Senior actor Suhasini Mulay takes exception to trolling of ‘Ikkis’, support for ‘The Kashmir Files’
Mumbai: Veteran film actor Suhasini Mulay, who stars in late legend Dharmendra’s last movie ‘Ikkis’, has stood up for the movie, pointing at how critics in the current social circumstances uphold a movie like ‘The Kashmir Files’, but have been trolling ‘Ikkis’, which carries the message that war brings only bloodshed and trauma.
‘Ikkis’, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is an anti-war film at its heart, but continues to be trolled online and face severe criticism.
Speaking at the Gauhati Press Club, Mulay, who is known for her roles in Dil Chahta Hai, Lagaan, and Jodhaa Akbar, defended and praised the movie, stating that by no means did ‘Ikkis’ depict Pakistanis as ‘ghosts and demons’ but showed them as ‘humans’, according to a report in The Indian Express.
Comparing it to ‘The Kashmir Files’ and similar movies, the senior actor said that it was the impact of the present setup in society. “I was told by the scriptwriter that they were being trolled by the people. If you are in this society in this era, then you will be trolled. So, you don’t make such films. You make ‘The Kashmir Files’, you will get your entertainment tax waived,” she added, sharply.
Calling the current political cinema ideologically right-wing, Mulay said, “Religious dominance is the norm. There has been an incredible projection of violence, which we never saw earlier. And it is both mental and physical. There is also the huge question of ‘otherisation’ of indigenous people and minorities, not just Muslims, but all minorities.”
In a recent conversation with Scroll, filmmaker Sriram Raghavan spoke about the trolling since the release of ‘Ikkis’.
“I was completely surprised. There are all kinds of movies made by different kinds of people. I have made what is best for me, what we felt had the most heart, which would resonate. I am not pro this or pro that. I wanted people to come out with a certain feeling in their hearts. It’s a humane feeling,” the director said.
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Have sanctioned 1,000 buses for next fiscal, says K'taka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday said the government has sanctioned procurement of 1,000 government buses in the next year’s budget.
According to him, in the current fiscal, 2,000 buses were sanctioned and many of them have already arrived.
Speaking in the Legislative Council, he alleged that the previous BJP government neither bought a single bus nor recruitment was done in the state transport department.
He was replying to BJP MLC Y M Satish’s request for buses for Ballari and Vijayanagara districts.
“From 2019 to 2023, not a single bus was purchased in the four corporations. Not even one bus. If buses are not purchased continuously for four years, what will happen to the organisation?” Reddy asked.
He recalled that the last time buses were procured and recruitments took place were in 2016, when he was the transport minister during the previous Congress government from 2013 to 2018.
“After we came to power (from 2013), we procured 6,080 new buses. Then last year, 2,000 buses were provided, and many of them have already arrived. This year too, 1,000 buses have been sanctioned in the budget,” Reddy told the House.
He noted that 9,000 people were recruited and 1,300 people were appointed on compassionate grounds during the Congress tenure.
The Minister added that around 2,000 to 2,500 buses have been refurbished.
“In total, 6,080 buses came in two years. Last year’s 2,000 buses, and now 1,000 more. Altogether, we have about 26,000 buses. Out of these, nearly one-third have been added in the last two-and-a-half years,” Reddy said.
Satish told the Minister that at least 100 red buses and about 20 Volvo buses are required for Ballari and Vijayanagara districts.
In response, Reddy said in 2022-23, 720 buses were given, and in 2024–25, 307 buses; in 2026, 140 buses—totalling 1,173 new buses were given to Kalyana Karnataka region.
There are around 4,000-odd buses in Kalyana Karnataka region, he said adding that another 400 buses have been tendered and funds have to be released.
“Additionally, 56 high-end buses—sleeper AC, non-sleeper AC, and Volvo buses—are also coming. Now, 400 buses are coming. Priority will be given to Ballari and Vijayanagara districts,” Reddy said.
