Month: February 2025

India’s largest LPG Cavern is set to be operational by April, said an official on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2025.

Amit Garg, Director, of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) told mediapersons that the largest LPG Cavern is being constructed at HPCL’s LPG import facility at Mangalore.

He added that the LPG Cavern is designed to store 80,000 Metric Tons of LPG and it stands as a feat of engineering brilliance.

Gard said the rock cavern in granitic gneiss operates on the principle of hydraulic containment.

This cavern at Mangalore reaches extraordinary depths, with its floor positioned 141 meters below mean sea level and its operating shaft extending further to 156 meters, he added.

Garg further added that such depth ensures the hydrostatic pressure of water keeps the LPG securely contained. The cavern was constructed using the “drill and blast” method, though the journey to reach this point was not without its hurdles, he said.

He further informed that there are four major components of the cavern.

An access tunnel of 1.1 KM for removing the rock debris of all the tunnels branching out from it. Upper and Lower water curtain galleries, which is an intricate two-tier water curtain system with a combination of 13 KM of vertical and inclined boreholes to ensure the safe containment of LPG.

It features main Storage galleries of 18 M wide and towering to 21 M height, equivalent to a seven-story building, for LPG storage. An operation shaft of 6.5 M dia. and 164.5 M deep, is designed to house submersible LPG pumps, fill lines, and instruments critical for the facility’s operation.

This underground storage will play a vital role in meeting the increasing demand for energy across India. Strategically located, the Mangalore LPG Import Facility (MLIF) benefits from its geographical positioning, enabling seamless dispatch through various modes of transportation.

The Cavern will receive LPG from imports through New Mangalore Port and will dispatch LPG to Mangalore LPG bottling Plant, road and rail tankers at MLIF and cross-country pipelines running upto Mysore, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. This facility will thus cater to LPG demand in Southern and Central India, ensuring a stable supply of LPG across the regions, according to Garg.

The Mangalore LPG cavern project not only stands as a landmark achievement for HPCL but also as a testament to India’s growing capabilities in engineering and energy infrastructure, he said. (ANI)

The Rouse Avenue court on Thursday granted protection to Aam Aadmi Party MLA-elect Amanatullah Khan from any coercive action till February 24. The court has asked Khan to join the investigation.

An FIR was registered against Amanatullah Khan alleging that he obstructed a Delhi police crime branch team that had gone in the area to arrest Shavej Khan, who was declared Proclaimed Offender (PO) and allegedly wanted in a 2018 FIR registered at police station Jamia Nagar.

AAP MLA had moved for anticipatory bail before the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court in the new FIR. Special judge Jitendra Singh passed the order while hearing the anticipatory bail plea of the AAP leader. While passing the order, the court asked the police to interrogate under the CCTV camera.

During the hearing the court pulled up the Delhi police, asking them to clarify that Shavej Khan was a PO on the date of incident that took place on February 10 in Jamia Nagar area.

The court also rejected the police’s prayer to restrain Amanatullah Khan to enter in the area. The court issued a notice to Delhi Police and sought response on the anticipatory bail of the AAP MLA. Advocate Rajat Bhardwaj along with Kaustubh Khanna, counsel for the AAP MLA submitted that the MLA received a notice to join the investigation yesterday evening (February 12) from the police today (February 13), alleging that the notice was issued after filing of the anticipatory bail plea.

He submitted that it is alleged that the applicant Amanatullah Khan forcibly took away the PO Shavej Khan who is allegedly wanted in an FIR.

A 6 member team of crime branch team had reached in the area to arrest Shavej, counsel submitted. The counsel also submitted that the person whom police went to arrest he is not a Proclaimed Offender, as the person was bailed out by the court in July 2018.

It was submitted that Shavej was granted anticipatory bail in 30 July 2018. He was granted protection from coercive action.

He had joined the investigation on July 19, 2018 and a charge sheet was filed on July 20, 2018 and he was not charge sheeted, according to the counsel. It was further submitted that Shavej was acquitted in a case of an attempt of murder case.

“He underwent 4 days of imprisonment in a case of 2017 in which he was declared proclaimed offender case,” the counsel submitted. He was declared proclaimed offender on April 4, 2018 in the case registered in 2018. He joined investigation, thereafter he was granted anticipatory bail on July 30, 2018.

