Latest news with #AbhishekBanerjee
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Trailer of Stolen released, film gains early industry attention
The trailer for 'Stolen,' starring Abhishek Banerjee, has been released, garnering praise from audiences and film industry members alike. Directed by Karan Tejpal, the film delves into the emotional and psychological consequences of crime. Having already screened at international film festivals, including Venice, 'Stolen' is generating buzz for its realistic narrative and hard-hitting theme. The trailer for Stolen , featuring Abhishek Banerjee in the lead, has been released on social media, drawing attention from both audiences and members of the film industry. The film, directed by Karan Tejpal , explores the emotional and psychological impact of a crime through a grounded, realistic narrative. Stolen has already screened at several international film festivals, including the Venice Film Festival, where it received positive critical response and audience appreciation. Following the trailer release, several actors shared their support for the film online. Kriti Sanon, who co-starred with Banerjee in Bhediya , posted, 'Looks amazing Banerjee sahab. Looking forward to watching another performance of yours.' Varun Dhawan and Rajkummar Rao also reacted to the trailer, praising the film's tone and storytelling. With its focus on a hard-hitting theme and a minimalistic visual style, Stolen is shaping up to be a film that aims to spark conversation around crime and its aftermath in society. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Where other Opposition parties walked a tightrope, and Congress tied itself up in knots
The Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor and the highly-publicised diplomatic tour of multi-party delegations to over 30 countries have thrown up a few surprises in the Opposition ranks. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has smashed the stereotypical image his opponents had cast him into; Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has eclipsed his party, earning all-round praise for his authoritative explanation of the military action against Pakistan; while Trinamool Congress leaders Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee have deftly walked the tightrope between 'nationalism' and their opposition to the BJP, with the nephew drawing notice for his forceful denunciation of Pakistan, as part of his all-party team abroad. Among the predictables, the Congress ranked the highest, its actions marked by typical confusion, leaving it familiarly tied up in knots. Having handled the days following the Pahalgam terror attack well, standing in full solidarity with the government and reining in its motormouths, the Congress has let all that flow out of the window. The most glaring example has been the party's response to the all-party delegations chosen by the government to present India's case against Pakistan abroad. If that was a canny move by a government not known to cede space to the Opposition, the Congress – rather than recognising when it is beat – has been churlish, starting with picking at names of its leaders chosen by the government for the teams. The Congress could have looked in its own corner, at the TMC, for cues. The party that is in as bitter a battle of survival against the BJP as the Congress, with the poll war of Bengal looming months from now, has held its own when served the same fait accompli. Mamata too put her foot down at the government's choice of TMC leaders to be part of the all-party delegations. But when she said Yusuf Pathan would stay out, he did. This, in turn, made the government reach out to the third largest party in Parliament to make amends, giving Mamata a chance to nominate her No. 2 and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, giving the young MP a national platform he has wanted. Granted that the Congress could not count on its own leaders toeing the party line on the issue of staying out once picked by the government – which selected names that were not just among the best of Congress talent but also leaders who felt sidelined within its ranks. Given this reality, the Congress would have done well to handle this matter in-house, rather than in full public view. The Congress did not let the matter rest even after this, making a barely concealed attempt at graciousness by saying its leaders would 'of course, go with the delegations and make their contributions'. No sooner had the teams left though, the party denounced the exercise as an attempt to 'divert attention' from the tough questions Prime Minister Narendra Modi is 'being called to answer'. The most unseeming spectacle has been the sniping between the Congress's own leaders and Tharoor who, by all accounts, is the star speaker of the delegations. As this plays out publicly on social media, it is being amplified by the party's communications department, with apparently no efforts to check the same. Many wondered why the party then allowed its leaders to be part of the all-party government exercise in the first place. In the party's defence, Congress leaders argue that the comparison to others is misplaced as all other parties are single-leader entities. 