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Dil Se actor Mita Vashisht recalls CASTING COUCH experience, reveals ‘film producer tried to force himself on me’

Jul 31, 2024 · 11:23 PM Blog

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to sexual abuse.

Mita Vashisht is a senior actress, producer, and director with several movies, TV programs, and documentaries to her credit. While she spent a considerable time working with B-town biggies in Bollywood, she also worked in several other film industries including the Telugu film industry.

In an interview, she made a shocking revelation of being a victim of casting couch. Read on!

“A film producer tried to force himself on me” recalls Mita Vashisht

Chandni, Dil Se, Ghulam, Taal, and Good Luck Jerry are some of the Hindi movies in which Mita Vashisht was seen in supporting roles. The actress who still enjoys being called a theatre artist recalled her casting couch experience in the Telugu film industry.

While talking to The Lallantop, the senior artist stated “A film producer from the Telugu film industry tried to force himself on me.” She further added that back in the day, she was participating in the Chennai Film Festival and was offered the lead role by a Telugu director in his film.

She stated that he offered her the lead role and said that she would have to live with him for two months. At first, she thought that the director’s English was weak and he was trying to imply that she would have to go to his house and prepare for the character. But when he reiterated his words, she stood up and started leaving the place. “He tried to block my way, but I somehow managed to get out of there,” she divulged.

Mita Vashisht got removed for stating she won’t be sleeping with directors

In the same interview, Mita stated that right at the beginning of her career, she had made it clear to directors that she wouldn’t be “going to sleep with them for films.” Her strong principles got her removed from some films. However, there were also others who respected that and cast her in their film.

Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.

ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan was sensitive while shooting for fight scene with Mita Vashisht in Dil Se; recalls actress

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‘I Was So Grateful’: Florence Pugh Opens Up About ‘Bizarre But Pure’ Father-Daughter Bond With David Harbour

Jul 31, 2024 · 11:23 PM Blog

Florence Pugh offered some insightful characterizations of her Marvel character, Yelena Belova, and the complex dynamics she shares with her father, Alexei, a.k.a. Red Guardian, played by David Harbour. Pugh commented, during the promotion of Thunderbolts, that despite having a fair share of complexities, Yelena and her father, David, still share a very authentic father-daughter relationship.

Florence Pugh on Yelena Belova and Alexei’s complex yet loving relationship

The MCU’s upcoming film, Thunderbolts, brings back the iconic father-daughter duo of Alexei and Yelena Belova. Portrayed by David Harbour and Florence Pugh respectively, the duo was first seen together on-screen in the 2021 film, Black Widow. The actors of the film recently made their appearance on Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con 2024 video suite, where they talked in-depth about their characters.

Pugh, dropping hints about the upcoming film, revealed that her character will be explored in depth along with her intricate relationship with her father, Alexei. The actress even added that she and Harbour tried their best to churn out their characters in the first movie, knowing that they will make their comeback soon where they will be given a window to portray their character in a nuanced manner.

“Purely because of what [director] Jake [Schreier] wanted to make and the story that we were allowed to do, we were also, as characters that are hugely complex and very difficult to live alongside one another, able to go into a very bizarre but pure and human father-daughter relationship that I was so grateful to be able to do, especially with an actor like David,” she stated.

ALSO READ: Florence Pugh Says Upcoming Thunderbolts* Movie Is Something ‘Never Seen Before’ In MCU

Florence Pugh and David Harbour on their Marvel comeback

Florence Pugh and David Harbour made it pretty evident through their recent candid remarks that they are thrilled to be back and portray their respective Marvel characters. Starring in the 2025 superhero film, Pugh expressed her gratitude to work alongside Harbour and justify the character of Yelena.

While talking about Yelena and Alexei’s bond, the Stranger Things actor joked that their relationship “starts out terrible, and then it ends pretty terrible too. Spoiler alert!” “No, we saw some of it in Black Widow, and we’re expanding on that. We start a couple of years away from that,” David Harbour added.

Hall H attendees of the comic-con got a chance to take a sneak peek at the coming MCU film, Thunderbolts, as the makers played a short clip from the film. In the clip Alexei is living alone in a messy apartment as Yelena surprisingly shows up at his door. Alexei then briskly tries to clean the apartment, trying to prove to his daughter that he has been living a happy and successful life. However, Yelena sees right through his lies and hints towards their complicated yet positively developing dynamic.

Well, it is to be seen how things turn out for Yelena and Alexei in the upcoming film. Thunderbolts brings together a group of anti-heroes for a special mission and is scheduled to be released on May 2, 2025.

ALSO READ: We Live In Time TRAILER: Florence Pugh And Andrew Garfield Fall In Love In A24’s Upcoming Romantic Drama

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Ransomware Attack On Service Provider Hits 300 Small Banks Across India

Jul 31, 2024 · 11:23 PM Blog

A ransomware attack on a technology service provider has forced payment systems across nearly 300 small local banks in India to shut down temporarily, two sources directly aware of the matter told Reuters.

The attack affected C-Edge Technologies, a provider of banking technology systems to small banks across the country, they said.

C-Edge Technologies did not respond to an email seeking comment. The Reserve Bank of India did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), an authority that oversees payment systems, in a public advisory issued late on Wednesday, said that it had “temporarily isolated C-Edge Technologies from accessing the retail payments system operated by NPCI.”

“Customers of banks serviced by C-Edge will not be able to access payment systems during the period of isolation,” the NPCI said.

Nearly 300 small banks have been isolated from the country’s broader payment network to prevent any wider impact, the sources, who are officials at a regulatory authority, said.

“Most of these are small banks and only about 0.5% of the country’s payment system volumes would be impacted,” said one of the sources.

India has nearly 1,500 cooperative and regional banks which mostly have operations outside big cities. It is some of these banks that have been affected, the sources told Reuters.

NPCI is conducting an audit to ensure that the attack does not spread, the second source said.

The RBI and the Indian cyber authorities have warned Indian banks about possible cyber attacks in the past few weeks, banking industry sources and the first source said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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