sikh groups protest against release of controversial...

Sikh groups protest against release of controversial film

SALMAN, AKSHAY BOTH FIT THE'BHARAT' BILL: MANOJ KUMAR

SONAM KAPOOR AND KAREENA KAPOOR SET THE FASHION SCORE SOARING IN THE LATEST IMAGES FROM VEERE DI WEDDING INMUMBAI. SEEN ALSO IN THE IMAGE ARE FARAH KHAN AND SWARA BHASKAR.

WRESTLER MUHAMMAD INAM BUTT, THE ONLY PAKISTANI WHO WON A GOLD MEDAL IN THE 86KG FREESTYLE WRESTLING AT 2018COMMONWEALTH GAMES. HE IS SEEN HERE WITH THE INDIAN WRESTLER SOMVEER WHO WON A BRONZE IN THE SAME MATCH.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Sikh groups held protests at various places inPunjab and Haryana as the controversial film 'Nanak Shah Fakir'released across the country except Punjab on Friday. The Sikhs areprotesting against the film, based on the life and teachings ofSikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, saying that the Guru cannot beshown in human form. Two trains were stopped by the Sikhprotesters near Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab and Ambala in Haryana.However, the trains were allowed to go within 30 minutes followingintervention of the railway police.Security was tightened around cinema halls and multiplexes inHaryana but most owners opted not to screen the film on Friday. InPunjab, no theatre is showing the movie following the recent ban onits screening announced by the Akal Takht, the highest temporalseat of the Sikh religion. The film was not being shown inChandigarh also. Punjab has a Sikh majority population whileHaryana and Chandigarh also have significant Sikh population.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, nicknamed Bharat Kumar, isvery happy to see of two of today's superstars - Akshay Kumar and SalmanKhan - car rying forward the work that he star ted 45 years ago. While Akshayis doing what Manoj, now 81, describes as the kind of cinema he believes in-- cinema that changes society, Salman is doing a film called Bharat, thecharacter that Manoj patented by playing the hero of that name in the 1970s'classics Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan.The veteran actor shrugs off the compliments. "It's not as if I had any copy-right claims over the name Bharat. Anyone and everyone is Bharat. I amhappy that superstars like Salman and Akshay are playing heroes who canbring about a social awakening, a new dawn, naya Bharat," Manoj said.Football: Italy fail to qualify for a World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

IPL 2018:SRH, CSK AND PUNJABTAKE EARLY LEAD

MUMBAI - SRH are on top of the 2018 IPL points table at the end of theMatch Day 7 on Friday. SRH have played two matches and won bothto lead the table with 4 points. CSK have also played two matches andlost none. They are currently placed second on the points table with 4 points. Outof the two IPL matches, KKR have lost one and won one. They are currently 3rd onthe IPL points table with 2 points and a better run-rate as compared to KXIPwhich are currently at No. 4 in the table with 2 points. They too havewon and lost one match each out of the two they have played so far.

Names of Indian players who won 26 gold medals at Commonwealth Games 2018Saina Nehwal clinched women's singles gold in bad-minton.Boxer Vikas Krishan wo0n gold in 75kg category.Manika Batra in table tennis women's singles.Vinesh Phogat in women's wrestling freestyle 50 kgNordic event.Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw.In the 52kg Boxing event Gaurav Solanki won gold. Inwrestling, Sumit Malik got gold medal in men's freestyle125 kg.Sanjeev Rajput in 50m Rifle 3 Position shooting event.M.C. Mary Kom in 45-48 kg category boxing event.Bajrang Punia in freestyle 65kg wrestling.Tejaswini Sawant in 50m rifle position event.Anish Bhanwala, 15 in men's 25m rapid fire pistol.In men's freestyle 74kg wrestling, Sushil Kumar won

gold.Rahul Aware in the Men's Freestyle 57kg wrestling event.In the double trap women shooting, Shreyasi Singh won gold.Shooter Heena Sidhu in 25m pistol event.The Indian mixed team badminton claimed gold.In the 10m men's air pistol event, India's Jitu Rai won gold.In the women's table tennis event, the Indian team wongold.Manu Bhaker in 10m women's air pistol.Weightlifter Punam Yadav won gold in women's 69 kgcategory.Weightlifter Venkat Rahul Ragala in men's 85 kg category.Weightlifter Satish Kumar Sivalingam in men's 77kg category.Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu in women's 53kg category.Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu in women's 48 kg category.Indian men's table tennis team wins gold beating Nigeria 3-0.

I'M SCARED TO MAKE A SMALLFILM: ROHIT SHETTY

MUMBAI, (IANS) Filmmaker Rohit Shetty,known for his larger than life films with dol-lops of drama, action and comedy, says heis "scared" of moving away from his signa-ture brand of cinema. His next is "Simmba"in which the effervescent Ranveer Singhplays a policeman and is paired with SaraAli Khan. Known for films like the "Golmaal"and "Singham" series, "Bol Bachchan","Dilwale" and "Chennai Express", Shetty wasasked if he will be able to ever make a smallbudget film. He told IANS: "Honestly, I am scared of doing that. If there is asmall film with a good story, I will produce it. But I won't direct a small film.See, cinema is larger than life for me and people know my cinema for that.

18 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018b o l l y w o o d

'OCTOBER' - A UNIQUE STORY OF LOVE

'Mercury': One-dimensional and forcedDesigned to speak about the horrors of corporate exploitation, indus-trial wastes and accidents, director Karthik Subbaraj's latest gambit"Mercury" is a silent thriller which begins with a slate that pays hom-age to all the silent fi lms right from, "Raja Harishchandra" to"Pushpak". It then claims, "Silence is the most power ful scream".Obviously, expectations rise. Set in a rural ghost town affected bymercury poisoning due to a corporate blunder, the story revolvesaround five mute friends (four male and one female) who on a nightout celebrating the bir thday of the female friend, stumble upon a deadbody, essayed by the ace dancer Prabhudheva.Horrified and despite disposing off the corpse, how the dead manhaunts the five friends, forms the crux of the tale. The performanceslike in all silent films are exaggerated and over-the-top. But whatactually keeps you glued to your seat is the cat-and-mouse chasebetween the mute protagonists and the blind antagonist. While thepremise elevates the expectations, the blaring background score fromthe first frame itself, deflates the whole purpose of the silent aspect.What fur ther muddles the film is the cross-breeding of the genres -

social drama with hor ror.Though the film has a social message, the plot, treated like a horrorfilm is one dimensional and weak. It fluctuates with strong intensity.What star ts off on an intriguing note only gets convoluted and cornyas the film progresses. The entire proceedings take place over onenight, but the night seems stretched beyond the usual, with fatiguesetting in. Also, some of the scenes seem to be stereotyped andamateurishly mounted with a few thrilling moments that lack the fearfactor. The first half meanders aimlessly and the second half thoughcompact and packed with action, seems ridiculous with all absurdi-ties. But the wrinkles do get ironed out during the denouement.The cinematography by S. Tirru keeps you engaged with all the dra-matic lighting and angles. On the other hand, the background scoreunlike the silent films of yore, is too loud. It overkills you with thenoise. Overall, to appreciate any good piece of ar t, one needs toruminate to find a meaning in its composition. Despite not breakingany barriers, "Mercury" offers a lot to ruminate about, not in an or-ganic manner but a forced one.

CAST: VARUN DHAWAN, BANITA SANDHU

DIRECTOR: SHOOJIT SIRCAR

Shoojit Sircar's 'October' says a lot, without saying too much. Yes, itis a film about love, seen from Dan's pure and simple world-view andShuili's silent, stoic stares. It's not a story crafted with heavy doses ofdialogues, romantic ballads or bombastic tropes common to the genre.The beauty lies in the simplicity of it all. Dan is a 21-year-old who stillhas a lot of growing up to do; he's clumsy and careless at work, a tadcocky too, but not with an air of arrogance. He doesn't speak vol-umes, but he's blunt and straightforward. Dan expresses himself witha rare innocence that makes him lovable. As colleagues, Shiuli andhe share nothing more than a few glances and some casual conver-sation. After the untoward episode, as she lies in bed, Dan is drawn toher agonizing and motionless world. And something flows and flour-ishes between them. Something called love, maybe?Shoojit Sircar breathes life in to every scene with his nuanced direc-tion. The film unfolds at a leisurely pace, but never lacks spirit. Hegives you a glimpse into the lives of his characters, and ar tfully takesyou into his fold. At times, you forget that you are watching a movie;instead, you become a spectator to the lives of real people, with real,uncorrupted emotions. The scene at the hospital between Dan andShiuli, where they acknowledge their relationship in their own inde-scribable way, is skilfully written and enacted. It throbs with emotionand makes you break into a smile. The film is not devoid of lighthumour, it is slipped into the nar rative so seamlessly that it will leave

you surprised. The lyrical screenplay, story and dialogues by JuhiChaturvedi excel in every scene, never losing sight of what the filmsets out to achieve. Every emotion in this song-less film is not speltout; the most overwhelming scenes are laced with lightweight dia-logues and si lences that leave space for interpretat ion. AvikMukhopadhyay (cinematography) sets the frames with poetic beautyand a charm that is inescapable. The background score by ShantanuMoitra softly blends in, adding mood to the drama.Varun Dhawan drops the Bollywood hero's garb in the most under-stated and finest per formance of his career. Shoojit brilliantly mouldsVarun into Dan, making you forget that you ever saw him groovingshir tless on screen before. Debutante Banita uses her beautiful eyesto express emotions, or lack of it. It's an arduous task, as that's theonly ammo she has at hand. Gitanjali as Shiuli's mother is a classact. 'October' is not bound by Indian sensibility alone; it is a humanestory that will possibly enjoy a much wider appeal across interna-tional audiences. For a Bollywood fan seeking escapist cinema, thelaid-back pace might be a deterrent. But it is evident that the directorwanted this story about love to find its own life cycle of blossom.In love and relationships, a lot remains unsaid and undefined. Whatcan't find it's way into words, will find a way to flow out. Let it. Thefragrant memory of Shiuli (the Bengali name for Night Jasmine) andDan's unconditional story will linger long af ter. Go, take it all in.

Bipasha Basu to provide'informed platform' about healthMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Bipasha Basu, a fitness enthusiast,says she is looking at the digital platform to impar t knowledgeabout health and fitness. A quick look at her social mediaposts - the latest one being "Flex arms, stretch legs and turnheads" - will give people an idea about her passion for fitness.Not just that. A few years ago, the "Raaz" actress had unveileda set of DVDs that told you how to burn fat fast. She now hasmore to offer to fitness freaks. "Soon, I will be impar tingmore knowledge to people who want to get fit. It will be in thedigital world because DVDs don't really matter any more,"Bipasha said. "It will be a regular stream of information onone solid platform. It won't be only about what I do but aboutwhat different kinds of people need to do. It will be muchmore like an informed platform about health and fitness - andnot just workouts. It will be a 360 degrees platform that willcover everything good for the human body," she added.

Rana Daggubati elated that'Baahubali 2…', 'Ghazi' gotNational AwardsMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Rana Daggubati says he is very happythat both his films "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" and "Ghazi"were honoured at the 65th National Film Awards on Friday.While "Ghazi" won the Best Telugu film award, "Baahubali 2:The Conclusion" bagged the Best Action-direction, BestSpecial Effects and Best Popular Film Providing WholesomeEnter tainment."The joy of 'Baahubali' has been going on for last five-sixyears -from the shooting process to the box office success. Ithas really brought in spectacle cinema in a big way in India,"Rana said in a statement. "'Ghazi' is one of the films that I amreally very proud of because there was a lot of resistancewhen I was trying to make the film. There is no love story,song dance sequence that we have in regular Telugu film.But it did well at the box office in all languages - Telugu,Hindi and has now won a National award. I did a big filmand an alternate genre film and both have got their meritso it's great," he added.

Dan is within all of us: Varun DhawanMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor Varun Dhawan says that his characterDan in the film "October" is within all of us but we have justforgotten it with time. Varun, who is currently busy shootingfor the upcoming film "Sui Dhaga", visited his fans at PVRJuhu after a screening of his released film "October" on Fridayin Mumbai. While interacting with the media as well as fansVarun said: "'October' comes from an extremely special placefrom my hear t because as my career forwarded, I just feltthat I star ted becoming more selfish and I wanted to do aselfless character like Dan.""Dan is within all of us, we have just forgotten it with time.Let's not lose the humanity in human and that's what I wantedto say with 'October'," he added. The "Badlapur" actorpleaded with his fans that it is impor tant to give time topeople in life. "Now that the film is out I can finally saythis. Life is so unpredictable and we don't know when wemight lose someone who is close to us. It is so importantto give time to people in life and know what is your priorityin life," he said.Shoojit Sircar directorial "October" is about the life ofDan (Varun Dhawan), a hotel intern and how he dealswith the life and death of a friend Shiuli (Banita Sandhu).The film produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar starsVarun along with Banita Sandhu in the l ead roles. The filmwritten by Juhi Chaturvedi and presented under the RisingSun Films banner hit the theatres on Friday.

Vinod Khanna conferred DadasahebPhalke Award posthumouslyNEW DELHI, (IANS) Actor-turned-politician Vinod Khanna,who died last year, has been conferred the DadasahebPhalke Award - the highest cinema honour in India -posthumously. It was a collective decision of the 65thNational Film Awards jury, chaired by filmmaker ShekharKapur, to confer the award on Vinod Khanna, who star redin some of the biggest Bollywood hits like "Mere Apne","Insaaf" "Parvarish" "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", "Qurbani","Dayavaan", "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", "Chandni", "TheBurning Train" and "Amar, Akbar, Anthony".Sridevi wins Best Actress National Award posthumouslyNew Delhi, April 13 (IANS) The late Sridevi was on Fridaynamed the Best Actress posthumously for her role as avengeful mother in the Hindi fi lm "Mom". In the moviedirected by Ravi Udyawar, Sridevi played a mother whosets out to avenge her step-daughter, essayed by Pakistaniactress Sajal Ali. Sridevi died in February in a Dubai hotel,leaving the film industry, her family members and legionsof fans in a state of shock. In an earlier interview to IANS,Sridevi had said she was proud to be a par t of a film like"Mom", and the reactions it elicited.

Farah Khan choreographs songfor 'Veere Di Wedding'MUMBAI, (IANS) Choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan haschoreographed a number for the upcoming film "Veere DiWedding", s t a r r i ng Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaska r ,Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shikha Talsania in the song.Farah on Thursday morn ing shared v ia Instagram aphotograph of herself along with Sonam from the set."Finally! Doing a song with the so lovely Sonam Kapoor. Thewait was wor th it! Love you baby. 'Veere Di Wedding', killertrack," Farah wrote.

CAST: PRABHU DEVA, SANANTH, DEEPAK

PARAMESH, SHASHANK PURUSHOTHAM,

ANISH PADMANABHAN

DIRECTOR: KARTHIK SUBBARAJ

MidWeek 19MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018

10songs

TAB BHI TU OCTOBER

MUNDIYAN BAAGHI 2

NIT KHAIR MANGA RAID

DIL DIYAN GALLAN TIGER ZINDA HAI

PATOLA BLACK MAIL

O SAATHI BAAGHI 2

THEHER JA OCTOBER

BEWAFA BEAUTY BLACK MAIL

EK DO TEEN BAAGHI 2

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SONG

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPBAAGHI 2 200 CR

HICHKI 40 CR

OCTOBER 16 CR

BLACKMAIL 7 CR

MERCURY 70 LAKH

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICEOCTOBER HIT

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BLACKMAIL AVERAGE

BAAGHI 2 BLOCKBUSTER

HICHKI HIT

FILM

SANU IK PALCHAINRAID1

b o l l y w o o d

SALMAN KHAN WITH GATEWAY SCHOOL OF MUMBAI STUDENTS AND STAFF DURING THE ANNUAL DAY FUNCTION IN MUMBAI.

Men need to understand the importance of empowering women: PriyankaNEW DELHI, (PTI) Priyanka Chopra says women have the "superpower" to balance career with family and it is high time men under-stood that their aspirations are equally impor tant. The 35-year-old actor, who entered the film industry soon af ter winning the Miss Worldtitle at the age of 18, credits her parents, especially her father, for understanding her dreams and helping her achieve them."I came from a family where everyone questioned my decision to become an actor. There was a big debate in my house. But my parents,especially my father said, 'I am standing by her in whatever she wants to do. I will make sure nothing wrong happens to her.' He kepthis promise. He was with me always till I was 23. He used to be my manager. I had the suppor t of my father," Priyanka told PTI in aninterview. "The men in the world need to understand that as soon as you empower a woman, as soon as you give her the opportunity tobe her best, she can handle both family and career. I feel boys can't tackle both. Look at the medals at Commonwealth Games, most ofthem have been won by women because they had this oppor tunity," she says. The actor believes society needs to be more open towardsthe idea of women being ambitious. She says people have still not warmed up to the idea of a career-oriented woman."Girls being ambitious is still like... 'haw kitni ambitious hai!' (she is so ambitious!). Women have the superpower where they canmanage their family and their ambition together. Just because a woman is working, it does not mean she won't be able to take care ofher family. My mother was a working woman. She is double MD. She raised two children, who seem to be alright. We need to separatethe two things," she says. Priyanka, who has always been upfront about her ideas on issues per taining to gender equality and women'shealth, says being an enter tainer gives her a platform to spread awareness about various social causes. "I take my social responsibilityvery seriously. I know I am an influencer. I know because of being an enter tainer, I have the ears of people. They will listen to me. I liketo use the platform to be able to make a change. I know what my life would have ended up being had my parents not taught me to be theway I am. So, I like to take that oppor tunity, especially when I believe in a cause."The actor, however, does not think working for social welfare is solely a celebrity's job. She believes promoting a cause is a personaldecision and celebrities should not be expected to behave like superheroes. "So many people ask me 'you are celebrity, what do you dofor the world?' People never ask themselves what they have done. As an enter tainer, it is my job to enter tain people and I am doing it.And I don't understand why celebrities are expected to do everything and solve world problems. I am doing this because I want to."I am a strong believer that each one of us needs to be socially responsible. But it is an individual's decision. For me, it is impor tant thatI will fly down in the middle of my shoot just for 12 hours. But everybody can't be expected to have the same standard. And I do think,we tend to sometimes think that actors should be perfect, but we are not... We are humans," says Priyanka. Priyanka, a UNICEFGoodwill Ambassador, flew down to Delhi from Dublin, Ireland to formally introduce the 2018 Par tners' Forum, a platform which workstowards improving the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.


TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018b o l l y w o o d

hollywood

AKSHAY KUMAR WAS GIVEN THE SOCIAL INFLUENCER AWARD AT THE LOKMAT MAHARASHTRIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS2018 BY MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER DEVENDRA FADNAVIS.

Parineeti stresses on importance of health, hygieneMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Parineeti Chopra, who is the face of a 'Behtar India' campaign, says spreading awareness on health andhygiene will go a long way in building a better world to live in. Parineeti was at an event organised by DHFL Pramerica Life InsuranceCompany Limited (DPLI) on Tuesday. The campaign, in its second year, suppor ts the community to step forward and help itself inachieving better health, hygiene and environment standards. The actress said in a statement: "It is impor tant to spread the messageof better health, hygiene and the importance of recycling within communities to make the world a better place to live in. It is a matterof great responsibility for me to take up this initiative and affect social change."

We have enough audience: Abhay Deol on clash of filmsMUMBAI, (IANS) Busy promoting his for thcoming film "Nanu Ki Jaanu", actor Abhay Deol believes India has enough audiencenumbers to sustain four to five films releasing on the same day. "Nanu Ki Jaanu", releasing on April 20, is clashing with movies like"Omer ta", "Daas Dev", "High Jack" and "Beyond the Clouds".Asked if this clash will affect his film, Abhay told media persons: "I hope all films do well, and I think it is possible. We have audiencenumbers. People have awareness about these films, which are releasing on April 20, so if you market your film well then they willgo to watch your film, and after that the film will pave its own way through word of mouth. "Marketing will serve a purpose to bringattention and awareness, and then whether the film will do well depends upon its quality. I believe we have an audience to sustainfour to five films at a time." "Nanu Ki Jaanu" is a love story between a ghost and crook. So, when asked if he believes in ghosts in reallife, Abhay said: "I think it exists. I don't have any personal experience with them so it doesn't mean that they don't exist. "I am surethey exist and I take a neutral stand on these things. It is improper to think that you know all. It's like thinking the universe revolvesaround the Ear th, but it's not that. The Ear th revolves around the sun." Abhay is known for being choosy when it comes to workingin films. Last seen on-screen in "Haapy Bhag Jayegi", which released in 2016, he said: "I have been always choosy about work, butI try not to take long breaks in between my two films. But it happens sometimes especially because I don't work in formula films andfilms which excite me are being made in less numbers. "Therefore, it takes so much time between the release of two films. But sincelast year, I have been busy as I shot for five films and in this year also, I will be shooting for two or three films." "Nanu Ki Jaanu" isproduced by Inbox Pictures, directed by Faraz Haider and written by Manu Rishi Chadha.

Kerry Washington launchesmake-up for all skin tonesLONDON, (IANS) Actress Kerry Washington has createda diverse make-up range to help women feel "flir tyand elegant." Washington, 41, felt intimidated by theoverwhelming choice of products in the beautyindustry. So, she decided to create an affordable eyeand cheek palette for people to achieve the look theywant with minimal effor t, reports femalefirst.co.uk."The beauty industry can feel so intimidating andcomplicated, so I wanted to create a palette thatwould be an easy , go-to toolkit that you can use nomatter where you are, and no matter what you aredoing," Washington told Marie Claire magazine."These palettes are user -friendly, so you can feelflir ty and elegant and all of your best qualitieswithout a lot of work. Neutrogena really is aboutbringing the best version of yourself forward, bothwhen you are wearing make-up and when you aretaking it off," she added.

Seth Meyers welcomessecond son in dramatic wayNEW YORK, (IANS) Comedian Seth Meyers has wel-comed a son, who made a dramatic entrance into theworld in the lobby of the popular TV host and his wifesapar tment building. "The Late Night with Seth Meyers"host, 44, welcomed his second child, son Axel Strahl,with Alexi Ashe on April 8. He shared the story of thebaby's bir th on Sunday, repor ted people.com. Meyers,who also has son Ashe Olsen, 2, told his audience onMonday that his newborn son couldn't wait for his parentsto make it to the hospital for his bir th.

Khloe Kardashian givesbir th to her first childLOS ANGELES, (IANS) Reality TV star Khloe Kardashianhas become a mother for the first time. Khloe delivered agirl on Thursday morning at a hospital outside Cleveland,sources told tmz.com. The little girl does not have a nameyet. The new mother's family members Kour tney, Kimand Kris, and Khloe's friend Malika were by her side dur-ing the bir th. Khloe's boyfriend Tristan Thompson wasalso there. This is the couple's first baby together.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


RUNNING SUCCESSFULLY

INDIAN SHOOTERS TEJASWINI SAWANT AND ANJUM MOUDGIL WON GOLD AND SILVER RESPECTIVELY IN WOMEN’S 50MRIFLE 3 POSITIONS AT CWG.

Indian players reigned supreme at21st Commonwealth Games

Sushil and Aware strike gold,Babita settles for silver, shooterSawant wins silver in women's50m Rifle ProneGOLD COAST, (PTI) Double Olympic-medallist Sushil Kumar(74kg) and Rahul Aware claimed contrasting gold medalseven as defending champion Babita phogat (53kg) settledfor a silver on the opening day of the 21st CommonwealthGames' wrestling competition. Sushil took a minute and 20seconds to defeat Johannes Botha of South Africa on techni-cal superiority to claim his third successive gold medal atthe Games.Aware, on the other hand, prevailed 15-7 over Canada'sSteven Takahashi in an exciting contest during which theIndian was troubled by a groin niggle but chose to carry onwith more than a minute left on the clock. Aware's triumphopened India's gold medal account in the three-day wres-tling competition at the Games.However, Babita settled for silver af ter being outmanueveredby Canada's Diana Weicker in the summit clash. Babita,who claimed a silver in the 2010 edition before a gold inGlasgow, failed to break through her rival's defences, goingdown 2-5 in the contest. Meanwhile, shooter Sawant tooksilver in women's 50m Rifle Prone.

MacLean Snipes from Distanceas Beast Topple NailersBRAMPTON, ONTARIO - Brampton scored two goals whileshort-handed and the Beast defeated the Wheeling Nailersby a score of 4-3. The Brampton Beast took on the WheelingNailers for the final time in the 2017-18 season. There wasa lot on the line for the opposition, as a loss would eliminatethem from playoff contention.Freddie Tiffels got the scoring star ted for Wheeling when hewristed one past Chris Driedger at 3:13 of the first period.Brampton fought back to tie it shor t-handed. With TysonWilson in the box, Erik Bradford broke into the offensivezone with speed. The former Walleye forward burned aroundthe Nailers defense and sent a puck across to BrandonMarino, who slid it home at 13:30 to tie the game at one.Brampton continued their short-handed assault with a longdistance strike from Brandon MacLean. Willie Corrin sentthe puck to MacLean in the high slot and he sent a longtumbling shot on Wheeling starter Adam Morrison.

Don't need to use my back asmy arms can do the job: DhoniMOHALI, (PTI) Mahendra Singh Dhoni's powerful forearmswon many a matches for India and no wonder the formerIndia captain has confidence to clear the boundary evenwhen he is suffering from excruciating back pain. For loftedshots, a batsman needs to maintain shape while transferingbody weight into the shot. However against Kings XI Punjablast night, the Chennai Super Kings captain was in real painbut kept clearing the ropes with consummate ease.Dhoni's unbeaten 79 off 44 balls got CSK agonisingly closeto the target before the visitors fell shor t by four runs. Whenasked how he could hit those lofted shots with a painfulback, Dhoni replied: "The back is pretty bad but God hasgiven me lot of power and I don't need to use my back a lot.My arms can do the job." However Dhoni maintained that itwas not a very serious injury. "It shouldn't be too bad be-cause I know what happened. And when you know the ex-tent of your injury, you know how bad it really is," he said.

Beast Put a Dent in K-Wings Playoff Plans With 2-1 VictoryKALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - The Brampton Beast continued to revel in playing the role of spoiler as they topped the Kalamazoo Wings2-1 on Saturday night at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. Chris Dreidger was sensational between the pipes for the Beast,finishing the game with 38 saves, while Brandon MacLean and Alex Foster lit the lamp for the Beast, who win their season seriesagainst Kalamazoo, finishing the year with a 5-4-0-0 record against the Wings.Kalamazoo, tied with the Indy Fuel for the final playoff spot in the Central Division with two games remaining, came out flying in theopening period and outshot the Beast 9-8, but it was the Beast who opened the scoring less than five minutes into the contest.ScottJacklin sauced a per fect pass to Brandon MacLean who was streaking in on the right wing side.MacLean snapped a quick shot behind a helpless K-Wings star ter Joel Mar tin, giving MacLean his milestone 20th goal of the seasonto open the scoring just 4:09 into the game. The K-Wings would strike back later in the first period on the first power play of the game.Lane Scheidl pounced on a rebound in front of Beast star ting goaltender Chris Dreidger, tying the game at 1-1 at 14:41.

GOLD COAST, (IANS) Shooters Anish Bhanwala and Tejaswini Sawantclinched gold medals, while wrestlers earned four medals, including a goldenshow from Bajrang, even as five boxers entered the finals on a day Indiaclinched 10 medals at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Fri-day. Among other success stories, Indian shuttlers claimed ber ths in sevensemi-finals, while the women's doubles pair of Manika Batra and MoumaDas clinched the silver medal and seasoned men's doubles pair of AchantaSharath Kamal and G. Sathiyan entered the summit clash in the table tenniscompetitions. Indian boxers Vikas Krishan (75kg), Satish Kumar (91kg), AmitPanghal (49kg), Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg), alongwith M.C. Mary Kom, will fight in gold-medal bouts, while Naman Tanwar,Manoj Kumar and Mohammed Hussamuddin got bronze medals after losingin the semi-finals, even as the men's hockey team lost 2-3 to New Zealand inthe semi-finals. In squash, Dipika Pallikal par tnered Saurav Ghosal andJoshna Chinappa to advanced to the final and semi-finals of the mixed doublesand women's doubles, respectively.In athletics, Neeraj Chopra, Vipin Kashana and Jinson Johnson entered thefinals of their respective events. Friday began with Anish creating history by

becoming the youngest Indian gold medallist with a win in the men's 25mRapid Fire Pistol event. Anish fired 30 points -- a meet record in the final.Tejaswini and Anjum Moudgil clinched silver and gold, respectively, in thewomen's 50 metre Rifle 3 Positions to continue the strong per formancesfrom the shooters. Tejaswini registered a new Games record of 457.9 points,while Anjum scored 455.7.Then the wrestlers, led by Bajrang, took charge. Bajrang won the gold medalin the 65kg category, while Mausam Khatri (97kg) and Pooja Dhanda (57kg)won a silver each and Divya Kakran (68kg) bagged a bronze medal. Bajrangneeded only around two minutes to overpower Kane Charig of Wales bytechnical superiority in the final. The Indian came up with a series of awe-inspiring per formances over the course of his campaign to win all his boutsthrough technical superiority. Later, Khatri had to be satisfied with silver afterlosing to reigning African champion Martin Erasmus of South Africa on ac-count of technical superiority. In the women's section, Pooja lost 5-7 to de-fending champion Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria in the final. Pooja haddefeated Joseph Tiako of Cameroon 11-5 in the semi-finals. Divya defeatedSherin Sultana of Bangladesh by fall to take a bronze medal.

GOLD COAST, (IANS) Indian athletes Rakesh Babu and K.T. Irfanhave been sent home form the ongoing Commonwealth Games(CWG) here for breaching the 'no-needles' policy of the Common-wealth Games Federation (CGF). The CGF acted on a complaintmade by the its medical commission on Thursday against mem-bers of the Indian squad competing at the Commonwealth Games.According to the CGF, a needle has been found in the living quar-ters of the two athletes in the games village. The needle was re-por tedly found by a cleaner in a cup on the bedside table in a

CWG: Athletes Rakesh, Irfan sent home for suspected dopingbedroom occupied by Ir fan and Babu. The duo have thus been senthome with immediate effect for suspected doping. "The testimonyof an incognitus cleaners operations manager as to the discoveryof a needle in a cup on the bedside table in bedroom 2 of Apar tment7 in the Games Village occupied by Rakesh Babu and Ir fan KolothumThodi is credible."The testimony of the Australia Spor ts Anti-Doping Authority(ASADA) Principal Investigator as to the discovery of a syringe inthe bag of Rakesh Babu found in Bedroom 2 which said bag RakeshBabu admitted to be his proper ty is credible," the CGF said in astatement on Friday. "Rakesh Babu and Ir fan Kolothum Thodi are inbreach of the No Needle Policy in that they failed to ensure compli-ance with the No Needle Policy and, in par ticular, failed to ensurecompliance with paragraphs I, II, III and IV of the No Needle Policy."Rakesh Babu and Ir fan Kolothum Thodi are with immediate effectnot permitted to par ticipate in the Games," the statement added."The accreditation of Rakesh Babu and Ir fan Kolothum Thodi wassuspended with effect from 09:00 hours on April 13, 2018. Bothathletes were removed from the Games Village. We have askedthe Commonwealth Games Association of India to ensure both ath-letes depar t Australia on the first flight available." Babu had reachedthe final of the men's triple jump. He had finished fifth in Group A onThursday with a best attempt of 15.98 metres to advance as one ofthe 12 best per formers. Ir fan had finished 13th in a field of 15athletes in the men's 20 kilometre race walk.

