Latest news with #TheRebel
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who Was Veera Sathidar: The Rebel Voice of Voiceless
Nagpur: As controversy brews over the case filed against Pushpa Sathidar — wife of late actor-activist Veera Sathidar — over recitation of Faiz Ahmed Faiz 's poem 'Hum Dekhenge' at an event to mark his death anniversary in Nagpur on May 13, many are asking: Who was Veera Sathidar, and why does his memory continue to inspire resistance? Born as Vijay Vairagade in the Joginagar area of Wardha district, Sathidar never used his surname. He believed that surnames reveal caste identities and chose instead to call himself 'Veera Sathidar' - Veera, the comrade of the people's movement. A staunch Ambedkarite, Sathidar was a prominent voice in social justice struggles, known for his fearless journalism, passionate speeches, and activism. He edited the Marathi magazine 'Vidrohi' (The Rebel), which highlighted lives and struggles of the oppressed. Through his work, he advocated for Dalit rights , social equity, and constitutional values. Sathidar was deeply associated with the Republican Panther movement, working for the uplift of the marginalized. He was a frequent speaker at conferences across India, where his lectures on caste, discrimination, and democracy often stirred thought and action. While his activism earned him respect among grassroots movements, it was the critically acclaimed 2014 Marathi film 'Court' that brought him international recognition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, the film scrutinised the judicial system and won the prestigious Golden Lotus (Swarna Kamal) at the National Film Awards. Sathidar played the pivotal role of folk singer Narayan Kamble, a character loosely based on real-life activists targeted by the system. Despite the fame, Sathidar remained grounded in his mission. "Cinema was just one way to tell the truth. I was, and will always be, a part of the people's movement," he said in an interview with TOI then. Veera Sathidar passed away due to Covid-19 during the pandemic in May 2021. For many, his death anniversary is a reaffirmation of his ideals. The recent incident, where some speakers allegedly made anti-national remarks, has now shifted focus from homage to headlines. As legal proceedings unfold against Pushpa Sathidar, activists and artists across the country have voiced concern, calling it an attempt to silence dissent.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
This International Day of families; Learn how your zodiac and family energy impact your inner world
Families come in different forms, sizes and star signs! This International Day of Families 2025 , let's have a little fun investigating how our zodiac signs affect the roles we naturally assume at home. Astrology might explain why every family meeting seems like a cosmic reunion from the peacekeepers to the rebels, the nurturers to the planners. How Family Bonds Influence the Mood and Subconscious Mind The family shapes our first emotional experiences and these connections profoundly affect our subconscious reactions, emotional stability, and sense of security. Often, the sentiments we bring into adulthood from comfort and compassion to worry or defensiveness trace back to how we were nurtured, encouraged, or challenged at home. Family energy imprints on the mind even without words, therefore shaping our responses, relational patterns, and emotional demands later in life. Astrological Factors and the Healing Power of Family Connection Astrology defines the Moon as the intellect and emotional body; the 4th house and its ruler control home, roots, and psychological anchoring. Planetary pairings such as Moon-Saturn (emotional confinement), Moon-Venus (affection and bonding), or the presence of malefices in the 4th or 12th house typically represent the quality of family emotional support. Healing the relationship with one's family or locating chosen family can serve as a strong cure when these areas are compromised. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Restoring emotional balance and even raising planetary energies in one's chart can be achieved by strengthening familial ties, providing care, or just settling inner disputes about one's origins. Let us dive into role each element play in a family Fire Signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): The Rebel / The Spark Plug Any family reunion is energized by fire signs. Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius usually lead the way in shaking things up sometimes accidentally with their unending enthusiasm and sense of the theatrical. Once starting a minor family protest about bedtime policies, Aries is the daring brother who attempted to introduce a new family sport using Nerf guns and a trampoline. Always the headliner, Leo thrives for attention and is the one transforming karaoke night into a full performance with backup dancers reluctantly dragged cousins. Sagittarius is the cousin who only shows up once a year with a bag, a tan, and tales about hiking volcanoes; he also brings the daring spirit. Somehow, he persuades Grandma to sample hot street cuisine. Fire signals provide the thrill and uncertainty that prevent family life from ever being boring. Earth Signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): The Rock / The Planner Earth signs are dependable and grounded, hence they serve as the family's basis. The ones ensuring the oven is preheated, the timetable is observed, and no one forgets the potato salad are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Always knowing which blanket is the softest, Taurus is the family foodie and comfort-giver who distributes second dishes whether you requested for them or not. With military accuracy, Virgo assumes the planner role, arranging activities, color-coding RSVPs, and miraculously ensuring everyone arrives on time. Whether they are 15 or 65, Capricorn, the natural ruler, often becomes the de facto family leader. They provide order, reason, and an amazing capacity to resolve conflicts with a quiet voice and a lifted brow. Though they might not always want the limelight, without them everything would most likely collapse by dinner. Air Signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): The Peacekeeper Air signs are the ones who maintain the family group chat alive (even if no one else replies) and the discussion going. Communication and connections drive Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Gemini is the fun relative that knows everyone's secrets but only shares them as cryptic memes. During family gatherings, they dart from group to group maintaining a light and breezy energy. The great peacemaker, Libra is skilfully traversing between fighting uncles, charmingly smoothing things off with timely compliments. Aquarius offers the progressive ideas: the relative proposing a zero-waste, tech-savvy version of Christmas with solar-powered fairy lights and a homemade gift exchange. Air signs guarantee no one gets too caught in tradition (or quiet) by keeping things fascinating and harmonious. Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): The Nurturer Emotional, perceptive, and profoundly aware of familial ties, Water signs are the heart of the home. Amongst all, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces experience everything and genuinely care about everyone. The traditional nurturer is Cancer, who instinctively knows who is having a terrible day without anyone saying anything and offers warm hugs and cooked food. Though more discreet, Scorpio is extremely loyal and protective; they recall every family victory and trauma and will silently defend loved ones to the death. Pisces drifts around the room with dreamy eyes and creative flair, presenting handwritten notes, painting pictures, and unrequested (but shockingly correct) emotional insights. Water signals foster a healthy emotional environment in the family one where you may sit quietly and be understood, cry, or laugh. Discover everything about astrology at the Times of India , including daily horoscopes for Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Capricorn , Aquarius , and Pisces .
The Guardian
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Unfailing ability to cheer me up': why The Rebel is my feelgood movie
For me, memorable and/or uplifting film experiences tend to be around individual moments – the resurrection scene in The Matrix for example, or Dizzy's 'I got to have you' in Starship Troopers. (Do either really hold a candle to Mel Brooks's A Little Piece of Poland number in the To Be Or Not to Be remake? The jury is still out.) But without wanting to sound like either a retro bore or a they-don't-make-'em-like-they-used-to fuddy-duddy, I turn to Tony Hancock's yuk-heavy feature vehicle from 1961 for its unfailing ability to cheer me up. I think I must have first watched it in the 1980s on TV, after my dad solemnly recited one of the film's great moments, when Hancock offers a hunk of cheese to a blue-lipsticked beatnik Nanette Newman and says, with a sort of slack-jawed terror: 'You do eat food?' Newman, as it happens, is perhaps The Rebel's most amazing sight: otherwise known as the apparently-prim English star of the first Stepford Wives movie, a middlebrow popular-culture staple in the UK for her washing-up liquid TV commercials, she is tricked out here in a fantastic exi get-up – dead-white face paint, Nefertiti eyeliner, lank copper-coloured hairdo – at almost the exact same moment in time that the Beatles were being talked into ditching their teddy boy quiff. The Rebel in fact is stuffed with great moments: Hancock's opposite-platform ruse to get a seat on a packed commuter train (no longer even theoretically possible, sadly); Hancock appalling waitress Liz Fraser