ICC Test Ranking

ICC Test Ranking

The ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket. The competition is notional in the sense that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on all international matches that are otherwise played as part of regular Test cricket scheduling with no consideration of home or away status.

In essence, after every Test series, the two teams involved receive points based on a mathematical formula. Each team's points total from matches over the last 3−4 years is divided by a figure based on their total number of matches and series played, to give a 'rating'. The teams are ranked by order of rating, which is shown in a table.

A drawn match between higher and lower rated teams will benefit the lower-rated team at the expense of the higher-rated team. An 'average' team that wins as often as it loses, while playing a mix of stronger and weaker teams, will have a rating of 100.

The ICC awards a trophy, the ICC Test Championship mace, to the team holding the highest rating. The mace is transferred whenever a new team moves to the top of the rating list.[1] The team that is top of the ratings table on 1 April each year also wins a cash prize, currently $1 million.[2]

Australia are currently the highest-ranked team in the ICC Test Championship, as per the latest annual ranking update published on 1 May 2020.

Australia have won the ICC Test Championship Mace 9 times, India 6 times, South Africa 3 times. England have won on one occasion.

Prashant Bhushan

Prashant Bhushan

Prashant Bhushan is a public interest lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and an activist. He was a member of the faction of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement known as Team Anna which supported Anna Hazare's campaign for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill. After a split in IAC, he helped Team Anna form the Aam Aadmi Party. In 2015, he made several allegations against the party's leadership, its functioning and its deviation from the core ideology, values and commitments. He is one of the founders of Swaraj Abhiyan and Sambhaavnaa, an Institute of Public Policy and Politics.

Early life

Prashant Bhushan is the oldest of the four children of Shanti Bhushan and Kumud Bhushan. His father is a lawyer-activist and a former Union Law Minister in the Morarji Desai government.[1] Bhushan, who briefly attended IIT Madras and Princeton University has a degree in law from Allahabad University. While still a student, Bhushan wrote The Case that Shook India, a book on the case that set aside Indira Gandhi's election in 1974.[2][3]

Legal activism

Bhushan was drawn to public activism, influenced by his father. His main areas of interest have been human rights, environmental protection and accountability of the public servants. He is associated with various organisations including the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), and Transparency International (India).[4] He is also the convenor of the Working Committee of the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reforms.[5]

Bhushan states that he has taken up about 500 cases dealing with "good causes". His family background allowed him to work on a pro-bono basis for such cases: according to him, he effectively spends only 25 per cent of his time on paid cases, charging 5 per cent of what other lawyers charge. He has criticised the other professional lawyers as "amoral", and claims that he never takes up a case unless he feels that his client is "morally right". His critics have accused him of being a self-righteous publicity-seeker who pursues sensationalist cases, and an anarchist.[1]

Judicial accountability

Bhushan says that he envisages a transparent and honest legal system, where people can negotiate their own cases without the need of any lawyers. In 1990, he and his father formed the Committee on Judicial Accountability (CJA) to fight corruption in the judiciary. The organisation comprised some lawyers and ex-judges. Prashant Bhushan started focusing more on this issue in 1993, after the Supreme Court Justice V. Ramaswami was not impeached by parliament on corruption charges. In 2007, the Bhushans expanded CJA to include citizens and form the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR).[6]

In 2009, Prashant Bhushan represented activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, asking for the Supreme Court and High Court judges to be brought under RTI. The judges were forced to declare their assets and post it on the court websites.[7]

In a 2009 interview, Bhushan alleged that at least half of the 16 former Chief Justices in the Supreme Court were corrupt. Harish Salve filed a contempt case against him in 2010, and the Supreme Court asked Bhushan to apologise. In response, Bhushan submitted an explanation stating why he felt those judges were corrupt.[7][8] The Bhushans noted the difficulty of getting documentary evidence because judges are immune from investigation.[9] Krishna Iyer, a former Supreme Court judge, said that either the Bhushans should be punished for making "false charges" or an independent authority should be set up to scrutinise their allegations.[10]

Bhushan has recommended amendment to the Contempt of Court Act clause, stating that some of its clauses effectively prevent the press from exposing the corruption in the judiciary. He has also opposed the rule which prevents people from registering a First Information Report against a judge without the permission of the Chief Justice of India.[11]

Government accountability

In 1990, Bhushan wrote a book Bofors, the selling of a nation (1990) on the Bofors scandal.[3]

CPIL won a major victory in 2003 when the Supreme Court restrained the Union government from privatising Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum without the approval of Parliament.[12] As counsel for the CPIL, Rajinder Sachar and Bhushan argued that the only way to disinvest in the companies would be to repeal or amend the Acts by which they were nationalised in the 1970s.[13]

Bhushan represented the CPIL in a petition asking for the removal of Neera Yadav from office as Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh for alleged corruption. Yadav had been named in five CBI corruption cases and 23 departmental proceedings. In October 2005 the Supreme Court directed the Mulayam Singh state government to remove her from her position.[14] The case became the first in which an Indian Administrative Service officer in Uttar Pradesh was convicted of corruption.[15]

In February 2006, as counsel for Lok Sevak Sangh, Bhushan submitted to the Supreme Court that the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) might not be constitutionally valid. A TV channel had recently aired video of a sting in which it appeared that some MPs had taken bribes under the scheme. Bhushan said none of the normal controls were being applied, and the scheme was breeding corruption.[16] The same year, Bhushan also represented the CPIL in a petition alleging that Pepsico and Coca-Cola were failing to warn the public of harmful ingredients in their beverages, and were luring young children through misleading advertising.[17]

Bhushan filed a PIL challenging the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, after Thomas had been charged in the Palmolein Oil Import Scam. In March 2011, SC struck down the appointment.[7]

Prashant Bhushan acted for the CPIL when it took the lead in filing a suit against the Government of India for irregularities in a major award of spectrum for 2G mobile telephones. The CPIL petition alleged that the government had lost $15.53 billion by issuing spectrum in 2008 based on 2001 prices, and by not following a competitive bidding process.[18] The Supreme Court asked the CBI to probe the irregularities in the auction of 2G spectrum. The inquiry resulted in the resignation of the telecom minister A. Raja, who was later arrested along with others including the DMK MP Kanimozhi, officials of Unitech wireless and officials of Reliance ADAG.[7] In September 2011 Bhushan presented evidence that appeared to disprove the claim by the CBI that Dayanidhi Maran, the former telecom minister, had not applied undue pressure to the owner of Aircel to sell to the Maxis group of Malaysia. Bhushan said the CBI's investigation had been "less than honest".[19] In January 2012 Bhushan questioned why the CBI had failed to lay charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act against companies such as Essar Group and Loop Mobile despite strong evidence against them.[20] In February 2012 the Supreme Court declared the allocation of spectrum had been illegal.[21]

In 2012, Bhushan filed a PIL seeking cancelation of coal block allocations by the government on the grounds that certain companies had been illegally favoured by the politicians. In response to the PIL, the Supreme Court (SC) scrutinised coal block allocation since 1993. Bhushan also filed a PIL against illegal iron ore extraction in Goa, which led to the Supreme Court halting all the mining operations in the state.[7]

He successfully challenged the Prime Minister and Home Minister's decision to appoint PJ Thomas as the head of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).[1] Acting on his PIL, SC directed the CVC to apprise it of actions taken on complaints by whistleblowers in the country.[7]

Prashant Bhushan also represents whisteblower Anand Rai in the ongoing PIL regarding Vyapam scam in the Supreme Court.

Before K V Chowdary's appointment Prashant Bhushan raised a red flag,[22][23] asking the Prime Minister not to go ahead with his appointment, raising severe objections on Chowdary's tenure as CBDT Chief. After Chowdary being appointed, NGO Common Cause represented by Prashant Bhushan has filed a petition in Supreme Court of India challenging K V Chowdary's appointment as CVC and T M Bhasin's appointment as VC on 22 July.[24]

Naxalism

Prashant Bhushan has criticised the use of violence against the Naxal insurgents in the tribal-dominated areas. He has alleged that the actual intention of the Operation Green Hunt was to clear the tribal lands for mining operations and industrialisation. According to him, the rapid industrialization has led to "destructive development" in the tribal areas through pollution and displacement of people.[25]

After the April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada, which led to the death of 76 policemen, he stated that such "retaliation" was expected because the government had declared the anti-Naxal operations as a war. He stated that to de-escalate the situation, the government should suspend the armed operations against the Naxals, and instead focus on providing food and infrastructure to the tribals.[26]

In April 2012 Bhushan drew criticism from Congress leaders when he refused to act as a mediator in negotiating with Maoists who were holding a District Collector hostage. He appealed to the Maoists to release the Govt. officer without conditions. He also said that the government should investigate and address legitimate demands.[27]

Death penalty

Bhushan is against death penalty, and spoke against the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, who was the lone captured terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[28] Along with Nitya Ramakrishnan, he was the counsel for the Banned documentary December 13, which is a reconstruction of the events that led to the attacks on Parliament, based on the chargesheet filed by the special police cell.[29]

Other issues

In 1990, he successfully got the criminal liability aspect in the Bhopal gas tragedy reopened by SC, by challenging the settlement in the case of compensation to the victims. This reopened the case against the former Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation Warren Anderson (now deceased).[7]

Bhushan assisted the Narmada Bachao Andolan activists opposed to the Sardar Sarovar Dam.[4] After six years of hearings, in October 2000 the Supreme court ruled to allow the massive project to recommence. Bhushan criticised the decision for having been made "without any evidence of the facts [being presented] before the judges".[30] In February 2001 a criminal petition was filed with the Supreme Court of India accusing Medha Patkar, Prashant Bhushan and Arundhati Roy of contempt of court for having demonstrated in front of the Supreme court in protest against the judgement on the Sardar Sarovar dam.[31] Bhushan defended Arundhati Roy when she was charged with contempt of court for publicly criticising judges in the dam hearings. In March 2002 she was sentenced to one day in jail. According to Bhushan the judges were "just affronted by the fact that somebody has dared to criticise them".[32]

Bhushan is opposed to the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.[6] He is opposed to nuclear energy, and supported the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy against establishment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.[33]

In August 2015, Bhushan filed a PIL in the Supreme Court against the alleged corruption and nepotism in the selection of lower court judges in the Delhi Judicial Services Examination conducted in October 2014. As a result of the PIL, the Supreme Court ordered that the papers be checked by P. V. Reddi, a former SC judge and former Law Commission Chairman Justice. He subsequently recommended that 12 more judges should be inducted into the services. The Supreme Court has to issue guidelines for long-term systemic reform such as increasing transparency in the recruitment procedures.[34]

The Attorney General of India and the Government of India have initiated contempt proceedings against advocate Bhushan for his tweets on February 1, 2019 in relation to the hearings before the Supreme Court of India in the case involving appointment of CBI chief.[35]

Team Anna and Jan Lokpal movement

In 2010, there were a series of anti-corruption demonstrations in India, after high-profile cases like Commonwealth Games scam and Adarsh scam were highlighted in the media. An anti-corruption crusade which included a demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill took place and became known as the India Against Corruption movement.[36] Prashant Bhushan was one of the several activists who participated in the anti-corruption crusade.[37]

In March, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) invited Hazare, the most prominent leader of the movement, for talks. Prashant Bhushan and his father Shanti Bhushan, along with Swami Agnivesh and Kiran Bedi, accompanied Hazare to the meeting.[38] Subsequently, in April 2011, Hazare nominated the Bhushans as members of the joint committee constituted to draft a final version of the Lokpal Bill.[39]

A few days after the committee began work, a CD was released that appeared to be a recording of conversation between Shanti Bhushan and Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party. The recording, related to 2G spectrum case, would discredit Shanti Bhushan, if found to be genuine. Prashant Bhushan stated that labs had shown the CD was doctored, and that its purpose was to obstruct the anti-corruption movement.[40] Later, Singh claimed that Bhushan telephoned him and tried to stop him from talking, a charge which Bhushan denied.[41]

The committee met the government representatives several times to discuss the proposed bill. Prashant Bhushan stated that the Lokpal should have full autonomy and power to prosecute all public servants, and that this principle was non-negotiable.[42] Team Anna activists disagreed with the government's attempt to keep the Prime Minister out of the Lokpal's purview. The government did not want the Lokpal to have the power to investigate the Prime Minister, the higher judiciary, the defence services, the CBI and the CVC and the conduct of MPs inside Parliament.[43] The government's draft of the bill also excluded several other Lokpal powers proposed by Team Anna's draft such as the powers to tap phones.[44]

On 4 August 2011, the government's version of the Lokpal bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha. Prashant Bhushan and other IAC activists criticised the bill as weak, stating that it would provide protection to the corrupt officials.[45] Hazare staged a demonstration against the government's version of the bill, but was detained. The other activists, including Prashant Bhushan, then organised peaceful protests across the country.[46] Following a hunger strike by Hazare and more failed negotiations with the government representatives, a section of Team Anna activists led by Kejriwal and Bhushan decided to enter politics to pass the bill themselves.

Himachal land controversy

In 2011, the Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that the two Bhushans had failed to pay taxes due when they bought an investment property in Allahabad. Bhushan denied the charge, calling it a "very organised and concerted attempt to smear members of the civil society in the Lokpal drafting committee with allegations".[47]

In a similar accusation, the former BJP Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, had rejected those charges, defending the grant of relaxations to the educational trust.[48]

Kashmir issue controversy

In 2011, at a press conference in Varanasi, Bhushan stated that he wanted the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to be revoked in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the government should try to persuade the people of the Kashmir valley to align with India but that they should be allowed to separate if they wish to do so.[49] On 12 October 2011, he was attacked by the members of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena inside the Supreme Court complex, for these remarks. The group accused him of trying to break up India. He was dragged out of his chair, and repeatedly kicked and punched.[7][50] Bhushan described his attackers as having a "fascist mindset" and stood by his statements.[51] Several politicians and activists condemend the attack on Bhushan, while some others criticised him. The Shiv Sena called for a police case to be registered against Bhushan, accusing him of supporting the anti-national elements.[52] Hazare distanced Team Anna from Bhushan's remarks, saying that these were his personal views.[53]

Aam Aadmi Party

Bhushan had long been a critic of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In 2012, he co-founded the Aam Aadmi Party, stating that the other political parties were corrupt.[7]

Bhushan accused BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of being corrupt and a "puppet" of Reliance Industries.[54] He also accused RSS of supporting terror activities, and criticised BJP for its links with the RSS.[55][56]

Before the 2015 Delhi elections, Bhushan accused party's chief Arvind Kejriwal of selecting candidates of his own choice.[57] After the elections, on 4 March 2015, Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were voted out of Political Affairs Committee of Aam Aadmi Party for alleged anti-party activities and for working toward the party's defeat in the Delhi elections. Both Bhushan and Yadav denied the charges. On 28 March 2015, they were dropped from the National Executive Council of the AAP following a vote, at a meeting the conduct of which was afterwards disputed by Bhushan. He and Yadav then formed a new political movement called Swaraj Abhiyan.[58] In April 2015, they were expelled from the party by AAP's disciplinary committee

Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1949) is an Indian film and stage actor and director in the Hindi language film industry. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema.[1] He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards and an award at the Venice Film Festival. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards for his contributions to Indian cinema

Early life

Naseeruddin Shah was born in Barabanki town of Uttar Pradesh, into a Muslim family that originally came from Meerut.[3] He is one of the three sons of Aley Mohammed Shah and his wife Farrukh Sultan.

