Bollywood star Salman Khan performing during Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia this month. Reuters
Bollywood star Salman Khan performing during Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia this month. Reuters
Bollywood star Salman Khan performing during Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia this month. Reuters
Bollywood star Salman Khan performing during Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia this month. Reuters

Snakes and sequels: how Bollywood star Salman Khan celebrated his 56th birthday


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Bollywood star Salman Khan turned 56 on Monday and marked the occasion by announcing a raft of new films, including a sequel to his record-breaking 2015 drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

To be called Pavan Putra Bhaijaan, the film will reunite Khan with writer KV Vijayendra Prasad, who co-wrote the screenplay for Bajrangi Bhaijaan, one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films.

The actor, who met the media outside his farmhouse in Panvel, on the outskirts of Mumbai, said filming will begin once he's completed the third film in his hit action-packed Tiger series, following Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), which was extensively filmed in Abu Dhabi.

But Khan, who last appeared in Antim: The Final Truth, which released last month, was inundated with questions about a snake bite incident on Sunday at the farmhouse. Indian media reported that the actor was rushed to the hospital after being bitten.

“A snake had entered one of the rooms. The kids got scared so I went in to see and asked for a stick, with which I picked up the snake with a lot of love and brought it out, and the snake wrapped itself on the stick and then it started climbing upwards. It came quite close to my hand so I caught it with my other hand and dropped the stick so I can take it back to the jungle. That’s when the snake bit me.

Khan is celebrating his 56th birthday with his family in Panvel, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Reuters
Khan is celebrating his 56th birthday with his family in Panvel, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Reuters

"Then there was more chaos when they screamed ‘chaavla, chaavla, chaavla’ (the snake has bitten), and the snake bit me again. Then they all screamed ‘hospital, hospital, hospital’, saying that I should be taken to a hospital quickly. There was so much commotion, the snake was a bit venomous, and it bit me again."

Khan said he was then taken to the hospital where he received an anti-venom shot.

“On returning from the hospital, we saw that the snake was still here, and we took it back to the jungle. I am doing fine now, I have taken an anti-venom for almost all snakes because we were not sure if it a poisonous snake or not just by looking at it. After giving me the shot I was kept there for six hours for observation,” he said.

On Sunday, Khan's father Salim Khan told the media that the family "were definitely worried" after they heard about the biting incident.

"Thankfully it turned out that the snake was not poisonous," Salim told the Times of India. "He returned to the farmhouse and went to sleep for a few hours. As we speak, he is fine. There's nothing to worry, but yes, there was a scare."

Khan, who began his Bollywood career in the '80s, is still one of the most influential actors and producers in the industry. In March next year, he is set to host the International Indian Film Academy Awards, to be hosted by Abu Dhabi for the first time.

The awards, which recognises the best Hindi films and talents of the year, is held in a different city every year.

“I have always enjoyed being a part of the IIFA family and travelling to some great destinations, but this year I am super happy that we are headed to one of my personal favourites, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi," the actor said.

"IIFA is always a memorable time and this year it will be an even bigger celebration as we celebrate the 75th year of India’s independence and UAE’s 50th anniversary-Golden Jubilee celebration."

How Filipinos in the UAE invest

A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.

Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).

Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUndergraduate%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EInterior%20Design%3B%20Product%20Design%3B%20Visual%20Design%3B%20Fashion%20Design%20%26amp%3B%20Accessories%3B%20Fashion%20Styling%20%26amp%3B%20Creative%20Direction%3B%20Fashion%20Business%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Fashion%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Design%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EProfessional%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20e-Commerce%20%26amp%3B%20Digital%20Marketing%3B%20Fashion%20Entrepreneurship%3B%20Fashion%20Luxury%20Retail%20and%20Visual%20Merchandising%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShort%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20design%3B%20Fashion%20Image%20%26amp%3B%20Styling%3B%20Fashion%20Trend%20Forecasting%3B%20Interior%20Design%3B%20Digital%20Art%20in%20Fashion%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20is%20at%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istitutomarangoni.com%2Fen%3Futm_source%3DLocal%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3Dgmb%26utm_content%3Ddubai%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3Ewww.istitutomarangoni.com%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km

Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)

  • Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave. 
  • Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
  • Help out around the house.
  • Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
  • Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
  • Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)

TV: Abu Dhabi Sports

Expert input

If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?

“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett

“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche

“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox

“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite

 “I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy

“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)

Match on Bein Sports

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Updated: December 27, 2021, 9:13 AM