Anurag Kashyap's Barfi!, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz, is India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Courtesy UTV Motion Pictures
Anurag Kashyap's Barfi!, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz, is India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Courtesy UTV Motion Pictures

Barfi! is India's official entry to the Oscars



Barfi! is India's official entry to the Oscars

Anurag Basu's Barfi!, a tale about love between a deaf-mute boy and an autistic girl, has been chosen as India's official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. "We are honoured. It gives us great satisfaction that a film we have nurtured from its inception has met with so much love from audiences and critics worldwide," said Siddharth Roy Kapur, the producer, in a statement. The film's lead actress Priyanka Chopra said: "This film was a labour of love for all of us and to see it receive such success is gratifying. This has been the toughest role of my life and to see everyone loving it is a dream come true." Only three Bollywood films have made it to the nomination stage of the Oscars: Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (2001).

Ravi Babu goes from thriller to comedy

The actor and director Ravi Babu premiered his latest film, the thriller Avunu, on Friday, and says he's already busy working on his next project, which happens to be lighthearted entertainment. "Avunu was a horror film. This next one will be entirely different - it's something for the whole family, a comedy. I have to sit down and work on the script now," said Babu. Avunu is his third consecutive thriller after Anasuya (2007) and Amaravathi (2009). * IANS

Uday Chopra injured but continues shoot

The actor Uday Chopra injured his foot last week on the set of his new film Dhoom 3: Back in Action. "I fractured my foot trying to do a stunt. I guess I should leave the stunts to the stunt men," Chopra told reporters on the sets. "There are eight more weeks of shooting to go and the film cannot be delayed because of this minor injury. Painkillers were invented for this very reason," he added, laughing. Dhoom 3 is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and stars Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Abhishek Bachchan. It will be released in India early next year. * IANS

Film introduces Slovenia to Bollywood

The Swiss Alps, the Scottish Highlands, British castles and Spanish beaches – these breathtaking European destinations have long fascinated Indian filmmakers. Now it's Slovenia, a tiny land nestled in central Europe with a population of a little more than two million, and the first film to introduce the country to Indian cinema is the Telugu film Nayak. The filmmaker VV Vinayak, along with the lead actors Ram Charan and Kajal Agrawal, last week shot song sequences in Slovenia's locales. The stunning environs of the Postojna caves, the medieval coastal town of Piran and the alpine resort town of Bled were the backdrops for the actors's dance moves. "I am very pleased that India has finally discovered Slovenia. It's time for Indian cinema to showcase the country," said Janez Fajfar, the mayor of Bled. * IANS

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Kamindu Mendis bio

Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis

Born: September 30, 1998

Age: 20 years and 26 days

Nationality: Sri Lankan

Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team

Batting style: Left-hander

Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: SimpliFi

Started: August 2021

Founder: Ali Sattar

Based: UAE

Industry: Finance, technology

Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals

Company%20profile
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Scoreline

Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17

Jebel Ali Dragons 20

Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson

Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2

Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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MATCH INFO

World Cup qualifier

Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')

UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

SERIE A FIXTURES

Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)

Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)

Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)

65
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4