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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Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.

Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.

While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.

Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.

"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.

The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.

However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.

Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."

Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.

Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.

The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.