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Thoughts and prayers: The Telangana BJP had a hectic day on January 10 as party leaders and cadres flocked to their nearest temples and immersed themselves in prayer. The reason? The safety of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Given that he had a recent security scare in Punjab, his party men in Telangana conducted mrutyunjaya homam (a ritual dedicated to Lord Shiva to prevent untimely deaths) across the state. State party president Bandi Sanjay Kumar was at the forefront of the proceedings and appealed to party workers to pray for Modi’s wellbeing | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Mother tongue-lashing: Mallikarjun Kharge might be at ease with English or Hindi in Parliament, but back home in Karnataka, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha bats for Kannada. During a recent news conference in Bengaluru, national media reporters asked him to brief them in English. An annoyed Kharge told them to learn Kannada, and added: “Would you expect [Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.] Stalin or [Maharashtra Chief Minister] Uddhav Thackeray to brief you in English?”

Woman on top: Nushrratt Bharuccha will reprise her role as Sakshi in the sequel of Vishal Furia’s supernatural thriller Chhorii. “Nushrratt Bharuchha is one of the most underrated actors of our industry,” said Furia. “When I had the idea of continuing the story, I could not imagine doing it with any other actor. For me, Nushrratt had imprinted the character of ‘Sakshi’, and only she could have taken the journey ahead on the big screen.” The film, which released in November 2021, was about a pregnant woman and her partner moving into a haunted house | Getty Images

Dr Love: Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed has been roped in to play Princess Diana’s ex-lover, Dr Hasnat Khan, in season five of The Crown. Saeed debuted with the Urdu film, Inteha, in 1999 and has since acted in several high-profile films in Pakistan. He won the ARY award for best actor for his role in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and its sequel. Tenet star Elizabeth Debicki replaces Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in this season and Khalid Abdalla plays Dodi Fayed. Meanwhile, The Crown fans can look forward to two more seasons of royal escapades and turbulent love affairs before the series finally winds up | photo courtesy instagram

Vintage style: The makers of Death on the Nile have revealed the first character poster of Ali Fazal, who will be playing the role of Cousin Andrew Katchadourian. Suited and mustachioed, Fazal channels his inner vintage Hollywood hero in the poster. The film, based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name, is directed by Kenneth Branagh and features a stellar cast that includes Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey, Rose Leslie and Jennifer Saunders. Branagh himself will be reprising the role of the dashing Hercule Poirot. The film is set to release on February 11.

Hot star: Tahir Raj Bhasin might be the next big breakout star to look out for. Last seen in Kabir Khan’s 83 as Sunil Gavaskar, he has three OTT releases in the next few weeks. In Voot’s Ranjish hi Sahi, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, he plays a married filmmaker who has an affair with a superstar. The series fictionalises the 1970s love affair between Parveen Babi and Bhatt himself. In Netflix’s Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, his love affair with a girl is interrupted by a politician’s daughter’s obsession with him. In Loop Lapeta, again on Netflix, the actor will be romancing Taapsee Pannu in a Hindi remake of the German cult thriller, Run Lola Run. Watch this space for more | AFP

Season’s greetings: Dr Meredith Grey and her entourage will be returning for season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy, the longest-running primetime medical drama. Ellen Pompeo will be reprising her role as Meredith. “I couldn’t be more excited that we get to keep telling the stories of Meredith, Bailey, Richard and all of the other doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial for another season,” said the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes. The current season sees Meredith’s relationship with new love interest Nick (Scott Speedman) evolving. Guess she has come a long way since her sizzling romance with “McDreamy” | Shutterstock