shah rukh khan with daughter suhana, anil...

SUPER SRIKANTH LIFTSAUSTRALIAN OPEN SUPER SERIES

ANY RIVALRY BETWEEN KAPILSHARMA AND KRUSHNA ABHISHEK?

My pictures were morphed: AyeshaTakia on reports of getting botox

SHAH RUKH KHAN WITH DAUGHTER SUHANA, ANIL KAPOOR AND FARAH KHAN ON THE OPENING OF RESTAURANT DESIGNEDBY GAURI KHAN IN MUMBAI.

Is SRK part of Tubelight?

INDIA'S SPIN BOWLER KULDEEP YADAV CELEBRATES WITH CAPTAIN VIRAT KOHLI THE DISMISSAL OF WEST INDIES' CAPTAINJASON HOLDER DURING THEIR SECOND ODI CRICKET MATCH AT QUEEN'S PARK OVAL IN PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD ANDTOBAGO, SUNDAY. RAHANE'S 103 HELPS INDIA BEAT WEST INDIES BY 105 RUNS.

MUMBAI, (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan says it took just a phone callto convince Shah Rukh Khan to do a special appearance in his film"Tubelight". The KabirKhan-directed movie,which hits the theatreson June 23, is set againstthe backdrop of the 1962India-China war. WhileSohail Khan is in the roleof a soldier, Salmanplays his s impletonbrother. The actor saidthe Shah Rukh didn' teven listen to the entireconversation before say-ing yes. "When Kabirnarrated the subject tome, he said for this role we should get Shah Rukh. So, I called upShah Rukh and told him, 'In Tubelight, there's this small', and he cutme, saying, 'It's done'. He didn't even let me complete the sentence.He just said 'it's done'," Salman told repor ters here. The actor wasspeaking at a special event last night where they introduced childactor Matin Rey Tangu to the media. The five-year-old actor, whohails from Itanagar, plays an integral par t in "Tubelight". Salman saidwith "Tubelight", Tangu will become as popular as Harshali Malhotra,his co-star in "Bajrangi Bhaijaan". The movie is an official adaptationof the 2015 American war drama "Little Boy".

MUMBAI, (PTI) Ayesha Takia haslaughed off repor ts of gettingbotox and lip fillers, saying shehas developed a thick skin to dealwith trolls. Earlier this year, pic-tures of Ayesha looking strikinglydifferent star ted doing the roundson social media, and there wererepor ts that the actress had goneunder the knife."I found it funny when the picturescame. I thought it was so hilari-ous, it doesn't look like me. Thepictures were morphed. But thenit was al l over the place andpeople were taking it seriously,"Ayesha told PTI. "We are sur-rounded by social media today. You have to develop a thick skin andget over it. So, I cleared things out as much as I could and ultimatelylaughed it off," she adds.The actress says things have changed drastically with a dominantpresence of social media recently. "In the beginning, when I wasdoing movies social media wasn't that big, people weren't on cellphones all the time. Now it's different. You are all over the place,everything is out there, sadly people get trolled constantly. "It's not just foractors, but people in general are getting trolled. My sister gets trolled for just havingtattoos and piercing. Anyone can get picked on," she says.

MUMBAI, (IANS) Comedian and actor Krushna Abhishek says thereis no bad blood between him and comedian Kapil Sharma or hisshow. "There is no controversy in it, there is nothing to do with Kapilor his show. Kapil's show airs 9pm to 1 pm and I will do my showfrom 8pm to 9pm. There is no rivalry,"said Krushna, squashing rumoursthat his comedy show might replace Kapil's. Krushna was present atthe launch of another new show "Yeh Mera India" on History TV re-cently. "When I used to do 'Comedy Nights Bachao' then our showsused to come at the same time, then at that time people did not knowwhat to see. Both of us have now come to the same channel." Krushnaadded. Krushna has also said that he wants to go on Kapil's show topromote his own show. "In fact, I have told the channel that I will go toKapil's show to promote our show. I think for the first time in the lastfive years, we are going to share the same stage together. I am ea-gerly waiting for my show to star t and to go on Kapil's show," he said.