The court called the Investigation Officer for clarification regarding the submissions made by the counsel for AAP MLA. The counsel had submitted that Shavej Khan was granted anticipatory bail on July 30, 2018. The court has also sought clarification from the IO of the case in which Shavej is allegedly wanted.

While calling the IO, the court also said that Shavej Khan joined the investigation on July 19, 2018. Next day a charge sheet was filed. His anticipatory bail was confirmed on July 30, 2018. The court said this situation should be cleared.

Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Shrivastava along with APP Manish Rawat appeared for Delhi police. SHO Jamia Nagar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, officers from Crime branch.

APP Shrivastav submitted that the charge sheet was prepared on July 10, 2018. Then it was sent to the senior officer. It was filed on July 20, 2018. The court said he might be a PO but he was granted anticipatory bail on July 30, 2018.

“If he was on anticipatory bail, then police go to arrest the same person then it is a discharge of duty?” the judge asked. If it was not discharge of public duty then how it was obstructed, he added.

The judge further asked, “Was there any supplementary charge sheet. He was shown as Proclaimed Offender, despite he was on anticipatory bail, the court remarked.

It was the duty of the IO to inform the court that Shavej was granted anticipatory bail, the court said.

The APP submitted that it might be a clerical mistake. Then the court said that it should then order a departmental inquiry. “The action of police of going there is questionable. When the same person was not a Proclaimed Offender,” the court said.

The Additional Public Prosecutor submitted that police was confused, court was also confused. The co-accused also not fact of anticipatory bail to the court. “It was a mistake of facts which is a general exception. Shavej was accused in other cases.”

“He was a proclaimed offender as per court record. If the police went there illegally, then the team would be prosecuted, the APP added.

“Is there any CCTV Footage?” the court asked, while the prosecutor submitted that there was a power failure. “So did any police person made the video with mobile?” the court asked.

The police party was beaten up there, who could made the video?” APP submitted

The court asked the SHO Jamia Nagar that you have all the records, you should have informed the Investigation Officer.

He replied that the team was from the crime branch. The earlier IO had been transferred. It is not done, the court said. The court said that it want to know what exactly happened? The Investigation officer showed a video on mobile to the court. The court asked the APP to check the record, call the investigation officer Jai Bhagwan. Then the clarity will come.

The court said, ” You can’t enter into a premises on the basis of presumed fact, which were not correct.” The court asked the APP to talk to the Investigation Officer, check the record and appear on February 24. (ANI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen movable properties in the form of more than 30 bank account balance of some shell companies to the tune of Rs 170 crore following a raid conducted two days ago in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana in connection with a case of QFX Trade Ltd, the agency said on Thursday.

The action was taken after the ED’s Chandigarh Zonal Office conducted search operations on February 11 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at various locations in Delhi, Noida, Rohtak in Haryana and Shamli in Uttar Pradesh as part of an ongoing investigation in the case of QFX Trade Ltd and others running multi-level marketing scheme (MLM) under the guise of forex trading through their Directors Raiender Sood, Vineet Kumar and Santosh Kumar and one of the mastermind Nawab Ali alias Lavish Chaudhary.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by Himachal Police against QFX company which had defrauded many investors through a fraudulent forex trading scheme.

“QFX company and its Directors were running an unregulated deposit scheme, promising high returns on investments to the investors,” said the ED.

“The agents of QFX group of companies ran MLM Scheme under the name of QFX investment plan, wherein they create websites and apps social media ads to attract investors promising higher rate of return in the name of forex trading.”

As per the agency, the directors of the company and various agents working on commission of QFX and YFX hatched a conspiracy and ran an unregulated deposit scheme to lure people to invest in the investment scheme with 5 per cent return per month on investment made by investors.

During investigation, ED said, it was revealed that post FIR against QFX Trade Ltd and its Directors was registered by Himachal Police, the name of the QFX scheme was changed to YFX (Yorker Ex) with same modus operandi duping innocent investors by luring high rate of returns under the guise of forex trading In addition to QFX more fraudulent investment schemes are being run and controlled by Nawab Ali alias Lavish Chaudhary such as BotBro, TLC Coin, Yorker FX projecting them as forex trading apps and websites.

