In another dramatic turn, Kerala police on Sunday night arrested one more person in connection with the assault of a popular Mollywood actress.
Charlie, who gave asylum to prime accused Pulsar Suni and his friend Vijeesh at Peelamede in Coimbatore was taken away by Panangad SI while he was speaking to a Malayalam News Channel at Kochi.
He denied his involvement in the incident and said he was unaware of Pulsar Suni and Vijeesh’s assault in the incident that sent shock waves through Kerala and the Malayalam film industry.
He said Vijeesh is a friend and was working with him in a bakery at Coimbatore, while he doesn’t know Suni. They did not divulge anything, just said they have something important to convey, he added.
He claims they stayed for one night and vanished, stealing Charlie’s friend’s bike, according to him. Later Charlie realised through a WhatsApp message that these two were involved in the case. Charlie went to Iritty in Kannur district and proceeded to Kochi to surrender before police realizing the seriousness of the case and the fact that police were looking for him.
He was taken into custody while speaking to the channel behind a hotel in Kundannur, Kochi. Charlie said that Pulsar Suni was sleeping most of the time and did not speak much to him.
Here are the latest on the 89th Academy awards:
Live updates:
10: 42 am: It might seem like the best joke pulled by Jimmy Kimmel so far. But with all seriousness, this fiasco can be marked as the best goof up in the history of Academy Awards. The 89th Academy Awards ended on a crazy note with the wrong name for Best Picture being announced on stage by the presenter. Still one can't figure out if this end is a good surprise or a bizarre one.
10: 33 am: The joke is probably on Warren Beatty who read out the wrong name at first. La La Land was announced to have won the award. But minutes later, after the acceptance speech began, and the entire crew of La La Land took the stage, Moonlight was announced as the Best Picture.
10: 24 am: Emma Stone wins award for Best Actress for La La Land. The award was presented by last year's Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio.
10: 14 am: Casey Affleck wins Best actor for the movie Manchester by the Sea.
10: 11 am: Damien Chazelle wins Best Director for La La Land.
10: 07 am: Jimmy Kimmel showered cookies and donuts down on the audience.
10: 02 am: Moonlight won an award for Adapted screenplay.
9: 59 am: Manchester by the Sea wins award for the Best Original Screenplay. The award was received by Kenneth Lonergan.
9: 53 am: Jennifer Aniston took the stage to present the year's montage of the great actors and artists who passed away in the past year.
9: 48 am: The award for the Best Original Song is bagged by La La Land for the song City of Stars. Scarlett Johansson presented the award for the same.
9: 40 am: La La Land wins award for Best Original Score. Justin Hurwitz recieved the award.
9 39 am: Jimmy Kimmel did not fail to entertain the audience. The mean tweet franchise that was introduced was bitter but better at fun. The winners and the nominees were seen reading out disturbing tweets about them. This was followed by a performance by John Legend.
9: 26 am: La La Land wins yet another award for Best Cinematography. Linus Sandgren took to the stage to accept the award.
9: 20 am: Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel took a jab at Donald Trump. It seems like Kimmel couldn't care less. Jimmy tweeted the President of USA asking if he was up. The tweet was projected on the big screen just to make the moment a tad more dramatic.
9: 16 am: Sing grabbed the award for The Best Live Action Short Film. The award was received by Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy.
9: 10 am: The White Helmets wins award for Best Documentary Short Film.
9: 08 am: On a lighter note, Jimmy Kimmel lifted Sunny Pawar from Lion while the theme song from the animation movie The Lion King played in the background.
9:07 am: Hacksaw Ridge wins award for Best Film Editing.
9:00 am: The Jungle Book wins award for Best Visual Effects.
8: 43 am: La La Land wins the award for the Best Production Design. David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco received the award.
8: 40 am: Zootopia wins award for Best Animated Feature Film.
8: 38 am: Piper wins award for the Best Animated Short Film.
8: 23 am: Charlize Theron and Shirley MacLaine presented the award for the Best Foreign Language Film. Iranian drama The Salesman won the award this year. The director Asghar Farhadi boycotted the award function. However sent a statement which reads, ''My absence is out of respect for the people of my country'' before describing Trump’s ban as ''inhumane''.
8: 02 am: Viola Davis wins the award for the Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences. Viola received a standing ovation while she stood emotionally on the stage. She gave a powerful speech, and thanked her family and friends for the same.
7: 57 am: Hacksaw Ridge wins academy award for Best Sound Mixing.
7: 53 am: Arrival wins award for Achievements in Sound Editing .
7.40 am: The award for Best Documentary Feature is won by 'OJ: Made in America', which was based on the sensational murder trial of OJ Simpson back in the 1990s. He was accused of murdering his wife and her alleged lover.
7.35 am: Harry Potter spin-off movie 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', wins award for Best Costume.
7: 30 am: David Ayer's directorial 'Suicide Squad' wins the 'Best Make-up and Hair' award.
7: 19 am: Mahershala Ali wins the 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' award for Moonlight. So Moonlight opens its account, by bagging the first award of the night. Dev Patel missed the train, despite his fine performance in Lion.
7: 13 am: Now legendary actress Meryl Streep comes under Kimmel's roaster. He says that it is Meryl's 20th consecutive Oscar appearance, although she didn't star in any film in last year. He also jokingly requests the audience to give her an 'undeserving' round of applause.
7: 11 am: Talking about Oscars and fashion, Ruth Negga's long-sleeved custom Valentino gown is a scene-stealer and landed the actress on several best-dressed lists for the evening.
Negga, who is a best actress nominee for "Loving," combined the high lace collar with responsibly sourced rubies. She also included one accessory that several other stars included -- a blue ribbon supporting the American Civil Liberties Union.
Negga was among those cited by People magazine as the best dressed of the evening. Other popular looks included a velvet gown worn by Taraji P. Henson, and a fringe gown sported by best actress nominee Emma Stone.
Opinion online was mixed about Halle Berry, who rocked a huge head of tousled curls along with a one-shoulder dress.
While the men get less scrutiny, many online noted the ruffles on best actor nominee Ryan Gosling's tuxedo shirt, with some likening it to a look from a 1970s prom.
7: 08 am: Kimmel starts the event by roasting Matt Damon. He also congratulates Amazon.com for their first ever association with the Oscars.
7: 00 am: The 89th Academy Awards finally starts, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting his first Oscars. His entry was a quirky one too, with a dance performance.
6: 40 am: Each celebrity who strolls the Oscars red carpet seems to have their own style as they pass their cheering fans in the bleachers.
Some, like Emma Stone and Jeff Bridges, smile politely and wave while others just walk by, seemingly oblivious to the adulation.
Laura Dern and Nicole Kidman, meanwhile, joined hands and lifted them in a cheer of their own.
As for those in the bleachers, when they aren't cheering many are gossiping.
Among the comments overheard: Vince Vaughn and Dern are tall and Michael J. Fox is really short.
6: 30 am: Justin Timberlake is the king of the Oscars red carpet, as least as far as the bleacher fans are concerned.
While some celebrities like Viggo Mortensen and Scarlett Johansson ignore the bleacher crowd, Timberlake stopped to lead a cheering war between two sections.
As wife Jessica Biel stood by in a stunning gold dress, Timberlake put his hand to his ear to draw applause.
Then he'd judge which section was winning by raising and lowering his hands
The crowd responded with raucous cheers.
6: 20 am: Veteran actor Mel Gibson hits the red carpet too.
6: 10 am: Justin Timberlake says the beginning of the Oscars is going to be free of politics.
Timberlake tells The Associated Press, "Watch the top of the show, it will be very un-political. I can promise you that."
It is an apparent tease to Timberlake's performance of his Oscar-nominated song, "Can't Stop the Feeling," which is from the animated film "Trolls."
Timberlake says he's honoured that the film academy honoured such a feel-good song. Timberlake says "I think the world could use a little bit of that."
Even before Sunday's ceremony begins, politics is on the mind of many nominees. Some top nominees, including Ruth Negga and director Barry Jenkins, are wearing blue ribbons supporting the American Civil Liberties Union.
Others, including documentary nominee Ava DuVernay and best actor nominee Andrew Garfield, say art is inherently political and winners should express their feelings about the current political climate if they wish.
6: 04 am: Andrew Garfield, one of the lead actor nominees for his breathtaking performance in Hacksaw Ridge, has arrived at the red carpet. Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry are here too.
6: 00 am: It was a no-brainer for Lin-Manuel Miranda when it came to picking a date for the Oscars.
It's his mother, Luz, who got him there after all.
Miranda's mother says she stayed up late watching the Oscars every year and told her son he would be there someday.
To which her son adds that she earned the honor "by calling dibs when I was 10 years old."
5: 45 am: Prominent faces arriving at Red Carpet so far: Octavia Spencer, Jackie Chan, Felicity Jones, Dev Patel and Matt Damon.
5: 40 am: Stars are mixing high fashion with some advocacy on the Oscars red carpet.
Several top nominees are sporting blue ribbons supporting the American Civil Liberties Union, including best actress nominee Ruth Negga and best original song nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Miranda brought his mother to the Oscars, and she also prominently displayed the ribbon. The ACLU is among the groups suing over a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump's administration that has been placed on hold by federal courts.
Director Barry Jenkins planned to wear one, and realized in the middle of a red carpet interview that he had lost it.
Jenkins, who is nominated for best director for "Moonlight," says he does not yet know what he would say if he wins an Oscar Sunday. He says, "I think art is inherently political," and he supports any artists who speak out about politics at the awards show.
Best actor nominee Casey Affleck also wore the ribbon at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards, where he won the award for best male lead.
5: 30 am: First rule for Oscar bleachers fans: Yell loudly if you want to get a celebrity's attention.
That's what a group of fans did — repeatedly — until Ruth Negga politely turned away from a red carpet TV interview to give them a wave.
Before she could, however, one of her earrings fell out. Fortunately, her team saved it, she smiled and waved, then moved on.
