Dulquer Salmaan’s upcoming movie Lucky Baskhar’s teaser is out and is giving a retro vibe. The film, set to hit theatres in July 2024, stars Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary in lead roles. Directed by Venky Atluri, the movie gives a glimpse into the life of a middle-class banker.

Dulquer Salmaan plays a common man, a middle-class banker from India who suddenly acquires a lot of wealth. He took to social media to announce his film on the occasion of Eid, writing, “A Common…Middle Class…Indian Man! Dive into the extraordinary world of #LuckyBaskhar!” The makers had unveiled the first look of the poster in February.

The film will be released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada. It is produced by Naga Vamsi S & Sai Soujanya Under Sithara Entertainments & Fortune Four Cinemas and presented by Srikara Studios.

Dulquer will start shooting for his next film, Suriya 43, with Suriya, Nazriya Nazim, and Vijay Varma.

The controversy over Tejashwi Yadav’s allegedly eating fish during Navratri snowballed on Friday with the Prime Minister hitting out at the RJD leader, his father Lalu Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming that they are exhibiting thoughts from the Mughal era. 

Accusing the opposition of indulging in the politics of appeasement and going after a particular vote bank, the Prime Minister also claimed that such videos are being posted to tease and annoy most of India’s population. 

Tejashwi Yadav had clarified that the video was shot a day before Navratri began and that it had been uploaded to “test the IQ of the BJP and Godi media followers”.

Addressing a rally at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir a week before the Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi referred to a video of Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav cooking mutton at the latter’s home in September last year and said in Hindi, “Congress and other members of the INDIA alliance are not bothered about the feelings of most of the country’s population. During Sawan (an auspicious month in the Hindu calendar), they are going to the house of a convicted man and cooking mutton. Not only that, they are also putting up videos and teasing the people of the country.”

“The law does not stop anyone from eating anything, and neither does Modi, but their intention is different. When the Mughals attacked, they were not satisfied with defeating the king alone. They did not get satisfaction until they destroyed temples… they enjoyed doing this. In the same way, by uploading the video in the month of Sawan, they (the opposition) are exhibiting the thoughts of the Mughal era, attempting to tease people and fortify their vote bank,” the PM alleged.

Training his guns on Tejashwi Yadav, without naming him, the PM said uploading a video of consuming non-vegetarian food during Navratra was also an attempt in the same direction. 

“Who are you trying to please by hurting the sentiments of people? I know these people will now shower abuses on me for saying this, but it is my duty in a democracy to tell people what is right when lines are crossed, and I am doing my duty. They do this deliberately to attack the country’s beliefs, so a big part of the country watches their videos and gets uncomfortable. They have gone beyond appeasement and are giving evidence of their Mughal-like thinking,” the PM said. 
 

Six-time world champion boxer M C Mary Kom on Friday stepped down as India’s chef-de-mission for the upcoming Paris Olympics, saying she is “left with no choice” due to some personal reasons. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha announced that Mary Kom had asked to be relieved from her position in a letter to addressed to her. “I consider it an honour to serve my country in every way possible, and I was mentally prepared for it. However, I regret that I will not be able to uphold the prestigious responsibility and would like to resign, owing to personal reasons,” the 41-year-old stated in a letter to Usha. “It is embarrassing to retreat from a commitment, which I seldom do, but I am left with no choice. I am there to cheer on my country and the athletes competing in this Olympic Games, with great expectations,” she added.

The IOA had announced her appointment on March 21.

The celebrated boxer, who is also a bronze-medallist from the 2012 London Olympics, was to be the logistical in-charge of the country’s contingent at the July 26-August 11 Games.

“We are sad that Olympic medal winning boxer and Chairperson of the IOA Athletes Commission Mary Kom has stepped down citing personal reasons. We respect her decision and her privacy,” Usha said in a statement.

“I shall make the appropriate consultations and soon make an announcement about the replacement for Mary Kom.” Usha said she had a conversation with Mary Kom after receiving her letter.

“I completely understand her request and respect her decision. I have also conveyed to her that she will always have my own support and that of IOA. I also request everyone to respect the legendary boxer’s privacy,” she said. 

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