YET TO FIND THE RIGHT PERSONTO MARRY: PRIYANKA CHOPRA

SALMAN KHAN TOPS FORBES INDIACELEBRITY 100 LIST FOR 2ND YEAR NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI PRAISED

FOR ROLE IN BAL THACKERAY BIOPIC

3RD T20I: INDIA BEAT SRILANKA, INFLICT WHITEWASH,

WIN SERIES 3-0

VIRAT KOHLI AND ANUSHKA SHARMA HELD THEIR SECOND WEDDING RECEPTION AT MUMBAI'S ST REGIS HOTEL.

FASHION DESIGNER MANISH MALHOTRA WITH DIANA PENTY, SHILPA SHETTY AND SOPHIE CHOUDRY AT THE LAUNCH OF ACLUB IN NEW DELHI.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Priyanka Chopra says that marriage doesn'thappen as per plans and she is yet to find the right person to mar ry.Priyanka said: "Marriage doesn't happen as per plans. You just haveto find the right guy for yourself. If I find a right guy then I will do it. Istill haven't found that person." Priyanka confirmed she was ap-proached for the Rakesh Sharma biopic where Aamir Khan was sup-posed to play the title role. "It was one of those scripts," she said. Thefilm will be produced by Sidhar th Roy Kapur and Mahesh Mathai.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Acclaimed Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiquiwill play the title role of the late Shiv Sena founder-president BalThackeray in the upcoming biopic titled "Thackeray". Bollywoodmegastar Amitabh Bachchan, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackerayand Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut attended the glittering launch functionhere on Thursday evening. "It's truly a great day for me. I am for tunateto have got an oppor tunity to enact the role of such a great personalitywhich any actor in the world would love to do. I am sure Balasahebwill inspire and bless me in this venture," said Nawazuddin in a videomessage since he was unable to attend the function as he is awayshooting in Mauritius. The first promotional posters of the Hindi biopic- to be directed by Abhijit Panse - was unveiled by Uddhav Thackerayamidst a thunderous applause. The film is scheduled for release onJanuary 23, 2019, the 93rd bir th anniversary of Thackeray.

MUMBAI, (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan has once againtopped the Forbes' annual list of the highest-earningenter tainers in the country. The 2017 Forbes IndiaCelebrity 100 list rankings are based on estimates ofenter tainment-related earnings of celebrities. The 51-year-old actor pipped Shah Rukh Khan to the top afterraking in IRs232.83 crore in the period of October 1,2016 to September 30, 2017, backed by endorsementsof several brands. Shah Rukh with IRs170.5 crore, retained hislast year's position at number two, and was followed by Indiancricket captain Virat Kohli with IRs100.72 crore. The list alsofeatures 13 actors from the south this year as against 11 last year.The only woman in the top 10 is Priyanka Chopra (at number 7with IRs68 crore). Shuttler PV Sindhu with earning ofIRs57.25 crore was the highest money gainer as hertotal earnings soared nearly 17 times, propelled byseveral brand endorsements following her 2016 RioOlympics silver medal.

OMG Akshay Kumar says couldn't do 'Kesari' with Salman KhanMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Akshay Kumar says he and superstar Salman Khan couldnt work on "Kesari" together but he is making the filmwith filmmaker Karan Johar. Akshay was present at the launch of PVR Icon with Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures, on Thursdayhere. Salman had teamed up with Akshay for a project in which the latter was to play the hero. Salman was to co-produce it with Karan.Asked to comment on Salman backing out of the project "Kesari", Akshay said: "Yes, we couldn't do it. I am making the film with KaranJohar and that's it." What's the film's progress? Akshay said: "The title has been finalised as 'Kesari'. I will star t working on the film inJanuary. We will be continuously shooting for it after the release of 'Padman'." Kesari will be based on Battle of Saragarhi.

MUMBAI, (IANS) India produced a dominant per formance to hammerSri Lanka by five wickets in the third and final Twenty20 International(T20I) and win the series 3-0 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.Opting to bowl on winning the toss, India restricted Sri Lanka to 135/7. The hosts then overcame the loss of early wickets to overhaul thetarget with four balls to spare. Pacers Dushmantha Chameera andDasun Shanaka bagged two wickets each for Sri Lanka.Chasing a modest target, India did not enjoy a great star t as openersLokesh Rahul and Rohit Sharma depar ted in quick succession. Shreyas Iyerand Manish Pandey then added 42 runs between them in 36 deliveries to bring theIndian inings back on track.The visitors struck back when Iyer was run out thanks to an excellent piece offielding by Akila Dananjaya in the 14th over. Hardik Pandya was also dismissed inthe very next over as the Sri Lankans looked to make a strong comeback. Pandyahad attempted to guide a delivery from Dasun Shanaka through the empty thirdman region, but his miscued shot was safely grabbed by Sri Lanka wicket-keeperNiroshan Dickwella. The hosts suffered another setback when the in-form ManishPandey, who was their top scorer with 32 runs off 29 balls, was bowled byDushmantha Chameera. However, Dinesh Kar thick and the veteranMahendra Singh Dhoni came together to finish off the chase. Earlier,India rode on a strong bowling per formance to restrict Sri Lanka to alow total. Asela Gunaratne (36 off 37 balls) and Dasun Shanaka (29not out off 24) were the main contributors for the struggling visitors,who lost the first two T20Is in Cuttack and Indore.

