After the success of his recent film Rowdy Rathore, Akshay Kumar will next be seen in Oh My God, a movie based on the Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji. The television personality Sachin Parikh, who played the lead role in the play, says he thinks Kumar will do justice to the project. "I have seen Akshay right from his first movie. The way he has graphed his career is amazing. Be it comedy, satire or action, he does them all so convincingly," Parikh said. "I'm sure Akshay would do wonders in the film adaptation." * IANS
Anurag Kashyap buys his first car
The Gangs of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap revealed on Twitter he has bought a car for the first time. "A Mahindra XUV500. 100 per cent Indian. Proud," he posted. "It has taken me 20 years to be able to buy my first vehicle. Had to be an Indian brand." Kashyap also tweeted about his excitement for Gangs of Wasseypur, which screened at last month's Cannes Film Festival and will premiere in cinemas this week. The film, about the coal trade mafia in the state of Jharkhand, stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Manoj Bajpai. * IANS
Bipasha Basu signs on for Shaukeen remake
The actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy has announced that Bipasha Basu has signed on for his remake of the 1982 comedy Shaukeen. "Bipasha loved the script and agreed to do it. But I can't confirm yet when we begin shooting as casting is still in progress," said Roy, who directed the segment Rice Plate for the 2007 anthology film Dus Kahaniyaan. The original Shaukeen, directed by Basu Chatterjee, starred Ashok Kumar and Rati Agnihotri.* IANS
Neha Dhupia gets a lead role, finally
The beauty queen-turned-actress Neha Dhupia has been in the industry for a decade now, but has not been seen in a leading film role - until now. Dhupia announced she has signed on to star in a film to be produced by Karan Johar. "I have said yes. I'm excited to talk about it really, but that's all I can say now," she said. The still-untitled project will be directed by Rensil D'Silva and will co-star Emraan Hashmi and Randeep Hooda. Dhupia's lead character role was reportedly previously offered to Kareena Kapoor.* IANS
Shahid and Priyanka ride local Mumbai train
To promote their forthcoming film Teri Meri Kahaani, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra decided they wanted to personally meet their fans, so they rode a local train in Mumbai last week. "I got on a train after a long time. It was a bit chaotic because there were a lot of photographers," said Kapoor. "But meeting the crowds and going from one station to another was fun." Chopra said: "When I moved to Mumbai, I used to travel in local trains a lot. So it felt nice that things haven't changed. It was a good experience."* IANS
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Roll of Honour, men’s domestic rugby season
West Asia Premiership
Champions: Dubai Tigers
Runners up: Bahrain
UAE Premiership
Champions: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division 1
Champions: Dubai Sharks
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
UAE Division 2
Champions: Dubai Tigers III
Runners up: Dubai Sharks II
Dubai Sevens
Champions: Dubai Tigers
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
UAE set for Scotland series
The UAE will host Scotland for a three-match T20I series at the Dubai International Stadium next month.
The two sides will start their Cricket World Cup League 2 campaigns with a tri-series also involving Canada, starting on January 29.
That series will be followed by a bilateral T20 series on March 11, 13 and 14.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Director: Justine Triet
Starring: Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
