Hrithik Roshan, who is gearing up for Siddharth Anand’s film Fighter, recently offered a glimpse into his lavish Mumbai home. The living area boasts a scenic view of the sea and features graffiti-adorned walls. While drawing inspiration from Santorini, Hrithik added a unique touch, a vending machine filled with chocolates and juices, a decision he cherishes as one of his best.

In his home, Hrithik has curated a collection of quotes and phrases that have profoundly impacted his life. He mentioned how these phrases, whether from others or his own thoughts, have influenced his decisions and are displayed throughout his house.

Notably, the space includes monkey bars where Hrithik enjoys spending time with his children. He reminisced about finding a ‘neel’ stone while shooting Mohenjo Daro, which sparked the inspiration for his home’s design, diverting his attention from his character.

He showcased a cosy reading nook, his sanctuary for daily journaling when not engrossed in work. Interestingly, although there was once a pool table, he admitted to missing it despite parting with it as it remained unused. When asked about cooking, Hrithik revealed that while he rarely cooks, he occasionally prepares breakfast for his kids during travels.

Hrithik was last seen in the 2022 film Vikram Vedha with Saif Ali Khan. His next, Fighter, also features Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor.

India’s hopeful entry for the 96th Academy Awards, the Malayalam film 2018: Everyone Is A Hero starring Tovino Thomas and Kunchacko Boban, fell short of making it to the final list in the International Feature Film category. Despite being selected by the Film Federation of India as the country’s official submission, it didn’t secure a spot among the 15 shortlisted films announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Among the chosen films from various countries like Ukraine, Germany, and the United Kingdom, India’s entry wasn’t in the finalists. This marks another year of India missing out on an Oscar nomination in this category. The last Indian film to officially secure a nomination was Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan back in 2001.

For the 96th Oscars, 15 films advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category, selected from a pool of entries from 88 countries and regions. Academy members participated in preliminary voting, adhering to minimum viewing requirements to be eligible. In the nominations round, members across branches must watch all 15 shortlisted films to cast their votes.

The final nominations across all categories are scheduled to be revealed on January 23. The Oscars ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will begin an hour earlier than usual, airing live at 7 p.m. ET.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached out to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday evening, amid talk of yet more rifts in the INDIA bloc ahead of next year’s general election. Sources have told NDTV Mr Gandhi could not speak to the Janata Dal (United) boss since he was in a meeting, but the two are expected to talk later today. While the agenda is not known, there is speculation the two will speak on the fallout of Wednesday’s meeting, at which Nitish Kumar seemed to be overlooked as a possible convener for the group and/or prime ministerial candidate.

In fact, sources told NDTV Nitish Kumar clashed with INDIA leaders on several issues, including renaming the bloc as ‘Bharat’. That proposal was swiftly nixed by the Congress’ Sonia Gandhi. He reportedly also got angry with Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, a state ally, because Mr Jha translated his speech from Hindi to Tamil for the benefit of political leaders from the DMK.

There was also talk Nitish Kumar lashed out at the Congress after its dismal performance in November’s Assembly polls, which were widely seen as a dry run of INDIA’s pull with voters. The Congress was routed in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan – heartland states that INDIA must win (at least some anyway) in order to defeat the BJP – after seat-sharing squabbles with allies.

The JDU, Bengal’s Trinamool Congress, and the Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav had all called out the Congress for failing to acknowledge the need to share seats, particularly with regional parties.

At the Delhi meet – itself a flashpoint after the Congress prioritised last month’s polls over strategising for the 2024 Lok Sabha election – Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, set tongues wagging after proposing Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential convener and even Prime Minister, should INDIA actually defeat the BJP.

READ | Kharge As INDIA PM Face? Mamata, Kejriwal’s Surprise Pitch

Mr Kharge immediately declined, saying he preferred to focus on first winning the election.

Nitish Kumar has publicly refuted talk of his prime ministerial ambitions but, privately, is believed to be an aspirant. His party has been more explicit; in August and September, JDU leaders backed their boss for the country’s top job, and, this month, said he had “all the qualities and experience that a PM should have”. However, the JDU was careful to also acknowledge this must be a collective call.

READ | Nitish Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi’s Names Proposed For This Big Challenge

Ms Banerjee and Mr Kejriwal proposing Mr Kharge for the job, therefore, seemed to catch Nitish Kumar by surprise, and sources said he left the meeting in a huff. JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi later said, “… we (INDIA) will not project any face for 2024. This was the decision taken in Mumbai meeting and such decisions are not changed simply because one person says something.”

The JDU also insisted Nitish Kumar did not leave angry, and underlined its commitment to the bloc, which Mr Tyagi referred to as “… our child”. “We gave birth to it… how can we be angry with it?”

The “Kharge for PM” episode has further unsettled INDIA – which was created to unite the opposition so it might beat the BJP’s election-winning machinery. Nitish Kumar was one of its prime movers, arguably even its founder, and to lose him now, so close to the polls, will be an image issue INDIA cannot afford.

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