Latest news with #Gokul
India.com
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
This actor played role of Bollywood's scariest villain till date in this 1998 film, actress played double role, has IMDb rating of 6.8, movie is…, his name is…
If we talk about a dangerous villain, then today's generation will probably call a scary face a dreadful and terrifying villain, but people of the 90s know who was that villain of that era whose face and look were very normal but he created such terror with his expressions and style that even after the film was over, the fear did not go away from the mind. 1998 Action Thriller Dushman Here we are talking about actor Ashutosh Rana, who played the character of Gokul Pandit in 1998 film 'Dushman,' starring Kajol.' Apart from Kajol, Sanjay Dutt was also there. In this film, Ashutosh Rana played his character of Gokul Pandit in such a way that it would create fear in your hearts and minds. Ashutosh Rana brought such life to the character of Gokul with his acting and performance that he became one of the most dreaded villains of Bollywood. Even today, on hearing the name of Gokul Pandit, that devilish face flashes before the eyes. Kajol Played Double Role Kajol was in a double role in the film, which revolves around two sisters, Sonia and Naina. When Sonia is murdered in the film, Naina decides to take revenge. Sanjay Dutt, who played the character of blind veteran, helps Kajol in this film and both of them fight against Gokul Pandit. Later, Naina sets a trap for Gokul and attempts to kill him, but Gokul restrains her and tries to assault her like he did with her sister. Suraj comes to her house and confronts Gokul, but he gets stabbed in the process. Naina eventually breaks free and shoots Gokul fatally. More About Dushman At 44th Filmfare Awards, 'Dushman' took home the Best Villain award (Rana) and was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Tanvi Azmi). Additionally, Kajol was nominated for Best Actress for her role in the ceremony, but she won the award for her performance in 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.' The film has an IMDb rating of 6.8, which is currently available for viewing on Prime Video.
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Paranthu Po' movie review: A gentle reflection on escaping the grind
We lose something intangible in a world without physical media. Streaming allows convenient consumption, but there was something about holding tapes and those old MP3 music players that made us believe the music was our own. Watching an endearing piece of art like Paranthu Pomakes you wish you could hold onto it somehow, to stay in its effect, revisit, and almost seek ownership. Directed by ace filmmaker Ram, Paranthu Po is a breath of fresh air in Tamil cinema. It is a polaroid of characters a million Indian middle-class families could see themselves in — it's about the dreams that have caged them to a lifestyle and environment, the ebbs and flows in the pursuit of those dreams, and the comfort in breaking out of the rut and seeing the world as an eight-year-old boy who knows how to climb mountains but not how to climb down. With a mystifyingly simple language and a tone that is casual and humorous, Paranthu Po is a striking departure from the tone of Ram's diverse filmography. The writer-director manages to achieve a lot through an elegant premise and austere filmmaking. The very first sequence of the film encapsulates the essence of what follows. A drone shot and a background track akin to a nursery rhyme take us to an upper-middle-class apartment in Chitlapakam, Chennai — the lyrics suggest how the house was built encroaching over a lake, which becomes a pointed political commentary as well as a metaphor for the delicate footing over which working-class dreams are built. The apartment is home to the naughty eight-year-old Anbu (even his name means affection; child actor Mithul Ryan shoulders the film), whose hyperactivity and curiosity need all the attention of his parents. His father, Gokul (Shiva's performance would make every middle-class father feel like an 'Agila Ulaga Superstar'), owns an organic foods business, while his mother, Glory (we need Grace Antony in more Tamil comedies), is currently busy at her saree stall at an expo in Coimbatore, yearning to return to her haven soon. From afar, Anbu has almost everything a boy of his age would ask for: dotting parents who work hard to ensure he gets the best education; expensive toys, and he even has a 'crush' who responds to his heart emojis! There are hints of how spoiled he is in his parents' endless attempts to pacify him. From the way Gokul cuts the call from Anbu's annoyed school teacher, or how he locks the gate whenever he leaves Anbu alone, or how the child casually speaks to a delivery agent delivering a peace offering pizza from his mother, there are signs that this is habitual in this household. But this isn't just the usual case of a child throwing tantrums. There's an inexplicable restlessness in the child, which is what we and Anbu's parents begin to understand more about when Gokul and Anbu (whose waveboard-riding mimics a bird flying) go on an incidental road trip to the suburbs, a journey that brings one too many surprises and colourful characters — like Emperor, who has an unbeatable open-air 'palatial' abode and a heart nobler than any king; Dharma The Great, who climbs atop trees and makes bird calls; and Vanitha (Anjali), Glory's long-lost 'crush' and her soft-spoken husband Gunashekhar (Aju Varghese). We also get on a rocketship to Mars and wish for a dinosaur to come out of a duck egg. Paranthu Po (Tamil) Director: Ram Cast: Shiva, Grace Antony, Mithul Ryan, Anjali, Aju Varghese Runtime: 132 minutes Storyline: A young boy and his father go on an unforgettable, life-changing road trip Paranthu Po, as the title tells, is a story about the necessity to fly away from all that we trap ourselves under in our pursuit of dreams, and it's something to think how most of us would have come across or yearned for an Anbu to break us out of our spells and usher us towards the mountains. It's a gentle musical road comedy — a rarity in Tamil cinema — that makes you want to climb mountains, walk through a sunflower field, sleep atop a tree, swim in a lake, or hold a duck's egg in your hand. Sequences move gradually in a linear fashion, and the information we need about their pasts is either told matter-of-factly or becomes pivotal subplots for characters, like how Glory's family hasn't spoken to her since she married someone from a different religion against their will. A major strength of Paranthu Po is the gentle, deadpan comedy that leaves you in splits every fifth minute. Letting songs written in simple Tamil and English, like a catchy school-time poem, accompany the narration works like a charm. Moreover, nothing feels out of place, and initial shots of the child playing with a tractor toy or donning a football jersey become hilarious details recalled later on. The language Ram opts to tell the story in has the appeal of one of those bedtime stories you could revisit at any age and always find a little more to love, laugh and think about. This is a film that acknowledges the bad in the world but compels you to look at the good and to expect kindness from fellow human beings. A tea stall owner goes to any lengths to help a father. An auto driver is empathetic to the plight of a helpless woman. A father witnesses a painful but hilarious 'no smoking' campaign from his son. A poor old homeless man buys breakfast for his unlikely, richer guests. The kindness people put out to the world finds a way of coming back to them. This is, after all, a film that makes even 'Saathaaney' ('devil') turn into a term of endearment. Ram does touch upon some worldly topics, including caste, religion and class, but like the analogy he keeps mentioning in his interviews, these commentaries flow deep into the stream, and on top, the river flows as calmly as it could. In colloquial Tamil, 'malai erittaan' — which translates to 'he scaled the mountain' — is used to refer to someone throwing a tantrum. Paranthu Po is a film about a child learning to climb down a mountain, literally and metaphorically, but it is also a story that urges us to fly away to the hills and to remember when we threw a tantrum every time life seemed unfair. Perhaps it is a romanticised perspective on life in the modern world, but there's romance in listening to Ilaiyaraaja on an old tape recorder while sitting on a hilltop. Paranthu Po reminds us that life loses its magic when we can no longer dream of dinosaurs hatching from duck eggs. Paranthu Po is currently running in theatres
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- The Hindu
CBI takes over probe into Wayanad tribal youth's death in police custody
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the alleged custodial death of Gokul, an 18-year-old tribal youth, at Kalpetta police station in Wayanad district, which had earlier been investigated by the Crime Branch. A special team from the CBI's Thiruvananthapuram unit will investigate the case based on a notification published by the State government in the Kerala Gazette on June 6 that gave consent to transfer the case under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. Expressing disappointment over the local police investigation, Omana, Gokul's mother, had moved the Kerala High Court with a request to hand over the case to the CBI as the suspects were all police officers. She had accused the police of grave human rights violations while keeping him in custody without any evidence of his involvement in any cognizable offence. It was on April 1 that Gokul was found dead in the washroom of the Kalpetta police station, a day after he was taken into custody in connection with the missing of a minor tribal girl. Two police officers, including an Assistant Sub-inspector, were placed under suspension following an internal investigation. There were also a series of protests on the part of tribal families and human rights organisations for considering the incident just as a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Seeking a CBI probe, they had appealed to the State government to have a serious look at the investigation report submitted to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (North Zone) that had found several grave lapses on the part of police officers in ensuring Gokul's safe custody. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission had also registered a case and sought a separate report from the District Police Chief (Wayanad). It was on March 31 that the 18-year-old from Nellarachal near Wayanad district's Ambalavayal was taken into custody from Kozhikode along with the missing tribal girl. The two were reportedly fleeing their village in Wayanad following some inter-tribe issues over their relationship and the decision to get married. Though the police sent the girl to a government shelter home, the youth was kept in police custody. He was found dead the following day. However, the police officers at the Kalpetta station had denied allegations of custodial torture and claimed that the post-mortem examination had found no trace of injuries on his body to prove the same. Citing the case as a suicide, they had also tried to uncover some of the previous 'self-killing attempts' by the youth on various issues.
