LION MOVIE STAR SUNNY PAWARPRIYANKA CHOPRA

HOPE SARGI TOUCHES THE RIGHT CORDWITH COMMUNITY: NEERU BAJWA

Kohli named captain of the year atESPNcricinfo Awards

ACTORS MAHERSHALA ALI, WINNER OF BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR MOONLIGHT; EMMA STONE, WINNER OF BEST ACTRESSFOR LA LA LAND; VIOLA DAVIS, WINNER OF THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS AWARD FOR FENCES; AND CASEY AFFLECK, WINNEROF BEST ACTOR FOR MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, POSE IN THE PRESS ROOM DURING THE 89TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS ATHOLLYWOOD AND HIGHLAND CENTER ON FEBRUARY 26, 2017 IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

Kangana on tiff with Shahid:There's nothing like that

Om Puri honoured at Oscars

DESK REPORTMISSISSAUGA - I hope Sargi touches the right cord withthe community as a very serious topic is tackled in funway. This was stated by actress-director Neeru Bajwawho was in Mississauga to launch her latest home pro-duction Sargi while talking to Channel Y.Neeru said as a producer she faced some challenges withher first film Channo Kamli Yaar Di, but this time aroundshe did not have any problems. When asked how did shecast her sister Rubina Bajwa, who will be debuting as anactress in the film, Neeru said she has been watching herfor the last three years and thought she would be the rightfit for this romantic comedy. Sargi revolves around asimple girl Sargi (Rubina Bajwa) from a small Punjab cityand her journey in pursuit of true love. The movie is basedon NRI marriages that are a huge issue in Punjab. Themovie stars Punjabi rock star actors, Jassi Gill and BabbalRai, along with Karmjit Anmol and B.N.Neeru said she wishes to spend more time with her littlegirl now and so is not doing many films. Also she is fullyinvolved with her house productions now. However, shedid not mention about any of her upcoming productions orprojects. Sargi was released worldwide on Friday but themovie's world premiere took place in Toronto on Thursday at AlbionCinemas in the presence of Neeru Bajwa. Rubina connectedwith the sudience through Skype during the event.

MUMBAI, (PTI) Kangana Ranaut has denied that her "Rangoon" co-star Shahid Kapoor has issues with the actress, contrary to repor ts.When asked about repor ts that Shahid repor tedly said he would neverwant to work Kangana, the actress told reporters,"There's nothing like that. We were together atthe screening last night. He didn't say any-thing like that to me." The actress was speak-ing at an event where she was made thenew face of Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery.Wadia Movietone Pvt Ltd have accuseddirector Vishal Bhardwaj of lifting thelead character f rom their movie'Hunterwaali', played by Australianstuntwoman Mary Evans aka Fear-less Nadia. Kangana, however, saidthe movie does not include anycharacter based on real l i fe."We've been saying from the be-ginning that the character is notbased on real life. In 1940s there wereseveral action heroines but to say thatthere is a similarity with someone spe-cific is very wrong. "We actors don't getthe notice so I am not aware much of this(the cour t verdict). The producers anddirectors can confirm better but I canconfirm it is not similar to any person.

LOS ANGELES, (PTI) Indian actor Om Puriwas honoured at the 89th Academy Awardsin the 'In Memoriam' montage. The veteran,who died in January at the age of 66, waspopular in the international circuit for his perfor-mances in movies like "East Is East," "Gandhi,""City of Joy" and "Wolf". Apart from Puri, "Star Wars"actress Carrie Fisher, her mother Debbie Reynoldsand Bill Paxton were also remembered andhonoured at the ceremony which was held at the Dolby Theatre. An emotionalJennifer Aniston introduced the segment and paid tribute to Paxton, who died onSaturday and was not included in the video montage. The video also included BillNunn, George Kennedy, Gene Wilder, Patty Duke, Garry Marshall, Anton Yelchin,Mary Tyler Moore, Prince, John Hurt, Nancy Reagan and Curtis Hanson. Thesegment ended with Fisher's Princess Leia saying, "May the Force be with you."While photos and clips played on the screen, Grammy and Tony-nominated singerand songwriter Sara Bareilles performed a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both SidesNow." Following Bareilles' performance, the Academy featured an extended photogallery of more than 200 filmmakers, artists and executives on its website. How-ever, Australian film producer Jan Chapman's photograph was mistakenly used inthe montage to accompany the name and dates of Janet Patterson, a four-timeOscar nominee for costume design, who died in October last year.

