Connect with us
Thursday,15-May-2025
Breaking News

Entertainment

Actress Charmee Kaur appears before ED in PMLA case

Published

on

Charmee-Kaur

Tollywood actress Charmee Kaur on Thursday appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering probe linked to four-year-old drug case.

Charmee reached the ED office in Hyderabad around 10.30 a.m. As she was getting down from the car, a large number of waiting camera persons and photographers moved closer to her, leading to chaos. She requested the camera persons to give her way.

The actress’ personal security personnel intervened to make way for her to enter the ED office.

She is the second Tollywood personality to appear before ED. Earlier, director Puri Jagannadh was questioned for nearly 10 hours on Tuesday.

The ED last week issued notices to 10 persons connected to Tollywood and two others including a private club manager as part of a money laundering probe linked to the drugs racket.

Actors Rakul Preet Singh, Rana Daggubati, Ravi Teja, Charmee Kaur, Navdeep, Mumaith Khan and director Puri Jagnnadh have been asked to appear before ED between August 31 and September 22.

Tanish, Nandu, actor Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivas are also among those summoned in connection the drugs racket which was busted with the arrest of drug peddlers in 2017.

The ED also gathered details of the investigations conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana’s prohibition and excise department.

The drugs racket was busted on July 2, 2017 when customs officials arrested Calvin Mascarenhas, a musician, and two others and seized drugs worth Rs 30 lakh from their possession.

They had reportedly told the investigators that they are supplying drugs to film celebrities, software engineers, and even students of some corporate schools. Mobile numbers of some Tollywood celebrities were allegedly found in their contact lists.

The excise department had constituted SIT for a comprehensive probe. A total of 12 cases were registered, 30 people were arrested while 62 individuals including 11 people connected with Tollywood were examined by the SIT under section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and section 161 of Criminal Procedure Code.

The SIT had collected blood, hair, nail and other samples from some of those who appeared before it for questioning and sent them for analysis.

Actors Ravi Teja, Charmme Kaur, Mumaith Khan, director Puri Jagannath and young actors Tarun Kumar and P. Navadeep were among the stars who were questioned by the SIT.

Cinematographer Shyam K. Naidu, actors Subbaraju, Tanish, Nandu and Ravi Teja’s driver Srinivas were also among those questioned.

The SIT filed charge sheet in eight out of 12 cases. It, however, gave clean chit to the film personalities who were questioned as part of the investigation.

Bollywood

Karan Johar to Shah Rukh Khan: ‘All hail the king of the MET’

Published

on

Mumbai, May 6: Global icon Shah Rukh Khan made a dazzling debut at the Met Gala 2025, setting the red carpet ablaze with his signature charm and style. His longtime friend Karan Johar couldn’t hold back, declaring, “the internet didn’t just broke into a gazillion hearts” the moment he stepped out.

Karan Johar to Shah Rukh Khan: All hail the king of the MET

Mumbai, Global icon Shah Rukh Khan made a dazzling debut at the Met Gala 2025, setting the red carpet ablaze with his signature charm and style. His longtime friend Karan Johar couldn’t hold back, declaring, “the internet didn’t just broke into a gazillion hearts” the moment he stepped out.

Wearing a sharp ensemble by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shah Rukh looked dapper in a floor-sweeping black trench coat layered over an unbuttoned shirt. He completed chunky jewellery including eye-popping diamond-studded pendants emblazoned with “K”.

To add to the drama, he carried a walking stick with a tiger-top, which was completely in sync with this year’s theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”.

Karan took to his Instagram, where he shared a video of Shah Rukh walking out in style. The filmmaker captioned it: “All hail the king of the MET!!! The internet just broke into a gazillion hearts!!! Bhai you rule.”

He then shared a picture of Shah Rukh originally posted by the star’s manager Pooja Dadlani and wrote: “The King” along with the song “Here Comes The Hotstepper” playing in the background.

As per reports, Shah Rukh posed, smiled, waved and even treated fans with his signature pose.

The 2025 theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” is inspired by Monica L Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, published in 2009. The fashion gala for the first time has put the spotlight on menswear.

The Met Gala is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event.

Attendees are given the opportunity to express themselves through fashion, often producing elaborate and highly publicized outfits inspired by the evening’s theme and broader cultural context.

Continue Reading

filmy crime

Actor, Producer Charged By Mumbai Cops After Row Over ‘Sex Positions’ Clip

Published

on

Mumbai: The producer and host of the reality show ‘House Arrest’ on the ‘ULLU’ streaming app have been charged under sections related to the indecent representation of women after a clip in which contestants were made to depict ‘sex positions’ went viral. 

