Latest news with #Vasudevan
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Equitas SFB posts Rs 224 crore Q1 loss on microfinance provisions
Equitas Small Finance Bank suffered a Rs 224 crore net loss in Q1FY26 on account of higher provisions against its microfinance portfolio as the bank management believed that the stress in the bottom of the pyramid segment is yet to be over. The bank had earned a net profit of Rs 26 crore in the corresponding period last year. The net interest margin for the quarter was at 6.55% as compared with 7.97% in the year ago period. The provision and contingencies for the quarter stood at Rs 612 crore, more than double of year-ago period's Rs 305 crore. "We decided to take a one time hit upfront and created a management buffer in provisions against standard assets rather than allowing the stress to affect the profitability in the next two quarters," Equitas managing director PN Vasudevan told ET. "There are signs of improvement in repayment and we expect microfinance collection efficiency is expected to be back to almost normal level by the fourth quarter," he said. Its microfinance business contributed 10% of the gross loan portfolio. The bank made additional standard asset provision of Rs 185 crore in microfinance and Rs 145 crore additional bad loan provision due to change in provisioning norms. Its pre-provision operating profit for the quarter under review also stood lower at Rs 315 crore against Rs 340 crore in the year ago period. Net interest income was lower at Rs 786 crore against Rs 802 crore while other income was higher at Rs 286 crore against Rs 192 crore. The lender's gross non performing assets ratio was at 2.82% at the end of June, up from 2.67% a year back. The net NPA ratio was at 0.95% against 0.81%. Its gross advances grew at 8% year-on-year to Rs 37,610 crore, even as the microfinance book shrank 45%. "We are targeting 15-16% growth in the fiscal which would be supported by about 20% expansion in non-microfinance business," Vasudevan said.
Pink Villa
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
3BHK Movie Review: Siddharth starrer coming-of-age drama partly works with mediocre idea of an underdog's success
Siddharth starrer coming-of-age drama 3BHK hit the big screens on July 4, 2025, and opened to generally positive reviews. If you're planning to watch the film on Amazon Prime Video, here's the Pinkvilla review for it. The Plot 3BHK presents the story of Vasudevan, an average Joe who lives with his wife Shanthi and two kids - Prabhu and Aarthi. In his life, Vasudevan only has one big dream, and that is to own a home instead of spending his days in a rented space. Over the years, as Vasudevan inches closer to fulfilling his goal, various aspects get in the way, be it health issues, rising inflation, or something else. Whether Vasudevan fulfills his dream with the help of his son Prabhu becomes the central focus of the story. The Good 3BHK from the beginning itself manages to stand strong as a venture rooted in reality. The film basically aligns with what an average family in Tamil Nadu might have to face to achieve bigger things in life. The dynamics shared by the characters, especially the family members, are held strong because of the brilliant actors. All four of them, namely Sarathkumar, Siddharth, Devayani, and Meetha Raghunath, embed themselves to completely fit the world with nuanced portrayals. The compelling narrative the film offers works partially due to sticking with reality rather than being allowed to follow cinematic tropes. While it may not be as remarkable as Balu Mahendran's Veedu, 3BHK feels like a mirror into reality for many people, especially from the lower-middle-class strata of society. Another fresh perspective the narrative gives is taking the family through a journey of decades to fulfill their dream. While the film isn't without its flaws, it does feel like a genuine attempt at trying to make something profound and feel-good. Coming to the technical aspects of 3BHK, Amrit Ramnath magically weaves musical tracks and background scores that are credible and impressive for the movie. Moving ahead from the legacy of Varshangalkku Shesham's music, the composer manages to be subtle with his skills in an overly saturated world of music, which is generally meant to stimulate the listeners again and again. The cinematography by Dinesh B. Krishnan and Jithin Stanislaus is perfect for the world, needing to be lauded. The Bad 3BHK seems to collectively describe owning a home as the dream of every middle-class person out there. While it may be true for some households, generalizing a single person's dream for every individual in a family seems more like conditioning rather than something genuine. Being rooted in reality, the writer should realize that each person in this world has other dreams too, even if they hail from a middle-class background. While performances by all the actors were commendable and responsible for the film's success, showcasing Siddharth as a school student seemed far-fetched. Finally, while the execution of the drama flick needed some refinement, the editing could have easily reduced the duration of the film and made it tighter for viewers to enjoy. The Performances 3BHK has Siddharth highlighting his strong skills as an actor. While his recent works in Indian 2, Miss You, and Test largely missed the mark, 3BHK manages to redeem him. Moreover, Sarathkumar and Devayani share a beautiful chemistry as husband and wife, maintaining the same dynamics with Siddharth and Meetha as well. Additionally, Chaitra J Achar does a neat job. The Verdict The story of 3BHK does drag at times, but as a whole, the film manages to emotionally connect with various people. With some brilliant performances, the coming-of-age drama is a perfect one-time watch.
