Actor Suniel Shetty believes sports is important to instil confidence in children.

Suniel, who is the captain of the Mumbai Heroes cricket team in the Celebrity Cricket League, attended the first season of "Box Bowl Out X" underarm cricket series organised by Zeeshan Siddique here on Saturday.

"I think a sport is the only thing which instils confidence in children. If you see, the real hero in schools is someone who is related to a sport. I think when you play a sport, you are treated like a hero. So, it's very important to encourage sports in our country," the actor said.

"If you see ‘Khelo India' campaign, we are making an effort to bring talent from smaller cities and villages. Emergence of M.S. Dhoni has proven to the world that if you have talent, then you can perform on any platform. These are the platforms where you can find new talent. It's an amazing league," he added.

Talking about the first season of "Box Bowl Out X" underarm cricket series, he said: "It reminded me of my childhood days. I never imagined there would be a competition of this level because when you visit sports countries like New Zealand and Australia where you see their grounds and their kids playing in uniforms, it feels amazing.

"So I think Zeeshan managed something that is unreal. Seeing the kind of teams and number of enthusiasts here, I think it's unbelievable."

Suniel, who did a film titled ANNARTH with former cricketer Vinod Kambli, said: "It's a difficult format (underarm) to play. I remember when I did a film with Vinod Kambli, that time I used to bowl him out in each lunch break while playing underarm cricket.

"You are not easily able to understand the pace and movement of the ball in underarm cricket because bowlers bowl here with small run-ups and they manage to spin the ball either way so, I think underarm cricket has given birth to some of the finest players…"

Actress Deepika Padukone, who won the Entertainer of the Year honour at the Hello Hall of Fame Awards, says fame is not that important to her.

The PADMAAVAT star attended the awards event in a stylish white ensemble here on Sunday.

Deepika told media persons: "I won't say fame is all that important for me, but I would definitely like to say that the kind of industry I am working in and the kind of work that I am doing, so money and fame are a part of what I do, and I can't ignore it.

"I don't think you can ignore the fame and the attention. It is the by-product of the work that I do. I love my work. In the last ten years, the work that I have done… I got so much to learn and I have enjoyed my work. And in future, I hope that I keep on enjoying the work that I do."

She also spoke about her PIKU co-star Irrfan Khan, who has been diagnosed with a rare illness and has been missing from action since the last couple of weeks. She is to feature with him in a Vishal Bhardwaj movie.

"I think we should always pray for people and their good health. If his (Irrfan's) health is not best at this point, I think it is important for all of us to pray, not just for him, but for everyone.

"I always say a small little prayer for myself and everyone around. Yes, I think the last couple of weeks have been emotionally challenging, but yes, I think we all should say a little prayer," she said, adding that she has had some of her most special experiences as an actor with Irrfan.

"I think like he has requested that there are times when people need to be left alone for sometime and figure their lives out… We should respect the space they have requested for and hope for the best."

Deepika herself suffered aggravated pain in the neck. But she said she is well and there is nothing to worry about.

"All is good on the health front. I got so many wishes from fraternity and media. Things are back to normal and I will be starting my physiotherapy soon. There is nothing to worry about."

Actress Deepika Padukone, who won the Entertainer of the Year honour at the Hello Hall of Fame Awards, says fame is not that important to her.

The PADMAAVAT star attended the awards event in a stylish white ensemble here on Sunday.

Deepika told media persons: "I won't say fame is all that important for me, but I would definitely like to say that the kind of industry I am working in and the kind of work that I am doing, so money and fame are a part of what I do, and I can't ignore it.

"I don't think you can ignore the fame and the attention. It is the by-product of the work that I do. I love my work. In the last ten years, the work that I have done… I got so much to learn and I have enjoyed my work. And in future, I hope that I keep on enjoying the work that I do."

She also spoke about her PIKU co-star Irrfan Khan, who has been diagnosed with a rare illness and has been missing from action since the last couple of weeks. She is to feature with him in a Vishal Bhardwaj movie.

"I think we should always pray for people and their good health. If his (Irrfan's) health is not best at this point, I think it is important for all of us to pray, not just for him, but for everyone.