After waving to the crowd, Lin-Manual Miranda made sure bleacher fans didn't overlook the person he was with. He pointed to her and mouthed the words, "My Mom."
Jackie Chan, beaming ear to ear, pretended to toss one of two stuffed pandas he was carrying into the crow. A disappointed groan moved through the bleachers when he moved on.
Jackie Chan has brought some furry friends to walk with him on the Oscars red carpet.
The action star did red carpet interviews clutching two plush panda toys. He told The Associated Press that he is a panda ambassador and also owns two of the bears in China.
The bears are dressed in yellow jackets and silver boots with UNICEF name tags, while Chan is sporting more traditional formal attire. Chan says he takes the bears with him everywhere, snapping photos with them. He says he may sell them for the charity.
Chan was a recipient of an honorary Oscar last year.
5: 25 am: Celebrities have begun arriving on the red carpet in Hollywood ahead of the 89th Academy Awards.
Hundreds of people sitting in the fan bleachers shouted excitedly when actor Jerry O'Connell walked by.
Broadway star Cynthia Erivo is also among the first arrivals, her shock of white hair a beacon in the crowd.
The weather is slightly chilly and there's the possibility of sprinkles from gray clouds overhead.
Actress Farida Jalal who has starred in many films including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, became the latest victim of death hoax on social media. The news of her death flooded the internet on Sunday (February 19).
However, the actress slammed the death rumours and said she is alive. She expressed her anger in an interview with DNA. “I am hale and hearty. I don’t know where these baseless rumours are coming from. Initially, I laughed, but from last 30 mins my phone have been constantly ringing and everybody is asking the same question. It’s a bit irritating, I wonder why people spread such rumours,” the actress was quoted in the interview.
The actress also tweeted, “I am here to confirm you that I am alive. News of my death is nothing more than a rumour. Stop spreading the fake & false news.” We are sure that wrong rumours about her death would have upset the actress.
Farida Jalal will soon be seen portraying a Kashmiri woman in an upcoming film Sargoshiyan. The actress is popular for having played Jiya’s Nani in the television show Shararat.
Farida has won several awards for her acting talent including Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress in Paras (1971), Henna (1991) and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).
Meanwhile, actress Shruti Seth has been teasing her fans over the last few days by posting pictures with her Shararat co-stars. After sharing a click with Naagin actor Karanvir Bohra, she took to Instagram to reveal another click from her reunion which makes us even more impatient about the show’s comeback. The latest picture has actress Farida Jalal too, who used to portray the grandmother of Shruti’s character named Jiya.
Shararat, which aired 2004 was based on the life of three witches and was one of the most popular fantasy-comedy shows back then. It was loosely adapted from American show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Search operations continued for the third day on Monday to apprehend those involved in the abduction and harassment of a noted south Indian actress, an incident which has sparked nation-wide outrage. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to her and assured of stern action against the perpetrators. In a related development, three persons, including the suspected mastermind, moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
Vijayan called up the actress and promised her all support amid widespread condemnation of the incident and growing calls for immediate action against the culprits, including from the apex south Indian actors’ body. He promised stern action against those responsible for the February 17 incident in which the actress was allegedly harassed inside her car for two hours by her tormentors, who had forced their way into the vehicle, before vanishing in a busy area in Kochi. Ruling CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also spoke to the actress over phone, an official release said in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Chennai-based South Artistes Association (SIAA) expressed shock and urged Vijayan to ensure the culprits were brought to book without any further loss of time. Police said some people have been taken into custody for allegedly helping the suspected mastermind Pulser Suni.
Police, however, remained tight lipped about reports that two associates of Suni, members of the gang which assaulted the actress, have been picked up from Coimbatore. With police launching a hunt for them, Sunil, commonly known as Pulser Suni, and his two alleged associates Manikandan and V P Vigeesh moved the court, claiming as “wrong” the allegations that they had attempted to kidnap and rape the filmstar. They claimed they have been “falsely implicated” on the basis of confessional statement of Martin, the driver of the actress’ car, who has already been arrested for alleged criminal conspiracy. The anticipatory bail pleas are likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a group of women activists took out a procession in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram to protest incident.
In a letter to Vijayan, the SIAA said the incident showed “there is no safety even for a popular woman celebrity” in the country. “It is hereby requested that you intervene in the issue without any further delay and speed up the investigation to book the culprits and put them behind bars,” it said.
SIAA general gecretary and popular actor Vishal Krishna lauded the actress for her “courage” to speak out. “Most people would have been embarrassed to speak out if they had undergone such trauma. I laud her courage. Such an incident should not have happened,” he told reporters.
He said if a well-known actress could undergo such an experience, “think of the situation of the common people.” “We are in complete solidarity with the actress,” he said.
Neil Nitin Mukesh and Rukmini Sahay are a married couple now. The Prem Ratan Dhan Payo actor tied the knot with Rukmini in a traditional Hindu style on February 9.
Set against the backdrop of the picturesque Fategarh Sagar Lake, their wedding was nothing less than a royal affair.
The crazy wedding celebrations which kick started on February 6 came to end with the grand wedding.
