Latest news with #addict
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Court Kacheri actor Ashish Verma on AI entering cinema: If you remove human emotion, it's not cool
Ashish Verma, who will soon appear in the web series Court Kacheri, has expressed his thoughts on the integration of AI in cinema. The actor, who is aware of the AI-altered ending of Raanjhanaa and the surrounding debate, expressed strong feelings about how using artificial emotions in a medium that requires a human touch is inappropriate. Verma, during his interview with OTTplay, shared the strong viewpoint, among other interesting revelations. Court Kacheri actor Ashish Verma Ashish Verma on the use of AI in cinema and more Ashish Verma opens up on AI addiction Ashish Verma confessed to being a social media addict and feeling stuck the way his character in Court Kacheri feels stuck after pursuing law owing to his father's strong influence. Ask him what situation he is stuck in, and Ashish shares, "I'm a social media addict. I uninstalled Instagram and told my wife I won't use it again. Unfortunately, that very night, in the middle of the night, she noticed how I was hiding and installed it again." Further, probe him if the AI addiction has hit him yet, and Ashish points out how he tends to agree with the fake AI videos on reels. It is his wife who helps him distinguish between real and AI. Ashish Verma on AI in cinema: Human emotions over artificial ones He pointed out how it is weird that film endings are changed. "It's weird how film endings change," he says, hinting at the Raanjhanaa ending being changed. Ask him how he looks at AI entering cinema and changing how we have lived, and that actor says, "I'm not very sure about it. I understand that things change. There was an industrial revolution that happened, so there's a transformational phase. There would be a lot of benefits with AI. We can achieve a lot with the help of it that would not have appeared possible previously." While he praises evolution, Verma emphasises that replacing human emotions is not acceptable. "Nonetheless, cinema is an art form. It is eventually about human expression and connection. If you remove humans and add artificial intelligence/artificial expression, I'm not very sure how much it is going to connect and how cool it is. Right now, I don't think it's cool, but you never know. It's too nascent. I'm sure it would have its advantages, but it's not sitting well," the actor shared. 'We need to understand the flip side' In stating how AI might be here to stay and how it could affect every field, Ashish further clarified, "We need to understand how correct it is and what the flip side of it is. It is a very powerful tool, man, and can be misused. As long as it's not misused (it should be okay)." Raanjhanaa is available for streaming on OTTplay Premium, and Court Kacheri will also be out for viewing from August 13, 2025. So, have you subscribed yet?
NDTV
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Prateik Smita Patil On Being Thrown Out Of Subhash Ghai's Film Institute: "I Was A Raging Addict"
New Delhi: Prateik Smita Patil is the son of the late actress Smita Patil and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar. Prateik recently got candid about his long battle with substance abuse, and how it led to him being expelled from schools and colleges. In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Prateik spoke about how he had enrolled in Whistling Woods, a film institute founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai. However, Prateik was thrown out of it because of his drug addiction. Prateik said, "I shot Jaane Tu and then I went to Whistling Woods. I was studying a little bit here and there. There was a kind of slump as I didn't know what I was doing. I was there for about 2 years and then I was thrown out of Whistling Woods for doing drugs. Now that I think about it, it is funny. I got thrown out of every school and college I went into. I was a menace." He added, "The grandparents saw the worst of me in those last few years. I was a raging addict. My grandmother died seeing me as an addict. That's something I regret. I wish she could see the man I have become today." Prateik recently got married to actor Priya Banerjee. The internet was abuzz with their intimate wedding, and Raj Babbar not being invited to their wedding. On the work front, Prateik was seen in Salman Khan's Sikandar, the film had Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead. It was directed by AR Murugadoss. Prateik was also seen in HIT: The Third Case, which had Nani and Srinidhi Shetty in the lead. The film was helmed by Sailesh Kolanu.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Prateik Smita Patil reveals he was thrown out of Subhash Ghai's film institute for doing drugs: 'My grandmother died seeing me an...'
