Have you heard? From screen to seats

Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil and Hema Malini

With voters favouring celebrity faces this election season, eyes will be on the performance of first-time MPs like Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil as they take their place in the 18th Lok Sabha, along with returning star-politicians Hema Malini and Manoj Tiwari. Among the 543 members contesting for seats in the lower house of the parliament were many individuals from showbiz. Ranaut, a popular face from Bollywood and a long-time supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, won her first ever election as she was elected from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, her home state. She defeated Vikramaditya Singh, the son of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh, and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh. Ramayan star Govil was another celebrity face fielded by the BJP. He emerged victorious in the Meerut seat in Uttar Pradesh in a close battle with Samajwadi Party's Sunita Yadav. Malini was elected for a straight third term from Mathura. Tiwari, the BJP candidate from north east Delhi, bested Congress rival Kanhaiya Kumar, a popular youth leader. This is also Tiwari's third win in a row from the seat. He was the only sitting MP from Delhi retained by the BJP for the 18th Lok Sabha polls.

Celebrating wins

Telugu actor Ram Charan congratulated his uncle Pawan Kalyan on his ‘phenomenal win' in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. Kalyan won the Pithapuram seat against Vanga Geetha of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress by a margin of 70,279 votes. "A proud day for our family! Congratulations to Pawan Kalyan on his phenomenal win," Charan wrote on X. Kalyan is the younger brother of Chiranjeevi (Charan's father) and Nagendra Babu, and belongs to the Konidela family. He founded the Jana Sena Party on March 14, 2014, and announced his party's alliance with the BJP. Charan and his wife, Upasana, also shared a joint statement congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his win.

Saved by a bike and a ride

Avid biker Amit Sadh revealed that his expeditions enabled him to "experience nature closely, which played a crucial role in helping me feel better". The actor, who marked his birthday yesterday, says, "Riding is therapeutic for me, and, as is suggested by the title of my series, Motorcycle Saved My Life, there was a time when I needed clarity, and that's when my riding journey began." Sadh says he was exposed to India's diverse cultures and landscapes as he navigated the country on his bike. He has travelled to Balasinor, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Chandigarh, Theog, Sangla, Kaza, Jispa, Padum, Leh, and Ladakh. "I'm excited and happy to share this journey with everyone. India is such a diverse country, with places that are yet to be discovered."

Man with a vision

Kabir Bedi has extended support to Sightsavers, which works to combat avoidable blindness. "One of the greatest gifts that you can give anybody is the gift of sight. Sightsavers is doing a commendable job. It's not just about correcting vision, it's also about teaching children how to [blend] into the regular school system so that they don't have to go to [special] schools. [They are] teaching blind girls the art of self-defence, and are checking truckers for their vision. As many as 42 per cent of the drivers we tested had vision problems. Their livelihoods are at stake. I urge people to support this organisation."

For the environment

On the occasion of World Environment Day, actor Pooja Hegde spoke about the steps she takes to be environmentally conscious, revealing that she carries a trash bag in her car whenever she travels. Hegde, who recently participated in a beach clean-up initiative in Juhu, shared: "What I usually do is I always carry a trash bag in my car whenever I travel, and I don't throw things on roads or beaches. If we adopt small practices, we can make a big change. We need to encourage the culture of not [littering]." She urged people to use reusable plastic, and "use the same plastic bag [on more occasions than one] instead of throwing it". Hegde's last Bollywood film was Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, and she will be seen in Deva with Shahid Kapoor.

Better together

As Bollywood's Jaggu Dada, Jackie Shroff, and his wife Ayesha celebrated their wedding anniversary on Tuesday, friends and family congratulated them for being a couple to look up to. Shroff married his long-time girlfriend, Ayesha, a model who later became a film producer, in 1987. Sharing a throwback picture on her social media, Ayesha captioned her post: "Happy anniversary to us! It's been 47 years. To friendship and the best two kids in the world." Shroff shared a video post, a compilation of their pictures, and called her "my spine."