Bollywood's biggest stars ignite the screen! From the dazzling premiere of [mention a recently released film or event] to the brewing controversies surrounding [mention a current entertainment scandal], India's entertainment scene is ablaze. This week saw [mention a significant entertainment event, e.g., a music launch, award ceremony, or box office milestone], further cementing India's position as a global entertainment powerhouse. The battle for box office supremacy heats up as [mention competing films or actors], while the digital realm witnesses the rise of [mention a trending OTT series or online sensation]. Beyond Bollywood, regional cinema continues to flourish, with [mention a noteworthy achievement in regional cinema]. From the vibrant world of music to the captivating realm of television, Abtak.com brings you the pulse of Indian entertainment. Dive in and stay updated on the latest news, reviews, and exclusive interviews—your ultimate destination for all things entertainment. Explore the captivating stories unfolding now!
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat forest department started an inquiry on Saturday after a video of a man repeatedly beating a female elephant in Ahmedabad was widely shared on social media platforms, including X. The 43-second footage of the person, reportedly a mahout (handler), striking the elephant around 19 times with a stick has sparked widespread outrage among citizens, including animal welfare advocates. The forest department has begun an inquiry into the alleged animal abuse case, an official said. This incident comes two days after a single male elephant, Babulal -- startled by loud DJ music and shrill noises -- ran amok near Desai ni Pol in Khadia, causing panic during the 148th Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad on Friday. With 17 elephants, 101 trucks, 30 akhadas, 18 bhajan groups, and three bands, the annual procession -- drawing thousands to pull the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur along a 16-kilometer route -- began around 7 am and was proceeding smoothly until 10.15 am, when the elephant bolted, scattering devotees. Two people, including a woman police officer, were injured while trying to flee. Police, mahouts, and forest staff tranquilized the elephant within 15 minutes and removed it, along with two female elephants, Janaki and Rani, who also showed signs of distress during the procession. The remaining 14 elephants continued the 16km journey. An official, requesting anonymity, said that the person seen beating the elephant in the recent video was present at the Rathyatra procession on June 27 alongside the elephants. "We have initiated an inquiry to verify the authenticity of the video, which began circulating on the evening of June 27. The person beating the female elephant appears to be a mahout, though we are confirming this. During the Yatra, the female elephants gave a distress call, prompting Babulal to respond due to their strong bond. The elephants were disturbed by loud music, whistles, or colorful balloons. These three elephants are relatively new to large public events. In the footage, Babulal appears to be trying to escape, with the female elephants showing similar discomfort," chief conservator of forests in Ahmedabad K. Ramesh said. Condemning the cruelty captured in the video and calling for systemic change, animal activists have raised concerns about the welfare of captive elephants. Many suspect that the harsh conditions during the Yatra -- 30°C temperatures, tar-covered roads, heavy decorations, and loud sounds -- may have caused stress among the elephants, potentially triggering the handler's mistreatment. The elephant is listed as a Schedule I animal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which grants it the highest level of legal protection. Any harm caused to it is a serious offence, punishable with 3 to 7 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹25,000, a forest official said.
Kareena Kapoor Khan brought a deeply personal and touching element to her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by requesting him to write a heartfelt message for her two sons, Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan, who were unable to attend the event. A memorable highlight from the gathering showcased Kareena watching intently, her expression radiating pride and warmth, as the Prime Minister inscribed a note dedicated to her children, affectionately called "Tim and Jeh."Kareena Kapoor Khan added ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal stone mining in Karbi Anglong district in violation of a Supreme Court order. Addressing a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora also alleged that Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang was allowing illegal activities in the district in nexus with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Large-scale illegal stone mining is taking place in the hills of Karbi Anglong in violation of the Supreme Court order. The SC had banned mining in and around K ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a noisy scene as Opposition BJD and Congress members held protests inside the House over alleged non-payment of salaries to around 60,000 women supporting staffers under the 'Mission Shakti' scheme. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP government of "conspiring to stop" salaries of the 'Mission Shakti' staff. As soon as the Question Hour began, the BJD and Congress members trooped to the well of the House and demanded immediate release of salaries of around 60,000 women supporting staff working under the 'Mission Shakti' sch ...Read More >
New Delhi: Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde's Deva has made a remarkable start at the box office, raking in ₹6.82 crore in India on its opening day. With strong audience anticipation, glowing reviews, and positive word-of-mouth, the film has secured the second-highest opening of 2025 so far. The momentum continued on Sunday, as Deva saw a massive surge in collections, grossing ₹11.75 crore worldwide. In its first three days, the film has earned a total of ₹34.01 crore globally. This includes ₹8.30 crore from India and ₹3.45 crore from international markets. The film's total earnings now stand at ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Rising temperatures, driven by climate change, is increasing the atmosphere's 'thirst', making droughts around the world 40 per cent more severe over the past 40 years, according to a new study. Researchers, including those at the University of California-Santa Barbara, US, explained that the atmosphere is becoming warmer, thereby increasing its capacity to hold moisture -- atmospheric evaporative demand -- and making droughts more severe, even in places where rainfall has stayed the same. Also Read | Who Is Pinaki Misra? From Age to Family Background and Net Worth, He ...Read More >
This is a Mint Premium article gifted to you. Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The debate on laboratory-grown meat, dairy, and egg products may soon be settled, with the issue reaching India's apex food regulator, three people aware of the development said. The development comes in the backdrop of concerns about public health, food security and ecological sustainability. While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put in place a regulatory framework for plant-based protein products, manufacturers and sellers of fermentation-derived and cultivated protein ...Read More >
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 6 (PTI) A teacher who asked other students to slap a Muslim boy in a school here surrendered at a POCSO court and was released on bail, an official said on Friday. Tripta Tyagi was caught last year in a video asking children to slap a boy in a school where she taught. Additional District Judge (POCSO) Alka Bharti on Thursday granted her bail and ordered her to furnish two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. She posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. Kapil Ahlawat, Tyagi's lawyer, told PTI that Tyagi had surrendered in the Special POCSO court on Thursday and sought ...Read More >
Allu Arjun is one of the biggest names in the Telugu film industry. The mass hero enjoys a massive fan following because of his charismatic screen presence and engaging performances. He is currently in the limelight because of Pushpa 2, which hit the screens on December 5 and opened to an earth-shattering response at the box office. Amid this, a photo of Bunny from a wedding has become the talk of the town. Allu Arjun, the star of films such as DJ and Pushpa, recently attended a wedding in Hyder ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 17 (PTI) Veteran journalist and writer Humra Quraishi, who died due to heart failure and diabetic complications, was known as an advocate for truth, justice and as a champion for the marginalised. Quraishi breathed her last at a hospital in Gurugram on Thursday, her daughter Sarah Quraishi told PTI. She was 70. Also Read | Indian Army's 'Sambhav' Smart Phone Used During China Border Talks for Secure Communication. Born in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh on April 25, 1956, Quraishi worked as a Delhi-based writer and columnist. Also Read | Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Case: 'Bring a S ...Read More >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
The Delhi BJP also shared a rap song "Delhi ka millionaire" alleging corruption against the party's top leadership. In a recently-released video, the Delhi BJP has given a tour of the luxurious bungalow of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, where he lived while serving as the Chief Minister of the state. The party also shared a rap song "Delhi ka millionaire" alleging corruption against the party's top leadership. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, who shared the video on X, called the Civil Lines bu ...Read More >
