Meet actor who played young Amitabh Bachchan, moved to the US, and built a Rs 200 crore business empire, his name is...
Known to audiences as Master Alankar, Alankar Joshi starred in over 100 Hindi films, delivering memorable performances in Seeta Aur Geeta, Majboor, and Deewar. His sister, actor Pallavi Joshi, once revealed that it was Amitabh Bachchan who suggested casting him in Deewar.
But adulthood brought a shift. Alankar left acting, dabbled briefly in direction and production in Marathi cinema, and eventually moved to the U.S. A career in software programming followed, then entrepreneurship. Three decades on, he runs a thriving business reportedly worth around Rs 200 crore. His daughters act in Hollywood, while his son is pursuing music. Ravi Valecha: 'Chhota Amitabh' to hotelier
Master Ravi Valecha, nicknamed 'Chhota Amitabh', lit up the screen as young Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony, Coolie, and Mr. Natwarlal. Starting at age four, he shared the frame with icons like Dilip Kumar and Rishi Kapoor.
As an adult, he stepped away from films and studied Hotel Management, later completing an MBA in Hospitality and International Business. Today, he is a respected figure in the hospitality sector and trains students in soft skills and industry readiness.
Master Mayur, real name Mayur Raj Verma, was the highest-paid child actor of his era, appearing in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Laawaris, and later as Abhimanyu in BR Chopra's Mahabharata. His break came when his journalist mother introduced his photo to director Prakash Mehra, who needed a child resembling Amitabh Bachchan.
After hits like Sharabi and Love in Goa, he left the limelight, moved to Wales, and married celebrity chef Noori. Together, they built a successful restaurant empire in Indiana and expanded into multiple ventures, with wealth reportedly in the billions.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
NHRC lays the blame on police for Pushpa-2 stampede
Hyderabad: The NHRC on Wednesday said Hyderabad police were negligent and failed in their duty to maintain public order during the "Pushpa-2" pre-release event at Sandhya Theatre, where a stampede in Dec 2024 claimed a woman's life and left her son severely injured. The rights body held police responsible for failing to prevent the chaos, despite prior warnings of a large crowd. It issued show-cause notice to the chief secretary of Telangana, asking why it should not recommend a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased, Revathi, who was killed in the incident. "The commission has considered the report on record. However, it has been noted that there was negligence and a clear lapse in maintaining public order on the part of police authorities, who failed to provide adequate assistance or ensure safety when it was evident that a huge crowd would gather," the NHRC said in its official order on Wednesday. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad It further instructed senior Hyderabad police officers to ensure a fair and impartial investigation into the incident and submit a detailed status report within six weeks. The case reached the NHRC after Rama Rao Immaneni, a high court advocate, filed a petition accusing the Chikkadpally police of negligence that led to the stampede. He demanded accountability and action against officers responsible for the failure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Unsold 2021 Cars Now Almost Free - Prices May Surprise You Unsold Cars | Search Ads Learn More Undo The stampede occurred on Dec 4, 2024, when fans gathered at Sandhya 70MM theatre for a premier show of "Pushpa-2", featuring Allu Arjun. In the chaos that followed, Revathi died, and her teenage son, Sri Tej, was critically injured. Police blamed Allu Arjun's unauthorised visit and the accompanying rally for triggering the stampede. In a second report submitted on July 14, senior police officers informed the NHRC that permission for Arjun's appearance at the theatre had been officially denied, in advance, over public safety concerns. The actor and the film crew arrived at the venue, nevertheless, leading to a massive surge in the crowd. The NHRC questioned the inexplicable inaction of police, asking why law enforcement failed to prevent the unauthorised gathering. "Why was the actor and his entourage allowed entry despite having no permission? Why wasn't action taken in advance to prevent this unlawful gathering?" the commission asked. L Ramesh, ACP, Chikkadpally, stated in his July report that police refrained from intervening, as they feared any attempt to stop the actor could result in damage to public property and disruption of public order. The NHRC, however, found this argument unconvincing. It observed that public order had already been breached due to lack of timely preventive action and failure to enforce the prohibition order. After reviewing both reports from Hyderabad police, the NHRC directed its registry to issue a show-cause notice under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, asking why compensation should not be awarded to Revathi's kin. Over seven months have passed and, yet, the Chikkadpally police have not filed a chargesheet in court, raising serious questions about procedural delays and lack of accountability.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
