The 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held last week, on September 22, and among the proud attendees was Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani. Her production house, Chalk N Cheese Films, produced Srikanth (2024) with T-Series, and the Rajkummar Rao-starrer went on to win the Best Hindi Feature Film award. Understandably, Nidhi is on cloud nine. Chalk N Cheese Films has carved a distinct niche for itself. All three of its films so far Saand Ki Aankh (2019), Srikanth and the Marathi film Ata Thambaycha Naay (2025) have been inspired by remarkable real-life stories and presented in a mainstream, entertaining manner. Saand Ki Aankh and Srikanth, incidentally, were directed by Tushar Hiranandani, who is also Nidhi Parmar Hiranandanis husband. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, conducted just before her birthday, the enterprising producer opened up about Srikanths National Award win, her journey into films, her working equation with Tushar, her fascination with Karan Johar and a lot more. Where were you when you learned that Srikanth won the National Award? We were in Goa at my cousins place to celebrate Tushars birthday. I was sitting by the pool with a friend while he was sleeping inside. Suddenly, he came running out and said, Nidhi, we won the National Award. I thought he was dreaming! I told him, You must have dreamt about it. Go back to sleep. He replied, No, really, I just got a call from someone. We were staying in a remote area and neither of us had network on our phones. However, my friend did. She switched on the live stream of the announcement and thats when we saw that Srikanth had indeed won the National Award. It took us a minute to believe it. Soon, we were flooded with congratulatory calls. With Srikanth, an important point has been proven, or rather, disproven, that you need to lobby to win an award. We didnt do anything of that sort. The National Award jury did its job. They saw the film, liked it and awarded us. Even now, people ask us, How did you guys win? or Did you know so-and-so? When we went for the ceremony, we got a chance to meet people from different film industries across the country. Several of them told us that Srikanth deserved the National Award. Two encounters particularly stood out. Aanand L Rais wife told Tushar that the film really deserved to win. Shashwat Sachdevs father hugged Tushar and said that Srikanth was one of his favourite films. That felt really nice. How did the real Srikanth Bolla react to the National Award honour? He has been expecting this award from the very beginning (laughs). Ever since the day we narrated the final script to him, he kept saying, Our film will win the National Award. During the promotions, we literally had to tell him, Please dont say such things! He also dreamt of an Oscar. And he wasnt too far off, because Srikanth was among the films considered to be Indias official entry to the Oscars. It even made it to the top five! So, when we won the National Award, he was his usual nonchalant self. He simply said, I told you we would win! Often, films enjoy strong word of mouth but still struggle to find an audience because of the sheer number of releases. Srikanth, however, arrived at a time when there was hardly any major competition for almost three weeks. Do you think that worked in the films favour? The film had been ready for a while and we were looking for the right release window. The date shifted two or three times. Rajkummar Raos Mr & Mrs Mahi (2024) was also being planned for release around the same time, but it eventually arrived three weeks after our film. May 10, 2024, looked like a great date to us. We met Bhushan Kumar ji and requested him to release the film on May 10 because we felt it was an ideal window. He agreed, and thats how we announced the date. And yes, it turned out to be a dream release for us. What changes for you from here on? I feel we must have done something right to win the National Award, and wed like to continue on that path. At the same time, as makers, we want to evolve. We do want to explore more commercial cinema, but content will always come first for us. Even if we make something more commercial, it still has to have a strong story at its core. After Srikanth, we made Ata Thambaycha Naay, which was a small Marathi film. Its been a year since that film and two years since Srikanth, but its not as if we havent received offers or come across subjects to make. We did try going down the route of putting together a more commercial package, but we realised thats not really how we function. We need to connect with the script. So, even when we do make a commercial film, it will have to be something that genuinely speaks to us. How challenging was it to make Srikanth within a certain budget? I feel I was a very lucky producer because Tushar was the director. I would give him 100 out of 100. Hes a dream director for any producer because hes extremely mindful of the budget. Hes also a master at making a film mounted on a modest budget look beautiful. His DOP is very important to him, so he takes his time finalising the cinematographer. Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti shot Saand Ki Aankh, while Srikanth was shot by Pratham Mehta. Pratham gave it his absolute best as well, and full marks to him. I dont understand the technical aspects too much. My only brief to Pratham was, Every shot should look like this is a Rs. 50 crore film, even though our COP was Rs. 20 crores! He and all our HODs worked within the budget and still delivered their A-game. Why is your production house called Chalk N Cheese Films? (Smiles) Thats because Tushar and I are like chalk and cheese! We are complete opposites as personalities, right from the kind of food we like and the way we dress to the places we like to visit. So, whenever we make a movie, both of us have to like it, which is actually very difficult! We have to meet somewhere in the middle and find common ground. Even our approach to filmmaking and shooting is very different. How did you get into this profession? I am from Chandigarh and I came to Mumbai to become a director. I was studying to become a CA, although I hated every bit of it. I hated accounts! I was a scholarship student and had topped Economics, which is why I was studying Commerce. Then, I went to watch Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) with my mother and I went mad over the person who had made the movie (Karan Johar)! I didnt go crazy over Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol or Rani Mukerji. Instead, I kept wondering, Who is this person who has created this world? Thats when I started trying to understand what a director actually does. In the process, I became obsessed with KJo. He opened my mind to a medium that I had never taken seriously before. It completely changed my world, and that was the day I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in cinema. I left everything and came to Mumbai. I did a course at XIC (Xavier Institute of Communications) and started working. Later, I even got the opportunity to work at Karans company, Dharma Productions! So, in a way, he is the reason I came to Mumbai from Chandigarh. Are you still in touch with him? Of course. Karan will always have the warmest place in my heart (smiles). Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Srikanth makers Tushar Hiranandani and Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani announce Ragda 25; film based on Indian Armys first experimental batch of 25 women
Situation at LPU was highly sensitive, Punjab Police handled situation with restraint: AAP
Digital Desk | Chandigarh, Sep 28 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab on Monday said the situation at Lovely Professional University (LPU) near Jalandhar was highly sensitive as it involved students from Punjab, other states and other countries, and asserted that the Punjab Police handled the situation with restraint and professionalism. AAP media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu said the governments priority was the safety of every student studying in Punjab and that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the matter should be allowed to complete its investigation and establish the complete facts. Pannu told the media here that Punjab has become an important education hub, with students coming here from across India and from other countries. A large number of students from Jammu and Kashmir, especially girls pursuing nursing and other courses, study in Punjabs universities and colleges. Their safety and security are extremely important for us. Referring to the incidents at LPU and Chitkara University, Pannu pointed out that when the situation escalated and the highway was blocked, the Punjab Police did not use excessive force against the students. No force like batons or pellet guns was used against them. Instead, they were treated like our own sons and daughters, he pointed out. He added that it took some time, but the situation was handled professionally. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav to personally visit LPU and assess the situation. The DGP visited the university and reviewed the situation. Senior police officers were also continuously engaging with students and student leaders to understand what had happened and to bring the situation under control, he said. He said the government had constituted an SIT to investigate the incidents and establish what actually happened. We should allow the SIT to complete its investigation. Whatever information emerges will be shared with the people through senior Punjab Police officers and the government. The SIT is examining the allegations as well as the circumstances surrounding the unrest. It is important that the investigation is allowed to take its course so that the complete truth comes before the people, he added. Pannu also criticised Opposition leaders for politicising a sensitive matter involving students. At a time when the situation involved students and required sensitivity, some Opposition leaders appeared more interested in creating controversy than in allowing the situation to be resolved. They seem to be behaving like vultures, waiting for dead bodies, rather than helping to ensure that the situation remains peaceful, he said. On videos circulating on social media claiming that outsiders carrying weapons had entered the university, Pannu said senior police officers have clarified that the individuals shown in the videos were not unidentified attackers. The police took the appropriate step of removing them from the situation until their presence could be verified. Meanwhile, the LPU management in a statement said students from across India and around 50 countries are studying in the university and safeguarding their trust, safety, dignity and well-being is the top priority. Anti-social elements exploited heightened emotions, causing disruption and damage to university property; such conduct has no place in the LPU community, it said, adding appropriate legal action would be taken against the infiltrators.
