Challenges galore as Congress fights for survival

Exit strategy: Former Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh made a cryptic statement to a senior Congress leader, which in hindsight was a declaration of his decision to quit the party. Encountering Vallabh at the office of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the senior leader asked him why he was not responding to his messages. Vallabh replied that he was in the process of “cleansing his mind, body and soul”. The senior leader then asked Vallabh to get in touch with him once that was over since he wanted to give him some work. That was not to be as Vallabh had other plans. He joined the BJP on April 4 | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Scion on song: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiradtiya Scindia is fighting a prestige battle from Guna. In 2019, contesting on a Congress ticket, he had lost the family stronghold to the BJP’s K.P. Yadav. Now, the BJP has given the ticket to Scindia instead of the incumbent MP. As such, Scindia would want to avoid any hint of a shock loss this time. His son, Mahanaryaman, is actively rallying support for his father. Adopting the routines of a seasoned politician, the young entrepreneur often starts his day with temple visits and engaging with locals. During one interaction at a sari shop, he made a video call to his mother to discuss some design choices. Despite drawing huge crowds and garnering affection from locals, Mahanaryaman is far from making a political debut, as he is still in his twenties. However, the future sure seems bright for the Scindias.

The right notes: Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla is a man on a mission. As his ministry is readying to roll out the three new criminal laws from July 1, Bhalla seems to have taken it upon himself to help law enforcement agencies to handle the change. Recently, he was at an event where the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud was the chief guest. In his speech, the CJI, in his typically erudite fashion, stressed on the need for Central agencies as well as the judiciary to make substantive changes in their ways of functioning. Bhalla, a 1984-batch, Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer, was in attendance, nodding away at the CJI’s words. Soon, he started making notes to relay the CJI’s points down the line. Clearly, no one can accuse the Union home secretary of not taking preparation seriously.

Three cheers: Billie Eilish is dropping her third studio album—Hit Me Hard and Soft—on May 17. She posted a cover picture of the album on Instagram with a caption that said that she was nervy and excited. “…not doing singles I wanna give it to you all at once…Finneas [her brother and collaborator] and I could not be more proud of this album and we absolutely can’t wait for you to hear it,”wrote the Academy Award winner. We can’t either! | Shutterstock

Bridget is back: Renée Zellweger is all set to reprise her Bridget Jones role in the fourth instalment of the movie. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is an adaptation of Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel. Zellweger will be joined by Hugh Grant, who played the dashing Daniel Cleaver in the first two movies, and Emma Thompson, who was Jones’s doctor in the third. Mad About the Boy will be the first in the franchise to be directed by a man—Michael Morris; Sharon Maguire directed the first and third, and Beeban Kidron the second | Getty Images

Trophy time: Mrunal Thakur is on a Hi Nanna high! Though the film, originally in Telugu, released in December, it has been bagging international awards of late. It won 12 awards at the Oniros Film Awards in New York, including for best film. Lead pair Thakur and Nani took home the awards for best actress and best actor. Hi Nanna was also the best film at Athens International Art Film Festival. “It’s a testament to the power of storytelling and the ability of cinema to transcend boundaries,”said Thakur | AFP

Keeping it real: It’s biopic season in Bollywood. There is Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, based on the life of Punjab’s legendary singer. Starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, it will have a Netflix release on April 12. Then there is the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Srikanth opening in theaters on May 10. Rao plays the titular character of visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla. Ahead of the trailer launch on April 9, Rao has been teasing audiences with posters and a behind-the-scenes video of him meeting the real Srikanth. We are hooked! | AFP

Hope, for the best: BTS’s J-Hope has hopped on to the Billboard 200 yet again. His most recent Hope on the Street Vol. 1 EP launched at No 5, making him the first Korean soloist to have more than one top 10 album on the Billboard 200. His Jack in the Box had made it to No 6 in September. His Hope World EP was the first to land a spot on the Billboard—No 38—in 2018 | Getty Images