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India Today
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Sanjay Leela Bhansali says there was lot of love on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam sets
As 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' completed 26 years of release on June 18, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali said there was love in the air on the sets of the film. The director was speaking in an interview when he mentioned the magic of chemistry in the Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan starrer, who were believed to be dating each other at the time of filming. He also spoke about the possibility of a an interview with ETimes, the 62-year-old answered a question about the chemistry between Khan and Rai. Without focussing on them in his answer, Bhansali agreed that there was "love in the air", but, "not just between them; there was a lot of affection amongst all of us."He took other names and shared, "Zohra Sehgalji, Helen Aunty, Salman, Aishwarya, Vikram Gokhale, Smita Jayekar, we were like one big family." The film-maker called 'HDDCS' the most 'fulfilling experience' of shooting in his entire career. Bhansali further spoke about the possibility of a remake of 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'. He mentioned his debut film, 'Khamoshi: The Musical (YEAR), and shared that he would never make any remakes of his other films. However, he expressed his desire to work with Rai again. He said the 51-year-old was perfect as Nandini (in 'HDDCS'), and matched the vision of the character. advertisementReleased in 1999, 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' also featured Ajay Devgn in a prominent role. It was a love triangle, and featured Khan in the role of a music student who falls in love with the daughter of his teacher. The story was set in Rajasthan, and therefore, featured palaces and deserts. Apart from the chemistry, the film's songs, costumes and dialogues - everything went on to bring it cult Salman and Aishwarya were one of the most popular Bollywood couples, until the two parted ways. Aishwarya later married her 'Guru' co-star Abhishek Bachchan. They have a daughter named Watch IN THIS STORY#Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The Independent
09-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Political asylum seeker fighting to stay in US or face six years in prison if she returns home to Russia
An anti-war campaigner who faces years in prison if she returns home to Russia is fighting to stay in the US. Valeriia Razheva, 23, co-founded the US branch of the Feminist Anti-War Resistance (FAWR) in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The movement has been labelled an 'undesirable organisation'by Moscow, under a law that allows prosecutors to target foreign groups they deem 'a threat to the foundation of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, the defense capability of the country or the security of the state.' Those affiliated can receive lengthy prison sentences if they fail to shut them down. 'According to the law, if you have a leadership position, you will face up to six years in prison,' Ms Razheva said. 'People can be prosecuted and persecuted for simply donating $5 to an undesirable organisations and face charges of one to three years in the prison.' The activist moved to the United States on a J1 visa as part of the Year of Exchange in America for Russians (YEAR) program four years ago. She was the first member of her family to relocate to the US and described America as 'paradise'. But when her visa expired, she found out she was required to return to Russia for two years before she could change her immigration status. Ms Razheva said that if she were to go home, she would face 'severe political persecution' as her anti-war, anti-Kremlin, pro-LGBTQ+ and feminist activism has been targeted by the Russian government. Even the exchange program which sent her over to the US was labeled undesirable and has now been blacklisted. She said that her friends who returned to Russia after going on the exchange program had been interrogated. She has applied for political asylum in the US but her case is currently pending. In the meantime, Ms Razheva is fundraising for a lawyer who will file a J1 waiver that would allow her to stay in the States. However, she is concerned that with Donald Trump's anti-migrant rhetoric, her efforts to stay in the US could be delayed or outright rejected. 'Trump is firing so many immigration officers and judges, I don't know how the situation will improve,' she said. As well as the FAWR, Ms Razheva is affiliated with three other 'undesirable' organisations. She is a student and part-time worker at Bard College, the first international higher education body to be given the designation. She also previously managed the now-closed Helpdesk Media, an anti-war news organisation that ran a helpline to speak to Russians who fear persecution for their political opinions. Ms Razheva says she has faced intimidation for her views and her personal information was leaked in pro-war, pro-Putin Telegram chats. 'People say that it's all Kremlin bots and I shouldn't be scared,' she said. 'People in Russia are scared to even like an independent post from anti-war media because there are literal criminal cases against people who reposted news published by an undesirable organisation.' 'Growing up in Russia, I saw the cruelty of the regime of the Kremlin government,' she continued. 'I saw the corruption. During my lifetime, it stayed inside of the country. But the moment Putin invaded Ukraine, it wasn't just an internal problem. It felt so real and scary and it's spreading. Another independent country is now suffering because of our dictator,' she said. Her situation is perhaps further complicated by President Trump's recent interventions in the Ukraine war, repeating Kremlin talking points about Ukraine's president and generally appearing sympathetic to Mr Putin. Responding to Trump's jibe that Volodymyr Zelensky was a 'dictator', she compared it to a 'scene from a surrealist absurd movie when you talk about Putin, who has been a president for 25 years. 'I'm so scared that Trump is befriending Putin', she said. 'I came to a country where I thought that dictatorship was not possible. I don't feel any type of peace conversations with Putin are legitimate.'
