A first-of-its-kind insurance scheme, spearheaded by actor Akshay Kumar

It’s no wonder Akshay Kumar’s name has always been associated with action. In the late ’80s, the actor bagged a black belt in Taekwondo before studying martial arts and Muay Thai in Bangkok (Thailand). And upon his return to Mumbai, he started teaching martial arts before becoming an actor. Even his journey in B-Town started off as an action hero with Saugandh (1991), and later, the Khiladi movies. 

Now, Akshay’s life seems to have come full circle, as the actor has set up a unique initiative — an insurance scheme for the stuntmen and stuntwomen of Bollywood. A source says, “It’s going to be the first-of-its-kind stuntmen insurance system in India. The scheme is the brainchild of Akshay and noted cardiac surgeon Dr Ramakanta Panda, who operated on ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009.” 

Akshay has always maintained that he is a “stuntman first and then an actor”. “He strongly believes that stuntmen work very hard and take life-threatening risks, so it’s high time they got insured. It’s only going to motivate stuntmen to be more passionate about their work,” says the source. The insurance scheme is going to cover 380 stuntmen and women between 18 and 55 years of age. 

Until now, there have been no such insurance schemes for stuntmen and women across any film industry in the country. “Akshay, along with Dr Panda and others, has been working on the scheme for about four to five months, and the actor is happy that he has managed to do it quickly,” the source added.

Ejaz Gulab, the general secretary of Movie Stunt Artist Association, says Akshay has “somehow made the impossible possible”. “Over the years, we had approached a number of producers and insurance companies, but they didn’t agree to provide insurance to us. It was very demoralising, but we don’t know what magic wand Akshayji has used. We can’t thank him enough, as it has come as great news for us,” he says. 

As per the policy, in case of hospitalisation due to any physical injury or accident while doing stunts, a stuntman will be covered for Rs six lakh at about 4,000 hospitals through a cashless system. “Even if they get into a hospital that’s not a part of the network, they can still avail of the benefit through reimbursements,” says the source. And in case of death, there’s a provision of Rs 10 lakh, which will be given to whoever the stuntman chooses as their nominee. 

Gulab feels that it [the insurance] should have happened long ago. “Stuntmen are also human beings and they also have families. If they are insured, they can also be more confident and put in their best without holding themselves back. This scheme is only going to motivate them further,” says a source. 

Despite repeated attempts, Akshay couldn’t be reached for a comment, but sources close to the actor insist that he feels he has earned a lot of money and respect in people’s eyes, and it’s now time for him to “give back in whatever way” he can. “It’s a huge move for stuntmen, as they are taking risks on a daily basis,” says the source.

Akshay recently also launched an app and a website, Bharat Ke Veer, to help people donate money directly to the families of martyred army jawans. He came up with the app within three months with help from the government. 

During the launch, an emotional Akshay had said: “Everybody wants to connect to people in uniform in their pain. It was a small dream, and to fulfill this dream, our government really helped us. I want to thank everybody... My father (the late Hari Om Bhatia) was in Army, and I am here as his son.”

Maniesh Paul performs lyrical hip-hop in Auckland

After rapping on stage for the first time at his recent Hong Kong tour of Salman Khan’s Da Bang, Maniesh Paul has recently performed lyrical hip-hop in front of a huge crowd at his next destination, Auckland on 21st April, 2017.  

Maniesh’s rapping act in Hong Kong that he had written took the audience by surprise as they cheered him with huge round of applause and whistles. The celebrated television host performed on a lyrical hip-hop in Auckland recently as he has been already rehearsing for the same. 

A source says, “The favourable response during the Hong Kong concert has boosted Maniesh's confidence to perform on stage and he was excited for lyrical hip-hop act. In terms of his performance, the actor wants to attempt something new in every city he performs.” 

Maniesh says, “Live musical acts always give me a high. As a performer, I ensure that the energy of the song is conveyed in my performance.” 

John Abraham’s production house starts work on first Marathi film ‘Savita Damodar Paranjpe

John Abraham’s debut Marathi film ‘Savita Damodar Paranjpe’ as a producer has gone on the floors.The macho actor recently announced the news of the movie going on floors on his social networking site. Interestingly, John has been a big fan of the movie story and is glad that he finally got the opportunity to produce it under his banner JA Entertainment. The movie stars Subodh Bhave, Trupti Toradmal and Raqesh Bapat.Directed by Swapna Waghmare Joshi (Fugay fame), Savita Damodar Paranjpe is an adaptation of the famous Marathi play, Savita Damodar Paranjpe.

Divya Dutta Won Literary Excellence Award

Divya Dutta has been receiving a lot of praise and love for her book ‘Me and Ma’ and she feels like she’s on top of the world.From appreciation from her industry friends to love and warmth from her fans, Divya is enjoying every bit of the success of her book.Yesterday, on April 23rd, Divya was felicitated with the ‘Literary Excellence Award’ for her book ‘Me and Ma’.Divya has penned down all the special moments and instances she shared with her mother who she still holds very close to her heart.The award only goes on to show how well the book is doing and how talented Divya is in whatever she does. 

Mohit Marwah takes inputs from Shaad Ali for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Raag Desh

Mohit Marwah, who will be seen portraying the role of army officer Prem Kumar Sahgal in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s forthcoming movie, Raag Desh – Birth of a Nation, met filmmaker Shaad Ali to learn more about his character. 

The talented actor will bring to life the story of Colonel Prem Sahgal, an INA officer led by Subhash Chandra Bose in Raag Desh based on the INA trials following the World War 2. 

Interestingly, Shaad, who has directed films including Saathiya and Bunty Aur Babli among others, is the grandson of Prem and his wife Lakshmi Sahgal. Being a family member, Mohit felt approaching Shaad for more information related to Prem Sahgal would be of great help. 

Shaad happily volunteered to help Mohit as he felt that the actor was the right choice to relive Prem Sahgal on screen. The actor and filmmaker spoke at length about Prem Sahgal as a person and as a freedom fighter. Shaad also shared stories of Prem Sahgal’s freedom struggle with Mohit narrated to him by the man himself.

Mohit Marwah recollects, “During the mahurat, I took his suggestions and tips for the look and body language. I also met Colonel Sehgal’s other family members who shared many anecdotes of him with me. Their inputs have been valuable and I am looking forward to their feedback when the film releases." 

The actor also watched a few documentaries to understand more about the way army men conduct themselves. “It’s a period film and I feel it’s my responsibility to make people believe in my character,” he adds. 

Raag Desh revolves around Colonel Sehgal, Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Major General Shah Nawaz Khan, officers in the British Indian army taken as prisoners of war in Malaya, Singapore and Burma respectively, and court martialled in Delhi.