Dipika Kakar was being called for a role in JP? Dutta`s Paltan

Enjoying the newly married phase, actor Dipika Kakar, aka Simar of Sasural Simar Ka, is all set to embark upon a new journey in life as she makes her Bollywood debut in JP Dutta's Paltan. She has already shot for a schedule for the war film.
"Paltan happened overnight," says Dipika, adding, "I got a call from the casting people in the middle of the night. Initially, it was difficult for me to even believe it's true because a lot of people do fake calls. But then, I was sent the details, and the third day, I was sitting in front of JP Dutta sir."
Dipika reveals that following her half-an-hour-long meeting with the filmmaker, she got a call in the evening that she was on for the film and had to fly down for shooting. 

Cate Blanchett slams Suu Kyi over Rohingya crisis

Australian actress Cate Blanchett says she is bewildered by Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s silence over the atrocities being committed against Rohingya Muslims, reports Voice of America.

More than 670,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have sought safety across the border in Bangladesh since August 2017, after a military campaign against the minority group that a U.N. official has previously called genocide.

Oscar-winning actress Blanchett visited some of the displaced Muslims from Myanmar last week in her capacity as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. The Australian star warns that thousands of refugees are at risk of disease and starvation as the monsoon season approaches. The Rohingya are not recognized as citizens by Myanmar and have lived under a segregated ethnic system in the country's western Rakhine state for decades.

Blanchett, who is also goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is criticizing Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader, for not speaking out over the crisis.“It is bewildering, is it not, that someone who has been such a fighter for even a fragile democracy, someone who upholds human rights, does not seem to be speaking out more clearly about the atrocities that are so very clearly happening under her watch. The most pressing thing for me is the need to support the refugees in the very immediate present as the monsoon comes. Obviously, political solutions are absolutely vital,” Blanchett said.

Aung San Suu Kyi was in Australia earlier this month for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, where she was also criticized by the Malaysian Prime Minister. In unusually stern language, Najib Razak said Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims put them at risk of radicalization by extremists because they have no hope for the future.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Aung San Suu Kyi had addressed the controversy during private talks with other South-East Asian leaders in Sydney.

Aung San Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest for many years by Myanmar’s military dictators before the country embraced democracy. The author and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize was widely thought to be the champion of human rights and tolerance in Myanmar, although her reputation has clearly been dented by the Rohingya crisis.

Smith, Warner stand down from captaincy

Steve Smith and David Warner have stood down from their respective roles as captain and vice-captain for the rest of the third Test between Australia and South Africa at Newlands.

Tim Paine will take over as captain of the side while Smith and Warner will still take the field for the third Test.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said: "Following discussions with Steve Smith and David Warner they have agreed to stand down as Captain and Vice-Captain respectively for the remainder of this Test match.

"This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands.

Knee pain can trigger depression among elderly people: Research

Knee pain in the elderly, which can damage the quality of life, can make them prone to depression, researchers say.

Osteoarthritis occurs when a joint becomes inflamed, usually because the protective cartilage and other tissues that cushion joints like the knee become damaged and worn over time.

Knee pain from osteoarthritis can make it harder to take care of yourself, which can damage your quality of life. In turn, it can lead to depression.

The study, led by Yuji Nishiwaki from the Toho University in Japan, showed that elderly who experienced knee pain at night while in bed, while putting on socks, or while getting in or out of a car were more likely to report having symptoms of depression.

The team examined 573 people aged 65 or older for the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

When the study began (between 2005 and 2006) none of the participants had symptoms of depression.

Two years later, nearly all of them completed follow-up interviews.

The participants answered questions about their knee pain and were evaluated for symptoms of depression.

Nearly 12 per cent of the participants had developed symptoms of depression.

Another recently published study showed that both knee pain and functional impairments in elderly individuals are associated with the development of depressive symptoms.

“Examining elderly people’s responses to questions about pain at night and difficulties performing daily activities may be an efficient way of identifying those at high risk of developing depressive symptoms,” the researchers said.

Facebook loses $58bn in value after data breach

Facebook lost $58 billion in value this week after its handling of a historic data breach, reports BBC.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg apologised for data breaches that affected 50 million users.

However, the apology could not prevent investors from selling shares in Facebook, with many speculating the level of damage for the social network.

The breach that initiated a social media trend #deletefacebook was termed as a "light bulb" moment for users.

The negative headlines influenced some advertisers leading them to say "enough is enough".

Shares of the social media company fell to $159.3 by Friday night from $176.8 on Monday.

With the fall in share prices, the question also arose if it will be recovered.

Facebook's initial public offering in 2012 priced shares at $38 each, giving the company a market valuation of close to $104 billion.

Its share price rose to $190 by February this year thanks to the steady user growth and digital advertising market.

Brian Wieser, senior analyst at Pivotal Research, said the share price slump showed investors were wary of increased regulation and users leaving the platform, but there's little risk of advertisers leaving Facebook.

“Where else would they go?" he said.

Hargreaves Lansdown senior analyst Laith Khalaf said the week had been a "damaging episode" in Facebook's history.

He said if the secret of Facebook’s success lies in more people using it, the same dynamic cuts in the opposite direction when it loses users as a result of this scandal.

Karan Johar could have cast any actor in his film: Kiara Advani

Actor Kiara Advani is on a career high - she's shot for a Karan Johar film, her Telugu debut with south superstar Mahesh Babu is releasing soon, she'll start shooting for another Telugu film with Ram Charan Teja, and there are rumours that she will soon sign Housefull 4 too. "Patience really pays off. It's important to wait and be sure of the right film you are signing," says Kiara, who was last seen in Machine (2017).
Super excited to have got the chance to be directed by Karan in Bombay Talkies 2, Kiara says, "I feel absolutely thrilled. I mean, he could have taken any other actor and anybody would have loved to work with him. But he chose me, and that makes me feel so special and confident about myself. He picked me as the protagonist for the film that he was directing [out of the four short films in the movie]. I can't be more grateful for this opportunity."
There were reports that since Kiara's career was not moving at a steady pace, she sought help from Karan, who happily agreed to mentor her and even help her get more work. She dodges the actual questions and says, "The struggle has definitely been difficult and a lot works on recommendations too, but looking at my journey, I know talent sustains”. 

Popy and Rebeka to portray mother-daughter for first time

National Film Award winning actress Sadika Parvin Popy and eminent artiste Rebeka are sharing screen together for the first time as mother-daughter in the upcoming new film ‘Sahoshi Joddha’.

Popy will star as the heroine Soina while Rebeka will be Sonia’s mother in the film.

Sadek Siddiqui, the director of the film ‘Sahoshi Joddha’, continues filming of the movie in different parts of Uttara and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC), informed sources to DhakaLive.

Playing the role of mother of Popy for the first time, Rebeka said, “Popy is like my younger sister. Earlier, we have worked in several big screen projects together, but this is the first time she is playing my daughter’s role.”

“We are passing amazing time in and between shooting”, she added.

Praising Popy for her outstanding acting skills, dedication and achievements, Rebeka expressed that this project will also be a successful one in all terms.  

Popy commented on Rebeka saying that she likes this good hearted caring person.

“At first, it was tough for me to address her ‘mother’ as she has been always like an elder sister to me”, said Popy.

“However, we adjusted the issue”, she opined.

Popy also said that they have tried their best to deliver an amazing performance. She is hopeful that ‘Sahoshi Joddha’ would be a great film.

The film also stars Amin Khan, Emon and Shirin Shila among others.