Shah did his schooling at St. Anselm's Ajmer and St Joseph's College, Nainital. He graduated in arts from Aligarh Muslim University in 1971 and attended National School of Drama in Delhi.

His elder brother, Lt. General Zameerud-din Shah[4] (Retd.) PVSM, SM, VSM, was Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.[5][6]

Career

Shah has acted in movies such as Nishant, Aakrosh, Sparsh, Mirch Masala, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai, Trikal, Bhavni Bhavai, Junoon, Mandi, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!, Ardh Satya, Katha, and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.[7]He made his debut with a small role in film Aman (1967) starring Rajendra kumar and Saira Banu.

Shah became active in mainstream Bollywood cinema with the 1980 film Hum Paanch. In 1982, he acted in the film Dil Aakhir Dil Hai directed by Ismail Shroff, opposite Rakhee. One of his most important films, Masoom, was released in 1983 and was shot at St Joseph's College, Nainital. His next major success in mainstream films was the 1986 multi-star film Karma where he acted alongside veteran Dilip Kumar. Starring roles for films such as Ijaazat (1987), Jalwa (1988) and Hero Hiralal (1989) followed. In 1988 he played opposite his wife Ratna Pathak as Inspector Ghote, the fictional detective of H. R. F. Keating's novels in the Merchant-Ivory English language film The Perfect Murder. He acted with Aditya Pancholi in films like Maalamaal (1988) and Game (1993).

He has acted in several multi-star Bollywood films as well, such as Ghulami (1985), Tridev (1989) and Vishwatma (1992). In 1994, he acted as the villain in Mohra, his 100th film as an actor. He forayed into Malayalam cinema the same year, through T. V. Chandran's drama Ponthan Mada. The film portrayed the irrational bonding of a feudal serf (played by Mammootty) and a colonial landlord (played by Shah). He strongly believed that the distinction between art and commercial films had largely reduced, especially with the directors of the former also making commercial films. In 2000, Shah played Mahatma Gandhi in Kamal Hassan's Hey Ram[8] which focused on the assassination of Gandhi from the assailant's point of view.

Shah played Mohit, the drunken coach to a deaf and mute boy in Iqbal, which was written by Vipul K Rawal with Shah in mind. Shah was noted for his roles in the 1999 Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh, where he played Gulfam Hassan – a ghazal singer-cum-terrorist mastermind — and in Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday (2008).

Shah has also starred in international projects, such as Monsoon Wedding in 2001 and a Hollywood adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003 (co-starring Sean Connery), where he played Captain Nemo. His portrayal of Nemo was very close to the design of the graphic novel, although his Nemo was far less manic. He worked in Vishal Bhardwaj's Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Maqbool, in 2003, and Rajiv Rai's Asambhav opposite Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra in 2004. He then went on to work in The Great New Wonderful (2005). In 2011, Shah was seen in The Dirty Picture. He acted in Anup Kurian's The Blueberry Hunt, playing a recluse growing marijuana in his forest retreat, and in Waiting, starring opposite Kalki Koechlin, both of which were released in 2016.

Shah made his Pakistani film debut in Khuda Ke Liye by Shoaib Mansoor, where he played a short cameo. His second Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag was selected as the country's official entry to the 86th Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film award.

As a director

Naseeruddin Shah has been giving performances with his theatre troupe at places such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Lahore. He has directed plays written by Lavender Kumar, Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto.

His directorial debut in movies, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, was released in 2006. It stars several established actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan, then-newcomer Ayesha Takia, his son Imaad Shah and his old friend Ravi Baswani.[9]

Other media and art forms

In 1977, Shah, Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani formed a theatre group called Motley Productions. Their first play was Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which was staged at the Prithvi Theatre on 29 July 1979.[10]

In 1988, he acted in the eponymous television series based on the life and times of Mirza Ghalib, directed by Gulzar and telecast on DD National.[11]

In 1989, he acted as the Maratha King Shivaji in another eponymous television series Bharat Ek Khoj based on Jawaharlal Nehru's book The Discovery of India.[12]

In mid 1990s, Shah also hosted some episodes of science magazine programme Turning Point.[13]

In 1999, he acted as a special agent in the TV series Tarkash on Zee TV. He played a retired agent haunted by nightmares who is re-inducted as he apparently knows something about a dreaded terrorist somehow connected with his past. He played the villain with the dual identity of a ghazal singer and a Pakistani spy who supports terrorism in India in Sarfarosh (1999).[14]He was the first of several celebrity actors, who played narrator in the popular audiobook series for kids Karadi Tales.[15] He was the narrator in the film Paheli — the Indian entry to the 2006 Academy Awards.[16]

In 2017, Shah returned to film, starring in Shakespearean adaption The Hungry, screened under special presentations at the Toronto International Film Festival 2017.[17]

Personal life

In the 1970s, Shah met and fell in love with Ratna Pathak, the daughter of Dina Pathak, a well-respected character actress. Ratna's sister, the actress Supriya Pathak, is married to the actor Pankaj Kapoor, who is the father of Shahid Kapoor by his first marriage. During the 70s and 80s, Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak co-starred in several films including Mirch Masala and The Perfect Murder.[18][19] They were in a live-in relationship for many years, while Shah put together the mehr required to divorce Manara. Shah and Pathak were finally married in 1982.[20] By his second marriage, Shah has two sons, Imaad and Vivaan, both of whom are aspiring actors. The couple lives in Mumbai with Heeba, Imaad and Vivaan.[21]

Autobiography

Shah's memoir is titled And Then One Day, and was published by Hamish Hamilton.[22]

Controversies

Naseeruddin has been frequently involved in controversy with his criticism of senior actors like Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, fellow actors like Anupam Kher, juniors like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, cricketer Virat Kohli and politician and Prime minister Narendra Modi. Shah once said that people watching movies of Shahrukh and Salman should not watch his movies.[23] In July 2016 Shah blamed late Rajesh Khanna for mediocrity in movies with his poor acting during the 1970s. He also stated that the veteran actor was not an alert person whom he had met. However, later after criticism from several people in the Bollywood fraternity including Rajesh Khanna's daughter Twinkle, Naseeruddin apologized about his views.[24] On December 18, 2018, he sparked a controversy by calling Virat Kohli as the worst behaved cricketer in the world.[25] Shah was at the centre of a communal controversy after he reacted to an incident of communal violence in December 2018. He stated that he felt unsafe in current day India and was worried about the safety of his children if they were caught in a mob violence situation.[26] In January 2020, Shah got into a political controversy by criticising his co-actor colleague Anupam Kher for his views supporting the Indian government’s Citizenship Amendment Act, calling him a clown and sycophant

Baaghi 3

Baaghi 3

Baaghi 3 is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ahmed Khan. Produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Fox Star Studios, it is a spiritual sequel to Baaghi 2 (2018) and the third film in the Baaghi film series. Baaghi 3 stars Tiger Shroff, Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor.[4][5] A remake of the 2012 Tamil-language film Vettai[6], the film follows Ronnie, a young man who protects his timid brother Vikram from bullies. He convinces Vikram to join the police force and works with him to take down criminals without exposing himself. When Vikram receives nationwide praise, he is sent for a mission to Syria where Ronnie sees him getting beaten up and kidnapped over a video call. This prompts him to head to Syria and rescue Vikram.

The film co-stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Jameel Khoury and Ankita Lokhande. Disha Patani, who played the female lead in the previous film, makes a special appearance in the song "Do You Love Me".[7] The action sequences were choreographed by Ram Chella, Lakshman Chella, and Kecha Khampadkee.[8] Principal photography of the film began on 12 September 2019 in Mumbai.[9][10] The makers wanted to shoot in Syria but the producers Fox Star Studios declined due to safety issues, due to which sets resembling the Syrian topography were built in Serbia.[11]

Baaghi 3 was theatrically released in India on 6 March 2020, receiving mixed reviews; the action sequences were praised while the writing was criticized.[12] Despite a strong performance in its opening week, the film's collections were affected by the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic as the theatres were shut down. There were plans for a re-release once the outbreak would end, but the makers instead decided to release it on digital platforms.[13][14] Nevertheless, it became the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2020.

Plot

Ranveer "Ronnie" Chaturvedi is a young man who lives with his elder brother Vikram. Protective towards him since childhood, especially after their father's death, Ronnie is offered a job in the police force, but refuses due to his violent track record and instead convinces Vikram to take on the job. A timid and reluctant Vikram becomes a cop, and on his joining day sees a violent incident that introduces him to a goon named IPL. When a hostage situation arises, Vikram is assigned the job and is terrified to face the criminals, but Ronnie reassures him of safety and accompanies him to the spot where they together battle the goons. Ronnie fights them off and helps Vikram rescue the hostages but doesn't take the credit. This process is repeated, and which each case, Vikram starts getting popular among the public and his department. IPL decides to get Ronnie kidnapped in order to scare Vikram, but the table turn on IPL when Ronnie overpowers his henchmen and beats them up, following which they're captured by Vikram. In the meanwhile, Ronnie and Siya fall for each other and decide get their respective siblings Vikram and Ruchi married to each other. One day, Vikram is assigned by the government to go for a routine paperwork in Syria. Ruchi tells Vikram she's pregnant and that she would await his return. Upon arriving in Syria, Vikram chats with Ronnie over video call and tells him someone picked his pocket. Soon, there's a knock on the door and some men attack Vikram, kidnapping him as Ronnie watches helplessly.

Hiding the truth from Ruchi, Ronnie and Siya arrive in Syria where the police refuse to help them. They then meet Akhtar Lahori, a man who helps them track Vikram and his captors, leading them to a pickpocket after Ronnie recalls Vikram telling him his pocket was picked. Finding Vikram's wallet, they go to his hotel while the cops start looking for the trio. At his room, Ronnie finds a damaged phone and escapes with Siya and Lahori before the cops can catch them. The trio soon finds the attacker, resulting in a chase. The exhausted attacker agrees to help him before being hit by a truck and dying. Siya retrieves the attacker's phone from his wallet and texts IPL to meet at a hotel. Abu Jalal Gaza, the mastermind, also arrives at the hotel to avenge his brother, the attacker's death. He informs IPL has been texted by the killer instead, and IPL escapes as the cops arrive. However, the main cop sides with Ronnie and captures IPL while Abu escapes in disguise. Fearing betrayal from IPL since he's been arrested, Abu orders his men to take him down. Ronnie and team cleverly stage a series of events that lead to Abu's henchmen believing they've been betrayed by IPL. They attack him, and upon being rescued by Ronnie, IPL decides to help him and the cops. Soon, Vikram's friend Asif is made to carry a bomb inside a building in exchange for his family's safety. Siya arrives and stops Asif while the cops free his family. Ronnie, on the other hand, single-handedly battles Abu's army before going to rescue Vikram and the hostages. IPL sacrifices himself by saving a hostage from being killed by a landmine and instead lets it detonate once Lahori reluctantly leaves with the hostages and Abu's henchmen arrive. Abu agrees to free everyone but captures Siya instead who is then locked along with Vikram. Ronnie starts fighting Abu's henchmen, but as Vikram starts getting enraged to see Ronnie being hit, he stops fighting back. Ronnie is stabbed and nearly killed, transforming Vikram who jumps out of the cell and brutally fights off everyone and impales Abu on steel rods. Vikram and Siya try to revive Ronnie but think he's dead, and as Abu emerges to attack them from behind, Ronnie gets up and kills him.

Returning to India, Vikram is honored for his bravery while Ronnie imagines their father, a cop, saluting and hugging him for keeping his promise.

Cast

Tiger Shroff as Ranveer "Ronnie" Chaturvedi

Riteish Deshmukh as Vikram Charan Chaturvedi

Shraddha Kapoor as Siya Nandan

Ankita Lokhande as Ruchi Nandan

Jameel Khoury as Abu Jalal Gaza, the chief of ISIS

Jaideep Ahlawat as IPL

Vijay Varma as Akhtar Lahori

Jackie Shroff as Inspector Charan Chaturvedi

Satish Kaushik as Police Commissioner BMC

Virendra Saxena as Kailash Tripathi

Ivan Kostadinov as Zaidi

Manav Gohil as Asif

Sunit Morarjee as Inspector Sharad Kute

Shriswara Dubey as Hafeeza

Amit Sharma as Bajwa

Danish Bhatt as Bilal

Shaurya Bharadwaj as Chacha Ji

Disha Patani in a special appearance in the song "Do You Love Me"[7]

Production

The film was announced on 19 December 2018 with Tiger Shroff by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment on their Twitter account by releasing a teaser poster.[16] On 12 February 2019 Shraddha Kapoor was signed to play lead opposite Tiger Shroff.[17] In June it was announced that Riteish Deshmukh has joined the cast of the film. [18] In August 2019, it was announced that shooting of the film will take place in Morocco, Egypt, Serbia and Turkey.[19]

The first schedule of filming began on 12 September in Mumbai and wrapped in early-October 2019.[20][21]

Promotion and release

On 6 February 2020 official trailer of the film was launched by Fox Star Studios.[22]

It was theatrically released in India on 6 March 2020.

أنوشكا شارما

أنوشكا شارما

أنوشكا شارما (بالهندية: अनुष्का शर्मा) من مواليد (الأول من ماي 1988)،  هي ممثلة وعارضة هندية. بدأت مسيرتها في بوليوود عام 2008 وكان عمرها 19 عاما، حيث لعبت دور البطولة في فيلم فيلم راب ني بانا دي جودي رفقة شاه روخ خان، الفيلم من إخراج أديتيا شوبرا، الذي أخرج أفلام شهيرة مثل ديلوالي دولهانيا لي جاينجي (1995) وومحاباتن (2000).، حقق راب ني بانا دي جودي نجاحا كبيرا وكان من أعلى الأفلام دخلا لسنة 2008، بعدها شاركت أنوشكا في الفيلم الكوميدي شركة النصابين مع شاهد كابور وفي الإخراج لأول مرة، حقق الفيلم نجاحا متوسطا بعدها شاركت أنوشكا ومع نفس شركة الإنتاج ياش راج فيلم وفي إطار عقد 3 أفلام مع الشركة فيلم باند باجا بارات مع الوافد الجديد رانفير سينغ وتقمصت دور شروتي كاكار منسقة الأعراس حقق الفيلم نجاحا منقطع النظير بسبب التناغم الكبير الذي اشترك فيه طاقم العمل.

ترشحت أنوشكا لجائزة أفضل ممثلة في العديد من مهرجانات الجوائز، بعد سنتين وأخيرا فازت بجائزة أفضل ممثلة مساعدة عن فيلمها الثاني مع شاروخان والخامس مع شركة ياش راج جاب تاك هاي جان 2012 وتلقى آداؤها إعجاب النقاد، فقد جسدت دور أكيرا الفتاة المستقلة والطموحة . سنة 2014 كانت سنة كبيرة لدى أنوشكا حيث إشتركت مع عامر خان لاول مرة في الفيلم الأعلى دخلا في تاريخ بولييود بي كي من إخراج راجكومار هيراني . بعدها دخلت أنوشكا مجال الإنتاج سنة 2015 بإنتاجها لفيلها الأول والذي لعبت فيه دور البطولة NH10 الذي نجح بشكل كبير وفازت أنوشكا عنه بجائزة أفضل فيلم قليل الميزانية لسنة 2015، لعبت أنوشكا دورا صعبا وغير تقليديا لإمرأة تهاجم هي وزوجها من طرف قطاع طرق، وأخرج الفيلم أنوشكا من صورة الفتاة الأنيقة بل جعلها ممثلة تستطيع تجسيد أي دور، وشاركت في فيلم سلطان 2016 مع سلمان خان

خلفية

ولدت أنوشكا شارما لأسرة عسكرية في بنجالور، والدها العقيد أجاي كومار شارما وهو ضابط في الجيش ووالدتها أشيما شارما وهي ربة بيت. كان لديها شقيق أكبر يدعى كارنيش الذي كان لاعب الكريكيت على مستوى الدولة، والآن في البحرية التجارية. درست في مدرسة الجيش وتخرجت من كلية جبل الكرمل تخصص فنون، بنجالور.

تقول شارما أنها لم لم تفكر يوما حينما كانت عارضة أن تدخل عالم التمثيل ولكن بعد دخولها له قالت أنها أحبت عالم التمثيل أكثر من عالم عرض الازياء.

بدأت مهنة عرض الأزياء في أسبوع الموضة "لكمي" كعارضة أزياء في عرض ويندل رودركس وأختيرت لكى تكون عارضة أزياء رودركس النهائي في ربيع صيف 2007، ومنذ ذلك الحين قامت بعمل إعلانات للحرير ومجوهرات نثيلا وفيات باليو.

أفلامها

قامت أنوشكا حتى الآن بعمل العديد من الأعمال، وأول دور تمثيل قامت به كان في أديتيا شوبرا (راب ني بانا دي جودي -2008) مع شاروخان، والفليم حقق نجاحا كبيرا.،

وثاني أفلامها كان مع شاهيد كابور (بادماش كمبني) (2010)، وثالث فيلم لها كان (باند باجا بارات) مع الممثل الجديد آنذاك رانفير سينغ والفيلم من إخراج مانيش شارما، وهذا الفيلم حقق نجاحا كبيرا، وقد فازت أنوشكا بجائرة أفضل ممثلة عن دورها في هذا الفيلم، وفازت أيضا بجائزة أفضل ثنائي مع الممثل رانفير سينغ، وتقول أنوشكا: أن فيلم باند باجا بارات هو أفضل عمل لها وقد أحب الناس شخصيتها في الفيلم (شروتي كاكر)، وبلغ تقييم هذا الفليم 7.3 وهذا أعلى فيلم تقييما بين أفلام أنوشكا الخمسة. ورابع أفلامها كان مع أكشاي كومار والفيلم بعنوان بيت التمرد (بتيلا هاوس) (2011)

و الفيلم الخامس لانوشكا - هو (السيدات ضد ريكي باهل) مع الممثل رانفير سنيغ والفليم من إخراج مانيش شارما -نفس الممثل ونفس المخرج ونفس فريق العمل لفليم (باند باجا بارات) ,

والفيلم السادس لانوشكا مع شاروخان وكاترينا كايف ((جاب تاك هاي جان)).

و الفيلم السابع لأنوشكا Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola مع عمران خان.

و الفيلم الثامن لأنوشكا بي كيه مع عامر خان 2014.

و الفيلم التاسع لأنوشكا nh10.

و الفيلم العاشر لأنوشكا Bombay velvet مع رانبير كابور 2015

و الفيلم الحادي عشر لأنوشكا dill dhadakne do مع فرحان اختر ' بريانكا شوبرا' انيل كابور ورانفير سينغ 2015

و من أبرز أفلامها هذا العام فيلم pk مع عامر خان وتصدر البوكس أوفس الهندي وحقق 120 مليون دولار أمريكي

و أيضأ لديها بعض الأعمال المهمة في قادم السنوات ...

Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma (pronounced [əˈnʊʂkaː ˈʃərmaː]; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and film producer who works in Hindi films. One of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in India, she has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 since 2012 and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2018.

Born in Ayodhya and raised in Bangalore, Sharma had her first modelling assignment for the fashion designer Wendell Rodricks in 2007 and later moved to Mumbai to pursue a full-time career as a model. She made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the highly successful romantic film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and rose to prominence with starring roles in Yash Raj Films' romances Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). For playing an aspiring filmmaker in the lattermost, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Sharma went on to earn praise for playing a woman troubled by criminals in the crime thriller NH10 (2015), a dancer in the comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), a free-spirited woman in the romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), and a struggling wife in the social drama Sui Dhaaga (2018). Her highest-grossing releases came with the sports drama Sultan (2016), and Rajkumar Hirani's religious satire PK (2014) and biopic Sanju (2018), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Indian films.

In addition to acting, Sharma is the ambassador for multiple brands and products and has designed her own line of clothing for women, named Nush. She supports various charities and causes, including gender equality and animal rights, and is the co-founder of the production company Clean Slate Films, under which she has produced three of her films, including NH10. Sharma is married to the cricketer Virat Kohli.

Early life and modelling career

Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.[1][2] Her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer, and her mother, Ashima Sharma, is a homemaker.[2][3] Her father is a native of Uttar Pradesh, while her mother is a Garhwali.[4][5] Her elder brother is film producer Karnesh Sharma, who earlier served in the Merchant Navy.[6] Sharma has stated that being a military brat played an important role in shaping her as a person and contributing to her life.[2] In an interview with The Times of India in 2012, she said, "I take pride in saying that I am an army officer's daughter even more than being an actor."[2]

Sharma was raised in Bangalore.[2] She was educated at the Army School there, and received a degree in arts from Mount Carmel College.[7][8] She originally intended to pursue a career in modelling or journalism, and had no aspirations to be an actress.[7] After graduation, Sharma moved to Mumbai to further her modelling career.[9] She enrolled herself at the Elite Model Management, and was groomed by the style consultant Prasad Bidapa.[10] In 2007, Sharma made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Wendell Rodricks's Les Vamps Show and was picked to be his finale model at the Spring Summer 2007 Collection.[9] Since then she has done campaigns for the brands Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio.[10] Sharma later said, "I think I was born to emote and act. I would walk down the ramp and smile and they used to say, 'give us a blank look.' It was really difficult, not to smile".[9] Whilst modelling, Sharma also joined an acting school and began auditioning for film roles.[11][12]

Acting career

Film debut and breakthrough (2008–2013)

Sharma made her acting debut in Aditya Chopra's romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), opposite Shah Rukh Khan. She took a day to prepare for her screen test at the Yash Raj Films studio and refused to do an impromptu one.[9] She was signed for a three-film deal with the company and landed the leading role of Tani Sahni, a young bride to a middle-aged man, portrayed by Khan. Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times found her to be "assured and upright" in the film,[13] but Nikhat Kazmi thought that she "lacks all chutzpah and can barely hold your attention".[14] The film was a major commercial success, emerging as the second-highest grossing Hindi film of that year,[15] and earned Sharma Filmfare Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Female Debut.[16] Two years later, Sharma played the leading lady in the crime-comedy Badmaash Company, directed by Parmeet Sethi and co-starring Shahid Kapoor, Vir Das and Meiyang Chang. The film, which tells the story of four underachieving friends who begin a scam business enterprise, received mixed reviews.[17]

Later in 2010, Sharma completed her three-film contract with Yash Raj Films by starring in Band Baaja Baaraat, a romantic comedy directed by Maneesh Sharma and co-starring debutant Ranveer Singh.[18] Her role was that of Shruti Kakkar, an ambitious middle-class Punjabi girl who starts her own wedding planning business. In preparation for the part, Sharma learned to speak in the Punjabi dialect, which she cited as the toughest part of her role; she described the way the lead characters in the film interact as "crude but cute" and it required her to "talk fast, sometimes mix words and even omit words completely".[19] Trade analysts expressed doubt on Band Baaja Baaraat's financial prospect, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, the lack of a male star, and saying that by then Sharma was an "almost-forgotten" actress.[20] However, Band Baaja Baaraat earned positive reviews and emerged as a sleeper hit.[21] Sharma's performance was praised by critics, many of whom cited it as her best work to that point.[22] The critic Anupama Chopra wrote that Sharma "comes into her own as the ambitious Delhi girl, who dreams of upgrading to multi-crore Sainik Farms weddings".[23] For her work in the film, Sharma received her second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[24]

Sharma's first venture not to be produced by Yash Raj Films was the drama Patiala House (2011) directed by Nikhil Advani and co-starring Akshay Kumar.[25] The film tells the story of a budding cricketer (played by Kumar) who encounters trouble in convincing his father of his profession; Sharma was cast as the love interest of Kumar's character. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com praised Sharma's work and labelled her a "metaphor for energy".[26] That same year, she re-united with co-star Ranveer Singh and director Maneesh Sharma for the comedy-drama Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. She featured as Ishika Desai, a salesgirl hired to outwit a conman (essayed by Singh), who ends up falling in love with him instead. The film and Sharma's performance received mixed reviews, with Piyali Dasgupta of NDTV calling her "believable but not endearing".[27] Despite mixed reviews, the film was a moderate success at the box office.[28][29]

In 2012, Sharma played a supporting role alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif in Yash Chopra's "swan song", the romance Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which marked her fifth collaboration with Yash Raj Films and her second with Khan. She was cast as Akira Rai, a Discovery Channel reporter who harbours ambitions of being a documentary filmmaker. CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand wrote that Sharma "brings a spark to the film",[30] but Raja Sen disagreed and said that "while Anushka can indeed play spunky, she needed here to tone it down several notches".[31] For her role, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.[32] Jab Tak Hai Jaan proved to be the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2012.[33]

Sharma next appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013), a political satire set in a village in Haryana. Co-starring alongside Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan and Shabana Azmi, Sharma played the titular role of Bijlee Mandola, a strong-headed girl who engages in a romantic affair with Khan's character despite being engaged to another man. The film received positive to mixed reviews from critics,[34] and underperformed at the box office.[35][36] Several critics noted that Sharma was being stereotyped as a loud and loquacious girl; Raja Sen noted that she "is great in a couple of scenes near the climax,"[37] though Kanika Sikka of Daily News and Analysis was more critical and found her "unconvincing".[38]

Success and expansion into film production (2014–2016)

In 2014, Sharma played a television journalist who befriends an alien (played by Aamir Khan), in Rajkumar Hirani's religious satire PK. Critic Saibal Chatterjee wrote that Sharma plays "a feisty poetry-loving girl who knows her mind far more than most Hindi film heroines are allowed to" and praised her for "hold[ing] her own" against Khan.[39] Critically acclaimed, PK emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film with a worldwide revenue of over ₹7 billion (US$98 million).[40][41][42] Sharma launched a production company named Clean Slate Films, whose first release was Navdeep Singh's thriller NH10 (2015), in which she also played the lead role.[43] Screened at the 5th Beijing International Film Festival, it tells the story of a married couple whose lives are endangered after an encounter with a group of criminals.[44] In preparation, Sharma underwent interval training for three months to build her stamina.[45] Saibal Chatterjee found the film to be a "taut and riveting thriller" and praised Sharma for "conveying a range of moods as she moves from the vulnerable to the fearless in a battle in which the odds are stacked heavily against her",[46] and Prarthana Sarkar of International Business Times credited her for breaking away from her romantic comedy image.[47] The film also emerged as a box office success

In Anurag Kashyap's period crime drama Bombay Velvet (2015), (based on the historian Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables) co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Karan Johar, Sharma was cast as a jazz singer, Rosie Noronha. Her character was referenced from the actresses Brigitte Bardot, Helen and Waheeda Rehman.[50] To prepare, Sharma watched films of the 1950s and 1960s, and documentaries about hair and make-up.[50] She also used temporary lip enhancers for the part, citing it as the reason behind her changed appearance on a chat show in 2014, and refuted media speculation about having undergone plastic surgery.[51] Bombay Velvet was screened at the Locarno[52] and Bucheon film festivals;[53] critical opinion was mixed.[54] Writing for Business Standard, Ritika Bhatia praised Sharma's performance in the song "Dhadaam Dhadaam": "she fills the stage with such raw emotion that her mascara-laden tears and fake eyelashes flutter with arresting passion".[55] However, the film failed to recoup its ₹1.2 billion (US$17 million) investment.[54][56] In the same year, Sharma featured in the supporting role of a dancer aboard a cruise ship in Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, an ensemble comedy-drama in which she was featured opposite Ranveer Singh.[57] The song sequence "Pehli Baar" was choreographed by her and Singh; Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters praised their on-screen chemistry and described it as "crackling".[57][58] Her performances in NH10 and Dil Dhadakne Do earned Sharma Filmfare Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.[59]

Sharma next reunited with Yash Raj Films in Sultan (2016), a romantic sports drama from the writer-director Ali Abbas Zafar. She took on the role of Aarfa Hussain, a wrestler from Haryana who inspires the title character (played by Salman Khan) to take up the sport.[60] Sharma was initially hesitant to play the part as she did not have the physique of a wrestler; she researched on different weight categories to "beat people's perception that all wrestlers are huge."[61] She trained for six weeks in the sport, learned to speak the Haryanvi dialect, and interacted with female wrestlers from the state.[62][63] The film and her performance received mixed reviews.[64] Critics were appreciative of her substantial role in an androcentric film;[64] Filmfare's Rachit Gupta described Sharma as "the best thing in the film" and noted that "[e]ven though she doesn't have the physique of a wrestler, her spirited performance makes you believe in her tough but emotional character."[65] However, Suprateek Chatterjee of The Huffington Post felt that she was unconvincing as a wrestler, writing that "she possesses literally zero muscles and somehow always finds the time to get her make-up just right."[60] With earnings of over ₹5 billion (US$70 million) worldwide, Sultan ranks among Indian cinema's biggest grossers.[66]