“Various events are being organized in India and Dubai to lure more customers,” stated the ED.

ED investigation further revealed that multiple bank accounts of Rax Box Private Limited, Capter Money Solutions Private Limited and Tiger Digital Services Private Limited are being used for collection of funds from investors.

ED said that the searches were conducted on the office and premises of directors of these companies, which revealed that these shell companies were being used by the masterminds of QFX and YFX scheme for receiving deposits from public for investment in QFX and YFX in the name of giving high returns claiming that returns are generated from forex trading.

During the course of search operations, movable properties in the form of more than 30 Bank account balances of these shell companies to the tune of Rs 170 crore have been frozen as directors of the company could not explain the source of funds.

“Searches were also conducted on some of the agents of QFX and YFX. Cash amount of more than Rs 90 lakh were seized from one of the premises of one of the agents. Various incriminating documents and digital devices have been recovered and seized during the search operation,” it added. (ANI)

Congress MP Manish Tewari on Thursday criticized the new Income Tax Bill, arguing that, contrary to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s claims, the proposed legislation is more complex than the existing one.

“The Union Finance Minister had said that the new Income Tax Bill will be simpler than the previous bill. In the previous Bill, there were 296 sections. In the new Bill, there are more than 500 sections. In the previous Bill, there were 5 schedules. In the new Bill, there are 14 schedules,” Tewari told ANI.

“The bill, which should have been more simple than the previous one, is more complicated,” he added.

The new Income Tax Bill is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Centre is keen on detailed consultations, and the bill is expected to be referred to a Select Committee for further examination.

The Union Cabinet last week cleared the new Income Tax bill.

Sitharaman had indicated earlier that the bill would be sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny. “The process is the committee gives its recommendations, it comes back, and then the government, through the Cabinet, takes a call whether these amendments are to be taken in,” she had said.

In the July 2024 Budget, the government proposed a comprehensive review of the Income-tax Act, of 1961. The purpose was to make the Act concise and lucid and reduce disputes and litigation.

Sitharaman had said in her budget speech on February 1 that the bill will be soon introduced in Parliament.

“Over the past 10 years, our Government has implemented several reforms for the convenience of taxpayers, such as (1) faceless assessment, (2) taxpayers charter, (3) faster returns, (4) almost 99 per cent returns being on selfassessment, and (5) Vivad se Vishwas scheme. Continuing these efforts, I reaffirm the commitment of the tax department to trust first, scrutinize later. I also propose to introduce the new income-tax bill next week,” she said in the budget speech. (ANI)

Rajya Sabha Opposition MPs staged a walkout on Thursday amid the discussion on the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Opposition MPs alleged that the JPC on the Waqf Bill is “biased” and “one-sided,” adding that the dissent notes submitted by the panel members weren’t included in the JPC report.

JMM MP Mahua Maji and AAP MP Sanjay Singh went on to claim that this bill is just beginning and soon the government would bring the bill to “grab” lands of other religions too.

Speaking to reporters, Mahua Maji said, “The INDIA Alliance staged a walkout against the report of the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill. The JPC has been biased. Today, the government is eyeing the land belonging to the Waqf; tomorrow, they will grab the properties of other religions.”

Panel member and Congress MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain alleged that the JPC had not followed the procedures and key parts of the dissent notes were blurred.

Hussain accused the Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju of “lying.”

“It (JPC report on Waqf) is biased and one-sided. The procedures were not followed in the JPC. Non-stakeholders were called, 97% of them opposed this bill. We were not given the minutes of the meeting… Key parts of our dissent notes were blurred, and the minister of minority affairs lied about it…” he told reporters.

Slamming the JPC, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “It is disappointing that the Opposition’s dissent notes have not been included in the report… This is just the beginning. Soon, they will bring a bill to possess the lands of Gurdwaras, Temples and Churches and give this land to their capitalist friends.”

However, AIMIM MP and JPC member Asaduddin Owaisi said that a group of Lok Sabha MPs, including A Raja, Kalyan Banerjee, Imran Masood, Mohammad Jawed, and Gaurav Gogoi, went to meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and told him that many pages and paragraphs of dissent notes had been redacted from the JPC report.

