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Pawan Kalyan’s Agnyathavaasi will release in 209 Cinemark centres in the US

Pawan Kalyan’s Agnyathavaasi will release in 209 Cinemark centres in the US

Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming romantic action film Agnyathavaasi, directed by Trivikram, which is all set for a Makar Sankranti release early next year will be screened across 209 Cinemark centres in the USA, surpassing Baahubali’s record of release across 126 locations as reported by the Hindustan Times.

Pawan Kalyan in the first look of Agnyaathavaasi 

The film, which has reunited the hit combination of actor Pawan with director Trivikram, for a third time might be the biggest ever, release for any Indian film. Their previous two outings together had delivered two blockbuster hits in Jalsa and Attarintiki Daredi.

Acoording to the report, after Pawan Kalyan’s previous two releases, Sardaar Gabbar Singh and Katamarayudu had failed to impress at the box office, high hopes are pinned on this project as he is looking forward to retiring from acting soon and wants to do that with a bang.

The film stars Keerthy Suresh opposite Kalyan in the film and the other members of the cast include Anu Emmanuel, and Boman Irani who plays the antagonist.

Agnyaathavaasi - Prince in Exile will see Kalyan in the role of a software engineer called Abhijit Bhargav, and is said to be in an ‘angry young man’ avatar in the film.

While the music of the film has been doing well, the filmmakers have also recently wrapped up the final shoot schedule of the film in Varanasi and released the first look poster. The film is slated to release on 10 January 2018.

Rajinikanth's 2.0 producers deny taking legal action against Oscar-winning American VFX studio

Rajinikanth's 2.0 producers deny taking legal action against Oscar-winning American VFX studio

A report by Bollywood Hungama stated that Rajinikanth's 2.0 makers were planning to take legal action against an Oscar award-winning American VFX studio for 'irregularity' which led to the film's postponement from January to April 2018. Delving deeper into the development, Firstpost got in touch with a bankable source from Lyca Productions.

The Bollywood Hungama report said, "The VFX delivery has been gravely defaulted by a US company that took on the task of doing the entire special effects of our film. So we had to pull out 1000 shots from the film and send it off to 10 different VFX companies, 100 shots to each! This meant a great deal of criminal delay. In fact, I will tell you the truth, they’ve cheated us and we’re now planning to take elaborate legal action against them."

2.0 bolsters Superstar Rajinikanth's power with Akshay Kumar's. Images via Twitter2.0 bolsters Superstar Rajinikanth's power with Akshay Kumar's. Images via Twitter

However, our source from Lyca Productions completely refutes the above report, quashing it as a rumour. "It's true that we are facing significant challenges on the VFX front. But, the VFX company is not solely responsible for the delay. You have to understand that 2.0 is Asia's most prominent project and we have to make sure we deliver a world-class film. In fact, the VFX studio in question is very much part of the movie, and working round the clock to meet our deadline. Their groups of VFX supervisors are actively working in tandem with Shankar's directorial team to ensure everything is in place. And, we're not planning any legal action at all. There's no question of it when we have an excellent understanding between us," informs our source.

The aforementioned American VFX company is the famous Rhythm and Hues Studios, whose eye-popping visual effects work in films such as Babe, The Golden Compass and The Life Of Pi have all won Academy awards.

"The number of VFX shots in 2.0 will be unlike any Indian film. While handling such a massive quantity, some hiccups are bound to occur. However, we are very determined that we should not compromise on the quality because of time constraint. That's the main reason for postponing the film from January to April 2018," the source added.

Meanwhile, Telugu film producers Bunny Vas and DVV Danayya are hell-bent on stopping the release of 2.0 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on 27 April, 2018 since their projects Naa Peru Surya, starring Allu Arjun, and Bharath Ane Nenu, starring Mahesh Babu, had announced the release date much before the makers of 2.0 did.

Bunny Vas and DVV Danayya have now requested the intervention of trade bodies such as producers council and exhibitors association to take up the issue citing that it will affect the release of local films. "Tollywood has always respected and embraced other language cinema. But a bigger project like Robo 2.0 changing their release dates has caused confusion among producers. All the Telugu movie producers who are releasing in April and May are in discussions to avoid any competition among ourselves. However, this sudden announcement by ROBO 2 team to release in April has left all the Telugu releases to further confusion. At this juncture, we request the trade bodies to take a conscious call and arrive at an amicable solution," said DVV Danayya a few days back.

As we reported earlier, the makers of 2.0 are currently planning the teaser and trailer launch events for the film as their next marquee events. The teaser of the film is likely to be launched in Hyderabad towards the end of January for the Republic Day, or early February. And, the trailer will be released in a grand event in Chennai in March.

Directed by Shankar, 2.0 is billed as Asia's costliest natively acquired 3D film made at a lavish budget of Rs. 400 crores. Akshay Kumar, who plays the role of Dr Richard, is pitted against Rajinikanth in the movie, which also marks his debut in Tamil industry. With music by Oscar award-winning composer AR Rahman and sound design by another Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty, 2.0 has Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey, Adil Hussain, and Kalabhavan Shajohn in pivotal roles.

Infosys to partner with HPE to modernize mainframe computing system of enterprises

Infosys to partner with HPE to modernize mainframe computing system of enterprises

Software major Infosys on Monday said it was partnering with global IT major Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to modernize mainframe computing system of enterprises worldwide.