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'TIGER ZINDA HAI': DIRECTOR MAKES THIS TIGERROAR, CROSSES IRS150 CR

CAST: SALMAN KHAN, KATRINA KAIF, SAJJAD

DELAFROOZ, GIRISH KARNAD, KUMUD MISHRA,

PARESH RAWAL

DIRECTOR: ALI ABBAS ZAFAR 10songs

SANWAR DE KHUDAYA ARTH

GHOOMAR PADMAVATI

BAN JA RANI TUMHARI SULU

HALKA HALKA SUROOR PADMAVATI

ITTEFAQ SE ITTEFAQ

MEHBOOBA FUKREY RETURNS

SWAG SE SWAGAT TIGER ZINDA HAI

JAANE DE QARIB QARIB SINGLLE

TU MERA BHAI NAHI HAI FUKREY RETURNS

top

SONG

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPTIGER ZINDA HAI 150 CR

FUKREY RETURNS 70 CR

MONSOON SHOOTOUT 5 CR

CHHURI 45 LAKHS

SABRANG 25 LAKHS

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICETIGER ZINDA HAI BLOCKBUSTER

CHHURI AVERAGE

MONSOON SHOOTOUT HIT

FUKREY RETURNS HIT

SABRANG AVERAGE

FILM

DIL DIYANGALLAN

TIGER ZINDAHAI1

When did this Tiger ever stop roaring? Well...okay, "Tubelight" didn't quitework . Salmaniacs didn't want to watch him as a whimpy whiny crybabyhero. The message is hammered loud and clear in "Tiger Zinda Hai"(TZH), ahomage to Salman Khan's indomitable powers of hero-giri. From the firstframe to the last blast, this is a fanboy director making sure that everymoment of the narrative is paisa vasool for the Salman fans."Tiger Zinda Hai" is a 2 ½ hour homage to Salman Khan's superstardom. Inthe cinema of the Southern superstars like Rajinikanth or evenMammoothy(see his latest release Masterpiece where in almost ev-ery frame the star is eulogized)it is common practice to extol thevir tues of the Man Of the moment, to the extent that the other membersof the cast appear to be after thoughts.Almost every suppor ting actor in TZH- and that includes the diligent KatrinaKaif -is an extension of Salman Khan's superstardom, his or existence de-fined by how much he or she hero-wosrhips our intelligence officer AvinashSingh Rathod a.k.a Tiger. The lengthy eulogy gets tedious only when theactors pause to tell us what a daunting one-man army our hero is.And since that happens quite often, we are frequently asked to hold ourhorses, while the compliments flow and the speed breakers are served up.Once those are out of the way TZH is a lot of fun to watch. The sheersilliness of a one-man army mowing a mayhem across terrorism, ata time when heroes in cinema across the world are exposing theirvulnerability more than their virility(see the haunting Call Me By YourName to know what I mean) is laughable.

So is the attempt to infuse a political urgency to an endeavour that is clearlyon a one-point mission: no, not save the tiger, but celebrate the hero's macho-giri until it hur ts. And I don't mean the muscles. To his credit director packs inquite a punch. The narrative takes us through a collage of quirky, appealinglocations where some really well-choreographed action scenes are shotwith breathless zeal. Full marks to cinematographer Marcin Laskawiec andaction director Tom Struthers, not to mention the pulse-pounding yet discreetbackground score by Julian Packiam , for uplifting the viewers' gaze to a levelcomparable with the Hollywood franchise.A thought, though. Are we so short of international-calibre talent that we needto import impor tant technicians to make our onscreen action look competi-tive and competent? And does Salman's stardom really need a boost? A no tothe first question and a yes to the second. Salman's superstardom is like apitcher of brackish brew whose bitter hue is best tasted when recycled withgusto. TZH looks like many other anti-terror films including Baby and NaamShabana.And if you really want to see a taut intensely-felt take on the sameplot about the kidnapping of nurses in Iraq, try the Malayam film Take Off.Admittedly the action sequences in TZH are better staged than in the firstTiger film. Except for the Iranian actor Sajjad Delfarooz who stands out as theterror mastermind, the splendid suppor ting cast is criminally wasted. It's sadto see actors like Girish Karnad, Paresh Rawal, Kumud Mishra and AngadBedi hanging around only to make sure the leading man looks his Sundaybest. Still these actors ferret out their moments from a script that allows nobreathingspace for anything but comicbook vigour .

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BIG B WITH SHIV SENA CHIEF UDDHAV THACKERAY AT THE LAUNCH FUNCTION OF AN UPCOMING BIOPIC OF LATE SHIV SENAFOUNDER-PRESIDENT BAL THACKERAY IN MUMBAI.

WHAT WAS KATRINA'S LOVEADVICE TO KJO?MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Katrina Kaif, who has worked withKaran Johar in films like "Agneepath" and "Baar Baar Dekho",says the filmmaker once asked her for love advice. Karan iscurrently hosting the show "Calling Karan" on 104.8 Ishq FM whereinhe guides callers to take the best possible route in a bid to solve theirrelationship issues. "I haven't had a chance to seek relationship advicefrom him (Karan), but he has once asked me for love advice and Ihappily helped," Katrina said in a statement.

If not for Akshay, why wouldpeople watch 'Padman': BalkiMUMBAI, (IANS) Director R. Balki, who is all excited for hisupcoming film "Padman", says Akshay Kumar is the rightman for the film, asking if not for Akshay, why else wouldpeople watch the film? Balki was present at the song launchof the film along with actor Akshay, Kumar's wife and thefilm's producer Twinkle Khanna, and actress Radhika Apteon Wednesday when he was asked about casting the "Khiladi"actor for a f i lm l ike "Padman", which is a biopic onArunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of a low-costsanitary pad making machine in India."Akshay had asked me if I was sure he should play this par tin the film. The first thing that came to my mind was why elsewould people watch the film. I think he is the right guy to playthis role. And the only thing we knew at the time wasMuruganantham's life. I wasn't even sure how to make it intoa film at first," he said. Balki, whose last directorial "Ki & Ka"was critically acclaimed, also spoke about how the biopicprocess went. "I had to write it first to figure out whether thescript would be right for the film. After writing, once when wesaw the complete script and how it was going to come upthen I was clear that this film can be made."Actress-turned-author Twinkle said she didn't think there was anyoneelse apt to direct the film, which is based on a shor t story from her book"The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad". Asked why Balki was chosen as thedirector for the film, Twinkle said: "When I came across Muruganantham'sstory, I wrote it down. When we decided to take it across the board,across states, across religion, we knew there are only two things thatwork in this country, one is cricket and other is cinema. "Cricketers arebusy with their own pads (laughs), so we needed cinema and there wasonly one name in my mind -- none other than him (Balki).""I have watched his films and I think he is a sensitive filmmaker. Heunderstands women, I think, partly because of his wonder ful wife Gauri(Shinde), whom I admire and I think she is a very good influence on him.And I don't think there was anyone else apt for this aside from Balki,"added Twinkle. Akshay was asked if having matured as an actor, he isconsciously moving towards films with social issue mixed with qualityenter tainment in order to make people think and enter tain them at thesame time. "I am enjoying doing such films and also at the same time Iam enjoying commercial cinema.

Arbaaz's 'Nirdosh' release postponed by a weekMUMBAI, (IANS) The release date of actors Arbaaz Khan and Manjari Phadnis starrer "Nirdosh" has been postponed by a week toJanuary 19. The film was earlier slated to release on January 12, however, the makers have changed the release date to shoot for asong. "The situation and script demanded the need of an additional song which plays an impor tant role in the narration of the film.Keeping the shoot in mind we decided to push the film by a week and not only that, but the same also gives us additional time formarketing of the film," Pradeep Rangwani, who has co-directed "Nirdosh" with Subroto Paul, said in a statement. The film alsofeatures Ashmit Patel, Maheck Chahal and Mukul Dev.

OMG! Anil's career wouldn't be same without Anupam's suppor tMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Anil Kapoor credits his life and career to veteran actor Anupam Kher for giving him constant suppor t. Anupamon Tuesday congratulated Anil for winning the Best suppor ting actor (Male) award for his per formance in "Mubarakan" at the Zee Cineawards 2018. "Dear Anil Kapoor! Your every year has been great and it will continue to be like that. You add brilliance to your yearsby sheer hard work and passion which is rare. Congratulations on your award. Warm hug my friend. Jai Ho," Anupam tweeted.To which, Anil replied: You always know the right thing to say Anupam Kher! My life and career wouldn't be the same without yourfriendship and constant suppor t! Thank you for always believing in me my friend!" The two have worked in films like "Hum Aapke DilMein Rehte Hain", "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai", "1942: A Love Story", "Laadla", "Deewana Mastana", "Parinda" and "Ram Lakhan".Currently, Anil is busy with "Fanne Khan" with actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao.

Sometimes even children have their own agenda: KJoMUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Karan Johar believes sometimes even children need their space and can have their own agenda. Here to attend the100th birthday of spiritual leader Dada J.P. Vaswani, Karan, who welcomed twins Roohi and Yash via surrogacy earlier this year, spoke at length on strikinga balance between being a parent and the child. "Parents should give freedom and everything needed to their children. Sometimes even children have theirown agenda. They don't want to spend all their time with their parents," Karan said in a statement. Karan says it is the duty of every parent to give time to theirchildren. "otherwise if parents don't give time and understand their children, children tend to take revenge. They also in turn don't give time," he added. On thework front, Karan is producing projects like "Drive", "Raazi", "Kesari" and "Brahmastra".

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hollywood

MAHESH BHATT WITH HIS DAUGHTER POOJA BHATT DURING RADIO MIRCHI'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN MUMBAI.

I was offered Rakesh Sharma biopic: Priyanka ChopraMUMBAI, (PTI) Actor Priyanka Chopra says she was approached for the Rakesh Sharma biopic. The 35-year-old actor also confirmedthat Aamir Khan is no longer a par t of the project, which is based on the life of the first Indian to travel to space. There were reportsthat Aamir has quit the Mahesh Mathai directorial and Shah Rukh Khan has replaced him.While the film's makers are mum about it, Priyanka, who has long been rumoured to be playing Sharma's wife in the biopic, said Aamiris not attached to film any more. "I have finalised two-three scripts. Now, I am lef t to make announcements. Rakesh Sharma biopicwas one of those scripts. I was approached for that film when Aamir was doing it... He is not in the film now. We were supposed to doit in 2019. Now, I don't know," the actor said at the red carpet of Zee Cine Awards here last night.Asked if Shah Rukh is stepping in for Aamir, the "Quantico" star replied, "I don't know. I haven't got any confirmations. I haven't spokento Sid (producer Siddhar th Roy Kapur) or Mahesh sir. As soon as I know, I will see." The project would have marked the firstcollaboration between Priyanka and Aamir. The actress has worked with Shah Rukh in "Don" and "Don 2".

