Entertainment
Academy’s Oscars ban on Smith can’t stop his future noms, wins
Best Actor Oscar winner Will Smith on Friday (U.S. Pacific Time) accepted the decision of the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences to ban him from all Academy events, including the Oscars, for 10 years, reports ‘Variety’.
Smith, who resigned from the Academy last week, replied soon after in a statement, saying: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
In a statement issued after its 54-member Board of Governors took the call, the Academy noted: “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage.”
Apologising for the way it came across as unprepared, the Academy said: “During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”
The statement also hailed comedian Chris Rock, the recipient of Smith’s infamous slap. It said: “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.”
Reporting on the Academy’s action, ‘Variety’ observed: “The organisation did not have too many other options to impose, especially with Smith’s membership now no longer active following his resignation.”
It added: “His resignation and barring from future telecasts does not preclude him from being nominated or even winning future Academy Awards during that time.”
There have been calls from industry insiders and moviegoers for Smith’s Oscar to be taken back, which the Academy has no legal authority to claim, ‘Variety’ noted. “To compare, convicted criminals Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski still hold their Oscars following their expulsions,” it added.
Smith assaulted Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett Smith, also a Hollywood star, has spoken publicly about her struggles with hair loss due to the condition known as alopecia. Smith later apologised to Rock in an Instagram post the day after the incident.
The Oscars have struggled with their messaging and fallout after the incident. Criticism was heated from Academy members and Hollywood industry professionals regarding the decision to allow the ‘King Richard’ actor and producer to accept his statuette and speak for several minutes uninterrupted.
When the disciplinary proceedings were announced, the Academy said in a statement that Smith had refused to leave the ceremony, something multiple sources have refuted.
Entertainment
Shruti Haasan tells dad Kamal Haasan on his birthday: You are just the rarest of the rare Appa!

Chennai : Actress and singer Shruti Haasan, who is also the elder daughter of actor, producer and parliamentarian Kamal Haasan, on Saturday penned an adorable birthday wish for her dad in which she called him a “glorious uncut diamond” and a person who was “the rarest of the rare”. Taking to her Instagram page to pen the birthday wish to her dad, she wrote, “Happy birthday Appa dearest! I think you’ll appreciate very much that I don’t wax eloquent on here as to why I love you the most but I’ve not always been the best at taking your advice (smiley face).” She went on to say, “I spoke to you this morning to wish you and one of the first things you did was recommend a movie you’d just watched and then proceed to break down why it is that you love that movie so much… years and years in your favourite playground of cinema haven’t jaded, not even a little bit the love and with which you live this magical life and the gifts you give us through your craft.”
Stating that the heart of the little boy who looked up at his first bright light on his very first movie set was vibrant, alive and always searching for more, she said, “You are just the rarest of the rare Appa,the most glorious uncut diamond sparkling in the way only you can. Love you to the moon and back.” Meanwhile, birthday wishes have been pouring in for actor Kamal Haasan from various people cutting across film industries. Raaj Kamal Films International, the actor’s production house, wished the actor a happy birthday by releasing two new stills from his just titled film, ‘Sandiyar’.
Seeking to mark Kamal Haasan’s birthday on Saturday, Raaj Kamal Films International had on Friday announced on its X timeline that the film had been titled ‘SANDIYAR’. The production house also released a poster from the film that showed Kamal Haasan sporting an intense look and holding a revolver. Kamal Haasan was seen leaning into a car through its window. Blood marks on the car’s door gave the impression that the film would be a grim action thriller. The film boasts of a fantastic technical team. It will have music by one of the film industry’s best music directors Anirudh Ravichander. Stunts for the film are to be choreographed by National Award winning stunt masters Anbariv. Cinematography for the film is to be by Sunil KS. While production design is being handled by C S Balachander, costumes in the film are being designed by Amritha Ram. The film is to be produced by Kamal Haasan and R Mahendran, with S Disney joining in as co-producer.
Bollywood
Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘little unicorn ’ Raha turns four, actress shares fun pics from her Bluey-themed party

Mumbai : Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt on Saturday gave fans a glimpse into daughter Raha Kapoor’s fourth birthday celebrations. Sharing a series of pictures from the intimate, cartoon-themed bash on her social media account, Alia revealed all the fun that took place at the event. The first picture featured Alia and Ranbir Kapoor with Raha as they appeared to celebrate her special day together. Alia captioned it, “she’s 4” followed by a teary-eyed and a rainbow emoticon.
Another picture showed Raha, dressed in a grey checked outfit with a floral skirt, walking barefoot across the lawn, with hair styled in multiple tiny sections decorated with colourful clips. Alia captioned the adorable frame, “our little unicorn”. The actress also shared a close-up moment of herself planting a kiss on Raha’s cheek. The picture was captioned simply, “obsessed”. In another picture, Raha can be seen colouring a rainbow-themed sheet, and a birthday cake featuring hand-drawn cartoon characters was also captured in the carousel. Alia captioned the cake picture, “blessed.” The final picture showed Alia posing happily in front of a colourful birthday backdrop. The birthday event setting featured balloons, a cartoon-style bus and the words “Raha’s 4th Birthday”. Alia captioned the picture, “& ever”.
For the uninitiated, Raha was born on November 6, 2022, to Alia and Ranbir, who had tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at their Mumbai home on April 14, 2022. The couple announced that they were expecting their first child in June 2022, with Alia sharing a picture from her sonography session. Recently, Ranbir in a conversation around his film “Ramayana”, described Raha as the “diya” of his life and said the coincidence of playing Lord Ram while becoming a father had been a turning point for him. He had also spoken about how fatherhood changed his priorities and his outlook towards life. Alia, too, has previously spoken about Ranbir as a hands-on father. She described him as sensitive and said that his love for Raha is evident in the way he interacts with her. The couple had revealed Raha’s face to media and fans on Christmas in 2023. A few months after that, they started to keep Raha away from the public eye.
Entertainment
Aksharaa Haasan’s heartfelt wish for Kamal Haasan: Not everyone has the ability to be a dad

Mumbai : Veteran actor and politician Kamal Haasan’s younger daughter, Aksharaa Haasan, wished the ‘Indian’ actor with a loving post on IG. On Saturday, Aksharaa dropped a goofy photo with Haasan and penned, “Anyone can be a father but not everyone has the ability to be a dad, friend and inspiration. Happiest birthday dearest Bapuji @ikamalhaasan “. Aksharaa’s sister and Kamal Haasan’s elder daughter, Shruti Haasan, called her father a “glorious uncut diamond” and a person who was “the rarest of the rare”. Her birthday post for her father went, “Happy birthday Appa dearest! I think you’ll appreciate very much that I don’t wax eloquent on here as to why I love you the most but I’ve not always been the best at taking your advice (smiley face emoji).”
“I spoke to you this morning to wish you and one of the first things you did was recommend a movie you’d just watched and then proceed to break down why it is that you love that movie so much… years and years in your favourite playground of cinema haven’t jaded, not even a little bit the love and with which you live this magical life and the gifts you give us through your craft.” Shruti went on to add. “The heart of the little boy who looked up at his first bright light on his very first movie set is vibrant , alive and always searching for more. You are just the rarest of the rare Appa,the most glorious uncut diamond sparkling in the way only you can,” the ‘Salaar’ actress went on to add. Shruti concluded the post by expressing her immense love for her father. Wishes have been pouring in from all sides for Haasan on his special day from both the entertainment and political world.
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