Pink Villa
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
3BHK OTT Release: Siddharth's film to release in Tamil and Telugu but excluding India
3BHK, starring Siddharth in the lead role, hit the big screens on July 4, 2025. Following close to a month after its theatrical release, the coming-of-age drama is slated to arrive on an OTT platform outside India. When and where to watch 3BHK 3BHK is set to begin streaming outside India on the OTT platform, Simply South, from August 1, 2025. The official update was made by the platform's social media handle and it will be available in both Tamil and Telugu languages. Sharing the update, the platform penned, 'A dream for every middle-class family! Stream the critically acclaimed drama #3BHK in Tamil and Telugu on Simply South from August 1, worldwide, excluding India.' Additionally, a report by OTTPlay suggests that the flick will be available in India for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, but an official confirmation is pending. See the official update here: 3BHK features the story of Vasudevan (played by R Sarathkumar), who resides in a rented home with his wife Shanth and kids - Prabhu and Aarthi. In his life, Vasudevan has one dream to fulfill and that is to own a home in Chennai. From 2006, the family decided to have a budget for themselves and devised plans to arrange enough savings to own a home of their own. While Vasudevan and Shanthi pitch in by working overtime, their son Prabhu (Siddharth) struggles in school. Over the years, the family has often been inching closer to fulfilling their dream of owning a home, but eventually, life gets in their way. With rising inflation, education costs, marriage, and health issues, Vasudevan and his family constantly find themselves not achieving their dream. How Vasudevan, his son Prabhu, and the rest of the family manage to own a home forms the entire story. Cast and crew of 3BHK 3BHK features Siddharth in the lead role with actors like Sarathkumar, Devayani, Meetha Raghunath, and Chaithra J Achar playing co-leads. Apart from them, the film features an ensemble cast of actors like Yogi Babu, Subbu Panchu, Vivek Prasanna, and Thalaivasal Vijay in supporting roles. Karthi is also part of the flick as a narrator. The film is directed by Sri Ganesh, who penned the screenplay based on the short story titled 3BHK Veedu by Aravindh Sachidanandam. With Varshangalkku Shesham fame Amrit Ramnath composing the tracks and tunes, the coming-of-age drama had Dinesh B. Krishnan and Jithin Stanislaus handling the cinematography. Ganesh Siva edited the movie.
Medscape
16-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Could Intervention in Pregnancy Boost Child Vaccine Uptake?