by refusing 'frothy' coffee; Oliver Reed glowering in a Parisian cafe as he argues about art, of all things; and Hancock's epic action-painting sequence complete with bicycle and cow. And of course, the chef's kiss: the exquisite moment when connoisseur critic George Sanders chortles dismissively about Hancock's 'infantile school' picture of a foot ('Who painted that – the cow?') US readers might know the film as Call Me Genius, as that reportedly was the title it was released under there, but quite possibly they won't know it at all; Hancock, acclaimed in Britain, never made headway in Hollywood or on US TV. But the alternative title is actually as accurate a summary of the film as the original one; although the script (by Hancock confreres Galton and Simpson) appears to mock the pretensions of the art world, its target is really the delusional nature of Hancock's Walter Mitty-ish office drone, who ends up back in his suburban bedsit after a meteoric rise and fall in Paris's avant-garde circles. It's a character that draws fully on the persona that Hancock had made his own over the preceding decade: the intellectually ambitious but unfailingly thwarted nobody, hanging on like grim death for better times around the corner but fatalistically resigned to submergence in a tidal wave of mediocrity. I can't think of any equivalent in the US; Hancock is, I sense, far too defeated and self-pitying a figure ever to command a giant audience. George Costanza is probably the closest, but Hancock has little of Costanza's frenzied self-hate. Well, there is something rather wonderful about seeing Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock in full and living colour, operating at the height of his powers, the man who his writers described as 'the best comic actor in the business'. And of course the film is a wonderful portal to a vanished world, a net-curtained Britain just on the cusp of its transformation by 60s pop culture. Lucian Freud called The Rebel the best film ever made about modern art; well, he should know, but for me it's more than that – there's an extra joy in remembering the hours I spent tittering at it with Dad as we lolled on the three-piece suite back in my gormless teenage years. If anything makes me feel good, it's that.
Telegraph
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Tony Hancock's guide to the trials – and errors – of being a household comic
This article is published as part of The Telegraph's Greatest Interviews series, which revisits the most significant, informative and entertaining conversations with notable figures over our 170 year history. The below interview is introduced by Christopher Howse. It appears as it was originally published. The Sunday Telegraph was still in its first year of publication when Philip Purser interviewed Tony Hancock. Hancock, meanwhile, was at a turning point in his career. In 1961 he was a highly paid, popular and critically admired television comedian. His despondent bloodhound face looked older than his years. His radio series Hancock's Half Hour, broadcast from 1954 to 1961, was scripted by the celebrated team of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who afterwards wrote Steptoe and Son. From 1956, the radio series alternated with a television series with the same title. The plans outlined in this interview did not prosper. For the new television series from May 1961 he dropped his popular foil, Sid James. The series was to be his last. Yet, while he still had Galton and Simpson, episodes such as The Blood Donor and The Radio Ham proved classics. The two films in which he starred, The Rebel (1961) and The Punch and Judy Man (1962), were disappointing. Privately Hancock was aggressive and he had been drinking heavily since 1952. In 1968, in Australia, he committed suicide. As the humorist Arthur Marshall observed when he was a Sunday Telegraph columnist: 'Seldom has such a dazzling career disintegrated so quickly.' Philip Purser (1925-2022) stayed at The Sunday Telegraph as its valued television critic for another 26 years, until sacked by Sir Peregrine Worsthorne. – Christopher Howse I think I was about five when I decided I wanted to be a comic. My father kept a pub in Bournemouth where theatre people like Elsie and Doris Waters and Stainless Stephen used to stay. They took me backstage and I became interested. My father was a semi-professional comedian himself – a dude entertainer – top-hat and monocle. He did semi-professional concerts, club suppers – things like that. I used to listen to them all in the bar, and listen to the radio comics – Claude Dampier, Clapham and Dwyer – and go to the pictures. Will Hay was my favourite. A double feature, and half a bar of Palm toffee and 3½ hours in the dark, that was my idea of fun. Out of school My father died when I was 11. He'd always encouraged me enormously to do what I wanted, my mother, too. The only alternative