Latest news with #Grover
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
After Aanand L Rai, Varun Grover Slams AI-Powered Ending In Raanjhanaa's Re-Released Tamil Version
New Delhi: Twelve years after its original release, Aanand L Rai's Raanjhanaa is returning to theatres in Tamil Nadu as Ambikapathy on August 1, 2025. But instead of celebration, the re-release has stirred a major controversy. One that involves Artificial Intelligence, a happy ending, and what writer-lyricist Varun Grover calls a dystopian experiment wrapped in comedy. According to promotional posters, the re-release features an "AI-powered" new ending where Dhanush's character doesn't die marking a significant departure from the tragic climax that originally defined the film's emotional punch. While fans are baffled, Raanjhanaa's director Aanand L Rai is deeply disappointed. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Rai said, "Raanjhanaa didn't need a new climax. It had heart and honesty... To see its ending altered without a word of discussion is a gross violation not just of the film, but of the trust of the fans who've carried the film in their hearts for 12 years." He raised serious concerns about the ethical, legal, and creative implications of using AI to manipulate films and performances without the consent of creators or actors. Amid this heated debate, writer and Masaan co-creator Varun Grover weighed in with his signature sarcasm through a reel that is quickly gaining traction online. In the video, Grover narrates a tongue-in-cheek anecdote about how his uncle reacted to the first screening of Masaan. "The film is good," his uncle had said, "but just change the ending and it'll be a hit." Grover humorously explains how he had to offer logistical excuses to avoid such a change-claiming they didn't have enough budget, time, or actor availability. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varun Grover (@vidushak) "But apparently," he adds with a smile, "someone else's uncle has enough to AI-edit Raanjhanaa, make it a happy ending, and re-release it. So, whoever's uncle it is, namaste to them." While the reel is laced with wit, Grover's satire speaks directly to the unease many artists feel about the growing use of AI in storytelling. The idea that a studio can override the creative intent of a film for short-term gains is what both Grover and Rai are implicitly warning against-albeit in very different tones. With the Ambikapathy AI-ending debate heating up and creators speaking out, this re-release may ultimately spark a broader conversation around consent, creativity, and control in the age of artificial intelligence.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pensacola news you missed: Grover's opens in Milton, Blue Angels face lawsuit
Here's a roundup of our top stories from the past week. With a subscription to the Pensacola News Journal, you will receive full access to the work done by our journalists and photographers as they head out every day to help inform and explain the important issues affecting your community. Pensacola makes $1.2 million deal to buy old Escambia Clinic on Palafox The city of Pensacola has negotiated a contract to buy a longstanding eyesore on N. Palafox, Escambia County's old Medical Center Clinic, and the mayor says they're using grant money from the Hollis T. Williams project to cover the cost. According to the contract, the purchase price is $1,275,000 for the four-story building at 1750 N. Palafox and two adjacent parcels of land that are all owned by Real Business Consultants, Inc. Real Business Consultants bought the building from ECUA in 2016 for $75,000. About a year ago, the company listed it for close to $2 million. Full story: Pensacola makes $1.2 million deal to buy old Escambia Clinic on Palafox FINALLY! Grover's Milton restaurant opened Thursday. Here's a look inside The wait is over for Milton's new Grover's, opened to the public on July 24 at 5614 Stewart St., following over a year of eager community anticipation. The sparkling new Milton restaurant carries over the old-school diner feel of the original location, Grover's Fingers & Wings at 9418 N. Davis Highway, but now with a drive-thru, glittery cherry red booths, black-and-white checkered floors and quadruple the seating. Keep reading: FINALLY! Grover's Milton restaurant opening Thursday. Here's a sneak peek inside Pensacola accused of 'embarrassing' rollout of garbage pickup as recycling returns; considering credits for customers Many Pensacola residents are upset over the city's switch to weekly garbage pickup and what they say is a lack of communication about the change. Residents have taken to social media to voice anger about the changes, with some upset over the change and others upset over missed pickups on their single pick-up day. Anger online was reflected in comments at the Pensacola City Council meeting on July 17, where Councilman Charles Bare called the rollout of the new changes 'embarrassing.' 'I want to apologize to the residents of District 2 for what's happening with sanitation,' Bare said. 'It's been embarrassing to be a council member.' Full story: Pensacola accused of 'embarrassing' rollout of garbage pickup as recycling returns Pensacola is now considering an option to credit sanitation customers after the botched transition to once-a-week residential garbage pickup frustrated residents. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said the communications surrounding the transition were 'not up to our standard.' Full story: Pensacola looking into bill credits after botching change to once weekly garbage pickup Women on Pensacola streets are trafficked every day. It's difficult to prove and stop. Lisha Banks has been living off and on the streets for years, camping in the woods, along rail lines, or wherever the 59-year-old can find a quiet place to be. There's no such thing as a 'safe' place to live for most women on the street. They are disproportionately vulnerable to violence, including sexual violence from people they know and others they don't. In fact, escaping violence can be the reason why some women, like Lisha, end up homeless. 'It's hard. If you're not tough bad things happen. They get raped all the time,' Banks said. 