Latest news with #Naseer
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Naseeruddin Shah was jobless and drunk…': Jalwa director recalls being mocked by actor, getting him to do his film
Naseeruddin Shah is often associated with some of the finest works of Indian cinema's parallel movement, with films like Manthan, Sparsh, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai, and Aakrosh. Yet, during the 1980s, he also ventured into more mainstream fare, one of the most notable being Pankaj Parashar's Jalwa. Remarkably, Jalwa came at a time when Naseeruddin had just delivered the acclaimed Paar, for which he won the prestigious Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of Naurangia. The transition from such a powerful, serious performance to a slick commercial action-comedy was seen as a shocking shift. Now, in a recent conversation with Sutradhar, director Pankaj Parashar opened up about how Naseeruddin came on board for Jalwa. 'Naseer didn't have any work at the time, he had no films in hand when I signed him for Jalwa. And the funny thing is, he had just done Paar, and had won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, where Robert De Niro was the runner-up. That was the level he was at.' Parashar went on to recall a hilarious incident from a party, one that led to Shah's unlikely casting. 'I had gone to a party, I saw Om Puri and a lot of others there, and sitting somewhere off to the left on the floor was Naseeruddin Shah, with a steel glass in his hand. I remember it like it was yesterday. He asked me, 'Pankaj, what are you up to?' I told him, 'I'm making a film.' He had done voiceovers for four episodes of my TV series Karamchand, so he said, 'I like Karamchand. Now do something good.' I told him, 'I'm making Tarzan.' He paused for a moment, probably sipping rum, and said, 'You're making Tarzan? Who's in it?' I said, 'Hemant Birje.' He said, 'You're going to work with Hemant Birje in Tarzan? You're a gold medalist from film school, you've made Karamchand, and now you're going to do this crap?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm doing it. I've signed Kimi Katkar.' He said, 'Don't be an idiot.' I said, 'You keep drinking whatever it is you're drinking, let me do my thing.' Honestly, I was getting demoralised internally, because he was my senior, and more than that, he was Naseeruddin Shah. So I again told him, 'I'm doing it.' Then he said, 'Do one thing — cast me as Tarzan.' I said, 'Naseer, please keep drinking what you're drinking, you're hallucinating.' I left.' Also Read | When it was 'harrowing' for Naseeruddin Shah to dance alongside Mithun Chakraborty: 'First time I became aware of split personality' He further recounted: 'The next day I told Gul Anand (the producer), 'That guy's crazy, he said he wants to play Tarzan.' Gul Anand heard this, stood up, and said, 'Naseeruddin Shah can play Mickey Mouse if he wants, call him!' I called him, and we went to meet him. And Naseer actually said, 'I'm doing it. I'm joining Sea Rock (gym), and in six months I'll build my body, you'll see.' When we came down from his house, Gul said, 'I'm excited.' Then I told him, 'Maybe we shouldn't make Tarzan.' But Gul, being extra smart, said, 'Let's remake Beverly Hills Cop, throw in some Commando-style action, and flip the whole thing. And you bring in your Karamchand-style touch, plus Naseeruddin Shah building a body. That'll get front-page coverage!' So that was the plan, and then we wrote Jalwa.' Jalwa, co-starring Archana Puran Singh, went on to become a huge box-office success. It was later remade in Telugu in 1988 as Trinetrudu by A Kodandarami Reddy, starring Chiranjeevi.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Haleon invests $12m in Panadol
Listen to article Haleon Pakistan has announced a fresh investment of $12 million to expand its manufacturing capacity, focusing on scaling up Panadol production. The move aims to meet growing domestic demand and ensure consistent availability of the widely used pain relief medicine. Speaking at Haleon's head office, CEO and General Manager Qawi Naseer said the company's 2022 demerger from GSK enabled it to focus exclusively on consumer healthcare. This shift has given the company greater autonomy to invest locally, innovate brands, and support community initiatives. Over the past three years, Haleon has made significant progress, including local production of Centrum, now available in both domestic and export markets. Naseer said the new $12 million investment is part of a broader plan to enhance production capabilities, subject to regulatory approvals. "Pakistan offers immense investment potential, but what's needed is policy consistency. Long-term economic frameworks of 5 to 10 years, advocated by bodies like The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) and The Pakistan Business Council (PBC), are crucial for boosting investor confidence," he said. He also praised the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for its pro-industry policies and regulatory support. The announcement comes as Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector shows signs of renewed strength, driven by macroeconomic stability and recent regulatory reforms. Analyst Muryum Palekar of Optimus Capital Management said deregulation of non-essential medicines, comprising 58% of the sector, has given long sought after firms pricing flexibility, improving margins