Sonakshi’s brother and actor, Luv Sinha, surprised all as he followed his father Shatrughan Sinha’s footsteps into politics. The actor, who made his Bollywood debut with Sadiyaan (2010) and was last seen in Paltan (2018), contested in the recent assembly elections in Bihar. After Shatrughan, his wife Poonam, and now, Luv joining politics, when we asked Sonakshi if she, too, would surprise us with such a step someday, she said, “I don’t have any such plans.” Talking about her brother’s stint in politics, she added, “I am very happy that Luv took the step, because he has the aptitude for it. He is well connected and informed about what’s going on in politics. I think he did a very good job while he was at it.”

About his defeat, she elaborates, “Of course, the outcome wasn’t what we would have wanted, but I am proud of him for the way he handled himself and the connection he made with the people of Bihar. I am happy he took the step as we need younger people to get into politics.”

Back from a mini-vacation in the Maldives, the actress is already thinking about her New Year celebrations. “I usually take off and travel to some new place to bring in the New Year, though, this year I don’t know if I will be able to do that. After a long break due to the pandemic, I might just resume the shoot of my digital project. Maybe, I will go to somewhere close by,” says Sonakshi.

Actor Pankaj Tripathi who hails from Gopalganj, Bihar, has always taken a keen interest in the affairs of his home state. And with voting for the state assembly elections underway, Tripathi is keenly watching the contest, hoping it will result in improving things in the state. In fact, Tripathi has always preferred to be part of stories that trigger social change. And one of his acclaimed roles was that of Aatma Singh in the National Award-winning film Newton (2017) which explored the facets of elections in the northern state.

So, amidst the election fervour when Tripathi heard several officials on election duty in Chhapra and some polling agents found inspiration in Newton, it warmed the 44-year-old’s heart.

Pleased that the film was screened for polling officers in Bihar ahead of election duty, he says, “You never find out about your own reach unless you hear such stories. This official was training 2,500 people for the elections and he made them watch Newton. The film had a great impact because there are many people who try to escape doing election duty. They feel pressured. The field officers kept a special screening for polling officers. Once the film was over, everyone was ready to go on duty.”

Tripathi had even won a special mention at the 65th National Film Awards for his performance in the black comedy, directed by Amit V Masurkar. “I had no idea that a film we made three years ago continues to have such a positive, far-reaching impact. It is a matter of honour and privilege that I am associated with work which inspires people to contribute to the betterment of society,” he adds.

Patna: As Bihar enters the business end of the assembly elections, the justice-for-Sushant Singh Rajput poll slogan has fallen silent. From being the “issue” every party wanted to flag in the run-up to the polls, the actor’s death in Mumbai on June 14 is now a virtual non-issue.

Even sitting BJP MLA Niraj Kumar Singh Bablu, a cousin of Sushant, hasn’t spoken about the case once while campaigning for re-election from the Chhatapur seat.

CM Nitish Kumar made only a passing mention of the investigation during his first virtual party rally in early October. RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was among the first to take up cudgels for Sushant’s kin but his election campaign so far has been devoid of any reference to the actor. BJP’s art and culture cell, which had printed 60,000 posters and banners featuring Sushant’s face has retreated to the sidelines. In an interview, Union home minister Amit Shah said he expected the Sushant case to influence a section of voters, although it should never have been so.

Pankaj Tripathi has had a busy week of promotions in the run-up to the release of the second season of Mirzapur. Squeezing in a few hours from his virtual promotions, the actor — who is appointed the state icon of Bihar — shot for a series of public interest videos about preventive measures against Coronavirus ahead of the state's assembly elections. With the polling slated to be conducted on October 28, November 3 and November 7, Tripathi's videos will make voters aware of the precautionary measures adopted at the polling booths, thus assuring them of their safety.

"The booths will be sanitised a day before the polling, and from time to time on the day of the elections. Thermal scanners have been installed at the entrance of all polling stations. Soap-water and hand sanitisers will be provided at the entrance and exit," lists the senior actor, adding that special emphasis has been laid on physical distancing with designated spots allotted to citizens for queueing up. "Wearing a mask is mandatory, and the [authorities] are also handing out gloves so that people can operate the electronic voting machine without fear of contamination."

Tripathi emphasises that the Election Commission has covered all the bases to encourage citizens to cast their vote. "Now, it's up to us to do our civic duty. I want people to go out and exercise their right to vote," he states.