News Analysis India

Tag: Actor

  • Actor Julian Sands’ cause of death ruled ‘undetermined’

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: The cause of death for British actor Julian Sands, who went missing while hiking on a mountain in California in January, has officially been ruled as “undetermined,” local authorities said Monday.

    Sands, who shot to fame as the romantic hero in the 1980s period drama “A Room with a View,” vanished on the 10,000-foot (3,000-meter) Mount San Antonio, known locally as Mount Baldy.

    But it wasn’t until June that human remains, later determined to be those of Sands, were discovered by hikers. Sands was 65.

    “The cause is ‘Undetermined’ due to the condition of the body and because no other factors were discovered during the coroner’s investigation,” a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff-coroners department told AFP in a statement.

    “This is common when dealing with cases of this type,” she added. “This is the final determination.”

    Sands’ break-out role was as plain-speaking George Emerson in “A Room with a View,” the Oscar-winning 1985 adaptation of EM Forster’s novel.

    In a varied subsequent career, Sands appeared in films as diverse as Frank Marshall’s 1990 spider-themed horror romp “Arachnophobia”, David Cronenberg’s controversial “Naked Lunch” and the alcohol-soaked 1995 drama “Leaving Las Vegas”, directed by Mike Figgis and starring Nicolas Cage.

    After the success of “A Room with a View”, Sands moved to Los Angeles.

    He married writer Evgenia Citkowitz in 1990. He left behind three children including a son with his previous wife, British journalist Sarah Sands.

    LOS ANGELES: The cause of death for British actor Julian Sands, who went missing while hiking on a mountain in California in January, has officially been ruled as “undetermined,” local authorities said Monday.

    Sands, who shot to fame as the romantic hero in the 1980s period drama “A Room with a View,” vanished on the 10,000-foot (3,000-meter) Mount San Antonio, known locally as Mount Baldy.

    But it wasn’t until June that human remains, later determined to be those of Sands, were discovered by hikers. Sands was 65.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “The cause is ‘Undetermined’ due to the condition of the body and because no other factors were discovered during the coroner’s investigation,” a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff-coroners department told AFP in a statement.

    “This is common when dealing with cases of this type,” she added. “This is the final determination.”

    Sands’ break-out role was as plain-speaking George Emerson in “A Room with a View,” the Oscar-winning 1985 adaptation of EM Forster’s novel.

    In a varied subsequent career, Sands appeared in films as diverse as Frank Marshall’s 1990 spider-themed horror romp “Arachnophobia”, David Cronenberg’s controversial “Naked Lunch” and the alcohol-soaked 1995 drama “Leaving Las Vegas”, directed by Mike Figgis and starring Nicolas Cage.

    After the success of “A Room with a View”, Sands moved to Los Angeles.

    He married writer Evgenia Citkowitz in 1990. He left behind three children including a son with his previous wife, British journalist Sarah Sands.

  • Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ actor, dies at 61

    By Associated Press

    BURBANK, Calif.: Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

    The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

    Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

    As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

    Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

    “I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

    The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

    He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

    Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

    The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

    Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

    Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

    Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

    “God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

    Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

    He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

    Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the “Twin Peaks” revival — and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

    A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002′s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

    He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

    “I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

    BURBANK, Calif.: Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

    The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

    Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

    Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

    “I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

    The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

    He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

    Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

    The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

    Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

    Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

    Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

    “God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

    Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

    He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

    Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the “Twin Peaks” revival — and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

    A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002′s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

    He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

    “I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

  • Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ actor, dies at 61

    By Associated Press

    BURBANK, Calif.: Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

    The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

    Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

    As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

    Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

    “I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

    The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

    He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

    Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

    The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

    Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

    Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

    Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

    “God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

    Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

    He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

    Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the “Twin Peaks” revival — and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

    A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002′s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

    He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

    “I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

    BURBANK, Calif.: Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

    The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

    Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

    Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

    “I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

    The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

    He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

    Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

    The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

    Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

    Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

    Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

    “God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

    Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

    He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

    Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the “Twin Peaks” revival — and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

    A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

    In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002′s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

    He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

    “I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

  • ‘Forgotten star’: Director of epic Somalian movie battling penury, health issues in Himachal

    By IANS

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

  • ‘Forgotten star’: Director of epic Somalian movie battling penury, health issues in Himachal

    By IANS

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

    MANDI: Writer, director and actor Amar Sneh who directed the historical Somalian movie ‘The Somali Darvish’ some 38 years ago, has been spending life battling penury with multiple health issues far from the limelight.

    Sneh, 70, is struggling to make ends meet in a rented accommodation at Dal village in Gohar subdivision, some 30 km from Mandi.

    When IANS got in touch with the film actor and director, he rued that he’s a forgotten star with no assistance from anyone when he’s struggling to meet his basic needs, either from the film industry or the government.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Narrating his tale of woe, Sneh, who has worked in films, television, radio and the stage as a writer, director and actor, said he came to Himachal Pradesh to set up a film city on the assurance of late veteran Congress leader and former Union telecom minister Pandit Sukh Ram, who belonged to Mandi town.

    “I also met the late Virbhadra Singh several times when he was the Chief Minister and he assured me of government help in setting up an acting school,” he said, adding “the political rivalry between the two Congress stalwarts Sukh Ram and Virbhadra Singh had put the film city concept into cold storage.”

    In the meantime, Sneh, who has acted in scores of films like ‘Sister’ ‘Cinema-Cinema’, ‘Amman’, ‘Saiyan Magan Pahelwani Mein’ and ‘Jan-E- Alam’, started the Sneh Film Institution in Mandi town.

    For the past many years owing to his poor financial condition, Sneh, an approved commentator of Doordarshan who gave commentaries for 150 films and programmes, moved to an accommodation offered by one of his sympathizers in Dal where he’s giving acting tips to village students free of cost.

    In 2021, he was struck with paralysis in half of his body.

    Sneh has written and directed at least 17 plays — some of the popular ones are ‘Shoonya’, ‘Kavita Kahani Ke Beech’ and ‘Paravartan’.

    Despite the popularity, the actor, who had directed one of the biggest Somalian English movie titled ‘The Somali Darvish’ featuring multilingual artists from 16 countries, says he remains forgotten by the film industry.

    “Marne ke baad meri laash ko natak me istemal kar liya jaye (After my death, my body should be used in a drama),” he added.

    Local social activist Hem Singh Thakur told IANS that Sneh’s health deteriorated after his second Covid-19 vaccination.

    “There are many health problems. He needs proper medical examination. He needs financial help too for his day-to-day expenses,” he said.

    “Before death, Amar Sneh-ji wants to contribute to society by sharing his versatile experience with the youth,” Thakur, a journalist-turned-activist, added.

    A team from the district administration led by sub-divisional magistrate Raman Sharma on Thursday called on Sneh in his village and assured him of some financial assistance from the government.

    “We have got information from social media that such a big personality is living in our area,” Sharma told IANS.

    Overwhelmed by the arrival of the official team at his doorstep, Sneh said all this was possible only in Himachal Pradesh.

    Sneh presented a copy of his stories collection to the SDM. On this occasion, he also wrote an emotional poem.

    “How can I live, give me a new face to live. I fell far, far away from myself. If someone leaves me, then bring me to myself.” (Translated from his couplets in Hindi)

  • Man stalks Mumbai-based web series actor on her social media platforms, held

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A 35-year-old man was arrested in suburban Andheri for allegedly stalking and harassing a 26-year-old web series actor on her social media platforms, police said on Monday.

    The actor, who worked in web series in Hindi and Bengali, has been facing the harassment for the last few months, a police official said.

    While interacting with her fans through live streaming on a social media platform recently, the actor had received obscene messages from an unidentified person, he said.

    She blocked the person on the platform but he started sending messages on her Instagram account. After a few days, he started tagging her and her husband with defamatory content on Twitter too, the official added.

    The accused person recently obtained the contact number of the actor and started to call her and also sent her text messages, the official said, adding he also stalked her in person.

    The actor approached DN Nagar police station and filed a complaint. The police registered a case and arrested the accused on Sunday, he said.