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'Leave us alone': 3 students say LPU posted rape 'truth' video without consent
Three female students from Lovely Professional University stated that a video of them was released without their consent. This video allegedly dismissed claims of a rape incident on campus involving a plumber. Following the allegations, students protested and vandalized property and blocked a highway for over 15 hours.
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Protests erupted at Lovely Professional University in Punjab following allegations of a rape committed on campus. Students vandalized property and clashed with police, resulting in several injuries and damaged vehicles. In response to the unrest, the university suspended classes for ten days and advised students to stay indoors. A police investigation into the alleged rape is underway, while the university denied the claims as rumors.
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Lovely Professional University has taken precautionary measures by postponing mid-term examinations and halting regular classes for ten days. This decision follows disruptive protests concerning an alleged rape case involving a student. Students are advised to prioritize safety by returning home or remaining in their residences. The police investigation is underway with the identity of the suspect still unknown. University officials are appealing for calmness and cooperation from all parties involved.
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Opposition accused AAP functionaries of illegaly occupying ministerial bungalows in Chandigarh. The disputes over accomodation took a personal turn with an off-colour remark while alleging that Bishnoi was staying with Sisodia in government bungalow number 960, allotted to minister Ravjot Singh. Bishnoi said that Khaira maligned her and would sue him. She said the arrangement had been made with the minister's permission. Senior SAD leaders also questioned the alleged practice.
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Unrest in another private university of Punjab over 'rumours'; students block highway
Digital Desk | Chandigarh, Sep 27 (IANS) Hundreds of students at a private university on the outskirts of Punjabs Jalandhar protested late on Sunday over rumours circulating on social media that a student had been raped on campus by an outsider, damaging property, setting fires and blocking a national highway, officials and students said. Police had not confirmed any rape complaint at the time of filing this report, and there was no independent confirmation of the alleged assault. The unrest at Lovely Professional University (LPU) resulted in protesters blocking the Jalandhar-Phagwara section of the National Highway for several hours, while property on the university campus was damaged and some items were set on fire, the police said. The LPU denied the allegations being circulated on social media. There is no truth in the rumours currently being circulated, LPU Registrar Monica Gulati said in a statement. She urged students, parents and the public not to believe or amplify the rumours and to rely on information issued through official university channels. Gulati said the university has come to know that anti-social elements were spreading what she described as false and fabricated information through social media and other channels, creating confusion among students and disrupting the academic environment. She said the circulation of the information appeared to be a deliberate attempt to malign the university and tarnish its reputation. Students protesting on campus said they wanted the authorities to register a first information report (FIR) and investigate their concerns. Some protesters alleged that a sexual assault had taken place and accused the university authorities of refusing to accept it. The students also alleged that outsiders were involved in the vandalism. The incident was the second major student protest at a private university in Punjab in the last two days, following unrest at Chitkara University in Rajpura in Patiala district. Hundreds of students protested at Chitkara University on late Friday and early Saturday after unverified social media rumours claimed two female students were missing. The unrest escalated into clashes with police, vandalism of two police vehicles and property damage on the campus. Both incidents highlight the speed with which unverified information circulating online can trigger big student gatherings and disruption at university campuses. Authorities in both universities were continuing to assess the situation and verify the claims that have widely circulated on social media.
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Punjab: Congress asks CM Mann to vacate ministerial houses from illegal occupants
Digital Desk | Chandigarh, Sep 26 (IANS) Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to get all ministerial houses vacated from illegal occupants. He also demanded that the government charge penal rent from the occupants, as had been done in previous cases. Warring criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gayatri Bishnoi for using foul language against Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, saying such abuse was unacceptable and Punjabis would neither forget nor forgive it. He held Mann responsible, alleging that the Chief Minister had surrendered before his Delhi bosses and was acting as a mute spectator. Who has allowed and authorised such people to occupy the ministerial houses, while the ministers in whose names these houses have been allotted are forced to stay outside? Warring asked. He referred to the allotment of a house in Chandigarh to then AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who has since joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Warring also alleged misuse of Punjab Police personnel and vehicles during Chadhas wedding in Udaipur, claiming public money was squandered. He further said Chadha had been allotted a palatial house in Chandigarh and an entire floor in Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi, exclusively for his use. Warring alleged that ministerial suites were allotted to personal assistants of AAP leaders. At the same time, other rooms in Punjab Bhawan were given to AAP workers from different states during campaigning in Delhi. The Congress leader questioned under what rules Gayatri Bishnoi and her parents had been allotted a ministerial house in Chandigarh. Even if this has been allotted for the treatment of her father, how many people from Punjab who come for treatment to Chandigarh are allotted such houses? he asked. Directing his criticism at CM Mann, Warring said, Did the people of Punjab elect you for this, that Punjabs ministers are not allowed to stay in their allotted houses and outsiders are allowed to occupy them? He added that Kapurthala House and Nabha House in New Delhi, as well as Circuit Houses, were being misused. This is not misuse, but complete abuse, and this has never happened before in Punjab, Warring remarked.
Sunil Jakhar accuses Punjab govt of taking credit for Centre schemes
Digital Desk | Chandigarh, Sep 26 (IANS) Former Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sunil Jakhar on Saturday accused the Bhagwant Mannled government of trying to conceal its alleged financial mismanagement by taking credit for a Union government scheme and spending public money on advertisements. Addressing the media, Jakhar referred to newspaper advertisements publicising a Rs 750crore scheme for villages with a substantial Scheduled Caste population. He said the advertisements falsely portrayed the scheme as a state government achievement. Jakhar claimed that the funds were being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), which he described as a 100 per cent centrally funded scheme. According to him, the Union government bears the entire cost, with no financial contribution required from the Punjab government. He said the scheme has been operated in its current form since 202021 and provides development grants to villages where Scheduled Castes account for more than 40 per cent of the population. The Union government had identified 3,763 villages in Punjab for the scheme. Funds had already been released for 1,200 villages, and the remaining villages were expected to receive funds shortly. Displaying large newspaper advertisements carrying Chief Minister Bhagwant Manns photograph, Jakhar accused the state government of using public funds to claim credit for a centrally funded programme. He alleged the government had undertaken no comparable initiative of its own for village development and instead promoted its image through advertisements. Jakhar demanded an immediate apology from the state government. He also said the BJP would examine whether previously released funds had reached the intended villages or whether any money had been diverted to advertising before reaching beneficiaries. Jakhar criticised the state governments Mawan Dhian Satkar Yojana, saying the programme had failed to address the concerns of women from families affected by drugrelated deaths. He alleged that mothers and daughters were approaching the government seeking justice for sons and brothers who had died because of drugs, but were instead being offered Rs 1,000. He claimed the government was humiliating rather than respecting the women and suggested renaming the scheme Mawan Dhian Tiraskar Yojana, or the Disrespect for Mothers and Daughters Scheme. On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Jakhar accused the Congress and AAP of staging protests for publicity rather than using the formal process available to voters. He questioned why the two parties were holding demonstrations instead of filing objections with the Election Commission if they believed legitimate voters had been removed from the rolls.
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Mayank Yadav: Rebuilding the 150kph dream, with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup
After a difficult two-year injury battle, Mayank Yadav is quietly rebuilding his body and bowling workload in Chandigarh. The tearaway quick is now consistently touching 150kph in training, with his team focusing on workload management and longer-format readiness. With the 2027 ODI World Cup in sight, the priority is staying fit and bowling long spells without losing pace.
Top 5 most recent 8th Pay Commission updates: Mumbai visit, Bengaluru meeting and more
The 8th Pay Commission has announced its visit to Mumbai for October 22-23, 2026, and its meeting in Bengaluru for October 78, 2026. Here are the five latest official updates, including consultant guidelines, visits to Jaipur and Chandigarh, and what employees and pensioners should know.
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