The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has slapped a penalty of Rs 102.55 crore on Kannada actress Ranya in connection with the alleged gold smuggling case, warning that her property could be seized if the amount is not paid, officials said on Tuesday.
Ranya was taken into custody on March 3 at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after being found in possession of 14.8 kg of gold upon her arrival from Dubai.
The DRI investigation revealed that she had travelled to Dubai four times in about 15 days and smuggled gold on those trips. The agency has warned that non-payment of the fine could result in the seizure of her property. Earlier, on August 11, Ranya Rao’s stepfather, Ramchandra Rao, who had been sent on compulsory leave following arrest, was reinstated as Director General of Police, Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement. (ANI)
Kannada actress fined Rs 102.55 cr in gold smuggling case
Suhana’s Alibaug real estate deal lands in hot water
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan has landed into a legal trouble surrounding a real estate deal.
It has come to light that the actress has bought the land allotted to the farmers by the government without procuring proper permissions and paperwork. The piece of land is in the Thal village, and was given to the farmers by the government for the purpose of farming.
The piece of land reportedly costs INR 12.91 crores, which Suhana paid to the Khote family based in the Cuffe Parade, the upmarket area of Mumbai. She had paid a stamp duty of INR 77.46 lakh at the time she bought the land. The transfer happened on May 30, 2023 through Standard Chartered Bank.
The matter is under investigation and an impartial report has been sought from the Alibaug tehsildar. The order was issued by the Resident Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Suhana is gearing up for her upcoming film ‘King’ which also stars her father. It marks her second film after the streaming debacle ‘The Archies’, which was unanimously panned by the critics and the audiences alike. Earlier, her father SRK was said to have suffered an injury to his arm while filming King. The superstar sustained an injury while filming an action sequence for the film. (IANS)
Rahman decides to slow down in career: ‘You sometimes miss life’
Music maestro AR Rahman, who has inspired generations with his timeless compositions, has shared a rare glimpse into his personal journey of balancing work and family. In an exclusive interaction with IANS, Rahman revealed that after years of working tirelessly day and night, he has now consciously decided to slow down in life to prioritize family and personal life.
Talking about his career, Rahman said there were multiple times when he was working on multiple films altogether, constantly worried about what would come next. “Sometimes, you plan everything, and it cancels. Sometimes it’s beyond me. I go with the flow, like water. It takes the shape of the container. Even with work, it automatically gives. God had his way of giving me time,” he said.
The Oscar-winning composer stated that the relentless pace of his early career often made him miss out on life, especially on the personal front. “Before, I was like a maniac, working day and night. You sometimes miss life when you work too much,” Rahman admitted. He further added that now he has consciously slowed down on his professional front to enjoy his personal life and also to learn new things that he never could earlier because of his extremely hectic work schedule. “I’ve reduced a lot so that I can enjoy life, learn things, spend time with family, and do work at the same time,” he said. Rahman’s conscious decision to balance professional commitments with family time reflects a deeper shift in how he values life beyond fame and music. Meanwhile, the musician’s personal life has also been in the news recently when reports about his divorce path sparked widespread speculation. While the composer never directly addressed the controversy. (IANS)
Sonakshi slams brand for using her photos without permission
Actress Sonakshi Sinha has called out the brand websites for using her photographs without her permission or even knowledge.
Calling the practice unacceptable, Sonakshi penned a note on the stories section of her official Instagram handle.
As someone who shops online often, I couldn’t help but notice my images popping up on several brand websites- without usage rights or even a courtesy request for permission. How is that acceptable? When an artist wears your outfits or jewelry, a post is made giving your brand due credit, but featuring those same images on your official website? That’s stretching it a bit too far. Let’s keep things ethical, shall we?”, the actress wrote.
Sonakshi even threatened to call out the brand website in case they do not take down her pics.