aim I ever had was one time when I thought I might be a journalist. I was sent away to school – Bradfield – but I left there after a year. I removed myself because – well I don't know really. It was to try and get into the theatre. I started off fairly easily, because I started in troop shows. The large audiences in Ack-Ack were prepared to see anybody and anything. In those days anybody who could entertain was accepted. That was my Tommy Trinder period, with the brown and white shoes and turned up hat. I was 16 or 17. I used to go into the pubs and listen to the jokes, and if I heard one that got a laugh I used it. I ended up with the filthiest act. I didn't understand it until I was about 25. It was diabolical. I cleared a church hall in Bournemouth once. They walked out slowly row by row. It was very embarrassing, and it was then I decided I would not go on with the blue stuff. Like most people I have gained by being in the Forces, because for anyone who could get up and do anything – even imitate Popeye or something – it was such splendid opportunity. Acting sergeant From about 1944 to 1946, I was in the RAF Gang Show. We had a marvellous trip. Italy, North Africa, Sicily, Greece. We played under all sorts of conditions, on lorries, in tents, and all over the place. Peter Sellers and I were in charge of the wardrobe as acting sergeants, paid. We were near-professionals when we came out. After the war there was a very special atmosphere among the young comics and actors. We all seemed to know each other. We worked the Nuffield Centre and hung around the Windmill. Anyone who was working helped the others, paid for their laundry even. Things weren't always easy, I had a long period of doing nothing, slowly getting through the gratuity. In the hard winter of 1947 I spent most of my time in bed keeping warm. I got my turn at the Windmill during the 1948 Olympic Games, which was charming. It's difficult to get a laugh there anyway – they come to see the girls, not you – but when you get the Chinese pole-vaulting team in the front row it makes it seem even more difficult. But there was a change in comedy fashions about now which began to help me – a reaction to the patter style of people like Max Miller and Tommy Trinder. It was a return to a more subtle and more visual humour, I'd never been very hot on the patter stuff and my act was ready completely visual already. To TV with a sigh As a matter of fact when I tried radio I found it very difficult; I still feel a visual comic. The first broadcast got a laugh but it was a series of noises and silences as far as the audience at home was concerned. When I finally got into radio properly I really had to work harder than in any other medium. When we changed to television it was a sigh of relief. With the first series, which was on ITV, we had a lot of script difficulties. Nobody's fault really. We didn't understand how much preparation has to be done before you start. A tremendous amount of the work takes place before you get on the air. The first sketch (I suggested it myself) was about a coffee bar – plants gradually strangling all the guests, the espresso machine sinking through the floor. It is pretty difficult to get plants to strangle people. It needs about six months' preparation, really. I went back in the BBC and, for the first time, we did real situation comedy, with one episode going right through the half-hour. This could go wrong, too. There was one about trying to sell a house at the end of an airport runway that was a disaster. In the 25th minute the place was supposed to disintegrate, when the surveyor came in. After two minutes the table fell down, the mantelpiece just after, and the place fell apart generally. The surveyor, played by Dick Emery, came in glassy-eyed and we looked at each other and there was nothing to do. As I stood up my braces broke. That was another little novelty. That was the time when I decided that as soon as it was possible we would not do any more live television. We started pre-recording the shows, though still in one take, just as if they were on the air. In half an hour we may have five takes, sometimes only two or three, just to give us a chance to use different cameras in the studio, or eliminate quick costume changes. It is not very comfortable doing anything with one shoe half on. The writers. Alan Simpson and Ray Galton and myself, after six years together are very close, both professionally and in every other way. We think the same about humour, we think the same about things we want to achieve. It. does not absolutely bind us for ever, but we think in the same terms. We are going to do another four or five films with ABC. with whom we did The Rebel. That will be over four years. Then we hope to be able to put our own money into half-hour TV films, or, eventually, bigger films of which we can own the negative. We feel that so much stuff we've done has gone into thin air. We still have the scripts but none of the finished products. We haven't got the story for the next film yet, but as with the television series, we're moving away from plot – at least from plots that bind you down too much. We intend to have a story out of which emerge high spots of comedy, maybe for four or five minutes, to get them really rocking in the cinemas, Chaplin's City Lights, which I think is the finest full length comedy I have seen, has wonderful moments of comedy which come naturally out of the action. A lot of the older school of comics, Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin, stand up wonderfully well today. Among present-day comics I am most influenced by Jacques Tati. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday had some of the most inventive business comedy I have seen since Chaplin. I think I saw it about eight times, and each time I found something new to laugh at, and look at and enjoy. Mon Oncle was an advance in a way but not as hilarious by any means. Comedy's essence It seems to me that the essence of comedy is to be funny in itself. I mean it is not enough to stand and point and say 'Look at this, it is funny' or, worse still 'Look at me, I'm funny'. It puts the bloke who says that in a ludicrous position. You must be an essential part of it, and it a part of you. You take what you think is ludicrous both about yourself and other people. Any comedy that I do is based on attitudes and moods as against characterisation, really means you can be pompous one minute, and then the opposite. You take on a mood. People coming out with things, and doing things, that in everyday life they would restrain is a great source of comedy, of course. Natural antagonism. Like the Marx Brothers, all doing things that would be unacceptable. One realises why Groucho is so great. The idea of the 'little man' in comedy is mostly mistaken. Chaplin is always referred to as a little man. Sometimes he is extremely aggressive. Remember the scene in City Lights when he is in a Rolls-Royce and he gets out of the car, kicks a tramp in the stomach, picks up a cigar butt and drives off? Nowadays you would probably be advised not to do it. Only the great could get away with it. In the theatre I've done comparatively little in the theatre – two years, twice a night, in Talk of the Town at the Adelphi was enough for me. There is a strange difference between post-war and pre-war comics. We were put in the position of doing fresh material every week on radio, or whatever it was, and now it becomes necessary. There is no excitement in repetition. Admittedly, when you are in the theatre and have the audience really going it is a wonderful snowball of reaction, and very exciting, and it takes you out, of yourself It is difficult to avoid sounding pompous. but I do believe comedy is terribly important in the world today, and can really help when people say that you really have made them laugh, and they say it honestly, it is not a thing to throw away, and say it doesn't matter. It is a compliment. It is the real thing. I read a lot; mainly to put partly right an education that finished at 15. Mostly history. No particular period. I'm trying to do the lot, get a progression. You get some sort of evolutionary pattern which is highly connected with humour – the change-over from wearing things to keep warm to wearing things to look humorous. The evolution of the bowler hat. I've turned a wall of my study into a sort of chart I'm plotting it all on. Just now I am interested in the Stone Age. They seemed to settle in communities and keep up with the Ogs next door, become conventional, like today. I don't deliberately study people or make notes. That goes on automatically, I think. I do use a tape recorder a lot. You record everybody else's dialogue, and leave space for your own. (We've got a parrot that does a wonderful impression of me working away on the tape recorder upstairs, a sort of low-pitched grumble.) Status symbol Cicely, my wife, has been an enormous help – when I am working I am not particularly rewarding as a husband, because I do not stop – but, on the other hand, between high pressure spells we always have a good break when we can enjoy ourselves with each other. We spend quite a lot of time at home, and enjoy driving in the car. It's a 300 SL and I suppose it's our only real status symbol. Otherwise, except for the obvious fact that I don't want to go back to eating sausages in Baron's Court, I don't value money for any other purpose than to give me freedom to do the work I want to do. I am 37 and it is only the last two or three years that I have managed to put my finger on which way I would like to go. At one time I wouldn't go on to the stage without wearing a hat. This was a top hat and it made you feel someone. You start to work properly when you discard affectations and try and be what you are.