However, AIMIM MP and JPC member Asaduddin Owaisi said that a group of Lok Sabha MPs went to meet the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to inform him about the redacted pages and paragraphs of dissent notes, after which most of them were included in the report.

Owaisi stated that the report will be presented in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm.

“Today, a group of Lok Sabha MPs, which included A Raja, Kalyan Banerjee, Imran Masood, Mohammad Jawed, Gaurav Gogoi, and me, went to meet the Speaker. We told him that many pages and paragraphs of our dissent notes have been redacted from the JPC report. He was kind enough to ask the Secretary-General to include from our dissent notes whatever the rules permitted … Later, we sat in the Parliamentary library and included most of the redacted pages in the report, which will be presented in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm… The paragraphs that expressed aspersions on the working of the committee were not included since they were against the rules…” Committee member and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi said.

Earlier today, a major uproar erupted in both houses of the Parliament before the JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition sloganeering against the report, while the Rajya Sabha also witnessed heated exchanges.

Congress National President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, opposed the JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, alleging that dissent notes from Opposition members were removed.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid ruckus and continuous sloganeering from opposition members.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented the report. She also tabled a copy of the record of evidence given before the panel on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The JPC report’s presentation was followed by uproar in the Upper House of the Parliament, leading to the adjournment of the session till 11.20 am. However, soon after the proceedings were resumed, the house again witnessed the disruption from the opposition MPs.

Earlier today, Jagadambika Pal, BJP MP and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the JPC will present its report in Parliament after six months of nationwide consultations.

Speaking to ANI, the JPC Chairman emphasized the committee toured the country to collect inputs before finalizing the report, which included the adoption of 25 amendments across 14 clauses.

“Today, the JPC will produce its report in the Parliament. To have a detailed discussion and deliberation, the JPC was formed six months ago. In the last six months, we have prepared a report after touring the whole nation. We have adopted 25 amendments in 14 clauses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that instead of focusing on the already available Waqf Act, an attempt is being made to bring a politically motivated amendment.

Speaking to ANI, Gogoi asserted that several members of parliament have expressed their dissent in the JPC report, highlighting the constitutional negligence caused by this bill.

“Currently, there is an act that manages Waqf properties, and instead of focusing on how the government can better implement this act, an attempt has been made to bring a politically motivated amendment,” he said.

Congress MP KC Venugopal also slammed the Centre and said that the way in which the JPC conducted, it “was wrong.”

The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted the draft report and the amended revised bill on January 29.

However, opposition leaders submitted their dissent notes on the report.

Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Md Nadimul Haque, who were members of the panel, had protested “the expunction of key portions of their dissent notes” submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Banerjee and Haque alleged that the committee’s conclusions were biased and predetermined and claimed that the committee ignored stakeholder representations, witness depositions, and submissions made by opposition members.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)

Beyonce has revealed an exciting update to her highly anticipated ‘Cowboy Carter’ Tour by adding a fifth Los Angeles performance.

According to Deadline, the Texas Hold ‘Em singer initially planned four shows in the city but now extends her stay at the SoFi Stadium with an additional concert scheduled for Friday, May 9.

The 22-show tour, in support of her country-inspired album Renaissance: Act II, follows the massive success of her Renaissance stadium tour.

The tour had originally been set to kick off in Los Angeles on April 28, but due to unforeseen delays, the announcement was postponed to February 1, just days before the 2025 Grammy Awards.

Beyonce, who made history at the Grammys by claiming the Best Country Album and Album of the Year awards for Renaissance: Act II, had originally planned to announce the tour in January.

However, due to devastating wildfires that impacted Los Angeles, she delayed her announcement. In a heartfelt statement on January 13, she expressed her support for the region, pledging a USD 2.5 million donation to the BeyGOOD LA Fire Relief Fund to aid in the recovery.

Despite the setbacks, Beyonce has confirmed her return to the stage with an expanded Cowboy Carter tour, beginning with a four-night stand in Los Angeles.

Afterwards, she will travel to Chicago and East Rutherford, NJ, before heading overseas to London and Paris for additional shows, as per Deadline.

Fans eagerly anticipating the country-themed tour will have the chance to witness Beyonce’s musical evolution as she brings the unique sound of Renaissance: Act II to life on stage.

