Sunny Shares Ikkis Wrap-Up Clip, Dharmendra Urges India And Pakistan To Watch

The late actor Dharmendra, who will be posthumously seen in the upcoming film Ikkis, once said that he wishes that people of both India and Pakistan watches the film.

On Saturday, the late actor's elder son Sunny Deol took to his Instagram, and shared a BTS video from Ikkis. In the video, Dharmendra said, “I'm extremely happy to be in the Mandav films. The team, the captain, Shriram ji. It was done in a very nice way”.

He further mentioned, “I think India and Pakistan both should see the film. I'm a bit happily sad today, the last day of shooting. I love you all, if I made any mistake, please forgive me”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sunny Deol (@iamsunnydeol)

Sunny wrote in the caption, “A smile that lit up the darkness. Generosity without limits. Love for my papa is deeply rooted in our hearts. He has blessed us with his final film, Ikkis. Let's celebrate him in movie halls this New Year”.

Ikkis is directed by Sriram Raghavan, and is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, one of India's youngest Param Vir Chakra awardees, who was martyred during the 1971 Indo-Pak war at the age of 21.

The title directly refers to Khetarpal's age at the time of his death. The lead role is played by Agastya Nanda, marking a significant departure from conventional debut choices, as the film prioritises realism over spectacle. Veteran actor Dharmendra appears in a key role, adding generational weight to the narrative.

The film focuses on military discipline, battlefield decision-making, and personal courage rather than melodrama. Staying true to historical accounts, the film aims to portray the human cost of war while honouring a real-life hero whose bravery continues to hold national significance.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/0MUdOfS
via IFTTT

Heartwarming Video Of Child Dancing In School Assembly Prayer Goes Viral

A heartwarming moment from a school assembly is winning hearts on social media. A video showing pure joy and devotion has gone viral, reminding viewers of the innocence of childhood.

The clip features a little boy dressed in his winter school uniform. With his eyes closed and hands folded, he is seen dancing gently in his place. Completely absorbed in the moment, his happy and calm expressions have touched viewers emotionally.
The child's genuine devotion and innocence make this video special. He's unaware of anyone watching; he's simply lost in the music of the prayer, completely absorbed in it. He's seen gently swaying and enjoying the music, as if the prayer is flowing naturally within him.

Watch Video Here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Akshit Vashisht (@akshit_balewa)

Social Media Reaction

The video is receiving widespread praise on social media. Social media users are calling the video joyful.

One user commented, "Innocent and most joyous phase of our life."

Another user noted, "He is literally enjoying the prayer."

"That's why childhood is very special," added a third user. 

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/3z5Sbkq
via IFTTT

Rodrigues Teaches Vicky Kaushal Cover-Drive, Gets Tutorial On 'Tauba Tauba'

What happens when 'rockstars' from different fields come together? They set the stage on fire. The same thing happened at the 'NDTV Indian Of The Year 2025', where the World Cup-winning Indian women's cricket team met actor Vicky Kaushal. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's cricket team won the 'Sports Performance Of The Year' award, while Vicky Kaushal won the 'Actor Of The Year' award. As the 'Chhaava' actor was getting up on stage, he was asked about the women's cricket team, and he had just one epic line to describe them all: "True heroes of the nation."

He then went on to share the stage with Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. and got an impromptu coaching session from Jemimah Rodrigues on how to ace the perfect cover drive. Deepti Sharma, Women's World Cup Player Of The Tournament, taught Vicky the art of bowling the perfect off-spin.

Now, it was Vicky's turn. The 37-year-old actor taught the members of the Indian women's cricket team - Harmanpreet, Jemimah, Deepti - and even coach Amol Muzumdar the steps of the hit number 'Tauba Tauba' from the movie Bad Newz.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NDTV (@ndtv)

That was not all. Jemimah, whose magical 127* helped India chase down a world-record 339-run target against Australia in the semi-final of the Women's World Cup, mesmerised the audience with her singing skills. Even coach Muzumdar joined in.

After a triumphant campaign in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, the Indian women's team will return to action with a five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka Women, starting on Sunday (Dec 21) in Visakhapatnam. The core group that lifted the ODI World Cup trophy in Navi Mumbai last month will feature in the T20I squad.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/mJr2EYx
via IFTTT

Radhika Apte Recalls Missing Shah Rukh Khan's Call Thinking It's A Prank

Radhika Apte is currently basking in the success of Saali Mohabbat, which released on OTT a while ago. In a recent conversation, the actress recalled how she had once missed a call from Shah Rukh Khan. Though she first thought it was a prank, she later realised it wasn't and called him back.

