Entertainment
Amber Heard reveals why she still loves Johnny Depp
Actress Amber Heard opened up to NBC News on ‘Today’ about her life after the defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp that captivated the nation.
When asked if she’s worried about being sued again by him for defamation, Heard said, “I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say or how I say it, every step that I take will present another opportunity for this sort of silencing,” she said, reports ‘Variety’.
The host Savannah Guthrie brought up Depp’s text message to Heard that she would suffer “total global humiliation,” and asked Heard if she thought that came true.
“I know he promised it,” she said.
“I testified to this. I’m not a good victim, I get it, I’m not a likable victim, I’m not a perfect victim. But when I testified I asked the jury to just see me as human and hear his own words, which is a promise to do this. It feels as though he has.”
Asked if she was hoping to “cancel” Depp with the op-ed, Heard said, “Of course not. It wasn’t about him.”
When asked about her upcoming plans, Heard said, “I get to be a mom full-time, where I’m not juggling calls with lawyers,” she said.
Asked about Depp today, Heard said, “I love him. I loved him with all my heart. And I tried the best I could to make a deeply broken relationship work. I couldn’t. No bad feelings or ill will towards him at all. I know that might be hard to understand or it might be really easy to understand, if you’ve ever loved anyone it should be easy.”
Heard spoke to the host on NBC’s ‘Today’ show for the first interview following the conclusion of the highly publicised trial between her and Depp. During the interview, the two discussed the verdict of the case, which ended with both Heard and Depp receiving compensatory damages, albeit Depp received significantly more.
In the first part of the interview, Heard denied lying about the alleged abuse she spoke about during her testimony, saying “I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve always told the truth.” She also discussed her belief that the social media coverage of the trial helped to influence the outcome, stating that “I think even the most well-intentioned juror� it would have been impossible to avoid this.”
“Every single day I passed three, four, sometimes six city blocks lined with people holding signs saying ‘Burn the Witch,’ ‘Death to Amber.’ After three and a half weeks, I took the stand and saw a courtroom packed full of Captain Jack Sparrow fans who were vocal, energised.”
The trial between Depp and Heard saw the Virginia jury rule that both Heard and Depp were guilty of defamation toward each other. The jury ruled in favor of three counts of defamation brought by the plaintiff Depp and one count of defamation brought by Heard in her counterclaim.
Depp received $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, with the punitive damages being reduced to $350,000, in accordance with the state’s statutory cap. Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages for her counterclaim.
The trial began when Depp, the plaintiff in the case, sued Heard for defamation regarding a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she published alluding to being the victim of past abuse. Although the op-ed did not directly mention the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star, Depp claimed the op-ed damaged his reputation and ruined his career.
A year prior to the op-ed’s publication, Heard and Depp divorced after two years of marriage, with Heard alleging that Depp had subjected her to emotional, physical and sexual abuse throughout their relationship.
In 2020, prior to the American trial, the High Court of London ruled against Depp in a separate defamation case spawned by Depp suing The Sun for writing about the abuse allegations.
The UK court ruled that he assaulted Heard in 12 of 14 alleged incidents, reports ‘Variety’.
Over the course of the trial, Heard became a target for online posts that frequently ridiculed her in favour of support for Depp.
Over the course of the trial, several viral trends emerged mocking Heard, including TikTok trends making fun of her testimony in which she described her alleged abuse during her relationship with Depp. On TikTok, the hashtag ‘Justice for Johnny Depp’ was viewed 20 billion times, while the hashtag ‘Justice for Amber Heard’ received 27 million views.
Since the conclusion of the Virginia trial, Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, has publicly stated her client plans to appeal the verdict.
NBC’s Guthrie notably has her own connection to the Heard/Depp case, as her husband, Michael Feldman, served as a consultant on Depp’s legal team. Guthrie disclosed this information during an interview she conducted with Depp’s lawyers, Ben Chew and Camille Vasquez, on ‘Today’ earlier this month.
Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Actor met rickshaw driver in hospital ahead of getting discharged
Mumbai, Jan 22: A day after Saif Ali Khan was discharged, pictures of the auto-rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana posing with the Bollywood star in the hospital before he left for home started to do the rounds on social media.
Rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana was the one who took Saif to Lilavati hospital on January 16 after the Bollywood star was stabbed multiple times during a robbery attempt in his house in wee hours.
Before leaving the hospital for home, Saif personally called the rickshaw driver to meet him at the hospital.
In one image, the auto-rickshaw driver is sitting next to Saif on the hospital bed as they smile at the camera. Saif’s bruised hand is on Bhajan Singh Rana’s shoulder. In another photograph, the duo are standing and smiling at the lens.
The 54-year-old star, who is married to Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, thanked the rickshaw driver and told him to feel free to ask for help whenever he needed.
Saif along with his veteran-actress mother Sharmila Tagore, expressed their gratitude towards Bhajan Singh Rana.
As per sources, Saif praised the rickshaw driver for his work and said: “Keep helping others like this. And as for the fare that day, don’t worry, it will be taken care of.”
He jokingly added: “If you ever need help in life, remember me.”
When Bhajan Singh Rana was asked how he reached the hospital, as all the media personnel were present, he told Media: “I entered the hospital wearing a mask.”
The auto rickshaw driver said that he had first got a call from Saif’s personal assistant.
He said that he “ just prayed” that the actor gets well.
“I took a few selfies with him. I took a few photos with him.”
The driver recalled the night, when Saif was stabbed and said that the actor asked him to drive slowly as it was a “little painful.”
Bollywood
Feroz Abbas calls performing ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ at Taj Mahal ‘a tribute’
Mumbai, Jan 22: Feroz Abbas Khan is currently busy with ‘Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical’. As part of the musical, the iconic love song “Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya” from the movie “Mughal-e-Azam” was staged at the Taj Mahal on 14th Jan 2025 this year.
“Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical” will take place till 23rd February, 2025. It will mark the end of the Delhi run for this epic masterpiece. Before performing in Delhi, the musical is expected to be performed in Mumbai at NMACC till 26th January 2025.
Talking about the emotional experience, Feroz Abbas Khan revealed, “We wanted to celebrate the enduring legacy of love by performing ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ in front of the Taj Mahal. Incidentally, Shakeel Badayuni who wrote this definitive love anthem also praised the Taj for being a monument to love in another famous song. In a way, our performance was a tribute to Shakeel saab, to Naushad ji who tuned both the songs, to the Taj and to love that transcends all barriers.”
He further added, “While distilling K Asif’s timeless epic into a stage production, we did not anticipate the momentous journey it would go on to undertake across the globe. The fact that we are now all set to stage our 300th performance in Delhi has an enormous personal significance for all of us.”
Meanwhile, producer Deepesh Salgia was quoted saying, “Shapoorji Pallonji has been associated with the magnificence of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ for over 75 years in its cinematic as well as musical form. Be it the luxurious production canvas or the marketing campaign, we have always worked towards setting new benchmarks. In the same spirit, the performance at the Taj is our tribute to the concluding season of the musical in Delhi.”
The musical features more than 550 exquisite costumes, breathtaking sets, live singing, and stunning Kathak choreography.
Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, ‘Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical’ has been produced by Deepesh Salgia, under the assistance of Shapoorji Pallonji.
Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan case: Mumbai Police find clues from crime scene
Mumbai, Jan 22: The Mumbai Police have recovered a piece of cloth from actor Safi Ali Khan’s apartment which belongs to accused Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad, the Bangladeshi national arrested in the attack case.
Sources said the Bandra police recovered cloth from Khan’s house, which the accused used to cover his face. The cloth fell from his face in Saif’s son Jahangir’s room during the scuffle.
The cloth can be seen in the CCTV footage when Shehzad is climbing up the stairs before committing the crime. The police have sent the cloth and hair samples for DNA testing to the forensic department.
Earlier, the officials said that Shehzad had entered the actor’s building, Satguru Sharan, in the Bandra area by scaling its compound wall and found the security guards sleeping.
Sources said that both the security guards in the building were sleeping when the attacker entered it by crossing over the boundary wall.
The sources further said that as Shehzad found both the security guards sleeping, he entered the building from the main entrance where no CCTV camera exists. The accused removed his shoes and kept them in his bag to avoid making any noise. He also switched off his phone.
The police on Tuesday recreated the crime scene with the accused at the building. Police took the accused wherever he went after fleeing from Saif Ali Khan’s house. Shehzad was taken to the garden near the Satguru Sharan building and then to the National College Bus Stop where he was said to have stopped and stayed for a while after committing the crime. During the probe, the police took Shehzad to the Bandra Railway Station from where he had fled. Police are trying to find out how he reached the station.
The police were trying to record the chain of events starting from Shehzad’s entry to the building to his fleeing before being arrested.
Saif Ali Khan was stabbed six times by Shehzad inside his apartment in the early hours of January 16. The actor underwent emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital and was discharged on Tuesday. Three days after the attack, the police arrested the accused from neighbouring Thane city.
A court in Mumbai on Sunday remanded the accused in five-day police custody.
Shehzad, a native of Jhalokathi district in Bangladesh was residing in Mumbai for over five months. He had been working odd jobs and was associated with a housekeeping agency, the police have said.
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