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HC quashes complaint against Kailash Kher for hurting religious feelings; says no malicious intent

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Mumbai: Intolerance and dissent from the orthodoxy have been a bane of Indian society, the Bombay High Court said, quoting author A G Noorani, while quashing a complaint against singer Kailash Kher for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with a song on Lord Shiva.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Danger and S C Chandak said there was no deliberate or malicious intent on Kher’s part, who had only sung the song ‘Babam Bam’, to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or feelings.

A copy of the order of March 4 was made available on Thursday,

The complaint was filed by one Narinder Makkar before a local court in Ludhiana seeking registration of a case against the singer under Indian Penal Code sections 295A and 298, concerning outraging religious feelings with deliberate and malicious intent.

The complainant claimed to be a Shiva worshiper and said Kher’s song ‘Babam Bam’ on Lord Shiva depicted a vulgar video showing scantily dressed women and people kissing.

The high court while quashing the complaint filed before the Ilaka judicial magistrate in Ludhiana said the lyrics of the song sung by Kher is nothing but praise of Lord Shiva and the attributes of his mighty character.

“Every action which may be to the dislike of a class of people may not necessarily lead to outraging religious sentiments,” the court said.

The bench quoted author A G Noorani and said, “Intolerance of dissent from the orthodoxy of the day has been the bane of Indian society for centuries.

But it is precisely in the ready acceptance of the right to dissent as distinct from its mere tolerance, that a free society distinguishes itself.”

In the order, the bench said that to attract the offence under IPC section 295A, there has to be a deliberate attempt by the person to outrage someone’s religious feelings.

The court said the only accusation against Kher is that he is dancing with some scantily dressed girls in the video which according to the complainant is vulgar and hence hurt his religious feelings and emotions.

The offence is not made out against Kher as there is no deliberate and malicious intention on his part, who is just singing the song, HC said.

Kher had moved HC in 2014 when the complaint was lodged in the Ludhiana court in Punjab. At that time, the HC had in an interim relief said no coercive action should be taken against the singer.

In his plea filed through advocate Ashok Sarogi, Kher said he was only the singer of the song and that the video was choreographed by another company through Sony Music Entertainment.

Sarogi had argued that the video of the song was released only after it was granted clearance by the Central Board of Film Certification.

Bollywood

Sunita Ahuja arrives at Bandra Court amidst ugly spat with Govinda, son Yashvardhan loses cool at paps

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Mumbai, August 19: Amid the ongoing public spat between Bollywood superstar Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja, the latter was spotted arriving at the Bandra Family Court on Wednesday with their son Yashvardhan Ahuja.

Sunita was seen stepping out with Yashvardhan, who appeared visibly displeased as paparazzi followed the mother-son duo.

At one point, he appeared to lose his cool at the photographers while accompanying his mother and asked photographers to make way for his mother and not hound her.

When asked what happened inside the court, Yashvardhan loudly said, “Nothing”, while Sunita sarcastically said, “Birthday manane aaye the (Had come to celebrate Birthday)”

Sunita opted for a casual look, wearing a light pink shirt and black trousers. Yashvardhan, meanwhile, was dressed in a white shirt with grey trousers and blue sneakers.

The latest sighting comes amid public tension between Sunita and Govinda, with their personal equation and ugly spat becoming public.

The controversy escalated after Govinda was spotted at an airport with his ‘Roopa’ co-star Komal Rani Swarnkar.

Sunita had reacted strongly to it and questioned Govinda’s association with the much-younger actress.

She had referred to Govinda as a “sugar daddy” and said he was “going around with a girl who is the same age as his daughter”, while also telling Komal to “dress properly”.

Sunita’s remarks came amid speculation surrounding Govinda and Komal, though there has been no confirmation of an affair between the two.

For the uninitiated, Komal is associated with Govinda’s upcoming film ‘Roopa’, and the actor has maintained that his association with younger actresses is extremely professional.

Govinda finally responded to Sunita through a video message, saying that she should not interfere with his work or make statements that could damage his reputation and business.

Addressing the age-gap criticism, he pointed out that it is not the first time an actor has been paired opposite to an actress much younger than the hero.

He said how earlier as well Bollywood superstars have worked with younger actresses and said that such professional collaborations should not automatically be viewed as relationships.

He also asked Sunita to be mindful of the language she uses in public. In another part of his response, Govinda objected to what he described as her repeated use of abusive expressions involving mothers and sisters, saying that youngsters could be influenced by what public figures say and do.

The actor further urged Sunita to refrain from using excessive swear words.

Sunita, meanwhile, has previously spoken candidly about the difficulties in her marriage and Govinda’s alleged affairs.

Reports about trouble in their marriage have also resurfaced repeatedly. Sunita had reportedly filed a divorce petition in the Bandra Family Court in December 2024, with reports citing cruelty, adultery and desertion as the grounds.

But in a few months, during ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Govinda and Sunita made a public appearance in front of the media and said that nobody could ever break their bond.

For the uninitiated, Govinda and Sunita married in 1987 and have two children, daughter Tina Ahuja and son Yashvardhan Ahuja.

Yashvardhan is preparing to make his acting debut, while Tina also known as Narmada made her Bollywood debut with ‘Second Hand Husband’ in 2015.