despite modest volume growth. Palekar noted that population growth, urbanisation, and rising health awareness are structural trends supporting long-term growth. She named AGP, Abbot (ABOT), and GSK (GLAXO) as top investment picks, with the sector trading at a discount despite improving fundamentals. Historically tied to currency fluctuations, the sector is now benefiting from a more stable exchange rate and normalised raw material prices. In 2024, the pharma sector on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) delivered a 228% return, driven by deregulation and improved macro conditions. With local manufacturing expanding and market conditions improving, Haleon's new investment signals growing confidence in Pakistan's pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystem. On International Self?Care Day, Naseer discussed the company's ongoing investment strategy, self-care philosophy, and commitment to Pakistan. He confirmed that Haleon's new factory in Jamshoro is under construction and invited stakeholders to visit once the project is completed to experience it "in its prime". The site will increase Panadol production from 6 billion to 8 billion tablets annually. Future investments depend on DRAP's approvals. "Our global team has full confidence in Pakistan's potential," Naseer said. He added that the facility meets top international standards, including automated, touch?free packaging to ensure product purity. Naseer highlighted Pakistan's position as the fifth most populous country, with rising healthcare demand. He credited investor optimism to the passion and talent of Pakistani professionals, whom he compared favourably to global counterparts. Despite challenges such as energy, water, and logistics constraints, Haleon has taken proactive steps to mitigate risks. The Jamshoro facility is now 98% solar-powered, and an on-site RO water filtration system ensures a steady supply. He concluded by stressing the need for stable economic policies and consistent regulatory frameworks, which are critical to attracting foreign investment and sustaining long-term growth.
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Production capacity boost: Haleon plans to ramp up investment in Pakistan
KARACHI: Haleon has planned to ramp up its investment in Pakistan with an initial outlay of $12 million, aimed at expanding its production capacity. As part of this strategic move, the company will scale up the manufacturing of Panadol to meet the country's rising demand more efficiently and ensure consistent supply of this essential medicine. Speaking to media at Haleon's head office, Qawi Naseer, CEO and General Manager Haleon Pakistan said that the demerger from GSK in 2022 allowed Haleon to focus exclusively on consumer healthcare, besides giving a greater autonomy to invest in local operations, brand innovation, and community impact initiatives. Haleon is a world leader in consumer health, operating in 170 markets with a portfolio spanning Oral Health, Pain Relief, Respiratory Health, Digestive Health, Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, and Therapeutic Skin Health. Haleon Pakistan names Qawi Naseer as next CEO He said over the past three years, Haleon has achieved several significant milestones, including the successful launch of locally manufactured Centrum, which now caters to both domestic and export markets. Additionally, the company has committed a $12 million investment to scale up Panadol production to 8 billion tablets annually at the Jamshoro facility to efficiently meet the rising demand, Naseer added. 'We have a broader investment plan to further expand our manufacturing facility; however, these are subject to approvals from the regulatory authorities. We have submitted some plans, once the necessary approvals are secured, we will proceed with additional investments to enhance our production lines accordingly', he added. He also appreciated the role of DRAP in implementing the industry friendly policies. He informed that the majority of production of the Haleon is currently serving domestic demand, besides exports to Vietnam and Philippines. In addition, the goal is to export to 19 countries in the next 12-18 months, targeting 10 percent of total sales from exports. In order to enhance the exports, there will be a need to add more production lines, CEO Haleon said. Naseer emphasized that Pakistan is a land of opportunities, but consistent and sustainable economic policies are essential to attract greater investment. 'Organizations like OICCI and PBC are ready to support the government in formulating long-term economic policies spanning at least 5 to 10 years,' he noted. 'Such measures will play a key role in restoring investor confidence in Pakistan's economy,' he added. Haleon Pakistan is working with 450 employees across the country and a manufacturing facility in Jamshoro, besides regional sales offices in Multan, Lahore, and Islamabad. 