Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

BJP councillor to pay 89,000 for stealing electricit­y

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AMBALA: Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (UHBVN) imposed a penalty of ₹89,000 on a BJP cantonment board member, Luxmi Devi, for allegedly stealing electricit­y for her house near Topkhana Bazar. Sources informed that during a raid conducted on May 17 by a team led by dub-division officer (SDO) Harish Kumar detected that wires were illegally connected to overhead transmissi­on lines to give power supply to the residence of Luxmi Devi.According to the sources, vigilance and police teams accompanie­d the raiding party.

SDO said that on a tip-off, the raids were conducted at four places at Topkhana Bazar and nearby villages Tundla and Garnala. “Luxmi Devi has been fined with ₹89,000 while total penalties will be above ₹1 lakh,” the SDO added.

REWARD FOR INFORMER Executive engineer VK Khurana said,“Power Utilities have announced a scheme whereby 10% of the realised fine amount will be given to the informer who will inform the department about power thefts and his identity will be kept secret.”

Saket Chaudhary Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal

Iwill fire candle every Sunday in church.” Raj Batra’s (Irrfan Khan) clumsy English prompts an uneasy laugh. This is a man struggling to fit into a class structure designed to keep him out. He’s stuck in a circle of aspiration, humiliatio­n and rebound, and yet he takes it in good spirit.

Raj owns a clothing store in Old Delhi that he calls a fashion studio; he calls himself a ‘local tycoon’. He’s gone from the proverbial rags to riches but seems comfortabl­e in his own skin.

His wife Meeta (Saba Qamar), though, is determined to break into the Delhi ‘gentry’. She thinks moving to posh south Delhi will give her family’s income and ambition some validation.

The Batras then decide to get their daughter Priya into a reputed school, because what better way to become ‘included’. Their story is so relatable that it tugs at your heartstrin­gs even while making you laugh.

Hindi Medium is director Saket Chaudhary’s third film (after Pyaar Ke Side Effects in 2006 and Shaadi Ke Side Effects in 2014).

Through all three, he retains his firm grip on offbeat comedy and his ability to render Delhi and Delhiwalla­s with accuracy. This is evident from the first scene, in which Khan tries to convince the viral vlogger Mallika Dua, in a brief cameo, to buy a Manish Malhotra replica from his ‘studio’.

In Irrfan, Chaudhary finds the perfect lead. Hindi Medium exposes the absurditie­s involved in trying to get your child into a “famous” school in the Capital. The ride becomes even more joyous when Sham Prakash (Deepak Dobriyal) enters the game as a daily-wage earner battling his own odds at the other end of the social spectrum. As he begins to lose his battles, Dobriyal becomes haunting in his misery.

And Hindi Medium takes a turn; it’s just not funny any more. It forces us to acknowledg­e the absurdity of the struggle for what it is — capitalism at its worst — and it forces the audience to face the impact of this on the urban school student. A little preachy and melodramat­ic at the end, it is nonetheles­s a strong film.

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