Tickets for all performances are available on the official Beyonce website.

Here are the updated Cowboy Carter Tour dates:

April 28 – Los Angeles, Calif – SoFi Stadium

May 1 – Los Angeles, Calif – SoFi Stadium

May 4 – Los Angeles, Calif – SoFi Stadium

May 7 – Los Angeles, Calif – SoFi Stadium

May 9 – Los Angeles, Calif – SoFi Stadium (New Show)

May 15 – Chicago, Ill – Soldier Field

May 17 – Chicago, Ill – Soldier Field

May 22 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 24 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 25 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 28 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

June 5 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

June 7 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

June 10 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

June 12 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

June 19 – Paris, France – Stade de France

June 21 – Paris, France – Stade de France

June 28 – Houston, Texas – NRG Stadium

June 29 – Houston, Texas – NRG Stadium

July 4 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium

July 7 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium

July 10 – Atlanta, Ga. – Mercedes Benz Stadium

July 11 – Atlanta, Ga. – Mercedes Benz Stadium

The new tour announcement follows Beyonce’s record-breaking success. The artist has secured 11 Grammy nominations, including nods for Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

Before the tour, Beyonce delivered a stunning performance during Netflix’s Christmas Day Halftime show, which was streamed during the NFL game in Houston, her hometown. (ANI)

Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) at the White House on Wednesday (local time), just hours after the Senate confirmed her.

US Attorney General Pam Gondi administered the oath to Gabbard at the Oval Office, with US President Donald Trump in attendance. The White House shared the video of Gabbard’s swearing-in ceremony on X.

While sharing the video of the swearing-in ceremony on X, the White House stated, “Tulsi Gabbard has officially been sworn in as Director of National Intelligence by AG Pam Bondi in the Oval Office! MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN”

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Tulsi Gabbard has been confirmed as Director of National Intelligence and her swearing-in ceremony will take place at the White House.

While addressing a press briefing on Wednesday (local time), Karoline Leavitt said, “On another important matter this morning, Senate Republicans continued to confirm President Trump’s exceptionally qualified nominees most recently Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard who will be joining us later at the White House for her swearing-in ceremony. It’s imperative that the remainder of the President’s cabinet nominees are confirmed as quickly as possible.”

The US Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, CNN reported. The vote was 52-48 mostly along party lines, though Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposing the confirmation, as per CNN.

Gabbard, one of US President Donald Trump’s more controversial picks, faced concerns from several Republican senators over her lack of support for Ukraine; her shifting position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, a key surveillance and security tool; her 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and her past support for Edward Snowden.

However, key swing Republican senators, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana ultimately decided to back her confirmation.

Tulsi Gabbard is Trump’s 14th nominee to be confirmed since January 20. Her confirmation was a dramatic turnaround for a nomination that, from the start, has been among Trump’s most divisive.

A former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, Gabbard drew scrutiny from Senate Intelligence Committee lawmakers over her views on surveillance and a series of controversial meetings she held in Lebanon and Syria in 2017, including with then-President Assad. (ANI)

Veteran actor Chiranjeevi has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following his purported remarks at the pre-release event of the upcoming Telugu film ‘Brahma Anandam’.

The megastar who is immensely popular in the Telugu film industry, sparked outrage after stating his desire for a grandson to “continue the legacy.”

The comments were purportedly made during the event on Tuesday when Chiranjeevi was shown a picture of himself with his granddaughters.

Reflecting on the family picture, the actor, who is also a Padma Vibhushan awardee is reported to have said, “Whenever I am at home, I don’t feel like I am with my granddaughters. I feel like a ladies’ hostel warden, all girls around me, no boys.”

The actor further continued, “Charan, at least next time, give birth to a boy. It’s my wish that my legacy should continue. This girl (Klin Kaara) is so sweet. I’m afraid he’ll give birth to another girl. Lovely kids.”

Chiranjeevi’s comments were met with mixed reactions on social media, with some criticizing his statements as being rooted in outdated and sexist views.

One social media user on X wrote, “#Chiranjeevi has become a JOKER Lately, What he speaks is either Controversial or Misogynistic”

Another wrote, “#Chiranjeevi is so casual while saying that he wishes to have a grandson from #RamCharan so that their legacy would continue. Don’t daughters carry family legacy?”

