Actor Benedict Cumberbatch married his pregnant fiancée, Sophie Hunter, on Saturday. British actress Keira Knightley was among the guests as the 38-year-old – who stars in the title role of the BBC drama Sherlock and has been nominated for an Oscar for his depiction of Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game – wed theatre director Hunter, 36, during a ceremony attended by close friends and family on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Other guests at St Peter & St Paul Church reportedly included actors Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies, and Martin Freeman, star of The Hobbit trilogy and TV drama Fargo. The couple left the ceremony in a classic Jaguar car. The couple announced their engagement in November. – AFP
Bollywood reacts to CBFC chief’s list
New Central Board of Film Certification chief Pahlaj Nihalani has been criticised by Bollywood filmmakers after he released a list of 36 English and Hindi words that will no longer be allowed in movies, regardless of the certificate. The list includes swear words that have previously been permitted, along with ambiguous instructions about violence against women, glorification of bloodshed and words with double meanings. It also prohibits the use of Bombay instead of Mumbai. Bollywood insiders took to Twitter to condemn the list. Filmmaker and CBFC member Ashok Pandit wrote: “I do not endorse the list ... I was not consulted. This is against the freedom and creative liberty of a filmmaker ... The film industry also plans to take up this issue with the Information and Broadcast ministry.” One person cannot dictate terms to the whole industry.” Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia wrote: “#CBFC morality code! Seriously??? What next? People to remove footwear outside theatres? Nariyals instead of popcorn? Jokers!” Shabana Azmi posted: “It is not the Censor Board BUT The Board Of Film Certification. Its business is to certify not to censor.” – The National staff
Chopra shares stage with world leaders
Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra called for more empowerment for women during a world leaders’ conference in Boston at the weekend. She spoke about the important role educating women plays in the development of a country at the Education First Hello World’s Day with World Leaders Conference. After the event, she tweeted about the “privilege” of sharing a stage with former US president Bill Clinton, former British prime minister Gordon Brown and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. She wrote: “What an amazing day. So honoured to speak at @EFHelloWorld & being part of an amazing list of speakers @billclinton @stevewoz @OfficeGSBrown.” She added: “Gratified, talking about my favourite subject #GirlPower 2 all the ladies out there... Happy Valentine’s Day. Always remember u are so valuable.” She is currently in the US to shoot an American TV show. – IANS
Prince crashes Wall Street for special gig
Prince shared the love at a special concert on Valentine's Day in New York's Wall Street on Saturday. The star-studded crowd included former basketball star Michael Jordan, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Chris Rock, Questlove, Rosario Dawson, Nas and Queen Latifah. Wendy Williams danced onstage throughout the first half of the two-hour-plus show, and the singer invited celebs to join him onstage later. The performance, at 23 Wall Street, celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan sneaker. An energetic Prince, who performed a charity gig at Pacha Ibiza Dubai this month, was backed by singer Liv Warfield and female trio 3RDEYEGIRL. His setlist included hits such as 1999, Little Red Corvette, Nothing Compares 2 U, and Kiss. At the urging of fans he returned to the stage to perform Purple Rain as an encore. – AP