Sharma achieved further success later that year when she played the lead female role of Alizeh Khan, a free-spirited girl in a loveless relationship in Karan Johar's romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. Mike Maccahil of The Guardian took note of how much Sharma "terrific spikiness" and her chemistry with Kapoor helped a mediocre picture.[67] In another typical mixed review, Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times praised Sharma's empowered female lead.[68] The film earned over ₹2 billion (US$28 million) worldwide, and Sharma received a Best Actress nomination at the 62nd Filmfare Awards.[69][70][71] With two top-grossing films in 2016, Bollywood Hungama ranked Sharma as the most successful Bollywood actress of the year.[72]

2017–present: Career fluctuations and further production ventures

The 2017 fantasy comedy Phillauri, co-starring Suraj Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh, featured Sharma as a friendly ghost who wants to reunite with her lover. In addition to acting and producing, Sharma also sang a song in it.[73][74] She next collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan for the third time in Imtiaz Ali's Jab Harry Met Sejal, a romance about a Gujrati tourist (Sharma) in Europe who falls in love with her tour guide. Commenting on Sharma's performances in Phillauri and Jab Harry Met Sejal, Uday Bhatia of Mint praised her ability for "straight-faced com[edy]".[75] Bhatia, however, criticised her pairing with Khan, 22 years her senior, in the latter film.[75] Unlike her 2016 releases, both these films were box office flops.[76][77]

Sharma's first film release of 2018 was the horror film Pari, which she starred in and produced. It tells the story of Rukhsana (Sharma), a battered young woman living in the wilderness, who is rescued by a benevolent man (played by Parambrata Chatterjee). Though Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express found the film "scatter-brained" and added that "nothing can rescue it, not even a leading lady who is determined to do something different with her producing heft", Sukanya Verma featured her performance in Rediff.com's annual list of best actresses, writing, "going from unhinged to ghastly to mesmeric, here's an actress who's game for everything."[78][79] It earned ₹400 million (US$5.6 million) worldwide against a production budget of ₹180 million (US$2.5 million).[80][81] Sharma next played a biographer documenting the life of the troubled actor Sanjay Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani's biopic Sanju, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the title role.[82] Rajeev Masand commended the film's ensemble but was critical of Sharma's performance, writing that she "sticks out with strange hair and stranger accent".[83] Even so, it emerged as her third release to earn over ₹5 billion (US$70 million) worldwide.[84]

In the same year, Sharma teamed with Yash Raj Films for the eighth time in Sui Dhaaga, a comedy-drama co-starring Varun Dhawan, about a poor, young couple who begin their own small-scale clothing industry. Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India praised the subtle chemistry between the leads and credited Sharma for playing the restrained role effortlessly.[85] She received a nomination for the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.[86] Sharma's final film appearance of the year was in Zero, a drama about a dwarf's romantic tribulations involving two women, which reunited her with Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif.[87] She played a NASA scientist suffering from cerebral palsy, for which she met with an occupational therapist and an audiologist; she also stayed in character and chose to use a wheelchair between shots.[88][89][90] Anupama Chopra considered her portrayal of the condition to be "inconsistent and clumsy" but Namrata Joshi of The Hindu found her "earnest and invested".[91][92] As with her previous collaboration with Khan, Zero was a commercial failure.[93]

Sharma will next produce three projects for streaming television: a crime thriller titled Paatal Lok for Amazon Video; and two projects for Netflix, a period drama film entitled Bulbul, and a drama series named Mai about a middle-aged housewife fighting crime.[94][95][96]

Personal life and off-screen work

Sharma started practising vegetarianism in 2015. The Times of India has listed her as one of "Bollywood's hottest vegetarian celebrities".[97] She has also been named as "The Person of the Year" by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on multiple occasions.[98][99][100] She is an avid practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.[6] Sharma has confessed to being a victim of anxiety disorder and seeking treatment for it

A practicing Hindu, Sharma along with her family is a follower of Anant Dham Atmabodh Ashram in Haridwar.[102] The ashram is headed by Maharaj Anant Baba, who is her family's spiritual guru and the actress is a regular visitor to the ashram.[103] Sharma's romantic relationship with the cricketer Virat Kohli has attracted substantial media coverage in India, though she has been reluctant to publicly talk about it.[104][105][106] The couple married in Italy on 11 December 2017.[107][108][109]

In September 2013, Sharma participated and walked the ramp in a fashion show that was held in memory of the late filmmaker, Yash Chopra.[110] She participated in the opening ceremony of the 2015 Indian Premier League held at Kolkata, along with other celebrities including Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Farhan Akhtar and composer Pritam.[111]

Apart from acting, Sharma supports a number of charities and causes. She walked the ramp to support Shabana Azmi's Mijwan Welfare Society, an NGO that helps empower women.[112] In 2013, alongside other Bollywood actors, she pledged to support the education of India's young girls as part of NDTV's "Our Girls, Our Pride" fundraiser.[113] That same year, she appeared alongside other celebrities in a commercial, produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India, to create awareness about the 'Right to Education' for children.[114] In December 2014, Sharma auctioned the leather jacket she wore in Jab Tak Hai Jaan on eBay, with proceeds going to the redevelopment of the flood-ravaged states of Kashmir and Assam.[115] Sharma had also fronted a campaign to collect donations for the victims of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.[116][117] She supports the annual Mumbai Film Festival, and donated money in its cause in 2015.[118] Sharma has been vocal about the disparity in the pay that actresses command, in comparison with their male counterparts in the film industry.[119][120] In 2016, she supported India's first transgender band, the 6-Pack Band (initiated by Y-Films), by providing a voice over in their first single, "Hum Hain Happy."[121]

Sharma has also spoken up for animal rights on social media. In April 2014, she took to Twitter to ask for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai.[122] In June 2015, she condemned the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China, and urged her fans to sign an online petition aimed at stopping it.[123] In October 2015, she launched 'Pawsitivity', a campaign aimed at sensitising people about the adverse effects of noise, air, water and soil pollution on animals.[124] In October 2017, Sharma launched her own clothing line, named Nush.

Mrs Serial Killer

Mrs Serial Killer

Mrs. Serial Killer, also spelt as Mrs Serial Killer is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film, produced as an Original for Netflix. The film is written and directed by Shirish Kunder and produced by his wife Farah Khan. The film stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee and Mohit Raina in the main lead roles while Aamir Khan's niece Zayn Marie makes her acting debut appearance in a film.[1] This web film also marks second digital appearance for Fernandez who was last seen in Drive, also her first collaboration with Netflix.[2][3]

Jacqueline plays the titular role of the film. The film is scheduled to stream via Netflix on 1 May coinciding with the May Day.[4][5] The release date of the film was announced in a video by the actress herself on 14 April coinciding with the Puthandu.[6][7] The video was shared on Netflix India's social media account.

Plot

Sona Mukerjee, a medical professor, is married it a well respected gynaecologist, Dr. Mrityunjoy Mukerjee (Joy), who dotes on her like a loving husband. One day while on a business trip with his medical team, Sona video chats with him to tell him that she is pregnant, news he receives with excitement. After the call, there is knock on the door which Sona answers. Inspector Imran Shahid stumbles to the door, clearly intoxicated, telling Sona to let him in to question her about the whereabouts of 6 missing women. Sona flatly refuses to let him in which prompts Imran to show her a picture of both of them together in his wallet. After Sona tells him to go away, he barges into the house. Imran attempts to surreptitiously collect Joy's used cigarettes and comb while engaging in an argument with Sona. When Imran tries to leave, Sona notices what he was trying to do and confronts him. He tells her that if her husband is innocent then she has nothing to worry about.

