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Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Would love to do more antagonist roles: Actor Soha Ali Khan
New Delhi, Fresh off her role as a villain in the horror movie "Chhorii 2", actor Soha Ali Khan says she's eager to take on more antagonist characters and delve into the complex shades of grey. Talking to PTI on the sidelines of a panel discussion organised by the Almond Board of California in Pune, Khan admitted that she was being experimental by playing such roles and receiving positive feedback for her performance in "Chhorii 2" has been "very reassuring". "I have always felt that when it comes to cinema the antagonist has so many wonderful layers whereas the hero or heroine are often trapped by the unvirtuous. Now we are exploring characters and getting into grey and we are getting into reality. "So I think it is definitely very interesting to play an antagonist and I would love to do more such roles," said the actor, who plays the character of 'Daasi Maa', an eerie and sinister antagonist. The actor, known for films such as 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster', 'Tum Mile', and 'Ahista Ahista', is making her come back to acting after a seven-year hiatus. She was last seen in "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3" in 2018. Khan, acknowledging that she got little distracted with motherhood, shared that she is motivated to do more work. She recently wrapped up shooting for the thriller "Bridge", in which she stars alongside her "Rang De Basanti" co-actor R Madhavan. The film is set to release later this year. Besides her own comeback, the 46-year-old actor is happy to see her mother, veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, returning to Bengali cinema with "Puratwan", which she starred alongside Rituparna Sengupta. "I was very excited. I guess after 12-14 years she has gone back to Bengali cinema. It is her mother tongue, it is her real passion. She was very excited to work in Bangla again. I think cinema really immortalises you, so as a daughter to watch your mother being immortalised on screen. I think it is something really precious," she added. As a mother herself, when asked which of her own films she'd like her daughter to watch first, she laughed and said, 'Definitely not 'Chhorii 2',' before choosing the 2007 romantic drama film "Khoya Khoya Chand". "It's a biopic, it's about being an actor. I think she would enjoy the different looks, the glamour, the sarees, and the costumes. But more than mine, I would want her to watch 'Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke' by Kunal . That's the movie she would actually really enjoy," she explained. Kemmu was only seven when he played the role of a naughty kid, Sunny, in the 1993 film "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke". The romantic-comedy drama, which stars Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles, is based on the 1958 Hollywood movie "Houseboat". With a family full of A-list stars, including Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, one wonders if there's ever been a temptation for them to collaborate on a project. Khan responded in negative, saying there hasn't been such a plan and that it sounds more like the premise for a reality show, 'that too not a good one". "Our audience is quite savvy. They don't want to see something gimmicky. And now, with social media and everything, you see the family enough on Diwali, on Eid, in reels, and in photographs. I think in films, we need to have some kind of script; we need an original authenticity to justify why all of us have been cast in it," she concluded. The discussion, which also saw fitness expert Yasmin Karachiwala and dietitian Ritika Samaddar as panelists, focused on the importance of protein in addressing India's nutritional gap. It highlighted the role of small dietary changes, like a handful of almonds, in improving protein intake for people across all age groups.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
California almond growers grapple with uncertainty as new tariffs could hit exports
California almond growers are used to dealing with swings in the weather and water supply. Now they must also grapple with the uncertainty of trade battles as the Trump administration levies tariffs on goods from several countries and weighs adding more to the list. With more than three-quarters of California's almond crop headed for export, tariffs could impact where the nut is headed and send ripple effects throughout the state's economy, experts said. The state is the biggest producer of the world's almonds, accounting for about 80 percent of the global supply. Already, China has responded to Trump's move by raising tariffs on U.S. almonds — and that's on top of tariffs levied on the nut in the last Trump administration. 'If we start a trade war with, you know, India, the European Union, parts of the Middle East, then the almond industry in California is going to suffer dramatically,' said Colin Carter, agricultural economist and professor emeritus at University of California, Davis. 'The price will fall even further and you'll see orchards being ripped out, farms being lost. There'd be farms for sale up and down the Valley.' Just weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump has slapped 10% tariffs on China and threatened, then delayed for 30 days, 25% taxes on goods from Canada and Mexico. He has also threatened to expand the trade war by levying reciprocal tariffs on a number of products to match what other countries charge on U.S. goods, which economists say is creating a tough environment for already-challenged farmers trying to plan ahead. Meanwhile, Trump's moves have drawn retaliation from U.S. trading partners. China, for example, has said U.S.-grown chicken, wheat, corn and cotton will face an extra 15% tariff while sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, seafood, fruit, vegetables and dairy products will face an additional 10% — and so will almonds. Almonds are California's biggest agricultural export, and the state reeled in $4.7 billion from almond exports in 2022 with about half going to the European Union and India, state farm data shows. Almond experts said the key for California will be continuing to pursue a range of export markets. 'While China continues to be an important market, California almonds are shipped to more than 100 destinations, therefore maintaining a diverse export program is essential,' said Rick Kushman, spokesperson for the Almond Board of California. Many California farmers in the crop-rich Central Valley have welcomed some of Trump's other policies, specifically aimed at getting more water to their fields. The area — which grows much of the country's fresh produce including citrus fruit and almonds — is largely Republican in a widely Democratic state. But California's almonds will now face a total tariff of 35% in China. That's because Beijing placed tariffs on almonds during Trump's first administration in response to tariffs he levied on Chinese products. The move made California's almonds relatively more expensive to nuts from Australia, which as a result gained market share in China while California's almond experts to China declined, experts said. Since then, many California almond exporters have shifted their focus to other markets, said Zachary Williams, sales director for Stewart & Jasper Orchards in Newman, Calif. He said Canadian buyers currently are scooping up California almonds ahead of tariffs potentially taking effect since the state grows so much of the world's supply. He said any attempt by India to raise tariffs could spark concern the nut might grow too pricey for consumers there. The tariffs are a challenge, he said, but an even bigger one is the lack of certainty for almond growers who don't expect to harvest a new orchard for at least three years and then plan to grow it for two decades. 'The uncertainty is probably more of a problem than the tariff itself,' Williams said. 'Uncertainty about whether there will be, or won't be, is a little harder to plan around.' — Taxin reported from Santa Ana, Calif.
