Mohanlal accepts government invite to Kerala film awards
Thiruvananthapuram, July 25 : Amid a row as various sections of people, including from the film industry, writing to the Kerala government that Mohanlal should not be invited as the Chief Guest to the annual state film awards, an invite was extended to him Wednesday and he has accepted it.
State Culture and Cinemas Minister A.K. Balan, on behalf of the Kerala government, officially extended the invite and that was accepted by the superstar, said sources in the know of the things.
The awards will be given away on August 8 at a function here.
Balan and the state government got into high gear after half a dozen film centric organisations that matter in the Malayalam film industry expressed their ire that the superstar is being drawn into a needless controversy.
Mohanlal, who last month took over as President of film body Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), first came under fire from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for revoking the suspension of accused actor Dileep's membership of the grouping. Dileep is an accused in the 2017 kidnapping of an actress.
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Dubai, May 19: A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating.
Raisi was travelling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. State TV described the area of the incident happening as being near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometres (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River.
Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country's judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.