Best compliment to be called a commercial heroine: JacquelineNEW DELHI, (IANS) She made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with "Aladin" and has been on a roll in Hindi filmdom ever since. SriLankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez has no qualms of being called a "commercial heroine" and says it is the best compliment she'sreceived. "That would be the best compliment I could get. I think commercial cinema is really amazing. There is a reason why theyencash as much at the box-office -- because people really enjoy watching such films," Jacqueline told IANS over phone from Mumbai."I consider myself an enter tainer. If I can make someone laugh, cry... or enter tain (them)... that is very fulfilling for me. So if you brandme like that, then I would be very happy because that's what exactly I want," said the actress, who has featured in enter tainers like"Housefull", "Race 2", "Kick", "Dishoom" and "Judwaa 2" among many others.Talking about doing socially-relevant films or content-driven cinema, she said: "Commercial cinema can be anything (sociallyrelevant or content driven). If you do not have the content for commercial cinema it won't work and people won't buy into it; so you can'tnegate commercial cinema saying that it can't be based on content or social causes because most of them are."The actress, 32, said that the only way "commercial cinema can work is if the content is very strong." Jacqueline, who is co-ownerof Delhi Heroes in MTV's Super Fight League, is ecstatic on completing eight years in Bollywood and says there is still a long way togo. "Well, it's getting better and better, which is all that you can really hope for. There is still a long way to go. It actually gives me alot of happiness because I enjoy doing what I am doing... There are so many experiences to enjoy," she said.

EVA LONGORIAEXPECTING FIRST CHILDLOS ANGELES, (IANS) Actress Eva Longoria is expect-ing her first child - a boy - with husband Jose Baston.Longoria, 42, is four months pregnant, her representa-tive told people.com.The couple began dat-ing in 2013, got mar-ried in May 2016 inMexico in a star-stud-ded par ty. Baston, whoalready has three chil-dren from his previousmarriage, is the presi-dent of Televisa, a US-based media company.Longoria had previouslydenied her pregnancyrumours on multiple oc-casions. She is bestknown for her role of Gabrielle Solis on the popular TVseries "Desperate Housewives". Longoria has also ap-peared in films like "The Sentinel", "Over Her Dead Body","For Greater Glory", "Frontera" and "Lowriders".

WEINSTEIN ATTEMPTED TORAPE COLLEAGUE: EX-AIDELONDON, (IANS) Disgraced Hollywood producer HarveyWeinsteins former assistant Zelda Perkins saysWeinstein attempted to rape a former colleague at theVenice Film Festival 19 years ago. Perkins broke hersilence on Tuesday even though she had signed a non-disclosure agreement in 1998 and received 125,000pounds from production banner Miramax, repor tsbbc.co.uk. "We were at the Venice Film Festival and hetried to rape her," said Perkins. The colleague was shak-ing and in shock and also did not want anyone to find outabout the matter, said Perkins, who added that she thencalled Weinstein out of a business meeting to confronthim. He denied the accusation."He said nothing at all had happened and he swore on the life of hiswife and his children, which was his best get-out-of-jail card that heused quite a lot," Perkins said. Weinstein has denied all accusa-tions of non-consensual sex. Police in both the US and Britain areinvestigating multiple allegations against the disgraced producerand no charges have been brought. Both Perkins and thecolleague subsequently resigned.

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JOEL EDGERTON, WILL SMITH, NOOMI RAPACE AND DIRECTOR DAVID AYER AT THE SPECIAL SCREENING OF FILM BRIGHT IN MUMBAI.

2017 best year of my life: Rajkummar Rao

AKSHAY KUMAR AND TWINKLE KHANNA AT THE SONG LAUNCH OF THEIR FILM PADMAN IN MUMBAI.

b o l l y w o o d

BY DURGA CHAKRAVARTYNEW DELHI, (IANS) Ileana D'Cruz, who has been acting infilms since 2006, says she doesn't consider herself to be a"so-called personality or a star." In September, Ileana shot avideo for a brand. She spoke about her struggles with bodydysmorphic disorder for 15 years.Asked how difficult it is for a personality to open up aboutpersonal problems, I leana told IANS over phone fromMumbai: "I don't personally look at myself as a 'so-calledpersonality, a star or a celebrity'. First and foremost, I am anormal human being like everyone else. For me, it was justopening up about issues that people don't talk about thatoften." Ileana says speaking up would help in bringing "moreawareness". "I didn't look at it from this perspective that I'man actor and it will be harder. I just wanted to talk about itthinking if I could help someone," she added. The actress,30, believes that being aware that there is a problem andthat you need to address it, is impor tant. "Talking about it,opening up about it and sharing what you are going throughobviously will help. But the eventual changes can only comefrom within you," she said. It's a long process, stressedIleana. "It's not easy but for me, it was all about saying that'You can get there, you can get to the other end and you can getout of it if not ducking forever. You will get out of it'," she added. Ileana,who has starred in Tamil and Telugu films, made her Bollywood debutin filmmaker Anurag Basu's 2012 movie "Barfi!". Since then she hasfeatured in several Hindi films like "Phata Poster Nikhla Hero", "MainTera Hero", "Happy Ending", "Rustom", "Mubarakan" and "Baadshaho".She describes her six-year journey in Bollywood as a "roller-coasterride". "I feel like no film is the same experience. I love that I get to learnsomething new with every single film that I do. It's a great job - in total,it's been 11 years for me that I've been working and I have loved it. I can'twait for even more years to come along," she said. But does she haveany regrets? "Not really! I think if I had any regrets, I wouldn't be whereI am today. Mistakes that you make, shape you as a person that you aretoday and I'm happy with whatever I did," said the actress, whose film"Mubarakan" was aired on Sony Max on Saturday. She added that therewere also mistakes that she made along the way but they made her"stronger" and "a better person. And made me who I am today. So, noregrets whatsoever," she said.

