Results of the 2024 assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir will be announced soon, with counting starting at 8am on October 8. A high-stakes battle is expected in J&K, the first since Article 370’s abrogation. In Haryana, exit polls suggest a Congress comeback, while the BJP aims for a third term. Security is tight at counting centers.
Saoirse Ronan almost made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but has no regret about losing it. During her appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz enquired whether she was approached to play Yelena — the younger sister of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff — in Black Widow. “Were you offered Yelena? Did you almost play Yelena in Black Widow?” Horowitz asked.
Ronan paused then asked, “How did you hear about that?” When the host revealed that the casting rumors had been around for quite some time, the actress said she didn’t know about it. Hearing her coy reply Horowitz burst into laughter saying he’ll take her “non-answer” as an answer.
When asked if she’d be interested in entering the MCU, the Little Women actress said, “I can’t see myself doing Marvel. I don’t… No, I would prefer to do Bond.” However, she would love to be part of a tentpole film or franchise like Marvel in the future. “There’s nothing wrong with [Marvel] and I think they’re brilliant films. I want to do more big movies,” she said.
Ronan is at a point in her life where she enjoys doing large-scale independent films. However, she admitted that knowing that a franchise or film is going to be seen by people is a luxury.
She is open to doing all kinds of films including musicals and the credit goes to her former director Greta Gerwig’s recent film Barbie. “I wanna do that! Of course I want to do that stuff,” Ronan said of the 2023 summer blockbuster. “I like big shows and I want to be in a musical and I want to do all that,” she added. Although she didn’t regret passing on the role of Yelena, she was heartbroken about not getting to play Harry Potter’s eccentric character Lune Lovegood.
“There’s things that you’ll pass on and then they come out, and you think, ‘Oh God, that was a misstep on my part,’” she said during her interview with Jimmy Kimmel. “But I think the one that stayed with me over the years,” she said about losing the Harry Potter role.
As for Yelena, the role ultimately passed to Florence Pugh. She reprised her character in the Disney+ series Hawkeye and is making a comeback with fellow morally grey superheroes in the upcoming film, The Thunderbolts which is set to release on May 2, 2025.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to alcohol and drugs.
Malayalam actors Sreenath Bhasi of Manjummel Boys and Prayaga Martin are reportedly under the scanner of a police investigation because of their alleged connection to gangster KK Omprakash. As per a report by OnManorama, the police have confirmed that the actors had visited the notorious goon at his hotel room in Kochi.
The report also specifies that the ongoing investigation is based on the mobile phones recovered from the gangster. The police cannot disclose information about CCTV footage they received and will also question the actors named in their report.
For those unversed, gangster KK Omprakash and his Kollam-native associate, Shihas, had been arrested by police after they received a tip-off about a drug sale ahead of Alan Walker‘s music show in Kochi on October 6, 2024.
The police apprehended the gangster and conducted a raid in his hotel room, where they had seized liquid drugs and 8 bottles of alcohol. As per a report by Manorama News, the authorities had found over 4 liters of alcohol and cocaine residue in the room.
All the suspects have been reported to have undergone blood tests and were staying in 3 different rooms at the hotel. According to the report, the suspects also organized a DJ party on October 5, the same day on which Bhasi and Prayaga are speculated to have visited the gangster.
The remand report has mentioned that the actors and nearly 20 others had apparently visited the gangster on the said day. Moreover, Omprakash was later sent on bail after arrest, with the court saying that the police had failed to collect a commercial quantity of drugs during the raid.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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