NEW DELHI, (PTI) India Test skipperVirat Kohli has been named as the'Captain of the Year' at the 10th an-nual ESPNcricinfo Awards. Kohli ledIndia to nine wins out of 12 Tests inthe year goneby. Englishman Ben Stokeswon the Test Batting Performance of theYear for his incredible counterattackinginnings of 258 runs off 198 balls againstSouth Africa in Cape Town.Stokes team-mate Stuart Broad's 6 for 17in the third Test ensured a series victory for England and fetched him the TestBowling Performance of the Year award for the second year running. Win-ners were selected by an independent jury including former cricket greats,ESPNcricinfo's senior editors, writers and global correspondents, compris-ing Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Ramiz Raja, Isa Guha, Sambit Bal,Courtney Walsh, Mark Butcher and Simon Taufel among others.Quinton de Kock's 178 against Australia in Centurion was the second-highestindividual score by a South African player, and it was voted the ODI BattingPerformance of the Year. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine was awarded the ODIBowling Performance of the Year award for his 6 for 27 against South Africain the Tri-Nation series in Guyana. Carlos Brathwaite received the T20 BattingPerformance of the Year award for his 34 not out against England in the WorldT20 final in Kolkata, in which he hit four consecutive sixes off the last over towin West Indies the match. Bangladesh left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahmantook away the T20 Bowling Performance of the Year award for his 5 for 22 duringthe World T20 against New Zealand in Kolkata. Mehedi Hasan Miraz, one of thebrightest young stars of Bangladesh's national team, was declared Debutant of theYear for his 19 wickets in the two Test matches against England, one of those beingpossibly their finest Test win ever. This year ESPNcricinfo introduced awards forwomen's cricket across all three international formats.

INDIANS SHINE AT THE 89TH OSCAR AWARDS

DEV PATEL

18 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017b o l l y w o o d

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPRANGOON HITTHE GHAZI ATTACK HITRUNNING SHAADI AVERAGEJOLLY LLB 2 BLOCKBUSTERMONA DARLING AVERAGE

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICEJOLLY LLB 2 110 CR

RANGOON 50 CR

THE GHAZI ATTACK 19 CR

RUNNING SHAADI 80 LAKHS

MONA DARLING 40 LAKHS

10songs

DUM DUM PHILLAURI

LAILA ME LAILA RAEES

BAWARA MANN JOLLY LLB 2

ROKE NA RUKE NAINA BADRINATH KI DULHANIYA

KAABIL HOON KAABIL

GO PAAGAL JOLLY LLB 2

UDI UDI JAYE RAEES

BLOODY HELL RANGOON

TAMMA TAMMA AGAIN BADRINATH KI DULHANIYA

SONG FILM

'Rangoon': An impressively immersive film

topCAST: KANGANA RANAUT, SHAHID KAPOOR,

SAIF ALI KHAN

DIRECTED BY: VISHAL BHARDWAJ

STARRING: ****BADRI KI

DULHANIYA

1 BADRI KIDULHANIYA

Rangoon is director Vishal Bhardwaj's monumental and rewarding work. It is a classic, weighed and measured by the styleand manner of its narrative. Adapted from the English film

"Casablanca", it is a simple romance triangle set in India, circa 1943,against the backdrop of World War II. The plot, a trifle to hang theemotions on, involves an ex-actor turned film producer RustomBillimoria aka Rusi (Saif Ali Khan), his lover and muse Julia (KanganaRanaut) and the army personnel Jamadar Nawab Mallik (ShahidKapoor) who is assigned to protect her during an arduous journey tothe border, where she is deputed to enter tain the Indian Army, servingunder the British.It is during this journey that the inevitable happens, she falls in lovewith Nawab Malik and soon realises that she is torn between the two.The screenplay is well-designed. The narrative begins in a dispas-sionate tone but gradually during the course of the narrative, it emotionallyhooks you on, making you root for every character. The characters mergingfrom various spectrums of society are deep, yet believable. They arewell-etched and their backstories make them wholesome."Rangoon" is Kangana's canvas. She is the soul of the film as theperky actress modelled after the yesteryear's heroine Fearless Nadia.Her role is more difficult than it might appear. What she does here isas extraordinary in its own way as Nadia did during her times. Her on-screen chemistry with Saif and Shahid is palpable. Kangana is down-right luminescent and dives into her character's varied and height-ened emotions with aplomb.She has the chutzpah and spunk of Julia which seems natural. Thereare many scenes where she shines brilliantly. But the most striking of

