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Sonali Bendre: Sensationalism is part of society, not just confined to news

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Actress Sonali Bendre recently returned to the world of audio-visual content with her newly-released series ‘The Broken News’ where she plays a righteous editor of a news channel.

While it’s a comeback vehicle for her after a period of struggle in terms of health, the series also marked her digital debut.

In a conversation with IANS, the actress spoke about her experience of coming back in front of camera, how sensationalism isn’t confined to news in the current age, her access point for consumption of information and her detoxification process from all information junk.

While TV anchors may rupture the eardrums by screaming at the top of their lungs, or flashy graphics may blind the viewer with horrendously loud colours, it’s not just the news where sensationalism finds its place.

As Sonali says, “Sensationalism is a part of society, it’s not just the news. Everything out there has a bit of sensationalism. There are so many voices that we end up noticing only the louder ones.”

Sadly there’s not much one can do on an individual level in her opinion, “Hence, the voices just want to be louder and louder. We as a society collectively get drawn towards louder voices and that’s something really unfortunate and not in our control, honestly.”

But then how does she detoxify herself from the overwhelming flow of information that tends to turn toxic? The answer is simple, Sonali dissociates and switches off, “My way of detoxifying is to shut down completely. During my illness when I did not want to be agitated because the balance was so fragile that anything that could trigger sadness or darkness, I switched it off and focused on things that truly made a difference.”

The series marks her digital debut but for the actress the experience of working on a new medium wasn’t very different from that of films, as she shares, “For me, shooting for ‘The Broken News’ was like shooting for a longer film. In terms of working on the digital medium it didn’t make any difference as such.”

However, the changing times manifested in more ways than one. The actress explains, “Having said that, the times have definitely changed, the way of working on the sets, the technology, the rhythm of storytelling and the acting has also changed considerably.”

For someone like her, who is a voracious reader, the prime source of news consumption remains the written material either on paper or on digital.

“I am more of a reader so for me a large part of news consumption happens while I read something, opinion pieces or news articles from different backgrounds”, the actress signs off.

‘The Broken News’ is adapted from the popular British series ‘Press’, and it presents a tale of the clash of these two disparate worlds, conflicting ideologies and their incompatible ethics.

The show, produced by BBC Studios India and directed by Vinay Waikul, also stars ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Paatal Lok’ star Jaideep Ahlawat and ‘Mirzapur’ actress Shriya Pilgaonkar.

It is currently available to stream on ZEE5.

Bollywood

Akhilendra Mishra shares Team ‘Lagaan’ picture from Mumbai outing at CST station

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Mumbai, August 27: Actor Akhilendra Mishra, who played Arjan in the cult classic Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, along with his Lagaan co-stars seems to be having a great time.

The actor shared a picture with his fellow members of the film’s team at Mumbai’s historic V.T. station. (Now CST)

In the picture, Akhilendra Mishra is seen posing with three other members of the Lagaan team against the imposing backdrop of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus.

Talking about Lagaan, the movie released on June 15, 2001, and went on to become one of the most celebrated films in Indian cinema.

Starring Aamir Khan as Bhuvan, Gracy Singh as Gauri and Rachel Shelley as Elizabeth Russell, the film featured a large ensemble cast including Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Raj Zutshi, Pradeep Rawat, Daya Shankar Pandey, Yashpal Sharma, Amin Hajee and Aditya Lakhia. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film completed 25 years in June this year, for which a major reunion of its cast and crew was held. Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowariker reunited with almost all the members of the original ensemble for a special celebration, while the film had also returned to theatres for celebratory re-release.

The anniversary celebrations also saw the cast revisit the film through a special script-reading session. Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh were seen recreating a Bhuvan-Gauri scene, while Aamir and Paul Blackthorne revisited some of the film’s iconic exchanges.

Recently, actor Pradeep Rawat, who played Deva Singh Sodhi, the Sikh ex-sepoy and an important member of Bhuvan’s cricket team in Lagaan, passed away at the age of 74 on August 4, 2026, following a battle with cancer.

Almost all members of the Lagaan fraternity, including Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowariker, Akhilendra Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey, Amin Hajee and Yashpal Sharma, attended Rawat’s last rites in Mumbai and paid their final respects to their former co-star.

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Anupam Kher ‘deeply saddened and horrified’ by Nepal floods: ‘I hope the world comes together to help’

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Mumbai, Aug 27: Veteran actor Anupam Kher has expressed deep concern over the devastation caused by the sudden floods in Nepal.

