Friendship Day: Telly stars recall fond memories
Mumbai, Aug 4: As the world gears up to celebrate Friendship Day on Sunday, small screen actors like Pearl Puri, Aashka Goradia and Sneha Wagh share their best moments with their friends.
For Aashka, visiting Thousand Islands with her best friend is the high point. "(It's) my most favourite memory... girls can be princess in a castle between a thousand islands. Best friends are those who spend a day at a castle," she said in a statement.
Actor Mishal Raheja said Rohan Tiwari is the only one who has been with him through thick and thin. "When it comes to fond memories, the one I can remember is when I shared his secret of an outdoor location where his girlfriend was hiding and staying in his room. He was late and I joked saying he is late because his girlfriend doesn't leave him and he was angry for the longest time. But bros are bros," he added.
Actor Adnan Khan believes that people don't need a specific day to celebrate friendship. "We should not need a reminder to tell our friends that they are special to us and we are blessed to have such great friends. Coincidently, my off-screen and on-screen best friend is Aashutosh Semwal. He knows me very well," said the "Ishq Subhan Allah" actor.
Shantanu Maheshwari, the host of "India's Best Dramebaaz", also feels it is "unfair" to celebrate friendship on one specific day. "It is something to cherish every day. I still remember during my school days, Friendship Day used to be a rage and kids used to take friendship bands very seriously. "
"Back then, I used to make my own friendship band for my close friends because I could not afford to buy fancy ones. I plan to spend Friendship Day with my close friends. The stupid little things we do is what makes our bond so special," he said.
Actress Yogita Bihani is generally busy shooting for her show. "But if given a chance, I would love to go out with my friends and do all the fun activities. Like going to some gaming parlour or some refreshing place and just chill with my friends," she said.
She considers her "Dil Hi Toh Hai" co-star Karan Kundra a "really good friend".
"He is someone who teases me and you can tease him too and have fun. We have so much fun on the set. Also, he is a friend who teaches you and someone you want in your life."
"Mere Sai" actress Sneha Wagh believes it is an important to stay in touch with old friends and on Friendship Day, she usually meets them for lunch or coffee to rejoice "this beautiful day".
Actor Vijayendra Kumeria, seen in "Udann", has three close friends -- Raj Iyer, Rohit Ahuja and Siddharth Dabhi -- from school.
"We are always available for each other at any given time. One memory that I will always cherish with them is the time when we all had gone for a school trip to Udaipur. All the students had to report for sightseeing at a specific time. Siddharth and I reached on time whereas Raj and Rohit were late and the coach left.
"When we returned, these two were so angry that they decided to 'unfriend' us. But they remained angry only for two hours. We still laugh whenever we think of this incident," he shared.
"Naagin 3" actor Pearl Puri recalled having lots of football friends with whom he used to play every evening after tution.
"Vikas Parashar is my one friend who's always had my back. Gymming becomes double fun when Vikas comes along. I think friendship is a really beautiful bond which is above all the insecurities and egos and that's what I like the most."
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
