25 Bollywood celebs lose police cover - including Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan

The Mumbai Police have trimmed the security cover of 25 Bollywood celebrities - among them are two of the Khans Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. In a major overhaul, the Mumbai Police have either downgraded or nixed the security cover for the celebrities. The reason cited by the authorities is that the move was because of the need to nix ‘unwanted’ security cover.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 8 January 2016.

The police have clarified that round-the-clock security to Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan had been provided - this cover included two armed constables and an armed guard on two shifts and an armed escort vehicle. However, following a re-assessment, the escorts and the armed in-charge have been withdrawn. Henceforth, only two armed constables will cover them in two shifts.
It seems security cover was being provided to around 40 Bollywood celebrities and, the list has now been trimmed and reduced to around 15 personalities against whom there are genuine threat perception.
Of the 25 personalities whose security has now been fully withdrawn are Bollywood director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, director Rajkumar Hirani, director Farah Khan and producer siblings Ali and Karim Morani.
The security cover will continue to remain for Akshay Kumar and producers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt.
However, for Lata Mangeshkar, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, viewed as iconic figures, they will continue to enjoy round-the-clock security cover, apart from a police escort.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Aamir Khan no longer the face of Incredible India

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is no longer the face of Incredible India - Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has announced that Aamir Khan has ceased to be the mascot for the ‘Incredible India’ campaign after 10 years.
While many might see this removal as a result of his comments on the intolerance issue, the tourism ministry has clarified that they had not hired the actor. The hiring was done by an agency. Since the contract with that McCann Worldwide agency no longer exists, automatically Aamir's contract is no longer valid.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 7 January 2016.

McCann Worldwide agency had been given the contract for the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ campaign. They had hired Aamir for the job and, since the contract with the agency is over, Aamir is out. In his connection, Aamir has said that he respects the decision of the government to “discontinue” his services and has also made it clear that he has never charged anything for the task.
The new brand ambassador could be Amitabh Bachhan.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Juhi Chawla expresses a desire to work again with Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh and Kajol have made a comeback with "Dilwale" and, when Juhi Chawla was asked when fans could see her and Shah Rukh Khan together, her reply was that fans can certainly see the duo come together provided the right script come along. She would love to work with him again. In her words - it is about finding that script and the producer who will agree to put them together.
Tis has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 4 January 2016.

The Shah Rukh Khan - Juhi Chawla pair has have given memorable films like 'Yess Boss', 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' and 'Darr' and Juhi would like to pair up again with her close friend again. They had last worked together in 2005 'Paheli' and, subsequently, have made special appearances in each other's films. They are also co-owners of the Kolkta Knight Riders, the IPL team.
Juhi Chawla is now 48 and she would also like to collaborate with another superstar Aamir Khan, with whom she made her Bollywood debut in "Qayamt Se Qayamat Tak". And, she was quick to add that she should first do a film with Salman Khan as the duo have never shared screen space. That, in her opinion, would be fun.
Juhi will be next seen in 'Chalk n Duster' where she will be co-starring with Shabana Azmi and Divya Dutta - the movie is set for release on January 15.

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Kiran Rao is happy since people not just make small films but also like seeing them

Director Kiran Rao has expressed her happiness that people today are not just showing interest in making independent and small budget films, but are also interested in watching them. Film makers are able to chart this new territory of making independent, small budget films. And, with more people interested in watching and making such films it is good for the industry.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 8 November 2015.

She brought the story of 'Lagaan’ - nobody wanted to make it except Aamir (Khan). he felt that it would be a great start to create distribution, exhibition, and funding for newer films. There is a need to build infrastructure as well. She is right now busy working on two films for Aamir Khan Productions (AKP) - one of these is “Dangal” and the other is to be directed by Aamir’s former manager Advait Chandan.
Incidentally, Kiran Rao is also director of “Dhobi Ghat” and is working on her next directorial venture.As the 41-year-old has admitted - she is in the process of writing a script.

(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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Sanjay Dutt (56) has, finally, succeeded in getting a 30-day parole to visit his daughter who is undergoing a nose surgery. Therefore, he has been allowed to leave prison for a month. He has been in prison after being found guilty in 2013 of acquiring illegal weapons from those who had been involved in the deadly 1993 attacks in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed, and hundreds injured.
This has been reported in ndtv.com dated 26 August 2015.

His frequent breaks from jail have been criticized in the past as evidence of VIP treatment. The last time he was given leave from jail was in December 2014. Subsequently, he had requested for an extension which was turned down. Between May 2013 and 2014, he had spent about 118 days out of prison.
It may be recalled that he was sentenced to six years in jail in 2007; he served 18 months but then was out on bail, fighting the conviction until a court in March 2013 ordered him back to jail in Pune.
In 2007, he was cleared of conspiracy charges in the attacks but was found guilty of being in illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and a pistol. He had claimed that he needed those weapons to protect himself and his family during the rioting that erupted in Mumbai after a series of bombs exploded at the city's landmarks.
Sanjay Dutt was the lovable star of the blockbuster Munna Bhai films and last appeared in Aamir Khan's 2014 hit PK. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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