Deepika Padukone starrer Chhapaak hits the screens today. The film is directed by Meghna Gulzar and it is a biopic on acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. A couple of days ago, Ranveer Singh saw the movie at the special screening and recently the actor wrote a heartfelt post for his wife Deepika and filmmaker Meghna Gulzar.
Ranveer posted on Instagram, “Meghna, your film gives the audience hope and courage. It shows you the best and worst of humanity in a kaleidoscopic cinematic spectrum. It elucidates a subject that we’ve only ever heard of but never really fully understood. It offers a definitive and insightful deep-dive into the horrific gamut of acid violence. The story shakes you to your core and then lifts you heroically until your emotions soar. Talvar, Raazi and now Chhapaak..may I say “Bravo!” And “Encore!” ❤️”
My baby. I’ve witnessed you toil relentlessly to create this special piece of work. You’ve been an engine behind the project, and are the soul of the film. This is the most important instalment in your body of work. You laboured with such honesty in intent and action. You dug deep and fought through your challenges, faced your fears, overcame your struggles and today you and your team stand triumphant as the creators of one of the films of our times. Your performance is way more than everything I thought it could and would be. It’s moved me, stirred me and stayed with me. You blended strength with vulnerability and lent dignity to an immensely complex portrayal in such a fine manner that I’m simply awestruck at your craft. Its staggering and astonishing what you’ve achieved with Malti. A glowing gem in your repertoire. I love you baby. I’ve never been more proud of you. @deepikapadukone #chhapaak."
Ranveer and Deepika have always given us couple goals and we love the way they support each other in their careers as well.
The two will next be seen together on the big screen in Kabir Khan’s ’83. Ranveer plays the role of Kapil Dev in the film and Deepika will be seen as his wife Romi Dev.
BBC Asian Network is starting a new show called Asian Network Trending.
The show runs for two hours every week and is made for young British Asians.
It covers the topics that matter most to them like what’s trending online, questions of identity, mental health etc.
Amber Haque and the other hosts will share the show in turns, each talking about the issues they know and care about.
The network is moving to Birmingham as part of bigger changes behind the scenes.
Speaking up isn’t always easy. This show gives young people a space where their voices can be heard. That has been the quiet reality for a lot of British South Asians. Music on the radio, sure. Bhangra, Bollywood hits, endless remixes. But real conversations about identity, family pressure, mental health? Rarely. Until now.
From 27 October, Asian Network Trending goes live every Wednesday night—two hours of speech instead of beats. The first hour dives into trending news; the second hour goes deeper into family expectations, workplace racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and mental health stigma. And it’s not just one voice. Amber Haque and other rotating presenters keep it fresh.
Young British Asians finally hearing voices that reflect their experiences and challenges Gemini AI
What exactly is Asian Network Trending?
Two shows in one, really.
First hour: the hot takes. Social media buzzing? Celebrity drama? Immigration news? Covered while it’s relevant.
Second hour: the deep dive. One topic per week, unpacked with guests and people who know what they are talking about. Mental health, dating outside culture, career pressures, unspoken hierarchies, all of it finally getting the airtime it deserves.
Head of Asian Network Ahmed Hussain said the new show was designed to give space for thoughtful and relevant conversation. “It’s a bold new space for speech, discussion and current affairs that reflects the voices, concerns and passions of British Asians today,” he said.
Why go for a rotating hosts format?
You can’t sum up the “British Asian experience” with just one voice. A kid in Leicester whose family speaks Gujarati has a very different life from a Punjabi speaker in Southall. And a Muslim teen’s day-to-day reality isn’t the same as a Hindu’s or Sikh’s. Then there’s money, family pressures, school, work, and everyone is navigating their own path.
Why now? Why speech radio?
British Asians are visible, sure. Big festivals, business power, cultural moments. Yet mainstream media often treats the community like a footnote.
Music connects to heritage, yes. But it can’t talk about why your mum nags about you becoming a doctor when you want to study film. Radio forces engagement, intimacy, and honesty.
Surveys back it up. 57% of British South Asians feel they constantly have to prove they are English. 96% say accent and name affect perception. This show is a platform for those contradictions to exist out loud.
Who’s on air and why does it matter?
Amber Haque is first up, but the rotating system means different voices each week. BBC Three and Channel 4 experience under her belt helps navigate sensitive topics without preaching.
Representation isn’t just faces. It’s who decides what stories get told, who gets to question, who sets the tone. Asian Network Trending is designed to widen that lens, not narrow it.
What topics will the show cover?
Identity and belonging: balancing Britishness and South Asian heritage.
Mental health: breaking taboos in families.
Careers: that awkward "but why?" when you mention graphic design. The side hustle your parents call a hobby.
Relationships: the 'who's their family?' interrogation. The quiet terror before saying you're gay.
Community: the aunty and her "fairness cream" comments. The gap between your life and your grandparents' world.
Challenges and stakes
British South Asians aren’t all the same. Differences in religion, language, region, and class make their experiences varied and complex. Cover one slice and you alienate the rest. Go too safe and the younger audience won’t listen. Go too risky and conservative backlash is real.
Resources are tight. Speech radio costs money: producers, researchers, fact checks. Can it sustain deep conversations without cutting corners? That is the test.
What could success look like?
Not just ratings. Real impact: young people hear themselves articulated, families spark conversations, new voices get a platform, policymakers listen. Even a single clip prompting debate online counts. The proof is in engagement, in messy human response, not charts.
A mic, not a manifesto
This launch isn’t a cure-all. It’s a step, a loud, messy one. It hands the mic to people who mostly spoke filtered, cautious words. Let it stumble, argue, and surprise. Let it be uncomfortable. If it does that even sometimes, it has already done its job. Because for the first time, British Asian youth get to hear themselves, not through music, not as a statistic, but as real, living voices.
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