What's Happening

• Radhika Apte opened up about how Shah Rukh Khan once called her to applaud her performance in the 2018 film Andhadhun.
• She told Mashable India, "Hum khaana kha rahe the. Toh mujhe missed call tha koi. Maine kaha koi missed call hai dekhte hain. Uske baad message aaya uss hi number se, 'Radhika, this is Shah Rukh Khan. Please call me back'" (We were having food when I noticed a missed call. So I said there's a missed call; let's check. After that, a message came from the same number: 'Radhika, this is Shah Rukh Khan; please call me back').
• After confirming with her agent that it was indeed Shah Rukh Khan's number, she called him back.
• The actress continued, "Woh bole ki, 'I just want to tell you ki I saw Andhadhun. I really loved your performance. Aur main sirf yeh bolne ke liye phone kiya tha'" (He said, 'I just wanted to tell you that I saw Andhadhun. I really loved your performance, and I called only to say that').
• Furthermore, Radhika revealed how she had met Shah Rukh Khan at a party, and he had walked up to her and chatted with her.
• She said, "He found me because I don't like to go and say, 'Please, I like you.' So he came to me, put his arm around me, and chatted with me for half an hour. And he was so sweet. It was really nice."

About Radhika Apte's Latest Release Saali Mohabbat

Saali Mohabbat is a drama-thriller set against the backdrop of a quaint small town. The story unravels when an ordinary housewife finds her monotonous life uprooted as betrayal, lies, and hidden tensions surface after two disturbing deaths disrupt the delicate balance around her.

Alongside Radhika Apte, Sauraseni Maitra, Divyendu Sharma, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Anurag Kashyap also play key roles in the film. It is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Dinesh Malhotra, Vipin Agnihotri, and Manish Malhotra.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/xN0BI1D
via IFTTT

Why India's Middle Class Can't Buy Homes, Even With Higher Salaries

Many middle-class Indians today are finding it harder than ever to buy homes, not because they earn too little, but because asset prices have far outpaced salary growth over the past few decades.

Akshat Shrivastava, a hedge fund manager and founder of financial education platform Wisdom Hatch, compares a Rs 3,500 monthly salary in 1990 to today's median salary of Rs 27,000-Rs 29,400. 

On the surface, that looks like growth. But adjusted for 6% annual inflation, Rs 3,500 in 1990 holds roughly the same purchasing power as Rs 27,000 today.

That, Shrivastava argues, is the root of the issue: while salaries have generally kept pace with inflation, they haven't matched the pace of asset price growth, especially in real estate. "While the salaries are compounding very slowly in India, the asset prices: houses, land, gold, stocks have been growing at a much faster rate," he wrote.

He calls this trend asset price appreciation, and notes that it's eroding the middle class's ability to achieve traditional financial goals, particularly homeownership.

The data backs this up. According to NoBroker and PwC, house prices in India's top metros: Mumbai, Delhi, and parts of Bengaluru have grown at 10-11% annually between 2000 and 2020. Nationally, average house-price growth has been closer to 6% per year, with significant regional variation.

Incomes haven't kept pace. India's nominal per-capita GDP rose from around USD 1,450 in 2013 to USD 2,256 in 2023-a growth rate of 4-5% annually in dollar terms. While rupee-based income growth is slightly higher, it still trails the double-digit property price inflation seen in many Tier-1 cities.

Shrivastava traces part of the issue to post-2008 changes in global finance. Debt became more accessible, and consumer borrowing surged. "Debt is encouraged," he noted, pointing out that many of India's leading fintech startups have moved into lending as a core business.

"When people take more debt and trade an asset more, the price amplifies further," he explained. As more buyers enter the market with borrowed funds, prices inflate even further, worsening affordability.

"People who get this are amplifying their wealth. People who don't, keep questioning why the prices of everything keeps going up," he added.

While the trend isn't uniform across India or over time, in most urban centres, especially metros, the gap between what people earn and what homes cost has grown steadily, reshaping what financial stability looks like for the middle class.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/joB7iNe
via IFTTT

Indian Armed Forces Are NDTV Indian Of The Year 2025

Following a phenomenal display of valour, coordination and pinpoint precision during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces have been named NDTV's Indian Of The Year for 2025. 

