Indian boxers eye strong finish at season-ending World Boxing Cup Finals
Greater Noida (PTI): Indian boxers will look to end the season on a high while also targeting valuable ranking points when they step into the ring at the World Boxing Cup Finals beginning here on Sunday.
With World Boxing taking over as the international governing body of the sport, it introduced the World Boxing Cup series earlier this year, culminating in the Finals.
Boxers earn ranking points across all major tournaments, which plays a role in determining the seedings.
With the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next year, these points become critical.
As per the format, medallists from the three World Boxing Cups held earlier this year, along with top-ranked pugilists, qualify for the Finals.
However, as hosts, India has been granted entries in all 20 weight categories across men and women.
Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) headlines the women's squad. The Telangana boxer, whose only international outing this year was a quarterfinal finish at the World Championships, will look to regain rhythm.
Reigning world champions Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg), along with world medallist Pooja Rani (80kg) and Nupur Sheoran (+80kg), will aim to maintain their strong form.
Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg) return to the national fold, as does Parveen Hooda (60kg), who had been suspended for failing to report her whereabouts, and all will hope to make an impact against a fairly strong field.
On the men's side, India endured a disappointing World Championships campaign, and hopes will be on the talented Abhinash Jamwal and Hitesh Gulia, who reached two World Cup finals earlier this year, to stand on the podium.
With the World Championships concluding as recently as September, several top names have skipped the season-ending event, which will begin from the quarterfinal stage.
Nonetheless, around 130 boxers from 18 countries, including a few Olympic medallists will compete in the tournament at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik stadium.
World Championships silver medallist, Sewonrets Okazawa (M70kg), of Japan and gold medallist, Huang Hsiao-Wen, from Chinese Taipei, will be chasing further success in the women's 54kg.
They will be joined Poland's 80kg+ World champion Agata Kaczmarska, who will compete at 80kg and Paris Olympics silver medallist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu (M60kg) of Kyrgyzstan.
The competition will feature 10 weight classes for both men and women.
Squad:
Women: Minakshi (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Parveen Hooda (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (+80kg)
Men: Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Ankush Phogat (80kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Naveen Kumar (90kg), Narender (+90kg).
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Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol unveil ‘DDLJ’ sculpture at London’s Leicester Square
London (PTI): Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol huddled under an umbrella on a rainy Thursday in London to unveil their bronze likeness from an iconic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ scene.
The sculpture of the duo joins Leicester Square’s ‘Scenes in the Square’ trail depicting memorable shots from some of the world’s most famous films, with ‘DDLJ’ marking a Bollywood first and the 30th anniversary of the 1995 box-office hit. It is in this popular London square that SRK as Raj and Kajol as Simran first cross paths unknowingly.
“DDLJ was made with a pure heart. We wanted to tell a story about love, how it can bridge barriers and how the world would be a better place if it had a lot of love in it, and I think this is why 'DDLJ' has had a lasting impact for over 30 years now," said Khan.
“Personally, 'DDLJ' is part of my identity, and it is humbling to see film, and Kajol and me, receiving so much love since it was released,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the Heart of London Business Alliance, behind the cinematic trail at Leicester Square, for celebrating ‘DDLJ’ and “immortalising” its lead stars.
“Seeing ‘DDLJ’ become the first Indian film to be honoured in the iconic Scenes in the Square trail is an emotional moment and has brought back so many memories.
"I feel immense pride knowing the film has been embraced around the world, and I want to share this moment with the entire cast and crew of ‘DDLJ’, my friend and director Aditya Chopra and the Yash Raj Films family. This is a moment I will never forget,” added Khan.
Kajol, joined by her daughter Nysa and son Yug, posed with Khan in front of the statue as she braved the rain in a green saree.
“It’s incredible to see ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ continue to receive so much love, even 30 years later. Watching the statue being unveiled in London felt like reliving a piece of our history - a story that has truly travelled across generations,” said Kajol.
“Seeing it find its rightful place in Leicester Square, a location of such enormous significance to ‘DDLJ’, makes this moment even more special. For the film to be honoured in this way in the UK – the first Indian film to receive such recognition – is something that will forever stay in the hearts and minds of all the ‘DDLJ’ fans across the world,” she said.
Their statue, captured in a dancing pose from the hit song ‘Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna’, joins the likes of Harry Potter, Bridget Jones, Mary Poppins, and Batman in what is dubbed as an ever-growing celebration of movie magic in a square packed with multiplex cinema screens.
“When ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, DDLJ, was released 30 years ago, the film became a defining moment for Indian cinema and changed the face of the industry, capturing the hearts of everyone who saw it all over the globe," said Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films.
“We’re thrilled to be the first Indian film to be represented in ‘Scenes in the Square’. It also marks 30 years of DDLJ, a film that has spread love and joy globally, and shows the cultural impact it has had in UK.
“We are honoured that our superstars and our film are being recognised on the world stage alongside the Hollywood elite, from Gene Kelly to Laurel & Hardy to Harry Potter. This statue will be a great way to express the international appeal of Indian movies and build bridges amongst communities through cinema,” he said.
Since its release in 1995, ‘DDLJ’ has become the longest-running film in Hindi cinema history.
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, said: “We’re proud to welcome global megastars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to our Scenes in the Square trail.
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a cinematic phenomenon that has shaped generations, and London’s first tribute to Indian cinema honours a story whose magic continues to captivate audiences worldwide.”
It is a particularly special year for the film, with a musical based on the romance playing to packed houses at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year. Aditya Chopra reprised his role as director of the English language stage production, ‘Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical’, which revolved around the love story of Simran and Roger.
The script was a nod to the original as it followed Simran as a young British Indian woman who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage. However, the plot thickens when she falls in love with a British man named Roger.