'Haleon's transformation journey, exporting Centrum from Jamshoro and scaling local manufacturing, felt like a powerful platform to make a real difference,' he said. He informed that Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) are imported by all healthcare companies in Pakistan, however, the company is actively exploring local sourcing partnerships where feasible, without compromising on quality or compliance. Naseer encouraged allocation of ?200 million under science and technology for API import substitution and biotech R&D and said that this signals a positive step toward reducing Pakistan's reliance on imports and aligns with Haleon's interest in exploring local sourcing partnerships. However, he expressed concern about the introduction of an 18 percent sales tax on e-commerce transactions, especially since many consumers today rely on online channels to access OTC products like Panadol and Centrum. This could affect affordability and access, he said. Haleon has also strengthened its CSR footprint through health, education, and clean water initiatives across regions. Through the Health Partner Medical Information (HPMI) platform, Haleon trains healthcare professionals in self-care guidance. The briefing was part of the activities held to commemorate International Self-Care Day and to celebrate Haleon's third anniversary as an independent consumer health company. Naseer reaffirmed Haleon's commitment to empowering individuals to take charge of their everyday health through innovative and accessible self-care solutions. Haleon's mission under the commitment to self-care, is to empower individuals to manage their health through trusted products, education, and accessible solutions. With 57.5 percent of healthcare costs in Pakistan paid out-of-pocket, self-care, which is a preventive approach to healthcare, is critical for affordability and access, particularly in underserved areas. Haleon has taken multiple Initiatives for self-care and supporting healthcare professionals with self-care tools and training, collaborations with TCF, Smile Train, Allay Walay Trust, Oladoc, Marham, and Unicef to promote health equity, nutrition, and oral care and running awareness campaigns focused on preventive healthcare, oral hygiene, and maternal health. With access to healthcare remaining uneven and often unaffordable in Pakistan, self-care is emerging as a critical public health tool. Haleon is promoting self-care by empowering individuals to take charge of their health through trusted products and credible information, he informed. In 2024, the Haleon plant launched the 'SunPower Survival' project to further increase its renewable energy capacity by an additional 0.38 MWp. Of this, 0.18 MWp was successfully commissioned in 2024, with the remaining 0.2 MWp scheduled for commissioning in 2025. The site utilized an established third-party waste composting facility to improve waste circularity, converting approximately 31,529 kgs/annually of organic waste into fertilizer, thereby contributing positively to environmental sustainability. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Indian Express
Bengaluru prison psychiatrist bought phones for Rs 8,000, sold them to prisoners for Rs 25,000: NIA
An investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the usage of mobile phones by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-linked terror convict housed in the Bengaluru Central Prison has revealed that a prison psychiatrist was procuring mobile phones from a local mobile store for prices ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and selling it to prisoners for Rs 25,000. The NIA, which is investigating a prison radicalisation case, where the LeT-linked convict Thadiyantavide Naseer, 47, is accused of radicalising youths in the prison, arrested prison psychiatrist Dr S Nagaraj on July 8 for allegedly supplying mobile phones to Naseer and other prisoners at the Bengaluru Central prison. Naseer has been convicted in a terrorism case in Kerala and is currently under trial for the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case and the prison radicalisation case. The NIA has now sought to question some prisoners in the Bengaluru central jail who were alleged recipients of mobile phones sold by the prison psychiatrist through prison intermediaries. A special court for terrorism cases has allowed the NIA to question a murder convict from Karnataka who is housed in the Bengaluru Central Prison as part of further investigations. The NIA probe has found that the prison psychiatrist lived a lavish life with frequent visits to holiday resorts around the country and that one of his two mistresses allegedly helped him in procuring and supplying phones to prisoners in the Bengaluru Central Prison. The NIA has found during its investigations that Dr Nagaraj purchased mobile phones from a mobile store near his house and 'illegally took/smuggled them into the prison and further handed over the said mobile phones to the convicted prisoners'. The prison psychiatrist took Rs 25,000 per mobile from the prisoners while he purchased the mobile phones at prices ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000, the NIA said in court filings. The NIA is investigating the source of funds for convicted prisoners like T Naseer, who are lodged in the high security barrack of the prison, to buy cell phones. Naseer is alleged to have been sold phones at a higher cost by the psychiatrist than other prisoners. 