Veteran actor Dharmendra passes away

MUMBAI, Nov 24: The 89-year-old actor had been in and out of south Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital for several days. From the Prime Minister and President, to Bollywood and sports personalities, tributes poured in for the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’.

Dharmendra is known for his memorable performances in films such as ‘Ayee Milan Ki Bela’, ‘Phool Aur Patthar’, ‘Aaye Din Bahar Ke’, ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’, ‘Raja Jani’, ‘Jugnu’, ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, ‘Dost’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Pratiggya’, ‘Charas’, ‘Dharam Veer’, among others.

In 2023, he was seen in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, directed by Karan Johar.

Film industry pays heartfelt homage to movie legend Dharmendra. A “bonafide legend” of Indian cinema, “an inspiration for generations” and the “original He-Man” is how celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Allu Arjun and Karan Johar, remembered Dharmendra who breathed his last on Monday.

Akshay shared a photo of the late cinema star, saying Dharmendra will continue to live on through his movies.

“Growing up, Dharmendra ji was the hero every boy wanted to be... our industry’s original He-Man, thank you for inspiring generations. You’ll live through your movies and the love you spread. Om shanti,” he wrote on X.

Ajay remembered Dharmendra for his “warmth, generosity and presence”.

“The industry has lost a legend... and we’ve lost someone who has shaped the very soul of our cinema. Rest in peace Dharam ji, Om Shanti,” he added.

Karan, who directed Dharmendra in his 2023 directorial “Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”, posted a long note on Instagram.

“It is an end of an ERA….. a massive mega star… the embodiment of a HERO in mainstream cinema… incredibly handsome and the most enigmatic screen presence … he is and will always be a bonafide Legend of Indian Cinema… defining and richly present in the pages of cinema history … but mostly he was the best human being… he was so loved by everyone in our industry,” the director wrote.

Dalai Lama earns Grammy nomination for meditation album

DHARAMSHALA, Nov 19: At 90, the Tibetan spiritual leader has earned his first Grammy nomination, receiving global recognition for his spoken-word album, Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The album has been nominated in the category of Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards to be held in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026.

The Dalai Lama had collaborated with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, on the album, blending spoken word and music to celebrate universal values of peace, compassion, kindness and hope. “They have used His Holiness Dalai Lama’s key messages taken from various talks given by him on compassion, peace, sense of oneness of humanity, and environment,” said an official from the Dalai Lama’s office on Wednesday.

Amjad Ali Khan posted on social media, “As a family, we would like to congratulate His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his Grammy nomination. Our album, Meditation: Reflection of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is a project close to our hearts. It brings together the spoken wisdom of His Holiness with original music that invites reflection, stillness and compassion. Throughout our lives we have been inspired by his teachings and this collaboration allowed us to create something that carries his message of peace and hope in a new way.”

“Working with His Holiness was a profound privilege. We are grateful to every artist who contributed their voice, creativity, and spirit to this vision,” he added.

The album, produced with the involvement of Glassnote Records, features the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s meditative reflections interwoven with Indian classical music and contributions from global artists across diverse traditions.

In the category, other nominations include Kathy Garver (Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story), Trevor Noah (Into The Uncut Grass), Ketanji Brown Jackson (Lovely One: A Memoir) and Fab Morvan (You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli).