BJP wants to prove pan-India appeal
Show me one sportsperson who thrives more than this man—on unrealistic expectations and pressure. It only seems to add fuel to his fire. Today, I am simply grateful that my name is Mahi-ndra.
The opposition in India lost a lot of its power due to its disunity. Unity would have given it much more strength. Congress has many organisational problems that need remedying. The party’s great past should inspire it.
I think what we are saying is that we are living with two or three contradictory truths at the same time. We are not living one truth. We are living the truth of our physical lives. We are living the absolute, indelible truth of our virtual avatars; we are living the truth of our Instagram feeds. All are truths!
At some point, PM Modi will start looking at his legacy. Right now, I think his aim is to be a PM for longer than Jawaharlal Nehru. Once that aim is met, then, none of us get younger. There comes a time when we have to leave the stage. I have no doubt that somewhere in the back of his mind, Modi will start thinking about what sort of legacy he wants to leave.
Travel liberates me. You understand that your way of approaching life is not the only one and that there are other valid ways of being. Suddenly, you are part of one big world, in so many butterfly effects.
THE BULK OF this issue is packed with political stories...
Philip MathewTHE BIG PUSH
A monkey touches its head to an old television antenna, almost as if seeking deliverance from the unbearable heat in Kerala. With the state entering peak summer, heat wave-like conditions are expected in several places. That the broken antenna looks like a cross only adds to the religious imagery | Dethan Punalur
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