Handshake, yes Indians don't want it!

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

The Indian team did the right thing by not shaking hands with the pakistani team during the Asia Cup match. While, as expected India drubbed Pakistan squarely in the match; what took many Indians by surprise is the royal snub Indian men-in-blue gave to the paki team.

While social media is abuzz with the ethics, the writer feels, it was very important and long due!

Why?

One is well aware of gross lies and insensitive comments of pakistani cricketers or for that matter even pakistani actors after pak-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir?

While Pakistan filed an official complaint with the match referee, Andy Pycroft; it is clear that even before the match, match referee Pycroft informed Salman Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar Yadav at the toss. Though, no directive was issued for the post-match formalities.

The drama unfolded after Suryakumar Yadav hit the winning six. He and Shivam Dube charged into the dressing room without shaking hands with the Pakistan players. Furthermore, when the entire Pakistan lineup, led by captain Agha and coach Mike Hesson, approached the Indian dressing room, waiting for the customary handshakes, the Indian management shut the door, firmly closing any chance of going out and offering their hand for the post-match formalities.

This left Pakistan coach Hesson fuming, and he even came to the press conference to explain his stance, it also needs to be mentioned that another controversy erupted after the Pakistan captain did not come for the post-match interview with the official broadcaster, Sony.

Not that it mattered to anyone.

Suryakumar Yadav very rightly dedicated the win to victims of Pahalgam terror attacks and the armed forces. Silencing all those that questioned India playing Pakistan in Asia Cup.

Bhaarat Bol News view is - Suryakumar Yadav and team India did the right thing, they played the match, as it was, unfortunately, a competitive fixture; but very assertively made clear the stance of India and Indians at large, no negotiations with anyone or any nation that supports terrorism or it's ideology.

Has Jhumka Tiraha Really Got A 'Bachchan' Connect?

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Jhumka Tiraha in Bareilly, came into existence in 2020. It is celebrating it's fifth year of existence in 2025; naturally, a whole lot of influencers are busy posting pictures and reels at the coveted spot, eyeing their share of fame!

A brief background about the jhumka's connect with Bareilly.

Bollywood has always connected India across it's length and breadth - no wonder then, whole of India got to know about a city in Uttar Pradesh called Bareilly in 1966, thanks to the chartbuster "Jhumka Gira Re Bareilly Ke Bazaar mein..", where,  the heroine laments losing her earring in the bustling market of Bareilly. 

The song is still so popular that Karan Johar ripped it off on Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in Rocky Aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani - of course changing Bareilly to Rae Bareilly avoiding the potential copyright issues - but very interestingly, audiences still heard Bareilly!

The 1966 cult song was written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, with music by Madan Mohan, perfectly sung by Asha Bhosle and performed inimitably on screen by the queen-bee of late 60's Sadhana better known as the aunt of the famous Kapoor sisters Karisma and Kareena to today's generation.

Bollywood folklore though has it that the song was inspired by a real life incident.

It reportedly began, when Harivansh Rai Bachchan, father of Bollywood Shahenshah, Amitabh Bachchan, first met, then, Teji Suri (later Bachchan) at a relative’s wedding in Bareilly. Harivansh recited a poem with such beauty that tears rolled-down Teji’s eyes. Harivansh Rai, seeing her moved, was moved himself. That poetic meeting soon blossomed into love. But since there was no wedding announcement, friends would often ask when would wedding happen. One such friend was Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. Teji, seeking to dodge the question, smiled and said - Mera jhumka to Bareilly ke bazaar mein gir gaya hai.

This candid statement stayed firmly etched in Mehdi's memory. Years later, while writing for Mera Saaya, he remembered it, and turned it into an all-time Bollywood hit making the song a folklore in Bollywood history.

No wonder then, the authorities in Bareilly paid a fitting tribute to the iconic song by opening Jhumka Tiraha. While the Tiraha celebrates 5-years this year; the song will celebrate 60-years in 2026.

Advertorial l Jashwant Singh Yadav Clinches Gold

Jashwant Singh Yadav Clinches Gold at 48th Uttar Pradesh State Para Shooting Championship 2025 continuously four times. The Uttar Pradesh State Rifle Association proudly organized the 48th Uttar Pradesh State Para Shooting Championship at the esteemed RSSC shooting rang Jaipur , which took place from 30th August to 7th September 2025.

The championship witnessed remarkable feats by talented para-shooters from across the state. Among the exceptional athletes, Jaswant Singh Yadav, a renowned National Pistol Shooter and son of Prahlad Singh Yadav, hailing from the quaint village of Kashipur in Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh, shone brightly as he secured the gold medal in the fiercely contested 10-meter pistol shooting competition.

The gold medal was bestowed upon Jashwant Singh by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Sports Minister of Rajasthan Government and Ex-minister, Government of India and Shyam Singh Yadav, President of the Uttar Pradesh State Rifle Association. Those present included G.S. Singh , General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh State Rifle Association Lucknow.

Jashwant Singh's achievements extend beyond this year's triumph. He previously clinched the gold medal in the UP State Para Shooting Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and displayed exceptional prowess by securing the silver medal in the Delhi District Open Para Shooting Championship, also held in Delhi. His skills and dedication have earned him the privilege of representing Uttar Pradesh in the National Para Shooting Championship. 

This exceptional feat has filled Jashwant Singh's family members with immense joy and pride, as he continues to carve a path of success in the competitive shooting arena.

Jashwant Singh contributes his success to the unwavering support and guidance of his coach, Deepak Kumar, at the Sports Shooting Academy in Delhi. 

Currently, Jashwant Singh serves as Inspector (Fingerprint Expert) at the National Crime Records Bureau, part of Ministry of Home Affairs, where he applies his expertise to serve the nation. 

With his unwavering commitment to honing his shooting skills and the unyielding support of his coach and family members, Jashwant Singh Yadav exemplifies the spirit of a champion and remains an inspiration to aspiring para-shooters across the nation.

The influencer 'rubble' - WHAT if social media platforms are banned in India

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Nepal took an assertive step and it's action became global news. For the uninitiated, Nepal banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X, and WhatsApp, on September 4, 2025.

The reason for this ban is reportedly due to the failure of these social media platforms to register with the government of Nepal. Sources also said that these SM platforms, failed to comply with the regulatory requirements in Nepal; such as appointing a local representative and a complaint officer.

Reportedly, the government of Nepal, stated these platforms can resume operations once they complete the necessary registration process, as per a Supreme Court directive to regulate unlicensed online platforms.

This action brings back memories, when once thriving social media platform, TikTok was banned in India, It made many influencers go jobless because they couldn't adapt to other SM platforms. It also, boosted the eco-system of Instagram, as there was no other potent social media platform available - making new influencers out of nobodies

Influencers promote Gem Mines on Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

While many agree 'influencer' is a bubble waiting to bust; many strategists say they are here to stay, only the span will decrease - an influencer averages two to three years - making room for new ones!

BUT, what if India bans instagram, do the influencers have a backup plan. Already the AI has taken a chunk of the job of these influencers. Will banning certain social media affect the Indian marketing eco-system. Bhaarat Bol News spoke to a couple of stake-holders working in the eco-system.

Natalia Lee, a model based in Goa says that she has over 100,000 followers on instagram; she calls herself an influencer and admits that if there is a ban; she really doesn't know, what she will do. "I am a model and an actress, but most of my earnings are from instagram, that's the fact".

Sachin Gupta, owner of an influencer marketing agency in Delhi-NCR says "a chunk of influencer marketing is through facebook and instagram; if there is a ban on these - the only potent platform left will be LinkedIn; 70% of these influencers are not active at all on LinkedIn. It will be a hard hit for these influencers".