Nihalani upset: Wrong of TV channels to show 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' clipMUMBAI (IANS) Central Board of Film Cer tification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani is upset with media, especially televi-sion producers, for showing a clip of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Jab Harry Met Sejal" without proper cer tification and permission.In one of the 'mini-trails' of Imtiaz Ali movie, actress Anushka Sharma is seen handing over an 'indemnity bond' to Shah Rukh,saying there won't be any legal ramifications if the couple ends up having intercourse. In an interview to News X, Nihalaniexpressed his resentment. He said: "Don't inter fere with our work asking why we did this or that. We are doing our work and youdo your own work. We have not given cer tificate to them, we have only given them cer tificate for digital, but then they don'trequire cer tification for digital platform. Media, who is showing their mini-trails, is wrong because any material from film ontelevision needs cer tificate. Producers are not showing them, media is showing it."

SYDNEY, (PTI) Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth notched up his sec-ond successive Super Series title with a stunning straight-game tri-umph over reigning Olympic and world champion Chen Long in theAustralian Open summit clash here on Sunday. The world no.11Srikanth won 22-20 21-16 in a 45-minute clash against the world no.6Chinese, who is also the current All England champion.Srikanth, who had reached the summit clash in Singapore and Indo-nesia before this tournament, is only the fifth player in the world to contest threesuccessive Super Series finals. The Indian, a semi-finalist in the last edition of thetournament, was the one to grab the early lead. Following a sedate start, Srikanthcapitalised on his opponent's rather sluggish game to clinch a 10-6 lead.But perhaps jolted by the lead he had conceded, Long gathered himself just in time,starting with a deftly-placed smash, to make it 11-11. The Chinese shifted gearsquite suddenly to add pace to the proceedings and his baseline strokes stood outfor both ferocity and accuracy. But the Indian was no pushover and played thecatch-up game quite well, coming up with a couple of brilliant smashes of his own.And it was this tenacity which got Srikanth a 17-15 lead even though Long contin-ued to breathe down his neck. But Srikanth did not let the momentum slip, helpedby Long's erratic game and the underdog earned his first game point at 20-19. Longmanaged to save that with a rasping smash but Srikanth's perseverance fetchedhim another at 21-20 when the Chinese was foxed by a low backhand return. Thistime, Srikanth made no mistake and sealed the first game in 23 minutes. Thesecond game began with an engaging baseline rally, which ended with Srikanthsmashing his way to earn the first point. The see-saw battle continued for a whilebefore Srikanth broke away to lead 6-3, dominating the rallies with his accurately,rather awkwardly, placed shots, which Long found difficult to return. But it was notto say that Long was completely out of the contest.

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MidWeek 19MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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SRK to release filmsong with girlsnamed 'Sejal'AHMEDABAD (IANS) Bollywoodsuperstar Shah Rukh Khan, whowill be seen alongside AnushkaSharma in "Jab Harry met Sejal",will release the films first song,titled "Radha", here in the pres-ence of a few girls named Sejal.The makers of the Imtiaz Ali di-rectorial had initiated a contestthat would result in the actor vis-iting the city that has the majorityof girls named Sejal -- Anushka'scharacter in the film, read a state-ment. While Ahmedabad emergedas the winner, Shah Rukh will visitthe city on Wednesday to meetthe girls and to release the firsttrack of the film. The film starsShah Rukh as a Punjabi, namedHarinder Singh Nehra. It is slatedto release on August 4.

Why is KJoworried watchingVarun on shows?Mumbai (IANS) Filmmaker KaranJohar says he gets worried whenhe sees actor Varun Dhawan per-forming at any show. "I get wor-ried watching Varun on showsbecause I feel in his excitement,besides his shir t many other gar-ments might come off," Karansaid during IIFA's press confer-ence. "So that is my big fear be-cause when Varun per forms atanything, he has no sense of self-control." Varun will be joiningKaran and actor Saif Ali Khan tohost the 18th edition of the Inter-national Indian Fi lm Academy(IIFA) Awards in New York nextmonth. Talking about his plans tohost the film gala, Karan said:"IIFA will be live this time, sothere will no editing... It is actu-ally making sure that your scriptis audience fr iendly becauseyou're not connecting to 40,000people in audience but eventuallyto 40 million people, who wouldwatch it live on television." Karanfeels Saif is a veteran when itcomes to show hosting.

'Mubarakan' should be Arjun's most successful film: Anil KapoorMUMBAI (IANS) Actor Anil Kapoor, who will be sharing screenspace with his nephew actor Arjun Kapoor in the for thcomingfilm "Mubarakan", says he wanted the movie to be Arjun's bestand successful film ever. "When Boney Kapoor or Arjun'smother watch this film, or for that matter all our friends, itshould be Arjun's most successful film ever. When the moviewill become successful, only then Anees (Bazmee) and I will behappy. That is the spirit with which we have made this film,"Anil said at the trailer launch of the film here on Tuesday.

"Mubarakan", which also features Ileana D'Cruz and AthiyaShetty, is a first of its kind real-life "uncle and nephew" outingfor Anil and Arjun in comedy genre. "It has been a wonder fuland emotional experience working with Arjun Kapoor. He is myrelative, he is like my son, he is my brother's son. I think it wasvery emotional-professionalism working with him," Anil said."I was professional, I was competitive, but before every scene,I would discuss with director Anees Bazmee that we're workingwith Arjun Kapoor for the first time. And it should be Arjun's

best film ever," he added. Anil has described the film a "purefamily enter tainer"."After a long time, we're doing a film which is a real and purefamily enter tainer. I think it is Anees Bazmee's specialty,whether it is 'No Entry', 'Welcome' or 'Welcome Back', and eventhose films which he wrote for me, movies like 'Deewana-Mastana' and 'Ladla'. There will not be a single double-meaningdialogue in his films," Anil said. "Mubarakan" is slated forrelease on July 28.

Shaan to releasesong usinginstruments fromworld over onWorld Music DayNEW DELHI (IANS) Singer Shaanis set to re lease a song onWednesday using a variety ofmusical instruments from acrossthe world, which is also the WorldMusic Day. From Dizi, the Chi-nese flute to the Bodhrán, the Irishdrum to other unique instrumentsl ike Abakua, Cowbell, Bongo,Timbales, Bagpipes, Tabla amongothers, a variety of instrumentsfrom around the world will beheard in the song. "When I travel,I always stop at every roadsidemusical per formance. It helpsme understand the vibe of theplace better and in a strange waymakes me feel a part of their commu-nity. Music plays such an important partin making the world smaller and hap-pier. That's why we thought of creatingone song that demonstrates all theseemotions together, give it a listen,"Shaan said in a statement. The songwi l l be re leased on his wifeRadhika 's ar t ist managementcompany's website and also onYouTube and Facebook. "This songshowcases the power of music in itstrue sense. Once you hear it we aresure it will be a permanent par tof your playlist," said Radhika.

For sponsorship and Group/ VIP tickets call Sudeep Singla at 416-456-3811


TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017b o l l y w o o d

hollywood

'TUBELIGHT': SHINES BUTWITH LOW VOLTAGE

CAST: SALMAN KHAN, SOHAIL KHAN, ZHU

ZHU, MOHAMMED ZEESHAN AYYUB

DIRECTOR: KABIR KHAN

RATING: ***

Salman Khan had once said, "Cinema should always be in touchwith the soil of the country. My films celebrate the hear tland ofIndia." And probably with "Tubelight", he tries to be true to hiswords. So, he has dedicated the film to the families and friendsof soldiers who are left behind to fight their own battles. Thefilm is an adaptation of the 2015 released American war film"Little Boy".Set in Jagatpur in Kumaon district and in the backdrop of the1962 India and China War, the film is the tale of a dim-wittedboy Laxman whose brother, the only surviving member of hisfamily, joins the Indian Army. How he survives during theinterim period without his brother, forms the crux of the tale.Visually, the film is enthralling. The wide angle lens used byDirector of Photography Aseem Mishra aesthetically capture thestunning locales to per fection. The music and background scorefur ther enhance the viewing experience.But it is the wafer-thin premise, packed with motivationalmessages and a tinge of patriotic notes that make the plot seemforced. The script meanders with scenes that lack gravitas. Acase in point is the scene when Narayan, one of the villagebullies, throws Laxman who is walking along with his newfriend Guo into a stream. And, when Laxman picks up a rock indefence and asks Guo to run, the assailants just whimper off,and the scene ends abruptly.

In "Tubelight", Salman Khan does not play the dynamic hero thathe used to por tray with gusto. As Laxman, he fails to exudeenergy onscreen and hence, disappoints his fans. His manner-isms and body language are strongly reminiscent of HrithikRoshan's in "Koi… Mil Gaya". His character is endearing buthis physical demeanour is not. Initially jarring, but by the lastact you are one with the character and the actor. Salmandefinitely grows on you. Sohail Khan as his younger brotherBharat, has nothing much to offer, except being an emotionalanchor for his elder brother, and he per forms his par t ratherper functorily.The only person who steals the show in the film is Matin ReyTangu as the young Guo, who Laxman befriends. He is charmingwith his oriental looks and impish demeanour. The Chineseactress Zhu Zhu plays his mother Liling with flair. Shah RukhKhan in a cameo with his tattooed visage and ears studded withearrings, as a magician is dead pan and flat. He does not helpto uplift the narrative or add emotionally to the film. Om Puri asBanne Chacha - the guardian of an ashram, Isha Talwar as hisdaughter Maya, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub as Narayan with his"knock knees and Yashpal Sharma as Major Tokras - allbrilliant actors have their moments of onscreen glory. Overall,"Tubelight" has the tempered magic of cinema but it fails toignite the emotional quotient.

Lorde calls herself 'underdog'in music industryLOS ANGELES (IANS) Singer Lorde believes she is an"underdog" in the music industry, and will stay that wayuntil she releases "five amazing records". The "GreenLight" hitmaker, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor,tasted stardom at the age of 16 when her single "Royals"became a hit in 2013. She has made a name for herself infour years, but she believes she has a long way to go,repor ts femalefirst.co.uk. Speaking on Australia's "60 Min-utes" on Sunday, Lorde said: "I'm just the underdog again.I always think, like making an album, I'm just that kid toand from work, sitting on the train. "I totally feel like anunderdog. But, I think one record is cool, one record, youknow? I think everyone can make five amazing records, ifyou can, then it gets interesting. That's when it star ts. So,I think, until then, (I consider) myself as an underdog."

Pamela Anderson brandsTheresa May worst PMLOS ANGELES (IANS) Actress Pamela Anderson hascalled Theresa May the "worst Prime Minister in livingmemory." Anderson condemned May's ways via a blogpost, in which she also commended WikiLeaks founder JulianAssange and his principles, reported mirror.co.uk. For May, Ander-son wrote: "...Theresa May, who is on her last legs. Theresa May ofthe Pyrrhic victory. Theresa May, who won't shake the hand of thevictims of the Grenfell fire. Who doesn't care about poor people.Who doesn't care about justice or peace. Who doesn't careabout Julian. The worst Prime Minister in living memory."She noted May's less than adequate effor t and the contro-versial handling of her visit to the scene of the GrenfellTower fire in London.

Zayn Malik launches lineinspired by 'personal style'LOS ANGELES, (IANS) Former One Direction star ZaynMalik, who joined forces with Italian fashion houseDonatella Versace to launch his first range last October,has unveiled his second line for the luxury label. He hasrevealed that it was inspired by his personal style andwhat he wears "every day." The 24-year-old singer who iscurrently dating model Gigi Hadid, has admitted his loveralso helped him in the creat ive process, repor tsfemalefirst.co.uk. He said: "I didn't want to say but yeah.She's very good, and she definitely assisted me."



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 b o l l y w o o d

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPTUBELIGHT BOCKBUSTERSUPER SINGH SUPERHITBANK CHOR AVERAGEBEHEN HOGI TERI SUPERHITRAABTA HIT

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICETUBELIGHT 70 CR

BEHEN HOGI TERI 60 CR

RAABTA 22 CR

SUPER SINGH 12 CR

BANK CHOR 10 CR

10songsBAARISH HALF GIRLFRIEND

JAANU BEHEN HOGI TERI

RADIO TUBELIGHT

ULLU KA PATTHA JAGGA JASOOS

IK VAARI AA RAABTA

NAACH MERI JAAN TUBELIGHT

KAARI KAARI DOBAARA

RAABTA RAABTA

MEIN AGAR TUBELIGHT

top

TINKA TINKADIL MERA1 TUBELIGHT

RANBIR KAPOOR FILMING SONG 'GALTI SE MISTAKE' FOR HIS UPCOMING MOVIE, JAGGA JASOOS.

Admire Jyotiraditya but remarks wereunexpected: Madhur Bhandarkar

National Award-winning f i lmmaker MadhurBhandarkar, whose film "Indu Sarkar" is facing flak from the Con-gress, says he admires Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindiabut the latter's remarks on the film and himself were unexpected."I wonder how could Jyotiraditya make such a remark without watch-ing the whole film? I admire him as an individual butthis was not expected. Just one trailer has come outwhereas in the film I did not mention any name of anypoliticians did I," Bhandarkar told IANS. Recently,Scindia said: "The organisation and the individual whois behind the film is known to us. We totally condemnthe false depictions in the film." The film has a politicalbackdrop that captured the Emergency period of Indiaduring the rule of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhiin 1975. Is the film based on any real life character,considering there is physical similarity of Sanjay Gandhiand Indira Gandhi with the character played by NeilNitin Mukesh and Supriya Vinod? "If you want to knowabout the story, it is 70 per cent fiction and 30 per centof realism. The backdrop of the film is an emergency ... that hashappened ... that we all know. The audience should watch the film intotality to understand the story. I did not put my own political views inthe film ... it is based on media repor ts during the time of the Emer-

gency," said Bhandarkar. The filmmaker is known for bringing real-ism on the big screen with films like "Page 3", "Chandni Bar" and"Fashion", among others. "I am the person who is making a film thathas shown the mirror to the society that has been celebrated at thebox office as well as by critics and won the National Award. Do you

think I will just randomly make a film on Emergency?I did extensive research work before shooting the film,"he said. On the other hand, CBFC chairperson PahlajNihalani said in a repor t: "Indu Sarkar does not nameanyone. There is no mention of Mrs Indira Gandhi orSanjay Gandhi or anyone else in the trailer. You areonly presuming the film is about the people you men-tion because of the physical resemblance. I didn't hearanyone's name mentioned in the trailer. If they are mentioned inthe film, we'll see. At the moment, I am glad someone has madea film on the Emergency. It is a 'kaala dhabba' (black spot) in ourpolitical history."Asked if such comment from the CBFC gave him a boost ofconfidence? Bhandarkar said:" Well, he has his logic to prove

his point, but I am saying the same thing, we did not mention any politicalparty or individual's name. Let's get the censor certificate and release the film. Letthe audience decide what the film is about and if it is a biased take on any politicalincident." The film is releasing on July 28.

BOLLYWOOD INCOMPLETE WITHOUTKARAN JOHAR: SAIF ALI KHAN

Saif Ali Khansays Bollywood is incompletewithout the presence of f i lm-maker Karan Johar. Saif will joinKaran to host the 18th edition ofthe International Indian Film Acad-emy (IIFA) Awards in New Yorknext month.The actor a long with Var unDhawan and Karan for an IIFA2017 press conference, said,"Film industry is incomplete with-out Karan Johar." Whenmediapersons asked the reasonbehind making such a statement,Saif quipped, "Baahubali... Canyou imagine our fi lm industrywithout that? He is one of thosear teries in the blood flow of thefilm industry."Karan, who was sitting next tohim, thanked Saif for saying that.Looking back at his journey as ahost, Karan said, "I realised I

star ted hosting shows from 2000,which was a Filmfare award. It'sbeen 17 years! I am glad that ev-ery year I have managed to getthe job! The experience is alwaysgood, as I enjoy whenever I amon stage." Karan's directorial AeDil Hai Mushkil is the front run-

ner in the nomination pack of the18th edition of the gala.Is he nervous? "It is great to winit when you win but if you don't,you should not care," he said. Saifalso said that he wants to host ashow with superstar Shah RukhKhan. He said, "It will be fun! He

is so clever, I would live to host ashow with him." Varun, who wassitting next to Saif, said, "I wouldlove to watch you (Saif) and ShahRukh working together on-screen." IIFA will be taking placeat the MetLife Stadium, New Yorkon July 14 and 15.

PARICHAY 'BLOWN AWAY' BYNARGIS FAKHRI'S SINGING DEBUT

Nargis Fakhri will be making her singing debutwith for th coming single 'Habitaan vigaad di'. Singer-composerParichay, who has collaborated with the 'Rockstar' actress for thesong, said he was blown away after hearing her voice. Written byKumaar, the Indo-Canadian single will also feature rapperKardinal Offishall. "Nargis is not only hot and fly, but super realand humble with a great sense of humour. So, we got along greatat the shoot. She's from New York and I'm from Toronto so thatEast Coast connection definitely helped," Parichay said. "Whenwe first got in the studio to record vocals, I was blown away byher dedication to get her vocals and pronunciation perfect,regardless of how many takes it took. She was the right fit forthis song and video along with Kardinal and I hope people likewhat we've put together," he said. "I am also working on recordwhere she will sing a lot more and I've got a different mainstreamar tist featured on that one as well. Lot more music to come - I'mpumped," he added. On the silver screen, Nargis was last seenalongside Riteish Deshmukh in 'Banjo' in 2016.

