Dancer and choreographer Shakti Mohan who started out with ‘Dance India Dance‘ has come a long way after the reality show. Shakti has managed to create her own niche over the years. In a recent interview, Shakti opened up about landing her first big choreography opportunity with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the ‘Padmaavat‘ track featuring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. She also shared what it was like working with the renowned director, describing him as “very strict.”During a conversation with Hauterrfly, Shakti recalled how overwhelming the opportunity felt. She said, “My first song as a choreographer was with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was ‘Nainowale Ne’ from the film Padmaavat. There, I freaked out because I got the chance to work with Bhansali in my first song as a choreographer.”

The choreographer also revealed that she chose not to take any payment for the project, considering it a priceless learning experience. “I refused to be paid for that song. I told him that ‘I should pay you because I’m learning from you.’ It was a big deal for me. So, when he spoke about money, I said, ‘Please, mat dijiye mujhe.‘ I will always do it for free for him because you are getting to work with such a genius.”

Shakti went on to describe Bhansali’s intense work style, noting that everyone around him needs to stay alert on set. “Yes, he is very strict. Even if somebody breathes around him, he will turn and give them a look. For three hours, people would just hold their breath and stand beside him. He has a vision of each and everything, and even if the light is dim on one leaf, he has to correct it. Everyone has to be very patient for that process.”Speaking about her experience working with Deepika, Shakti explained that most of their interaction happened directly on set due to the actor’s tight schedule. “My interaction with Deepika was directly on the set and there were no rehearsals because she was shooting all the time. We were teaching her dance steps on set. There was a dance sequence where she had to perform it on a stone in the middle of the lake while holding a bow and wearing a saree. It was so challenging. That had so many takes, but in the end, it was removed from the song, but the rest of the romantic bits were there.”

In the high-octane world of international cricket, where statistics and strike rates often dominate the conversation, it is the quiet, human moments that truly resonate with fans. Following India’s historic triumph at the T20 World Cup 2026, all-rounder Shivam Dube has set social media ablaze, not with a towering six, but with a deeply personal gesture of gratitude.

Shivam Dube celebrates World Cup glory with father in touching medal moment

In a video that has since gone viral, Dube was seen placing his winner’s medal around the neck of his father, the man he credits for his meteoric rise in Indian cricket.

The footage captures a poignant exchange, Dube’s father, proudly donning the iconic blue Indian jersey, beams with pride as the gold medal rests against his chest. Accompanying the video was a caption that struck a chord with millions, where Dube simply referred to his father as his ‘real hero.’ This public acknowledgment serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by families behind the scenes, long before the bright lights of the stadium are turned on. The post drew immediate attention from celebrities and teammates alike, with veteran actor Anil Kapoor and several cricketing legends leading the chorus of praise in the comments.

Here’s the video:

Dube’s vital role in India’s third T20I title

While the emotional homecoming has captured hearts, Dube’s performance on the field was the bedrock of his success. Throughout the 2026 campaign, he emerged as a versatile asset for captain Suryakumar Yadav. Emerging as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer, Dube amassed 235 runs across nine matches, boasting an impressive average of 39.16 and a blistering strike rate of 169.06. His ability to take down spinners in the middle overs proved decisive in high-stakes encounters against Pakistan and New Zealand.

However, it was his nerves of steel with the ball that arguably defined his tournament. Entrusted with the final over of a pulse-pounding semi-final against England, Dube held his ground despite the immense pressure. Reflecting on that moment via BCCI’s official channel, Dube admitted to the nerves, stating, “I knew the first two balls of the over would be crucial… bowling the final over of a World Cup semi-final is always challenging.” His five wickets over the course of the tournament may not tell the whole story, but his willingness to bowl in clutch situations made him an indispensable part of the squad.

Also READ: Anil Kumble names 2 greatest teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL)

From World Cup glory to the people’s champion

Dube’s journey back from the final in Ahmedabad further solidified his status as a people’s champion. Due to the unavailability of late-night flights following the grand finale on March 8, the World Champion was spotted traveling via train, a rare sight for modern-day cricketing superstars. This grounded approach has only added to the ‘Dube Mania’ sweeping the nation.

As the celebrations wind down, the focus now shifts to the domestic circuit. Dube is slated to join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for IPL 2026, where fans are eager to see if he can carry this golden form into the franchise season. For now, however, the image of a son honouring his father remains the defining snapshot of India’s World Cup glory.

Also READ: Hardik Pandya faces legal complaint for celebrating T20 World Cup title with girlfriend Mahieka Sharma while wearing Indian flag

NEW DELHI: Axar Patel was caught off-guard as Virat Kohli suddenly interrupted his post-match interaction with Hardik Pandya after a 2021 pink-ball Test. “Baapu tari bowling kamal che (Your bowling is great),” said Kohli, leaving Hardik and Axar in splits. The Gujarat all-rounder’s bowling has dismanted the opposition on many instances. However, the attribute that especially stood out in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England is Axar’s fielding, as the 32-year-old cricketer pulled off one stunner after the other.The Gujarat all-rounder accounted for three catches, especially grabbing the limelight for his excellent relay catch with Shivam Dube at the deep point boundary to send Will Jacks back to the pavilion.

Axar ran to his left, retaining composure despite being close to the rope, throwing the ball towards Shivam Dube astutely. The 32-year-old cricketer had earlier pulled off an excellent running catch with a full-length dive to dismiss Harry Brook, drawing comparisons to Kapil Dev’s similar catch in the 1983 World Cup final. England bore the full brunt of Axar’s anger after being dropped for the match against South Africa, with many experts terming the all-rounder’s catches as a bigger determinant than Jasprit Bumrah’s spell in India’s seven-run win.“Axar’s fielding sessions are always intense and he pushes others to maintain the same level. He is a natural fielder and very self-motivated, taking the initiative to practice from different positions on his own,” said the Gujarat Ranji team’s former head coach Hitesh Majumdar, during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Sohum Desai (Special arrangements)

Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has hailed Axar as someone who constantly pushes past his limits, maintaining curiosity and a learner’s mentality. The all-rounder enjoys enhanced calmness due to experience across different situations and has also benefitted from visualisation techniques. Keeping things simple while maintaining concise yet effective conversations have been a key attribute in Sridhar’s interactions with the Gujarat cricketer.MS Dhoni’s death stare The 32-year-old cricketer is one of the safest fielders in the world currently, drawing comparisons to Ravindra Jadeja. Interestingly, Axar once drew a ‘death stare’ from MS Dhoni as well as a look of frustration from Virat Kohli for his fielding during a September 2017 match against Australia in Bengaluru. The all-rounder reacted slowly while fielding at third man, with a lethargic return, allowing the Aussies to add two runs.Despite being a natural athlete, Axar wasn’t always a model professional, coming up with excuses to avoid gym training, which earned him the nickname of ‘Oscar’ from friends. The Gujarat cricketer also loved consuming junk which never reflected on his waistline. Former Team India Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai played a key role in propelling Axar to the next level, kickstarting a transformation process from 2018 which eventually came together around 2020-21.

Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hitesh Majumdar (Special Arragements)

“He was a very gifted and naturally fit athlete but lacked people who could help maximise his potential. Axar would somehow get injured every now and then with something or the other. There was a definite lack of structure which could propel long-term growth and excellence,” said Desai.“Growing up in Gujarat, Axar developed unhealthy eating habits, consuming items which don’t help in becoming a sportsperson at all. There were certain adjustments made in meal timings, volume of consumption and avoiding the wrong food items,” he added.Reduction in injuries from 80% to 10%The Strength and Conditioning coach further made certain alterations in Axar’s training and preparation, designing a sustainable template. The all-rounder’s injuries reduced drastically, from 70-80% to 5-10%, enabling him to put his best foot forward.“Fitness definitely has a vital impact on aspects like fielding which have athletic demands. Even if you look at Axar’s catches, it is anticipation as well putting the body in a position to pull off the catch,” he shared.

Axar Patel dives to take the catch of England’s captain Harry Brook. (ANI Photo)

“We identified certain movements in the gym or muscle groups which can cause injuries, prempting that and working towards building resilience and robustness. The focus was on developing enough resilience to withstand load under fatigue or pressure closer to 30 when the natural prowess goes down,” added the Strength and Conditioning coach.Desai hailed Axar’s commitment levels, praising his mental strength in sticking to the process. The focus has constantly been on excellence and constant growth, following the tough path not taken by others. “The trophies and catches are simply a byproduct of the effort behind creating a foundation and fitness reserve which Axar never used to think about earlier,” he stated.