them all is the comic scene when she dances before the Japanesesoldiers hoping to break the ice with them. Shahid por trays NawabMalik with all earnestness. With natural ease, he internalises hischaracter and communicates his affection through his intense gaze.He is equally flawless in the action scenes.Saif does not have much to do. As Rustom Billimoria, he plays thearistocratic producer with elan. He is convincing as the chauvinistlover yet deeply in love who is willing to go to any lengths to gethis lady-love back. British actor Richard McCabe as Major Gen-eral Harding is spot on with his dialogues peppered with Hindi.He leaves his mark on-screen with flourish. The rest of the sup-por ting cast too are pitch per fect and some of their scenes, intheir own ways are equally tender and stirring, be it when Zulfi,the make-up ar tiste and Julia's confidante, is mercilessly shot,the Japanese soldier held captive by Nawab and Julia makes adesperate attempt at a getaway and when the woman soldier iskilled before her son.Visually, the look and feel of the film is magnificent yet simplyrealistic. The landscape is beautifully exploited and the periodcreated by Production Designers Subrata Chakrabor thy and AmitRay along with Dolly Ahluwalia's striking costumes captured byPankaj Kumar's cinematography, are r ich and rewarding. Thesongs "Bloody hell" and "Mere miyan gaye England" are beauti-fully choreographed as well as picturised, while "Yeh ishq hai' issoulful. Also, Bhardwaj's lavish score tugs at your hear tstrings as itcomplements the visuals. Overall, "Rangoon" masterfully weaves adrama that keeps you enraptured till the very end.

MidWeek 19MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

VARUN DHAWAN AND ALIA BHATT PROMOTED BADRINATH KI DULHANIA AT INDIA GATE.

HUGE FAN OF KAREENA, WOULD LOVETO WORK WITH HER AGAIN: VISHAL

b o l l y w o o d

Irrfan Khan unveils first posterof 'No Bed of Roses'MUMBAI, (PTI) Irr fan Khan has released the first look of hisfilm "No Bed of Roses" (or "Doob"), which has been which hasbeen banned in Bangladesh. The 50-year-old actor, who is alsothe co-producer, shared the poster of the movie directed byBangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. "Here's theposter of Doob .... @EskayMovies #MostofaSarwarFarooki,"tweeted Irrfan. The poster resembles a painting of a mountainwith rugged, green terrain, with Irrfan's face superimpsoed onthe canvas. Speculation has been rife in the Bangladeshi andIndian media that the film is a biopic loosely based on lateBangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed who di-vorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 yearshis junior. According to Variety, the film begins with a dis-claimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life char-acters alive or dead. Irr fan plays a filmmaker named JavedHasan who leaves his wife and marries an actress who washis daughter's classmate in school. Farooki has denied thefilm is a biopic and is taking matter to cour t.

My scenes in 'Rangoon' werecut: Kangana RanautMUMBAI, (IANS) National Award-winning actress KanganaRanaut says she felt shattered when a few of her impor tantscenes were edited by the makers of her for thcoming film"Rangoon". Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, "Rangoon", also star-ring Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor, released on Friday. It isset during World War II. "I never thought people would appreciate myperformance as many of my scenes were cut. They were important formy graph," Kangana said in a statement. "When I came to know that a lotof my scenes were cut, my hopes were shattered. I thought people wouldjust find my work average. But in spite of that people like it so much so I'mvery happy," she added. Earlier, it was revealed that Kangana's characterin the film is loosely based on actress-stuntwoman Fearless Nadia. How-ever, in an interview with IANS, Kangana said: "I think there is some legalhassle around that. First of all, we cannot comment on a matterwhen it's already in the cour t, but we can assure you that it(my character) is not based on any living or dead person."

ARJUN KAPOOR STARTS SHOOT-ING FOR 'MUBARAKAN'LONDON, (PTI) Actor Arjun Kapoor is filming his next venture"Mubarakan" here. The 31-year-old actor, who will be seen ina double role in the Anees Bazmee-directed comedy, took toTwitter to share a bearded selfie. "Black and white beard check!!!#London4Mubarakan!!!" Arjun captioned the image. This isthe first time the "2 States" actor will share screen space withactor uncle Anil Kapoor. The movie also stars Athiya Shettyand Ileana D'Cruz and is scheduled to release on July 28.