Politics responsible for wars,not people: Kabir Khan

Filmmaker Kabir Khan says war is some-thing which is created by politics because hostil ity isnot possible if there is people-to-people contact. Whenasked if f i lms l ike "Tubelight" can help send a goodmessage by having a positive story, the filmmaker saidit's "absolutely" true."We have always stood by this that war and problems arecreated by politics. There can never be hostility betweenpeople. This is something we, in a way, explored in 'BajrangiBhaijan' and we have done it (again) in 'Tubelight'. When-ever there is people-to-people contact, there can never behostility," he told repor ters last night. The Salman Khan-starrer, which hits the theatres on June 23, has the 1962India-China war as the backdrop.There is some uncer tainty over the film's release in Paki-stan but Amar Butala, COO of Salman Khan Films, saysthey are hopeful. "We are hopeful, the censor process (toget the film released in Pakistan) is going on, but they havetheir own laws and have limitation on how many films theywill release on Eid. We are hopeful, and we will know soonenough!" China has emerged as a big market for Bollywoodmovies with Aamir Khan's "Dangal" doing well at the boxoffice there and Butala says they want both 'BajrangiBhaijaan' and 'Tubelight' to release in the country. "We don'thave a day and date about the China release. To release afilm in China is a much longer process, they watch the filmafter it is released. We are hopeful to release it there, andalso 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', both will resonate with the audi-ence," he said.

'Baadshaho is a heist story setin Emergency period'

Filmmaker Milan Luthria, who is returningto the big screen with actor duo Ajay Devgn and EmraanHashmi for "Baadshaho", says he is not afraid of the com-parisons being made with their previous outing "Once UponA Time in Mumbaai". The director says the setting of thefilm is completely different from that of the 2010 hit."Even if people feel the hangover of 'Once Upon A Time inMumbaai' looking at 'Baadshaho' it's ok. I don't fear thatcomparison (referring to story and recreating the successof the film) as both the stories are completely different,"Milan told PTI. "One was a gangster film about the rise andfall of two gangsters, this ('Baadshaho') is an action dramafilm about the six main characters and the heist that takesplace against the backdrop of 1975 Emergency period," hesays. Milan says he is happy to reteam with Ajay andEmraan. "It was special to work with Ajay and Emraanagain, who transformed themselves for the film. Also, itwas special working with Vidyut Jammwal, Ileana D'Cruz,Esha Gupta and Sanjay Mishra. We have designed speciallooks for each of them." The filmmaker says the movie'splot is based on the raids that were conducted during Emer-gency where royal families were looted. Produced byBhushan Kumar of T-Series and Milan, the action thriller isscheduled for a worldwide release on September 1.

Kohli, Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar inTeam of ICC Champions Trophy

India skipper Virat Kohli, opener ShikharDhawan and pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the only Indiansto find place in the Team of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, ledby Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed. Besides the Indian trio, thejury comprising the likes of former English captain MichaelAther ton, India's Sourav Ganguly and Ramiz Raja of Pakistan,among others, selected four Pakistanis, three Englishmenand one f rom Bang ladesh w i th New Zea land ' s KaneWilliamson as the 12th man.The four Pakistanis included left-handed opening batsmanFakhar Zaman, pace duo of Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali be-sides Sar fraz, who also doubles up as the wicketkeeper.Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid were the three En-glishmen while Tamim Iqbal was the lone Bangladeshi inthe team. Dhawan and Hasan had won the Golden Bat andGolden Ball trophies for finishing as the most successfulbatsman and bowler, respectively, while Tamim was se-lected after driving Bangladesh to their maiden semi-finalsin a major International Cricket Council (ICC) event.Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman was picked as Dhawan's openingpar tner af ter the youngster aggregated 252 runs in fourmatches at an impressive strike-rate of 113. "To be ap-pointed as captain of the Team of the ICC Champions Trophy2017, which includes some of the finest and most attractivecricketers of this generation, is the per fect icing on thecake," Sar fraz told the ICC website.Team: Shikhar Dhawan, Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal, ViratKohli, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Sar fraz Ahmed (Captain &WK), Adil Rashid, Junaid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, HasanAli, Kane Williamson (12th man).