Donald Trump (File photo)

US President Donald Trump said his country could benefit economically from rising oil prices but added that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains his overriding priority. He called Iran an “evil empire” and warned that its nuclear ambitions could threaten the stability of the Middle East and beyond.“The United States is the largest oil producer in the world, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social.This comes as the conflict with Iran entered day 13. A day before, Trump had said that the war with Iran could end “soon”, claiming American forces have already inflicted massive damage on Tehran’s military capabilities. Speaking to Axios, Trump said there was “practically nothing left to target” in Iran. “Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said, adding that the conflict was progressing faster than expected.Meanwhile, as the conflict continues, the US has reportedly spent at least $11.3 billion during the first week of its military campaign against Iran, according to a Pentagon estimate shared with Congress, The New York Times reported on Thursday. The figure represents the most detailed assessment so far of the conflict’s financial cost, as the war entered its 13th day with no clear end in sight.According to the report, the estimate covers only the cost of the initial phase of the operations and excludes several major expenses, including the deployment of additional troops, aircraft and naval forces to the region ahead of the strikes. Meanwhile, oil prices have already been soaring amid the conflict especially amid the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, surging on Thursday, briefly beyond the $100 mark.The International Energy Agency said the Middle East conflict “is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”, a day after its member countries agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves — the largest coordinated drawdown on record.Despite the move, concerns over constrained energy supplies persisted. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that typically carries about one-fifth of the world’s crude, has effectively been shut following retaliatory attacks by Iran on vessels and neighbouring Gulf states.

NEW DELHI: The Centre has proposed amending drug rules to stop repeating virus tests on medicines made from human plasma, saying the raw plasma used to produce these products is already screened for infections such as HIV and hepatitis before manufacturing begins.These medicines include albumin, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and clotting factors such as Factor VIII and Factor IX, which are used to treat immune disorders, severe infections and bleeding conditions such as haemophilia.Officials said the move aims to align India’s drug regulations with international pharmacopoeia standards. Global guidelines require pooled plasma to be tested for hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C virus RNA and HIV antibodies before it is used for fractionation, and only plasma that tests negative is cleared for manufacturing plasma-derived medicines.Currently, plasma collected for manufacturing these medicines is first pooled and tested for viruses, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. However, once medicines are produced from this screened plasma, the finished products are again tested for the same viral markers under existing rules. The government now proposes to remove this second round of testing.The health ministry has issued a draft notification seeking public comments on amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945, which regulate the testing of blood-derived products. Dr Aseem Kumar Tiwari, Senior Director, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Medanta, Gurugram, said that surplus plasma collected from blood donors may be used by plasma fractionators to manufacture several life-saving medicines.“Plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMP) such as albumin, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and clotting factors like Factor VIII and Factor IX are widely used to treat immune disorders, severe infections and bleeding conditions such as haemophilia,” he said.He added that blood centres often generate surplus plasma after meeting patient needs, which can be supplied to specialised fractionation facilities where different proteins are separated to manufacture these medicines.Dr Tiwari said PDMPs undergo multiple safety checks before reaching patients. “Donated plasma is screened for infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, malaria, and syphilis, and the manufacturing process includes viral inactivation steps to ensure safety,” he said.“These medicines, known globally as plasma-derived medicinal products, have not been linked to infection transmission because of stringent testing and viral inactivation during manufacturing,” he added.Officials say repeating the same viral tests at the finished product stage creates duplication not required under global practices. The proposed amendment seeks to rationalise testing requirements while maintaining strict safety checks at the plasma screening stage.The draft rules were issued after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, and stakeholders have been given 30 days to submit comments before the amendment is finalised.

Canada flag (representative image)

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to shake up global stock markets, investors are increasingly looking to Canada, a report has said, adding that the country’s main stock index – the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) – has emerged as a safe haven for investors that have been impacted by the AI-driven selloff hitting American markets.According to a report by news agency Reuters, the shares of software and technology companies are considered vulnerable to being replaced or disrupted by AI have been falling for months, dragging down major indices like the S&P 500. The Canadian market, on the other hand is dominated by banks, energy companies, miners, railways, and utilities – the kind of heavy, capital-intensive industries that are far less exposed to AI disruption. This comes as advanced AI tools like Claude caused investors to rethink the value of software companies, after one of its AI-powered solutions wiped trillions of dollars from software market – essentially ‘forcing’ investors to seek ‘shelter’ in a market defined by physical assets that a computer program cannot replace – like oil sands operation or a freight railway cannot be replaced with a chatbot.