Prateik Smita Patil admitted that because of this it impacted his career leading to a downfall and also expressed his regret that his grandmother passed away seeing him a raging addict read more After making his sensational debut in Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza starrer Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Prateik Smita Patil enrolled at Whistling Woods, an institution founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai. However, he was thrown out of the institute for using drugs. The actor admitted that because of this it impacted his career leading to a downfall and also expressed his regret that his grandmother passed away seeing him a raging addict. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The grandparents saw the worst of me in those last few years. I was a raging addict. My grandmother died seeing me an addict. That's something I regret. I wish she could see the man I have become today,' Prateik told Bollywood Bubble. 'I shot Jaane Tu and then I went to Whistling Woods. I was studying a little bit here and there. There was a kind of slump as I didn't know what I was doing. I was there for about 2 years and then I was thrown out of Whistling Woods for doing drugs. Now that I think about it, it is funny. I got thrown out of every school and college I went into. I was a menace,' the actor added. Prateik is currently enjoying the success of HIT: The Third Case, in which he played the lead antagonist. The survival action-thriller featured Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Surya Srinivas, Rao Ramesh, Komalee Prasad, Nepoleon and others in prominent roles. The actor was also seen in Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna starrer Sikandar, which released during the Eid weekend. Directed by AR Murugadoss, the film also featured Sharman Joshi, Sathyaraj, Kajal Aggarwal, Anjini Dhawan, Sanjay Kapoor and Kishore among others in key roles. It turned out to be a colossal disappointment at the box office. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Scottish Sun
23-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
Marvin Baird left stunned after pal found dead feared ‘stabbed' outside The Scheme star's flat
MARVIN Baird has told of his shock after his pal was found 'killed' outside The Scheme star's flat in what's feared to have been a fatal stabbing. Recovering addict Marvin told how cops swarmed his street in KIlmarnock last night after a man was found collapsed in the road outside his living room window. 4 Cops and mercy crews descended on Kilmarnock last night Credit: John Kirkby 4 Marvin was stunned to learn the victim was his pal Paul Wright Credit: John Kirkby 4 Police and forensic crews combed the quiet street for evidence Credit: John Kirkby 4 Officers cordoned off three separate areas of the Longpark area of the town Credit: John Kirkby But the 46-year-old - who found fame in the controversial 2010 BBC documentary - said he was stunned to learn the victim was his pal Paul Wright, 56. The death is being investigated by a team of officers including murder cops. Marvin said: 'I'd known Paul for years. He collapsed right outside my flat window. I saw all the fuss but I didn't realise it was him. 'I couldn't believe it when I heard it was Paul. It's not nice news. 'He had his troubles but it's a shame to hear of anyone passing away. I'm sad for him and his family.' The victim - understood to have recently been released from prison - was found dead in the town's Orchard Street on Tuesday just before 5:30pm. Neighbours told of their shock at seeing police and forensic crews descending on their quiet street as they combed for clues. Locals say they raised the alarm with some reportedly battling to revive Mr Wright before paramedics arrived. Police cordoned off three separate areas of the Longpark area of the town as they carried out enquiries and fingertip searches. Detectives from CID gathered CCTV from neighbouring businesses as they tried to piece together Mr Wright's final movements after he was described as 'behaving erratically' in the lead-up to his death. Moment mum beats woman in love triangle attack just days before she killed ex One woman said: 'He was apparently running around the street and then someone said he just collapsed. 'I'm not sure if he was injured first but they're saying he later just dropped dead in the street. People started shouting for help and tried to resuscitate him but it was too late. It's quite shocking really.' Another local said: 'The dead guy had a reputation round these parts but it's still a big shock.' A neighbour said: 'I heard was a guy laying in the street. No one realised he was hurt. Honestly I think folk thought he was probably drunk but seemingly he had been stabbed. It's terrible. Poor fella.' Inspector Martin Lawrie said: 'Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding this death. 'Officers will remain in the area over the course of tonight and tomorrow. 'Anyone with any information or concerns can speak to them, or call Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident 2460 of Tuesday, 22 April, 2025.'
