Global popstars and Grammy-nominated artist BTS has strongly condemned the rise in anti-Asian violence in a lengthy statement. Their statement comes in a few days after the recent tragic Atlanta spa shootings that led to the death of several Asians. BTS further elaborated on their own experience with racism.

The statement was released on Tuesday morning in both Korean and English with the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate. "We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger," the statement read.

"We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English. We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem," BTS further spoke about facing racism and being subjected to the discrimination they've faced over the years.

#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) March 30, 2021

"What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians. It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message. But what our voice must convey is clear," the message further read.

BTS' statement also comes in few weeks after they were once again subjected to racism after their MTV Unplugged performance when a German host used racist remarks towards the popular group.

Standing in solidarity with their Asian community and condemning the violence, BTS concluded their statement by saying, "We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together."

ALSO READ: BTS release free e-book celebrating one year of  ‘Connect, BTS’ global art project 

Ajay Devgn starrer Maidaan will feature him as a football coach for the first time in his career and the actor’s film has been in the news since its announcement. While the shooting schedules had to be moved around due to the unforeseen pandemic, the producer Boney Kapoor has managed to move things around effortlessly. Director Amit Sharma had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month and had home quarantined himself while following the necessary protocols.

As per the latest reports, Amit Sharma has tested negative for Coronavirus and will soon resume the shoot. The director, as per the sources, has been feeling a lot better and even though his diagnosis had left everyone tensed considering the surge, Amit Sharma is eager to resume work. He has been feeling great now and is relieved that he can finally continue to direct the film. For the unversed, Maidaan is based on the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.

Starring Priyamani and Gajraj Rao among the others, Maidaan is slated to release on October 15.

Also Read: Ajay Devgn’s bearded new look for Disney+ Hotstar leaves the fans excited

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Grammy nominated popstars BTS are celebrating their global art project Connect, BTS, a year later through the free e-book and font releases. Before the releasing of their record-breaking album 'Map Of The Soul: 7', last year in January 2020, BTS kicked off the art project. CONNECT, BTS was a global project to connect five cities and 22 artists, each of whom contributed their unique philosophy and imagination to it. This project aimed to redefine the relationships between art and music, the material and immaterial, artists and their audiences, artists and artists, and theory and practice. CONNECT, BTS may be described in terms of a collective curatorial practice by curators around the world who resonated with BTS’s philosophy.

In a statement on the official website, BTS said, "We all come from different cultures, and speak different languages.
But we are here together because we respect the value of diversity, and to send the message that different is good.
It’s the belief that our diversity can create a world where differences do not render us apart but “connect” us together through our uniqueness. We hope that you can be a part of CONNECT, BTS through this shared belief,
and we hope that here is true inspiration awaiting our discovery."

Connect, BTS, led by artistic director Lee Daehyung, is an independent Korean curate who has previously organized his country's pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. The project started in London with Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s work Catharsis. The exhibition began on January 14 and went on till March 6 at the Serpentine Gallery.

ALSO READ: BTS ARMY raises over Rs. 1 lakh for J-Hope & Suga’s birthday fundraiser; donate money to NGO supporting sexual harassment survivours

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Another EXO member is enlisting in the military! Every able man has to do mandatory service in the military in South Korea. Popular South Korean group EXO member Chanyeol has enlisted in the military.

The enlistment news was confirmed in February 2021 by SM Entertainment, parent company of EXO, that the musician will be starting his mandatory training from March 29. The rapper-singer will receive basic four weeks of training after which will serve as an active solider. Unlike other EXO members, Chanyeol's enlistment details including time and location was kept private.

Chanyeol becomes the fifth EXO member to head for mandatory military service after Xiumin, D.O. who have already been discharged whereas Chen and Suho began their service in 2020.

Chanyeol was last seen during the press conference of his movie The Box. Wishing him safe and healthy return after his service!

ALSO READ: EXO’s Baekhyun to release solo album on March 30, SM Entertainment confirms

Bollywood celebrities are back to business and working on sets. There are COVID-19 tests done every other day and in recent times, many celebs have tested positive. After Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and more, Fatima Sana Shaikh is the latest celebrity to test positive for COVID-19.

Sharing a photo on her Instagram story on Monday, March 29, Fatima Sana Shaikh wrote, “I have tested positive for Covid-19 and currently following all the precautions and protocols and have been home quarantining myself.”

“Please stay safe guys- Fatty," she concluded her message.

Actors Ranbir Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently recovered from COVID-19. Celebrities including Kartik Aaryan, Milind Soman, Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Vikrant Massey, Rohit Saraf are still in home quarantine.

ALSO READ: “I really liked the idea behind this one”, shares Fatima Sana Shaikh on working for Ajeeb Daastaans