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New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Suniel Shetty pens heartfelt birthday wish for Paresh Rawal amid ‘Hera Pheri 3' dispute
Rawal's departure has reportedly left both fans and colleagues disheartened. Suniel Shetty, who plays the calm and collected Shyam in the series, expressed his disappointment during an interview with ANI. 'I mean, it's an absolute shock to me. I'm here because I heard it yesterday, and then today, some more news came about. So, I need to call and find out, and I'm completely heartbroken because if there was one film I was looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri, you know,' Shetty said. He also emphasised that the franchise would be incomplete without Rawal's character. 'It cannot happen. One hundred per cent cannot happen without Paresh Rawal. It can have a 1 per cent chance without me and Akshay, but 100 per cent cannot happen without Paresh ji. No, it doesn't. Raju and Shyam, if they're not hammered by Babu here, it doesn't work,' he added. In the original Hera Pheri films, Akshay Kumar played Raju, Suniel Shetty portrayed Shyam, and Paresh Rawal immortalised the character of Baburao, earning widespread acclaim for his comedic timing and memorable dialogues. As fans continue to hope for the return of the original trio, Shetty's message serves as a poignant reminder of the camaraderie and legacy that the Hera Pheri franchise represents.
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Collections from sojourns
In the rural pockets of East Africa, Malaysia, and the islands across Vietnam and Indonesia, the local artisans still cling to their ancestral occupation, sewing art with their bare hands. They walk to the forests, fetch wood, and bring it home. Then the entire family sits, carves, etches, chisels, and paints together, giving shape to traditional artefacts. These scenes were enough to inspire Shyam Chittari to conceive the idea of bringing together such handmade pieces from scattered corners of the globe under a brand he named Bagus — a word that means 'goodness' in Indonesian. The alarming fact that the planet is becoming a dumpyard of plastics, and people are preferring cheaper products over the sustainable ones, propelled him to structure the intangible ideas he had into the brand. Shyam, the director of the Bengaluru-based home décor brand, says, 'During my course of travels, I thought of delving into the creative side of the products, and also trying to market a sustainable and eco-friendly product, which is a tough call in today's market.' The timeless crafts These products are whittled down from natural resources — wood, rattan, bamboo, jute, leaves, twigs, roots, banana fibres, palm and coconut trees, etc. Each piece is unique, 'essentially single products,' because they aren't machine-made. Shyam's labour-intensive process is behind their creation. For example, one of the resources, driftwood, is found on the shores. He explains, 'Most of the wood used is Albizia, which is washed off during heavy rains or typhoons.' The artisans go in search of the wood, bring it home, and go ahead with the making. Shyam says, 'We have the art, we have the skills — we just need to curate them.'
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
REC to Red Corridor: Nambala Keshava Rao, Cherukuri Rajkumar among top Maoists traced back to now NITW
WARANGAL Being a fountainhead of diverse thoughts and ideas is not unusual for any academic institution. However, what is surprising to many is that an engineering college, established with the specific purpose of producing technical manpower and academic leaders, became an epicentre of the Maoist movement that shook the nation. This institution is the Regional Engineering College (REC), Warangal— the first such college to be established in the country in 1959. Subsequently, the college upgraded and renamed as the National Institute of Technology (NIT), went on to produce many luminaries in the various fields, and at the same time also produced at least half a dozen top Naxalite leaders. Among the most notable of them were Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju (70), the outlawed CPI Maoist party's General Secretary and Chief of the Military Commission, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday (May 21) in Chhattisgarh. Another prominent alumnus, Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, a spokesman of the Central Committee of the same party, was killed in an alleged encounter in Adilabad district in 2010. The other top leaders include Soorapaneni Janardhan, a founding member of the Radical Students Union (RSU), Nagabelli Ravinder, a State Committee member, Gajjala Ganga Ram, Shyam, Visheshvar Rao, and Mukku Subba Reddy, one the founding members of the People's War. All of these youngmen were greatly influenced by the Naxalbari and other communist movements in the country and elsewhere. 