The clip shows the programme’s host Ajaz Khan, who is a former ‘Bigg Boss’ contestant, putting pressure on contestants, including women, to act out intimate situations. Mr Khan also asks the participants some vulgar questions, persisting with his line of inquiry despite the participants being visibly uncomfortable. 

Based on a complaint by an activist from the right-wing group Bajrang Dal, the police in Mumbai’s Amboli on Friday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr Khan and the producer of ‘House Arrest’, Rajkumar Pandey. 

The FIR has been registered under sections related to obscene acts in public places and others under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. 

The case was registered on a day that the show was taken off the app and the National Commission of Women took note of the controversy and summoned Mr Khan and the CEO of the Ullu app, Vibhu Agarwal.

“NCW takes suo motu cognisance of obscene content on Ullu App’s show House Arrest. Viral clips show women being coerced into intimate acts on camera. NCW slams the platform for promoting vulgarity and violating consent. CEO and host summoned on May 9,” the commission said in a post on X. 

On Thursday, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had objected to the clip and wondered why apps that stream such obscene content have not been banned. 

“I have raised this in the standing committee that apps such as this, namely, Ullu App and Alt Balaji have managed to escape the ban by I&B ministry on apps for obscene content. I am still awaiting their reply,” Ms Chaturvedi, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and member of the Standing Committee on Communications and IT, wrote on X. 

“On March 14, 2024, the I&B Ministry had blocked 18 OTT platforms, which were found to be streaming obscene and pornographic content. The apps blocked by the government were primarily platforms distributing explicit material. The following 18 apps were banned… Surprisingly 2 of the biggest apps were kept out- Ullu and Alt Balaji, will I&B tell the country why they were left out from this ban,” she said in another post, sharing the names of the 18 apps. 

The clip also caught the attention of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who shared a post complaining of obscenity “being served” through shows like ‘House Arrest’.

Mr Dubey, who is the chairman of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, tagged the handle of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and wrote, “This will not do @MIB_India. Our committee will take action on this.”

Continue Reading

Bollywood

Maharashtra Day: Sonali Kulkarni opens about her Konkan hiking trail achievement

Published

on

Mumbai, May 1: Actress Sonali Kulkarni, who has been appointed as a brand ambassador of Maharashtra’s Public Service Commission, is celebrating Maharashtra Day on Thursday.

The actress is deeply in love with the state, which accounts for the highest GSDP in the country.

She revealed that she has completed the Konkan trail on foot taking inspiration from her father, who is an avid hiker.

The actress works across Marathi and Hindi cinema, and has been given the honour alongside music composer Shankar Mahadevan.

Speaking on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, the actress told Media, “May 1 holds a special place in my heart. It marks both Maharashtra Day and International Labour Day. I deeply value every individual who contributes through their work, whether it’s a makeup artist, someone from the production team, or support staff. I respect and appreciate the effort and time each person puts in. I consider myself a worker too, both at home and in my field. I’m not shy of doing any kind of work, and I take pride in every person who brings their labour and talent to the table.”

The actress called Maharashtra, a diverse land of artists and sportspersons, as she said, “In our national pledge, we say ‘sampanna aur vividhta se bhara desh’ and Maharashtra reflects that beautifully. We have exceptional writers, sportspersons, actors, and artists in the Marathi industry. Our language is rich and musical; it carries a unique rhythm, a ‘naad’ of its own. I speak fairly good Marathi and deeply love our traditions and cultural landscape. Maharashtra is a treasure trove of art and heritage. It’s my dream to take my family to all the forts I’ve visited.”

She further mentioned, “My father, an avid hiker, has explored every fort in the state. We’ve completed the entire Konkan walking path. My mother, a Warkari, once walked from Anandi to Pandharpur — a tradition I dream of following someday. I love our music, our deities, and our folk culture. I feel truly blessed — by default — to be born in Maharashtra.”

Sonali was feted as the brand ambassador of Maharashtra’s Public Service Commission with greetings from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Sujata Saunik and Ashish Shelar.

“It makes me feel very proud. Shankar Mahadevan ji and I will be the faces for this initiative. In the Ramayana, there was a small squirrel who helped Ram and his army to build the bridge to Lanka. She was tiny but did her bit. I feel equally responsible and powerful to be the messenger of the government for the public. As an actor, I believe it is my duty to support and contribute positively to the efforts of the government wherever I can,” she added.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending