MUMBAI: The city’s hospitality and food supply chains are feeling the heat as Mahanagar Gas Ltd’s partial curtailment of 20% of piped gas to commercial and industrial users begins to cause ripples across the city. Around 30-35% of hotels in Mumbai that depend on piped gas have been affected, forcing many establishments to reduce items on menu or look for alternative fuel and energy sources.In a statement, MGL said it had implemented “a partial curtailment” of gas supply to industrial and commercial customers “due to the prevailing geopolitical developments affecting the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and are supplying them 80% gas.” The company maintained domestic PNG (piped cooking gas at home) consumers and CNG stations continue to receive 100% supply and remain unaffected.The curtailment in piped gas supply for industrial users is 50%, an official said.

The disruption has come at a time when anxiety over fuel availability is already high. In Bhandup, LPG supplies resumed on Friday under heavy police protection after deliveries were disrupted following an assault at a local dealership. Five police personnel were deployed at the outlet as large crowds gathered from early morning, with dealers reporting panic-driven bookings rather than any real depletion of household stocks.“Deliveries had slowed after the assault, but with more bandobast in place, full-fledged distribution has started again,” a dealer said.Even as domestic consumers saw some relief, commercial LPG users such as hotels, canteens and bulk buyers continued to face uncertainty, with supplies yet to resume fully. The strain was visible across multiple sectors.At Goregaon’s Film City, food providers said they were being forced to tweak menus. The impact has also spread to the vegetable trade, where wholesalers say demand from hotels and eateries has dropped sharply. In Mulund, a wholesale vegetable vendor said 60-70% of regular bulk buyers who were from restaurants and street business were not lifting stock, leading to significant wastage.Dealers, though, pointed to a possible easing of the situation after reports that two ships carrying gas had crossed the Strait of Hormuz and were headed to India, raising hopes of improved availability.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently spoke about the inspiration behind the crime action film ‘Dhurandhar,’ directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, which emerged as one of the biggest Hindi hits of 2025. Many movie lovers noticed similarities between the film’s narrative style and some of Ram Gopal Varma’s cult crime films. In particular, audiences pointed out similarities with ‘Satya’ and ‘Company’ that are two films that shaped the portrayal of the Mumbai underworld in Hindi cinema.During a conversation with DNA India, RGV shared his thoughts on how filmmakers often draw inspiration from earlier works.

RGV on how filmmakers get inspired

According to Ram Gopal Varma, it is natural for filmmakers to be influenced by films they admire.Ram Gopal Varma said, “See, whether Aditya Dhar did it consciously or not, eventually, all filmmakers will go back to something they’ve seen, or they got inspired by, and they’re bound to be influenced.”The filmmaker noted that such influences are not unusual. He added that many iconic films in cinema history were themselves inspired by earlier classics.This creative process, he said, allows filmmakers to reinterpret familiar ideas in new ways.

Ram Gopal Varma admits his own inspirations

During the conversation, Ram Gopal Varma also revealed that several of his own films were influenced by other well-known movies.Ram Gopal Varma said, “For me, Shiva was inspired by Bruce Lee’s Return of the Dragon and Sunny Deol’s Arjun. Satya was a bit of The Godfather and The Goodfellas. So likewise, when I spoke to Aditya, he told me, ‘I was mainly influenced by Satya and Company, and then I mixed them, and put some patriotism’. That was his first idea.”

RGV calls Dhurandhar a ‘game changer’

Ram Gopal Varma also praised ‘Dhurandhar’ for its impact on the film industry. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the filmmaker recently described the movie as a pathbreaking success. He wrote, “Whenever a pathbreaking and monstrous hit like #dhurandhar comes, the industry people will wish to ignore it because they will feel threatened by it due to their inability to match its standards.”Ram Gopal Varma further commented on how the film could challenge existing filmmaking trends. He added, “So they will think of it as a nightmare, which will vanish when they wake up in their own films. This is even more true of all the so-called pan-India biggies, which are right now under various stages of production.” Ram Gopal Varma continued to praise the film in his posts, stating, “To that extent #dhurandhar will actually be like a HORROR film for all those makers who believed in the earlier template.” In another post, he added, “#Dhurandhar will be like a HORROR FILM for all those FILM MAKERS who do not have the ability to make a film with such BRILLIANCE, INTELLIGENCE, INTEGRITY, and CRAFT.”Following the success of ‘Dhurandhar’, the makers are now preparing to release its sequel, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ scheduled on March 19, while paid preview screenings are planned for March 19.

MUMBAI: The BMC on Saturday removed the red and blue flashing lights installed on the official vehicle of Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and the escort vehicle accompanying her, following a controversy over their use. The issue first surfaced on social media. On March 11, an X post by the handle “मुंबईचा शिवसैनिक” (@shivsainik007) questioned whether the mayor’s vehicle had permission to install police-style red and blue lights. The post included a picture of the mayor’s car showing the lights. The matter escalated on March 13 when RTI activist Anil Galgali wrote to the mayor objecting to the use of the lights. In his letter, Galgali said, “It has been noticed that unauthorised use of red and yellow lights is being made on the official vehicle as well as the escort vehicle. As per the instructions issued by the Central Government, the use of such lights has been restricted and is permissible only for specific emergency services. This matter should be taken seriously and necessary action should be taken immediately.” The controversy centred on flashing red and blue lights mounted on the front of the mayor’s official car, as well as an escort Scorpio vehicle fitted with similar police-style lights that was seen accompanying it. The escort vehicle typically carried the mayor’s personal assistants and protocol officer. Responding to the issue, Tawde said she had no interest in using a beacon on her vehicle and described the matter as an administrative lapse. “As mayor, I have no interest in a red beacon car. This is a mistake of the administration. I have also told the BMC commissioner that while providing an official vehicle to the mayor, the administration should have checked what was permissible. What is my mistake? I will use the vehicle provided to me, and if there were rules around it, they should have been followed,” she said, adding that she does not give importance to the criticism raised by the opposition.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, responding to the controversy, said that upon inquiry he found that the red beacon was not mounted on the roof of the vehicle but on the bonnet.“The mayor cannot be blamed for this. Our earlier decision clearly states that no one should use a red beacon, and the mayor is fully aware of this. She is being targeted without reason, which is not right,” he told mediapersons. A civic official confirmed that similar flashing lights had been installed on the vehicles of the mayor, the deputy mayor, and the leader of the house, and that all of them were removed on Saturday. The controversy also triggered political criticism. Leader of the Opposition and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar of the UBT Shiv Sena said the development went against the Centre’s move to end VIP culture. “VIP culture was ended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government, but the Mayor of Mumbai could not resist the allure of VIP culture. Has the mayor become bigger than the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister?” she questioned. The use of such lights on official vehicles has been restricted since May 1, 2017, when the central government prohibited the display of red beacons and other symbols such as name plates, insignia and flags on government or hired vehicles, except for authorised emergency services. Following that decision, the red beacon was removed from the Mumbai mayor’s official vehicle during the tenure of then mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.UBT MLC Milind Narvekar also took to X on the issue where he questioned, “What’s really going on against the newly elected mayor?.”

Akshaye Khanna is getting the attention he deserves from his role in Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’. With more eyes on him now, people are watching his funny and real acting in Farah Khan’s crazy movie ‘Tees Maar Khan’ again. It failed at the box office when it came out, but over time it became a fan favorite and part of pop culture. Social media clips of his scenes often tag Farah, and she praises him there. But she recently said their early work together was tough, she even skipped projects with him back then.

Farah Khan traumatised after working with Akshaye Khanna

On Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Farah Khan shared: “In the ’90s, I did a couple of movies with Akshaye, and after that I was traumatised. Because he used to be a different person. Yes, introverted, but not a nice person on set. Whenever I heard that Akshaye Khanna was in a film, I used to say, ‘I don’t have the dates.’” She added that the actor was dealing with hair loss at the time, which kept him in a bad mood.

Akshaye Khanna irritable over hair loss

“I think at that time he himself had said that he was losing his hair. He was constantly irritable. He used to throw things and say, ‘What kind of dialogue is this?’ He used to be that kind of person.” But Farah noted her view shifted during their work on Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. She couldn’t turn it down since it was her cousin Farhan’s first time directing.

Akshaye Khanna changes after ‘Dil Chahta Hai’

She shared, “He had completely changed by then. He had reconciled with his hair. In ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, he became very chill. Before that, if there was water or rain in a scene, he would always wear a cap, like see every rain song of his, such as in Taal. But after Dil Chahta Hai, something changed. And he is a brilliant dancer, if you watch ‘Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe,’ he is dancing better than Aamir and Saif.”

Farah Khan praises Akshaye Khanna today

Farah noted that they now enjoy a great bond. She even rang up Akshaye Khanna right after seeing Dhurandhar to praise him. “I called him and then I went to his Alibag house. What I like about him is that he is not about the fluff, he is about the work. He enjoys acting.”

Akshaye Khanna gets ‘Tees Maar Khan’ role

During the chat, Farah also disclosed that Aatish Kapoor’s part in ‘Tees Maar Khan’, which Akshaye took on, had been passed up by others first. “Many people said no to that role. First Sharman Joshi turned it down because he was doing Ferrari Ki Sawaari at the time. And Akshaye Khanna was the last person you would think of for that role because it’s such a zany, cracked comedy, he had to go completely hamming.”

Actor Hansika Motwani and businessman Sohael Khaturiya have officially ended their marriage after the Bandra Family Court granted them a divorce on March 11, bringing their four-year relationship to a close. The development has continued to draw public attention, prompting reactions from people connected to the family. Amid the ongoing talk of divorce, Hansika’s estranged sister-in-law Nancy James has urged people not to involve her in the matter. Nancy, who is currently separated from Hansika’s brother Prashant Motwani, said she has been inundated with calls, messages and social media tags asking her to comment on the divorce.Speaking to Hindustan Times, Nancy said the situation had become overwhelming and that she would rather stay away from the controversy.

“After Hansika’s divorce I started getting a lot of calls and messages to comment on the development. On social media also I started getting a lot of DMs and tags and people started this is karma for Hansika. I really got fed up. Honestly, I don’t want to involve myself in anyone else’s life. My divorce is underway. And I am on a healing journey. I was getting calls and messaged for comments, I was fed up so I wrote the message on Stories,” she said.Nancy’s relationship with the Motwani family has been strained for some time. In December 2024, she filed an FIR against Hansika and the actor’s mother Jyoti Motwani under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 498A (dowry-related cruelty), Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 352 (criminal intimidation and intentional insult).In her complaint, Nancy alleged domestic violence and claimed the stress caused her to develop Bell’s palsy. She also accused her in-laws of demanding expensive gifts and money, and alleged that interference from Hansika and her mother created problems in her marriage with Prashant Motwani. Nancy further claimed that she was pressured to sell her apartment.In February last year, Hansika and Jyoti obtained anticipatory bail from the Mumbai Sessions Court. Two months later, in April, they approached the Bombay High Court seeking to have the FIR quashed. In her petition, Hansika stated that she was shocked to find her name included in the complaint.Reflecting on her own legal battle, Nancy said, “I have been harassed and tortured by this family and I don’t want to associate with them anymore. I am therefore seeking divorce and has file a DV case against my husbands his sister and mother. I hope my divorce puts an end to the ordeal. I am still suffering and on a healing journey.”Nancy also made it clear that she does not wish to comment further on Hansika’s divorce or the speculation circulating online.“I have full faith in the judiciary and the legal system of our country. Justice will prevail and once the case reaches its logical conclusion I will speak at length But right now, I don’t want to be dragged in her case or her karma or whatever,” she said before ending the conversation.Meanwhile, Hansika Motwani and Sohael Khaturiya’s divorce was formally confirmed earlier this month by the actor’s lawyer, Adnan Shaikh, who shared the update with NDTV.