She added, ‘Basically, what i’m saying is pull down my images before i start calling you out, or let me know where i can send my invoice….your call’, followed by four laughing with tears emojis. On Friday, Sonakshi and Zaheer offered prayers to Lord Ganapati on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. (IANS)
Entertainment Buzz
Holiguards teaser promises Disha Patani’s scintillating H’wood debut
The teaser of the upcoming film Holiguards was unveiled at the ongoing edition of the Venice Film Festival. The teaser particularly marks a giant leap for Bollywood actress Disha Patani as she is set to make her Hollywood debut with the film. In the teaser, Disha can be seen stepping into a supernatural universe torn apart by ancient warriors. She blends her supernatural side with intensity and allure, and also flexes her action chops in slick combat sequences that prove she can hold her own in the genre on an international stage. The film is helmed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Spacey, and is a supernatural action-thriller set in a dystopian near-future where two secret warrior clans, the Holiguards and the Statiguards, wage war for humanity’s fate. With an ensemble cast featuring Dolph Lundgren, Tyrese Gibson, and Brianna Hildebrand, the film is already being pegged as the launchpad for a larger franchise. (IANS)
Harry Potter audio edition’s additional cast announced
The additional cast for Harry Potter audio edition has been announced by Pottermore Publishing, the global digital publisher of the Harry Potter series, on Tuesday. Pottermore Publishing and Audible announced further casting details for the highly anticipated Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions. The upcoming audio editions will feature Mark Addy, known for his role in Game of Thrones, will voice Rubeus Hagrid, while Daniel Mays from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Line of Duty will take on the character of Dobby. Alex Hassell of The Boys and Rivals will portray Lucius Malfoy, and social media personalities Sara and Avni Deshmukh, known as Iconicakes, will voice The Patil Twins. Additional cast members will be announced this autumn. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is scheduled to debut on November 4, 2025, followed by the release of one book per month, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on May 12, 2026. (IANS)
Chloe Grace Moretz marries partner Kate Harrison
Actor Chloe Grace Moretz has married her long-time partner, Kate Harrison, in a private ceremony after seven years of relationship, E! News reported. The couple, who got engaged in January this year, shared glimpses of their custom Louis Vuitton wedding ensembles designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, in the lead-up to their big day. When we got engaged, I knew immediately that I wanted to reach out to Nicolas and Louis Vuitton to see if he would be interested in making my wedding dress,’ Moretz said, adding that she received an ‘overwhelmingly excited’ response. ‘Not only would he be willing to make my wedding dress, but he also wanted to include Kate–and to make both of the wedding dresses and our after-party looks,’ she added. (ANI)
‘My Queen’: Janhvi gets PDA-filled shout-out from beau Shikhar Pahariya
Actor Janhvi Kapoor’s performance in ‘Param Sundari’ not only impressed her fans but also left her beau, Shikhar Pahariya, in awe. On Monday, Shikhar took to Instagram and sent out a PDA-filled shout-out to Janhvi. Sharing a snip from the film, Shikhar wrote, ‘My dream, my queen (red heart and crown emojis) wow wow wow.’ Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Param Sundari opened in theatres last Friday, receiving a decent reaction on its first day. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film earned a total of Rs 7.02 crore on Friday. (ANI)
My mother had nothing to do with politics: PM Modi slams RJD-Cong
“I may forgive but people of Bihar won’t pardon them for insulting my dead mother”
NEW DELHI, Sep 2: In his first reaction to the alleged abuses hurled at his mother during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was “deeply pained” by the incident, but asserted that while he might forgive the RJD and the Congress, the people of the state will never “pardon them”.
Taking a dig at the opposition parties over the recent incident in Darbhanga, he said using expletives against his mother was not a big deal for those who insult ‘Mother India’.
“My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?” he said, with his voice choking with emotion.
“I may forgive them for once, but the people of this country have never brooked any insult to one’s mother… It is now the duty of every son of Bihar to hold the RJD-Congress combine accountable for their conduct. In every town and street, wherever their leaders go, they must get the message loud and clear that insult to mothers and sisters will not be tolerated,” the PM said.
“Mothers and sisters must also come out on the streets to demand an explanation from the RJD-Congress combine for the reprehensible occurrence and tell them that this would not be tolerated. This attitude of holding women in contempt must be reined in,” he added.
The PM was addressing the virtual launch of ‘Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Sahkari Sangh Limited’, a cooperative initiative that aims to provide easy access to funds at affordable interest rates to women’s self-help groups.
“Bihar is the land of Maa Janki… it has always given respect to women. I had never imagined such a thing would happen…My mother was abused from the dais of the RJD-Congress combine. It was not an insult to my mother but an insult to the mothers and daughters of Bihar… people of the state will never forgive them,” Modi said.
Noting that the incident was painful for him as a son, he said the huge presence of women at the event gave him the strength to “bear the pain and the insult”.
The PM highlighted the role played by women voters of the state in ousting the RJD from power, alleging that “mothers and sisters were the worst sufferers of the lawlessness that prevailed when they were in power”.