The next day, Imran calls his partner and some volunteers to come to Joy's clinic as he has found something. When his partner and volunteers arrive, Imran stumbles out of a cellar door and vomits from what he has seen. Everyone goes down to see what is there and much to everyone's horror, find 6 fetuses in separate jars and a cut up woman hanging horizontally from the ceiling. Imran orders everyone to begin digging in the backyard of the clinic. Five young female bodies are found which causes the town to panic.

Joy is promptly arrested, leaving Sona distraught and worried. Throughout the chaos and riots for Joy to be hung, Sona sees him in jail. Joy tells her that he is innocent and that he loves her very much. She tells him that she knows he is not capable of doing such heinous things but due to the nature of the crime, no lawyer in town wants to defend him. He tells her to contact one of his former patients, Mr. Rastogi, who is a well known defense attorney. Sona promptly contacts Rastogi who agrees to defend Joy, since Joy has taken care of him so well. During the bail hearing, the prosecution demands that Joy be held without bail due to the severity of the crime and DNA evidence from hair and saliva (from the cigarette) found at the scene that matches Joy. Despite Rastogi's protest, the judge agrees with the prosecution and remands Joy. Terrified at the thought of losing her husband forever, Sona meets Rastogi again to ask what she should do to prove her husband's innocence. Rastogi asks her how she is so sure of Joy's innocence. Sona tells him that she knows her husband is innocent because she knows that the killer is none other than her ex boyfriend, Imran Shahid. She tells him that Imran planted the evidence against Joy because he was jealous of the fact that Sona married Joy and is happy with him. Rastogi says that it all makes sense how the evidence was so perfect, but unfortunately since they cannot prove that the evidence was planted, she has to either resign herself to the fact that her husband will be in jail forever or that she can take matters into her own hands. He tells her that the easiest way to prove her husband's innocence is by committing the murder of a single pregnant woman with the same modus operandi while her husband is in jail. Hesitant at first, Sona decides that she will do whatever it takes to save her husband.

Sona finds a list of pregnant women from a women's clinic by posing as a patient herself at the office. She finds that three women on the list are pregnant. In order to figure out whether or not they are single, she calls them on a burner phone posing as a secretary from a hotel offering a free stay for married couples. After striking out on the first two, she calls the third woman. Recognising her voice, Sona realises it is none other than Anushka Tiwari, one of her students and coincidentally her neighbour. Realising she has no choice but to chose Anushka as her victim, she begins stalking her to figure out her routine. She finds out that Anushka is an avid martial artist and that her boyfriend, Sid, is not very happy about the pregnancy. While planning the kidnapping mentally outside, Sona's maid accidentally breaks a glass of chloroform that was in the kitchen and fills it with water to avoid getting into trouble. Dressing up as a janitor, Sona follows Anushka into a dark alley with the intention of kidnapping her using chloroform to knock her out. Due to the chloroform really being water, Anushka begins to fights Sona off (still unaware of her true identity). After being chased into a flower field, Anushka begins to lose her breath. Sona realises that Anushka has asthma and throws pollen in her face to weaken her. Sona binds Anushka spread eagle to a bed and blind folds her while she is passed out. In order to mask her voice, she creates a voice board on her phone to prevent Anushka from recognising her. After a lot of research, Sona gains the courage to try to perform an abortion and kill Anushka, but is prevented from doing so after Anushka begs her to let her go and that she will not tell anyone anything since she does not know who the kidnapper even is. Swayed by Anushka's tactic, Sona goes outside the room to call Rastogi to ask if the kidnapping itself is sufficient enough to prove her husband's innocence and if she can let Anushka go because she cannot bring herself to commit murder. While Sona is on the phone, Anushka manages to escape and hide. When Sona re-enters the room, Anushka attacks her but apologises for attacking Sona because she meant to attack the killer. Sona lies to Anushka by telling her that she heard a noise and came to investigate. Anushka sees Sona's phone which is open to the voice board and realises that Sona is the one that kidnapped her. In another fight, Anushka attempts to incapacitate Sona, but Sona is able to quickly inject Anushka with anaesthetics. News spreads about Anushka's disappearance, which confuses and stuns Imran. As a result, the town believes the real killer is still out there and is angry at Imran for arresting the wrong person. This causes Imran to become a pariah for bad his poor detective work.

Soon a body is found in the same fashion as the other previous bodies, which leads the court to release Joy on bail pending trial. Once Joy is home, Sona takes Joy to the basement of the clinic and shows him Anushka, who is very much alive and tied up on the bed. She tells him that she bought an unclaimed body and fetus from the hospital that she uses to teach her students and used her tattoo skills to mimic Anushka's body and cut it up in the same fashion as the other girls. Sona asks Joy what to do with Anushka and he tells her that they need to think of a plan calmly. Unbeknownst to them, Sid sees them leaving the building as they go home to celebrate Joy's first night home and sneaks in to find Anushka. When trying to free her, he hears a noise and follows Anushka's instructions to grabs a rod and hide in the closet, only for it to jam shut locking him in.

Sona wakes up in the middle of the night to find Joy missing and not answering his phone. She also notices Joy's car missing, which makes her believe he might be at the clinic with Anushka. As Sona arrives to the clinic, she hears noises coming from the room where Anushka is held. Much to her horror, she sees Joy preparing to perform an abortion on Anushka. Sona tries to stop him, which causes him to stab her hand with a scalpel, pinning her to a table. Joy reveals that he kills single pregnant women because they are whores like his mother who abandoned him as a child and left him to be molested by his adoptive parents. Sid, still trapped in the closet, yells out to distract Joy from hurting the women. Joy opens the closet and easily subdues Sids, tying him to a chair next to Sona. While Joy is distracted in his own lunacy, Sona manages to text Imran her location and what is happening. Imran manages to sneak in while Joy leaves the room to grab a new scalpel. Joy sees Imran and they engage in a fight, which results in Joy subduing Imran and tying him to a chair. Joy picks up Imran's fallen wallet and sees a picture of woman, Afreen, which is revealed to be Imran's sister. It is revealed that many years ago (in a different city) Sona and Imran were in love and wanted to get married but Sona's parents wanted her to marry a surgeon since they are surgeons as well. Sona and Imran "elope" joyfully. Later when Imran goes home, he finds out that Afreen had been brutally murdered, devastating him. After realising that his sister was seeing a gynaecologist due to an unwanted pregnancy, Imran figured out that it was Joy who killed his sister and he went to confront Joy at his clinic. Joy hit Imran from behind with a rod, which placed him in a coma for two years. In those two years, Sona, unaware of what happened to Imran, was coerced by her parents to marry Joy. Once Imran came out of his coma, he traced Joy to the city that he was newly residing in and in the process finds out that Sona was Joy's wife, devastating him that the person he loves the most married the person who he hates the most. Imran is able to free himself and fights with Joy while Sona frees Sid and attempts to escape with Anushka. In the ensuing chaos, Joy stabs Sona in the stomach killing their baby and Imran stabs Joy in the spine, presumably killing him.

Sona wakes up in the hospital with Imran by her side and Anushka thanking her for giving her and Sid a new beginning. When the doctor comes in to see Sona, he tells her that despite the fact she lost her baby, she will still be able to conceive again. Imran asks him if the body (Joy's) has been sent for post mortem. The doctor, confused, says that the man that was brought in is alive as they were able to revive him. In a panic, Imran runs to Joy's room only to find Joy missing.

In the final scene, we see Mrs. Rastogi rolling Joy into a black SVU with Mr. Rastogi being the driver. Mr. Rastogi asks her if anyone saw them, to which she replies no.