Hours after Atul Subash's wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha and brother Anurag were arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide, the Bengaluru techie's father, Pawan Kumar Modi has questioned where Atul's four-year-old son is and said the family was worried about him. Modi thanked the police for arresting the woman and her family members. However, he said, "We don't know where she has kept our grandson. Has he been killed or is he alive? We don't know anything about him. I want my grandson ...Read More >
RAIPUR: A furious sloth bear attack left a father-son duo dead and injured two others, including a deputy forest ranger, in Korar forest range of Kanker Forest Division in Chhattisgarh. The disturbing live video of the attack, which was captured by some journalists/villagers present at the site during the sloth bear's second attack went viral on social media. The sloth bear, believed to be infected by rabies, made the first attack on 45-year-old Sukhlal Darro around 11 am on January 18, said Divisional Forest Officer, Kanker, Alok Bajpai. Darro and another person identified as Ajju Kureti, ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, May 21, rapped commentator Abhijit Iyer Mitra for his alleged defamatory and abusive social media posts against nine women journalists of media house Newslaundry and asked him to remove the posts within five hours. The court was hearing a plea by nine women journalists of Newslaundry and sought an injunction and damages of Rs 2 crore from Mitra for his "defamatory, false, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations" published on X. Mitra had posted vulgar remarks from February to May this year, addressing the women journalists as "prostitutes" and ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Dec 14 (UNI) The tragic suicide of 34-year-old tech professional Atul Subhash has led to the arrest of his estranged wife and her family members in connection with allegations of harassment, extortion, and financial abuse. Subhash, a resident of Manjunath Layout in Bengaluru, was found dead in his apartment on December 9, leaving behind a 25-page suicide note. In the note, he accused his wife, Nikita Singhania, and her family of subjecting him to relentless emotional and financial distress during their ongoing divorce proceedings. Following a complaint filed by Atul's brother, Bik ...Read More >
Guwahati, May 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi launched a scathing attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, citing recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids as "evidence of illegal coal mining operations" in the state, and also issued a clarification on his 'links' in Pakistan. Speaking to the media in Delhi for the first time after becoming the Assam unit chief of Congress, Gogoi pointed to the April 24 raids conducted across Assam and Meghalaya, where the ED reportedly unearthed a coal smuggling network, seizing Rs 1.58 crore in cash, digital devices, and ...Read More >
Trump's pressure on countries to remain tied to a US-dollar-based financial system could backfire, with potential increased motivation for BRICS to create alternatives. While the dollar's dominance persists due to existing economic strengths, recent global currency agreements indicate a cautious shift away from reliance on the greenback.Donald Trump's pressure on countries around the world to stay anchored to a US-dollar-based financial system is a tactic that risks backfiring, market watchers say. Dollar dominance looks set to continue for the foreseeable future and emerging nations' idea of ...Read More >
Jaipur, Jun 5 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Thursday launched the 'Vande Ganga: Jal Sanrakshan Jan Abhiyan', a water conservation campaign, on the occasion of World Environment Day and Ganga Dussehra. He called for collective efforts to conserve nature and make Rajasthan self-reliant in water, according to a statement. Also Read | Who Is Pinaki Misra? From Age to Family Background and Net Worth, Here's All About BJD Leader With Whom Mahua Moitra Reportedly Married. Addressing a public gathering during a 'Shramdaan' (voluntary labour) programme at the Ramgarh Dam site, ...Read More >
CHENNAI: Singles, Doubles, and the Team Championship - the 18-year-old Chennai girl, the daughter of an auto driver from Kasimedu, left nothing for competitors from around the world at the sixth edition of the Carrom World Cup held in the US which Team India swept. The Women's Singles final was a hard-fought contest, where the 18-year-old M Khazima kept her nerves to defeat 12-time national and multiple World Cup winner Rashmi Kumari from Bihar. With this victory, Khazima became the youngest Carrom World Champion. Khazima, whose father Mehaboob Basha is an auto driver from Kasimedu, had been ...Read More >
In a viral video, AP Dhillon performs for Malaika Arora, who looks stunning in a brown dress as fans sing along with them. Global Punjabi music sensation AP Dhillon, who recently performed in Mumbai, was seen dedicating a song to Bollywood actress Malaika Arora during his live concert. A video capturing the moment has taken social media by storm, sparking a wave of fan reactions. In a video shared by Filmygyan, AP Dhillon is seen holding a guitar while being joined on stage by Malaika Arora, wh ...Read More >