“The government then protected murderers and rapists… mothers and sisters used to live in terror until their menfolk returned home unharmed,” he said.
“Since mothers and sisters have played a major role in defeating the RJD-led alliance again and again, it is now hell bent upon taking revenge on the women of the state,” said Modi, who also claimed that the Darbhanga incident was reflective of the ‘misogyny’ of the opposition coalition.
The PM, who uttered a Bhojpuri proverb that asserted the belief that one’s mother was superior to gods and goddesses, also referred to the upcoming festivals of Navratri and Chhath.
“The Congress-RJD must be asked to apologise to saat-bahini and Chhathi Maiya,” said Modi, referring to the belief that Goddess Durga had seven sisters and the practice of worshipping the Sun God in a feminine form.
Last week, a purported video of a person screaming an expletive into a microphone at a small podium erected on the outskirts of Darbhanga by a local Congress leader went viral, even as the organiser claimed that no party functionary of consequence was present at the time of the incident.
The accused, a 25-year-old resident of Darbhanga, has been arrested, but tempers continue to be frayed with the BJP hitting the streets on the issue and its workers exchanging fisticuffs with Congress leaders at the opposition party’s state headquarters.
BJP leaders have also been insisting on an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had led the recently concluded ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’, and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, but both maintained they have nothing to do with the incident since the abuse was hurled in their absence by a person not known to them.
Using the expression ‘naamdar’ (people with big names) to underscore the alleged elitist disposition of leaders such as Gandhi and Yadav, Modi said, “They have been uncomfortable ever since this son of a poor mother rose to power. They resent the rise of women and the backward classes alike. A reason why they spare no opportunity to belittle Droupadi Murmu, the country’s first woman President.” Meanwhile, Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal was moved to tears when Modi voiced anguish over the Darbhanga incident.
Jaiswal watched the function, addressed by the PM through video conference, at the party’s state headquarters here. He was seen wiping his eyes when Modi spoke about the incident.
“The incident has brought disrepute to Bihar. We cannot insult the mother of anyone, least of all the prime minister,” Jaiswal, a former state minister, told PTI.
“The PM’s mother died some time back. She was not into politics. She never even visited his official residence. Thinking of all these things, I was moved to tears,” he said.
Meanwhile, state minister Shravan Kumar, who belongs to JD(U), said, “The insult to the PM’s mother is a deplorable incident. Such behaviour will never be accepted by the people of Bihar.” (PTI)
Poll body’s notice to Cong’s Pawan Khera for name in 2 constituencies
Congress is ‘quintessential vote chor’, alleges BJP
NEW DELHI, Sep 2: Poll authorities in Delhi have issued a notice to Congress leader Pawan Khera for allegedly getting himself registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency.
The district election officer of New Delhi district shared a copy of the notice issued to Khera on X. The Congress leader has been directed to reply to the notice by 11 am on September 8.
“It has been brought to my notice that you have got your name registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency,” read the notice.
According to the notice, Khera is enrolled as a voter in New Delhi and Jangpura assembly constituencies.
“As you may be aware, that being registered in the electoral roll of more than one constituency is a penal offence under the Representation of People Act, 1950. You are therefore, directed to show cause as to why action should not be taken against you under said Act,” read the notice.
Reacting to the development, Khera said in a post on X, “…Yet another confirmation of how the @ECISVEEP functions to support the ruling regime. While our complaints of Vote Chori are disregarded, the EC rushes to act against opposition members.” He questioned why the Election Commission did not issue a single notice to “the 1,00,000 fake voters of Mahadevapura constituency, that were exposed by @RahulGandhi?” “We will not stop exposing the EC’s wrongdoings in the Bihar SIR (Special Intensive Revision) and other election processes,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the BJP alleged that Khera had two voter IDs while Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was running a campaign against voter roll revision in Bihar to “protect and hide” his party’s theft of votes.
Reacting to having two ID cards and the BJP allegations, Khera told PTI Videos, “I came to know from him (BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya) only that I have a second EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card). I had applied to remove it in 2016-17, but it seems that did not happen and the EC is to be blamed for this.” Khera also demanded that the Election Commission (EC) seek an affidavit from the BJP on their allegations against him.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here on Tuesday, party national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also claimed that Khera, the Congress’ media department head and Gandhi’s “close associate”, had two voter IDs with different EPIC numbers registered in Jangpura and New Delhi assembly constituencies in the national capital.