In May, the Armed Forces struck terror bases in at least nine locations in Pakistan - including the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur - as part of the Operation, which was a response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed.

Pakistan responded by attempting to attack Indian military installations and civilian locations by launching drones and missiles on three successive days, but was thwarted by India's air defence systems. The Indian Armed Forces, in turn, first took out some of Pakistan's air defence systems, including in Lahore, and then struck key military bases like the all-important Nur Khan airbase, also known as the Chaklala airbase.

Pakistan then sought a ceasefire and India agreed to a pause in hostilities. 

As NDTV presented the armed forces with the honour, on stage were Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Vir Chakra Awardees Colonel Koshank Lamba, Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, Naib Subedar Satish Kumar, Group Captain Manish Arora, Group Captain Kunal Kalra and Wing Commander Joy Chandra, and Nao Sena Medal gallantry awardee Commander Saurabh Kumar.

Air Marshal Dixit said the jointness of the services really took off after the Chief of Defence Staff was appointed. "In the last three to four years, we have worked very hard to achieve this jointness, and the result is in front of you. Jointness is not a slogan, it involves a lot of planning, taking action together and taking responsibility together. Communication, control of the escalation ladder... we have now learnt to do all of these things together. We have seen a small example, and we will see many more in the years to come," he said.

The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff said India's self-reliance was also on display during Operation Sindoor in terms of air defence systems and missiles. 

Calm Before The Storm

Asked about his most memorable moments from the Operation, Colonel Koshank Lamba said he remembered the time just before it was launched.

"There was an eerie calm, which was a calm just before the storm we were about to unleash. In that moment, when I spoke to my men. I was thinking I would probably find fear or confusion or apprehension, but I saw a lot of 'josh', a lot of confidence, and I saw a fire. That was the fire we unleashed," he said. 

Naib Subedar Satish Kumar said he faced his biggest challenge during Operation Sindoor when his mortar position was fired upon by two enemy mortar positions.

"Engaging two targets from one mortar position is very difficult, but I had four mortars, which I used to target both - two on each... Then I fired illumination and smoke rounds on three posts, which caused a fire across a 300-400-metre area and 30-35 mine blasts," he recounted.

'Begging For Mercy'

Group Captain Manish Arora said he was struck by how young men and women in his unit were raring to go. "That day, the room was slightly different. There was a calmness and stillness to them. When we looked each other in the eyes, we knew we were the answer to the tears of the 26 families who lost their loved ones (in the Pahalgam attack)... After four days of intense conflict, the enemy was on all fours, begging for mercy. It was a perfect display of professionalism and willpower," he said.

Group Captain Kunal Kalra said his proudest moment during Operation Sindoor was when his weapons left his aircraft and he saw them zoning in on the targets. "These weapons were carrying the nation's hope and prayers."

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/bQAEozO
via IFTTT

Sydney Shooter Underwent Training On 'How To Hunt' At Gun Club For 5 Years

Naveed Akram, the younger of the two shooters who killed 15 people on Sydney's Bondi Beach, took training at a shooting club in "firearms safety" and "how to hunt". The president of the club, Vanja Kuzet told a Serbian publication that Akram had attended the club five years ago.

Speaking to Blic, Kuzet said that Akram came for "safety training, i.e., how to hunt in New South Wales" and added, "We neither support nor associate with such crimes, and it is terrible what happened."

The club was situated about 50 kilometres from Bondi, and Kuzet said that it was a "hunting association" that held gatherings and social events.

Naveed Akram, 24, along with his father, Sajid Akram, 50, slaughtered 15 people on Sunday in an antisemitic mass shooting targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, and more than 20 other people are still being treated in hospitals. All of those killed by the gunmen who have been identified so far were Jewish.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a sweeping crackdown to banish the "evil of antisemitism from our society". 

"It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge," he told reporters.

This included new powers to target extremist preachers and to refuse or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division.

The news that the suspects were apparently inspired by the Islamic State group provoked more questions about whether Australia's government had done enough to stem hate-fuelled crimes, especially directed at Jews. In Sydney and Melbourne, where 85% of Australia's Jewish population lives, a wave of antisemitic attacks has been recorded in the past year.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/2lUj9WV
via IFTTT