Shahid Kapoor confirms hisnext with Imtiaz AliMumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Actor Shahid Kapoor says that he isuniting again with his "Jab We Met" director Imtiaz Ali for a"very different film. We are doing something soon togetherand for that, I am really excited. I think Imtiaz is a phenom-enally talented filmmaker," said Shahid who will work withImtiaz after almost 10 years."We made a film together towards the beginning of my ca-reer and the absolute beginning of his career. It's somethingwhich people still talk about. 'Jab We Met' has been a spe-cial film of my life and to work with the guy who gave me therole of Aditya Kashyap is going to be amazing. The subjectthat he has is very different from what we have done in thepast. It's very exciting and interesting so right after 'Batti GulMeter Chalu', I am going to do his film next," added Shahidon the sidelines of Zee Cine Awards 2018 on Tuesday, here."Batti Gul Meter Chalu" is being directed by Shree NarayanSingh. Talking about the female lead for the film, Shahidsaid: "As of now, nothing has been finalised yet. We will leteveryone know very soon who is the leading lady of the film,as we still have some time to star t the film. We are going tostar t shooting of that film in February," he added.

Prabhas an absolute darling:Shraddha KapoorMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Shraddha Kapoor, who will be seensharing screen space with Prabhas in the upcoming film"Saaho", says the "Baahubali" star is an "absolute darling" towork with. Shraddha did a question and answer sessionwith her fans on Wednesday on Twitter, where she was asked aboutPrabhas. "He is an absolute darling. One of the best people I have met,"Shraddha replied. Shraddha, daughter of actor Shakti Kapoor, finds ithard to choose between her different talents. "It's so hard to choose! Ilove acting, singing and dancing. Am living my dream everyday so,love every single thing about it," Shraddha tweeted. During the chat,Shraddha also expressed her desire to work with actors likeShah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.

DON'T LOOK AT MYSELF ASA CELEBRITY: ILEANA

BY SUBHASH K. JHAMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Rajkummar Rao says that 2017 has been anexceptional year for him. Excerpts from an interview:Q How is your ankle healing after the fracture recently?It's 95 percent healed. I am walking and I hope to run soon.Q. Would you say 2017 was your most exceptional year so far?The year 2017 was the most exceptional year so far, because of thenumber of releases and the audiences accepted me in most ofthem. Most of my releases this year were box office successes.Just hard work is not enough. Your films have to succeed as well.Then there was the web series on Subhas Chandra Bose which wasstreamed and widely viewed, maybe more than any of my bigscreen films.So I am very grateful for that. All these filmmakerswho thought of me for all these par ts. So yeah, I think 2017 was anexceptional year for me. I just hope 2018 remains as exciting.Q. Which would you consider the high points of 2017?Many highs during the year. I'd say 'Bareilly Ki Bar fi' because mycharacter was appreciated by the masses. No one thought I'd beable to do a character like Vidrohi and that too in such a hardcorecommercial film. Now that people have seen me playing such a funpar t with so much pleasure they can offer me more light heartedenter tainers. Not that I don't enjoy playing roles with politicalramifications.Q. Like 'Newton'?

Yes, 'Newton'. I got widespread appreciation in a solo lead af ter along time. And the kind of success 'Newton' saw was immense.The kind of numbers that 'Newton' did was totally unexpected. I ofcourse knew we were doing a very special film. The fact that it wassuch a game-changer was a welcome bonus.Q. Disappointed that it didn't make it into the Oscar shor tlist?We made a wonder ful film. We are super-proud of it. We gotworldwide appreciation for it.Q. Your comments on 'Padmavati' being hurdled by protests. Doyou foresee similar roadblocks for your film 'Omer ta' where youplay terror mastermind Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh?I am just waiting to see 'Padmavati' like everyone else. As for thetrouble for 'Omerta', we will cross the bridge when we come to it.Like 'Newton','Omer ta' has received widespread appreciation allacross the world. We are hoping for a quick release in India andvery excited about it.Q. What can we expect from Rajkummar Rao in 2018?I like surprising and challenging myself. Yes, I think I've an excitinglineup in 2018. There is Hansal Mehta's 'Omer ta' to begin with ,followed by 'Fanney Khan' with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and AnilSir (Kapoor) and 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha' with Sonam Kapoor which isproduced by Vinod Chopra. So I think there will be a lot of shootingand a lot of releases. What more could an actor ask for? 2017 wasthe best year of my life. I hope 2018 gets even better.

Aim is to create awareness, not earn money: Akshay on 'Padman'MUMBAI (PTI) Actor Akshay Kumar today said with "Padman", about a man who develops a low cost sanitary pads, they are trying toreach out to a wider audience without looking at the commercial aspects of the movie. "With 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' we had shown it(film) on Doordarshan channel, the government is also doing a good job by taking the film in a pen-drive and showing it in villages sothat more people can see the film and understand it. We will do something similar for this film ('Padman').Our aim is not to earn money through the film but it should reach more people, more places where it is needed. We will also take thehelp of the government," Akshay told repor ters here at the song launch of "Padman". Akshay's wife Twinkle, who is one of the producersof the film, said the team got in touch with various ministries about showing the film in schools in smaller towns and cities, to makemore people aware about menstrual hygiene."We would want the film to be shown to school girls and principals, so it penetrates where it has to. At least we are hoping aconversation star ts where the same girls, who can't afford a sanitary pad, would say to their parents that we don't need fairnesscreams, we need sanitary pads so that we can go to schools." The makers today launched the song 'Aaj Se Teri' featuring Akshay andhis on-screen wife Radhika Apte. The national award winning actor has been doing films like "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" and "Padman",focusing on social issues, and he said it is a deliberate move to be associated with such kind of cinema."I do this (referring to social-real issue films) but at the same time I am also enjoying doing commercial cinema. I am also doing a filmlike 'Houseful'. I have done all kinds of film, I love doing films. This (social issue) kind of cinema attracts me, it gives me satisfactionas an actor and as a human being." Akshay is happy that people especially men have today openly star ted talking about sanitary pads,and hoped that post the release of "Padman", things would only get better.