'When I was at Beggs Lane, I had a 28-year-old try to rape me. Thank God a friend came by and got his attention and I could get out of there. You have to keep one eye open and whatever weapons you can have, and still that's not going to do any good if you got 10 guys coming on you, especially the older women.' Keep reading: Women on Pensacola streets are trafficked every day. It's difficult to prove and stop. Blue Angels sued for killing Seattle woman's cat. What Pensacola has to say about that A Seattle, Washington, woman has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Navy's elite high-flying aerobatics squadron, the Blue Angels, blaming them for killing 'the greatest cat that ever lived' with the 'sonic assaults' they inflict during their annual August show over Puget Sound. Lauren Ann Lombardi filed the lawsuit in federal court alleging that her 14-year-old cat 'Layla,' which she loved like a daughter, died as a result of the Blue Angels 'auditory carpet bombing.' The suit says the elderly cat's health started deteriorating after the Blue Angels' show in August 2024 and their most recent show was the final straw. Blue Angels lawsuit: Blue Angels sued for killing Seattle woman's cat. What Pensacola has to say about that This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Top Pensacola news: Grover's opens, Blue Angels face lawsuit Solve the daily Crossword
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Boston Globe
R.I. man falsely arrested twice settles lawsuit with Woonsocket for $550,000
'I am grateful and thankful to God for making everything successful and am happy and glad justice has been done,' Blackie said in a statement. Advertisement In an email, Woonsocket City Solicitor Michael J. Lepizzera Jr. wrote 'city is pleased that the matter is behind Mr. Blackie, the officer involved and the Woonsocket Police Department.' Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The city wishes the best to both Mr. Blackie and its WPD officer,' Lepizzera wrote. Related : According to the ACLU, an apartment in Woonsocket was broken into in August 2022, and a resident there, William Grover, told authorities the person who entered was known to him by the name, 'Black.' 'Later, officer Hammond met with Grover and asked multiple times if Mack Blackie was the perpetrator. Mr. Grover — who knew both 'Black' and Blackie — explicitly stated it was not Blackie, a Liberian, and even described the differences in physical characteristics between the two men,' the ACLU said. Advertisement Hammond then failed to set up a photo lineup as he had promised so Grover could identity 'Black,' according to the ACLU. 'Instead, Hammond falsely wrote in his witness statement that 'Grover positively identified the suspect male as being Mack Blackie,'' the organization said in a statement. 'Additionally, he later falsely stated in his application for an arrest warrant that Grover told another Woonsocket police officer that Blackie broke into the apartment. Blackie was arrested soon after.' Blackie, who was homeless at the time and had a medical condition that required attention, was held overnight and collapsed in court, and then taken to a hospital for several days, the ACLU said. Several months later, he was re-arrested and charged with felony breaking and entering and assault, the organization said. 'Because he was on probation at the time, Blackie was incarcerated for 18 days without bail as a probation violator,' the ACLU said. 'When bail was finally set, he could not afford the $100 cash required for release, resulting in his continued incarceration for an extra 13 days, until an employee of a non-profit organization where he volunteered posted the money for his bail.' Grover realized Woonsocket police arrested the wrong man when he saw Blackie in a courthouse hallway in February 2023 and he alerted the prosecutor, the ACLU said. The charges were dropped and Hammond was later suspended for 10 days and demoted. 'This was an inadvertent mistake by one WPD officer who failed to follow defined WPD protocol and procedures,' Lepizzera wrote on Thursday. 'This however did not involve intentional misconduct. 'Notably, the officer in question quickly acknowledged the shortcomings of his investigation and readily accepted responsibility,' Lepizzera added. 'Not only did he accept responsibility, but he voluntarily agreed to a demotion from detective to patrol officer.' Advertisement City police leaders and officials have previously acknowledged Blackie was wrongfully arrested and apologized to him in 2023. 'I want to give credit to the officer for acknowledging his mistake and quickly resolving any personnel issues that arose from this event,' Lepizzera wrote. 'For so many years we have heard public outcry across the state with respect to long drawn out disciplinary disputes involving police officers invoking the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights (LEOBOR). To his credit, this officer did not invoke his legal rights under LEOBOR and stayed the course by not only accepting responsibility with words but also by his actions.' ACLU cooperating attorney Joshua Xavier said in a statement the case is 'a stark reminder that our government continues to fall short of living up to the promises guaranteed by our Constitution.' 'While this settlement brings some measure of accountability over the unlawful actions taken by the police against Mr. Blackie, nothing will ever remove the deep distress and psychological pain he suffered and continues to suffer as a result of being arrested twice, criminally charged, incarcerated, and prosecuted for crimes he did not commit, including a felony,' Xavier said. 'Mr. Blackie spent 31 days in prison — 31 days of his life that he will never get back.' Material from a previous Globe story was used in this report. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Long screen time is a pain in more than just the neck
Lifestyle ailments that are increasingly becoming commonplace among young professionals who spend long hours at work often have a common underlying cause: their sitting posture in front of the screen. The number of working professionals visiting hospitals with muscular, spinal, eye and heart disorders and mental concerns has increased 30-40% now compared with last year, doctors said. Many of these patients are millennials and Gen Zs, who spend long hours at work to stay relevant in workplaces that are changing fast with the disruption caused by artificial intelligence. The rise in disorders linked to long hours working on computers has also led to terms like Tech Neck , Text Claw, Sitting Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Dead Butt Syndrome and Digital Fatigue Syndrome finding their way into the medical vocabulary. Doctors said many cases are so severe that they need medical intervention and at times even surgeries. At Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, 70% OPD walk-in patients were elderly, mostly 60-plus, until four-five years ago, said Seema Grover, head of the Department of Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation. But now they are much younger. 'Around 60-70% are now 20-40 years of age. This is especially true of younger professionals in corporates with long working hours who come with biomechanical and postural concerns.' Among these patients, degenerative changes are seen much earlier in the spine due to muscular imbalance and repetitive stress injuries. Excessive screen usage is damaging, especially with wrong posture, said Grover. Use of screen compels one to bend his/her neck at an around 60-degree angle and the neck has to strain to maintain the head position to bear 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg) load in neutral. 'This is six times the strain/load the muscles take compared to when in an upright position,' she explained. Long screen hours also cause damage to the heart, brain, muscles, and even lead to mental disorders, say doctors. 'We have seen an unprecedented surge — an almost 25–30% rise — in OPD visits over the last year alone due to sedentary lifestyles,' said Ripen Gupta, principal director and unit head of Cardiac Sciences, Cardiology, at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital. More and more 25- to 35-year-olds are coming with hypertension, obesity-related issues, and even pre-clinical heart disease, he said.
Economic Times
20-07-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Mind your posture: Doctors cite long hours in front of screen for increasing lifestyle diseases
Agencies Mind your posture: Doctors cite long hours in front of screen for increasing lifestyle diseases New Delhi: Lifestyle ailments that are increasingly becoming commonplace among young professionals who spend long hours at work often have a common underlying cause: their sitting posture in front of the number of working professionals visiting hospitals with muscular, spinal, eye and heart disorders and mental concerns has increased 30-40% now compared with last year, doctors said. Many of these patients are millennials and Gen Zs, who spend long hours at work to stay relevant in workplaces that are changing fast with the disruption caused by artificial rise in disorders linked to long hours working on computers has also led to terms like Tech Neck, Text Claw, Sitting Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Dead Butt Syndrome and Digital Fatigue Syndrome finding their way into the medical vocabulary. Doctors said many cases are so severe that they need medical intervention and at times even Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, 70% OPD walk-in patients were elderly, mostly 60-plus, until four-five years ago, said Seema Grover, head of the Department of Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation. But now they are much younger. 'Around 60-70% are now 20-40 years of age. This is especially true of younger professionals in corporates with long working hours who come with biomechanical and postural concerns.'Among these patients, degenerative changes are seen much earlier in the spine due to muscular imbalance and repetitive stress injuries. Excessive screen usage is damaging, especially with wrong posture, said Grover. Use of screen compels one to bend his/her neck at an around 60-degree angle and the neck has to strain to maintain the head position to bear 10 pounds (about 4.5 kg) load in neutral. 'This is six times the strain/load the muscles take compared to when in an upright position,' she screen hours also cause damage to the heart, brain, muscles, and even lead to mental disorders, say doctors.'We have seen an unprecedented surge — an almost 25–30% rise — in OPD visits over the last year alone due to sedentary lifestyles,' said Ripen Gupta, principal director and unit head of Cardiac Sciences, Cardiology, at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital. More and more 25- to 35-year-olds are coming with hypertension, obesity-related issues, and even pre-clinical heart disease, he asymptomatic heart failures among people in their 20s is also becoming more frequent, said bone mineral density, early osteopenia, spinal disc-related problems, spondylosis and easy fractures are some other common disorders impacting working professionals. There is also a reported surge of palpitations due to stress, atrial arrhythmias, and metabolic syndrome at a younger chair-bound routines are detrimental to vision as well, causing 'dry eyes, blurred vision, computer vision syndrome and early cases of carpal tunnel syndrome due to prolonged use of laptops/phones/desktops, excessive screen time and disturbed sleep cycles', said a medical unprecedented rise of competition, along with the fear of being replaced by AI, is creating a crushing pressure in the workplace, leading to mental health conditions emerging as a result of excessive screen time. 'We are seeing a rise in youngsters and middle-aged people presenting with neurohormonal and neurochemical changes linked to significant anxiety and depression and low concentration,' said Sameer Malhotra, director and head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital. Kamna Chhibber, a clinical psychologist at Fortis Healthcare, sees the problem not just in physiological terms but also as a deeper psychosocial shift. 'The nature of workplace pressure has evolved. The insecurity now is not just about job loss but about staying relevant. People are overworking to stay competitive, and loneliness, anxiety, and emotional withdrawal are all prevalent,' she said.
