Cradle of leaders

Concern for Kamal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently shared a light-hearted exchange he had with former chief minister Kamal Nath in the state assembly on his Twitter handle. In the video clip, Kamal Nath is seen asking the CM to lend him the bicycle which Chouhan had used earlier to protest the rise in fuel prices. Chouhan replied that he will never send the bicycle to Nath because he respected the Congress leader’s age. Though an ageist joke, Chouhan’s reply was well-received both in the assembly and on Twitter | Illustrations by Job P.K.

Slipper war on studio: Last week, a Telugu news channel competed with its counterparts in Delhi in terms of aggression on the studio floor. During a debate on the Amaravati Capital City Project, BJP leader S. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy had a verbal spat with K. Srinivasa Rao—member of an organisation protesting the state government’s plan to go for three capitals. Tempers rose high and Rao flung his footwear at the BJP leader during the live show. The reason? Reddy accused Rao of being a paid artist of the Telugu Desam Party. Will there be any repercussion for Rao’s actions? The nation wants to know!

Political flex: Recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi “single-handedly” hogged the limelight in Tamil Nadu’s social media space. He was in Kanyakumari to launch the third leg of his election campaign when Merolin Shenigha, a Class 10 student, called for a push-up challenge. Rahul quipped: “You are trying to embarrass me”. However, as the crowd watched, he did 14 push-ups in 10 seconds. After completing it, Rahul upped the ante: “Let us make it difficult. Can you do it with one hand?” And he went on to execute a push-up with one hand. Will Gandhi’s push-ups give the Congress a much-needed push in Tamil Nadu? The results will be out on May 2.

Rebel with a song: On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, Kiara Advani has joined hands with actor Bani J and rapper Raja Kumari to launch an ‘empowerment anthem’—‘I’m A Rebel’. “Being a rebel isn’t a look or style,” said Kiara, who is making her non-film music video debut with this single. “It is a way of life and I have always endorsed it. For me, it’s always been about living your life on your own terms, being comfortable in your own skin and not caring about what the world thinks.” The song is part of a campaign by the consumer electronics brand, boAt, and Universal Music India to celebrate women.

Let there be light: The name of Alia Bhatt’s production house, Eternal Sunshine, is meant to ‘throw light’ on the kind of films she wants to produce. Sharing the logo of her company on Instagram, the actor wrote: “Let us tell you tales. Happy tales. Warm and fuzzy tales. Real tales. Timeless tales.” With this Alia joins the likes of a few brave women like Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma in turning producer. May the force—or the light—be with them | AFP

A royal sweep: Remember the time when Prince Charles won a Golden Globe? Not the real but the reel one. Josh O’Connor, who essayed the role of the prince in Netflix’s The Crown, won the award for best performance by an actor in a television series, beating the likes of Jason Bateman and Al Pacino. His co-star Emma Corrin, who played Princess Diana, also took home a trophy for best actress in a drama. The Crown won four awards, including the one for best television drama series.

Show time: Abundatia Entertainment, which has produced films like Airlift, Toilet – Ek Prem Katha and Shakuntala Devi, has acquired the rights to author Ashwin Sanghi’s book, Keepers of the Kalachakra. Said Sanghi, “Keepers of the Kalachakra is a cutting-edge thriller that explores the overlap between quantum theory and spirituality, and I’m truly excited that this story will come alive on millions of screens soon through Abundantia.” Sanghi is known for his novels like The Rozabal Line and Chanakya’s Chant, which lie at the intersection of mythology, history and spirituality | PTI