“Rahul Gandhi and his close associates are chor (thieves) and making shor (noise),” he said.
“The nexus between Rahul Gandhi and Pawan Khera that has come to light today makes it clear that Rahul Gandhi hates the poor, deprived and oppressed of the country so much that to save the vote chori of his own party leaders and to hide their vote fraud, he is calling the citizens of Bihar ‘farzi’ and and ‘chor’ in Bihar,” Bhandari charged.
“Rahul Gandhi and Congress are running a voter fraud racket in which different Congress leaders, who have multiple voter IDs, are given protection,” he alleged and demanded a reply from Gandhi on the issue.The BJP spokesperson demanded a probe by agencies concerned into Khera allegedly possessing two voter IDs, calling it a crime under the Representation of People Act, and also asked Gandhi if he would take any action against Khera and remove him from the Congress. (PTI)
Yogasana c’ship concludes in city
Shillong, Sep 2: The Meghalaya Yogasana Sports Association, with support from the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya, in collaboration with Yogasana Bharat and the Meghalaya Bharat Scouts & Guides, organised the 5th State Level Yogasana Sports Championship 2025 at the auditorium of Meghalaya Bharat Scouts and Guides, Shillong, on Monday.
The championship featured 10 Yogasana sports events, providing a platform for 18 young athletes, both boys and girls, to qualify for the upcoming National Level Yogasana Sports Championship scheduled next month.The programme concluded with a medal distribution ceremony, followed by the presentation of certificates to all participants, marking a memorable day of sporting spirit and celebration of Yogasana in Meghalaya.The event was graced by Shakliar Warjri, Sports Minister, Government of Meghalaya, as the Chief Guest, while Pukhrambam Birpradash, Executive Member of Yogasana Bharat, attended as the State Observer.
People make their way as the Yamuna River has risen and crossed the danger mark
People make their way as the Yamuna River has risen and crossed the danger mark after incessant heavy rainfall, near Loha Pul, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)
SPL: Lajong move up with easy 2-0 win over Laitkor
Shillong, Sep 2: Shillong Lajong moved up to second place in the Shillong Premier League 2025 with a 2-0 victory over Laitkor at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here on Tuesday.
Deibormame Tongper (27’) and Emanbha Marbaniang (74’) scored for Lajong against Laitkor, who had a man sent off in the middle of the second half.
Playing in his first match of the season, Deibormame got his head to a free-kick to score before the half hour mark. Laitkor started with a double chance for Freelyson Tariang in the second minute but his header struck the crossbar and his second attempt from close range somehow missed the mark entirely. Lajong had not conceded in their first two matches but that run was in danger of ending today as Lakpa Lepcha (playing his first game) looked a little unsure of himself. He made a hash of punching the ball away in the ninth minute but managed to get away with his error. Ten minutes later, at the other end of the pitch, Iohbor L Lyngkhoi cannoned a long-range shot into the upright for Lajong.
In the second half, Richarles Rani was sent off around the 66th minute with a direct red card by referee Jeffrey June Shabong. Richarles had fouled a Lajong player in the box but his sharp reaction to the referee may have only made things worse and Laitkor had to play the rest of the match with 10 men. The resulting penalty was saved by Laitkor goalkeeper Deranius Wahlang, who correctly dived low to his left to block Iohborlang’s spot kick and then had the quick wits to gather up the rebound.
That lifted the spirits of the Laitkor fans, who thronged the ground in great numbers, but their joy was short-lived as a few minutes later Lajong scored again. A mistake at the back handed Deibormame the ball and he set up Emanbha for an easy goal to double SLFC’s lead.
Lajong now have 7 points and are in second place behind Nangkiew Irat, who have 9. Laitkor are one of three clubs on 3 points and currently occupy sixth position based on goal difference. On Wednesday, in the last match of Round 3, the two sides promoted from last year’s First Division – Mylliem and Malki – will face off at 4:30pm.
With this victory, Shillong Lajong have not only underlined their intent in this year’s Shillong Premier League but also sent out a strong reminder of the depth and quality within their squad.
The return of Deibormame Tongper with a goal and an assist added fresh energy to the side, while Emanbha’s clinical finish showed the team’s ability to capitalise on defensive lapses. Although the missed penalty and occasional nervy moments at the back suggest that there are still areas to tighten, Lajong’s unbeaten run after three games puts them in a commanding position to challenge leaders Nangkiew Irat as the league gathers momentum.