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Mea culpa
Pope Francis wearing a traditional headdress at a meeting with indigenous communities in Alberta, Canada. He is on a “penitential” visit to beg forgiveness from survivors of Canada’s residential schools, where Catholic missionaries contributed to the “cultural genocide”, resulting in the death of nearly 3,000 children | AFP
party snacks
Party Snacks: August 14, 2022
For old times’ sake: Despite his various callings—politician, pilot and lawyer—Rajiv Pratap Rudy’s strongest bonds remain the ones he made as a student. The BJP MP was recently made co-chairperson of the Panjab University alumni association. At the function, he recalled winning the students’ elections in Chandigarh, which set the tone for his political career. “Those who lost the elections became bureaucrats and scholars, and I became a politician,” he said. “I often say in the central hall of Parliament that one has friends from school, college and university, but rarely from the political field. Having spent 20 years in politics, I can hardly count any friend in Parliament.” He also praised the magnanimity of Punjabis for making a Bihari students’ president, quipping that it might not happen the other way | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.
Party Snacks: August 14, 2022
Mega generosity: BJP-leaning district panchayat members in Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh are happy souls these days. MLA Rahul Singh Lodhi, who was elated that his wife was elected district panchayat president with a margin of just one vote, has been gifting these members SUVs and putting up posts on social media. Among the first to get an SUV was a member who was initially declared the runner-up in the panchayat member election, before the district election officer claimed to have found a clerical mistake, making her the winner.
Party Snacks: August 14, 2022
No writer’s block here: Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai has become a writing machine. His 150th book, Thatha Varathirikkilla, a collection of poems, was released on July 30. This is his second book this July. In May, his Kerala counterpart, Arif Mohammed Khan, launched five of Pillai’s books. The pandemic-induced lockdown was the best phase for the writer in Pillai. Restricted to the Raj Bhavan premises during the lockdown, he wrote 13 books, including collections of poems in English and Malayalam. At the current rate, he could hit a double century soon.
PEOPLE
People: August 07, 2022
Sizzling queen: Actor Rakul Preet Singh, who will soon be seen opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in the medical drama Doctor G, released her first pan-India song, ‘Mashooka’, on Jjust Music’s YouTube channel. The catchy number, sung by Asees Kaur and Dev Negi, features her as a ‘pop queen goddess’. “Not only is the song a party anthem, but the video is one of a kind. It is bold, quirky and sexy,” said Singh. The Telugu and Tamil versions of the song will be out on July 29 and August 1. Interestingly, it is presented by her boyfriend—producer Jackky Bhagnani | PTI
People: August 07, 2022
Wading into comedy: Fans of Abhishek Banerjee—known for his roles in Stree, Rashmi Rocket and Mirzapur—can now enjoy him in The Great Weddings of Munnes, a 10-episode series currently streaming on Voot Select. The story takes off when Munnes’s innocent search for love turns into “a series of misadventures triggering a laugh riot”. Banerjee says he found his character truly unique. “I was eager to do a comedy and remember laughing uncontrollably during the script narration and instantly knew I was going to be a part of this show,” he says.
People: August 07, 2022
Roger that!: Come Fall in Love, a musical adaptation of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, will open at the Old Globe theatre in California on September 14. It will feature Broadway star Austin Colby as Raj (now Rog) and Shoba Narayan as Simran. Colby thanked Aditya Chopra, who directed the original, for trusting him with the part. I want to make Shah Rukh Khan (who played Raj) proud, he said. Colby is known for his roles in the musical versions of The Sound of Music and Frozen. The times may have changed, but for many, DDLJ is still the holy grail of Bollywood romance. Can Rog (short for Roger) be the charming rogue that Raj was?
People: August 07, 2022
Space talk: Arati Kadav’s sci-fi short film, The Astronaut and his Parrot, starring Ali Fazal, has bagged the best director award at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. The festival tweeted a statement about the win: “The director managed to create compelling characters that allowed us to develop a deep connection to a very human moment.” The film is about a mechanical engineer in space whose mission goes awry and a parrot answers his call when he tries to contact mission control. With oxygen supply depleting fast, he desperately tries to pass on a message to his daughter. Kadav has previously made acclaimed sci-fi films like Cargo (2019) and 55km/sec (2021).
People: August 07, 2022
Calling all geeks: Marvel came out all guns blazing at the recent Comic-Con held in San Diego by announcing phases 5 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which include the next two Avengers films—Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars—in 2025. Meanwhile, in the near future, Marvel fans can look forward to the Tatiana Maslany-starrer She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which streams from August 17. DC/ Warner Bros, however, put up an underwhelming show with trailer releases of only two big films—Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Even Superman (Henry Cavill) gave the party a miss! | AP