Neha Dhupia is poised to enthral a global audience in her inaugural international film, Blue 52, helmed by esteemed Egyptian filmmaker Ali El Arabi.

Ali El Arabi, known for his acclaimed documentary feature Captains of Za’atari, brings his directorial finesse to the forefront in Blue 52. With accolades from festivals like Hot Docs and El Gouna, El Arabi is set to weave his storytelling prowess into the realm of fiction once again.

Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Kochi, India, and Qatar, Blue 52 marks Neha Dhupia’s foray into a distinct role, promising an unexplored facet of the actress as she immersed herself in a character infused with intense emotional drama.

The narrative revolves around Ashish, who, at age 9, is isolated by his father following the loss of his older brother. Living on an island by the backwaters of Kochi, Ashish grows up in seclusion, confined by limited knowledge of the world beyond his admiration for Messi and his mother’s lessons preparing him for life outside their island home. Determined to venture out with his mother’s support and an almost fantastical opportunity to meet his idol, Messi, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ashish steps into the unknown, discovering his true self and his passions along the way.

Reflecting on her international debut, Neha Dhupia expressed, “Embarking on the journey of Blue 52 has been nothing short of magical. The fusion of diverse cultures in this international venture allowed me to delve deep into a character that is both challenging and emotionally resonant. It’s a transformative experience that I believe will leave a lasting impact and I’m glad that Ali chose me to essay the lead in what is my international first”.

Blue 52 is directed and produced by Ali El Arabi, with Tariq Al-Naama as a producer. Co-producers include Krysanne Katsoolis, Joe Matthews, and Katara Studios.

In an unprecedented development, 79 MPs, including both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, were suspended today for staging protests in demand of a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the massive security breach in Parliament last week. Fourteen MPs had been suspended last week over the same issue. This takes the total number of suspended MPs to over 90. 

In Lok Sabha, 30 MPs have been suspended for the remainder of the session and three have been suspended till the privileges committee submits a report on their conduct. As for Rajya Sabha, 35 members have been suspended for the rest of session and 11 till a report by the privileges panel. 

The suspended MPs include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress’s leader in Lok Sabha, and Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the party in the House. Trinamool MPs Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Ray and Satabdi Roy, and DMK members A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran are also on the list.

Speaking to the media, Mr Chowdhury said the government was behaving in a dictatorial manner and treating Parliament as BJP headquarters. He said the Opposition had been cooperating with the government ever since the session began.

“This government has reached the apex of dictatorship. They have the majority, and they are wielding the stick of power. They want to run Parliament like a party office. But that cannot happen. We were eager for a discussion. The productivity of Parliament before December 13 is for all to see. It seems they find it easier to talk to the media, but are scared to speak in Parliament,” he said.

Mr Gogoi said the BJP government is bulldozing the Opposition and claimed that the Home Minister is scared of taking responsibility for the massive security breach. He said they will continue their protest outside Lok Sabha.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said with an Opposition-less Parliament, the government can now “bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate”.

First, intruders attacked Parliament.
Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & Democracy

All Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs.

We have two simple and genuine demands –

1. The Union Home Minister should make a…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 18, 2023

Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that the Opposition is protesting because of the government’s refusal to accept their demand of a statement by the Home Minister.

“The Prime Minister speaks to a leading newspaper on the very serious December 13th security breach in the Lok Sabha. The Home Minister speaks to a TV channel on the security breach.

Parliament is in session. INDIA parties are demanding a statement from the Home Minister in both Houses on the shocking incidents. It is a simple, straightforward and legitimate demand. But Home Minister refuses to make a statement which is his duty and responsibility,” Mr Ramesh said in the post.

In his first remarks on the security breach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Dainik Jagran newspaper in an interview that the incident was “very serious”. He said there is “no need to debate” this and that a “detailed investigation” should be carried out.

On the Opposition’s demand for the Home Minister’s statement, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has maintained that security inside the House is under the secretariat’s purview and that it will not let the Centre intervene. “The government cannot intervene in (responsibilities of) Lok Sabha secretariat. We will not allow that either,” he said last week.

Shocking scenes played out in the Lok Sabha chamber Wednesday when two intruders jumped from desk to desk and deployed coloured smoke from canisters. Their co-accused staged a similar protest outside the Parliament. They have told investigators that their objective was to draw attention to Manipur violence, unemployment and farmers’ problems. A total of six people have been arrested in connection with a case so far. Delhi Police have invoked the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, against the trespassers.

Eight terrorists linked to an Islamic State module in Karnataka’s Ballari have been arrested and plans to trigger IED blasts foiled, the National Investigation Agency said Monday after raids this morning in 19 locations across four states, including Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra and Delhi.

Caches of explosive materials, such as sulphur, potassium nitrate, and gunpowder, as well as weapons and documents with details of proposed strikes have been recovered, the anti-terror agency said. The NIA also recovered sharp-edged weapons like daggers, cash, and digital devices.

The leader of the Ballari module – Minaz, also known as Mohammed Sulaiman – is among those who were arrested in these ops, which were carried out by the NIA and police in Karnataka’s Ballari and Bengaluru, in Pune and Mumbai in Maharashtra, and Delhi, as well as Jharkhand’s Bokaro.

The terrorists, who used IM apps to communicate with each other, planned to use the explosive materials to create IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, to carry out, as yet unspecified, terror acts.

They reportedly also targeted college students to radicalise and recruit.

The NIA case against the Ballari module was filed last week. Since then, the agency has been working closely with state police and other central agencies to track down and apprehend the terrorists.

Last week, the NIA raided over 40 locations in Maharashtra and arrested 15 people, one of whom was the leader of a module, and was administering an oath of allegiance to new recruits. There were also raids in Bengaluru in a related case – one linked to radicalisation by a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist 

READ | Digital Devices, Lakhs In Cash Seized In Bengaluru Anti-Terror Raids

The agency also raided locations in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, and recovered an Indian Army uniform, as well as arms and ammunition, cash and jewelry, and other incriminating evidence.

READ | Army Uniform Seized During Raids Across 4 States In Terror Financing Case

It said the arrested suspects were “cadres and sympathisers of PLFI (People’s Liberation Front of India, a banned group)”, and that they were involved in a conspiracy to commit terrorist activities.

The NIA said its probe revealed PLFI cadres were extorting money from coal traders and other businessmen in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to finance their terror activities.

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