Vidya Chandran, a marketing strategist based in Bengaluru says "I advise all my clients to go 25:25:20:30 - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn. Also I suggest cross-feeds, so that even if three are down, fourth can serve".

She signed off saying that if all of the four social-media platforms are banned, it is pure bad luck.

Bhaarat Bol News Introduces #TKMU Talks Empowering Youngsters With A Voice

• Zannat Chauhan talks about "Lives Lost in the Name of Development"; presenting her views on recent floods in Himachal Pradesh

On 1 September 2025, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, declared the entire state of Himachal Pradesh as a disaster-hit state. The announcement made by him in the state assembly was alarming and concerning as more than 350 people are dead, dozens are missing, many homes are destroyed, and economic loss has already crossed ₹3000 crore. These are just numbers; they are examples of lives eradicated, families broken, and the ecosystem pushed beyond its limits.

As someone who has grown up in the hills, believing that mountains are a symbol of peace, I cannot help but feel that this tragedy is not entirely natural. Yes, the Himalayas are geologically young, unstable, and prone to landslides, but what has happened in Himachal Pradesh.

This tragedy is largely human-made, and the construction of highways, tunnels, and hydropower projects in fragile loop has magnified the damage. Roads collapse every monsoon, yet more roads are built. What kind of development is this if it washes away lives and infrastructure year after year?

Snowfall observed in September in places like Manali, Lahaul, and Spiti Valley is another disturbing sign. Scientists and climate experts have long warned of erratic weather patterns in the Himalayas. The Supreme Court also, while hearing ecological balance cases, warned that Himachal may ‘vanish into thin air’ if urgent steps are not taken. 

When the highest court of the country echoes what mountain communities have been saying for years, why do governments continue to push projects that threaten the ecology in the name of progress?

Another haunting image that was seen was of River Ravi carrying timber logs during the floods in Manali and other parts of Himachal Pradesh. Points to illegal felling and forest exploitation. Himachal is a dev-bhoomi where even the local deities themselves have denied permission for destructive projects.

Residents protested, warning of cultural loss and ecological damage, but their voices remain unheard.

All these disasters are interconnected to deforestation, illegal logging, reckless tourism, and infrastructure pushed into fragile zones that have left the entire region of Northern India, including Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, vulnerable.

The question we must ask ourselves is simple: What is the meaning of development if it comes at the cost of human lives?

Justice J.B. Pardiwala of the Supreme Court rightly observed that revenue cannot be earned at the cost of the environment and ecology.

Europe too has mountain states with highway tunnels and tourism. Yet the roads lose their slopes hold because construction is planned with respect for nature. In Himachal, development often becomes destruction, bringing with it requiring land, life, and broken highways that cost even more in repairs.

This year’s floods are a painful reminder to everyone that urgent course correction is needed. Development, should be sustainable, minimal, and in harmony with the land. The people of Himachal deserve safety first, not shortsighted projects that bring more grief than gain.

#TKMU Talks is positive mindset, positive society talk-series initiative by Talennt Ka Maha Utsav to empower the generation of today and tomorrow to be socially conscious and socially responsible citizens.

Launched at Cannes Film Festival 2025, the inaugural talks were given in September 2025 during 22.4 Edition of #BNHAF Awards and Festival.

Bhaarat Bol News partnered with #TKMU Talks to publish the talks, for readers that missed out on the talks to read them. The views expressed are solely the views of the speaker and/or writer mentioned.

Baaghi 4 l Not Just A Review

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Great story and great trailer can be marred badly by bad screenplay and atrocious editing; Baaghi 4 is the perfect example of it. It is  'Darr' script gone majorly wrong, thanks to editing!

The film tells the story of Ronnie (Tiger Shroff) who after an accident claims that his girlfriend, Alisha (Harnaaz Sandhu) is missing. His brother, Jeetu (Shreyas Talpade) says no such girl exists. Things reach the cops; an attack on Ronnie introduces the villain, Jacko (Sanjay Dutt). Is he related to Alisha, or has he got some ulterior motive. Or like Alisha, even the attack and Jacko are a figment of Ronnie's imagination.

The story is good, the trailer was very good; but an atrociously shoddy editing has made the 4th film in the Baaghi franchise suffer and how - it will be seen, soon, by everybody associated with the film from the box-office outcome.

The film has a running time of 2hrs. 43minutes; why? Didn't the makers see that they could easily cut the film to 2hrs. to 2hrs.15minutes. for a much stronger impact. The first 30 minutes of the movie are overtly repetitive, nothing moves.

A. Harsha's direction is very weak, he had the meat in the story to fuse emotions, very important for the love story to connect, but he fails to build on it. During the edit he must have seen the film, didn't he realize, the hold is only in a few scenes and not in the entire narrative. Editing by Kiran Gowda and Nitin Pathak is atrociously bad.  

Tiger Shroff is good. Sonam Bajwa and Upendra Limaye leave a mark. Sanjay Dutt has to change his style as a villain, more towards KGF2 kind of performance. Harnaaz Sandhu makes a confident debut, though she looks more convincing in the character with negative shades.

On the whole Baaghi 4 could have been a great addition to the franchise after Baaghi 1, 2, 3 - but falters majorly because of editing and partly due to the screenplay.

At the box-office film has taken a decent opening thanks to the trailer; but with just-about-average reports - Monday onwards, whatever collections will come, will come from the mass centres.

Baaghi 4 & The Bengal Files Open September 5 l Pre-Release Report

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Baaghi 4 and The Bengal Files open on September 5, bringing much needed cheer into an industry that hasn't seen any success after the blockbuster, Saiyaara. War 2 is an under-performer.

The cheer factor for both Baaghi 4 and The Bengal Files comes from the advances that these two films have clocked at the box-office; if the script is right and the content is there.

Baaghi 4 follows the successful Baaghi franchise, where all the films have been hits! The run of Baaghi 3 was severely cut short by the pandemic in 2020 - but in the run-days it got, it was on fire and did a bullish business.

The Bengal Files is looking to emulate the success of The Kashmir Files. A section backed by urban-naxals will try to paint the film as a propaganda film, but facts are facts. The history calls Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy 'the butcher of Bengal', it is another matter in less than a decade he was booted out of his beloved pakistan and reportedly killed on the orders of then pak-president, Ayub Khan. Jinnah and he, called for 'Direct Action Day' is well-recorded in the history; since it was their call, they did nothing to stop the genocide.

Whatever the box-office outcome, the fact that there are two very interesting films coming out this Friday belonging to very diverse genre is a reason to celebrate, not just in the Indian Film Industry, but global film industry that has been reeling under a downturn post-pandemic.

'Wings To Fly' wins Special Mention from Dr. Sandeep Marwah @ 13th IDF

By - Aanya

Dr. Sandeep Marwah was his usual inspiring self as he opened the 13th International Documentary Festival at Marwah Studios, Noida. Known as the 'father of the Noida film city' and pioneer of film-education in India, he welcomed all the guests comprising of cultural counsellors of various embassies and the participating documentaries.

Dr. Marwah reserved special mention for out of competition documentary 'Wings To Fly', directed by alumni of AAFT, Lord Baden-Powell National-Award 2020 winning film-maker, Amit R Agrwal.

'Wings To Fly' made under 'Talennt Ka Maha Utsav Season 1' by Popcorn Flicksss, is made on the book of Deepak Sharma, trustee, Udayan Care; Udayan Care transforms the lives of under-privileged girls by making them saksham, sashakt and a true shalini.

Deepak Sharma who was there at the glittering ceremony, thanked Dr. Marwah for his very kind gesture of appreciating the documentary. Deepak Sharma said that the idea behind the documentary was to make people aware about the very important work Udayan Care, it's founder, Kiran Modi, various members and he, himself, as part of Udayan Care are doing.  

