Aamir Khan the only daring actor: Vishal Bhardwaj
Mumbai, Oct 28 : Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says though superstars are taking risks by doing out-of-the-box films today, for him, Aamir Khan is the only daring actor.
Bhardwaj, who has worked with Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor in the past, says he needs an apt story to collaborate with top actors.
"I want to work with superstars. I approach them. If there would have been some response, they would have been in some film of mine. But they aren't there. There has to be a right subject.
"They are taking risk today and it is good sign for our cinema. Aamir Khan is the only daring actor. He transformed amazingly for 'Dangal'. He admits and acknowledges his age and works accordingly," Bhardwaj told PTI.
He is happy with the rave reviews his latest directorial venture "Pataaka" featuring relatively new faces like Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan, received.
The director acknowledges he has his own set of audience which enjoys watching his kind of cinema.
"I have a small or limited audience but I make films to cater to everyone. I would want everybody to watch my films but that doesn't happen. So you don't know your audience.
"And the day you come to know about this, you are finished. For me, it is always about the story I want to convey to people."
There has been speculation that Bhardwaj, 53, is set to adapt a book for Netflix. The director does not comment on it but adds that the digital platform is the future.
"Big filmmakers will be coming there. Things are shifting. If you want to watch a spectacle then watch on the big screen. If you want to watch content then digital is the best medium," he says.
His next film was set to bring together "Piku" actors - Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone on screen in a gritty drama reportedly titled "Sapna Didi".
Due to Irrfan's health the film was put on hold. The actor is likely to return to India after Diwali, but Bhardwaj believes the "Hindi Medium" star might not begin work immediately.
"We will start work on our film next year maybe," he says.
The critically-acclaimed filmmaker is part of the international jury of the 20th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