MUMBAI, (PTI) Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says he admires KareenaKapoor Khan a lot and would love to work with her again. The duoworked together in the critically acclaimed "Omkara", which alsofeatured Saif Ali Khan. "I worked with Kareena in 'Omkara' and ourrapport was very good. I really want to work with Kareena again. I am her hugefan," Vishal told reporters. The director was speaking at a special screening of hislatest film "Rangoon". Vishal was all praise for his leading lady Kangana Ranaut

and was excited to see how the audience laps up the film. "Kangana is a very goodactress, she is one of the finest of our industry. She is very good in the film and I amso excited for the audience to watch the film," he said. The film, which also starsSaif and Shahid Kapoor, is scheduled to release this Friday. "It's a very strangefeeling that you've lived with a dream for seven years and now it's nomore yours. It's that of the audience. To see it come alive on the bigscreen is a very happy feeling.

DIANA PENTY EXCITED TO BE PART OF 'LUCKNOW CENTRAL'MUMBAI, (PTI) Actress Diana Penty says her film "Lucknow Central", in which she will be sharing screen space with Farhan Akhtar,is special as it has a strong story and features some of the finest actors. Diana, who made her Bollywood debut with Saif Ali Khan andDeepika Padukone starrer "Cocktail," was last seen in the family enter tainer "Happy Bhag Jayegi". She has teamed up for the firsttime with Farhan in "Lucknow Central", where she will be playing an NGO worker. "I have always wanted to be a par t of storiesthat I feel strongly about and 'Lucknow Central' is one such story. I instantly said to it when Nikhil Advani (producer) told meabout it," Diana said in a statement. "Playing a character that holds her own in a film that has some of the finest actors fromour industry, makes it even more special for me," she said. The movie, produced by Nikhil Advani, marks the directorial debutof Ranjit Tiwari. "Diana is a talented and versatile actress. She brings with her an element of quiet strength that lends itself wellto the character we want her to por tray," Advani said. "Lucknow Central" follows the story of a few jail inmates who rekindle their lovefor music and form a band in prison with the help of an NGO worker.

20 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017b o l l y w o o d

SALMAN KHAN GRACED THE MUSIC LAUNCH OF MAHESH MANJREKAR'S MOVIE RUBIK'S CUPE.

hollywood

HAVE MADE MY SPACE WITHOUT BACKING,SUPPORT: ADITI RAO HYDARI

Nina Agdal had just USD 40when she came to USLONDON, (PTI) Supermodel Nina Agdal has revealed thatshe only had USD 40 when she moved to the United Statesfrom her home country of Denmark. The 24-year-old modelwas just 18 when she flew from her hometown of Hillerod,Denmark to Miami, Florida and was "so scared" about having tospeak English, reported Contactmusic. "English was my worst sub-ject in school. I was very shy about saying anything and was soscared. I landed with USD 40 and a little piece of paper with theaddress for the model apartment," she said. And the blonde beauty- who is dating Hollywood legend Leonardo Dicaprio - workedincredibly hard to get where she is and she recently said therewas a time when she was working out "three or four times aday" because she thought it would help her stay in shape.

Selena Gomez hates beingdefined by boyfriendsLOS ANGELES, (PTI) Singer-actress Selena Gomez is re-por tedly fed up of being defined by her boyfriends. The"Hands To Myself" hitmaker, who is currently dating "Can'tFeel My Face" singer The Weeknd, is doing all she can toseparate herself from her boyfriend, reported TMZ. The brunettebeauty made a point of not attending the Grammy Awards with herboyfriend as she wants people to focus on her as an artist rather thanhave people worry about who she's dating. And Gomez is also saidto be pleading for her ex Justin Bieber - who she dated on and off fora number of years - to move on and stop criticising The Weeknd,according to sources.

Criticism has really toughenedme up: Emma WatsonLOS ANGELES, (PTI) Emma Watson has said constantscrutiny that comes along with fame has made her astronger person. The 26-year-old actress said she hasspent most of her life under the arc lights and has realisedthat she is a different individual today, repor ted Elle maga-zine. "There is a level of criticism that comes with being anactress and a public figure, which I expect but once you take astance on something like feminism, that's a completely different ballgame. It really toughened me up," Emma said. The "Beauty and theBeast" actress added she is no expert on feminism and feels shehas "a long way to go". Emma continued, "I am not sure if I deserveall the respect I get yet, but I'm working on it.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) She's clearly on a career high this year with rolesin "Aur Devdas", "Padmavati", Mani Ratnam's film "Kaatru Veliyidai"and in Sanjay Dutt's comeback film "Bhoomi". Actress Aditi RaoHydari says she finds it gratifying to play such myriad roles as shehas done it "step by step on my own. I feel very lucky to be part ofall these projects… More so, because I have done it step by step onmy own without any backing or support in the film industry," Aditi saidin a question by IANS during a Facebook live chat."It's been tough but I have also been very blessed. When you'reworking with people like this, you can never have complains. Inever have complaints, I always look at the positive side. And Iknow I have such a strong belief in my work and dreams, thatthings just happen… I want to do better work, without support andbacking," she added. The ambassador of beauty and skincare brandAvon, Aditi was launching the Avon True range digitally via thechat. She was answering queries ranging from her beauty regimeto her work and social media involvement.The actress, who has featured in Bollywood films like "Yeh SaaliZindagi", "Khoobsurat" and "Fitoor", also says she is willing to goto any extent to look her character when a film requires. "I think thatas an actor, you have to become the character. And whatever thecharacter demands, you must do. When you wear a particularkind of make-up - whether it's prosthetics or little changes inmake-up - maybe on your, in the way you do your eyebrows,or line your eyes… It makes a huge difference and makesyou look like a different person," she said.