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Bollywood

Chiranjeevi’s #Mega158 unit completes 40 days of shooting; film’s first half edit locked!

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Hyderabad, Aug 19: If sources in the industry are to be believed, the unit of Megastar Chiranjeevi’s upcoming film with director Bobby Kolli, tentatively being referred to #Mega158, has now completed 40 days of shooting and has locked the edit of the first half of the film!

Sources close to the unit of the film say that the first half of the film ends with a spectacular action sequence. They claim that this interval fight sequence, which was shot recently, is set to be one of the major attractions of the film. The action block has been designed and executed on a grand scale and is expected to provide a powerful high point before the second half.

Sources also claim that the initial output has given the team immense confidence, with the narrative maintaining the right mix of intensity, entertainment, emotion, and action.

Anaswara Rajan and Nivetha Pethuraj play pivotal roles in this film, which is currently being planned as a Sankranthi 2027 release. With the shoot advancing smoothly and the first-half edit nearing completion, the production is clearly moving towards the next crucial phase.

For the unaware, the makers of the film had begun the second schedule of filming in Hyderabad on June 22 this year.

Taking to its X timeline to announce the commencement of the second schedule, KVN Productions, the production house producing the film, had said, “From the picturesque locales of Pollachi to an explosive new chapter. #MEGA158 Second Schedule Begins in Hyderabad and progressing at a blazing pace, where MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets is turning every shot into a spectacle and every scene into a celebration. #ChiruBobby2 – THE BLOODY BENCHMARK. A @dirbobby film. Produced by #VenkatKNarayana @KvnProductions.”

Only recently, the unit had wrapped up its first schedule in Pollachi in Tamil Nadu.

Taking to his X timeline to announce the completion of the film’s first schedule, director Bobby Kolli had said,”An electrifying schedule of #Mega158 has been successfully completed in Pollachi, some spectacular moments that are shaping up beautifully. More exciting updates on the way… #ChiruBobby2 Produced by #VenkatKNarayana @KvnProductions Megastar @KChiruTweets #AnaswaraRajan @Nivetha_Tweets @MusicThaman @vijaykartikdop @AntonyLRuben @artkolla @LohithNK01 @saranyapotla.”

Megastar Chiranjeevi and the main cast members of the film had participated in this schedule during which key scenes of the film were shot.

The makers have already announced that ace music director Thaman is scoring music for this film and that popular cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan, known for his impressive work in films like ‘Jailer’, ‘Daaku Maharaj’, and the upcoming ‘Jailer 2’, is its cinematographer.

Art direction for the film is being handled by Kolla Avinash and editing is by Antony Ruben.

The film has been in the news ever since the time it was first announced on Chiranjeevi’s birthday last year. Only recently, Megastar Chiranjeevi had released a video that showed him sweating it out in the gym to get into shape for the role he plays in the eagerly awaited film.

Taking to his X timeline to share the video, Chiranjeevi had said, “Every day is another opportunity to push beyond limits… Charged up and excited for another memorable journey with my dear @dirbobby for #Mega158. Opening Ceremony on May 21st.”

Megastar Chiranjeevi is joining forces once again with successful filmmaker Bobby Kolli for a high-voltage entertainer backed by the prestigious KVN Productions and produced by Venkat K Narayana.

The footage Chiranjeevi shared showed him pushing boundaries with relentless intensity. It gave an indication of the transformative effort the star was investing to achieve a powerful new look for the role.

The poster released by the makers to announce the project had an axe splitting a wall open, with traces of blood seen in the cracks on the wall. The poster had the tagline “The blade that set the bloody benchmark.’

This is the second time that director Bobby is working with Megastar Chiranjeevi. The two had earlier worked together on action entertainer ‘Waltair Veerayya’.

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Bollywood

Suniel Shetty celebrates India-UAE bond: ‘Proud of our Indian diaspora’

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Mumbai, Aug 18: Actor Suniel Shetty celebrated the strong bond between India and the UAE. He expressed pride in the Indian diaspora and the growing collaboration between the two countries.

Taking to Instagram, the ‘Dhadkan’ actor shared glimpses from an event and described the evening as a wonderful celebration of India, its people and the special connection shared with the UAE. “What a wonderful evening of celebrating India, our people and the beautiful bond we share with the UAE,” he wrote.

The ‘Hera Pheri’ actor also praised the Indian community in the UAE and highlighted the work being done through collaboration between India and the UAE. “Proud, proud, proud of our Indian diaspora and the incredible work being done together with the UAE,” Suniel added.

He also mentioned Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in his post. The actor also shared pictures from the event on social media.

Organized by the Indian People’s Forum (IPF), one of the largest community associations representing Indian expatriates in the UAE, the gathering saw attendees collectively recite a pledge of allegiance to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Suniel Shetty also joined the audience in taking both pledges.

Speaking at the event, Suniel described the UAE, particularly Dubai, as “an extension of our very own India” and praised the country and the Indian community for their resilience in overcoming challenges and crises.

Suniel Shetty has often spoken about his pride in India’s culture and global community.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Shetty was last seen in the action-comedy film “Welcome to the Jungle,” which also starred Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Aftab Shivdasani, and Jackie Shroff.

“Welcome to the Jungle” was released worldwide on 26 June 2026

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