Arjun Rampal, the handsome hunk of Bollywood, is geared up and excited for his upcoming sports action movie Crakk.

In anticipation of his role, the actor has undergone a remarkable physical transformation, focusing on his fitness regimen and diet. The actor shared his physical fitness routine, which included swimming every day in open waters for his cardiovascular strength and running 10km three times a week. The prep doesn’t stop there.

The actor shared, “For this role, I had to go way lighter and work on my agility. I swam every day in open waters to increase cardiovascular strength. Ran 10K thrice a week and ate clean. I had to make sacrifices to get in shape and tip the scale in my favor. I ate a lot of protein and followed a strictly veg diet thrice a week.”

Opening up about the challenges of filming, the actor said, “While shooting, I suffered from two slip discs, and production kindly paused shoot for 2 weeks so I could recover. I had to be careful but at the same time get stronger to give my best performance. And of course, to keep Vidyut in mind because he’s also very well-built and does an excellent job on himself.”

Arjun frequently shares behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the shoot, providing fans and followers with a glimpse into his preparation for the film.

Crakk is scheduled to hit theatres on February 23, 2024. The film also features Vidyut Jammwal, Amy Jackson, and Nora Fatehi.

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked the West Bengal government to rename the lion “Akbar” and lioness “Sita”, whose names caused a controversy after both animals were placed in the same enclosure at the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri.

The court was hearing a petition by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to change the name of the lioness who was recently transferred to West Bengal from Tripura, reported Live Law.

The single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, in an oral direction, asked the state to avoid controversy and consider renaming the animals, 

“Will you name a lion after a Hindu deity, a Muslim prophet or Christian god or freedom fighter or nobel laureate? Generally anyone who is revered or respected by the people of our country?” Justice Bhattacharyya asked.

The Additional Advocate General (AAG), representing West Bengal, told the court that the lions were named in Tripura and the state itself was already considering renaming the lions.

The court also questioned the reasoning behind naming an animal after “a god, mythological hero, freedom fighter, or Nobel laureate” and asked why the state did not challenge the names given by Tripura.

“You are a welfare state and it is a secular state. Why should you draw controversy by naming a lion after Sita and Akbar? This controversy should have been avoided. Not only Sita, but I also don’t support the naming of a lion Akbar. He was a very efficient and noble Mughal emperor. Very successful and secular Mughal emperor. If it is already named, the state authority should shun it and avoid it,” Justice Bhattacharyya said.

During the exchange, Justice Bhattacharyya also asked the AAG whether he had any pets and if they were named after “national heroes”.

The court has directed the petition by Vishwa Hindu Parishad to be reclassified as a public interest litigation (PIL) and redirected it to a regular bench that can hears PILs.

Sent to Russia on the pretext of getting good salaries as security guards, at least 10 young men from various parts of India are now being forced to risk their lives and fight a war for a country they owe no allegiance to. Not only were the men duped in terms of the job that they were signing up for, but the agent who sent them to Russia also managed to extract Rs 3 lakh from each of them.

The men – who are believed to be fighting Ukraine as part of the mercenary organisation, Wagner Group – and their families have now appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to help them return to India. A similar appeal has been made by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and a Karnataka minister has said the state government will talk to the MEA about getting the men back.

Family members of the youngsters said on Thursday that one of them, Syed Ilyas from Hyderabad, had sent a video from Russia telling his parents that he and several others had been cheated by the agent. In the video, Mr Ilyas said he had not signed up to fight the war and pleaded with his family to be brought back to India. 

The father of one of the young men said at least 10-12 Indians – from Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and other states – have been duped this way and one of them, who is from Kashmir, was injured after he suffered a bullet injury to his leg. 

“My son, Abdul Naeem, and three of his friends used to work in Dubai. They got in touch with an agent called Baba who promised them high-paying security jobs in Russia and took Rs 3 lakh each from them. They were brought back to India and then sent to Russia on December 16. They were told to sign an agreement in Russian, but they refused, and relented only when the agent told them it was safe and about their security guard jobs,” Mr Naeem’s father said in Hindi. 

“At least 10-12 young men have been duped this way. My son and all the others want to come back. We have no complaints with the Russian government or their army, we are requesting them to send our sons back. We are also appealing to the Indian government to ensure their safe return,” he said.

The father added that he is in touch with his son, who is now being kept apart from his three friends. “They are being taken in planes to places far away. A man from Kashmir has also suffered a bullet injury to his leg,” he said. 

‘Will Talk To MEA’

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said, “The district administration has alerted the state government and the MEA. We will talk to the MEA and do our best to bring back the young men. Not only the men from Karnataka, but everyone who has been duped into waging this war.”

On Wednesday, Mr Owaisi said he had written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar and sought his help in getting the young men back to India. The MP has said at least a dozen Indians, including three from Telangana, had been duped by the agent and forced to take part in the war.