The rise of the ‘HALO’ stocks

According to the report, the current trend is all about HALO, or Heavy Assets and Low Obsolescence, stocks. Essentially, these are businesses that own “stuff” in the real world. While the US S&P 500 is heavily weighted toward technology (only 16% HALO stocks), the TSX has 51% of its value tied to energy, metals, industrials and utilities.“The knock on the TSX forever has been that we don’t have enough tech… and that now is what everyone wants to buy,” Greg Taylor, Chief Investment Officer at PenderFund Capital Management, was quoted as saying. In 2025, the Toronto market climbed 28%, nearly doubling the 16% gain seen by the S&P 500. This outperformance is driven by two main factors. The first is safety from AI disruption, and the second is productivity boost due to AI as Canada’s big companies are using the technology to become more efficient. Citing Statistics Canada, the report said that foreign investment in Canadian stocks jumped to C$17.2 billion ($12.7 billion) in the final months of 2025, which is a 132% increase from the previous quarter. Sectors like energy have been risen 28% so far this year.

The T20 World Cup 2026 Final will be remembered for India’s historic 96-run victory over New Zealand, but a heated exchange between Arshdeep Singh and Daryl Mitchell has sparked a deeper conversation about the spirit of cricket. Following a flare-up that resulted in a 15% match-fee fine and a demerit point for Arshdeep, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has weighed in with a characteristically blunt verdict: he wouldn’t have cared if the apology never happened.

The incident unfolded during the 11th over of New Zealand’s chase. After being smoked for two consecutive sixes by Mitchell, Arshdeep’s competitive fire boiled over. Following the fifth delivery, a throw from the bowler struck Mitchell, leading to a visible confrontation. While Arshdeep later offered a heartfelt apology, captured in a viral video by the BlackCaps, Gambhir believes the raw emotion displayed is exactly what high-stakes cricket demands.

Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on Arshdeep Singh’s on-field gesture to Daryl Mitchell

Gambhir has never been one to shy away from on-field friction, and his coaching style reflects that grit. Speaking to ANI, Gambhir made it clear that while he respects Arshdeep’s sportsmanship, he prioritizes the killer instinct required to defend a world title.

“You’re representing your country. You’re bound to show aggression. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Gambhir stated to ANI. He emphasized that no elite bowler enjoys being hit for boundaries, and the subsequent reaction was a natural byproduct of elite competition. For Gambhir, the apology was a nice gesture, but entirely optional. He added, “Even if sorry is not said, I was absolutely fine with it. On a cricket field, there are no friends.”

This white-line fever approach is a hallmark of the current Indian setup. By backing Arshdeep, Gambhir is sending a clear message to his squad: intensity is a requirement, not a recommendation. While the ICC viewed the incident as a breach of the Code of Conduct, the Indian camp views it as the heartbeat of a champion side.

Also READ: Gautam Gambhir hits back at Kirti Azad for questioning India team’s temple visit after T20 World Cup 2026 triumph

India defend the T20I crown with a record-breaking triumph

Beyond the disciplinary drama, the 2026 final cemented India’s status as a T20 powerhouse. By defeating the BlackCaps, India became the first men’s team to successfully defend a T20 World Cup title, following their 2024 glory. Chasing a massive 256, New Zealand was dismantled for 159, with the pressure applied by Arshdeep and his fellow pacers proving too much for the Kiwis to handle.

Arshdeep, despite the 0/32 figures and the mid-match tension, remained a pivotal figure in the campaign. His post-match interaction with Mitchell, where he joked that his throw reverse-swung into the batter, showed a level of maturity that balanced Gambhir’s requested aggression.

The fine might lighten Arshdeep’s wallet, but Gambhir’s public support likely strengthens the youngster’s resolve. As India celebrates its third T20 World Cup trophy, the narrative has shifted from a disciplinary slip-up to a discussion on the evolving identity of Indian cricket: a team that wins with skill, but isn’t afraid to show its teeth when the heat is on.

Also WATCH: Ishan Kishan reacts after Kirti Azad questions Indian team’s temple visit following T20 World Cup 2026 triumph