A study of vaccination intentions of pregnant women and mothers of young children found that uncertainty about childhood vaccination was highest (at 48%) in pregnant women. 'Given the high decisional uncertainty during pregnancy about vaccinating children after birth, there may be value in intervening during pregnancy to proactively support families with childhood vaccination decisions,' the authors of the study wrote, led by Lavanya Vasudevan, MPH, PhD, with the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. The study findings were published in JAMA Network Open . First-Time Pregnant Group Compared to Parent Group Research on this topic is important, they note, because implementing such interventions would require substantial engagement of clinicians outside the pediatric setting. Vasudevan told Medscape Medical News those clinicians would include obstetricians, family physicians, nurse-midwives, and doulas. 'Key considerations include the providers' training on childhood vaccinations, as well as the time, reimbursement, and resources available for implementation,' she said. This study included survey responses from 174 pregnant women (64% were aged ≥ 30 years; 27% were Hispanic, 14.4% were non-Hispanic Black, and 52.9% were non-Hispanic White). The parent group included 1765 participants (78.1% were aged ≥ 30 years; 21.7% were Hispanic, 11.4% were non-Hispanic Black, and 56% were non-Hispanic White). About half in both groups had a bachelor's degree or higher — 49.4% in the pregnant group and 45.1% in the parent group. Responses Grouped into Six Categories The women were asked about their intentions regarding all vaccines recommended for children from birth to age 18 months. Researchers grouped responses into six categories: accept all vaccinations, delay some or all, delay some and refuse some, refuse some, refuse all, and undecided. The proportions intending to accept or accepting all recommended pediatric vaccines were similar among pregnant participants and parents. But other categories saw some wide gaps: The proportion intending to refuse or refusing some or all pediatric vaccines (without delays) was lowest among nulliparous pregnant women (4%) and highest among parents (33%). Uncertainty about childhood vaccination was highest among nulliparous pregnant participants (48%) and lowest among parents of young children (4%). 'Window of Opportunity' Medical educator Peter Chin-Hong, MD, a professor at the University of California San Francisco, who specializes in infectious diseases, told Medscape Medical News that 'identifying high uncertainty about childhood vaccines in pregnancy opens up a window of opportunity.' 'It's a time when people are generally more receptive to hearing messages about their own health and the health of their unborn child,' he said, 'and infectious disease prevention is one of the many things that can improve the health of both.' He said he agrees that interventions and coordination expanding to specialties outside of pediatrics can take substantial resources but some form of intervention 'can start tomorrow' he said, such as mentioning the benefits and safety of future childhood vaccines in conversations with pregnant women. Sometimes that is thought to be the job of pediatricians and skipped in other specialties, he said. Need 'Couldn't be Greater' 'The need couldn't be greater,' he said. 'There are so many reasons to focus on this population — not only for the decisions for when the child is 5 years old and getting their [measles, mumps and rubella] shot, but for now [with maternal vaccines that cross the placenta] — because I can't really do much when a baby has some types of infections within the first 6 months.' Pregnant people interact with the healthcare system at multiple points, he noted, so there are multiple times when an intervention could happen. 'In my experience, a person who's uncertain about vaccines doesn't reverse that in one visit. It requires a series of visits, just like stopping smoking.' Further Study May Answer Questions The appetite for introducing robust support for pregnant women in making vaccine decisions, 'particularly in this political climate,' will likely depend on cost-benefit analysis, Chin-Hong said. He said future work should decide who would do the interventions and how often, and how much intervention is needed to result in more vaccinations of children. Additionally, the authors wrote 'Future interventions should account for differences in uptake of seasonal (ie, COVID-19 and influenza) vs routinely recommended vaccines.' The authors and Chin-Hong reported having no relevant financial relationships.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Lawyer seeks list of sacred names from CBFC to avoid using them in film
A Kochi-based lawyer has approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Mumbai, seeking a list of gods, goddesses, and sacred religious names to avoid them while naming the characters in his proposed movie. Hareesh Vasudevan, the lawyer, has sought the list through an application filed by invoking the provisions of the Right to Information Act. The move comes in the wake of the CBFC objecting to the use of the name 'Janaki' for a character in a Malayalam movie, Janaki v/s State of Kerala. The makers of the movie had eventually agreed to add an initial 'V' to the name Janaki as a compromise step to release the film in theatres. Referring to objections raised by the Board, Mr. Vasudevan sought to know the source of information that the Board relied on to identify Janaki as the name of a God. He has sought the 'list of names of goddesses in India' to enable him to avoid using such names in the proposed film depicting a woman as a victim of sexual assault and rape, so that he can 'avoid undermining the dignity and sanctity of such goddesses or their names.' Mr. Vasudevan, who said that he wanted to name a character who commits sexual assault, also sought 'the list of names of gods in India and sacred religious names' so that he could 'avoid naming that character with such names that carry religious sentiments and could undermine the dignity and sanctity of such names or gods.'