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ AND TIGER SHROFF, MUSIC COMPOSER DUO SALIM MERCHANT AND SULAIMAN MERCHANT AT THELAUNCH OF SUPER FIGHT LEAGUE SEASON 2 IN MUMBAI.

RAHUL, ROHIT RISE IN ICC T20I RANKINGSDUBAI, (IANS) Indian batsmen Lokesh Rahul and Rohit Sharma have made substantial gains in the Twenty20 International (T20I)rankings following India's 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka. Rahul has gained 23 slots to reach the four th position among batsmen af terscoring 154 runs, including two half -centuries, during the series, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Monday.Rohit climbed six rungs to reach 14th position. He scored 162 runs during the series, which included a knock of 118 in the secondmatch in Indore. Australia opener Aaron Finch moved up a rung, displacing Virat Kohli to take the top spot. West Indies opener EvinLewis also gained a spot to rise to second place. Kohli slipped to third position after missing the series due to personal commitments.As players lose two per cent of their rating points for each T20I missed, Kohli has slipped from 824 points to 776 points.However, Kohli, who is the top ranked batsman in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and placed second in Tests, is only eight pointsbehind Finch and four behind Lewis. Among the bowlers, Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's eight wickets in the series havehelped him move up 14 slots to reach 16th position while Hardik Pandya (up 40 places to joint 39th) and Kuleep Yadav (up 48 placesto 64) have also moved nor thwards after taking six wickets each.For Sri Lanka, Kusal Perera has moved up eight places to take the 30th slot in the batsmen's list after aggregating 100 runs in the serieswhile Upul Tharanga has gained 36 slots to reach 105th position after his total of 81 runs. Thisara Perera has gained two places toreach the 70th position among the bowlers. In the ICC T20I team rankings, India have moved up from their pre-series tally of 119 pointsto 121 points. They have leapfrogged England, New Zealand and the West Indies to move from fifth to second position in a list led byPakistan with 124 points.

INDIA TO HOST ENGLAND IN3-MATCH WOMEN'S ODI SERIESMUMBAI, (IANS) India's women's cricket team will play athree-match One-Day International (ODI) series againstEngland after the Twenty20 International (T20I) tri-series,featuring the two sides along with Australia in March in thecountry, it was announced on Monday. The Board of Controlfor Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that it has reached a bilateralagreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)over the issue. Prior to the T20I series, India will host Aus-tralia in a three-match ODI series in Vadodara. The matcheswill be par t of ICC Women's Championship (2017-2020)and will be held between March 12 and March 18.

Current situation doesn't allowcricketing ties with Pakistan: ShuklaJHANSI, (IANS) The current situation in Pakistan is notconducive for India to resume cricketing ties with it and there is nochance of the two countries playing a match in the near future, IPLChairman and Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said. Addressing a pressmeet here, he said India was very concerned about the security of itscricketers and would do nothing to compromise their safety, thusruling out any cricketing ties with the neighbour. In this Uttar Pradeshcity to take part in a meeting of the state cricket association, Shukla,citing the killing of an Indian Army officer and four soldiers on theLine of Control in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani Armyin a ceasefire violation, said in such a situation, there couldbe no cricketing ties.

DHONI STILL NO. 1 WICKETKEEPERIN THE WORLD - PRASADNEW DELHI: MS Dhoni has effectively been guaranteed aspot in the 2019 World Cup, about 18 months away, af terthe chairman of selectors MSK Prasad gave a resoundingappraisal of the " No.1 wicketkeeper in the world". Whilethis is the first time a selector has made a definitive state-ment on Dhoni's par ticipation in the World Cup, it is not yeta given that Prasad himself will be selecting the squad forthe tournament. According to media repor ts, the selectioncommittee, comprising Prasad, Sarandeep Singh andDevang Gandhi, has been given a temporary extension un-til the BCCI's next Annual General Meeting.

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017 s p o r t s

SHASTRI CONFIDENT AHEAD OFSOUTH AFRICA TOUR NEXT MONTH

FORMER INDIAN TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE MILKHA SINGH AND BIHAR HEALTH MINISTER MANGAL PANDEY FLAG OFF'PATNA MARATHON 2017' AT GANDHI MAIDAN.

TOLEDO SCORES LATE TODOWN BEAST 5-2BRAMPTON - Daniel Ciampini had two points and MarcusHogberg made 22 saves as the Brampton Beast were de-feated by the Toledo Walleye 5-2 on Friday night. The Beastwelcomed the Walleye to the Powerade Centre for the sec-ond time this season. Both clubs had some good chances inthe early going but it was the Beast who really turned on thepressure as the first period wore on. Toldeo goalie Pat Nagleand Beast netminder Marcus Hogberg each carried cleansheets into the first intermission. The shots favoured theBeast after the first by a slim count of 9-7. Toledo openedthe scoring in the second period courtesy of ChristianHilbrich. The big forward was able to tuck the puck in shor tside and give the Walleye the lead at 4:01. Not long afterToldeo struck again. This time it was Erik Bradford findingtwine behind Hogberg. He gave the Walleye a 2-0 lead at8:33. Brampton needed to get something going after twoquick Toledo strikes. It turned out to be Daniel Ciampiniproviding the spark with his first of the year.