PO on the mic: Singer who called govt house a jail busted after 10 years
1 2 Chandigarh: Declared a proclaimed offender in 2016, Sirsa resident Jagsir Singh evaded police for nine years by constantly changing his location and identity. However, his run ended with a dramatic revelation on Wednesday — he is Punjabi singer Baaz Sran, who just two months ago released a song likening a 'Sarkari Kothi' (govt residence) to a jail. In an irony of sorts, the lyrics of the song 'Sarkari Kothi' — which has 13 lakh views on YouTube — go: 'Jattan di sarkari kothi hundi jail kuddey (The official residence of Jatts is jail, lady).' Sran, who has 32,600 followers on Instagram and has sung duets with female singers like Deepak Dhillon and Gurlez Akhtar, was arrested by the Chandigarh zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the alleged seizure of 36kg opium in 2015. Sran hails from Malikpura village in Haryana's Sirsa district. An official privy to the case said Baaz himself penned the lyrics and composed his songs. In May 2025, NCB published Jagsir's details in leading newspapers and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest. Based on inputs received thereafter, he was arrested on Wednesday, the NCB said in a statement. The statement added: "During his absconding period, he gained popularity as a singer on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, amassing millions of views under a different identity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn More - How Donating Plasma May Boost Your Income SpellRock Undo " At the time of his arrest, Sran was accompanied by a woman, said an official. The official added that a co-accused in the opium seizure had already been convicted. The official added that though Sran had was facing a drug seizure case, he did not consume them. "He is a fitness freak. He had just finished running and was exercising when we nabbed him. While he was involved in the drugs case and promotes drugs and weapons in the songs, he himself does not consume drugs," added the official. 'Sarkari Kothi': A song about life of crime In the song 'Sarkari Kothi', Baaz Sran has also penned lyrics about facing charges under the Arms Act and an 'attempt to murder' charge against him. The lyrics go: "25, 54, 59 laggi naal 307 de ni, jail diyaan baahlian likhiyaan karman vich jatt de di (I have been charged with sections 25, 54 and 59, along with Section 307. A long stay in jail is written in Jatt's fate)."
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Anupam Kher breaks silence on Saiyaara dominating Tanvi The Great at box office: 'Agar paisa hi sab kuch hota...'
Comparisons and competition are unavoidable when two movies are released at roughly the same time. That's precisely what happened when Mohit Suri 's elegant romantic drama Saiyaara and Anupam Kher 's touching drama Tanvi The Great opened in theaters on the same day. Tanvi The Great failed to achieve the same level of commercial success as the latter, which dominated the box office with over Rs 500 crore and captured the hearts of the public with its music and youthful star cast. However, it isn't keeping Anupam Kher up at night. He believes that movies are about feelings rather than profits. When asked if he believes the Saiyaara craze is to blame for his film's poor performance, the veteran actor responded, "I don't believe that's true," in an interview with News18. 'A few years down the line, when someone will ask you what are your five favorite films are, you won't name the ones based on which of these movies made a business worth crores." The actor continued, "You'll name the ones which touched your hearts." 'Maybe Tanvi the Great didn't mint much money, but it is still priceless. I recently met a lady outside the theater who hugged me tightly and started crying, saying this was the best film she has ever watched," Kher added. Kher's remarks provided a much-needed break in a society that is fixated on numbers. 'You don't value everything based only on money. Agar paisa hi sab kuch hota, to phir log hamesha five-star hotel me hi khate na, dhaba koi kyu jata?" He revealed that he firmly supports his film in spite of the poor collections. 'My film is outstanding commercially," he stated. Tanvi The Great is subtly capturing hearts, while Saiyaara continues to rule the screen thanks to its box office power and Gen-Z appeal. Anupam Kher is the film's producer and director. He co-stars with Iain Glen. On July 18, 2025, Tanvi the Great was released in theaters.
