HC notice to Centre, railways over land-for-job row
Petitioner Ashakrit Tripathi from Satna district said the land was acquired for new rail lines - Rewa-Sidhi-Singrauli and Khajuraho-Panna-Satna. His land at village Karahi in Satna was also acquired but he was not given adequate compensation nor given a job.
He should either have got a job or Rs 5 lakh in compensation but he didn't get either of it. He applied for a job several times but his application was turned down each time.
He claimed that at the time of land acquisition, publicity was carried out through the office of divisional commissioner, Rewa and district collector, Satna that a job would be given against land acquisition but the promise was not kept.
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Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Maareesan movie review: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu anchor this flawed comedy thriller
Maareesan movie review: If one were to make a list of the most disgustingly problematic Malayalam movies of all time, Villali Veeran (2014) would be a strong contender for the top spot from the last decade. While most films from that era featuring Dileep — accused of masterminding the sexual assault of a fellow actor in 2017 — were imbued with repugnant tropes, Villali Veeran stood out as the first among equals. Besides being an extremely shoddy film overall, it was loaded with high amounts of misogyny, and not to mention the many, many rape 'jokes'. Hence, when its director, Sudheesh Sankar, makes a comeback as a filmmaker after a decade, it's not unreasonable to have reservations about the movie. But considering that Maareesan features Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu, can we afford to ignore it either? Soon after his release from prison, Dhayalan (Fahadh) returns to thievery and is on the hunt for something big, so that he doesn't have to waste time stealing small items like mobile phones, purses containing only a little cash, and bikes parked at movie theatres anymore. As a part of this plan, he breaks into a house that night where he meets an ageing man, Velayudham Pillai (Vadivelu), chained to a window. Scared by Dhaya's threat, Velayudham tells him that there's no money at home, but promises to pay him by making a withdrawal from an ATM. Meanwhile, the old man reveals to the thief that he suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, which is why his son has handcuffed him to the window. At the ATM, Dhayalan notices that Velayudham has about Rs 25 lakh in his account. After paying some money to Dhaya, Velayudham decides to leave for either his daughter's place in Palakkad or his friend's in Thiruvannamalai. Assuring to drop him where he wanted on his bike, Dhaya takes the old man along, although his eye is only on the money. However, hurdles start cropping up in his path as Velayudham forgets the ATM PIN and even details about his life, with the elderly man sometimes mistaking Dhaya for his son Kumar. Nonetheless, the thief remains determined. As the movie progresses, though, we start getting the feeling that there's more to Velayudham than we see. Is he hiding something from us? Above all, who is he actually? For a movie titled Maareesan — a rakshasa character in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, who served as an ally of Ravana and played a key role in the kidnapping of Sita — it wastes an awful lot of time disguising itself as a fun comedy wherein the fate of a thief and his loot hinges on the mercy of the victim. Considering that the film's named Maareesan, it's almost impossible to believe that this storyline forms its core. Regardless, writer V Krishna Moorthy and director Sudheesh Sankar make the movie circle around a single focal point for so long that it becomes tiring soon. What makes it worse is that, when Maareesan shifts to a higher gear, Sudheesh fails to give it the dramatic elevation it requires, at least to jolt awake those viewers who might have dozed off. Instead, that entire portion of revealing a part of Velayudham Pillai's real identity, in the scenes leading up to the interval, is treated as if it isn't a big deal, thus wasting a good opportunity to showcase a genre shift well. Although Maareesan, under a different title and by taking a different narrative route, could have been something as heartwarming and amazing as director Barry Levinson's Rain Man (1988) — especially considering that Vadivelu and Fahadh are able to seep into the characters' souls effortlessly and the chemistry between them is spectacular, much like the case of Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in the Hollywood movie — it is denied the opportunity to utilise that potential. And this happens primarily because the movie, after a point, swerves into the thriller territory and the hollowness that existed in the writing from the start — which we didn't notice initially because we were too occupied soaking in the charming chemistry that the lead two actors were creating — becomes too evident. What further detracts from the experience is the soap opera-ish kind of making style director Sudheesh