Actor Javed Khan Amrohi, known for 'Nukkad' and 'Lagaan', dies of lung failure
Mumbai, Feb 14: Veteran theatre and film actor Javed Khan Amrohi, best known for his roles in popular DD serial "Nukkad" and films such as "Lagaan" and "Chak De! India", died on Tuesday due to lung failure at a hospital here, according to his filmmaker Ramesh Talwar.
He was in his early 70s.
The veteran actor was suffering from breathing ailment and was bedridden for the past one year. He was undergoing treatment at Surya Nursing Home in suburban Mumbai, Talwar told PTI.
"He passed away at the hospital around 1 pm as both his lungs failed," he added.
Actor Akhilendra Mishra, Amrohi's frequent collaborator from his theatre days and co-star of "Lagaan", said he was ailing for a long time.
"He was my senior in theatre. He was an active member of IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) Mumbai since the 1970s," Mishra told PTI.
The actor's last rites will be performed at the Oshiwara Kabristan at 7.30 pm, he added.
Having started his career with theatre after graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Amrohi appeared in smaller yet pivotal roles in over 150 films and close to a dozen TV shows.
He is best known for playing the barber Karim in the late 1980s TV show "Nukkad"; Anand Akela, one of the suitors of Raveena Tandon's character in "Andaz Apna Apna"; the cricket commentator in "Lagaan", and a support staff of the Indian Women's Hockey team in "Chak De! India".
Stage and film actor Danish Husain took to Twitter to pay condolences.
"Gutted to hear about #JavedKhanAmrohi Bhai's demise. This seems to be a season of farewell. Condolences to his family, friends, colleagues @iptamumbai #Nukkadd #Lagaan, and so on and so forth," Husain wrote.
Amrohi's other notable titles are '90s hit films such as "Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke", "Laadla", "Ishq", and the 1988 TV series "Mirza Ghalib". His last reported film credit was "Sadak 2" (2020), in which he reprised his role of Pakya from the 1991 original "Sadak".
The actor is survived by a son and a daughter.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