On the reported remarks of actor Chiranjeevi, CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said, “It is really quite unfortunate and a matter of regret when well-known personalities who are considered opinion makers make such crass, sexist statements which reflect son preference cultures in a country where sex ratios are still abnormally biased in favour of boys.”

“I don’t think this is expected of a person like Chiranjeevi and he should make amends because he may have made a comment in a lighthearted manner, but people believe in such son preference cultures in our country, and it is such cultures which put pressure on the daughter-in-law to produce a son. He may have done it in a light hearted manner, but it does have serious repercussions. This is a kind of culture which coerces women to go in for sex determination tests and to abort a female foetus…” she said.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said, “…It is very sad…It is a very unfortunate statement that only a boy can carry forward the legacy…Boys and girls, both are our assets. We are proud of both. We should really expect them to be well behaved, individuals who do good work for the society…”

Chiranjeevi, who has two daughters, Sreeja Konidela and Sushmita Konidela, is a grandfather to four granddaughters–Navishka and Nivrati from Sreeja, and Samara and Samhitha from Sushmita.

His son, Ram Charan, and daughter-in-law, Upasana, welcomed their baby girl, Klin Kaara Konidela, in June 2023.

On the work front, Chiranjeevi will be seen next in ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy drama co-starring Trisha and Meenakshi Chaudhary. (ANI)

Actress Rashmika Mandanna, known for her diverse roles in Indian cinema, is stepping into the world of historical drama with her portrayal of Yesubai in the highly anticipated film ‘Chhaava’.

In a candid conversation with ANI, Rashmika opened up about the challenges she faced in bringing the character of Yesubai, a revered figure in Maratha history, to life.

The actress revealed that portraying a real historical figure was a first for her. “This is the first time I am doing a character that already existed in history,” said Rashmika.

“For me, it was an incredible opportunity, as I’ve never done a biopic before. It was something entirely new to me. Every time I did films before, I created a character, but for the first time, I wasn’t creating a character–she is Yesubai. There’s nothing of Rashmika in her,” the ‘Pushpa’ actor added.

Rashmika admitted that stepping into the shoes of a royal warrior queen was both thrilling and daunting.

“I didn’t know how the Maharani would walk or talk or act. We’ve read about them, but we’ve never seen them,” she said.

Seeking guidance from director Laxman Utekar, she kept checking her portrayal to ensure it reflected the essence of the historical figure.

“Laxman Sir took care of all of that, and luckily, I got the opportunity to work with him. I got to play a beautiful, graceful, and strong character, and today, I’m really proud of it,” she added.

One of Rashmika’s biggest hurdles was language, as Hindi is not her first language. Hailing from Coorg in South India, she found it challenging to deliver her lines in Hindi but mentioned that she worked hard to overcome this barrier.

“I consider myself a blank slate, and I let the directors transform me,” Rashmika shared, adding, “The clothes, jewellery and set were all ready for me, so I just had to surrender to the director and give him what he wanted. And I was happy with what I did.”

Rashmika’s transformation also involved physically demanding costumes, with intricate saree draping and heavy jewellery becoming part of her daily routine.

She explained, “Yes, there’s so much draping happening. I had to wear a saree from scratch every day, as I didn’t have a pre-draped saree. It was hectic because in the middle of the day, if you needed to use the restroom, you had to remove everything (she laughed). The jewellery was heavy, too, but we wanted to keep it as authentic as possible, so we used real gold jewellery. It was all heavy, but at the same time, that’s what brought the character to life.”

While there are no dance sequences in Chhaava, Rashmika highlighted the importance of the film’s music, noting that the songs serve as a score rather than traditional dance numbers.

The film’s musical score is crafted by AR Rahman, adding to the grandeur of the period drama.

‘Chhaava’ stars Vicky Kaushal in the lead role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Akshaye Khanna portrays the role of Aurangzeb.

Directed by Laxman Utekar, the film is set against the backdrop of the Maratha Empire and chronicles the life of the valiant king, focusing on his reign and struggles.

‘Chhaava’ is set to release on February 14. (ANI)