Mumbai, July 30: Actor Vidyut Jammwal is bringing global recognition to Indian martial art form Kalaripayattu, and says it is an honour to give back to the community.

Looper, a US platform, recently released a list of top martial artists across the globe, and Vidyut has found a spot in the list.

"Honours like this help me give back to the community of Kalaripayattu to which I owe my life and all this success," Vidyut said in a statement to Indo-Asian News Service.

"It has been a very fulfilling journey and I am looking forward to the audience experiencing more of Kalaripayattu in my upcoming film Junglee."

Vidyut has finished shooting for Junglee, about a unique relationship between a man and elephants.

Backed by Junglee Pictures, it is directed by Chuck Russell, who has helmed Hollywood films such as The Mask, Eraser and The Scorpion King.

Talking about Vidyut, Russell said, "It is great to see Vidyut being noted as the rising star in action films across the world. He has a rare combination of cinematic charm and killer moves that will make him unstoppable after this film.

"What really distinguishes Vidyut is his deep knowledge of the martial art Kalaripayattu and his understanding of its philosophy to not only protect and fight but also use it to heal. I had the pleasure of creating his role in Junglee to play his style of action, supporting a positive message. I can't wait for audiences to see it on the big screen."

To this, Vidyut said, "Chuck's kind words are icing on the cake. Working with him on Junglee was like a dream come true. He pushed me to extract one of my best performances so far."

The film is slated to release on 5 April, 2019.

Courtesy: www.firstpost.com



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Pune, Aug 13 (PTI): Hours after filing a plea in a court here claiming apprehension of threat to Rahul Gandhi from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Congress leader's lawyer on Wednesday said it was filed without Gandhi's consent, and would be withdrawn.

He will submit another application on Thursday to withdraw the `Pursis' or the application filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, said Advocate Milind Pawar.

Pawar is representing Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over certain statements made by the Congress leader against the late freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.

He drafted the application without consulting Gandhi and the latter has taken a "strong exception to the filing of this Pursis and expressed his disagreement with its contents", the lawyer said in a press release late in the evening.

The application filed by advocate Pawar earlier in the day said that complainant Satyaki Savarkar had admitted that he is also a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and recently held a press conference in Delhi, placing before the nation evidence of electoral fraud by the Election Commission, the application said.

"Furthermore, during the parliamentary debate on the subject of Hindutva, there was a heated exchange between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, a matter well known to the public. Against this backdrop, there is little doubt that the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), those connected with the ideology of Vinayak Savarkar, and some followers of Savarkar who are presently in power, may harbor hostility or resentment towards Gandhi," the application said.

"In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar," the application stated.

The Pune court has already granted bail to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The trial is yet to begin.

Reacting to the development, Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki Savarkar's lawyer, asked why the application was filed in the first place. "This is nothing but an attempt to delay the trial by moving such frivolous pleas," he said.

Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.

No such incident ever took place, and V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere, the complaint claimed.