Swing-state scrum

Don’t breed, eliminate need!: Dinesh Lal Yadav, better known by his screen name Nirahua, is a popular star and singer in the Bhojpuri film industry. He is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. Nirahua recently had a novel take on unemployment. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had solved the unemployment problem by not having children who would seek employment. The problem was caused by procreation, the father of three explained | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

The lay of the land: When Manoj Joshi, a 1989-batch IAS officer, was transferred overnight from the high profile housing and urban affairs ministry to the land resources department, the move sent bureaucratic circles into a tizzy. As urban affairs secretary, he had overseen some of the Centre’s most ambitious projects, including the new Parliament, the G20 summit venue Bharat Mandapam, the vice president’s estate, the new PMO and the Common Central Secretariat. Rumour has it that the Union government was upset with the Kerala-cadre officer for planning an event to release a report in which opposition-ruled states had performed better than BJP-ruled states.

One voice to praise them all: There seems to be a not-so-secret recipe for political campaigns in the Telugu states. To identify it, one must scroll through the credits of the catchy songs that the political parties come out with. Singer Nalgonda Gaddar Narsanna is the voice behind the YSRCP’s latest hit anthem, ‘Balira’. He also sang the Congress’s spirited ‘Mudu Rangula Jenda Patti’, which was widely used during the party’s successful campaign in last year’s Telangana assembly polls. He has also sung for individual leaders, like Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena Party, and BJP and BRS leaders. Truly, music knows no boundaries.

Steeling for fatherhood: The caped crusader is all set for daddy-dom. Actor Henry Cavill, aka DC’s Superman, announced that he is expecting his first baby with girlfriend Natalie Viscuso. The Man of Steel actor has been out of the dating market for the past three years. He went official with his relationship in 2021, when he shared a photograph on Instagram of him and Viscuso playing chess together. “This is me looking quietly confident shortly before my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie, destroys me at chess,” he captioned it | Getty Images

‘Religiously’ yours: UK’s first major Muslim film festival to celebrate the “rich tapestry of Muslim experiences via the medium of film”, featuring stars like Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed, takes place from May 30 to June 2. Ahmed’s short film Dammi, about a man confronting his French and Algerian heritage, will be screened at the festival. Other highlights include Hounds, by Moroccan-born director Kamal Lazraq, and Goodbye Julia, by Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani | Getty Images

Strumming my childhood: After proving his acting prowess in films like The White Tiger and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Adarsh Gourav is now flexing his musical muscle. He has released his first single—’Bechaini’—in collaboration with Mumbai-based artist OAFF. “We just wanted to write something about our childhood,” he says. “We exchanged stories about the silly things we did when we fell in love for the first time, at that age.” And of course, his childhood training in Hindustani classical music could have helped | Getty Images

Take two: South superstar Nayanthara is teaming up next with Nivin Pauly for the Malayalam film Dear Students, being directed by debutants Sandeep Kumar and George Philip. “Into the fun and gripping world of Dear Students joins the incredible, ever radiant, Nayanthara,” Pauly wrote on X. This will be their second collaboration after the 2019 rom-com Love Action Drama. Nayanthara’s last Malayam film was Gold (2022), opposite Prithviraj Sukumaran | Getty Images

Pam aplenty: The Naked Gun—a series of American crime spoof-comedies of the 1990s—is getting a movie remake, with none other than Baywatch star Pamela Anderson set to act in it. She plays the love interest of Liam Neeson, a clumsy police officer who ‘accidentally’ solves the crime of the day. Anderson is also set to star as a Las Vegas dancer in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl | Getty Images