The cameras are rolling once again in Bollywood.
With the pandemic forcing the bustling industry to halt all productions in April, its stars and creative talent have slowly returned to sets to pick up where they left off.
That said, the new productions are being done with many safety precautions in place. These measures include smaller numbers on set, social distancing and crew members wearing safety gear such as PPE suits.
Here are some of the stars and films back in action.
1. Amitabh Bachchan is raring to go
Having being discharged from hospital in August, three weeks after being admitted with mild Covid-19 symptoms, the superstar has resumed shooting the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, in addition to the film Brahmastra alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Reportedly Bhatt and Kapoor have finished their dubbing work on the film, which they did at a studio in Bandra, Mumbai. Bachchan will film a few key scenes with Kapoor in a studio, too. The film is now slated for a late December release.
2. Deepika Padukone heads to Goa
After posting photos of coconut trees and blue waters, Padukone revealed she was in Goa to resume work on an untitled film directed by Shakun Batra. The resumption of the shoot comes after Padukone emerged from two months of self-isolation at home in Mumbai. Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi are her co-stars in the project, which is reportedly a relationship-centred drama, slated for an early 2021 release.
3. A change of scene for John Abraham
Bollywood action man Abraham is flexing those biceps once again as he commences shooting his next blockbuster Satyameva Jayate 2.
The second part of the action franchise was supposed to be shot in Mumbai, but director Milap Zaveri reworked the script during India's nationwide lockdown to move the film to a relatively less-populated location near Lucknow. He flew there last month to scout the area (above). Shooting starts in October.
4. Aamir Ali is keeping it safe
When it comes to shooting his next feature film, Ali is taking no chances. With the production moving from Goa to Kolkata for outdoor scenes, Ali does what he has to do before promptly returning to the hotel. "I don't go out at all. I stay in my room and only go to the set," he told Bollywood Hungama.
"We are working with fewer people and staff because their well-being is our responsibility as well. We are being mindful of keeping our surroundings clean. Everything is being sanitised and we are maintaining proper distance and not interacting with people too closely."
5. A start and stop for Arjun Kapoor
To underscore how precarious the situation is, look no further than at what happened to Kapoor. Six days after posting a picture of his return to the set of a film also starring Rakul Preet, the actor tested positive for the virus. Production will resume as soon as he gets the all-clear.
6. Varanasi wows once again
The beautiful Indian temple city is once again hosting Bollywood films. At present, it is home to the shoot of director Rajiv S Ruia's Love You Shankar, starring Shreyas Talpade and Tanishaa Mukerji (above).
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Read more:
Amitabh Bachchan hits back at online trolls who wished him death from Covid-19
Actress Preity Zinta is isolating in Dubai hotel: third Covid-19 test comes out negative
Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt jets into Dubai for family trip
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
