Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan breaks all records, becomes world's most-watched show

Ramanand Sagars popular TV serial 'Ramayan' which is re-airing on Doordarshan became the world's most-watched show on April 16 with 7.7 crore viewers, DD India posted on its official Twitter handle on late Thursday night. 'Ramayan' is being telecast again since March 28 on public demand. In fact, when it was telecast for the first time, the serial had broken all records of popularity, and the show has repeated its history again. Ramanand Sagar had made a total of 78 episodes of this serial based on Valmiki's Ramayana and Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas .

WORLD RECORD!!
Rebroadcast of #Ramayana on #Doordarshan smashes viewership records worldwide, the show becomes most watched entertainment show in the world with 7.7 crore viewers on 16th of April pic.twitter.com/hCVSggyqIE

— Doordarshan National (@DDNational) April 30, 2020

For the first time in the country, the serial was originally broadcast from January 25, 1987 to July 31, 1988. Then, every Sunday, at 9.30 a.m. the show was aired on TV.

From 1987 to 1988, 'Ramayan' became the most watched serial in the world. Till June 2003, it remained recorded in the Limca Book of Records as "the most watched mythological serial in the world".

Interestingly, when the serial started airing in the country for the first time, people used to remain glued to the TV sets. Since there were less TVs at homes then, most of the people used to gather at some neighbour's place to watch 'Ramayan'.

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On Anushka Sharma's 32nd birthday, cherish her most romantic moments with husband Virat Kohli

One of the finest actresses of Bollywood, Anushka Sharma turned 32 today. The actress is known to bring life to every character she portrays on the big screen. Starting her career opposite Shah Rukh khan in the popular film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Anushka carved a niche for herself in the industry in no time with her charming personality and sheer brilliance on the screen. While her professional life has been the topic of discussion for fans, her personal life has always been in focus as well. While the duo was said to be dating soon after they featured in their first commercial together, their love story came into the limelight when Virat appreciated his lady love for her stellar performance in  NH10 with a tweet. Fans soon started shipping them together and even gave them a nickname Virushka.

Anushka and Virat met in 2012 on the sets of their first commercial together. Talking about his first meeting with her, Virat said in an interview that he made a fool out of himself when he first met Anushka on the sets as he cracked a lame joke. He further revealed that Anushka was very confident when she arrived however he was very nervous.

Virat further said, "She is also from a similar background as me. We come from middle class families, made it in their respective careers, worked hard, got to certain stage. In hindsight, when we look into our lives, they were going at the same pace but in totally different worlds. The timelines of my debut is 2008, the timeline of her starting her first film, shooting for it was 2008 August. We met in 2013 and out lives have been so similar in totally different worlds and then we got along so well. We were talking real things, we were talking things that a lot of people don’t connect with, only if you have seen that life will you understand what we are talking about. So the connect was there immediately."

For the couple, things took a serious turn very naturally. Talking about their dates and how they used to spend time together, Virat had revealed, "It was pretty traditional; we would go out for meals. Eventually you didn’t really have to ask out because both of us knew we liked spending time with each other. I don’t even remember when we thought ‘okay this is the time when the transition is happening’, it was so organic and natural. And it kept getting stronger and stronger. We knew that we just wanted to be with each other."

Even before the duo confirmed that they have fallen for each other, they were spotted together many times in public. From Virat surprising Anushka Sharma on her 26th birthday in Udaipur, while she was shooting for PK to the actress flying to New Zealand to spend time with the cricketer, the duo made many special memories with each other.

Asked about how he popped the question to the actress, Virat told that it just happened and was well organized. In fact, his close friend circle was already aware that the two will eventually get married.

After the proposal, Virat and Anushka got married within two months on December 11, 2017, in Italy. Virat confessed that it was Anushka Sharma who organised each and everything for the wedding as he was in the middle of a series. The actress decided the location, keeping in mind that they had to keep everything confidential. The Indian skipper also revealed that there were just 42 people at their wedding and it was beautiful. Later, the couple threw two wedding receptions for their family and friends from the industry. 

Anushka and Virat keep featuring in each others' Instagram post and they look absolutely adorable together. Currently, the duo is under home quarantine and spending quality time with their family. 

'Was giving time for truth to prevail', Kanika Kapoor shares her side of COVID-19 story

New Delhi: Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor who was discharged after her sixth coronavirus report came negative, has released a statement on the news reports doing rounds on social media platforms.

Taking to her official social media accounts, the singer who was tested positive for the COVID-19 on March 20 said, "I know there are several versions of stories out there about me. Some of these seem to be fuelled even more because I have chosen to be silent till now. I was giving time for the truth to prevail and for people to reach their own realisation. I stayed quiet not because I am wrong but in-fact being fully aware that there have been misunderstandings and wrong exchanges of information."

Kanika travelled to Mumbai from the UK on March 9 and then flew to Lucknow, where she attended several public events and high-profile parties. She was criticised heavily for not self-isolating despite testing having a travel history.

The singer in her statement added, "Some facts that I would like to share with you. I am at home in Lucknow spending some quality time with my parents. Every person that I have come in contact with be it in the UK, Mumbai, or Lucknow has shown no symptoms of COVID-19, in-fact all those tested have been negative. I travelled from the UK to Mumbai on March 10 and was duly screened at the international airport. There was no advisory on that day (UK travel advisory was released on March 18) that stated that I needed to quarantine myself."

"I showed no ill health so did not quarantine myself. I travelled to Lucknow the following day on March 11 to see my family. There was no screening setup for domestic flights," added Kanika. 