"Our mainframe modernisation solution with HPE's mission critical computing systems will offer enterprises an integrated platform to transform their legacy applications to the latest hardware and software architecture," said the IT major in a statement here.

The Infosys-HPE joint solution will also enable cloud and mobile ready applications, reduce costs and enhance customer experience.

The solution also allows enterprises to develop new business models with technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation and middleware and database architecture that will enable them to transform from mainframe platforms.

"As enterprises across verticals embrace digital transformation, we are enabling clients to simplify their IT landscape by redeploying mainframes on modern architecture," said Infosys President Ravi Kumar.

According to HPE Global Channel Chief Paul Hunter, the US-based firm has robust systems to help enterprises migrate their mainframes to secure hybrid IT environment.

"Our partnership with Infosys will help enterprises transformation and generate value in a competitive business landscape," he added.

Google announces four shortlisted startups for its hands-on mentorship program Launchpad Accelerator

Google announces four shortlisted startups for its hands-on mentorship program Launchpad Accelerator

Google on 1 December announced four shortlisted Indian startups for its hands-on mentorship programme 'Launchpad Accelerator'. With this batch, a total of 30 Indian startups have so far joined the class.

The shortlisted startups — BabyChakra, m.Paani, NIRAMAI and SocialCops — will join a group of startups shortlisted from all over the world at the Google Developers' Launchpad Space in San Francisco in the US.

Class 5 of the mentorship will kick off on January 29 and will include two weeks of all-expenses paid training, as part of the the full six-month programme.

"These startups have been shortlisted based on their unique value proposition and use of latest technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence," Roy Glasberg, Global Lead, Google Developers Launchpad, said in a statement.

BabyChakra is a trusted care companion to Indian parents, from pregnancy to parenting.

m.Paani powers real-time, direct to consumer engagement, marketing, loyalty and insights for mass market consumers and retailers.

NIRAMAI is a healthtech startup that has developed a novel breast cancer screening solution while SocialCops empowers organisations to make better decisions through data.

Launchpad Accelerator is Google's six-month programme that includes an intensive two-week boot camp in San Francisco and mentoring from over 30 teams across Google and expert mentors from top technology companies in Silicon Valley and globally.

Trump's Jerusalem move: Arab allies attack decision

Trump's Jerusalem move: Arab allies attack decision

Arab officials say US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital risks plunging the Middle East into "violence and chaos".

The move ended US neutrality on one of the region's most sensitive issues.

Arab League foreign ministers now say it means the US cannot be relied upon as a broker of Middle East peace.

The statement by 22 countries, including close US allies, comes after a third day of violence and protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

For Mr Trump the decision fulfils a campaign promise and he has said it was "nothing more or less than a recognition of reality".

But he has faced fierce criticism for the decision.

Frank Gardner: Counter-terror efforts at risk?

The Arab League resolution was agreed at 03:00 (01:00 GMT) after hours of talks in Cairo. It was backed by a number of US allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who had already voiced their concern.

The resolution said:

The US had "withdrawn itself as a sponsor and broker" of any possible Israeli-Palestinian peace process through its decision

Mr Trump's move "deepens tension, ignites anger and threatens to plunge region into more violence and chaos"

A request would be made for the UN Security Council to condemn the move

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, the US found itself isolated, with the other 14 members all condemning Mr Trump's declaration.

But US ambassador Nikki Haley accused the UN of bias, saying it "has outrageously been one of the world's foremost centres of hostility towards Israel", and that the US was still committed to finding peace.

Media captionAnalysis: Breaking down what Mr Trump said and what it means for peace

On Saturday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had heard "voices of condemnation over President Trump's historic announcement" but had "not heard any condemnation for the rocket firing against Israel that has come and the awful incitement against us".

Three rockets were fired towards Israel from Gaza on Friday, leading Israel to carry out air strikes in response. It said it hit military sites belonging to the Islamist group Hamas, killing two of its members.

How the world reacted to Trump move

What are the alternatives to a two-state solution?

Hundreds protested in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, but crowds were smaller than in previous days.

Clashes occurred in the West Bank town of Nablus on Saturday

In northern Israel a bus was pelted with rocks as it passed through mostly Arab communities, with three Israelis injured, Haaretz reported.

Thousands of Palestinians had protested on Friday, with solidarity demonstrations held across the Arab world and in other Muslim-majority nations.

Why Jerusalem is so important

Jerusalem is of huge importance to both Israel and the Palestinians. It contains sites sacred to the three major monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Israel occupied the eastern sector - previously occupied by Jordan - in 1967, and annexed it in 1980, but the move has never been recognised internationally.

Media captionWhy the city of Jerusalem matters

Some 330,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, along with about 200,000 Israeli Jews in a dozen settlements there. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel does not regard them as settlements but legitimate neighbourhoods.

According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.

The last round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in 2014 and while the US is formulating fresh proposals, Palestinian officials have said Mr Trump's announcement has disqualified the US from brokering future negotiations.

These people gave us their lives for our country and for what should we say every fruit?

These people gave us their lives for our country and for what should we say every fruit?

Jai Hind

Prabhas Fan and I will be fond of Mahesh Babu,
But our true heroes are real heroes of our soldiers who are living for the country,
We want our fans
These people gave us their lives for our country and for what should we say every fruit?
My heartfelt congratulations
Jai Hind