NL Hafta

कर्नाटक में चुनाव नतीजों के बाद जारी दांव-पेंच, सुनंदा पुष्कर की मौत में शशि थरूर का पुलिस चार्जशीट में नाम, बनारस में फ्लाईओवर ढहना, गुड़गांव में सार्वजनिक स्थल पर नमाज़ के खिलाफ हिंदुत्वादी समूहों का विरोध, असम का नेशनल रजिस्टर सिटीजन बिल व अन्य मुद्दे इस हफ्ते चर्चा के प्रमुख विषय रहे.चर्चा के विशिष्ट अतिथि रहे वरिष्ठ पत्रकार उर्मिलेश, ओपिनियन राइटर आनंद वर्धन और न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री संवाददाता अमित भारद्वाज. कार्यक्रम का संचालन न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के कार्यकारी संपादक अतुल चौरसिया ने किया. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s NL Hafta, Abhinandan is joined by Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal and guest Ajoy Ashirwad, Deputy Editor at The Wire. Journalist TS Sudhir from India Today joins the panel on the phone to discuss the Karnataka results.The talk kicks off with the elections, with Sudhir sharing the possible political manoeuvrings that can be adopted by the BJP to prove its majority in the Assembly. Enumerating on the vulnerable spots in the JD(S) and Congress, he says: “Caste and Cash, these are the two things that are being used to kind of ensure a majority for the BJP government.” Abhinandan brings in the Karnataka governor’s decision to call the BJP first to form the government. Madhu weighs in with a pertinent reference to 1996. The Suresh Mehta-led government in Gujarat, under which the present Karnataka governor held a cabinet portfolio, was dismissed by then Prime Minister Deve Gowda. She remarks, “So, this was his Karmic chance.” Ajoy says: “The governor was facing a kind of complicated situation where he had to choose between constitutional responsibility and party loyalty, and we know what he chose now.” On the matter of “horse-trading” of MLAs, Abhinandan comments: “One thing it definitely shows is that our democracy is very immature.” He adds: “For one, something like this happens… and no reporter is out there who will question the MLAs who flipped! Why did you flip? What were the specifics?” Abhinanadan wonders about the possibility of turncoats being re-elected. Sudhir says it depends on the constituency, for instance in places like Ballari ‘muscle power’ can be used to ensure no formidable candidate stands against them.The panel also discusses the ‘supremacy’ of certain individuals and groups that still persists, despite the system discouraging discrimination. Talking about whataboutery, which has become the trend nowadays, Abhinandan weighs in by saying: “This whataboutery has just become the default setting of not just politicians but every journalist in the country.” Madhu adds: “They don’t have any credibility at all. I think we’ve come full circle on that.”Raman points out that “we've hit the bottom already. If you check the TRPs… people have stopped watching TV”.Adding to this, Madhu talks about the ban on Republic TV in a chain of hotels because of the thought process of the owner.Talking about Smriti Irani and the recent cabinet reshuffle, Abhinandan asks: “Why do you think she was asked to go?” Madhu responds: “I will really miss her. She’s very articulate, she’s very well dressed… I don’t think any of the things she’s done, they weren’t done by herself alone. They were done with the PMO’s knowledge and approval. The government has its eye on the 2019 elections.”Raman agrees, saying “she used to pick up fights and creates controversy… the government doesn’t want it, very simple.” Ajoy adds that “all the controversies she created actually worked out to the advantage of the BJP."Abhinandan updates the panel by reading a report on News18. "Security to be withdrawn from the resort where all MLAs are staying - they’re being moved to Punjab or Kerala." To this, Madhu asks, “Why has he chosen Punjab and Kerala?” Abhinandan points out that there is a non-BJP government there. He jokingly asks Ajoy: “Would you say Odisha’s biggest contribution to the country has been Sambit Patra?” Ajoy in his reply highlights the stereotypes and adds: “Why would I say that… He represents the Odiya face in Delhi. Not the food or dance forms and diverse cultures.”The panel talks about Patra’s crassness that is conspicuous in his verbal and online communication. Abhinandan feels that “he is just a very vile man” while Madhu says “he is very entertaining”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode where Abhinandan is joined by Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal, guest Ajoy Ashirwad, Deputy Editor at The Wire, and journalist TS Sudhir on the phone to discuss the Karnataka drama, West Bengal polls, Smriti Irani, Sambit Patra and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a full in-house panel for this episode of Reporters Without Orders. Apart from Rohin and Cherry, we have Nidhi joining us from Kashmir and Amit reporting from Bangalore. Amit, who is camped outside the Raj Bhavan, is giving the panel latest updates on the Karnataka verdict. Oh! he also has a warning for the listeners.Speaking to the panel, Amit says that the BJP was looking at forming the government until the afternoon, however, soon after, the prospects began to diminish. While the Governor has agreed to meet the Congress and JD(S) leaders between 5:30 and 6:00 in the evening, “as per the convention, the Governor should ideally give a chance to Yeddyurappa as the BJP is the single largest party", Amit tells the panel.Amit also shares that the JD(S) supporters were wearing t-shirts with 'E Sala Cup Namde' which means, “this time the cup is ours”. Amit says, “This was their very famous and successful social media campaign where they claimed that this time Vidhana Soudha (Sabha) trophy is ours.”  