"You're used to a certain kind of look which is routine. But themoment you change that, you feel different. I think it's reallyimportant to put that extra effort to create a new look for acharacter. It also stays with people. As an avid movie watcher,I know what a difference it can make, and I can go to any extent

to do that," she added. Aditi is known for the glow on her faceand the radiance she exudes. Is that a result of dedicated work-

out sessions or she believes in natural ways?"I am not very good with regimes usually, but I am intuitive with

them. I listen to my skin, I listen to my body… This soundsvery hocus-pocus, but it's true and it works. I keep a bal-

anced diet, and believe that good health starts from in-side. My day starts with apple cider vinegar and warmwater. I try my best not to miss my workouts, which,I am sorry to admit, I do very often. But I do lot of yoga,helps you to stay calm, peaceful and hopefully beauti-

ful even under trying circumstances. It takes a lot for meto get angry, and I think all these things help me maintainthat," Aditi said. Is being a private person a bane or aboon when you are a public figure?"It's important for me to speak my mind but to do soresponsibly… Social media rules our lives and thatcan be hard as well as really thrilling… And as far as

my personal life is concerned, the answer is in the questionitself, it is personal and only for me to know. Doesn't thatmakes sense?" she said.

MidWeek 21MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

EXCLUSIVE SPONSORS

India lose first Test to Australia by 333runs; Kohli says it's reality check

STEVE O'KEEFE OF AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES WITH TEAMMATES AFTER TAKING SIX WICKETS FOR 35 RUNS IN 13.1 OVERS INTHE FIRST TEST AGAINST INDIA.

PUNE, (PTI) India lost the opening cricket Test against Australia by333 runs on the third day of the match here. India captain Virat Kohlisaid the 333-run loss in the first Test against Australia is a realitycheck that the team needed after a 19-match unbeaten run. This wasIndia's first defeat at home since losing to England in Kolkata in 2012.India had not lost a match at home since then and Kohli hopes thisloss will serve as similar inspiration to bounce back."The last time we had a per formance like this, we had the mostoutstanding run after that. I would say that we needed something likethis for us to get a reality check and understand what are the thingswe need to work on and keep persisting with it not take anything forgranted at any stage, especially at Test match level," Kohli said afterlosing the Test. Kohli however didn't forget the main issue that gotIndia in such a situation. "If you don't apply yourself, any bowlingattack can look dangerous. And I cer tainly would like to think that thatwas the case with our batting line-up in this game," Kohli said, addingthat this was their worst batting performance at home. "It rarely hap-pens that four-five batsmen make errors in judgment in both the in-nings, especially with the way we batted in the last few months. Iwould say this was our worst batting performance and we need toaccept that. Our batting wasn't up to standard and that's cer tainly how

we shouldn't bat from here onwards."Kohli was out on duck in the first innings and failed to play a captain'sknock in the second innings where he was cleaned up by O'Keefe on13. It was a disastrous dismissal, given that he had shouldered armsto the delivery and let the ball uproot his off-stump at a significantjuncture of the game. Kohli admitted his error in judging the delivery."It was a judgment error from my side. I left the ball too early. I shouldhave waited for the ball a little more. You can't say which ball is goingto turn or which isn't. You've got to play the line and I cer tainly didn'tdo that. It was my fault," he said.This was Kohli's lowest aggregate score in a match at home in whichhe had batted in both innings. The captain, however, played down theimpact of the loss, stating that the result wouldn't affect the team's mo-rale. "I wouldn't think too much about this Test. If after 18 or 19 Tests, weplay one bad game, you have to accept that it's a part of internationalcricket," Kohli said. "I don't know ifpeople were thinking that wecouldn't lose at all, but in our mindthere was no such thing. If we don'tplay good cricket, then any team canbeat us."

