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Actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik passed away at the age of 66 in Gurugram on March 9. His body will be brought to Mumbai after a postmortem is conducted, The Times of India reported.

His close associate and best friend Anupam Kher took to Twitter to announce the sad news. Kher's Tweet stated, "I know 'death is the ultimate truth of this world' But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive. Such a sudden full stop on friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!" Kher also shared a black and white photo where he and Kaushik are seen together.

Kangana Ranaut also reacted to the news and shared, "Woke up to this horrible news, he was my biggest cheerleader, a very successful actor and director #SatishKaushik ji personally was also a very kind and genuine man, I loved directing him in Emergency. He will be missed, Om Shanti."

Satish Kaushik was born on April 13, 1956. His breakout role was that of the character Calendar in Shekhar Kapur's Mr India. He had also made an impact with early releases like Jaane Bhi Do Yaro, Mandi and Woh 7 Din.

Kaushik made a transition to direction with Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. Tere Naam and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain are some of his popular films as director, according to The Times of India. Reacting to the actor's demise, Subhash Ghai told ETimes, "There are very few actors who are close to me in real life. People who I can call and share happy and sad moments with. Satish was one of them since the time we worked together in 'Ram Lakhan'. I met him last month. We spoke about Karan Razdan's film about the premier of that movie. Satish was very excited as usual. He was speaking about his next film, the next movie he's going to direct. He was a great artiste, whether he was on stage, on the big screen, small screen or whether he was writing. He was great at everything he did."

Actor Paul Shah, who got a clean chit from Pokhara District Court in a case related to raping a minor girl, has been released on Monday. Shah’s lawyer Kamala Mohan Wagle said that Shah was released after he was acquitted of all the charges. Shah was in the District Police Office, Tanahun. His supporters and well-wishers had gathered outside the district police office since this morning to welcome him. A joint bench of acting Chief Judge Dilliraj Acharya and Judge Shreedhara Kumari Pudasaini overturned the verdict of the Nawalpur District Court and held that the evidence presented in the court was insufficient to prove the charge against Shah. Earlier, the Nawalpur District Court had sentenced Shah to two-and-half-years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 25, 000 for sexually abusing a minor girl. Shah has already got a clean chit from the Tanahun District Court. Actor Shah had surrendered himself at the District Police Office, Tanahun on February 27 after a minor singer filed a rape case against him. Shah was sent to custody for seven days for the first time on February 27 and the remand was extended by 12 days on March 5 for the second time for investigation. Based on the complaint filed by a 17-year-old singer, the District Attorney’s Office had filed a case against Shah at Tanahun District Court seeking 14 years of imprisonment. Later, the issue took a twist after the minor singer, who had filed a complaint accusing Shah of raping her, changed her statement at the Tanahun District Court. The girl said that she had not been raped as claimed by her earlier. She said that the information she stated while filing the complaint was false.  

Police have arrested Bindhyabasini Music Company operator Subash Regmi on Sunday. A team of the Central Cyber Bureau detained Regmi from the Tribhuvan International Airport. He was returning from Thailand. Cyber Bureau spokesperson Pashupati Kumar Raya confirmed the arrest of Regmi. Raya said that he was nabbed for the investigation after a complaint was filed against him. Singer Pramod Kharel among four others had filed a complaint against Regmi. It is mentioned in the complaint that he used abusive language against singers through social media and assassinated their character.

It’s 1958. The Rana regime is long gone, and Nepal is now witnessing major political changes. But Mau Jung Babu Saheb, the former Rana minister, is still reminiscing about the old times, and the only treasure in his life is a shabby, old overcoat he owns, the one he received from someone close to the Rana family. ‘Mau Jung Babu Saheb Ko Coat’ is a Nepali classic written by Bhawani Bhikchu that tells the story of a man who once had reached the height of power, but is now gripping onto what’s left of it, which isn’t much. And the theatrical adaptation by Shailee Theatre in Ratopul, Kathmandu has done a good job in bringing this story to life. Babu Saheb is at the heart of this story. He’s a hateful and oppressive man, who reveled in the power he used to have over people as a Rana minister. It goes without saying, he was feared by all. But with the fall of the Rana regime, he has now become a laughing stock. Outside his household, people don’t think much of him. The reason why Babu Saheb is clinging on to the coat is because it reminds him of the old times, where he could easily demand respect from people. It was that coat which made him stand out among all. But now, with its colors fading away, and stitches coming out, the overcoat meets the same fate as the Rana regime did—it no longer holds any value—and that is the main theme of the story. Shailee Theater has put in a lot of effort to bring out this characteristic of Babu Saheb, that too,  just by his looks. With his face painted white and dark lines circling his eyes, he looks scary, but at the same time looks like someone who is not taken seriously. The actor (Saroj Aryal) gets the credit for bringing the character to life, besides the makeup. From the way he speaks, to his body language, everything hints towards how obnoxious the character was. While the others don’t have the same elaborate makeup as he does, they have carried their characters well. There are a few moments where the actors go a little overboard, but that is well compensated for by a lot of moments that will leave you in splits. Although Babu Saheb was the main character, some credit must go to the appearance of Bada Hakim (portrayed by Pranesh Gautam). More than his dialogues, his expressions are what the audience will love the most. It is light-weight and funny, and even though his appearance is short, it’s unforgettable. Besides the acting, lights and stage set-up also make the play much more interesting. The lighting changes were done in perfect timing to set the mood for the next scene. And the stage set-ups and changes were smooth and clean. One of the best transitions was when Babu Saheb leaves for Lucknow, in order to get his coat dry-cleaned. With the constant chatter of people trying to sell pan, asking to carry bags, and everything in chaos, we are easily transported to a railway station in India. The play, overall, is a fun watch, although the ending isn’t quite satisfying. It’s pretty obvious that they are trying to show the overcoat seeing the same fate as the fall of Ranas, but it could have been better delivered. The entire play shouldn’t be judged just by the flat ending. It’s a light-weight drama that lasts one and a half hours, and it’s definitely worth a watch. ‘Mau Jung babu Saheb Ko Coat’ will be staged at Shailee Theatre in Ratopul, at 5:00 pm on weekdays (except Thursday) and at 1:00 pm on weekends. It will run till  Feb 8.