‘Foreign policy under BNP will be pragmatic’: Dr Ziauddin Hyder

Serial winner: However much the BJP top leadership tries to keep Bandi Sanjay Kumar—Union minister of state for home—away from the Telangana state leadership, he seems to have a habit of bouncing back. By securing the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, he has once again proved his political utility. When he was appointed Telangana BJP president in 2020, Sanjay injected energy into the cadre, ushering in an aggressive and highly visible phase for the party. So, his removal in 2023 raised many eyebrows. Sections of the media speculated that the BJP leadership did not want to directly challenge KCR’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi and inadvertently help the Congress. But now, with the latest victory, an organisational role may not be far away | Illustrations by Job P.K.

Interest vs intent: On February 6, Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam opened counters to distribute application forms for aspiring candidates seeking the party ticket. Each form was priced at Rs100. The response was electric: over 10,000 forms were sold within hours, and nearly 40,000 were downloaded online by the end of the day. The deadline to submit the completed forms, along with the non-refundable fees (Rs10,000 for general constituencies and Rs5,000 for reserved constituencies), was extended from February 14 to February 20. But, only about 5,000 applications were submitted. Looks like the enthusiasm at the counter did not translate into commitment. Aspirants reportedly balked at the detailed financial disclosures sought (monthly income, campaign spending capacity, family support and income tax returns for the past three years).

A fan-made wedding: In 2022, social media sniffed out a new couple in the making—actors Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna. Although both had posted separate holiday photos, hawk-eyed online sleuths compared everything from pool tiles to beach angles to conclude that the two had been holidaying together. And a couple that holidays together stays together. Four years later, they paid tribute to their fans by using the fan-created portmanteau—Virosh—in the name of their wedding on February 26 at Mementos by ITC Hotels, Ekaaya Udaipur. Everything from the food to the flower arrangements was scrutinised minutely. But what got a unanimous thumbs-up was the table napkins embroidered with ‘VIROSH’. Sometimes, fans make the best matchmakers! | Getty Images

Raw appeal: Sanjay Garg’s Raw Mango made an admirable debut at the London Fashion Week with its collection ‘It Is Not About A Flower’. It turned an ordinary motif—the garland—into something extraordinary. Garg transformed the idea of flowers as decoration to flowers as identity and meaning. “As a culture, we are a country of garlands,” he said. “Whether it’s a death, a birth, a wedding or a religious ritual, you see garlands, irrespective of the religion. It’s not about one individual flower; it is about the plurality.” Garg also subverted the image of India as the land of bling and dense embroidery with his cotton knits, hugging skirts and layered wraps. Embracing restraint and a ‘less is more’ aesthetic, he subtly got his point across: that you don’t always need to shout to be heard | Getty Images

Homage to Hepburn: Lily Collins, daughter of singer Phil Collins and star of the hugely popular Emily in Paris, is about to embark on the role of her dreams. She is all set to play Audrey Hepburn in a film on the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in which Hepburn essayed one of her most memorable characters of a New York socialite. The film is inspired by Sam Wasson’s book Fifth Avenue 5 AM, about the production and wider impact of the 1961 cult classic. After a lifetime of “admiration and adoration for Audrey”, Collins shared on social media how honoured and ecstatic she felt. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, co-starring George Peppard as a struggling writer, won two Oscars and a best actress nomination for Hepburn | Getty Images

Young and free: The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) this year might not have been to the liking of some, like Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, who pulled out after jury president Wim Wenders stated that filmmakers should stay out of politics. But for others, like filmmaker Rima Das, it offered an opportunity to be seen and heard, and to build a meaningful connect with global audiences. Her film Not a Hero was honoured with the Crystal Bear Special Mention for its “deep connection with young audiences”. The film, which has Bhuman Bhargav Das in the lead, is about a boy exiled to his ancestral village where life turns into a different kind of adventure. “This win feels beautiful because it means that people are listening to children like me and caring about what we feel,” said Bhuman | Getty Images