"I always say a small little prayer for myself and everyone around. Yes, I think the last couple of weeks have been emotionally challenging, but yes, I think we all should say a little prayer," she said, adding that she has had some of her most special experiences as an actor with Irrfan.

"I think like he has requested that there are times when people need to be left alone for sometime and figure their lives out… We should respect the space they have requested for and hope for the best."

Deepika herself suffered aggravated pain in the neck. But she said she is well and there is nothing to worry about.

"All is good on the health front. I got so many wishes from fraternity and media. Things are back to normal and I will be starting my physiotherapy soon. There is nothing to worry about."

Actor Ajay Devgn will soon be launching two Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) gyms here.

"Yes it has been my yearning to spread awareness on the power and profundity of MMA all over our country. I will be committed to launching MMA studios across Maharashtra," Ajay said in a statement.

Ajay is launching the gym as part of the second season of the ongoing "MTV Super Fight League".

"The youth is the future of our country and I want to make a difference if I can with this initiative. The kids of today need a lot of self discipline and I am confident that Super Fight League will create a vibrant sporting ecosystem in India enabling the youth across the nation to aspire," Ajay added.

Bill Dosanjh, founder and promoter of the Super Fight League, also shared: "We already have fully functional MMA gyms in New Delhi and Bengaluru and going forward we want greater celebrity involvement in the management of these gyms for brand recall. Most of our celebrity co-owners are quite enthused by the idea of grassroot penetration and cultivation of the sport. Our next pit stop is Mumbai."

Super Fight League, a mixed martial arts tournament, promoted by Dosanjh and British professional boxer Amir Khan, has seen celebrity support from co-owners like Ajay, Randeep Hooda, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arbaaz Khan and Tiger Shroff.

The legendary rock band Bon Jovi was honoured with the first-ever iHeartRadio Icon Award to celebrate their contributions to music during their 35-year career.

At the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday, the band performed classics like "It's My Life" and "You Give Love a Bad Name", reports people.com.

"I want to thank the three-and-half decades of fans that have been listening to Bon Jovi songs," frontman Jon Bon Jovi, 56, said during the band's acceptance speech.

"We've been at this game a long time and the only advice I'll tell this incredible generation of incredible talent is just stay true to who you are, and then they're going to make you guys icons too someday," he added.

It's been more than three decades, and Bon Jovi has sure held on to what they've got.

An award and a return to stage is not the only thing Bon Jovi is kicking off the year with.

The band, which will be inducted into the 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, recently released the second leg of their latest album "This House Is Not For Sale" with two new singles titled "When We Were Us" and "Walls".

The legendary rock band Bon Jovi was honoured with the first-ever iHeartRadio Icon Award to celebrate their contributions to music during their 35-year career.

At the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday, the band performed classics like "It's My Life" and "You Give Love a Bad Name", reports people.com.

"I want to thank the three-and-half decades of fans that have been listening to Bon Jovi songs," frontman Jon Bon Jovi, 56, said during the band's acceptance speech.

"We've been at this game a long time and the only advice I'll tell this incredible generation of incredible talent is just stay true to who you are, and then they're going to make you guys icons too someday," he added.

It's been more than three decades, and Bon Jovi has sure held on to what they've got.

An award and a return to stage is not the only thing Bon Jovi is kicking off the year with.

The band, which will be inducted into the 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, recently released the second leg of their latest album "This House Is Not For Sale" with two new singles titled "When We Were Us" and "Walls".

Amid calls for a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in the Hindi film industry, composer Vipin Patwa, who has worked with the neighbouring country's singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, says music has become global and talent is beyond nationality.

Last year, Patwa had to fight to keep Rahat's song "Rog jaane" in the film LAALI KI SHADI MEIN LADDOO DEEWANA. A year later, he is back with a collection of songs, some of which have been sung by Pakistani singers Atif and Javed Bashir. What makes him look for talent in Pakistan instead of India?

"We are living in 2018 and music has become global. Moreover, talent is beyond nationality. And let's not forget that be it music, story or casting of a film, all decisions are taken collectively by a number of people and not a single person," Patwa told IANS in an email interview.

In February, politician Babul Supriyo had asked for a ban on Pakistani artistes working in the Hindi film industry. He had also objected to the inclusion of Rahat Fateh's voice in the Bollywood film WELCOME TO NEW YORK.

