakistan. But still, some of India’s Punjabi films managed to release in Pakistan.

    Bilal Lashari’s directorial film has set high records not only in domestic cinemas but also in America, Europe and Gulf markets.

    Previously, Jawani Phir Nahi Aani 2 was the highest-grossing film in Pakistan that earned PKR 73 crore globally. But The Legend of Maula Jatt has tripled up those numbers.

    The Legend of Maula Jatt releases in cinemas across Pakistan and worldwide  - Minute Mirror

    Initial Release Issues In Pakistan

    Several cinema owners initially refused to screen the film due to a clash with the makers over commissioning ratios. Journalist Hassan Choudary shed light on the matter on Twitter.

    Film’s producer Ammara Hikmat exclusively confirmed to The Current that the news is factual.

    According to theatre owners, the makers and distributors of movies have been requesting more money than was specified in the contract. Film distributors and producers are asking for more money than was specified in the contract.

    In an official statement, Nueplex Cinemas have shared that they are not screening the film due to their exhibition terms, which are beyond the industry norms. Apparently, the film distributors are asking for more shares than what is considered normal in Lollywood.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEa7cv11Fb0&t=521s

    Actor Syed Jibran called it a “deadlock” and said the distributor’s demand to increase ticket prices for a larger share was “very unwise” and a bad step. The Ghabrana Nahi Hai star took to Twitter on Friday and wrote that the deadlock happening at the moment for The Legend of Maula Jatt is between distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla and officials of Cinepax cinemas and Nueplex.

    Jibran suggested that instead of increasing the price, it should’ve been reduced to Rs800 instead of Rs1,200 or more so that revenues “go through the roof”.

    “Increasing the ticket price they are just decreasing the repeat customers. It’s short-sightedness. Plain and simple. This will badly damage the reputation as well as a chance to create a historic box office first day score for the film,” he reasoned.

    The actor added that of 122 screens in Pakistan almost 50 of the main multiplex screens have not yet released any schedule for The Legend of Maula Jatt a day after the film’s release, which he called “the most important trend setting first day of the film”.

    He called it a bad decision on the distributor’s part and demanded that the problem be resolved as soon as possible otherwise no one else could be blamed for the “underperformance of probably the greatest film of Pakistan ever made” other than ourselves.

    After two weeks of the film’s release, the screening issues were resolved, nationwide.