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!
Varanasi, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) The spiritual and musical capital of India, Kashi, was enveloped in grief on Thursday morning as news broke of the passing of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Chhannulal Mishra. The legendary vocalist, who carried the soul of Banaras in his music, breathed his last at the age of 89. All through the day, ministers, officials, disciples, and admirers streamed into his residence to pay their respects to the mortal remains of the maestro. Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Dayashankar Mishra 'Dayalu', Varanasi District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar, and Police Commissioner Satyendra Kumar were among the first to arrive. A guard of honour has been planned before his cremation at Manikarnika Ghat -- the sacred site where Banaras bids farewell to its sons. Speaking with folded hands, Dayalu asserted: "Kashi has lost one of its brightest musical gems. Panditji carried Indian classical music to great heights. His dream of taking classical traditions to the masses will remain alive." District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar added, "Thousands are coming to bid their last farewell. The administration will ensure full honours at the cremation. The void he leaves behind will be almost impossible to fill." Tributes poured in from across the music world. Renowned sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, in a heartfelt post on X, wrote: "It is with profound sorrow that I learnt of the passing of Pandit Chhannulal Mishra. May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his music continue to echo in every sur and every shraddha of classical music lovers. Om Shanti." Born on August 3, 1936, in Hariharpur village of Azamgarh district, Pandit Chhannulal Mishra was initiated into music under Ustad Abdul Ghani Khan of the Kirana Gharana, and later imbibed the nuances of the Banaras tradition. This unique synthesis of two great gharanas shaped his musical artistry. With a career spanning over six decades, he was celebrated for his mastery over khayal, thumri, dadra, chaiti, kajri, hori, and bhajan. His thumris, in particular, became timeless examples of the Banaras style -- full of lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and spiritual flavour. What set him apart was not just his command over ragas, rhythm, and voice, but his ability to bring the heart of Banaras to global audiences. His renditions carried echoes of the Ganga, the ghats, and the devotional traditions of Krishna and Shiva. He mesmerised audiences at prestigious music conferences in India and across the world, serving as a true cultural ambassador of Hindustani music. Beyond the concerts, Pandit Mishra nurtured hundreds of disciples, ensuring that semi-classical forms such as thumri, dadra, and kajri -- once in danger of fading -- remain alive for future generations. He often said his mission was not merely to perform, but to keep alive the everyday music of India's soil. His unmatched contributions earned him the Padma Bhushan in 2010 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2019, among several other honours. But for his admirers, the greatest award was the way his voice could make every listener feel the divinity of music. On October 2, 2025 -- the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri -- Pandit Mishra passed away, leaving behind a legacy as eternal as the Ganga. His music, steeped in devotion and artistry, will continue to echo in the ghats of Banaras and the hearts of people across the world.
Mumbai, May 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday paid tribute to veteran astronomer, science writer, and Maharashtra Bhushan awardee Dr Jayant Narlikar, acknowledging his immense contribution to popularising science through his writings. In a condolence message shared on X, CM Fadnavis said, "The news of the passing of senior astronomer and science writer Dr Jayant Narlikar is deeply saddening. He played a crucial role in spreading scientific awareness by creating rich literature on scientific subjects. For this, he received numerous accolades at the global level. H ...Read More >
Patna: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor speaks during the 'Bihar Badlav' rally, in Patna, Friday, April 11, 2025. "Declare Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister candidate if he is the face of the NDA," challenged Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on May 30, as he toured the state in his 'Bihar Badlav Yatra'. Mr. Kishor, a political strategist, who was instrumental in strategising several political campaigns, including those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, is setting himself up as a third alternative in Bihar beside the Mahagathbandhan (RJD-Congress-Left) and the Na ...Read More >
Rajamahendravaram: The foundation of the prestigious Akhanda Godavari Tourism Project aimed at showcasing the historical and cultural magnificence of Godavari region, will be formally held on June 19, announced by State Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh. The ground-breaking ceremony will be jointly performed by Deputy Chief Minister Konidela Pawan Kalyan and MP Daggubati Purandeswari, with the support of the Central government, he said. The Minister conducted a field visit on Saturday to oversee the arrangements for the upcoming event, inspecting key sites like Pu ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 26 (ANI): Following heavy rainfall and a cloudburst in Dharamshala, flash floods swept through the Manuni river area, impacting a local hydropower project and leaving several workers missing, officials said on Thursday. According to an Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Shilpi Beakta, Rescue teams have so far recovered multiple bodies and managed to save one person alive. Also Read | 8th Pay Commission To Triple Medical Allowance and Raise Minimum Salary to INR 27,000? Check Details. "Yesterday at around 4.30, a video circulated and we received a m ...Read More >
Ranchi: Reiterating his tirade against the ruling INDIA bloc govt here, Union textile minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday said the chief minister Hemant Soren-led state dispensation was playing a "dangerous game" through its "appeasement politics" which is more lethal than the Emergency. Congress hit back at the Union minister shortly after, saying he has a habit of "spewing venom" to divide the country and the communities.Talking to the media here, the minister said, "Due to its lust to stay in power, the Hemant Soren govt is playing a game more dangerous than the Emergency, which was imposed ...Read More >
The Election Commission introduces new rules for voter enrollment. Voters enrolled after 2003-04 must now provide proof of citizenship. This includes a self-attested declaration and supporting documents. The move aims to remove illegal immigrants from the electoral roll. Bihar will be the first state to implement the special intensive revision. Other states will follow soon.In a move to identify and remove illegal immigrants wrongly included in the electoral rolls, the Election Commission has man ...Read More >
Traffic Diversions for oath-taking: The swearing-in ceremony of the new Maharashtra Chief Minister will be held at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai tomorrow, December 5. Mumbai Traffic Police has issued an advisory in view of the event. The traffic diversions will remain in place from 12 PM tomorrow till the end of the programme. Devendra Fadnavis was on Wednesday unanimously elected as Maharashtra BJP legislature party's leader, paving the way for his swearing-in as the chief minister for a third time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders are set to attend the grand swearing-in cerem ...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 >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 27 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the State government will take action against BJP MLC N Ravikumar for his derogatory comments against Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner. Shivakumar said that many IAS officers had met him on this issue, and they were all enraged by the BJP MLC's comments. 'Since morning, more than half a dozen IAS officers have met me. They are all in a very agitated mood. The law will take its course. The government will take action,' Shivakumar told ANI. He wanted the BJP leadership to react to the ...Read More >
Itanagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh improved on Saturday with water levels of most rivers receding, even as 33,000 people in 24 districts remained affected, officials said. Twelve people lost their lives and one person went missing in rain-related incidents, including landslides, after the monsoon set in, they said. In its daily report, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said 33,200 people in 215 villages remained affected due to floods and landslides in the state. The water levels of most major rivers and their tributaries were showing a receding trend o ...Read More >
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a special national integration camp organised by the Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh NCC Directorate here, Abdullah also lauded the sanctioning of several projects for the UT. "Let there be discussions, it is a good thing. But we would want the discussions to conclude soon and that we get what we are demanding," he said. Welcoming the sanctioning of several projects for Jammu and Kashmir, including tunnels, costing ₹10,600 crore, the CM said these projects wi ...Read More >
The Supreme Court halted new temple-mosque legal battles. The court will review the 1991 law impacting religious site status. This law froze the status of religious sites as of August 15, 1947. Several cases, including Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah, challenge this law. The law's validity is being questioned. The court's decision impacts ongoing and future disputes.In its ruling on the keenly-watched Place of Worship Act case, the Supreme Court said on December 12 that no new Mandir-Masjid suits are to ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) A Kerala businessman, who recently levelled corruption charges against an ED officer posted in the state, has recorded his statement with the central agency where he is understood to have denied knowing or having any evidence against the said investigator, official sources said Sunday. The businessman, Aneesh Babu, deposed before the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi on June 6 and his statement was recorded under audio-visual camera by the agency as per the provisions of section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Such a statement made under the anti-mo ...Read More >
The United States recently updated its travel advisory for India. The Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged the update. The US advises its citizens to exercise caution due to crime and terrorism. Certain areas are marked as high-risk. The advisory level for India remains unchanged. It has been at level 2 for several years.Travel advisories are periodically issued by countries based on their "assessment of various factors", and "we have noted" that the US has updated the travel advisory for In ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana joins names such as Kamal Haasan, Ariana Grande, and Jeremy Strong at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year. Ayushmann along with names such as Kamal Haasan Naomi Ackie, Gillian Anderson, Branford Marsalis, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Jason Momoa are among 534 individuals who were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on June 26. "We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy," said Ac ...Read More >
Itanagar, Dec 5 (PTI) The Arunachal Pradesh government has inked a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Indian Army for the maintenance and upkeep of the Major Ralengnao Bob Khathing Museum of Valour in Tawang district. The memorandum was signed by Tawang Deputy Commissioner Kangki Darang and Brigadier VS Rajput of the 190 Mountain Brigade on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu. With this agreement, the museum will be effectively managed solely by the Indian Army, an official statement said here on Thursday. On the occasion, Khandu paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai P ...Read More >