    MUMBAI: A 35-year-old man was arrested in suburban Andheri for allegedly stalking and harassing a 26-year-old web series actor on her social media platforms, police said on Monday.

    The actor, who worked in web series in Hindi and Bengali, has been facing the harassment for the last few months, a police official said.

    While interacting with her fans through live streaming on a social media platform recently, the actor had received obscene messages from an unidentified person, he said.

    She blocked the person on the platform but he started sending messages on her Instagram account. After a few days, he started tagging her and her husband with defamatory content on Twitter too, the official added.

    The accused person recently obtained the contact number of the actor and started to call her and also sent her text messages, the official said, adding he also stalked her in person.

    The actor approached DN Nagar police station and filed a complaint. The police registered a case and arrested the accused on Sunday, he said.

  • Shruti Haasan to star in international movie ‘The Eye’ 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Actor Shruti Haasan will be headlining the international feature film “The Eye”, to be directed by Daphne Schmon.

    The psychological thriller, which hails from Fingerprint Content will feature actor Mark Rowley of ‘The Last Kingdom’ fame opposite Haasan, reported entertainment news website Deadline.

    Haasan also shared the news in a post on Instagram.

    “Super stoked to be a part of ‘the eye’ with the loveliest team !!! Storytelling is my fave thing in this whole world and to be a part of this one is pure.” @daphneschmon and @emilycarltoncarlton @melanie_dicks2 Thank you for making me a part of this !! You ladies are so much fun with the super talented and caffeinated @markrowley90 and the kindest and magical @elpidou SIMPLY PUT This whole team is so wonderful and can’t wait for you’ll to see this,” the 36-year-old actor wrote.

    Haasan was earlier featured in the American series ‘Treadstone,’ which was set in the same universe as Matt Damon’s ‘Bourne’ film series.

    The Eye has a screenplay by Emily Carlton. The story centres on a young widow who travels back to the island where her husband died, to spread his ashes.

    Upon learning the true nature of what may have claimed his life, she is tempted by a dark choice that could bring him back.

    The cast also includes Anna Savva, Linda Marlowe and Christos Stergioglou. The movie will start shooting in Athens and Corfu later this month.

    Haasan will next be seen in filmmaker Prashanth Neel’s upcoming directorial ‘Salaar,’ co-starring Prabhas.

    MUMBAI: Actor Shruti Haasan will be headlining the international feature film “The Eye”, to be directed by Daphne Schmon.

    The psychological thriller, which hails from Fingerprint Content will feature actor Mark Rowley of ‘The Last Kingdom’ fame opposite Haasan, reported entertainment news website Deadline.

    Haasan also shared the news in a post on Instagram.

    “Super stoked to be a part of ‘the eye’ with the loveliest team !!! Storytelling is my fave thing in this whole world and to be a part of this one is pure.” @daphneschmon and @emilycarltoncarlton @melanie_dicks2 Thank you for making me a part of this !! You ladies are so much fun with the super talented and caffeinated @markrowley90 and the kindest and magical @elpidou SIMPLY PUT This whole team is so wonderful and can’t wait for you’ll to see this,” the 36-year-old actor wrote.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Shruti Haasan (@shrutzhaasan)

    Haasan was earlier featured in the American series ‘Treadstone,’ which was set in the same universe as Matt Damon’s ‘Bourne’ film series.

    The Eye has a screenplay by Emily Carlton. The story centres on a young widow who travels back to the island where her husband died, to spread his ashes.

    Upon learning the true nature of what may have claimed his life, she is tempted by a dark choice that could bring him back.

    The cast also includes Anna Savva, Linda Marlowe and Christos Stergioglou. The movie will start shooting in Athens and Corfu later this month.

    Haasan will next be seen in filmmaker Prashanth Neel’s upcoming directorial ‘Salaar,’ co-starring Prabhas.

  • Elizabeth Olsen speaks about experiencing panic attacks on New York streets

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Elizabeth Olsen has revealed that she “didn’t understand” feelings of panic until she reached a certain age while living in New York.

    According to E! News, in an interview with Variety, the ‘WandaVision’ actor got candid about how she experienced panic attacks in New York at the age of 21; a feeling she said she wasn’t aware of as she was a very loud and confident kid growing up.

    “I remember I would get [panick attacks] on the go every hour. I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn’t cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment,” Olsen said.

    She described the “spiralling” feeling that would happen in her body at signs of change in her environment, reported E! News.

    “If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full — any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, ‘Uh oh, something’s wrong!’ It was so weird. An ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months,” Olsen told the publication.

    To cope with the feelings, she looked to a friend who was seeing a medical professional for panic attacks and knew a lot of brain games. Olsen learned one strategy called “repetition” as a grounding technique.

    As per E! News, the Marvel star said the technique was a “helpful tool,” but still recalled her panic attacks as “very weird” because she was not anxious as a child.

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Elizabeth Olsen has revealed that she “didn’t understand” feelings of panic until she reached a certain age while living in New York.

    According to E! News, in an interview with Variety, the ‘WandaVision’ actor got candid about how she experienced panic attacks in New York at the age of 21; a feeling she said she wasn’t aware of as she was a very loud and confident kid growing up.

    “I remember I would get [panick attacks] on the go every hour. I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn’t cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment,” Olsen said.

    She described the “spiralling” feeling that would happen in her body at signs of change in her environment, reported E! News.

    “If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full — any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, ‘Uh oh, something’s wrong!’ It was so weird. An ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months,” Olsen told the publication.

    To cope with the feelings, she looked to a friend who was seeing a medical professional for panic attacks and knew a lot of brain games. Olsen learned one strategy called “repetition” as a grounding technique.

    As per E! News, the Marvel star said the technique was a “helpful tool,” but still recalled her panic attacks as “very weird” because she was not anxious as a child.

  • Actor Wendi McLendon joins Disney’s rom-com ‘Prom Pact’

    By Express News Service

    Actor Wendi McLendon-Covey has joined the cast of Disney+’s upcoming romantic-comedy Prom Pact. Headlined by Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim, the cast of the film also includes Margaret Cho, Monique Green, Arica Himmel, Jason Sakaki, David S Jung, and Blake Draper.

    Written by Anthon Lombardo, the film has set Anya Adams as the director. Set at the height of prom season, the film follows high-school senior Mandy Coleman (Lee) and her best friend Ben (Manheim) who are surrounded by over-the-top 80s themed prom proposals.

    Mandy, however, has her eyes set on her dream of going to Harvard. When she realises that her acceptance has been deferred, she now has to do something to get her off the waitlist, even if that means asking for help from the one person she abhors – popular all-star jock Graham Lansing, whose father is a powerful senator and Harvard alum. Once Mandy becomes Graham’s tutor, she begins to realize there’s more to him than she thought and perhaps something more to life than Harvard.

    McLendon-Covey will play Alyssa, Mandy’s mother and the wife of Tom (Jung). Although she is proud of the person her daughter has become, she wishes that Mandy would take the time to her enjoy her time in high school. McLendon-Covey is best known for her role in Bridesmaids and for playing Beverly Goldberg in The Goldbergs.

  • Maricel Soriana to star in Re-Live

    By Express News Service

    Maricel Soriana, one of the Philippines’ most awarded actors, has joined the cast of Rain Valdez’s feature directorial debut Re-Live: A Tale of an American Island Cheerleader.

    The upcoming trans-led romantic comedy is penned by Rachel Leyco and Valdez. The two also star in it as sisters Rochelle and Rowena, respectively. According to the reports, Soriana will play the role of their mother in the film. The story centers on Rowena, a transgender movie star who returns to her home in Guam for her high school reunion’s “do-over week”.

    Rowena’s plan to live out her childhood dream of being a cheerleader falters when her mother’s cancer begins to worsen, and she learns to value the family she left behind. Jhett Tolentino will executive produce the project in association with Shant Joshi’s Fae Pictures. Production will start in November in Hawaii and Guam.