Ludhiana: Even as police termed Rajiv Raja, a close aide of BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu, minister of state for railways and food processing industries, as the main conspirator in the case of extortion of Rs 30 lakh from a local businessman, Bittu accused the police of harassing and implicating his aides by lodging FIRs against them. Police had arrested Rajiv Raja in the extortion case, in which another accused is a former employee of the victim. A police official, requesting anonymity, said that while probing the extortion complaint, police initially arrested two persons, Sarhas Mudanwal a ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a 42-year-old Ashoka University associate professor and head of political science department, was recently arrested for social media commentary on 'Operation Sindoor,' thrusting the academic, writer, and former spokesperson of Samajwadi Party into the national spotlight. The Supreme Court on Monday has agreed to hear a plea challenging his arrest, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal calling his statements "entirely patriotic." Academics, opposition leaders and rights activists have widely condemned the arrest. Mahmudabad's social media remarks on the defence oper ...Read More >
New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Zepto Co-Founder and CEO Aadit Palicha has accused the chief financial officer of a competing company of orchestrating a smear campaign against his quick commerce platform. In a LinkedIn post on late Sunday, Palicha, not taking names, alleged that the CFO of one of Zepto's competitor firms has been reaching out to Zepto's investors with unsubstantiated claims, distributing false financial data to journalists, and employing bots to spread negative narratives about Zepto on social media. "Over the past few days, the CFO of one of our competitors has been trying to build ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Sixteen top Maoist commanders are on the radar of the security forces as part of their operational strategy to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from the country by March 2026, official sources said. The forces on Thursday killed 67-year-old Narasimha Chalam alias Sudhakar, a member of the Maoists' Central Committee, the topmost governing body of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), in the forests of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh. This came a fortnight after CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70) was neutralised by the security forces in the ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Gundicha Temple, where the deities of Jagannath temple were born, is being prepared for a visual transformation through enhancement work before Rath Yatra on June 27."The beautification work includes stone-cladding of the outer boundary wall, landscaping and illumination arrangements to welcome the deities at their place of birth during Rath Yatra. The aesthetic transformation will give a visual delight to the deities and devotees," chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Kumar Padhee told TOI.The temple's exterior boundary wall, previously co ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha BJP government has renamed 21 schemes launched by the previous BJD regime, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told the assembly Thursday. The BJP government took oath June 12 after defeating the 24-year-old Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in the assembly elections. In a written reply to a query by BJD legislator Tusharkanti Behera, the Chief Minister said the state government has renamed 21 existing schemes and launched seven new ones. According to a statement, the BJP government has rebranded eight schemes that were named after the late Biju Patnaik, father of form ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday suggested that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor should consider sitting on a dharna to push for land acquisition for the Nemom railway terminal project in Thiruvananthapuram. Vaishnaw's comment came in response to Tharoor's concerns about delays and inadequate funding for the project, which aims to ease congestion on the railway line leading to Thiruvananthapuram Central. During the Question Hour, Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram, expressed frustration over the stalled project, highlighting that only Rs 7 crore had been released o ...Read More >
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, December 18, announced 'Sanjeevani yojana', a free healthcare scheme for the city's senior citizens, which they can avail of at all government as well as private hospitals. The party supremo, flanked by Delhi CM Atishi and senior cabinet ministers, made the announcement at a public event and declared that all residents of the city above 60 years of age will get free medical treatment under the 'Sanjeevani yojana'. Under the scheme, all the elderly will avail medical treatment for free, however, this can be implemented aft ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Outgoing Governor Raghubar Das said Odisha's success in advancing on the path of development while preserving its traditions is truly inspiring. "Odisha has achieved recognition for its rich culture and glorious tradition. The enthusiasm and unparalleled hospitality of the people of Odisha has left a deep impression on my heart. Odisha's success in moving ahead on the path of development while adhering to its tradition is truly inspiring," said Das. He further stated that after spending more than 13 months in Odisha, he is leaving with a deep sense of gratitude and respect for t ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Indian cloud service providers Ola Krutrim and AceCloud have started offering services of Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek in the country. AceCloud was the first to announce hosting of DeepSeek. Also Read | 8th Pay Commission: Nirmala Sitharaman To Announce Official 8th CPC Implementation Date in Union Budget 2025? Check Details Here. AceCloud said that it will offer DeepSeek AI models to businesses with claims that the data residency will remain in India. Krutrim claimed to be the first Indian AI company to deploy DeepSeek's AI models on domestic s ...Read More >