He offered prayers for those who lost their lives and urged the world to come together to support those affected. Taking to Instagram, Kher shared a video along with a heartfelt note, describing the visuals emerging from Nepal as “horrifying” and heartbreaking. He expressed his sympathies for families who have lost loved ones, as well as people whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed.

Sharing his video, the ‘Tanvi the Great’ actor wrote, “I pray for Nepal! Deeply saddened and horrified by the devastation caused by the sudden floods in Nepal. Lives lost. Families torn apart. Homes washed away. Helpless animals caught in the destruction. It is heartbreaking to imagine how, in a few moments, everything someone calls their own can disappear. Watching these scenes, I feel such helplessness. What words can possibly comfort someone who has lost a loved one? My heart goes out to the grieving families and to everyone living through this fear and uncertainty.”

The 71-year-old actor added, “I pray for the people of Nepal and for those affected across the border in Tibet. May those still waiting for help be reached. May those searching for their loved ones find them safe. And may those who have lost everything find support, shelter and a hand to hold. I hope the world comes together to help—with compassion, with urgency, and with whatever each of us can give. In this time of unimaginable sorrow, let us make sure they do not feel alone. #Nepal #Floods.”

In the video, Anupam could be heard saying, “Deeply saddened and horrified to see the devastation caused by flash floods in Nepal. Horrifying, it’s horrifying. Visuals are coming in. Can’t believe what must have happened actually over there. You can see every video says a frightening story and a frightening visual. Devastation to property, to human life, to animals, to fields. It’s terrible, terrible. My heart goes out to people who have lost their lives, their families. This is one such situation where the words are absolutely worthless.”

“But the only thing one can do individually is to lend emotional support and also request the rest of the world to come forward and to help people of Nepal, Tibet. And I’m sure the devastation must have happened in China also and my sympathies with them. Indian government is doing their level best to help them.”

Several celebrities have expressed their concern and extended prayers for those affected by the devastating floods in Nepal.

The devastating flash floods that struck Nepal on August 26 have claimed at least 270 lives, with more than 800 people still reported missing. The floods caused widespread destruction, washing away villages and several project sites in areas along the Tibet border.

In response to the disaster, the Nepal Army has mobilised 14 helicopters and specialised disaster response teams to assist with ongoing rescue and relief efforts.

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Katrina Kaif gets trolled after rare public outing post-pregnancy

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Mumbai, August 27: Bollywood star Katrina Kaif faced trolling on social media after she made a rare public appearance following the birth of her son in November last year.

Katrina, who was seen glowing with her pregnancy gain, was recently seen alongside husband and actor Vicky Kaushal at the funeral of filmmaker Kuku Kohli in Mumbai on August 26.

A lot many trolls were seen commenting on her appearance and questioning what had happened to the actor.

The couple arrived to pay their last respects to the late filmmaker and were seen meeting members of the bereaved family before leaving the crematorium. For the uninitiated, Kuku Kohli passed away on August 25 at the age of 77 following a cardiac arrest.

Pictures and videos from Katrina’s appearance at the crematorium surfaced online, prompting a section of social media users to comment on her changed appearance after motherhood. Some of the comments were particularly unkind, with users writing, “This is terrible, what happened to Katrina?”, “She looks like a rasgulla”»

Others wrote, “She got 100% Indianized. Even the walk. Holy crap.”, “Katrina is looking like Hardik’s wife Natasha”»

Another user wrote in Hindi, “Katrina Kaif full change ho gayi hain, pehly bohat khubsurat thi ab old woman lag rahi hain ,” while another commented, “Now she looks like a Punjabi bahu..!!”

The appearance comes months after Katrina and Vicky embraced parenthood. The couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy, on November 7, 2025.

They announced the arrival on of their baby on social media, writing that their “bundle of joy” had arrived. In January 2026, they revealed their son’s name as Vihaan Kaushal and shared a picture showing his tiny hand.

For the uninitiated, Katrina and Vicky had announced their pregnancy in September 2025. The couple tied the knot on December 9, 2021, in an intimate wedding ceremony in Rajasthan.

Post motherhood, Katrina has largely kept away from the public spotlight.

Katrina has, however, continued to offer fans glimpses of her life through social media without extensively revealing her son or sharing much of their personal life.

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