A doctor charged in the drug-related death of actor Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty in the case.

Dr Mark Chavez changed his plea to guilty in a Los Angeles court to a charge of conspiring to distribute the surgical anaesthetic ketamine.

Chavez, 54, operated a ketamine clinic and sold ketamine lozenges to Dr Salvador Plasencia, who supplied them to Perry, the star of NBC sitcom Friends.

Chavez is one of five people charged in Perry’s death. The 54-year-old actor was found dead in his backyard jacuzzi in southern California in October 2023.

A post-mortem examination found a high concentration of the drug ketamine in his blood and determined “acute effects” of the substance had killed him.

Ketamine is used as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain.

In his plea agreement, Chavez admitted he obtained ketamine from both his former clinic and a wholesale distributor through a fraudulent prescription.

Prosecutors said Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, worked with the two doctors to provide the actor with more than $50,000 (£38,000) of ketamine in the weeks before his death.

According to the indictment, the two medical doctors exchanged texts discussing how much they could charge Perry for vials of the drug, with one message reading: “I wonder how much this moron will pay.”

The plea allows Chavez to plead guilty to a lesser charge for his co-operation in the investigation, though he could still face up to 10 years in prison.

“He has accepted responsibility. He is co-operating,” his attorney told the court.

Chavez has turned over his passport and agreed to surrender his medical licence immediately.

He is free on bail until sentencing on 2 April 2025.

(BBC News)

The release of a blockbuster Pakistani film has been put on hold in India after officials in Delhi refused to give permission for its screening, the BBC has learnt.

A remake of a 1979 Punjabi film, The Legend of Maula Jatt, is the highest ever grossing film in Pakistan.

The movie was set to release in the northern Indian state of Punjab on Wednesday, which would have made it the first Pakistani film to hit Indian screens in more than a decade.

The South Asian neighbours share a frosty relationship and tensions often affect cultural exchanges between them.

On Wednesday, a source close to Zee Studios – the film’s distributor in India – confirmed to the BBC that its release had been stalled indefinitely, after the information and broadcasting ministry denied them permission.

It’s not immediately clear why the film was put on hold. The BBC has contacted the ministry for comment.

Starring Pakistan’s biggest stars Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, the 2022 film tells the story of a local folk hero who takes on the leader of a rival clan.

The film was initially supposed to release in India in 2022, but its screening was postponed indefinitely – until last month when its maker Bilal Lashari announced it would hit Indian theatres soon.

“Two years in, and still house full on weekends in Pakistan! Now, I can’t wait for our Punjabi audience in India to experience the magic of this labour of love!” he wrote on Instagram.

However, the news sparked protests in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, where the regional Maharashtra Navnirman Sena political party said it would not allow the film’s release “under any circumstances”. Mumbai, which is located in the state, is home to Bollywood, India’s largest film industry.

Following tensions, Zee Studios decided to limit the film’s release to Punjab state, which shares a border and language with Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Despite tense relations, Indian and Pakistan have always shared an affinity for each other’s art and culture.

Movies and web series made in India and Pakistan travel widely across the border. India’s Bollywood and Punjabi movies are particularly popular in Pakistan, while Pakistani series enjoy a large viewership in India.

Performers in both the countries also have a history of cross-border collaborations, working together on film and music projects.

But such collaborations came to a halt when Bollywood dropped Pakistani actors in 2016 and Pakistan banned Indian movies in 2019, over military tensions between the countries.

A few Punjabi movies from India have been screened in Pakistan in recent months.

In 2023, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition that sought a complete ban on performers from Pakistan, asking the petitioners to not to be “so narrow minded”.

Encouraged by this mild thaw in relations and Maula Jatt’s global success, its makers had hoped the folk drama would attract audiences in India.

The leading actors of Maula Jatt are well-known in India for starring in popular Pakistani dramas. They have also previously appeared in big-budget Bollywood films.

(BBC News)

Superstar Rajinikanth was admitted to Chennai’s Apollo Hospital in the late hours on Monday, September 30. 

According to a hospital source, the 73-year-old actor’s condition is “stable” right now. The source, as quoted by News18, said the superstar was admitted to the hospital on Monday night after claiming to have “stomach problems.” 

The actor will reportedly have an elective operation performed by interventional cardiologist Dr. Sai Satish. On Tuesday, the procedure will take place in the cardiac cath lab. Updates on the actor’s health are anxiously anticipated by fans and well-wishers. The actor was last seen in Nelson Dilipkumar’s ‘Jailer’.

Rajinikanth has been filming his next movie, Coolie, which is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, over the last few weeks. Visakhapatnam is the present location of the shoot. On September 20, he left for Chennai to attend Vettaiyan’s audio launch.

During the audio launch, Rajinikanth, lyricist Super Subbu, and composer Anirudh Ravichander played the Manasilaayo hookstep. At the ceremony, he also gave a speech that lasted about an hour. Rajinikanth’s next movie, Vettaiyan, will open in theatres on October 10. The director of the hard-hitting action drama is TJ Gnanavel. 

Among his devoted followers, Rajinikanth’s hospitalisation has raised concerns. Several X users sent messages wishing for a quick recovery for him.

MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu wished Rajinikanth a quick recovery. The statement “I wish my buddy Mr. Rajinikanth, who has been hospitalized, a speedy recovery” is a bit of a translation of his Tamil post on X.

(Business Standard)