MOHSIN KHAN ON HIS YEH RISHTA KYA KEHLATA HAI JOURNEY AND BEING NAMED ONE OF THE SEXIEST ASIAN MEN IN THE WORLD
by MOHNISH SINGH
WHEN Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai star Mohsin Khan was a kid, a part of him always wanted to act, but he was just too shy and embarrassed to admit it.
So, acting was not actually the career he had his sights on initially. He was on his way to becoming an engineer before he found his true calling and started making efforts to go before the cameras. After doing a couple of commercials, the actor landed his first television show Nisha Aur Uske Cousins, which set the ball rolling for him. But it was Star Plus’ long-running show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai that made him a household name.
Today, Mohsin is one of the most popular and highest-paid actors on Indian television, thanks to the multi-year spanning family drama by Rajan Shahi.
The small screen heartthrob tells Eastern Eye how it feels to front the cast of one of Indian television’s longest running shows, how much fans mean to him and whether or not he sees himself making a transition to films. The talented actor also opens up about being named as one of the sexiest Asian men on the planet.
Your show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (YRKKH) has completed 11 years of a successful run. How do you feel about all that it has achieved?
When Shivangi (Joshi) and I joined the show, it had already completed more than seven years of telecast, won every single television award and had broken every record. I did not know what to expect then. I just worked with the flow. Since my family members used to watch this show, I had also seen it in bits and parts. But, yes, I knew that people were ardent viewers and had loved the show from day one.
In a time when most of the daily soaps fail to complete even a year, YRKKH has been entertaining audiences for 11 years. Why, according to you, has the show clicked so much with audiences, not only in India, but also globally?
YRKKH is rooted in Indian traditions and family values. There is this intense family drama, and it also has an innocent love story. Every sequence has a social message, and every situation brings out the good and bad in the characters, which make the story and characters relatable.
When you joined the show, it had Hina Khan and Karan Mehra playing the lead characters. Then the baton was passed on to you and Shivangi. Was it not daunting for you to carry such an iconic show on your shoulders?
I had never thought that I would be in this industry, as I was on my way to become an engineer. But today, I am overwhelmed every single day of my life. The response that I have got from the audience is beautiful, mashallah, and I thank my lord for showing me the way. Plus, I am lucky and blessed that I have my family for standing by me through all the struggles.
Tell us more…
I try and understand the situation and then respond to my character in that situation and perform it as truthfully as I can. There is so much support, right from the producer, Rajan sir, to the writers and the director, in making you part of the narrative that everything flows in the right direction. I guess that is why I never felt the pressure.
Did you always want to be an actor?
There was a part of me which always wanted to act right from childhood. I was just too shy and embarrassed to admit it. I have been extremely lucky in my career to have worked with a great cast. I have learned so much from them. I so admired Vivek Mushran while working on Nisha Aur Uske Cousins (2014-15) and to know these actors and their journey makes me understand how I can improve as an actor.
Do you see yourself making a transition to films in future and are there any plans to explore the digital medium?
I don’t know what the future holds. For now, YRKKH is my number one priority. I have seen each episode twice. As his character has gone through a transition of 11 years in these four years, I try to look and sound more mature, and every time, we try to give the character a different edge and feel.
How much do fans mean to you?
The audience is the king. I am extremely thankful that people accepted the characters Kartik, Naira and the entire Goenka family four years ago. YRKKH is in everyone’s homes every night, so they have made it a part of their lives, as well as of their families. So, when people meet you, it is with so much warmth and affection. They remember each episode. They all have their different moments in the story that they have loved. It is their smiles and happiness that drive you. Right from kids to elders, the story has, mashallah, touched people. They have identified with the characters and kudos to the team for doing that.
What is it that you love the most about your character?
About Kartik Goenka, you see him as a happy-go-lucky sweet guy, but you are later introduced to the complexities in his life. You can see his issues with the family, you see him blaming Naira for a lot of the wrong things in his life and turning into an alcoholic. Later, he starts blaming himself for the mistakes and becomes a prisoner in his own mind. So, from an innocent soul to a shrewd individual to behaving almost psychotic and making a prison within his home, Kartik has a lot of layers in itself. And now, Kartik is going back to being in that happy zone, but obviously with a lot of twists. So, the journey of
Kartik has truly been a dream for me as an actor.
When not shooting, how do you spend your day?
When not shooting, I try to spend most of my time with my family. I meet my friends, not that often, but whatever little time I can, I try to spare. This does help in relaxing my mind.
Do you have any celebrity crush?
My first crush was Cameron Diaz. For now, I don’t have any big celebrity crush, but I used to have during my school and college days.
Finally, how do you feel about regularly being named as one of the sexiest Asian men on the planet in Eastern Eye newspaper’s world famous annual list?
I am extremely humbled to be on that list. I am going to tell my grandkids someday about it. Especially, to be on that list with so many guys that I look up to is truly an honour.
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
WHEN broadcaster and journalist Naga Munchetty began speaking openly about her experiences with adenomyosis and debilitating menstrual pain, the response was overwhelming.
Emails and messages poured in from women who had endured years of dismissal, silence and shame when it came to their health. That outpouring became the driving force behind her new book, It’s Probably Nothing, which calls for women to be heard and to advocate for themselves in a medical system that has too often ignored them.
“For so long, so many women haven’t been listened to by the world of medicine,” Munchetty said. “I knew this from my own experience of not being given adequate pain relief, or waiting years for a diagnosis. My motivation was to help women and people who love women to advocate better for women’s health.”