NETHERLANDS STORM TO VICTORY AT MEN'S HEROHOCKEY WORLD LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL IN LONDON

The Netherlands are the winners of the HeroHockey World League Semi-Final, storming to a 6-1 victory over Rio2016 Olympic gold medalists Argentina in a wonderful event final atthe Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre on Sunday (25 June).Valentin Verga scored two high quality goals in the first quar ter andthe Dutch never looked back, wi th Thi js van Dam, Robber tKemperman, Mirco Pruijser and Thierry Brinkman all on target beforeMatias Paredes scored a late consolation. The Netherlands were simply superbin the match, playing with a relentless energy that caused Argentina problemsthroughout. It was a performance that defender Mink van der Weerden was par-ticularly pleased with. "For us it was a really good win and another stepforward. That's the most important thing."Argentina's Gonzalo Peillat took home both the Hero Best Player andHero Top Scorer awards, with his tally of 12 goals clearly turning theheads of a voting panel that included the team coaches and membersof the broadcast and written media. Dutchman Thierry Brinkman wasnamed as the Best Junior Player, for athletes aged 23 and under.Ahead of the memorable final, home favourites England gave a bigcrowd plenty to cheer about with a 4-1 victory over Malaysia in the 3-4 classification match. A third place finish here in London means thatEngland have qualified for the Odisha Hockey World League Final2017, joining Netherlands, Argentina and hosts India at the event inBhubaneswar, with the remaining four places being finalized upon thecompletion of the forthcoming Hockey World League Semi-Final in Johannesburg,South Africa. Harry Martin finished off two penalty corners either side of a wonder-fully worked field goal from birthday boy David Ames, putting England 3-0 up at halftime. Faizal Saari's superb close range deflection reduced the deficit with sevenminutes remaining, but team captain Phil Roper killed the game in the dying stagesto give Bobby Crutchley's team a third place finish on home soil."We played well and dominated throughout", said England midfielderBarry Middleton. "We played some aggressive, attacking hockey butat 3-0 didn't quite find the four th to kill it off. But we were always in control.They've had a good tournament, but after a disappointing day yesterday, we pickedourselves up. And it was fun!"Perhaps the most surprising result of the day came in the 5-6 classification match,with Canada upsetting the FIH Hero World Rankings to defeat India 3-2, guarantee-ing their place at next year's Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.India - who defeated Canada 3-0 in the pool phase - dominated for long spells butit was the Canadians who emerged triumphant, battling back from 2-1 down to take the victory thanks to strikes from Keegan Pereira andGordon Johnston, who had also opened the scoring earlier in thematch before a double from Harmanpreet Singh put India in charge.

Goalkeeper Antoni Kindler was the star of the show, making numer-ous world class saves to give Canada a superb victory over their illustriousopponents, claiming that all impor tant fifth place finish in the process.Keegan Pereira, scorer of Canada's second goal said: "Obviously it was a tightgame. We have not played particularly well against India since Rio. But wefollowed the game plan and didn't sit back as much as we did in the first [pool]game [against India] and put pressure on them. Once we got goals on the scoreboardwe knew we could hold on to that lead."In the opening match of the day, Pakistan secured a seventh placefinish in the competition with a 3-1 victory over China. MuhammadUmar Bhutta scored twice in the match, with Muhammad Ir fan Jr. alsoon target. China matched the Green Shir ts for long periods of thematch, but Pakistan's three goal burst between the 51st and 56thminutes proved too big a margin for their opponents to overcome,with Guo Xiaoping netting a late consolation goal.For more information about the Hero Hockey World League Semi-Final competition in London, please visit www.fih.ch .Results - 25 June 2017Match 30 (7-8): Pakistan 3, China 1

Match 31 (5-6): India 2, Canada 3Match 32 (3-4): Malaysia 1, England 4Match 33 (1-2): Argentina 1, Netherlands 6Final standings1: Netherlands2: Argentina3: England4: Malaysia5: Canada6: India7: Pakistan8: China9: Korea10: ScotlandIndividual awardsHero Best Player of the Tournament: Gonzalo Peillat (ARG)Hero Top Scorer of the Tournament: Gonzalo Peillat (ARG) - 12 goalsBest Goalkeeper: Kumar Subramiam (MAS)Best Junior Player: Thierry Brinkman (NED)

SRIKANTH WINS AUSTRALIAN OPEN SUPER SERIES OF BADMINTONshuttler Kidambi Srikanth notched up his second successive

Super Series title with a stunning straight-game triumph over reign-ing Olympic champion Chen Long in the Australian Open summitclash in Sydney on Sunday. The world No.11 Srikanth won 22-20 21-16 in a 45-minute clash against the world No.6 Chinese, who is alsothe current All England champion. Srikanth, who had reached thesummit clash in Singapore and Indonesia before this tournament, isonly the fifth player in the world to contest three successive SuperSeries finals. The Indian, a semi-finalist in the last edition of the

tournament, was the one to grab the early lead. Following a sedatestar t, Srikanth capitalised on his opponent's rather sluggish game toclinch a 10-6 lead. But perhaps jolted by the lead he had conceded,Long gathered himself just in time, star ting with a deftly-placed smash,to make it 11-11. The Chinese shifted gears quite suddenly to addpace to the proceedings and his baseline strokes stood out forboth ferocity and accuracy. But Srikanth was no pushover andplayed the catch-up game quite well, coming up with a couple ofbrilliant smashes of his own.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


PAKISTAN A SERIOUS CONTENDERFOR 2019 WORLD CUP, FEELS AFRIDI

Beast Announce 2016-17Season-Ending Roster

The Brampton Beast, ECHL affiliate of theMontreal Canadiens, are pleased to announce their Season-Ending Roster for the 2016-17 ECHL season. The club's Sea-son-Ending Roster is comprised of 12 forwards, sevendefensemen and one goaltender. Season-Ending Rosters mayinclude up to 20 players and cannot include any players whodid not sign an ECHL contract in 2016-17.FORWARDS (12): Brandon MacLean, Chris Auger, ChrisLeveille, Brandon Marino, David Pacan, David Vallorani, LukePither, Corey Durocher, Luc-Olivier Blain, Lucas Venuto,Mitch Zion, Daultan LeveilleDEFENSEMEN (7): Reggie Traccitto, Jordan Henry, MikeFolkes, Matt Petgrave, Justin Baker, Tim Billingsley, GarrettClarkeGOALTENDERS (1): Andrew D'AgostiniEach team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eightplayers from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer nolater than June 30. Of the eight qualified players, no morethan four can be veterans (260 regular season professionalhockey games played as of the star t of the 2017-18 Season).Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teamsare not required to extend a qualifying offer to players whosign a contract prior to June 30.The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance untilAug. 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null andvoid and the team may sign the qualified player to any salaryor may elect to take no fur ther action. Teams that extend avalid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain therights to that qualified player for one playing season.A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player,or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until Aug.1. After Aug. 1, if the veteran player or goaltender is notsigned to a contract by the team, the veteran or goaltendershall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitledto seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHLteams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When arestricted free agent receives a contract offer from a teamother than the team with the player's rights and the restrictedfree agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restrictedfree agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours,notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and theProfessional Hockey Players' Association. The member withthe player's rights shall have seven days after the date it isnotified to exercise its right to match the contract offer. If arestricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or acontract by an ECHL team by Aug. 31, the player shall bedeemed an unrestricted free agent.

After Pakistan clinched their maiden ICC Champi-ons Trophy crown, former skipper Shahid Afridi on Monday rated hisside as one of the serious contenders for the 50-over World Cup title,to be played in England and Wales in 2019.On Sunday, Pakistan outclassed traditional rivals India by a mammoth 180-runmargin to lift the title at The Oval, prompting Afridi to say that Pakistan cricket isback on track, especially after narrowly managing to qualify as the lowest-rankedside in the eight-team Champions Trophy. In his column for the International CricketCouncil (ICC) website, the swashbuckling all-rounder cautioned other cricketingnations to not take the Green Brigade lightly as on their day they have the potentialto outshine any good side."The teams that might have taken Pakistan lightly in this event will never dare torepeat such a mistake again and whatever the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup maybe like, Pakistan will be a serious contender for the trophy," Afridi wote. "TheChampions Trophy 2017 has been a memorable event and Pakistani fans willremember it for a very long time indeed. The fans, especially the youngsters whosaw the team dethrone India, will be inspired to replicate the performances of theirheroes in the years to come. "The 1992 World Cup win gave us a new generation

of match winners and this win ranks very close to that. I am confident that Pakistancricket is back on track and we will see this team reach some incredible highs inthe years to come, especially if the team continues to play with the kind of passionand commitment displayed in this tournament," he added. Commenting on thecelebrations after the triumph at The Oval, Afridi said it took him back to 2009 whenPakistan lifted the World T20 title. "The joyous scenes reminded me of our WorldT20 win in 2009 where I was lucky to play a match-winning role for my teamin the semi-final and final," he wrote. "The turnaround has left theworld bewildered and has brought a wave of ecstasy and unbridledjoy for Pakistanis all around the world. As soon as the game ended,celebrations mirroring the 1992 World Cup and 2009 World T20 winsbegan across the country." Afridi also exuded confidence that theSarfraz Ahmed-led young brigade can become one of the top threeteams in the world if they continue to produce such per formancesconsistently. "Pakistan, meanwhile, has a team that can develop intoone of the top three teams by the time the 2019 World Cup is played inEngland. This squad is built around exciting young talent and has anastute and passionate leader in Sarfraz," Afridi wrote.



RUNNING SUCCESSFULLY

shah rukh khan with daughter suhana, anil...

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