Indian cricket star Virat Kohli is currently on a break from international cricket after his recent appearance in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The former Indian captain, widely regarded as one of the greatest batters in the history of the sport, is spending quality time with his family during this hiatus. Kohli's illustrious career, which began with his standout performance in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, has seen him serve Indian cricket for nearly two decades.
Like Kohli, Shubman Gill, another promising top-order batter, also made his mark on the international stage after his successful stint in the U-19 World Cup in 2018. Many cricket enthusiasts and experts have hailed Gill as the next big thing in Indian cricket. Together, Kohli and Gill represent a formidable duo in India's batting lineup.
However, a fake video recently went viral, falsely depicting Kohli criticizing Gill. In the doctored video, Kohli appears to admonish Gill, saying there's a "big gap between showing promise and becoming a legend." The video, which has been widely circulated, shows Kohli comparing himself to legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. The comments in the video are believed to be the result of lip-syncing, and the incident has sparked concerns over the misuse of AI technology, with many viewers warning that "AI is dangerous."
In other news, the latest ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday saw several shifts among top players. Virat Kohli has moved up two places to secure the eighth spot, while Indian captain Rohit Sharma has dropped one place to sixth. Young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal continues his rise, moving up one spot to seventh in the rankings.
Veteran England batter Joe Root maintained his position as the top-ranked Test batter in the world, following England's successful first Test against Sri Lanka in Manchester. Root's teammate, Harry Brook, made significant gains, jumping three places to fourth overall, surpassing Pakistan's Babar Azam, Australia's Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma.
Babar Azam experienced a notable drop, falling six places from a shared third to ninth after a rare failure in the first innings of Pakistan's Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan climbed seven spots to enter the top 10, achieving a career-high ranking at a shared 10th place following his century in the same match.
Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim also reached a career-high rating, moving up seven spots to 17th place.
Among bowlers, seasoned Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to hold the top spot, with pacer Jasprit Bumrah and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja maintaining their third and seventh positions, respectively. England's Chris Woakes climbed four spots to 16th, while Sri Lanka's Asitha Fernando made a significant leap of 10 places to 17th. Pakistan's Naseem Shah (up four places to 33rd) and England's Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42nd) also achieved career-best ratings after strong recent performances.
In the all-rounder rankings, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin continue to occupy the top two spots, with India's Axar Patel ranked sixth.
For a moment I thought it was real 😭
— Alter EGO | Sanju (@me_sanjureddy) August 28, 2024
AI is dangerous for sure#ViratKohli𓃵 #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/uhRvOwCfee
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chennai (PTI): Streaming service JioHotstar on Tuesday announced that it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years to strengthen South India’s creative economy, unveiling a 25-title slate as part of a major push for regional content.
In one of the biggest announcements by an Indian streaming platform for the southern markets, the company showcased its “South Unbound” vision at a high-profile event here.
Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & Chief Marketing Officer at JioStar, said the investment forms part of a broader collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government.
“Earlier today, JioHotstar formalised a Letter of Intent with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Chief Minister M K Stalin. This outlines a shared commitment to invest in talent, expand infrastructure and build a future-ready creative economy from the South.
"As part of this vision, JioHotstar will invest Rs 4,000 crore to nurture creators, strengthen the production ecosystem and build a pipeline of stories that are ready for India and ready for the world,” he said.
Calling South India the “heartbeat of Indian storytelling”, Sreeram said the investment signalled the platform’s long-term commitment to local creators.
"JioHotstar started as a dream — to build entertainment rooted in India’s storytelling heritage and powered by cutting-edge technology. The resplendent storytelling traditions of the South motivate us to keep championing authentic, rooted narratives while offering greater accessibility and choices for every viewer," he said.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, veteran actor and MP Kamal Haasan, senior state officials, and leading stars and filmmakers from across the southern industries.
Deputy CM Stalin said the partnership will generate “1,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs”.
“Cinema in Tamil Nadu has always been a force for social change. OTT is not replacing cinema; it is expanding it. Today, a filmmaker in Madurai or Salem can upload a story and reach audiences across the world. The cultural and economic impact of this partnership will be massive," he added.
aasan said Indian media and entertainment was undergoing a fundamental transformation driven not by technology alone, but by the audience itself.
“We gather at a moment when India’s media and entertainment is not merely growing, it is transforming. For the first time, this shift is not driven by device or format, but by the audience itself,” he said, adding that storytelling today is “screen agnostic”.
“Regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic the new international. Stories born in Madurai, Malappuram or Machilipatnam are no longer regional cinema; they are national cultural events,” Haasan said, giving the example of movies such as “Kantara”, “Drishyam”, “Baahubali”, “Pushpa” and Tamil hits like “Vikram”.
The event was also attended by Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Aishwarya Rajesh and others -- along with directors Jeethu Joseph and Ahammed Khabeer
The streamer's ambitious content slate, unveiled as part of its “South Unbound” initiative, includes sequels to blockbuster franchises, new long-format shows, films, adaptations, and high-engagement reality formats.
The Tamil slate features a mix of returning favourites and new originals, led by "Bigg Boss Tamil", now hosted by Vijay Sethupathi, and "Good Wife S2", the legal drama starring Priyamani.
The lineup also includes "LBW – Love Beyond Wicket", a relationship drama; the family comedy "Cousins and Kalyanams"; the psychological drama "Resort"; and "Heartbeat S3", which brings back Anumol, Karthik Kumar and Deepa Balu.
Other Tamil offerings include "Lingam", an action-drama; "Love Always", a multigenerational love story; the marquee title "Kaattaan" starring Vijay Sethupathi and Milind Soman; and "Second Love", a non-fiction relationship series.
In Telugu, the platform returns with "Bigg Boss Telugu" hosted by Nagarjuna, alongside new originals such as "Moodu Lantharlu" starring Aishwarya Rajesh; the police procedural "Vikram on Duty"; "Varam", a mystical relationship drama; and the hit comedy-drama "Save The Tigers S3" with Chaitanya Krishna.
The slate further includes "Vishakha", the Telugu adaptation of "Aarya" led by Kajal Aggarwal; the relationship-based non-fiction format "Mad for Each Other"; and the Telugu debut of the iconic adventure franchise "Roadies".
From Malayalam, the platform brings back "Bigg Boss Malayalam" hosted by Mohanlal; "Kerala Crime Files S3" featuring Aju Varghese; the mystery drama "Secret Stories: Roslin"; "Anali", "1000 Babies S2" with Neena Gupta and Rahman; and the hard-hitting drama "Pharma" starring Nivin Pauly.
The Kannada lineup includes "Bigg Boss Kannada" hosted by Kichcha Sudeepa; "Batchmates", a nostalgic friendship drama; and the food-and-humour-based non-fiction series "Comedy Cooks".
Across languages, the platform also announced new films such as "Lucky The Superstar", featuring GV Prakash, Anaswara Rajan and Meghna Sumesh, and "Kenatha Kaanom", positioned as broad-appeal mainstream entertainers.