Kanika also wrote, "On March 14 and March 15 I attended a friend's lunch and dinner. There was no party hosted by me and I was in absolute normal health. I had symptoms on March 17 and March 18 so I requested to be tested. I was tested on March 19 and on March 20 when informed that my test was positive, I chose to go to the hospital. I was discharged after 3 negative tests and have since been at home for 21 days. I want to especially thank the doctors and nurses who have so graciously taken care of me during a very emotionally testing time. I hope that all can deal with this matter with honesty and sensitivity. Negativity thrown at a person does not change the Reality."

Kanika Kapoor was reportedly the first Bollywood celebrity to test positive for the COVID-19 in the country.

Vidya Balan shows how to make a perfect COVID mask in just 1-minute! Don't miss this | Watch Video

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has been actively encouraging fans to stay indoors and help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. After sharing a couple of video messages urging fans to help the people in need, the actress has taken to social media to share a tutorial on how to make a mask at home following simple steps. It has become mandatory for everyone to wear masks and gloves before stepping out of the house. In order to make things easier for people who do not have access to the masks or are unable to buy them because they have gone out of stock, Vidya showed them an easy way to make them at home. 

Sharing the video on Instagram, Vidya Balan wrote, "#ApnaDeshApnaMask P.S:Ek purani saree ko kat kar bahut saare masks ban sakte hain." In the video, the actress is seen explaining how a mask can be made by using any old cloth in the house and two rubber bands. She also encouraged fans to make more and more masks and ensure their safety during the escalating coronavirus pandemic. Watch the video here-

vidya balan

✔@vidya_balan

#ApnaDeshApnaMask #HomeMadeMasks @apnamask @startupsvscovid
P.S:Ek purani saree ko kar bahut saare masks ban sakte hain.

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4:09 PM - Apr 18, 2020

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Earlier, the actress also shared a video to enlighten her fans about the Mumbai Roti Bank, which has been giving food to those hungry on the roads. She asked fans to donate for it and wrote, "In these difficult times *Mumbai Roti Bank* is providing *free meals for all poor people*. We understand that many daily wage labourers and others don't have groceries and food and are going hungry everyday."

She added, "If you know any place where people are going hungry please contact us on *8655580001* .We will be happy to serve areas which are concentrated with needy people. As *Mumbai Roti Bank*, @rotibankfdn has been started by *Mr D Sivanandhan* retired police commissioner, Mumbai police is happy to aid the movement of our vans to feed the needy at this critical time."

On the work front, Vidya Balan is gearing up for her film Shakuntala Devi. She will be seen playing the role of the mathematician in her biopic. The film on the Human Computer also stars Sanya Malhotra in the role of Vidya Balan’s daughter. 

Amitabh Bachchan donates Rs 1.8 crore to Telugu cinema workers, Chiranjeevi lauds him for wonderful initiative

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has donated Rs 1.80 crore to Telugu cinema workers. South superstar Chiranjeevi, who starred with Big B in Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, thanked him for his kind gesture on Twitter. Amitabh Bachchan has donated 12000 Corona Relief Coupons of Rs 1500 for the workers. Chiranjeevi tweeted, "Amit ji @SrBachchan has arranged 12000 Corona Relief Coupons of Rs 1500 each to be distributed to the Daily wage Film workers in Telugu States from the proceeds of #Family.A BIG THANK YOU to ‘BIG B’ for this wonderful initiative.These coupons can be redeemed at #BigBazaar stores."

While extending his gratitude towards the Paa actor, Chiranjeevi also shared a picture which is from the latest short film Family that was created to spread a message on Coronavirus. The movie starred prominent actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra along with other some other stars from the entertainment industry. 

Chiranjeevi Konidela

✔@KChiruTweets

Amit ji @SrBachchan has arranged 12000 Corona Relief Coupons of Rs1500 each to be distributed to the Daily wage Film workers in Telugu States from the proceeds of #Family.A BIG THANK YOU to ‘BIG B’ for this wonderful initiative.These coupons can be redeemed at #BigBazaar stores

23.3K

9:02 AM - Apr 17, 2020

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On the work front, Chiranjeevi will next be seen in upcoming Telugu film, Acharya, in which he’s rumoured to be playing dual roles. The film is being directed by Koratala Siva.

Meanwhile, the 2019 thriller Badla, co-starring Taapsee Pannu, remains Amitabh Bachchan's last release. The actor has films like Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra, co-starring Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, Gulabo Sitabo, co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Chehre, alongside Emraan Hashmi, and the sports drama Jhund, in the pipeline.

Chhota Bheem to air on Doordarshan amid COVID-19 lockdown

The popular children's cartoon series, "Chhota Bheem", is all set to be back on the small screen amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. The animation, which has originally aired on Pogo and features the superhero Bheem, will go on air on Doordarshan National from April 17 to May 3.

Currently, Doordarshan channel is re-telecasting some of its old shows in order to keep people entertained amid the coronavirus lockdown. And with the return of over three-decade-old Hindu mythology show "Ramayan ", Doordarshan reportedly garnered over 170 million viewers in four episodes last week.

Announcing the partnership between Pogo and Doordarshan to rerun "Chhota Bheem", Siddharth Jain, managing director of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks in South Asia, said: "These are challenging times and we believe that POGO's fun-filled, relatable content will keep kids engaged and entertained. We are very pleased to collaborate with a platform as distinguished and popular as Doordarshan. The agreement ensures that an even larger number of young viewers across the country will be able to enjoy ‘Chhota Bheem'.