Sankar has adopted — mirroring the many TV serials he has directed over the years — with the climax ending up as the most-affected sequence. Featuring a fight that makes us question our visual perceptual skills, simply because it's been choreographed and paced in an extremely odd manner, the climax almost ruins the few good things about Maareesan, which is ultimately saved by the lead duo. In fact, that can be said about pretty much the entire movie, with Fahadh and Vadivelu becoming the ones doing all the heavy lifting while Sudheesh and Krishna Moorthy, among most others, just watch with the cameras on. Despite this being the third time that he plays a complete thief (not just a character involved in fraudulent activities) — after Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017) and Vettaiyan (2024) — Fahadh ensures that Dhaya is nothing like Prasad or Battery. His ability to deeply dive into a narrative and fully immerse himself in a character, without relying on stock emotions or clichéd body language tied to the character's occupation, is evident here as well. His mastery as an actor is most visible in scenes where he is consuming liquor, and the way Dhaya's drunkenness progresses in an organic manner, devoid of cliches, is nothing short of splendid. Although Dhaya cannot be called even one of his best, what works in his favour here is the combination with Vadivelu. As if one is the Yin to the other's Yang, they not only complement each other's performances but also elevate and inspire one another to push beyond their limits. Even the most mundane conversations between Dhaya and Velayudham, deadened by mediocre dialogues and lazy writing (which gets worse in the second half), never lose our attention because it's a delight to watch the two's rapport unfold. Despite the character suffering from poor writing, Vadivelu's handling of Velayudham is nothing short of extraordinary. The way the innate innocence in his face translates into the character's blank stares is a sight to behold. Much like the comedic bits, he also excels at portraying the other shades of Velayudham — be it distress, sadness or even moments of villainy — with ease. It was also very satisfying to hear him singing again. On the technical front, Yuvan Shankar Raja knocks it out of the park with the background score and the tracks, contributing significantly to Maareesan's overall quality. Dinesh Manoharan's costume design and Abdul's makeup also deserve praise. Nonetheless, what truly drives the final nail into the film's coffin is the way Sudheesh Sankar and Krishna Moorthy have handled the core subject of child sexual abuse. Despite it being a sensitive matter, it's simply thrown into the narrative and dealt with in an extremely superficial and amateur manner, even to the extent that it prompts us to wonder if the makers really had good intentions while deciding to use it as the movie's crux. Much like most films directed by men and revolving around themes like rape and assault, Maareesan also completely invisibilises the victims and survivors and turns it into yet another male-saviour narrative. The erasure of victims is so blatant that the only time they are shown on screen is to give viewers a glimpse of the trauma they went through, to justify the actions of Velayudham. It's as if they had no existence before the crime they faced or an identity beyond that. Besides making Velayudham and Dhaya say dialogues denouncing child sexual abuse and the need for stringent punishments for the perpetrators, the film as a whole doesn't contribute to that cause, and hence, the lines eventually come across as performative. For a person to transform, realising their past mistakes and problematic mindsets, thus registering character growth, is totally plausible. So, the possibility that the same Sudheesh Sankar who made the atrocious Villali Veeran could have undergone a change of heart and chosen to make a film about child sexual abuse was not out of the question. However, the way the topic has been woven into Maareesan and handled makes one wonder, did he really mean to condemn it? Or was he simply and shamelessly playing to the gallery both times? First, by creating a misogynistic monolith when such harmful portrayals were normalised, and now, by making a film about child sexual abuse at a time when socially conscious cinema is in the spotlight. Maareesan movie cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu, Kovai Sarala, Vivek Prasanna, Sithara Maareesan movie director: Sudheesh Sankar Maareesan movie rating: 2 stars Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at ... Read More
Hans India
23 minutes ago
- Hans India
Bold defence reforms and strategic self-reliance mark PM Modi's 11 year-milestone