Agrwal, speaking to various media outlets, present at the festival stated that though the film has screened worldwide for a year now, including at various pavilions at Cannes Film Festival - the fact that the documentary is screened at his alma mater is a matter of real pride for him.

Dr. Sandeep Marwah congratulated all the winners of the competition section and told the incoming students to make AAFT proud, just like Amit R Agrwal.

News Shorts - Diamond Jubilee of All India Institute of Speech and Hearing

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu graces the diamond jubilee celebrations of the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) at Mysuru, in Karnataka.

Murmu praised the work of AIISH, terming it commendable. She stated that AIISH has contributed in it's own unique way in building the India of today.

News Shorts - Ministry of Tribal Affairs Organises Adi Vaani

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

The Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Durgadas Uikey at the launch of Adi Vaani organised by Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in New Delhi.

The initiative as seen by many as a potent way of giving voice to people and their representatives from tribal parts of India, connecting them with the Indian mainstream. The Government of India is taking a very proactive approach to improve the lives of tribals in various parts of India.   

Indian Film Festival Pays Tribute To Iconic and Legendary Amitabh Bachchan

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Lovers of cinema & audiences, will do themselves a huge favor by watching the legendary icon, Amitabh Bachchan in action at this Indian Film Festival in Alberta, Canada; an actor that legendary film-maker, Manmohan Desai, described as Hailey's Comet!

The writer himself found, doors tightly shut at Cannes Film Festival; open, as soon as security sees the first name of the writer, 'Amit'. 

French new-wave cinema was heralded by Francois Truffaut. He was bowled over by the range of this Indian actor, Amitabh Bachchan. Truffaut came to sign him and was aghast that the actor didn't have dates till 1982; prompting him to call Bachchan 'One Man Industry'. The headline was picked by a leading Indian news-magazine in 1980.

Films have roles specially written for Amitabh Bachchan, even at this age, to boost the commercial prospects of the film.

When Baz Luhrmann was famously asked during the press-conference of The Great Gatsby at the Cannes Film Festival, 2013 - why he chose an Indian, Amitabh Bachchan, to play a jew, when there are so many cekebrated Jewish actors available; Luhrmann didn't even bat an eyelid, as he replied "I needed a magnetic persona, so strong that Leonardo DiCaprio would follow". 

Today, Amitabh Bachchan is the highest paid actor in his age-category (80+) - after a lull in the mid-90's he bounced right back to the top. The writer feels, his open-approach to always be a student and his bullish approach to work, are the reasons for his perpetual superstardom!

Samosa Critics At It Again

By - Amit kumaR Agarwal

Samosa critics are at it again!

They are trying to push the latest Hindi release as a 'success' with headlines like 'film opened well' and the blah!

Critics that don't report collections of any Hindi film, reported daily collections for Friday, Saturday and Sunday (even before Sunday ended) - hailing 'below-average' collections as 'extra-ordinary'; of course, their reason of reporting is more than just Samosa!

Just like producers that feed cinema are doing a dis-service to the film-industry; these samosa critics are doing dis-service as well - by calling a failure, success.

Here is the occupancy of 11pm show, 15-minutes before the show, five-people in a 240-seater auditorium. This is Day 1 of the so called success; one can well imagine the fate from Monday onwards!

Point is, why do production-houses want a 'flop' film to be called a 'success' - why do they want to change the reality to a favorable perception. 

Answer is investors. No investor invests in a lose-making or flop venture; so the producers go all out to call their flop film, a success.

Case in point: Gangs Of Wasseypur; the film was perceived to be a success; but years after its release, in 2017-2018, Anurag said in an interview, he didn't get any money for GOW because studio said it was a loss making proposition. Point is why didn't the studio or Anurag correct the media or news-outlets, when precious ink was spilled singing glories of GOW, when it was initially released.

Answer is simple, it is all business!

Also Read Param Sundari, not just a review