When Cherry asks Amit if JD(S) would play the kingmaker’s role, Amit responds, “It is not playing the kingmaker’s role but it is the king right now!”Nidhi also chips in on the Karnataka conundrum and how Kerala Tourism saw an opportunity in all this. On May 15, amidst the thrill of minute-to-minute political/electoral updates, Kerala Tourism tweeted out an invitation "to all MLAs to unwind at the safe and beautiful resorts of God's own country." Speaking of which, Nidhi tells that panel that the tweet also pointed to a strategy practised by parties to prevent horse-trading of leaders elected to the Legislative Assembly.Nidhi tells the panel that a news piece that was under-reported was the arrests made in the case of the murder of a 15-year-old girl in Ghaziabad that happened in December 2017. The Crime Branch of Ghaziabad police has arrested five people, including the father-son duo, who hatched the plot to kill the girl. Sharing the details of the case, Nidhi adds, “To ensure that she was dead, they drove over her body and then eventually dumped her in a field!”Nidhi says that since then the DSP in-charge of the case has been transferred, the police station in-charge has been suspended for neglecting his duties. Despite this, the news did not find enough space, apparently, because it does not involve any political leader.Rohin speaks about the murder of Bhim Army’s leader’s brother, Sachin Walia, which took place in Saharanpur. He points out that Walia was shot on the day when preparations for Maharana Pratap's Jayanti were being made. He also finds various inconsistencies in the police investigation that indicate that the police had foreknowledge of the mishappening. Rohin says, “It’s interesting that the deceased receives a phone call from the Saharanpur SSP on the day of his death who asks him if he’s going to contest elections. And then they talk about the Maharana Pratap rally, a day celebrated by the Rajputs.” Rohin adds that the SSP makes a strange, grave statement, “Kisiko bhi ragadne ka yahi waqt hota hai (It’s an opportune moment to eliminate anyone.)"Rohin emphasises that such an event can have consequences as elections are near. Even the BSP is aware and apprehensive of the Bhim Army. He adds that this is an important political development with serious implications as Bhim Army led by Chandrashekhar is a big force in the state politics.Cherry speaks about media's recent coverage. She says that the Karnataka elections overshadowed a lot of news pieces, including the namaz row in Haryana. Rohin also speaks about four high-profile weddings and the confusion created by Dainik Jagran's reportage. All this and more in this episode of Reporters Without Orders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raazi's director Meghna Gulzar shares the challenges she faced during her latest shoot. Gulzar also talks about Kashmir, nepotism in the film industry and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s Awful and Awesome episode with Rajyasree is loaded with entertainment and a little bit of gossip. Abhinandan and Rajyasree talk about Raazi, Mother’s Day ads, and Rajyasree talks to Abhinandan about the celebrity wedding and engagement that flooded everyone’s social media feed, and lots more.The podcast starts with Abhinandan interviewing Meghna Gulzar, where she talks about her new film as a Director and Writer, Raazi. On being asked about the kind of positive reviews the film is getting and does it matter to her, Meghna says: "They will never not matter because you’re creating something to put out there for the people to opine on. That opinion will always be relevant and important. So yes, it is overwhelming because there’s been complete approval across the board barring one or two here and there. The numbers, the way the film is performing at the theatre, are still really growing so there’s a word of mouth. There’s an acceptance from the people. Then you come across messages which people are sending and forwarding, which say we were watching it in this theatre, the audience stood up and clapped at the end. That is my biggest payoff."Then she goes on to talk about her first film Filhaal, problems during the shoot of Raazi, nepotism and more.Abhinandan and Rajyasree then discuss the film that stars Alia Bhatt. While Rajyasree says “I didn’t think Alia acted well”, she also adds, “All the actors were very well cast… I just find it really nice that a mother and daughter played a mother and daughter on celluloid also”.Abhinandan, in agreement with Rajyasree, says, “All the reviews had built it up so much for me” and adds that “I really liked its politics… it kept me hooked throughout”. Rajyasree shares trivia about Hansal Mehta’s films Shahid and Omerta before moving on to the trailer of The Spy Who Dumped Me. Abhinandan comments on it, saying “very ordinary trailer… montage of funny moments”. However, he acknowledges that the movie has a “spectacular cast”, the kind that “will pull you in the cinema”.The Susanna Fogel movie starring Mila Kunis, Justin Theroux and Hasan Minhaj among others will definitely be “very funny”, according to Rajyasree.Chef Vikas Khanna makes his directorial debut with the film The Last Colour, starring Nina Gupta. Rajyasree says “the plot revolves around the Supreme Court order against the age-old tradition of not allowing widows in Vrindavan to play Holi”, which was apparently not obvious in the trailer. She feels the trailer was more of an ad for “Exotic India” and the movie is “highly avoidable”. Abhinandan says the “film is going to be below average”.Rajyasree talks about the “weddings we virtually attended” - of Sonam Kapoor with Anand Ahuja and the engagement of Isha Ambani to the “Piramal boy”. Rajyasree talks about the “romantic” engagement in the temple and Abhinandan talks about how these weddings and engagements went viral on social media.“Every third thing on that day was ‘watch the viral video of Nita Ambani dancing’,” he says. Mother’s Day celebrations catch Rajyasree and Abhinandan’s attention, with ads released by Mother Dairy and Kotak Silk. Rajyasree feels the first ad has a “nice concept” focusing on not just the mother, but “a galaxy of women that bring you up”. Abhinandan, however, calls it “too goody, goody nice acting”.Rajyasree confirms “they are very loving, these mothers I have to say… nobody has a natural reaction”. Abhinandan adds “there should be some reality to these ads”.The Google Assistant ad is the last on the agenda. Rajyasree talks about what is happening and “technology which makes you think you’re talking to a human” and how this feature may be the “beginning of the end of humanity”. Abhinandan agrees and says, “artificial intelligence has gone to a different level”. Lastly, they discuss RJ Naved’s latest prank and what's funny and what's not funny with such pranks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

अपरिहार्य कारणों से इस हफ्ते न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री चर्चा रिकॉर्ड नहीं हो सकी. इसका हमें खेद है. इस बार हम कर्नाटक चुनाव पर पिछले हफ्ते की एन एल चर्चा में हुई विस्तृत बातचीत का अंश पेश कर रहे हैं, इस वादे के साथ कि अगले हफ्ते फिर से एक नई चर्चा के साथ हम अपने श्रोताओं, शुभचिंतकों के साथ होंगे. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s NL Hafta, Abhinandan is joined by Anand Vardhan and Raman Kirpal, with Manisha joining in on the phone from Bangalore.The discussion is kicked off with the Karnataka elections, with Manisha weighing in on the scenario at the local level, saying that the Mandya district held strong support for Kumaraswamy. Talking about the massive coverage of the elections, Anand attributes it to the proliferation of media, and the resulting “over-coverage” of certain issues, adding that it leads to exchange and oversupply of narratives. Raman asserts that he is sure the 2019 elections will see Rajasthan or UP being the deciding factor.The panel has a good laugh as Manisha reveals that BJP leaders like Sambit Patra are doing road shows in order to garner support. She brings the topic to a close, saying that multiple narratives exist in Karnataka with regard to the elections and it is difficult to single out just one.Abhinandan then brings up the recent case in Gurgaon, when there were protests against people offering namaz on the streets. Abhinandan finds it unnecessary and Anand agrees, adding: “The state government had no business making a statement on this issue.”While acknowledging the availability of separate spaces for offering namaz at hospitals and airports, Raman says there have been “no formal complaints in the past”. Manisha concludes the topic by adding: “It’s got nothing to do with obstruction. This crackdown is about religion and showing Muslims their place.”Anand brings up a “news which didn’t gather much attention” in the media, in which a Dalit funeral procession was stopped from going through a Muslim area in Tamil Nadu. Raman feels there is no connection between this and the namaz incident in Gurgaon. Abhinandan brushes off the topic by adding: “A Khattar equivalent is not there.”The “Angry Hanuman” sticker at the back of the cabs caught the panel’s attention. Abhinandan feels it is “used as a symbol of identity”. Anand seems in disagreement over the conspiracy theory behind “Angry Hanuman” and says “you need to have a preconceived notion to see it like that”. Manisha, who is in the ‘Land of Angry Hanuman’, talks about Ram Sena in Karnataka using the photo “as a propaganda”. Abhinandan says the ‘angry’ face is not of relevance to him, but the way it is being used is a matter of debate.The “sheer contempt on the Centre’s delay” over transferring the water of the Cauvery in Karnataka takes the next spot on the agenda. Manisha and Abhinandan feel it is an issue that is rather less discussed in the Karnataka election campaign. On the Iran nuclear deal, Anand feels “Mr Trump has unexpectedly delivered not badly on foreign policy” while walking out of the deal. Raman applauds Iran for the way the Iranian President “handled it really well”. Abhinandan adds: “Trump likes to cock a snook or show a middle finger to what you’d call the presidential way (of) decision-making… he thrives on that”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s Just Sports comes to a full package of cricket and football trivia. With the English Premier League and the IPL on, Samar and Rahul just cannot seem to stop talking about anything else!“Few unusual choices made” by the Indian cricket team that’s been selected for England. Samar says “Ambati Rayudu is a strange choice because it’s just been the IPL, he has performed… you dropped Rahane because he has not performed in the IPL”.Rahul expresses his skepticism and says, “It’s where he has come back, what I find strange… Having the IPL of his life but he is not in the T20s”.  Rahul seems not very happy about Rayudu’s absence from the Indian team. Samar particularly thinks “if it’s a T20 team, players that play well in the IPL should be there”.Virat Kohli not playing the Afghanistan test series is another bone of contention in the sports world. Rahul feels: “It’s a tough one, you feel bad for Afghanistan” for not playing with the best that the Indian cricket team has to offer. Samar points out his disappointment over Kohli and adds, “He has not performed well in England”.With the IPL coming closer to its end, Samar remains unsurprised by Mumbai gaining sudden resurgence. He feels CSK and Sunrisers are “pretty much assured in the top four”.The relegation battles at the English Premier League grounds take the spotlight. Samar says, “Swansea might just get relegated, South Hampton can still go down”. Rahul feels that South Hampton remains “effectively safe”. More conversation on the teams that are being pulled in the relegation battle and “big clubs gown down”. Rahul dwells more on “there is no such thing as ‘safe manager’”.Samar celebrates the “invincible” FC Barcelona in the Spanish Premier League. Rahul feels, “They’re not particularly a great Barcelona side”. He mentions how the results of this year are a reflection of how poorly the other teams have played, “particularly Real Madrid”. Samar feels, “They’re not the best Barcelona team”. Rahul brushes off their win and adds, “At the end of the day, history is history and it’s a fabulous landmark for Barcelona…. a lot is riding on the world cup”.Get well soon wishes to Sir Alex Ferguson for a ‘speedy recovery’ mark the end of the agenda for the day. Samar discusses the beauty of football beyond the field while talking about the wishes received by Sir Alex from his team and other football players. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s Awful and Awesome episode ends the trauma of having “nothing good to watch or read”.Abhinandan’s favourite actress, Madhuri Dixit, takes the spotlight with the trailer of her upcoming Marathi film Bucket List. While Rajyasree says “she’s pretty much playing her age… her face moves”, Abhinandan comments on the issue of "dramatic" acting by “80s’ actresses when they act in 2018” and also says “this trailer is a really good trailer… although it seems like a regular, feel-good film, the plot seems interesting. There seem to be some really good humour points”.Rajyasree doesn't seem too impressed by Veere Di Wedding starring Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania. Abhinandan says “it seems like a more fun version of Angry Indian Goddesses”. He talks about the “first-half comedy and second-half tragedy” approach used in Bollywood. Rajyasree talks more about Bollywood “moving away from the stereotype of portraying leading women as ‘good girls’”.Rajyasree gushes over Saif Ali Khan in his upcoming Netflix TV series Sacred Games, based on the book by Vikram Chandra “Not from NDTV, to be clear”. The story revolves around the two characters from the Bombay underworld and the Maharashtra Police.Next on the agenda is the Rajkumar Rao-starrer Omerta, in which the actor plays the criminal mastermind behind several major terrorist attacks around the world - Omar Sheikh. Abhinandan praises the works of director Hansal Mehta and Anurag Kashyap, but says, “kept (the movie) me hooked… it was really flat but wouldn’t want anyone else making it". Rajyasree feels Omerta is worth watching simply because Sheikh's is an “interesting ‘life”.Avengers: Infinity Wars makes it to this episode, having clocked a billion dollars in its opening week. While the world is going crazy over the movie, Abhinandan says it's “not my favourite”. Moving on to the world of literature, Rajyasree discusses the sexual harassment charges against author Junot Diaz. Rajyasree talks about the #MeToo movement and how it has helped people gather the courage to speak up. Abhinandan comments on how the “Nobel Literature Prize will not be given this year because of similar reasons”.Finally, Priyanka Chopra makes the news of the day with her comments on the controversy around the character “Apu" from The Simpsons. The controversy was triggered by a documentary released by Hari Kondavola addressing the issue.Rajyasree says: “Priyanka Chopra is doing the rounds of the talk shows and so on” for her upcoming season of Quantico. She talks about the actress coming from a privileged background and feels “her trauma is something I have not been able to wrap my head around".Abhinandan dwells more on stereotypes reinforced in Bollywood and the extent of political correctness. And then comes the advice that everyone should take into consideration – “If you’re so offended by Apu, then get a life”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.