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Karnataka Govt suspends senior IFS officer R Gokul over stand on forest land donated to HMT Ltd in Bengaluru
The Karnataka Government Wednesday suspended a senior Indian Forest Service officer, R Gokul, for allegedly facilitating the handover of forest land worth nearly Rs 14,000 crore, held by the public sector company Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru, to third parties, including private entities. The government issued the suspension order stating that 'in exercise of the powers under Rule 3(1) (a) of the All India Service (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, Sri R. Gokul, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Director General, EMPRI, Bengaluru, is placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry.' The reason for Gokul's suspension has been cited as his actions regarding the 'denotification of lands granted to HMT measuring 443 Acres 6 guntas situated at Peenya Jalahalli Plantation'. According to the government order, an interlocutory application was filed by forest officials before the Supreme Court in 2020 'without obtaining the approval of the then minister-in-charge or sanction from the state cabinet' for permission to denotify 443.6 acres of land granted to HMT at the Peenya Jalahalli Plantation. Initially, the state government issued notices to Sandeep Dave, a retired IAS officer and the former additional chief secretary for Forest, Ecology and Environment; Vijay Kumar Gogi, retired IFS officer and the former principal secretary for Forest, Ecology and Environment; Smitha Bijjur, IFS, ex-principal secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Gokul. The government has reported receiving replies to the notices from three of the four officers (other than Sandeep Dave) but said that Gokul had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after receiving his notice 'seeking protection' in an illegal mining case from the 2010 period where he is a key witness against a mafia that was operated by political figures. The IFS officer also did not obtain permission or inform the government when he filed an 'Intervention Application (113311/2025) in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India against IA (190307/2024 WP (C) 337/1995) filed by the State Government in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India for withdrawal of the IA (60477/2020 in WP (C) 337/1995) related to the de-notification of lands belonging to HMT Ltd,' said the suspension order. The government order said the conduct of Gokul 'is in violation of Rule 17 of All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, and the State Government is prima facie satisfied that it is necessary' to place him under suspension with immediate effect. Last week, Karnataka Minister for Forest and Environment Eshwar Khandre announced that the government had recommended action against two serving IFS officers, one retired IFS officer, and one retired IAS officer for filing of an application in the Supreme Court 'seeking permission for denotification of HMT forest land worth over Rs. 14,000 crore'. 'This plantation is owned by HMT. It is illegal for the organisation to sell to government departments/organisations and private individuals. However, the fact that forest officials did not make any attempt to recover the land and, without even drawing the attention of the Cabinet, submitted an Interim Application (IA) to the Supreme Court seeking denotification in 2020 is a cause for doubt,' Khandre has said. The controversy pertains to 599 acres of land in a plantation in the Peenya Jalahalli region in North Bengaluru, which was declared a forest in 1896 and was later transferred to HMT in the 1960s to create industrial infrastructure through a donation deed by the district collector. In recent years, large portions of the land given to HMT by the forest department for industrial purposes have been used to facilitate major real estate projects through the connivance of state and central government officials. Over the last year, a dispute arose over the land between the Union Heavy Industries Ministry headed by H D Kumaraswamy, who is looking at monetising the land to resuscitate the fortunes of HMT, and the state forest department, which is trying to recover the HMT land by arguing that it remains a forest land. In November last year, the Karnataka Government issued notices to the forest officials concerned over the filing of the IA in the SC on the HMT forest land. In January this year, the state government ordered that since 281 acres of the 599 acres of land donated to HMT is vacant land 'without any building,' the forest department must take possession of the vacant forest land. Over 200 acres of the HMT land in Bengaluru have been handed over to private players and others, even as HMT Ltd has collapsed in the last four decades. One of the major transfers of land happened between 1999 and 2004 when the Congress was in power, leading to the construction of apartment complexes by some of the big real estate developers of Bengaluru.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
HMT land: Govt. orders suspension of IFoS officer Gokul
The State government has suspended Additional Principal Conservator of Forests R. Gokul in connection with a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking permission to denotify 443 acres of HMT forest land. The suspension order states that the IFoS officer without obtaining the approval of the then Minister in-charge or sanction from the State Cabinet, filed an interlocutory application (IA) before the Supreme Court seeking permission for denotification of lands granted to HMT measuring 443 acres 6 guntas at Peenya Jalahalli Plantation. Following this the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department issued preliminary notices to former IAS officer Sandeep Dave, then Additional Chief Secretary in the department, former IFoS officer Vijay Kumar Gogi, then Principal Secretary in the department, IFoS officer Smitha Bijjur, then Principal Secretary in the department, and Mr. Gokul, then Chief Conservator of Forests and Litigation Conducting officer, in the said IA. 'The replies received by the said officers have been examined by the department and referred along with the opinion of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to examine and initiate necessary action,' stated the order. It further stated that after the issue of preliminary notice by the department, Mr. Gokul wrote to the CBI without prior intimation or obtaining permission of the State government for seeking protection with reference to Belekeri port iron ore theft cases and also to investigate the reasons for issuing a notice and defaming through news articles and to provide him adequate protection. The State government then examined the necessary files and records in the said matter and sought a report on the denotification of lands granted to HMT under Forest Conservation Act, 1980. It also investigated if there are any lapses and any irregularities committed by the officers in the said matter. 'In violation of Rule 17 of A11 India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and the State government is prima facie satisfied that it is necessary to place R. Gokul, IFoS under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry,' the order stated. It also directed that the officer during the period of suspension to not leave the headquarters without the written permission of the State government.