Vallorani the Hero as BeastClip Wings in OvertimeKALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - Brampton Beast forward DavidVallorani lit the lamp 1:33 into the extra period to lif t theBeast to a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory at Wings EventCenter in Kalamazoo on Saturday night. Brandon MacLeanscored a pair of goals and defenseman Paul Cianfrini scoredhis first as a member of the Beast, while Alex Foster andChris Leveille each recorded two assists to lift the Beast tovictory. Neither team wasted any time finding their scoringtouch in the opening frame. Brandon Marino netted his team-leading eighth goal of the season just 1:31 into the contest,converting on a per fect goalmouth feed from Chris Leveille.With the assist, Leveille extended his point streak to ninegames. Justin Taylor responded with his first of the night at5:20 but the Beast would pull ahead again just momentslater. MacLean found some open ice and sped down the lef twing on a par tial breakaway.

Henry's Two Points PowerBeast over GladiatorsBRAMPTON - Marcus Hogberg made 29 saves and JordanHenry had a goal and two points as the Brampton Beastdefeated the Atlanta Gladiators 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.The Brampton Beast welcomed the Atlanta Gladiators to thePowerade Centre for a Sunday showdown. Both clubs haveonly met once before and that was back in the 2015-16season. It was a fast paced first period that saw both teamstrade a bevy of hits and scoring chances.BCCI prepones domestic T20 tourneys ahead of IPL auctionNew Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The BCCI has decided to bring forward twodomestic tournaments, the Zonal T20 league and the Syed Mushtaq Aliknockout tournament, to ensure the players have a chance to auditionahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 auction on January 27-28. According to a statement from the national cricket board, the ZonalT20 league will now be held from January 8 to 16 instead of January 21to 29 while the Syed Mushtaq Ali knockout tournament has beenpushed from the February 4-10 window to January 21-27. "In view ofthe IPL Player Auction which is scheduled on January 27 and 28,there has been a change of schedule for the domestic tour-naments," the BCCI statement read.

Ekta lone Indian in both ICCODI, T20I Teams of the YearDUBAI, (IANS) Indian women's team left-arm spinner EktaBisht emerged the lone Indian to feature in both the Interna-tional Cricket Council (ICC) ODI and T20I teams of the yearwith Englands Heather Knight named as captain of the 50-over side and West Indian Stafanie Taylor appointed captainof the 20-over side. India captain Mithali Raj was includedin the ODI team of the year while her deputy HarmanpreetKaur found a place in the T20I team. Mithali, who became thehighest run-getter in the history of women's ODI cricket duringthe ICC Women's World Cup earlier this year, led India totheir second final appearance in the showpiece event, whereher girls went down fighting against hosts England.

WARNE RATES SMITH HIGHERTHAN KOHLI IN TESTSMELBOURNE, (IANS) Australian leg-spin legend ShaneWarne considers Virat Kohli and Steven Smith as two of thebest batsmen of the current generation but feels that Smithoutsmar ted the Indian captain in Test cricket. Warne, whoplayed 145 Tests between 1992 and 2007, has listed his top11 batsmen from those he has either seen or played with oragainst. On the list, Smith shares the 10th spot along withKohli, though Warne did say he felt the Australian had hiscontemporary counterpar t for Test cricket's batting crowncovered. "To me Steve Smith is the best Test batsman in theworld. Virat Kohli is the best across all three formats of thegame, but across five days, Smith is the man," Warne wrote in hisNews Corp column as quoted by cricket.com.au. Kohli's dismal tour ofEngland in 2014 was the factor Warne used to separate the Indiaskipper and Smith, who has made three away Ashes hundreds andaverages 43.31 in the United Kingdom. Warne listed West Indian leg-ends Viv Richards and Brian Lara as first and second respectively,with Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar third. Next on his listcame three Australians in Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting and AllanBorder. South Africans Jacques Kallis and AB de Villierswere at seven and nine respectively, with lone EnglishmanGraham Gooch between that pair at number eight. Smithand Kohli rounded out the top 11, with Warne offering a finalword on the world's No.1-ranked Test batsman.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) India have never managed a series win inSouth Africa, but coach Ravi Shastri is determined to rewritethe history books when the men in blue tour the country nextmonth. "Nothing changes the way we approach any othermatch. For us all opposition is the same, all oppositions have tobe respected and every game is a home match."And as it turned out that next we are in South Africa. WhereSouth Africa is different is that we haven't won a series in SouthAfrica. Therein lies a massive oppor tunity for the team to dosomething special," Shastri told a news channel on Monday."The belief is there. We are going there and we will treat SouthAfrica like we treat any other opposition we have playedagainst. There will be respect but we will go there to win," headded. The Indians have registered a record ninth straightseries win after drawing the pollution-marred third and final

Test against Sri Lanka on December 6.They are now level with Australia and a series win in SouthAfrica will see them create a new world record of 10 consecu-tive Test series victories. Shastri credited the team's currentform to the tour of Australia in late 2014. Although the team lostthat Test series, Shastri asser ted that giving the Australians atough fight at their home ground gave the Indians immenseconfidence. "It star ted in Australia in 2014 and car ried home inSri Lanka, when we lost a Test match af ter dominating for threeand a half days. That opened the eyes for everybody. There wasa stage where we sat in the dressing room for two hours after agame, where each player questioned himself. It was lookinginto a mir ror. We said that we will never go to play cricket likethat. They were very honest with themselves and the boys saidthey would never be tentative again," Shastri said.