'By the time Rajkumar entered the REC in 1972, the college had become a hotbed of revolutionary student movements, inspired by the peasant uprisings in Telangana,' says senior journalist N. Venugopal. Janardhan was killed along with a few other student leaders in an alleged encounter at Giraipalli village near Siddipet in July 1975. Shyam was said to have been killed by the police in Hanamkonda, while Gajjala Ganga Ram reportedly lost his life when a hand grenade exploded in his hands in 1981. It is said that a brilliant Ganga Ram was even offered a lucrative post by an aeronautical company, which he turned down due to the passion for the revolutionary path. Scores of students from the REC were actively engaged with the 'Go to Villages' that aided the formation of the Radical Youth League in May 1978 and the Rythu-Coolie Sangham in 1980. Concurrently, a teacher from Warangal Kondapalli Seetharamaiah (KS) along with another teacher K.G. Satyamurthy (Sivasagar) formed Peoples' War group (PW or PWG) from splinter groups of the CPI (ML) in 1980. The merger of the PW with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) ultimately led to the formation of the CPI (Maoist). 'While the involvement of REC alumni in the Maoist movement is a significant aspect of the institution's history, it's important to note that not all graduates were involved in the movement. The movement's influence on the college was a complex phenomenon, and many alumni choose different paths,' observed a former faculty member. 'During my time as a student at the REC, I was part of the ABVP/RSS. The institution was a hotbed of extremist activity, with a significant presence of Naxalite sympathisers among students, mess workers, and even some faculty members,' recalled a former Director, NITW, Dr. G.R.C. Reddy. One student, Vinod Kumar Jha, who is associated with the ABVP, was reportedly murdered in the mess. 'While I strongly disagreed with their ideology and methods, I can acknowledge that their movement did address some of the pressing agrarian and social issues of the time,' Mr. Reddy opined. Rights activist and the founder of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) K. Balagopal also did his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the college, during that tumultuous period.
India Gazette
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
"100% cannot happen without Paresh Rawal," says a 'heartbroken' Suniel Shetty over Babu Bhaiya's exit from Hera Pheri 3
By Zoya Aziz New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): The OG trio of 'Hera Pheri' -- Raju, Shyam, and Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, aka Babu Bhaiya -- has been loved by fans across the globe for over two decades now. When Paresh Rawal, who played the iconic Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the film, recently confirmed he would not be a part of 'Hera Pheri 3,' fans weren't the only ones heartbroken. Rawal's sudden exit from the popular franchise was also a big blow to actor Suniel Shetty, who played the calm and collected Shyam in the classic comedy. Suniel, while speaking to ANI, expressed his 'shock' over Rawal's exit. He said he was left 'completely heartbroken' after hearing the news. 'I mean, it's an absolute shock to me, and I'm here because I heard it yesterday, and then today, some more news came about. So, I need to call and find out, and I'm completely heartbroken because if there was one film that I was looking forward to, it was Hera Pheri, you know,' Shetty. Suniel also made it clear that he feels a third instalment cannot happen without 'Babu Bhaiya.' 'It cannot happen. 100 per cent cannot happen without Paresh Rawal. It can have 1 per cent chance without me and Akshay, but 100% can't happen without Paresh ji. No, it doesn't. Raju and Shyam, if they're not hammered by Babu here, it doesn't work,' he added. Last week, Rawal posted a note on X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that he won't be part of the third installment and clarify that his exit wasn't due to any creative disagreement. 'I wish to put it on record that my decision to step away from Hera Pheri 3 was not due to creative differences,' he wrote on X, adding, 'I REITERATE THAT THERE ARE NO CREATIVE DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE FILMMAKER. I hold immense love, respect, and faith in Mr. Priyadarshan, the film's director,' Rawal wrote on X. Directed by Priyadarshan, 'Hera Pheri' was released in 2000. It featured Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, and Tabu in the lead roles. The second part, which came out in 2006, was directed by the late Neeraj Vora. It featured Akshay, Paresh, Suniel, Bipasha Basu, Rajpal Yadav, and Rimi Sen in the lead roles. (ANI)
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Rs 50,000 a month and countless sacrifices: How India's chess future shapes up in Chennai hut
GM Shyam's chess academy Pranav V and Srihari LR GM Shyam's chess academy Pranav V and Srihari LR GM Shyam's chess academy 1 2 NEW DELHI: "My father used to say that if wealth is lost, nothing is lost; if health is lost, something is lost; but if character is lost, everything is lost. So, I also want my students to be as genuine as possible," a proud coach in GM Shyam Sundar M recalls, just days after his 19-year-old protégé Srihari LR became India's 86th grandmaster by attaining his third GM norm at the Asian Individual Chess Championship in Al-Ain, UAE. Over the last few months, GM Shyam and his students have been making waves for all their over-the-board heroics. From Pranav V emerging as the FIDE Junior World Champion to Srihari becoming India's latest grandmaster and the elated coach claiming "there will be few more GMs in the coming months with God's grace", Shyam Sundar's Chennai-based academy, Chess Thulir , appears on a mission to produce a batch of elite prodigies. 'I've been coaching informally for nearly a decade now, but I felt it needed a name, and that's how Chess Thulir was born. 'Thulir' means blossom in Tamil, like how a flower blossoms,' Shyam tells from Sharjah. 'It started online during COVID-19 and gradually became a full-fledged offline academy.' Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Queensland: Slash Your Power Bills With a Battery Australian Solar Batteries Get Quote Undo Shyam's transition from player to coach wasn't sudden. 'Back in the 2018 Batumi Olympiad, I was already helping the Indian team. Even before that, I mentored many who couldn't afford professional guidance,' recalls the 32-year-old chess maestro. 'During 2016-2018, I realised financial constraints and lack of support held back many, and that's why even I couldn't become an elite-level grandmaster. That's when I felt the need for a proper academy where players could train professionally." A day at the academy The uniqueness of Shyam Sundar's coaching lies in its structured yet fluid approach, covering all aspects: opening theory, practical psychology, and even game-day opponent assessments. Sessions often begin at 10 a.m. and stretch to 5 p.m., including rigorous game analysis and situational problem-solving, with a one to one-and-a-half-hour break in between. Post-lunch, the team often heads outdoors, playing cricket or badminton: a routine that has built some commendable camaraderie within the group. 'Everyone's equal on the turf. Ratings don't matter there. We laugh, compete, and bond. That's a huge part of the academy's soul,' the coach adds. Most players training under Shyam are already above 2300 Elo, including several International Masters and Grandmasters. Camps are typically conducted once or twice a month. During camps, however, Shyam becomes a bit strict: "I usually conduct camps for specific rating brackets. Like, if I'm doing it for 2400+ players, I rarely include someone slightly below that, only if they show strong potential. Even if the camp isn't financially rewarding, I prioritise maintaining that high standard." More than a mentor Shyam's emotional investment in his students goes beyond the 64 squares as he adds, 'I consider most of my students like my own kids. That helps them open up, not just about chess, but about life too.' 'I want them to play active, dynamic chess. No playing for draws. I lead by example. Like, even when I play them, I push aggressively. They must see me practice what I preach.' However, the Gen-Z mindset, he admits, can get 'tricky'. 'With so much material online, they can get lost. My job is to channel that curiosity in the right direction, keep it structured and focused. Even after the camp ends, I continue mentoring them, tracking what they're studying daily, what kind of chess content they're consuming,' Shyam explains. "I'm really glad there's no unhealthy competition in my academy. The players are more like friends. They freely share opening files and knowledge without hesitation." Challenges in running an academy But nurturing champions doesn't come cheap. 'Running an academy is extremely stressful,' Shyam confesses. 'In Chennai, I spend around Rs 50,000 a month just for the basics, like rent, electricity, Wi-Fi. And if I'm travelling for 30-40 days with a player, the academy earns nothing during that period. It's a heavy toll. Sometimes, I feel like giving up.' There's also the growing pressure of expectations, with parents often demanding GM-only coaches for their kids, and trainers, tempted by better offers, slipping away. 'Sometimes I feel like downsizing, moving fully online, or just doing commentary or writing articles that would be far easier and financially rewarding.' A key factor in the academy's sustainable success, however, is Tamil Nadu's chess-friendly ecosystem. Many schools in Chennai offer academic leniency, granting extra holidays and understanding players' commitments, while also providing financial support to prodigies. "When Gukesh won the World Championship, he was gifted a car by his school," shares Shyam, who takes solace in his students' achievements despite the personal sacrifice of spending less time with his family. 'I miss time with my family, my daughter's four now, and I don't get to see her much. But I keep telling myself: to gain something, something must be given.' ALSO READ: RCB fan who became a world champion: The story of chess prodigy Pranav V | Exclusive What the future holds ... With his students achieving milestone after milestone, Shyam remains grounded in his method: 'In today's AI-driven world, we're flooded with computer-generated ideas and influenced by social media. Like they say, even a genius mind can make elementary mistakes. I try to convey the human way of thinking.' Bombay Sport Exchange Ep 5: Shane Watson on how IPL gave him a lifeline & his tribute to Phil Hughes With a focus on creating more GMs, the coach signs off with humility and hope: 'My motto is simple: Be good. Do good. God will take care of the rest. These past few years have been tough, but maybe that's just God preparing me for something bigger. And if that 'something' means helping these kids become champions, in chess and in life, then it's all worth it.'