'These mobile phones are purchased under the pseudo name of Raghu. He has also disclosed that the mobile phone used by accused No.1 T Naseer was also purchased by him from Priya mobile in the pseudo name of Raghu,' the NIA court has noted. The psychiatrist allegedly received cash from the convicted prisoners for smuggling phones into the prison. The special court has directed prison authorities to allow NIA officials to conduct further investigations in the prison on the phone supplies and usage by T Naseer and others. The LeT-linked Naseer, who has been in the Bengaluru prison since 2009, was accused in 2023 of being a key player in a prison radicalisation initiative where he allegedly radicalised eight undertrial youths lodged in the prison from 2017 to 2023 to take up jihad when they are released from prison. Seven youths are arrested and one is still missing. Seven of the eight prisoners arrested in the case, including Naseer, moved an application in the special court on July 7 to plead guilty in the prison radicalisation, terror conspiracy case, which the NIA is currently investigating. On July 8, the NIA arrested three more people in the case: Dr Nagaraj, a Central Armed Reserve policeman; Chan Bhasha; and Anees Fathima, the mother of Junaid Ahmed, a missing accused in the radicalisation case, for allegedly aiding the prison activities of Naseer. Apart from Naseer, the other arrested accused in the prison case are Syed Suhail, 24; Mohammed Umar, 30; Zahid Tabrez, 27; Syed Mudassir Pasha, 29; Mohammed Faisal, 29; Salman Khan, 29; and Vikram Kumar alias Chota Usman, 25. Among the three arrested on July 8, Anees Fathima is accused of facilitating financial transactions between various accused persons in the conspiracy case, the policeman Pasha is accused of providing police escort details of T Naseer to other accused persons on payment of bribes, and the psychiatrist Dr Nagaraj is accused of smuggling phones into the prison. The investigation of the prison terror conspiracy case was taken over by the NIA in October 2023 after the Bengaluru police conducted the early investigations. The probe agencies have alleged that the accused procured arms, ammunition and digital devices for terrorist activities after they were radicalised in prison by Naseer. The initial Bengaluru police probe indicated that Naseer, who had been in prison for over 13 years, radicalised a few members of a group of 20 youths who were lodged in the Bengaluru central prison between 2017 and 2019 for the murder of a businessman in Bengaluru in October 2017. The police alleged that Naseer inspired Junaid Ahmed, 29, one of the 20 youths who were arrested in 2017, in the case of the murder of the businessman, to take up the cause of his religion and facilitated the creation of a module. Junaid Ahmed left the country for Dubai around 2021 and has not been traced yet. Naseer allegedly radicalised Junaid's parents, Anees Fathima and Abdul Basheer, when they were lodged in the Bengaluru prison over a 2017 sandalwood theft case. 'Naseer had orchestrated the radicalisation and subsequent criminal activities, including plans to facilitate his own escape enroute to the court from the prison and a conspiracy to further the operations of the proscribed terrorist organisation LeT,' the NIA said last year. Naseer who was arrested in 2009 by the Bengaluru police for the 2008 serial blasts in the city which killed one person is among 18 members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) convicted for seven years in 2018 by an NIA court in Kerala for being part of a terror training camp at Vagamon in Kerala in 2007.
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Time of India
6 booked for minor girl's abduction, conversion & sexual assault
Shravasti: Police have registered a case against six people, including five named suspects, for allegedly luring a minor girl from Nainital (Uttarakhand) into a "love trap," forcing her religious conversion, and sexually assaulting her. Four police personnel, including a station officer and three constables, have been suspended for allegedly taking bribes to release the accused. According to police reports, Abdul Rahman, a resident of Laxmanpur Kothi, brought the minor girl from Nainital in Feb by deceiving her and began keeping her as his wife. When the girl became pregnant, Rahman took her to a local doctor, along with his father Naseer, to get an abortion. The victim was then hidden at the house of Rahman's brother-in-law Maiku, who also sexually assaulted her. Rahman subsequently married another girl. The minor was later kept at the house of another brother-in-law, Asraafil, a resident of Bahraich, who also sexually assaulted her. When the matter came to police attention, two constables from Malhipur police station Vijay Yadav and Dinesh Shukla allegedly took Rs 1.20 lakh and released Rahman and Naseer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing Older Women should Avoid Learn More Undo Later, when officers at Sonwa police station, including Station Officer Atul Yadav, learned about the case, they allegedly took Rs 3 lakh to suppress the entire matter. Police showed the minor girl as a vagrant and sent her from a One Stop Centre with an alleged cousin named Priyanshu Arya. Following complaints from local residents, SP Ghanshyam Chaurasiya took cognisance of the matter. Cases were registered against Abdul Rahman, his father Naseer, brothers-in-law Maiku and Israafil, Alimul, and one unknown person under various sections including kidnapping, wrongful confinement, sexual assault, and forced abortion. SP Chaurasiya said the investigation revealed negligence by Sonwa SHO Gannath Prasad, who has been attached to police lines. Sonwa police inspector Atul Yadav and constable Girish Sharma, along with Malhipur police station constables Vijay Yadav and Dinesh Shukla, have been suspended.