'Sharad Pawar will never complain that his daughter was asked to head one of the delegations without consulting him. The same is the case with the DMK. M K Stalin would not have a problem with Kanimozhi leading a delegation. Owaisi need not ask anyone… Even Mamata… had the government nominated Abhishek (in the first place), she also would not have thrown a fit,' one Congress leader said. However, the Congress is on thin ice here, as most parties – and that includes the Aam Aadmi Party, RJD, Samajwadi Party and the CPI(M), where party writ runs supreme – chose not to make an issue of the names chosen by the government. It was not a battle these parties perhaps wanted to pick. Again, while Opposition parties other than the Congress too have been demanding convening of a special session of Parliament, most have thought it politically prudent to desist from seeming too persistent with questions on Operation Sindoor. It is an issue they have let pass at the moment, even though many believe Modi and the BJP are using Operation Sindoor politically. For the TMC, the balancing act has been the toughest, given the elections ahead and given that Muslims are its big support base. So, Mamata has been clear in her rhetorical signal to the Muslim community that the Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in Bengal. Meanwhile, Abhishek, while representing the Indian government in the all-party delegations, is underlining that the TMC can be as aggressive on nationalism as the BJP. His remarks in Tokyo, saying, 'If terrorism is a rabid dog, Pakistan is its vile handler. We must first unite the world to tackle this wild handler – else it will continue to breed more rabid dogs', is being amplified by the TMC. In Tokyo, Abhishek also made it a point to visit the memorial of Rash Behari Bose and raised its 'neglected and dilapidated state'. 'I have requested our Ambassador and the Indian Embassy in Tokyo to take up the matter with concerned authorities and ensure that this remarkable hero receives the honour he truly deserves,' he then said in a social media post. Meanwhile, Congress sympathisers are ruing that yet again, the party's sorry state of affairs stands exposed, with those calling the shots not willing to acknowledge or accommodate leaders like Tharoor who are not in agreement with the way the party is being run, decisions and stands taken, or policies formulated.
Scroll.in
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Meeting diaspora, watching garba, speaking to ANI: What anti-terror MP delegations are doing abroad
Seven delegations comprising retired Indian diplomats and MPs from all major political parties are travelling around the world to deliver India's message of zero tolerance for cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. According to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the reason for picking members from parties across the political spectrum was to 'project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism' on the world stage. But many MPs appear to be treating this as an opportunity to project themselves to their voters back home too. The public engagements of prominent politicians participating in this exercise show that the challenge of Pakistan-backed terrorism is not the only one taking up all their time. The netas are paying special attention to the Indian diaspora, attending cultural functions and speaking to the Indian media. Domestic politics first For example, Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, visited the memorial of Bengali freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose in Tokyo on May 23. There, he complained about the rundown condition of the structure dedicated to this 'great son of Bengal' and asked the Indian ambassador in Japan to take it up with the local authorities. Banerjee also offered prayers at the Ramakrishna Mission in Singapore. This sect of Hinduism, which originated in nineteenth-century Kolkata and spread across the world, continues to wield a powerful influence in West Bengal. During his official visit to Japan, Shri @abhishekaitc took time from his demanding schedule to visit the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo, where he paid solemn tribute to freedom fighter, national hero, and one of Bengal's most revered son — Shri Rash Behari Bose. — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 23, 2025 The Bengal leader was by no means the only one playing to his gallery at home on this global sojourn. Ideological opponents both to his Left and Right did not lose sight of their domestic audiences either. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, who is part of the Indian contingent touring Bahrain and Kuwait, spoke to journalists there about subjects like India's foreign policy and Pakistan-linked terrorism. Except that the interviews were for Indian news wire agencies, such as Asian News International and Press Trust of India. John Brittas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was in Seoul meeting South Korean ministers and dignitaries. But he still found the time to write a long response to his Kerala rival Shashi Tharoor, who had criticised the CPI(M)-led Kerala government for providing aid to Turkey after an earthquake in February 2023. Photo ops and desi meetups Tharoor, himself an expert on international relations, is leading a delegation too. His group has so far visited the United States, Guyana and Panama. All three countries are members of the United Nations Security Council at present. Soon after the group arrived in New York City on May 24, they paid their respects at the 9/11 memorial and museum. It was a gesture intended to resonate with America's own experience with terrorism. However, there were no American elected representatives around to witness it or meet the Indians because the US Congress is currently in recess. The visit did receive substantial media coverage – but only in India. American papers and television channels did not consider it newsworthy. After this Tharoor's delegation headed to Guyana first and then Panama. On Thursday, the Congress MP shared pictures from his visit to the Panama Canal, which he called an 'engineering marvel'. The group in Kuwait, led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, also went to sites of cultural significance, such as the Grand Mosque. In the National Library, they studied 'rare manuscripts, ancient books, historical coins' displayed as part of an exhibition to commemorate 250 years of friendship between India and Kuwait. Besides such efforts, most delegations are devoting a lot of time to meeting the Indian diaspora. Tharoor's group, for example, spoke to members of the Indian community everywhere it went. The Congress leader even posted pictures from a garba performance at one such event in Panama supposedly attended by 300 Gujaratis and Sindhis. In Qatar, Manish Tewari, another Congress MP, spoke in Hindi while talking to expat Indians about Pakistan's involvement in terrorism against India. When Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi met with Indians in Kuwait , he described Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir as 'stupid jokers'. Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar also put up social media posts about their meetings with meetings the Indian diaspora. Chaturvedi was in France, while Sule was in South Africa. Our conversation with the Indian diaspora based in Paris was heartening and heartfelt. They continue to be the best brand ambassadors of India. 3/ — Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) May 27, 2025 The diplomatic grind The aim of this diplomatic exercise was to convince the world that India had no option but to respond firmly to the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead and that its military action against Pakistan was 'focused, measured and non-escalatory' in nature. But public documents released by the Ministry of External Affairs suggest that most foreign governments hosting the Indian delegations are yet to be convinced. While ministers and dignitaries in these countries have extended solidarity and support to India in its fight against terrorism, they are stopping short of ascribing the responsibility for Pahalgam to Pakistan. The responses received by the Indian contingent travelling through East Asia illustrate this. That group managed to get an audience with the foreign minister of Japan, who expressed his 'heartfelt condolences' to the victims of the terror attack. They also met the junior foreign minister of Singapore. 'Singapore strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and stands with India against terrorism,' she told them. However, neither of these officials made any mention of Pakistan. There were cultural performances (the garba stood out), a lively q&A… — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 28, 2025 The vice foreign minister of South Korea also 'condemned the [Pahalgam] attack and expressed understanding of India's position' during his meeting with the delegation. But he did not offer explicit support for India's actions during Operation Sindoor. Harsh Pant, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation and a professor of international relations at King's College London contended that in spite of this lack of visible impact at the moment, the delegations were a good idea. 'The world has a lot of things to worry about at the moment and the India-Pakistan issue is not a top priority,' Pant explained. 'But India is doing well to ensure that its message about how it wants to deal with the issue of terrorism is conveyed to its partners and allies. The move to send all-party delegations is a good, sound one. We will find out its effectiveness as time goes by.'
