An exuberant Sohail Khan, owner of the team PANTHERS expressed his happiness for the tremendous response received by fans and spectators on the first day of ‘The Greatest Show on Court’ that is the World Padel League Tourney being held at Nesco Center in Mumbai from 5th to the 8th of February.

“This is a fantastic game that requires the player to be very sharp at the timing, have good reflexes and adequate stamina, simply put, it is a blend of Squash, Tennis and Badminton,” Sohail Khan said.

“My children got so enthusiastic when they came to know I was offered the ownership of a Padel League team, of this fast-growing sport that is gaining popularity in over 90 countries. Hence, I chose to back the PANTHERS,” Sohail Khan mentioned while speaking to Paresh B Mehta.

Sohail Khan Entertainment is the owner of the team PANTHERS consisting of top ranking Padel Players like Carlos Daniel, Marta Ortega, Javier Barahona, Javier Leal, Marina Guinart, Rama Valenzuela and Sofia Araujo.

Padel Ball game incorporates bounces off the walls so that players can create tricky shots, and it tends to be more fast-paced than pickleball. Further, Padel’s enclosed court and use of walls create a fast-paced, dynamic game unique paddle and ball design offer a different playing experience. The Padel balls are similar to tennis balls but are slightly smaller. Padel rackets are made of a composite material without strings. The hitting surface is perforated.

The Padel Court is designed similarly to a tennis court, only much smaller with a high net in the middle and is surrounded by glass walls.

Predicting that Padel Ball would rapidly gain popularity in India, Sohail mentioned, “The only cost for playing this game is a racket that would cost almost similar to the price of a good badminton racket and I am sure that this sport would gain immense acceptance and following with the Indian masses.”

Sohail mentioned that already some clubs in Mumbai are having a Padel Court, including the Otters Club in Bandra and it is sure to gain favour in the country, “I would urge the youth to try out this game as it develops sportsmanship within you, brings discipline within you, adds to your resume and keeps one away from vices. While introducing yourself for jobs or even in business world, the tag of being a sportsman puts you one up over others.”

ID INFO Business Services are the organizers of WPL which is presented by METEORA Developers, Dubai. Naghma Khan’s SHAAZ MEDIA EVENTS, Dubai is handling the Media Relations of this event. Other teams in the fray are SG Pipers CHEETAHS, Vernost JAGUARS and Game Changers LIONS. WPL is being telecast live on Sony Sports 1.

Actors Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan and Arjun Sarja’s much-awaited film Vidaamuyarchi finally hit the big screens on Thursday (February 6) and it has received mixed reviews from the audience and critics. Those who watched the early morning shows of the film, have flooded X (Twitter) with their reviews. While netizens are all praise for Ajith’s performance, a section of X users called the film ‘slow’.

Netizens also said the screenplay of the film is not exciting while praising the background music.

“Action templates with less thrills. Using Azerbaijan native and language is not helping the case either. Painstakingly slow paced and unexciting screenplay. It is sad to explain the kind of character and role defined for #AjithKumar. Disappointed,” read a review.

“Vidaamuyarchi Review -⭐⭐⭐Overall the Movie was Good to Watch and it Caters Specific Section… If you are someone who can love the story building movie in the first half and the really good climax it’s for you. Love the way how Ajith chooses his scripts which suits him,” a user wrote on X.

Ajith’s action-packed thriller follows a man on a mission to rescue his wife, played by Trisha Krishnan, after she is abducted by a notorious group in Azerbaijan. The film also stars Arjun Sarja, Regina Cassandra, Arav, and Ramya Subramanian in key roles.

Initially, filmmaker Vignesh Shivan was on board to direct Ajith’s 62nd film, but he was later replaced by Magizh Thirumeni. The project was officially announced in May 2023.

The majority of the film was shot in Azerbaijan, with a brief schedule in Thailand, before wrapping up in late December 2024.

Backed by an intense storyline, Vidaamuyarchi features music by Anirudh Ravichander.

Chennai, Feb 5: The makers of director Chandoo Mondeti’s upcoming film, ‘Thandel’, featuring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi in the lead, have now thanked the Andhra Pradesh government for granting them permission to hike the prices of the film’s tickets during the first week of the film’s release.

The government has granted permission for single screens to hike the price of a ticket by Rs 50 and multiplexes to hike the price of a ticket by Rs 75.

Taking to its X timeline, Geetha Arts, the production house that has produced the film,wrote, “We would like to extend our gratitude to AP CM Shri @ncbn Garu, Hon’ble Dy CM Shri @PawanKalyan Garu, and Minister of Cinematography @kanduladurgesh Garu for approving the ticket hike for our prestigious film #Thandel. A special note of thanks to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for its vision and unwavering encouragement in empowering the film industry.“

The film, which is to hit screens on February 7, has been directed by Chandoo Mondeti, and is based on a true story in which 20 Indian fishermen from Andhra Pradesh were captured by Pakistan authorities and imprisoned for 22 years.

Allu Aravind, at an event, disclosed the details of the true story. He said, “This true story happened in (a place) nearby Vizag, in a small village. People had gone to Gujarat for fishing for 30 days. Unfortunately, due to some weather problem, they crossed the international borders and suddenly they realised that Pakistan people had caught them and taken them to jail. They were there for 22 years. Their families in the village — how they suffered, how they rose to bring them back, and what their struggle was — this is the story of the film.”

While ‘Thandel’ carries an impressive star cast, it also carries a spectacular crew. National Award-winning composer Devi Sri Prasad has scored the music for this film, which has cinematography by Shamdat.

National Award-winning Naveen Nooli is the editor, and Srinagendra Tangala leads the art department. Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, ‘Thandel’ is produced by Bunny Vasu under the banner of Geetha Arts, with Allu Aravind presenting it. The film is set to hit screens on February 7.