Actor Mohanlal, who received the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on Tuesday, was welcomed with loud cheers and applause at the venue. The actor, clad in a traditional white attire, spent some time obliging the staff at Vigyan Bhawan and the audience who came to get a selfie with him. He also had a long chat with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who referred to him as the “real OG”. Mohanlal got a pleasant surprise when the minister told him in Malayalam “Thankal oru ugran actor anu (You are a brilliant actor)”. The minister also urged the crowd to give him another round of applause.
Back In Saddle
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s return to Rampur on Tuesday, after spending two years in jail, has created a political buzz in the western UP district about the likely visits of high-profile leaders in the coming days. Khan’s loyalists are curious to see who among the leaders from different parties, who were accusing SP president Akhilesh Yadav of neglecting him, will turn up to meet the former Rampur MP. While there is speculation that Azad Samaj Party chief and MP Chandrashekhar Azad and a Congress delegation may visit Rampur in the next few days, all eyes are on Akhilesh’s next move to iron out the issues between the two leaders.
Eyeing A Hattrick
Uttarakhand will go to polls in 2027, along with Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab and Manipur, but the BJP has already started preparations for the Assembly elections in the state. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh on Tuesday reached Dehradun where he will hold meetings with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state unit president Mahendra Bhatt, state in-charges and district unit presidents on Wednesday. Party sources said “mission hattrick” is the sole agenda of the meetings, which will focus on drawing the strategy of 2027 polls.