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Congress sticking out like a sore thumb is really dumb
"I will not let my political interests come in the way of my national interest," said Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee in Singapore. What the Trinamool Congress, and for that matter, most parties understand, the Congress doesn't. And that's why it not just sticks out like a sore thumb, but is losing ground as the main Opposition has sent seven teams with a rainbow coalition of leaders across the world to present its case on Operation Sindoor and suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Among others, if there is Banerjee from TMC, there's Shashi Tharoor from the Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Shiv Sena (UBT), John Brittas of the CPM and Asaduddin Owaisi of the national duty, each one of these leaders and others have been speaking vociferously for India and their parties have backed them wholeheartedly. All, barring the as the parties are busy amplifying the voices of their leaders representing India, the Congress is busy fact-checking damaging for the cause is that Congress leaders are calling Tharoor a "super BJP spokesperson" at a time when the MP is a representative not just of his constituency, but all the citizens of is leading a team that is visiting the US, other than Panama, Guyana, Brazil, and suave, erudite Tharoor and his team have a big task cut out. With Donald Trump in the Oval Office, DC's diplomacy is akin to Russian unhappiness of the Congress brass with Tharoor must be the worst-kept secret of India's politics. But the party trying to pull him down at this juncture works not just against the country's interests but is a betrayal of its longstanding legacy of Prime Ministers, Congress's Indira Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao sent opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee on diplomatic other reason India has launched a rarely-seen-before diplomatic blitz is because Pakistan, incidentally, is a non-permanent member of the UNSC with its term ending in 2026. It will try to use the platform for spreading misinformation, what it has been doing since the Pahalgam attack, taking it to a crescendo after Op Sindoor. That enemy and its guile is what the country's representatives are trying to preempt across over 30 countries across the Congress had a problem with Tharoor being made a part of the recent post-Op Sindoor mission from the very beginning. When asked for a list by the government, it chose to ignore Tharoor, who had been vocal of India's anti-terror fight and Pakistan's terror exports since the Pahalgam around 30 years at the UN, Tharoor, who is an author, thought leader and orator, is one of the most ideal candidates for the Congress might have problems with Tharoor, this is the worst time to air was Tharoor's assertion that India's terror response under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed and that the first surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) came in 2016, with Modi at the helm, was what got the Congress's however, has expressed that he doesn't have the time for petty politics."After a long and successful day in Panama, i have to wind up at midnight here with departure for Bogota, Colombia in six hours, so I don't really have time for this..." But then he addressed the likes of Pawan Khera and Udit Raj — and called them exactly what they were "zealots".The Congress would be doing itself a favour if it can put muzzles on the leaders, because this is dumbness at its worst and exposes the party as a sore Watch
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
TMC fires ‘pol tourism' salvo, asks where's Bengal's money
1 2 Kolkata: Saying that PM Narendra Modi 's "political statements" were "undesirable", TMC on Wednesday added: "On terrorism we are with Centre, but we will respond to political canards strongly." "These are frog-in-the-well type of political statements which is completely out of sync with TMC's resolute stand against terrorism which is being carried beyond borders by party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee," party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. "Has PM Modi been to Pahalgam, or those bordering villages (in Poonch, Uri and Rajouri) where people have been killed? TMC netas went there. Forget J&K, has the PM ever been to Manipur? North Bengal is flooded with tourists now... it's that time of the year. Another tourist... a political one... will be there tomorrow. And we strongly believe he will come empty-handed," Ghosh said. He went on to say: "TMC, led by CM Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, has repeatedly expressed its complete support to Centre on the issue of terrorism. We did not rake up other issues at this critical juncture. But that doesn't mean that we cannot. A BJP minister's son in Gujarat has been caught with fake 100-day-work job cards. In Alipurduar, where the PM is to speak, Centre has denied MGNREGA and Awas dues to people. " The party also ticked off north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha's statement demanding an end to the "sindoor business". Guha had earlier in the day said without naming anyone, "Some people earlier were in the tea business. Now some of them are in the sindoor business. Earlier they used to sell hot tea, now hot sindoor is flowing in their veins. They are running to north Bengal's Alipurduar to sell this sindoor. But I want to say this... do not poison people's minds like this. They are trying to poison people... and divide people." Ghosh said, "The party does not endorse such statements. On the issue of fight against terrorism, we are with Centre." In Delhi, Trinamool's Rajya Sabha deputy speaker Sagarika Ghose attacked BJP for trying to politicise Operation Sindoor . "The political effort by BJP to politicise Operation Sindoor is deplorable. It is the bravery of our armed forces which we are saluting. For BJP to try to politicise this is highly unacceptable. It is the politics of spectacle, it is the politics of drama, and it is the politics of histrionics," she said. "We do not believe that the sacrifice and bravery of our armed forces should be politicised in this way. Even the PM is engaging in the most theatrical type of politics over Operation Sindoor," she added. In a separate statement, TMC dubbed PM Modi's visit as "the first pre-election migratory trip before the 2026 assembly polls" and sought answers to its long-standing query — 'where is Bengal's money?'
