Arjun Kanungo opens up on acting in Salman Khan's 'Radhe'

by Argus News

New Delhi, March 16: Arjun Kanungo made his mark as a singer-songwriter, and now the 30-year-old is all excited to prove his mettle as an actor -- that too in a Salman Khan biggie. Arjun will be seen in the Bollywood superstar's Eid release of the year, "Radhe".

"I am still nervous," he laughs, and adds: "The film is done I am still nervous. It was much more difficult than I imagined it to be, and I remember I was very nervous on the first day. Even thinking about it makes me nervous right now. But I have to say Salman (Khan) sir and (director) Prabhudeva sir were very encouraging. They helped me a lot. Everyone has been complimenting me, but I am nervous."

The jitters are natural since, as Kanungo points out, "there's this whole pre-conceived notion that singers don't make good actors".

"I am nervous to see how the audience will react and if they will support my acting career. I want to see if the audience will get over that bias," he tells media..

It's not like Kanungo decided to pursue acting after becoming a popular singer-songwriter. "Acting has always been on the cards, but because of music, it had taken a backseat," he says talking about a year-long acting course he took at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, roughly seven years back.

"Around 2012-13, I was very frustrated with my music, in the sense I felt like it was taking me nowhere. So I decided to take a break and learn acting. I was there for a year, till 2014, and they are famous for method acting. It was a pretty intense course, but I loved learning and being a part of it," he says.

"When I came back to India, I was doing what every other aspiring actor does -- make a list of casting directors, and then start approaching them for work. But, right around that time, a few of my covers on YouTube had done really well and I was approached by Sony Music to sign with them as an artiste. At that time, I jumped on to it because being signed by such a big label was a huge opportunity," he adds.

So, apart from a handful of short films and apperances in music videos of his songs, Kanungo wasn't able to prove his worth as an actor.

Then in 2019, he got a call that might change his life.

"It was Salman sir who called me and wanted me to act. He called me to his house in the middle of the night, and I remember Prabhu sir was there. It was just an incredible feeling to be there and work on a project like this with such big names attached to it," he says.

Now, despite the fact that the film got delayed by almost a year and a half because of the pandemic, which Kanungo admits "was extremely frustrating", he hopes that the delay is worth the wait.

"I am excited to see it on a big screen, and really excited to know how the audience reacts. The entire experience was hectic, but I really enjoyed being a part of it," he says hoping, quite obviously, that the film opens up him opportunities as an actor.

"I am definitely going to pursue acting with focus now. I don't think in today's day and age it is going to be difficult to balance a career in music and acting. I think, there are plenty of examples, like Diljit (Dosanjh), who has proven that it can be done. At the end of the day, everything is challenging, but that does not mean it cannot be done. If you need to do something, you will always find a way," he signs off.

(IANS)

Education Ministry, Fifa To Make Football More Accessible To Both Boys And Girls

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

New Delhi, Oct 2: The Ministry of Education (MoE) is being supported by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the implementation of Football for Schools (F4S), an ambitious programme run by the sport's world governing body FIFA, in the country.

A two-day capacity-building master training programme in this regard was organised by FIFA as a part of the F4S at Sambalpur in Odisha on Monday, in which 95 physical education teachers/trainees from different states/UTs, KVS, NVS and AIFF participated, an MoE official said.

Two more such training programmes will be organised in Pune and Bengaluru on October 5 and 6, respectively, where around 200 (100 in each venue) participants will be joining. These teachers/trainees will then be considered as the master trainers at the state level.

An MoU for this was signed between the Ministry of Education, AIFF and FIFA on October 30, 2022. Accordingly, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya was chosen as the modal organisation by the Ministry for the purpose.

Read More Sports News

The programme entails empowering the government schools across the country by resourcing them with 11.15 lakh footballs. F4S aims to contribute to the education, development, and empowerment of around 700 million children, as it seeks to make football more accessible to both boys and girls around the world by incorporating football activities into the education system, in partnership with the relevant authorities and stakeholders.

(IANS)

Arunachal CM Celebrates Gandhi Jayanti With Jawans Along LAC With China

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Itanagar, Oct 2: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday celebrated Gandhi Jayanti with the jawans of Indian Army and ITBP at Mago, India’s first village along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that such a large gathering of armymen and civilians near the LAC is being held for the first time.

Speaking on the improved road connectivity in the forward areas, Khandu said the completion of the 18 km Mago-Thingbu hydel road has come as a big relief for the locals and defence personnel.

Earlier, it took almost two days to reach Mago from Tawang. But now with completion of the road, it takes less than an hour on wheel, Khandu said.

The Chief Minister also thanked the Central government for the PMGSY project and the Ministry of Home Affairs for enabling road connectivity to Mago village.

He also said by the end of this year, the entire stretch of road will be blacktopped.

Speaking on civil-military bonhomie, Khandu said Tawang has set the best example in the country as he hoped that such ties will help in realising the vision of the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP).

He said to realise the vision of VVP, a village needs to be provided first with basic facilities such as light, road and water connectivity. And for economic sustainability, emphasis should be on income generating activities such as tourism.

With completion of the road, the Chief Minister hoped that Mago will soon see a flow of tourists as the place is popular for its hot springs and scenic beauty.

Also during his tour of the forward areas in Mago, which falls under his constituency, the Chief Minister held a meeting separately with the villagers.

The celebration held near the LAC was attended by hundreds of defence personnel, local villagers and was joined by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, MP Tapir Gao, Sports Minister Mama Natung, MLAs Tsering Tashi and Nyato Dukam, and Lt Gen Manish Erry, GoC, Gajraj Corps.

A cultural show was organised during the event, with Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda also joining in the celebrations.

(IANS)

Union Minister Pradhan Meets Odisha Students In Delhi, Expresses Happiness

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bhubaneswar, Oct 2: Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday met some Odisha students in New Delhi.

The students visited the Parliament as a part of the Know Your Leader programme.

"Met bright and talented students from Odisha who are on a visit to the Parliament as a part of the Know Your Leader Programme," Pradhan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He added, "Great to learn about their enriching experiences of visiting our ‘temple of democracy’ and knowing more about our democratic journey. The #AmritPeedhi takes great pride in our culture, traditions, history and civilizational values."

Met bright and talented students from Odisha who are on a visit to the Parliament as a part of the Know Your Leader Programme.

Great to learn about their enriching experiences of visiting our ‘temple of democracy’ and knowing more about our democratic journey. The #AmritPeedhi… pic.twitter.com/tkWSTbHyI1 — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) October 2, 2023

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Arjun Kanungo opens up on acting in Salman Khan's 'Radhe'

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