New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi surpasses Indira Gandhi, becoming India's second-longest-serving Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru, his 11-year tenure stands marked by a transformative overhaul of India's defence sector, with a sharp focus on indigenous capabilities, swift military responses, and modernisation. Since taking office in 2014, PM Modi has prioritised 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)' in defence manufacturing, reversing decades of import-dependency. Under his leadership, India has emerged as one of the world's top 25 arms exporters, with over Rs one lakh crore in defence exports reported in the last few years. According to the Ministry of Defence, 'Defence exports have grown 21 times, from Rs 4,312 crore in the 2004-14 decade to Rs 88,319 crore in the 2014-24 decade, highlighting India's expanding role in the global defence sector.' Key milestones include the successful production of LCA Tejas fighter jets, the development of the Prachand Light Combat Helicopter, and indigenous artillery systems like Dhanush and ATAGS, along with others. 'Strategic reforms, private sector involvement, and robust R&D have led to the development of advanced military platforms like the Dhanush Artillery Gun System, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun, Light Specialist Vehicles, High Mobility Vehicles, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Akash Missile System, Weapon Locating Radar, 3D Tactical Control Radar, and Software Defined Radio (SDR), as well as naval assets like destroyers, indigenous aircraft carriers, submarines, frigates, corvettes, fast patrol vessels, fast attack craft, and offshore patrol vessels,' the MoD said. The Modi government also greenlit the creation of two defence corridors -- in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu -- to attract private investment and promote local manufacturing. Over 70 per cent of India's defence procurement budget in 2024-25 was earmarked for indigenous sources. Strategically, PM Modi's era has been defined by a decisive shift in India's military posture. After the deadly terrorist attack at the Pathankot airbase in 2016 and the Uri Army camp attack later that year, India conducted its first cross-border surgical strikes, sending a clear message of zero tolerance toward terrorism. This assertiveness was further amplified in 2019 with the Balakot airstrikes following the Pulwama attack, marking the first Indian air raid on Pakistani territory since 1971. In May 2025, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, a massive retaliatory mission targeting terror launchpads across the LoC and PoK in retaliation for a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 innocents were gunned down by Pakistani-based terrorists. The operation highlighted the Indian Army's enhanced surveillance, strike precision, and integrated warfare capabilities. Modernisation has accelerated through key acquisitions like the Rafale fighter jets, Apache and Chinook helicopters, and S-400 missile systems. The ageing MiG-29 fleet is being gradually phased out to make way for new-generation platforms like the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft), which is under development by HAL and DRDO. As PM Modi crosses a historic milestone, India's defence ecosystem stands significantly stronger -- not just in hardware, but in strategic clarity, indigenous innovation, and global stature.
NDTV
23 minutes ago
- NDTV
Thai Man Dies After Drinking Only Alcohol For Entire Month Following Divorce
A Thai man was found dead by his son in the bedroom after drinking only beer for the past month, having undergone a divorce recently. The man, identified as Thaweesak Namwongsa, 44, lived in the Ban Chang district of Rayong, Thailand, where he was found unconscious by his 16-year-old son. Since the split with his wife, Mr Namwongsa had refused to eat any food and only consumed liquor to drown his sorrow. His son attempted to feed him solid food by cooking hot meals every day, but a heartbroken Mr Namwongsa simply would not stomach anything. The boy told the police that he found his father unconscious after suffering a seizure when he returned home from school. Rescue workers from the Siam Rayong Foundation were called to the house, but by the time they arrived, Mr Namwongsa had tragically passed away. As per a LADbible report, paramedics found over 100 empty beer bottles in Mr Namwongsa's bedroom. The bottles were aligned in a way that only a narrow path was clear for the father to get in and out of bed. Authorities are set to perform an autopsy, but officials are of the view that excessive alcohol consumption may have likely contributed to Mr Namwongsa's tragic demise. Bet turns deadly Last year, a Thai social media influencer, Thanakarn Kanthee, more popularly known online as "Bank Leicester", died after he gulped two bottles of whisky as part of a bet. Mr Kanthee was offered 30,000 Thai baht (Rs 75,228) to down the bottles as part of a challenge at a party. Mr Kanthee, who was already drunk, accepted the challenge and quickly drank two bottles in 20 minutes. However, he soon became unconscious due to alcohol poisoning and was rushed to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The police arrested a man named Ekkachart Meephrom, aka "Em Ekkachart", who hired Mr Kanthee to take on the challenge. Police said that during questioning, Mr Ekkachart confessed to the offence, adding that it was his mother, Supranee Phoonkasi who organised the party