Associated Press
20-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
No More Fake Branding: The Power of Authenticity & Archetypes in the New Era of Personal Branding
Michael Durant, Founder of Creating Genius, reveals why most brands fall flat—and how character archetypes create deeper connections and lasting influence. AUSTIN , TX, UNITED STATES, February 20, 2025 / / -- In today's digital landscape, authenticity is no longer a luxury—it's the foundation of a powerful personal brand. Studies show that 86% of consumers prioritize authenticity when choosing brands to support. Michael Durant, brand strategist and founder of Creating Genius Branding, emphasizes that personal branding is more than visibility—it's about storytelling, emotional connection, and a well-defined identity. 'People connect with those they know, like, and trust. A personal brand isn't just about looking professional—it's about being real. Like in movies, we are drawn to characters with depth and purpose. A well-defined brand archetype creates that same emotional connection,' says Durant. A brand archetype is like a personality type for a brand—it shapes how people relate to and remember it. Just like in books and movies, where characters fall into familiar roles—the Hero, The Rebel, The Sage—brands also take on distinct personas that define their voice, message, and impact. People don't just buy products or services—they buy into stories, emotions, and trust. A brand with a clear and consistent identity stands out, earns loyalty, and fosters real connections. Michael Durant highlights well-known figures who embody powerful archetypes: - The Hero – Kobe Bryant: Relentless, disciplined, and inspiring, defining excellence through his Mamba Mentality. - The Sage – Gary Vaynerchuk: A thought leader who shares wisdom and strategic insights to empower others. - The Creator – (Jimmy Donaldson): An innovator who captivates audiences with groundbreaking, high-impact content. - The Explorer – Serena Williams: Beyond tennis, she builds a brand around ambition, risk-taking, and breaking barriers. - The Caregiver – Marcus Rashford: Uses his platform for philanthropy, advocating for childhood hunger relief and education. - The Jester – Kevin Hart: Engages and entertains through humor, wit, and an unforgettable presence. - The Lover – Zendaya: Emotionally connects with audiences through artistry, elegance, and authenticity. - The Rebel – Elon Musk: Disrupts industries by challenging norms and pushing innovation beyond limits. - The Everyman – Shaquille O'Neal: He is reliable, trustworthy, and grounded, making him a brand people feel comfortable with. - The Innocent – Keanu Reeves: He embodies humility, kindness, and generosity in an industry known for excess. These archetypes aren't just labels—they're strategic assets. When brands maintain consistency in their identity, they become instantly recognizable and deeply trusted. A strong personal brand isn't just about exposure—it's about predictability. When individuals maintain a clear and unwavering brand personality, their audience knows what to expect, leading to stronger engagement and long-term trust. Studies show that 77% of consumers are more likely to support brands that share their values. Inconsistency creates confusion—but when a brand stays true to its identity, it builds momentum, credibility, and deeper audience connections. Personal brands are no longer just about reputation—they're high-performing business assets. Today, entrepreneurs, creators, and executives are generating revenue on par with large companies by leveraging their brand identity. Brand success isn't just about having a social media presence—crafting a compelling and strategic brand story that attracts the right audience. Every touchpoint, from content and social media to websites, messaging, and offerings, contributes to a brand's ability to convert trust into tangible business growth. 'Michael Durant explains that this is why they launched CAPTIVATE Personal Branding from Creating Genius—to help professionals, coaches, executives, and creatives refine their brand identity with clarity and focus. As part of this initiative, Durant developed the Brand F.U.S.E. Method—an innovative framework designed to establish consistency, amplify impact, and create lasting influence for personal brands.' - Focus – A strong brand starts with a clear core message and identity, ensuring alignment with the right audience. - Unique – In a crowded market, brands must stand out by amplifying what makes them distinct. - Specialized – Expertise builds trust and credibility, positioning a brand as a leader with a straightforward offering. - Effective – A brand must deliver measurable results, ensuring growth in awareness, engagement, and business success. This method ensures that a personal brand isn't just present—it's performing. The brands that will dominate the future aren't just seen—they're felt. In an age where trust, relatability, and authenticity define success, those who master storytelling, positioning, and connection will own the conversation. Whether you're a creator, entrepreneur, or industry expert, a well-defined personal brand is more than an asset—it's a movement. Diana Gibson Creating Genius Branding +1 702-884-9643 Legal Disclaimer:
