Indian-origin tech investor Shumeet Banerji resigns as BBC board member
London (PTI): Shumeet Banerji, an Indian-origin tech industry investor, has resigned from his role as a non-executive board member of the BBC over "governance issues" at the top rung of the UK’s public broadcaster.
Banerji’s resignation on Friday comes amid ongoing upheaval within the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over the edit of US President Donald Trump’s 2021 speech for a documentary, leading to the resignation of its top officials and an apology from chairman Samir Shah.
In his resignation letter referenced by ‘BBC News’, Banerji said he was "not consulted" about the events leading up to the departures of director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.
"Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC Board of his resignation,” the BBC said in a statement on Friday night.
“Mr Banerji's term on the Board as a non-executive director was due to end at the end of December and we thank him for his service. The search for a replacement is already well under way and we will update further in due course," it stated.
According to his BBC profile, Banerji is the founder of Condorcet, an advisory and investment firm focused on early and development stage technology companies. He is also listed as an Independent Director of India’s Jio Platforms Limited and is also said to be serving on the Board of Directors of Jio’s parent Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).
As BBC's non-executive director, he was receiving a base fee of 33,000 pounds per annum for a role that has the responsibility for “upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement”.
He was also tasked with ensuring that the 12-member board’s decision-making is in the “public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of decisions on the wider media market in the UK”.
On the whole, non-executive directors must ensure that the BBC maintains the “highest standards of corporate governance, particularly with respect to financial reporting, internal control and risk management”.
The board is chaired by British Indian media professional Samir Shah, who acknowledged earlier this month that the edit of a BBC ‘Panorama’ programme gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" on the day of the riot at the US Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.
Trump has threatened to sue the corporation despite its apology.
Shah and two of his board members, Sir Robbie Gibb and Caroline Thomson, are due to give evidence to the House of Commons’ Culture Media and Sport Committee of MPs on Monday afternoon.
It comes in the wake of questions already being raised in Parliament over the governance of the British taxpayer-funded licence fee supported media corporation.
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Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol unveil ‘DDLJ’ sculpture at London’s Leicester Square
London (PTI): Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol huddled under an umbrella on a rainy Thursday in London to unveil their bronze likeness from an iconic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ scene.
The sculpture of the duo joins Leicester Square’s ‘Scenes in the Square’ trail depicting memorable shots from some of the world’s most famous films, with ‘DDLJ’ marking a Bollywood first and the 30th anniversary of the 1995 box-office hit. It is in this popular London square that SRK as Raj and Kajol as Simran first cross paths unknowingly.
“DDLJ was made with a pure heart. We wanted to tell a story about love, how it can bridge barriers and how the world would be a better place if it had a lot of love in it, and I think this is why 'DDLJ' has had a lasting impact for over 30 years now," said Khan.
“Personally, 'DDLJ' is part of my identity, and it is humbling to see film, and Kajol and me, receiving so much love since it was released,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the Heart of London Business Alliance, behind the cinematic trail at Leicester Square, for celebrating ‘DDLJ’ and “immortalising” its lead stars.
“Seeing ‘DDLJ’ become the first Indian film to be honoured in the iconic Scenes in the Square trail is an emotional moment and has brought back so many memories.
"I feel immense pride knowing the film has been embraced around the world, and I want to share this moment with the entire cast and crew of ‘DDLJ’, my friend and director Aditya Chopra and the Yash Raj Films family. This is a moment I will never forget,” added Khan.
Kajol, joined by her daughter Nysa and son Yug, posed with Khan in front of the statue as she braved the rain in a green saree.
“It’s incredible to see ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ continue to receive so much love, even 30 years later. Watching the statue being unveiled in London felt like reliving a piece of our history - a story that has truly travelled across generations,” said Kajol.
“Seeing it find its rightful place in Leicester Square, a location of such enormous significance to ‘DDLJ’, makes this moment even more special. For the film to be honoured in this way in the UK – the first Indian film to receive such recognition – is something that will forever stay in the hearts and minds of all the ‘DDLJ’ fans across the world,” she said.
Their statue, captured in a dancing pose from the hit song ‘Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna’, joins the likes of Harry Potter, Bridget Jones, Mary Poppins, and Batman in what is dubbed as an ever-growing celebration of movie magic in a square packed with multiplex cinema screens.
“When ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, DDLJ, was released 30 years ago, the film became a defining moment for Indian cinema and changed the face of the industry, capturing the hearts of everyone who saw it all over the globe," said Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films.
“We’re thrilled to be the first Indian film to be represented in ‘Scenes in the Square’. It also marks 30 years of DDLJ, a film that has spread love and joy globally, and shows the cultural impact it has had in UK.
“We are honoured that our superstars and our film are being recognised on the world stage alongside the Hollywood elite, from Gene Kelly to Laurel & Hardy to Harry Potter. This statue will be a great way to express the international appeal of Indian movies and build bridges amongst communities through cinema,” he said.
Since its release in 1995, ‘DDLJ’ has become the longest-running film in Hindi cinema history.
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, said: “We’re proud to welcome global megastars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to our Scenes in the Square trail.
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a cinematic phenomenon that has shaped generations, and London’s first tribute to Indian cinema honours a story whose magic continues to captivate audiences worldwide.”
It is a particularly special year for the film, with a musical based on the romance playing to packed houses at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year. Aditya Chopra reprised his role as director of the English language stage production, ‘Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical’, which revolved around the love story of Simran and Roger.
The script was a nod to the original as it followed Simran as a young British Indian woman who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage. However, the plot thickens when she falls in love with a British man named Roger.