Telegraph
04-04-2025
- Telegraph
‘We snorted cocaine while our kids camped in the garden': The rise of drug-taking middle-class mums
Two recent stories have caused shock at the school gates. First, Hayley Berry – a mother addicted to cocaine who was so 'out of it', passers-by had to take her car keys and walk her children to school – was handed an eight-week jail sentence in 'one of the worst examples of drug-driving' the magistrate said he'd ever seen. Then there was the case of Amanda Mealing, the Casualty star who was banned from driving for 22 months after her vehicle collided with an oncoming car, seriously injuring the driver – a nurse and district councillor – last January. She, too, was high on cocaine at the time. These cases are particularly shocking because the last group that people expect to abuse cocaine is middle-class mums. Yet, until 11 months ago, I was in that unexpected cohort. I had taken the odd bump in my late teens but never considered myself an addict. Then, when I moved to London in my 20s to work as a make-up artist, a line often followed a glass of wine on Fridays, and the work-hard, play-hard environment I was in seemed to suit. Still, it seemed like the sort of thing I could just dip in and out of – everyone around me was doing it and it didn't control my life. When I met my now ex-husband and we moved to the countryside, near Bristol, I thought my life would change completely. I became pregnant and assumed that motherhood would be a different chapter in my life; that those old habits I had become keen to break would fall away. However, within a few years, I was searching for escapism again. I became a stay-at-home mum and my husband began working away a lot. Having a drink while my son was asleep on a Friday night was exciting; it became the mark of the weekend beginning and offered a much-needed feeling of freedom. But, while it would always start out with a drink, it soon led to something stronger. In hindsight, I think I was probably suffering from postnatal depression, and drugs filled the void within me, distracting me from my unhappiness. 'We'd take a couple of grams in the kitchen, then spend the rest of the night drinking wine' We had another child, and things stayed the same for the next few years. I was taking coke the odd weekend here or there, when I really craved a release, and my husband did it too. We'd take a couple of grams in the kitchen (it was never hard to get hold of), and then spend the rest of the night drinking wine. But when lockdown came, things began snowballing. We lived in a beautiful big house and, with the kids being homeschooled and nothing to do the rest of the time, we were desperate to get out of the monotony of Zoom lessons and living-room PE. Once the kids were in bed on a Friday night, that was my green light to indulge. Sometimes I'd stay up for 24 or 48 hours on the trot, or sleep away the entire weekend while someone else dealt with the children and took them to their activities. I never drove while in that state, and tried to keep things from my kids, but my eldest, then 10, did once see me with white powder on my nose, and asked me what it was. I said it was nothing and resolved to be more careful next time. I was far from the only one using cocaine among my mum friends though; some were indulging more than others during the week – before dinner or after stressful play dates. Whether providing a break from arguing over homework or the drudgery of pick-ups and drop-offs, the reason for us all was fairly uniform: craving the feeling of escape, like we didn't have to be mums anymore and could just forget about our lives. When it comes to being a mother, you don't get a day off, and it can be relentless. In those moments, it really didn't feel as though we were doing anything wrong, especially when we all did it together. With a big house, we'd invite friends over for the weekend, having cocaine-fuelled parties indoors while all of the kids camped overnight in the garden. When you're a parent, doing the things you enjoy or going out when you need time to yourself becomes more difficult. Like many mums, I was in the countryside and had aged out of the ways I previously got my highs; I had few friends nearby and needed a way to distract myself from the boredom. 'Suddenly I was a single mum in charge of two children; the break-up forced me to go to rehab' Cocaine-misuse deaths reached a record high in England and Wales last year, and that's scary. It took me until 2024 – the year that my marriage of 17 years ended – to finally kick my cocaine habit for good. My husband realised that his own reliance on alcohol was spiralling and went to rehab. While there, he called to say our relationship was over. I was shocked: I was suddenly a single mum dealing with the end of my marriage. I remember thinking, 'I'm in charge of two children; I don't want to live this life for a second longer.' The break-up forced me to go to rehab for four months (I didn't tell the children where I was going at the time) and really confront my issues. I see now that taking drugs is ultimately about not wanting to feel anything and running from your emotions. In my case, that included not liking myself very much and developing co-dependencies to people or substances. It's a dangerous place to find yourself in, and you have to work through your emotions (even the difficult ones) and not view them as something to hide or numb yourself from. When I returned from rehab, the first three months were difficult. I'd still have that Friday feeling, but I couldn't do anything about it. Now, instead of reaching for a glass of wine and then drugs, I attend Cocaine Addicts Anonymous meetings on Friday nights and follow the 12 Steps of recovery. 'I worry about the kids, given both their parents have struggled with substance abuse' I'm so much happier now that I've replaced addiction with connection, and have put more focus on my relationships rather than with substances. Instead of inviting mum friends round to do coke on a Friday night, I go for morning walks or coffee with others who are of a similar mindset. I've also given up alcohol completely, as it was always just a gateway for me. My old friends are proud of me for getting sober but, without drugs, the dynamic of our relationship has changed, and it's easier for me to be around those who are also in recovery. I don't see myself using drugs ever again. Since I came back from rehab, I've also had really frank conversations with my kids about addiction and drug use, and how dangerous it can be. I do worry about them, given that both of their parents have struggled with substance abuse. But I can only hope that, in being open about my past, they'll come to me if they do feel tempted to use in the future.