Extensive preparations are on in Mangalagiri for the first-ever convocation of AIIMS, scheduled for December 17, where President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest. District Collector S. Nagalakshmi, along with AIIMS director Madhabananda Kar, Joint Collector A. Bhargav Teja and Tenali Sub-Collector V. Sanjana Simha, held a review meeting with AIIMS officials and other district officers on Thursday evening at the AIIMS auditorium to oversee the arrangements. During the meeting, Collector Na ...Read More >
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 26 (VOICE) Karnataka BJP has slammed Congress over the display of posters depicting a distorted map of India at the venue of the centenary celebrations of the INC's 1924 session in Belagavi, saying that it shows utter disrespect for India's sovereignty and is shameful.Taking to social media handle X on Thursday, the BJP said, "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been handed over to Pakistan by the Indian National Congress - Karnataka! It is truly an act of treason that Congress members have distorted India's map in the name of Gandhi Bharat. The banners displayed in B ...Read More >
Keonjhar: The last rites of Lata Mohanta (58), an organ donor from Kodakhaman village in Patna block, was performed with state honours. Mohanta, wife of Kulamani Mahanta, passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar after a brief illness following her brain stroke. Her family honoured her last wish by consenting to donate her organs, her liver successfully transplanted into another patient. "State honours were accorded to recognize her noble sacrifice and promote awareness about organ donation," said additional district magistrate Mandardhar Mahalik, who attended the ceremony. She was gi ...Read More >
Mangaluru, (Karnataka) Feb 5 (PTI) District in-charge Minister of Dakshina Kannada, Dinesh Gundu Rao, directed officials on Wednesday to install CCTV cameras on both sides of bridges along major highways and main roads to prevent 'illegal' activities. During an inspection of the strengthening work on the Addur Bridge along the Perali-Addur State Highway, Rao highlighted reports of sand mining near bridges weakening their structures. Also Read | Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: National Capital Records 57.89% Voter Turnout; Exit Polls Give BJP Edge Over AAP. He said that although extracting sa ...Read More >
New norms to avoid another Bengaluru stampede, said Home Minister G Parameshwara. Bengaluru: Karnataka government will formulate a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for mega events, meetings and celebrations aimed at preventing any untoward incidents, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday. The initiative comes in the wake of the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday that claimed 11 lives. Speaking to reporters, Mr Parameshwara said that the governm ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Rahul Gandhi claimed on Saturday that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy", drawing rebuke from BJP president J P Nadda, who accused the Congress leader of "cooking up bizarre conspiracies" in his desperation after losing a series of elections. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged in an article in the Indian Express that this poll "match-fixing" would next happen in the Bihar elections and "anywhere the BJP is losing". In a post on X, he said, "My article shows how this happened, step by step: Step 1: Rig the ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed grief over the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium, lamenting the loss of lives and the damage to Bengaluru's reputation. He dismissed opposition allegations and accusations of playing politics, emphasizing the government's responsibility.Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday turned emotional over the loss of lives due to the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium and said that Bengaluru has lost its image due to the incid ...Read More >
Agartala (Tripura) [India], June 27 (ANI): Joining the nation in celebrating the auspicious festival of Rath Yatra, the ISKCON temple and Hare Krishna Mandir in Tripura's Agartala on Friday hosted a grand celebration, drawing thousands of devotees from across Tripura. The vibrant and spiritually uplifting procession was marked by chanting, devotional songs, cultural performances, and traditional rituals. The streets of Agartala came alive as Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, embarked on the annual chariot journey amid joyous cries of "Jai Jagannath." The holy ch ...Read More >
Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 3 (ANI): Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya on Tuesday wrote to the officers of neighbouring districts--Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar--requesting them to stop Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at their district borders. The Sambhal DM addressed the letter to the Police Commissioners of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad, along with the Superintendents of Police (SP) of Amroha and Bulandshahr. "On November 24, a remaining survey was conducted, following which members of the Muslim community staged massive p ...Read More >
Bhopal: The Gita recitation programme by the Madhya Pradesh government has found a place in the Guinness World Records. "More than 7,200 'acharyas' and 'vatuks' collectively recited the third chapter 'Karma Yoga' on Wednesday, making a record," a statement issued by the government said. The event was parallely organised at Bhopal's Lal Parade Ground and Ujjain to mark the sacred occasion of Gita Jayanti. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the collective recitation of the Gita by thousands of Acharyas in Bhopal and Ujjain has been registered in the 'Guinness Book of World Records'. He con ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Terming the handcuffing of Lagacharla farmer Hirya Nayak, currently lodged in Sangareddy jail, while taking him to hospital for treatment "inhuman", BRS working president KT Rama Rao has urged the Chief Justice of Telangana high court to take the case suo motu and urged governor Jishnu Dev Varma to order a probe into the incident. Addressing a press meet on Thursday, the BRS leader said the farmer, who is suspected to have suffered a heart attack while in jail, was treated inhumanly. ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >