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1000 Babies, the 2024 Disney+ Hotstar show, is a unique investigative drama that tackles the story of a woman who committed a grave crime and confessed to it on her deathbed. Her confession had a drastic effect on people, especially her son. The unofficial investigation into this confession uncovers a possible serial killer scenario, resulting in many characters being introduced. Some of them are victims, while others are potential targets, and it’s around these characters that the investigative drama revolves.

Spoilers Ahead

Aji Kurian

Veteran actor Rahman as Aji Kurian is introduced in the show as an investigating officer who is trying to find the culprit who killed the actress Ancy. This leads him to Sarah’s confession letters, which leave him dumbfounded. Aji wants to get to the bottom of it and catch the serial killer who has secretly killed people across the country, yet his movements have not alarmed the police somehow.

Directed by Najeem Koya, 1000 Babies is a psychological thriller where a police officer, after solving a murder case, realizes that his superiors had already been aware of certain things that happened in the past, but that they’d chosen to keep quiet because they were aware of how the information could turn the lives of so many people upside down. They realized that the problem was so big that they couldn’t do anything about it. They made a joint decision to suppress the matter altogether, but they had no clue of the storm that was about to come. So let’s find out what happened in the ending of 1000 Babies season 1 and if Ci Aji Curian was successful in his mission.

Spoiler Alert

Why was Bibin killing people?

As we saw at the beginning of the series, Bibin lost his temper when his mother, Sara, told him...

On Day 3, spectacular films and hidden gems from World Cinema, Restored Classics, South Asia Competition, Gala Premieres, and other sections were screened. The highlights of the day were:

There was a special screening of Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial Arth at Mami, honoring Shabana Azmi for her 50 glorious years in cinema. During the opening ceremony, she received the Excellence in Cinema Award.

Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a fashionable filmmaker, is married to Pooja (Shabana Azmi) when he starts an affair with film star Kavita (Smita Patil). Pooja leaves him and experiences the social insecurities of a single working woman. Her dilemmas are highlighted by the parallel story of her cleaning lady (Hattangadi), Arth is the story of this woman’s search for her identity.

The Fable, directed by Raam Reddy and starring Manoj Bajpayee, premiered at the Mami Mumbai Film Festival. Manoj Bajpayee, Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, and Raam Reddy attended the screening.

Renowned actors Renuka Shahane and Rajesh Tailang join forces in the highly anticipated short film “Ek Kadam,” directed by Rajeev Upadhyay. This poignant film explores the transformative journey of a housewife rediscovering her identity and independence.

Ek Kadam tells the story of Anuradha Solanki, a middle-aged housewife who has always depended on her husband, Mahendra, and never gone out alone. When Mahendra breaks his leg in an accident, Anuradha has to go out and take care of things herself. At first, she is very nervous and makes mistakes, leading to Mahendra scolding her. But as time goes on, Anuradha gains confidence and starts to find herself again.

Director Rajeev Upadhyay shared his experience of casting the lead roles: “As I wrote the script of Ek Kadam, I envisioned Renuka Shahane Ma’am as Anuradha. I texted her, shared the script, and she loved it, coming on board immediately. Rajesh sir...

As a “foreigner” Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov takes on a challenging task with The Shameless, shooting in a foreign language (Hindi), a foreign country (India) and, as a male, dealing with a predominantly female-centric subject.

He started with the idea of making it as documentary but quickly abandoned the notion and concentrated instead on the story of Renuka, who escapes from a Delhi brothel after killing a policeman and seeks refuge in a community of sex workers in a small town in northern India. There she develops a forbidden lesbian romance with Devika, a young girl who has been condemned to what will be a life of prostitution.

The two women at the core of the narrative could not be more different: the older Renuka (a remarkable and award-winning performance from Anasuya Senguypta) emerges as hardened and ambitious while the younger Devika (Omara Shetty) is well contrasted as disillusioned and pliable with.

Cannes 2024 was a life-changing journey for Indian production designer-turned actor Anasuya Sengupta who won best actress at the festival’s Un Certain Regard strand for “The Shameless.”

Sengupta made her acting debut alongside several of her friends in Anjan Dutt’s music-themed “Madly Bangali” (2009) and served as director’s assistant to Claire McCarthy in Australian production “The Waiting City” the same year. Kolkata native, Sengupta then moved to Mumbai, home to the vast Bollywood industry. She wasn’t impressed by Bollywood and became a noted production designer and artist instead. Her credits in that field include Netflix’s “Selection Day” and “Ray” and feature films “Chippa” and “Good Morning Sunshine.” Acting stayed alive in the shape of the occasional commercial or short film.

Acting became front and center again when Bulgarian-American filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov was prepping for “The Shameless.” At one stage, when he was particularly disillusioned with the financing...

Bulgarian-American filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov’s Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard selection “The Shameless” has taken 14 years to come to fruition.

Bojanov previously directed the documentary “Invisible” (2005), followed by his Cannes-debuting fiction feature debut “Avé” (2011). Post “Avé” and prior to his 2017 Rotterdam selection “Light Thereafter,” which starred Barry Keoghan and Kim Bodnia, Bojanov acquired the rights to William Dalrymple’s 2009 book, “Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India.” The idea at the time was to make a documentary cross referencing four different stories from the book, including one of a sex worker in Karnataka, southern India.

Bojanov scoured India to find real stories similar to the ones in the book and in 2014 he started filming in Karnataka, with a view to using the footage to attract finance for a feature-length documentary. During his research, the filmmaker also came across a young girl growing up in a family...

A radical vision of Indian womanhood collides with scattered storytelling in director Konstantin Bojanov’s “The Shameless,” a provocative queer drama laid low by its oblique narrative. Following two women destined for a life of sex work, the drama is lucid in its politics, but often opaque in its drama — a dynamic embodied by two wildly different lead performances.

Anasuya Sengupta is remarkable as “Renuka,” a Muslim woman who dons the moniker of a Hindu goddess while on the run from police. When “The Shameless” begins, her crime of killing a policeman is already in her rearview, forcing her to take refuge in a small-town brothel in Northern India. While in hiding, she meets Devika (Omara Shetty), a young, meek wannabe rapper whose enigmatic grandmother (Mita Vasisht) is a revered holy woman. Devika’s stern mother (Auroshika Dey) has condemned her to an eventual life of religiously-inspired devadasi sex work,...

"I'm not going anywhere without her." Screen Daily has revealed an early festival trailer for a romance film titled The Shameless, which is premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival coming up soon. This is the latest film from Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov, leaving his homeland to tell a very different story set in India. It's premiering in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2024. After killing a cop in a Delhi brothel, Renuka quietly escapes and takes refuge within a northern India community of sex workers. There, she begins a forbidden romance with the 17-year-old Devika, a young girl who is condemned to a life of prostitution. Against all odds, they will try to forge their path to freedom. As their connection deepens, together they will embark on a dangerous journey to escape the law and hopefully find their way to peace. This stars Anasuya Sengupta as Renuka, Omara as Devika,...

To get the representation right, the makers of Nawazuddin Siddqui-starrer ‘Haddi’ have brought on board 300 real transgender people in the film.

Debut producer duo Sanjay Saha and Raadhika Nanda are helming the film. The former calls the process of finding 300 transgender people for the film ‘adventurous’.

He said: “The process was very adventurous and hard at the same time. It was not very difficult to convince them as we were also learning their life experiences and making them a part of the film. We had a great time learning tons of things from them, including how their life and world is very different from us.”

There was one transgender woman named Renuka who helped the filmmakers during the research of the film.

Sanjay said: “She helped us learn about their community and their upbringing, along with the challenges faced by them from childhood to their day-to-day life. She also made...

Mumbai, March 18 (Ians) Gujarat Giants Women won the toss and opted to bat first against Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rcb) Women in their Women’s Premier League (Wpl) 2023 match at the Brabourne Stadium here on Saturday.

Gujarat made one change in their playing XI with Mansi going out and Sabbhineni Meghana coming in for the second match of the double-header day.

Gujarat captain Sneh Rana hoped that her teammates continue with their positive attitude in this match. “I’m really happy with the girls’ positive attitude and hope they continue it. 160-165 looks par on this wicket.”

Rcb skipper Smriti Mandhana said she would have chosen to field first on winning the toss. She said they have made one change in the side, bringing in Preeti Bose for Renuka.

“Even if we lose the toss, we want to win the game and we wanted to field anyway. One change: Renuka misses...

Mumbai, March 6 (Ians) A magnificent 143-run partnership between Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt helped Mumbai Indians thrash Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets in the fourth match of Wpl 2023 at Brabourne Stadium on Monday.

After Hayley took three wickets to be the standout bowler in bundling out Bangalore for 155 in 18.4 overs, she led the chase from the front with 77 not out off 38 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. Nat, on the other hand, was the perfect partner to Hayley by smashing 55 not out off 29 balls, including nine fours and a six.

The duo’s dominating efforts, combined with a listless bowling plus fielding show from Bangalore, meant Mumbai hit 97 runs between overs seven and 15, propelling them to register their second straight win of the competition.

Chasing 156, Yastika Bhatia got some crisp timing while lapping and sweeping Preeti Bose for two boundaries in the second over. With Renuka Singh Thakur erring in her line and length,...

Mumbai, March 6 (Ians) A magnificent 143-run partnership between Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt helped Mumbai Indians thrash Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets in the fourth match of Wpl 2023 at Brabourne Stadium on Monday.

After Hayley took three wickets to be the standout bowler in bundling out Bangalore for 155 in 18.4 overs, she led the chase from the front with 77 not out off 38 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. Nat, on the other hand, was the perfect partner to Hayley by smashing 55 not out off 29 balls, including nine fours and a six.

The duo’s dominating efforts, combined with a listless bowling plus fielding show from Bangalore, meant Mumbai hit 97 runs between overs seven and 15, propelling them to register their second straight win of the competition.

Chasing 156, Yastika Bhatia got some crisp timing while lapping and sweeping Preeti Bose for two boundaries in the second over. With Renuka Singh Thakur erring in her line and length,...

Mumbai, Feb 27 (Ians) With the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (Wpl) set to begin from March 4 here, former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that the Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rcb) have formed a team which has a heavy blend of experience and superstars.

Rcb, captained by India’s left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana, will be beginning their campaign in the Wpl from March 5 against the Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne stadium in an afternoon game. Apart from Smriti, pacer Renuka Singh Thakur and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh are there from an Indian perspective.

Rcb’s foreign picks are experienced in New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine, England captain Heather Knight, South Africa’s long-time captain Dane van Niekerk, and Australia’s premier all-rounder Ellyse Perry and pacer Megan Schutt.

“What’s special about the team is that they have gathered a lot of captains. They took Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, who...

Cape Town, Feb 23 (Ians) A spirited counterattack from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues went in vain as Australia entered their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup final with a five-run win over India in the first semifinal at Newlands Cricket Ground on Thursday.

After Australia’s big players stepped up to make 172/4, India’s top three aggregated only 15 runs among themselves. Harmanpreet and Jemimah rose to the occasion by making 52 and 43 respectively while spearheading the chase with a brilliant 69-run stand off 41 balls.

But the duo falling in 4.2 overs post the ten-over mark meant India could never recover from it and ended up at 167/8 in 20 overs, falling so close yet so far, once again. India would also look at their sloppy fielding efforts and dropping two crucial chances apart from conceding 61 runs in the last five overs.

In chasing 173, India didn’t have a great start. Shafali Verma was...

Cape Town, Feb 23 (Ians) Left-handed opener Beth Mooney hit a delightful 53 while captain Meg Lanning applied finishing touches with 49 not out as Australia posted a strong 172/4 against India in the first semifinal of 2023 Icc Women’s T20 World Cup at Newlands Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Australia’s big players lived up to their reputation of coming good in a crunch knockout game as Beth, in her 37-ball knock, hit seven fours and a six apart from earning a reprieve, while Meg was outstanding in her 34-ball unconquered stay, hitting four boundaries and two sixes, to make up for a slow start to take 103 runs off the last ten overs.

India were sloppy in their ground fielding, catching, field placements while in their bowling, they were found wanting. Every India bowler had an economy of above 7.5, with fast bowler Shikha Pandey taking two wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav took a wicket apiece.

Cape Town, Feb 23 (Ians) Ahead of a highly-anticipated semifinal clash against India in the 2023 Icc Women’s T20 World Cup, Australia’s talismanic wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy highlighted the depth in the side, adding that players in the team do the job of making the team win in their own way.

“I really enjoy doing my job for the team, especially on knockout occasions so if I do my job today then we’ll be well on our way to setting a good score or chasing a total down. There’s a lot of trust in our group.”

“Everyone does their job in their own way. If we’re three-for in the Powerplay, we still have a lot of depth to keep going and do the job. Having more young players has been really rejuvenating for our squad,” she said in a pre-match chat with broadcasters.

Alyssa, who missed Australia’s...

Cape Town, Feb 22 (Ians) As expected, India have made it to the semifinals of 2023 Icc Womens T20 World Cup in South Africa. But to get their ticket to the final, scheduled on February 26, they must overcome the challenge in the form of mighty Australia in the first semi-final of the competition on Thursday.

Australia, also the defending champions, head into the semi-finals as firm favourites, especially with a 3-2 upper hand over India in Women’s T20 World Cup matches. Moreover, Australia got the better of India in the 2020 T20 World Cup final and Commonwealth Games gold medal match last year.

Australia had also won a five-game T20I series in India 4-1, apart from a warm-up match victory earlier in the month. But they will be wary of India’s giant-killing instinct, a glimpse of which was seen when they secured a thrilling super-over victory in the second game...

Cape Town, Feb 22 (Ians) With the group stage of Icc Womens T20 World Cup 2023 done and dusted, the knockouts will begin from Thursday with India taking on defending champions Australia in the first semi-final of the tournament at the Newlands Cricket Ground.

Left-handed opener Beth Mooney is expecting a tight clash against India in the semi-final, saying that the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side have pushed the Australian team significantly in the last few years.

“I’m expecting it to be a huge contest, they’ve pushed us significantly in the last few years, and they have a bunch of match winners in that line-up as well. We’re not expecting it to be easy by any means, whether it’s with a bat or the ball, but we certainly know the style of play they’ve come at us with in the past and they know ours pretty well, too,...

Cape Town, Feb 21 (Ians) India wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh and fast bowler Renuka Thakur have achieved career-best T20I rankings in the latest Icc Women’s T20I rankings published on Wednesday.

Richa has moved into the top 20 of the Women’s T20I rankings for batters for the first time after some good scores in the ongoing Icc Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa. Her unbeaten knocks of 41 against the West Indies and 47 against England in the last week have lifted her 16 places to 20th position.

Richa also became the fifth Indian to be in the top 20 alongside vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (third), Shafali Verma (10th), Jemimah Rodrigues (12th) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (13th) in the list led by Australia’s fast-bowling all-rounder Tahlia McGrath.

In the rankings for the bowlers, Renuka’s incredible haul of five for 15 against England has lifted her seven places to a career-best fifth position.

Actress Renuka Shahane recently went to watch the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer action film ‘Pathaan’ with her husband Ashutosh Rana, which also stars him in the role of Srk’s top boss. She took to Twitter and shared the picture from the movie date.

In the first photo, Ashutosh and Renuka sat inside a car as they wore ethnic outfits. The second selfie was clicked inside the theatre as the duo smiled and posed for the camera.

Srk responded to the actress’s tweet as he commented: “Col Luthraji ko bataya aapne ki aap meri pehli heroine hain (Did you tell Col Luthra that you are my first heroine)!! Or should we keep it a Top Secret otherwise he may fire me from the agency!!!”

Col Luthraji ko bataya aapne ki aap meri pehli heroine hain!! Or should we keep it a Top Secret otherwise he may fire me from the agency!

Dubai, Jan 25 (Ians) India pacer Renuka Singh Thakur was on Wednesday named as the Icc Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022 after she impressed everybody with her magnificent displays of seam and swing bowling, last year.

Renuka got the better of Australia’s Darcie Brown, England’s Alice Capsey and compatriot, left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia to become the recipient of Icc Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022.

With this, she also became the first Indian women’s cricketer to get the honour.

Renuka claimed 40 wickets for her country in 2022 in just 29 matches across the two white-ball formats, filling the void of the legendary pacer Jhulan Goswami. Able to swing the ball or find deviation off the surface, the right-arm pacer is most likely to be one of India’s most dependable bowlers in years to come.

In the ODIs, Renuka was outstanding, claiming 18 wickets at an average of...

Dubai, Jan 25 (Ians) India pacer Renuka Singh Thakur was on Wednesday named as the Icc Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022 after she impressed everybody with her magnificent displays of seam and swing bowling, last year.

Rohit got the better of Australia’s Darcie Brown, England’s Alice Capsey and compatriot, left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia to become the recipient of Icc Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022.

With this, she also became the first Indian women’s cricketer to get the honour.

Renuka claimed 40 wickets for her country in 2022 in just 29 matches across the two white-ball formats, filling the void of the legendary pacer Jhulan Goswami. Able to swing the ball or find deviation off the surface, the right-arm pacer is most likely to be one of India’s most dependable bowlers in years to come.

In the ODIs, Renuka was outstanding, claiming 18 wickets at an average of...

New Delhi, Jan 24 (Ians) Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been named the captain of the Icc Women’s Odi Team of the year for 2022 that also include her teammates, opener Smriti Mandhana and fast bowler Renuka Singh, the International Cricket Council said on Tuesday.

Other players in the Icc Women’s T20I team of the year 2022 are – Alyssa Healy (Australia), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Nat Sciver (England), Beth Mooney (Australia), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Ayabonga Khaka (South Africa), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa).

Mandhana added some consistency to her game during 2022 as she helped herself to a century and six half-centuries for the calendar year. She scored a magnificent 123 against the West Indies at the World Cup in New Zealand, but it was perhaps later on in the year in England where the 26-year-old flourished. Mandhana hit an excellent 91 against England in Hove in September and then...

New Delhi, Jan 23 (Ians) India’s left-handed opener Smriti Mandhana, off-spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma, wicketkeeper-batter Richa, and right-arm fast-bowler Renuka Singh Thakur were included in the Icc Women’s T20I team of the Year for 2022 captained by New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine, said cricket’s global governing body on Monday.

Other players in the Icc Women’s T20I team of the year 2022 include Australia opener Beth Mooney, all-rounders Ashleigh Gardner and Tahlia McGrath, Pakistan’s off-spin all-rounder Nida Dar, left-arm spinners, England’s Sophie Ecclestone and Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera.

Smriti, the India vice-captain who is also nominated for Icc Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year and Icc Women’s Cricketer of the Year, had a terrific 2022 with the bat, making 594 runs at an average of 33 and a strike-rate of 133.48. She hit five half-centuries in 21 innings during the year, including one in the final of...

Mumbai, Dec 15 (Ians) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur feels that playing out too many dot balls in a chase of 173 against Australia in the third T20I at Brabourne Stadium cost her team a victory.

On Wednesday, despite Harmanpreet adding 73 runs in 50 balls with Shafali Verma (52 off 41) for the third wicket, India were unable to avoid a 21-run loss, playing 55 dot balls, giving Australia a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

“It’s not all about power-hitting. Even if we were to consider and analyse the last match, we were aiming to get 10-11 runs in the over. During the match also we were getting boundaries but we played too many dot balls. That is the reason why we were not able to win this game.”

“Otherwise, you have to analyse your strengths and if you play in a calculative way, you can even win matches for your teams. In this match,...

Mumbai, Dec 12 (Ians) The second T20I between India and Australia at Dy Patil Stadium saw over 45,238 fans turn up to cheer for Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. They weren’t left disappointed as India rode on efforts from Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, and Renuka Thakur to win the match via Super Over.

After the match ended, batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar appreciated the team for winning the match and reminded them that feelings of elation after such victories are a good reminder of why they started to play the game in the first place.

“This was a very proud day for us, you know? Not because of the result, but because of the way you guys fought. You deserve this applause. People who were watching (inside the stadium during the match), whatever you felt, I can understand what all must be going on in your minds.”

“It was a superb day,...

Mumbai, Dec 11 (Ians) Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh starred with the bat as India Women held their nerves to beat Australia Women in Super Over of the second T20I and level the five-match series 1-1 at D.Y. Patil Stadium, here on Sunday.

Set 188 for victory, Mandhana smashed an impressive half-century (79 off 49) and kept India alive in the chase before she got out in the 17th over. Once, Smriti got out, Richa Ghosh took the baton and played an impactful cameo (26 off 13) and along with Devika Vaidya (11 not out off 5) helped India tie the game.

India emerged as the winner in the Super Over after both teams scored the same total — India 187-5 and Australia 187-1 — in their respective 20 overs.

Riding on Smriti’s quickfire 13 off 3, along with Richa (6) and Harmanpreet (1), India scored 20 runs against the bowling of Heather Graham in the Super Over.

In reply, Alyssa Healy smashed...

Mumbai, Dec 11 (Ians) India Women held their nerves to beat Australia Women in the Super Over of the second T20I and level the five-match series 1-1 at D.Y. Patil Stadium, here on Sunday.

After both India and Australia scored the same total of 187 in their respective 20 overs, the result was decided via Super Over.

Riding on Smriti’s quick-fire 13 off 3, along with Richa (6) and Harmanpreet (1), India scored 20 runs against the bowling of Heather Graham in the Super Over.

In reply, Alyssa Healy smashed Renuka for a boundary in the very ball but she made an impressive comeback by giving just 1 run on the second ball and dismissing Gardner on the third delivery. She conceded 11 runs in the next three balls as India eventually won the Super Over by five runs.

Before this, attacking fifties by Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath powered Australia Women to 187/1. Mooney (82 not out) and...

Raipur, Nov 26 (Ians) Yastika Bhatia, Jasia Akhter and Renuka Singh produced impactfull performances as India D beat India A by seven wickets in the final to lift the Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy, here on Saturday.

Chasing 145, Bhatia and Akhter set the platform with their 70-run opening partnership. Akhter, who was the aggressor, hitting three fours and as many sixes in her 38-ball 47, got out in the 11th over.

The next few batters Jemimah Rodrigues (2) and D. Hemalatha (4) couldn’t do much. However, Bhatia was in control and brought up her half-century in 41 balls. India D needed 38 runs in the last five overs, which Bhatia (80 not out off 56) and Sushma Verma (13 not out off 10) knocked off with an over to spare.

Earlier, put into bat, India A didn’t have a great start, with Renuka trapping Shivali Shinde lbw in the first over. Soon after, she dismissed Disha Kasat too,...

The film revolves around Ginna (Manchu Vishnu), who runs a tent house business in Chittoor district. He is a dreamer and is not very smart either. Despite his on-job shenanigans and capacity for disasters, Ginna is essentially a good person, but his greed always gets the better of him.

There is another track in the film. Ginna has two best childhood friends – Swathi (Payal), who is in love with him, and Renuka (Sunny), who left India but returns after 15 long years to reconnect with her friends.

Now, Ginna, who is down in financial dumps, makes a plan to exploit his US-returned friend Renuka, who just happens to harbour a secret. And soon, strange things begin to emerge, which forces Ginna to investigate Renuka’s scary past. What does Ginna learn in the process forms the crux of the story.

A comic caper in a rural setting, the film is a...

Sylhet (Bangladesh), Oct 15 (Ians) In India’s seventh triumph in the Women’s Asia Cup, off-spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged as the Player of the Series for her all-round efforts throughout the tournament.

Though Deepti didn’t get wickets in the eight-wicket victory in the final, she managed to bowl an economical spell of 0-7 in her four overs. She ended the tournament with 13 scalps, the most by a bowler in the tournament and being placed ahead of Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera due to an average of 7.69 and an economy rate of 3.33.

“I am really very happy. The way we did as a unit from the first game through to the final. I applied whatever we discussed. All the time I just back my strength and focus on areas to bowl and that helped me in this tournament,” said Deepti in the post-match presentation ceremony.

With the bat,...

Sylhet (Bangladesh), Oct 15 (Ians) In India’s seventh triumph in the Women’s Asia Cup, off-spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged as the Player of the Series for her all-round efforts throughout the tournament.

Though Deepti didn’t get wickets in the eight-wicket victory in the final, she managed to bowl an economical spell of 0-7 in her four overs. She ended the tournament with 13 scalps, the most by a bowler in the tournament and being placed ahead of Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera due to an average of 7.69 and an economy rate of 3.33.

“I am really very happy. The way we did as a unit from the first game through to the final. I applied whatever we discussed. All the time I just back my strength and focus on areas to bowl and that helped me in this tournament,” said Deepti in the post-match presentation ceremony.

With the bat,...

Sylhet (Bangladesh), Oct 15 (Ians) In India’s seventh triumph in the Women’s Asia Cup, off-spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma was adjudged as the Player of the Series for her all-round efforts throughout the tournament.

Though Deepti didn’t get wickets in the eight-wicket victory in the final, she managed to bowl an economical spell of 0-7 in her four overs. She ended the tournament with 13 scalps, the most by a bowler in the tournament and being placed ahead of Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera due to an average of 7.69 and an economy rate of 3.33.

“I am really very happy. The way we did as a unit from the first game through to the final. I applied whatever we discussed. All the time I just back my strength and focus on areas to bowl and that helped me in this tournament,” said Deepti in the post-match presentation ceremony.

With the bat,...