SMITH, AFRIDI JOIN OTHER FORMER STARS FOR ICE CRICKETNEW DELHI, (PTI) Graeme Smith and Shahid Afridi have joined a host of former stars for the inaugural St. Moritz Ice Cricket inSwitzerland from February 8-9. While Afridi is playing regularly post his international retirement, the two-day T20 event in St. Moritz willbe Smith's first since featuring in the Masters Champions League in February 2016.The other big names confirmed for the event are Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, Shoaib Akhtar, Mahela Jayawardene, LasithMalinga, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Daniel Vettori, Nathan Mcullum, Grant Elliot, Monty Panesar and Owais Shah. "I don't knowwhat to expect but I am really excited to play in a beautiful par t of the world. I hope the event is a huge success," said former South Africacaptain Smith. On playing against his contemporaries, Smith added: "There are lot of brilliant cricketers involved. I have played againstall these guys in international cricket. It will be nice to spend some quality time with them and put up a good show with the cricket."Organisers VJ Spor ts have claimed that the event has the approval of International Cricket Council (ICC).

Jan 05, Fri - Jan 09, TueSouth Africa vs India, 1st TestNewlands, Cape Town3:30 AM

Jan 13, Sat - Jan 17, WedSouth Africa vs India, 2nd TestSuperSpor t Park, Centurion3:00 AM

Jan 24, Wed - Jan 28, SunSouth Africa vs India, 3rd TestNew Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg3:00 AM

Feb 01, ThuSouth Africa vs India, 1st ODIKingsmead, Durban6:00 AM

Feb 04, SunSouth Africa vs India, 2nd ODISuperSpor t Park, Centurion3:00 AM

Feb 07, WedSouth Africa vs India, 3rd ODINewlands, Cape Town6:00 AMFeb 10, SatSouth Africa vs India, 4th ODINew Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg6:00 AM

Feb 13, TueSouth Africa vs India, 5th ODISt George's Park, Port Elizabeth6:00 AM

INDIA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA 2018 - 6 ODIS, 3 TESTS, 3 T20S JAN 05-FEB 24Feb 16, FriSouth Africa vs India, 6th ODISuperSpor t Park, Centurion6:00 AM

Feb 18, SunSouth Africa vs India, 1st T20INew Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg7:30 AM

Feb 21, WedSouth Africa vs India, 2nd T20ISuperSpor t Park, Centurion11:00 AM

Feb 24, SatSouth Africa vs India, 3rd T20INewlands, Cape Town11:00 AM

INDIA ANNOUNCE SA ODI SQUAD: ASHWIN, JADEJA'S ABSENCENEW DELHI, (IANS) The seasoned spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja continued to find themselves out of the 17-member squad for the One-day Internationals (ODI) that the BCCI on Saturday named for the six games against South Africa in February next year. Theboard's senior selection committee, which met here earlier in the day under chairman M.S.K. Prasad left paceman Umesh Yadav out while recallingMohammed Shami in the squad. Shami last played an ODI against Australia in September 2017. The squad also saw the return of Kedar Jadhav, who suffereda hamstring injury that kept him out of the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur also found a place in the squad after missing

the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka series due to a shoulder injury. The Virat Kohli-led squad includes as many as 10 frontline batsmen, including Hardik Pandya andMahendra Singh Dhoni while the young wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal andKuldeep Yadav were rewarded for their impressive ODI form. Asked about thecontinued absence of the experienced duo of Ashwin and Jadeja, Prasad said: "Wehave enough domestic matches. They have played enough cricket and have enoughnumber of wickets under the belt," he said. "(The) only issue is we have tried theseguys (the young spinners) and time and again they are winning games for you, soit makes sense to continue with these guys for some time." Left-arm spinnerAxar Patel was also included in the squad which surprisingly left openerLokesh Rahul, despite his back to back half centuries in the first twoT20 Internationals against Sri Lanka. Ahead of the ODIs, India will star t their tour withthe three-Test series against the Proteas, starting January 5 in Capetown while thesecond (January 13-17) and third (January 24-28) Tests will be played in Centurionand Johannesburg, respectively. The ODI series gets underway on February 1 inDurban, four days after the conclusion of the third Test. The second ODIwill be played in Centurion on February 4, the third in Cape Town onFebruary 7, while the four th and fif th ODIs will be held on February 10

and 13 in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth respectively. The final ODI will be played in Centurion on February 16, followed by a three-match T20I series which concludes on February 24.

INDIA TEST SQUAD:Virat Kohli (Captain),Murali Vijay, KL Rahul,Shikhar Dhawan,Cheteshwar Pujara,Ajinkya Rahane (vc),Rohit Sharma,Wriddhiman Saha (wk),Ravichandran Ashwin,Ravindra Jadeja, Par thivPatel, Hardik Pandya,Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Mohammed Shami,Ishant Sharma, UmeshYadav, Jasprit Bumrah

INDIA ODI SQUAD:Virat Kohli (Captain),Rohit Sharma, ShikharDhawan, AjinkyaRahane, Shreyas Iyer,Manish Pandey, KedarJadhav, Dinesh Kar thik,Mahendra Singh Dhoni(WK), Hardik Pandya,Axar Patel, KuldeepYadav, YuzvendraChahal, BhuvneshwarKumar, Jasprit Bumrah,Mohammed Shami,Shardul Thakur.

24 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017