Punjab govt gives nod to hold PSL final in LahoreKARACHI, (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today got the green signal from the Punjabgovernment to hold the final of the second Pakistan Super League T20 tournament at the Gaddafistadium in Lahore on March 5. Najam Sethi, who heads the PSL, told the media after a long meetingat the Gaddafi stadium that it had been decided to hold the final as planned in Lahore despiteadverse security situation."I think deciding to have the PSL final is a message from the Pakistani people to the world that theywill not be cowed down by terrorism and they are peace loving people. The final is being held herebecause the people wanted it in Lahore," Sethi said. The confirmation for the final came after daysof uncer tainty over whether the government would give clearance for the final because of the spateof terrorist attacks in the country including two incidents in Lahore in the last few days.At the meeting which was chaired by the Chairman of the board, Shaharyar Khan and included thechief secretary of Punjab, IG Punjab police and other security officials it was announced that theChief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given the go ahead for the match. It was decided that around10,000 policemen, elite police commandoes and paramlitary rangers would provide security coverfor the final in and around the Gaddafi stadium which is also the headquarters of the PCB.The announcement comes despite concerns being expressed by some former PCB administratorsand former players and critics over the huge risk involved in hosting the final at this time in Lahore."I think the time has come for us to give out a clear message and we hope that once this final is heldpeacefully it will allow us to bring international teams to Pakistan," Sethi added.

INDIA'S JITU-HEENA WIN MIXED EVENT FOR10M AIR PISTOLNEW DELHI, (PTI) There was some cheer for India after two barren days as the duo of Jitu Rai andHeena Sidhu triumphed in the 10m mixed team air pistol event of the ISSF World Cup here onMonday. However, since the mixed event is being used on a trial basis in line with IOC's aim toachieve gender equality in its 2020 Tokyo Olympics program, medals are not being awarded eventhough the International Shooting Spor ts Federation (ISSF) executive committee has ratified the recommen-dations. The mixed event got its start with the 10m air rifle event at the World Cup on Saturday with China winning thegold medal over Japan. In an event, where coordination plays a key role, Rai teamed up with Heena to finish ahead ofJapan's Yukari Konishi and Tomoyuki Matsuda 5-3. Slovenia's Naphaswan Yangpaiboon and Kevin Venta were placedthird. They were trailing in the semifinal stage but staged a spirited fightback to enter the gold medal match andeventually won the 'golden badge'. "It was good, very interesting, opinions are still divided since it is early days. It willtake time to settle down. But we will have to start preparing for this in earnest as this, we assume, is going to be partof the Olympics and World Championships," Heena, a former world number one, said after the event. World Champi-onship and Asian Games silver medallist Jitu said, "I am trying to figure out how it works. We arehaving a little difficulty right now as far as coordination is concerned but once the rules gets clearit will be better for us."

SMITH RETAINS TOP SPOTIN ICC RANKINGSDUBAI, (IANS) Australia captain Steve Smith has consoli-dated his position at the top of the ICC Player Rankings forTest Batsmen following his outstanding batting effort in the open-ing Test against India. Smith scored 109 during Australia's secondinnings to help his team win by 333 runs to take a 1-0 lead in thefour-match series. The 27-year-old right-hander reached a career-high 939 rating points which is the sixth best ever after Don Bradman(961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (both 942)and Peter May (941).Gary Sobers, Viv Richards and Kumar Sangakkara all had career-high ranking points of 938, the International Cricket Council (ICC)announced on Sunday. Smith, who scored 27 and 109 in Pune togain six points, now leads Indian captain Virat Kohli by 66 pointswhile England batsman Joe Root is 91 points behind him at thirdplace with 848 points. Australian opener Matt Renshaw has movedup 18 places to a career-best 34th position scoring 68 and 31 whileIndian opener Lokesh Rahul has climbed 11 spots to reach a ca-reer-best 46th position.In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Australia's left-armspinner Steve O'Keefe has rocketed up 33 slots to a career-best29th place after figures of 12 for 70 over two innings which earnedhim the Player of the Match award. O' Keefe's figures are the cheap-est 12-wicket haul in Test cricket, beating ICC Hall of Famer GeorgeLohmann's 12 for 71 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1896.India's Ravichandran Ashwin remains at the top of the bowlers'rankings with 878 points after taking seven wickets.