Back in 2016, due to cross-border India-Pakistan tension, some Indian political outfits imposed a ban on Pakistanis. A few Pakistani theatres also pulled down Indian movies from their big screens.

The ban came after the September 18 terror attack that killed almost 20 Indian soldiers in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Does Patwa think it was a good decision to get Atif and Javed Bashir on board, especially after the producer of the film DAAS DEV said that Atif had refused to promote the song "Sehmi hai dhadkan"?

"Atif was taken on board because his voice was matching the character of the song. This decision was taken way before the controversy started. It's a coincidence that this controversy has started at the time of my music launch. Which artiste wouldn't want to promote his work? If Atif has taken this decision, there must be some reason behind it," said the composer.

Were there talks to remove their songs from the film?

"Removing an artiste from a song merely on the basis of some controversy is the worst and most disrespectful thing as it takes a lot of effort and pain to create a song. I had specially flown to Dubai just to record the song," he said.

Javed Bashir, on the other hand, had come to India almost two years ago.

"That is when I had recorded the song 'Tai toh utte' with him. It is a mere coincidence that I recorded with him and now his song is in the film (DAAS DEV) and is surrounded by controversy," said Patwa.

"The way the song by Atif got affected, it (controversy) may affect the song by Javed Bashir too. I hope for the best and would like the audience to decide," he said.

Music, he feels, has always worked as a bridge between nations.

"If my small efforts can bring two nations together, I would love to be a part of such projects. Moreover, I grew up listening to Nusrat sahab and Mehdi Hasan sahab. Can you ask people to stop listening to their songs? You can't because music is beyond boundaries," he said.

[By Natalia Ningthoujam]

Amid calls for a ban on Pakistani artistes from working in the Hindi film industry, composer Vipin Patwa, who has worked with the neighbouring country's singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, says music has become global and talent is beyond nationality.

Last year, Patwa had to fight to keep Rahat's song "Rog jaane" in the film LAALI KI SHADI MEIN LADDOO DEEWANA. A year later, he is back with a collection of songs, some of which have been sung by Pakistani singers Atif and Javed Bashir. What makes him look for talent in Pakistan instead of India?

"We are living in 2018 and music has become global. Moreover, talent is beyond nationality. And let's not forget that be it music, story or casting of a film, all decisions are taken collectively by a number of people and not a single person," Patwa told IANS in an email interview.

In February, politician Babul Supriyo had asked for a ban on Pakistani artistes working in the Hindi film industry. He had also objected to the inclusion of Rahat Fateh's voice in the Bollywood film WELCOME TO NEW YORK.

Back in 2016, due to cross-border India-Pakistan tension, some Indian political outfits imposed a ban on Pakistanis. A few Pakistani theatres also pulled down Indian movies from their big screens.

The ban came after the September 18 terror attack that killed almost 20 Indian soldiers in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Does Patwa think it was a good decision to get Atif and Javed Bashir on board, especially after the producer of the film DAAS DEV said that Atif had refused to promote the song "Sehmi hai dhadkan"?

"Atif was taken on board because his voice was matching the character of the song. This decision was taken way before the controversy started. It's a coincidence that this controversy has started at the time of my music launch. Which artiste wouldn't want to promote his work? If Atif has taken this decision, there must be some reason behind it," said the composer.

Were there talks to remove their songs from the film?

"Removing an artiste from a song merely on the basis of some controversy is the worst and most disrespectful thing as it takes a lot of effort and pain to create a song. I had specially flown to Dubai just to record the song," he said.

Javed Bashir, on the other hand, had come to India almost two years ago.

"That is when I had recorded the song 'Tai toh utte' with him. It is a mere coincidence that I recorded with him and now his song is in the film (DAAS DEV) and is surrounded by controversy," said Patwa.

"The way the song by Atif got affected, it (controversy) may affect the song by Javed Bashir too. I hope for the best and would like the audience to decide," he said.

Music, he feels, has always worked as a bridge between nations.

"If my small efforts can bring two nations together, I would love to be a part of such projects. Moreover, I grew up listening to Nusrat sahab and Mehdi Hasan sahab. Can you ask people to stop listening to their songs? You can't because music is beyond boundaries," he said.

[By Natalia Ningthoujam]