CANADA FINISHED WITH 15 GOLD, 40 SILVER AND 27BRONZE AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2018. SEEN HEREARE KYLIE MASSE, TOP RIGHT, AND ERICA WIEBE, BOTTOMRIGHT, TAYLOR RUCK, BOTTOM LEFT, AND PIERCE LEPAGE.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018 s p o r t s

MidWeek 2018IPL

KINGS XI PUNJAB OWNER PREITY ZINTA WITH ANUSHKA SHARMA IN THE STANDS TO SUPPORT HER TEAM, KINGS XI PUNJAB.

NATIONAL SHOOTING BODY TO URGE SPORTSMINISTRY, IOA TO BOYCOTT 2022 CWG

SIKH FIGHTER WEARS TURBANAT UFC ON VAISAKHINEW YORK, (IANS) A Sikh fighter wore a turban as he com-peted on Vaisakhi in the American Ultimate Fighting Champi-onship (UFC) in a show of pride in his faith and tradition,according to the National Sikh Campaign (NSC).Arjan Singh Bhullar was to faceoff against Adam Wieczorekon Saturday night at the Gila River Arena in Glendale in Ari-zona state. The UFC is a mixed mar tial ar ts match foughtinside ane i g h t - s i d e dmetal "cage"with minimalrules andfighters usingt e c h n i q u e sfrom differentd i s c i p l i n e sl ike boxing,wrestling andjudo. Bhullaris par tneringwith the NSC, which has been running a national campaign,"We Are Sikhs," in the US to educate people about the Sikhreligion and dispel misinformation about turbans.Bhullar said: "It's impor tant for me to wear my turban into thering. Around the world, people do not know what Sikhs standsfor and what our turbans stand for. We believe in equality forany gender, caste, race. Throughout history, we have beenfighting for that as a people and the turban signals a readiness to protectthose values. It's important for me to represent where I come from andwhat my people are all about."Bhullar was forbidden from wearing a turban under the UFCattire rules. But he persuaded the UFC and the sponsor,Reebok, to allow him to wear a turban. Bhullar, 31, is anIndo-Canadian, who represented Canada in wrestling atthe 2012 London Olympics. He made his UFC debut in Sep-tember in Edomonton, Canada, defeating Luis Henrique. NSCsaid that Phoenix Bhullar fighting in Arizona has specialsignificant as the first hate crime targeting Sikhs after 9/11 took place in the state when Balbir Singh Sodhi wasmurdered while wearing a turban. Bhullar met the Sodhifamily on March 16. Anjleen Kaur, who is with the NSC"We Are Sikhs" campaign, said "Our Sikh kids have neverseen a successful athlete in the USA with the same skin colouras them, with the same values as them and who speaks thesame language as them. For me, Arjan is more than just aUFC fighter, he is a role model to my children."

MUMBAI, (IANS) National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) chiefRaninder Singh on Tuesday said that India should boycott the 2022Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG) if the 'shooting' disci-pline is not restored in the prestigious event. Speaking at a function tofelicitate the Indian shooters here, Singh said,"Within a day or two, Iam going to write to the Union Spor ts Minister Rajyavardhan SinghRathore, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and will urge them toboycott the 2022 CWG if shooting is not re-included in the games."The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has decided to excludeshooting from the 2022 Birmingham Games. Earlier, Rathore wrote

separate letters to both CGF chief Louise Mar tin and British MP MattHancock, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and spor t,and had urged their intervention so that the discipline remains a par tof the 2022 edition of the quadrennial Games.

Mumbai outplay Bangalore in IPL tieMUMBAI, (IANS) Skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten 92-run innings wentin vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore lost by 46 runs to MumbaiIndians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday.This is the first win for Mumbai in this edition of the cash-rich league.Kohli, who opened the innings with Quinton de Kock, remained un-beaten but could not guide his team to victory. In his 62-ball inningsKohli slammed seven boundaries and four sixes. Chasing a mam-moth 214, Bangalore star ted off on a positive note, scoring 40 runs in4.1 overs but after the fall of de Kock's wicket, the visitors neverlooked in contention, losing wickets at regular intervals.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2018 MEDAL TALLY

sikh groups protest against release of controversial...

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