Lok Sabha polls: The hottest battle this election season is in south India

Revanth presses on: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was in Bengaluru recently to campaign for the Congress in the Telugu-speaking localities of Bangalore South. During a media interaction, he said he became chief minister because of his luck. “Some people reach the station and the bus arrives,” he quipped. He also took the opportunity to warn the journalists that they could be out of a job if the BJP retains power. “You just need to send wedding videographers for press meets because you may not be able to ask questions,” he said. “Even if you ask, you will not get an answer that you can write about.” | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Sins of the son: Sanjay Nishad, a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, was in Sant Kabir Nagar recently to attend a wedding. His son Praveen, who is an MP from the district, was also in attendance. But, some of his constituents were unhappy with Praveen as they felt that the MP did not visit the constituency enough. They expressed their displeasure, angering the supporters of the Nishad family. This led to an impeccably timed scuffle—just as the bride walked up to the stage—that left the senior Nishad with a bloodied nose.

A different tune: V. Vaseef, the DYFI’s Kerala president, is the CPI(M)’s youngest candidate in the state. He is contesting from Malappuram—the bastion of Congress-ally Indian Union Muslim League. Despite the odds, the 40-year-old is mounting a strong campaign. In light of the popularity of Malabari rap among the youth of Kerala, Vaseef’s team has released an original diss track against his political opponents. While it does not mention people or political parties, the track says the leaders from the other side are more interested in attending weddings and eating biryani than serving constituents. It remains to be seen whether the biryani diss will help Vaseef taste an unlikely victory.

Letting her hair down: How do you break the internet with a hair wash routine? Head over to Queen Bey’s Instagram page for a step-by-step guide. Joining the GRWM (get ready with me) trend, Beyoncé gave a rare and unvarnished peek into her hair-care routine. The video served two purposes: promote her hair-care line called Cécred—a portmanteau of the last two letters of her name and the word ‘sacred’—launched in February; and shut up sceptics who think her hair is neither long nor healthy just because the American singer-songwriter wore wigs and weaves during her performances and tours | Getty Images

Comic shift: When Indian American author, model and host Padma Lakshmi announced her exit from Top Chef, everyone wondered, “What’s cooking?”A comedy show, it seems. She is trying to sell a comedy series script that she developed with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. While she refused to share the title or plot, she revealed that it is “hard comedy”and that she plans to produce and star in it | Getty Images

Spunk meets punk: Malala Yousafzai and a Muslim punk band—it cannot get any badass than this! The Nobel Peace Prize winner is set to guest star in the second season of We Are Lady Parts. Will she be the lead vocalist? Or, better still the lead guitarist? There is no information yet, but there is talk about a rival band. Yousafzai also recently co-produced a Broadway musical on women’s suffrage—Suffs—with former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and a documentary with actor Jennifer Lawrence—Bread & Roses—on Taliban’s oppression of Afghan women post the exit of US troops in 2021 | AP

Reporter’s diary: Basking in the success of 12th Fail and the joy of fatherhood, Vikrant Massey will be next seen in The Sabarmati Report. The makers of the film recently announced its release date—August 2. Directed by Ranjan Chandel, the film is on the burning of the Sabarmati Express near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat. Massey plays a journalist who is out to uncover the truth behind the incident | PTI

Busy V: Varun Dhawan seems to be on a roll. On his birthday on April 24, a new poster of Baby John was unveiled. The film, starring Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi, is the official Hindi adaptation of Atlee’s Theri. The soon-to-be father also has Citadel: Honey Bunny, the Indian version of the American series Citadel. Then there is the sequel to Bhediya and No Entry and the Dharma movie Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari | AFP