Spin coach Sriram lauds O'Keefe'sperformance in Pune TestBENGALURU, (IANS) Australia's spin bowling coach SridharanSriram on Monday revealed how left-arm or thodox spinnerSteve O'Keefe changed his approach during lunch break onthe second day of the first cricket Test against India at Pune.Playing his first Test in the sub-continent, O'Keefe turned outto be the dark horse, taking six wickets in each innings tobreak the backbone of the Indian batting.Chasing a mammoth 441, the hosts once again succumbedto the visiting spin duo of O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon to bedismissed for a paltry 107 in their second essay. The visitorshave now taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series."During the break I knew he (O'Keefe) was a little disturbed.He said I think I need to have a bowl with you in the centre,"Sriram told mediapersons here.

MidWeek 23MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

More Records Fall as Beast OutlastDivision-Leading Monarchs in Overtime

Beast Shuffle the Deck Aheadof Game Against MonarchsBRAMPTON - The Brampton Beast, ECHL affiliate of the MontrealCanadiens, announce several transactions ahead of the club'sbig Nor th Division matchup against the Adirondack Thunder.The Beast have signed proven leader and CIS standout VincentLlorca to a standard player contract (SPC). Llorca, a 6'3", 205-pounddefenseman, hails from Clermont-Ferrand, France and spent the lastfour years as the team captain for Laurentian University in the Cana-dian Interuniversity Sport system. A proven player at the nationallevel, Llorca first played for Team France as a member of their Under-18 squad for the Div. I World Under-18 Championships during the2009-10 season. He finished the tournament as France's top-scoringdefenseman with a goal and two assists in five games played.He also cracked France's U20 team for the Div. IB WorldJunior Hockey Championship in the 2011-12 season andonce again proved to be a solid contributor with two as-sists and four penalty minutes in five games played, allwhile wearing the 'A' on his shoulder. In separate transactions,the Beast have released defenseman Mackenzie Braid andgoaltender Bryan Pitton from their Standard Player Contracts.Pitton, a Brampton native who also played for the Brampton Bat-talion between the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, was a big partof the Beast's leadership and community involvement over histwo seasons with the Beast, as echoed by the following statementfrom Beast President and General Manager Cary Kaplan. "Itwas unfor tunate that for Bryan did not have a chance toplay the role that we had all hoped over the past two years,"Kaplan said. "He however was a leader for us off the ice andin the community and a true professional throughout. We wishhim nothing but the best."

Wanted to connect with youththrough 'Roadies': Harbhajan SinghMUMBAI, (IANS) Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh says hewanted to connect with youth and that's what urged him to bepar t of youth-based reality show "MTV Roadies Rising". Hewill be seen as a gang leader in the reality show. "With MTVand 'Roadies', the reach is with the youth more, so I wanted toconnect with the youth," Harbhajan told IANS over phone. Theace cricketer says the show encourages the youth to believein the power they have within themselves. "I think the show is(about) getting your own identity out and believing in your-self… They get to learn a lot about life… I feel this is onlyone show which has a lot happening in just two months,"he added. Apar t from Singh, the other gang members forthe season 14 of the upcoming show include RannvijaySingha, Neha Dhupia, Nikhil Chinapa and Prince Narula.The show will go on air on MTV from Saturday.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Brampton Beast defenseman Reggie Traccittotook a perfect tape-to-tape pass from David Vallorani and roofed the puck into thenet just 23 seconds into the extra frame to give the Beast a dramatic 6-5 victory overthe North Division-leading Manchester Monarchs on Friday night at SNHU Arenain Manchester.Two more significant franchise records were broken on this historic night inManchester. David Pacan's goal at the7:50 mark of the second period was his 30thof the season, giving him the Beast single-season goal-scoring record. AndrewFournier held the previous record at 29 tallies during the 2013-14 Central HockeyLeague season. Not to be outdone, David Vallorani's assist on Traccitto's game-winner was his 39th of the season, making him the new single-season assistrecord holder, beating Jamie VanderVeeken's previous record of 38, also set duringthe club's inaugural 2013-14 season. The win was the club's 30th of the season,marking the first time in their ECHL history that the club has reached the 30-winmark. The Beast need three more wins to tie the team single-season wins record,set at 33 victories by the 2013-14 squad.

Zach Fucale may have allowed five goals but he was a difference-maker betweenthe pipes, making highlight-reel saves look routine. He finished the game with 27saves, making him the first Beast goaltender to reach the 20-win plateau in a singleseason. It was the Monarchs who came out flying to start the first period. A coupleof quick goals Eric Robinson and Zac Lynch gave the Monarchs an early 2-0 leadby the 11:02 mark of the opening period.The Beast regrouped and came back even stronger. Chris Leveille got the Beast onthe board at the 13:54 mark of the first period, finishing off a 2-on-1 on a flawlesspass from Vallorani. Brampton was feeling the energy from Leveille's tally andquickly struck again to tie the game. Chris Auger pounced on a loose puck in thecrease during a scrum in front of Monarchs starting goaltender Sam Brittain andslid in his 15th goal of the season to tie the game. The Beast took that momentuminto the first intermission and kept their foot on the gas to start the second period. Offan offensive zone faceoff, Vallorani threw the puck on goal and Leveille was in theright place at the right time to bang in his second of the night and 12th of the seasonat the 6:34 mark, giving the Beast their first lead of the night at 3-2.

Dhoni blasts ton as Jharkhand vanquish ChhattisgarhKOLKATA, (IANS) Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blasted a centuryas Jharkhand defeated Chhattisgarh by 78 runs in a Group D matchof the Vijay Hazare cricket tournament here on Sunday. Riding onDhoni's 107-ball 129, Jharkhand posted 243/9, and then skittled outChhattisgarh for 165 in 38.4 overs at the Eden Gardens to pick uptheir first four points from the tourney. Jharkhand had gone down toKarnataka by five runs in their tournament opener on Saturday.Dhoni walked in with Jharkhand tottering at 43/4 in the 14th over, andsaw two more wickets fall within a short while. At 57/6, Jharkhandseemed to be staring down the barrel, but Shahbaz Nadim teamedup with Dhoni in the middle to put on 151 runs for the seventh wicketand take their team past the 200-run mark. Nadeem (53; 90b, 4×4,1×6) went back in the 48th over, but Dhoni struck some characteris-tic sledge hammer blows in the remaining deliveries and was out ononly the last ball of the innings. His knock included 10 fours and sixsixes. For Chhattisgarh, right arm medium pacer Kant Singh (4/33)was the most successful bowler. In reply, Chattisgarh never reallygot going, as none of their willowers managed to put up a substantialscore. Only three of the batsmen went into the 20s and the highestpartnership was that of 32 between skipper Mohammed Kaif (23)and Amandeep Khare (22) for the third wicket. Kant (24) was the topscorer, while pacer Varun Aaron (3/26) and left arm spinner Nadeem(3/36) were the chief wreckers for Jharkhand. Meanwhile, defendingchampions Gujarat defeated Goa by 78 runs in a Group A match inChennai. Set a target of 278 runs, Goa were all out for 199 withGujarat off-spinner Rujul Bhat returning figures of 5/38. SnehalKauthankar (64) and Amogh Desai (61) shone with the bat for Goa.Earlier, Gujarat rode on half-centuries from skipper Parthiv Patel (80)and Priyank Panchal (57) to post a total of 277/9. Pacer Rituraj Singhwas the most successful among the Goa bowlers with figures of 3/

61. In Group B, Himachal Pradesh thrashed last year's runners-upDelhi by 185 runs in Bhubaneshwar. Asked to bat first, Himachal rodeon a century by Prashant Chopra and a half-century by Paras Dograto post 339/8 in their allotted 50 overs.Chopra plundered 159 runs from 140 balls, hitting 24 boundaries andthree sixes along the way. Dogra scored 77 off 65 deliveries andadded 205 runs along with Chopra to set Himachal on their way to aformidable total. Off-spinner Dheeraj Kumar then clinched a five-wicket haul as Delhi were skittled out for 154 runs in 37 overs.Dheeraj notched up figures of 5/24 while pacer Pankaj Jaiswalbagged three wickets.

SECOND DIVISION FOOTBALL CLUBFORFEITS MATCH, OWNER ABSCONDINGKOLKATA, (IANS) Pride Sports, a Madhya Pradesh-based club cur-rently playing the second division league organised by the All IndiaFootball Federation (AIFF), has all but disbanded club operations, alsogiving a walkover to their opponents in their last group engagement onFriday. Unable to pay players and coach Paulo Pedro their salaries, theclub's owner left the outfit in the lurch by shirking responsibility andfleeing midway, it is learnt.Pride Sports are rock-bottom in Group C of the second division withouthaving registered any win from five matches conceded 13 goals in theprocess. "The owner is absconding," a source close the developmenttold IANS on Friday. "They have pulled out of the competition and did notturn up for their last game," the source added. Pride Sports were sup-posed to play Fateh Hyderabad. In this eventuality, the Hyderabad outfitwill be handed a 3-0 verdict along with three points.

24 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017