Sylhet (Bangladesh), Oct 15 (Ians) Spinners and Renuka Thakur came up with a stellar show in restricting Sri Lanka to a lowly 65/9, before Smriti Mandhana smashed an unbeaten 25-ball fifty to help India clinch their seventh Women’s Asia Cup title, outplaying Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the title clash at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

On a pitch tailor-made for spinners to excel as the ball kept low and turned square, pacer Renuka Thakur shined with 3/5 in three overs while Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/16) and Sneh Rana (2/13) had economical spells apart from Deepti Sharma conceding just seven runs in her four overs to keep Sri Lanka to 65/9.

In reply, Smriti played a stunning knock and finished it off in style with a six over long-on for an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls, laced with six fours and three sixes, to complete the chase with 11.3 overs to spare, in an innings where...

Sylhet (Bangladesh), Oct 7 (Ians) Just 24 hours after Pakistan endured a shock four-wicket loss to Thailand in the Women’s Asia Cup, they bounced back in style by pulling off an upset 13-run victory over India at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Friday’s thrilling match also marks just the third time Pakistan have beaten India in 13 T20Is and also the first time they defeated their arch-rivals in the history of Women’s Asia Cup. Pakistan’s famous victory was led by all-rounder Nida Dar, who slammed an attacking 56 not out off 37 balls for the side to get 137/6 in 20 overs.

With the ball, she then took figures of 2/23 in her four overs of off-spin, including of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with 3/30 while Sadia Iqbal had figures of 2/24 to bowl out India for 124 in 19.4 overs.

In the chase,...

Canterbury (England), Sep 22 (Ians) With the three-match Odi series already clinched, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her side is now aiming for a victory in the final match at Lord’s on Saturday to give veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami an apt send-off from international cricket.

“The Lord’s game (on Saturday) is very special for us because it’s Jhulan’s retirement and we wanted to enjoy that game without any pressure and I’m really happy that we were able to win today and now we can just have fun in that game,” said Harmanpreet after India defeated England by 88 runs in second Odi at Canterbury.

Saturday’s match at Lord’s will also be the first time both India and England will be playing at the iconic venue since meeting in a thrilling 2017 Odi World Cup final, where the hosts emerged victorious by just nine runs. Harmanpreet, who...

Canterbury (England), Sep 22 (Ians) On a cloudy Wednesday at St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur lit up the match with some magnificent shots to finish unbeaten on a monumental 143 off just 111 balls, taking India to 333/5 and set the base for an 88-run victory over England.

With the massive win at Canterbury, India also secured the three-match series Odi after the tourists had won the opening match at Hove on Sunday. The score of 333/5 was India’s second 300-plus total after making 317/8 against West Indies in an Odi World Cup match earlier this year in New Zealand, where co-incidentally Harmanpreet had slammed a century.

“When we came here, (winning our first Odi series in England since 1999) that’s what we were looking at. I am really happy, today was a very important game for us and everybody (who got) a chance was utilising it. I always enjoy (captaining...

London, Sep 22 (Ians) Led by Harmanpreet Kaur’s fifth Odi century, India women’s cricket team defeated England by 88 runs in the second Odi at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury to clinch their maiden limited overs series in the country in 23 years.

The Indian skipper registered her second highest Odi score – an unbeaten 111-ball 143, an innings which included 18 boundaries and 4 sixes.

Harmanpreet’s master class hundred powered India to post their all-time second highest total of 333/5, after being put into bat on September 21. England were in control till the end of 40 overs, but a late surge by India turned into a nightmare for England’s young bowling attack.

England got an early breakthrough as Kate Cross cleaned up Shafali Verma cheaply for eight. But Smriti Mandhana and No.3 Yastika Bhatia were quick in recovery. Mandhana didn’t hold back on the attack.

The southpaw crunched four boundaries and a...

Sonali Phogat, who died following a heart attack in Goa on Tuesday, was no stranger to being in the public eye. She thrived on social media and hours before she breathed her last at the age of 42, she posted pictures and updates about herself on Instagram.

Phogat was a TikTok star and ‘Bigg Boss 14’ contestant in 2020; she played the wife of a don modelled after the infamous Haji Mastan in the Zee TV serial ‘Amma’ opposite Nawab Shah; she appeared in a Bhojpuri film with Ravi Kishan, now the Bjp MP from Gorakhpur; and she lost to Kuldeep Bishnoi, who was then in the Congress, in his family pocket borough of Adampur in the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections.

Ironically, Phogat had contested from the Bjp, the party Bishnoi recently joined. And a little before he made the switch, Bishnoi, who has resigned as Mla, was reported to have met Phogat to...