The book blends Munchetty’s personal journey with the voices of other women who have faced similar struggles, alongside expert insights from medical professionals. Its purpose, she said, is clear: to empower people to fight for their health.
“We need to be unafraid of saying how we have been weakened by our symptoms,” the BBC presenter said.
“Too often, we try to keep afloat, keep our head above water, but we don’t want to seem weak. That needs to change.”
Munchetty’s candour is striking. She describes the shame of being told her excruciating periods were “just normal,” leaving her to feel weak and whiny for struggling.
“You might as well have told me people have heart attacks while I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “Debilitating pain is serious — it may not be lifelimiting, but it is life-impacting.”
Her determination to challenge that culture led to her giving evidence in parliament, contributing to what became a Women and Equalities Committee report, published in December 2024.
The report made headlines for its stark conclusion: medical misogyny exists.
For Munchetty, seeing that phrase in black and white was transformative. “It was almost self-affirming,” she said. “We now know it’s there, so we can challenge it. Women can say: I know my body, I know there’s not enough research, and I am entitled to push for answers.”
The parliamentary report went further than acknowledgement. It called for ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs, better training for GPs, and greater investment in research into reproductive conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis.
It highlighted how symptoms are routinely dismissed as “normal,” delaying diagnosis and disrupting women’s careers, education and daily lives. Munchetty wrote in her book — referencing the report — that medical misogyny is not about blaming individual doctors, but about challenging a system built on insufficient research into women’s bodies.
“It gives women the language and the confidence to not just be heard, but to insist on being taken seriously,” she wrote.
Her book also tackles the additional barriers faced by women from minority communities, who may be discouraged by stigma or embarrassment from speaking about menstruation or menopause. To them, Munchetty has a clear message: “You are so much more valuable than you realise. If you don’t prioritise your health, you are lessening your ability to hold up everyone around you.”
Those featured in the book are friends, colleagues, charities and everyday women who contributed their stories, many for the first time. “I was surprised at how many friends are in that book with such powerful experiences,” Munchetty said.
“It told me all the more that we’re not speaking about it, and that it is sadly so very common.”
At a launch event for the book, contributors, family and experts filled the room with what Munchetty describes as an “electric and inspiring atmosphere.”
She said, “It was full of joy, of women who felt safe to speak up and be heard. This is not a whiny book — it’s a positive book. People felt they were part of making things better, part of this women’s health revolution.”
For Munchetty, writing the book was exhausting, but transformative, she said.
“I never thought I’d be an author. I’m a journalist. But this is journalism — facilitating people’s stories to be told powerfully and truthfully. People trusted me, and I’m proud of that.”
And Munchetty’s aim is for the book to be a tool for change: arming women with the language, confidence and strategies to advocate for their health.
“It’s not easy to admit you need help, and it’s not instinctive for women to prioritise themselves,” she said. “But this book will help you do that. It’s the silent friend who has your back and gives you strength.”
It’s Probably Nothing - Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis is now available in all good bookshops
The Shree Kunj Bihari Vrindavan (UK) Temple has officially launched its project to establish a grand home for Shree Banke Bihari in London.
The inaugural event, held in Harrow from 4 pm, featured devotional chants, the Deep Pragtya ceremony, and a presentation outlining the temple’s vision. Speaking at the gathering, Shalini Bhargava described the planned temple as “a spiritual home promoting bhakti, unity and seva for generations to come.”
Several dignitaries were honoured at the ceremony, including Cllr Anjana Patel, Mayor of Harrow; Anuradha Pandey, Hindi and Cultural Attaché at the High Commission of India; Kamakshi Jani of the Royal Navy; Councillors Janet Mote, Nitin Parikh and Mina Parmar; Krishnaben Pujara, Chairperson of ALL UK; and Truptiben Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Organisers said the launch marks the beginning of a new spiritual and cultural hub for London’s Hindu community, offering a centre for devotion, learning and community service.
Martin Dickie has announced his departure from BrewDog and the alcohol industry.
He co-founded the Ellon-based brewer with James Watt in 2007.
Dickie cited family time and personal reasons for his exit.
His departure follows recent bar closures as part of a company restructuring.
BrewDog confirmed no further leadership changes will follow.
BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has announced he is leaving the Scottish brewer and the wider alcohol industry for “personal reasons.” Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based business with James Watt in 2007, said he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than two decades in brewing and distilling.
Early beginnings
Dickie and Watt launched BrewDog at the age of 24, starting from a garage in Fraserburgh and selling hand-filled bottles from a van at local markets. The company grew rapidly to become one of the UK’s best-known craft brewers.
Leadership changes
James Watt stepped down as chief executive last year after 17 years in the role, moving into a non-executive position as “captain and co-founder.” Dickie’s exit marks another major shift in the company’s founding leadership.
Dickie’s statement
“Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family,” Dickie said. He added: “It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
Company response
BrewDog chief executive James Taylor praised Dickie’s contribution, highlighting his focus on product quality, workplace safety, sustainable supplier relationships, and new product development. “Martin’s contributions to BrewDog have been immeasurable,” Taylor said. “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”
Recent challenges
The announcement comes a month after BrewDog closed ten of its bars, including its flagship Aberdeen Gallowgate site and a Dundee outlet, citing commercial unviability. The company stressed that Dickie’s departure will not result in further leadership changes.