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Lawrence Bishnoi: Inside the criminal life of India’s most feared gangster

LAWRENCE Bishnoi may be incarcerated, but that hasn’t stemmed the reach of his influence or criminal empire.

Here’s everything we know about the gangster from India.

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Lawrence Bishnoi photographed while being escorted by police to Panchkula Court on November 13, 2019[/caption]

Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?

Lawrence Bishnoi was born on February 12, 1993, in Ferozepur, Punjab, India.

He began his journey into the criminal underworld during his college years.

Bishnoi studied law, attending DAV College in Chandigarh before completing his degree at Panjab University.

In 2011, Bishnoi joined the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council, where he first encountered Goldy Brar.

Brar would go on to become a key associate in his criminal network.

Criminal empire

Bishnoi’s criminal record is extensive, with over two dozen cases registered against him, including charges of murder and extortion.

His gang is believed to have over 700 members, including top-ranking members who live overseas.

Between 2010 and 2012, multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) — written documents prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a crime — were registered against him in Chandigarh.

These were for offences including attempted murder, trespassing, assault and robbery.

Out of the seven FIRs filed against him in Chandigarh, he was acquitted in four cases, with three remaining under trial.

Since 2012, Bishnoi has spent the majority of his time incarcerated.

This doesn’t seem to have hindered his criminal activity.

Bishnoi used his time in prison to forge alliances with other criminals and expand his network.

During the periods while he wasn’t behind bars, he reportedly connected with arms dealers and local criminals, further growing his illegal empire.

In 2013, Bishnoi reportedly gunned down the winning candidate of the Government College elections in Muktsar, as well as a rival candidate in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation elections.

He also diversified into liquor dealing and provided refuge for murderers within his gang.

In 2014, Bishnoi was involved in an armed confrontation with Rajasthan Police, leading to him being arrested again.

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Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi pictured amid heavy police security while coming out of the Amritsar court complex on October 31, 2022[/caption]

Operations from prison

While in jail, he has allegedly continued to orchestrate murders.

According to reports, Bishnoi also formed a connection with Jaswinder Singh, aka Rocky, a gangster-turned-politician, with the associates remaining active in Bharatpur, Rajasthan from prison.

Rocky was later killed by another gangster, Jaipal Bhullar, in 2016 — with Bhullar meeting a similar fate in 2020.

Bishnoi’s influence continued to grow even while incarcerated.

In Bharatpur jail, he reportedly ran a criminal syndicate with alleged assistance from jail staff.

In 2021, he was transferred to Tihar jail in Delhi due to a case filed against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Despite being incarcerated, Bishnoi has managed to maintain control over his criminal empire through sophisticated communication methods.

He reportedly uses VoIP calls to communicate with associates outside prison and has even given interviews to news channels while incarcerated.

Assassination of Baba Siddique

On Saturday, October 12, 2024, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Baba Siddique, was shot dead in Mumbai by three assailants.

Two of the attackers were arrested by police and claimed during interrogation that they were connected to Bishnoi’s criminal network.

As of October 14, the third assailant remains at large, with law enforcement actively pursuing him.

The involvement of Bishnoi’s gang in this murder adds to a growing list of high-profile crimes attributed to the notorious gangster.

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Ankit Sirsa and Sachin Bhiwani were arrested following the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala[/caption]

Other high-profile crimes

Bishnoi has been linked to several high-profile crimes, including:

  • The killing of gangster Sukhdool Singh (Sukha Duneke) in Canada in September 2021
  • The murder of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022
  • The assassination of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, president of the Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, in December 2023

Threats to Bollywood actor Salman Khan

One of the most alarming aspects of Bishnoi’s criminal activities is his persistent threats against Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

In June 2024, four men with links to Bishnoi’s gang were arrested while planning an attack on Khan’s car.

The Bishnoi gang has also threatened and attacked people perceived to be close to or helping the Bollywood star.

An example of this is the recent assassination of Baba Siddique, who was known to be friendly with Khan.

Why Bishnoi is after Khan

The main reason Bishnoi and his gang are targeting Khan stems from the 1998 blackbuck poaching case involving Salman Khan.

Lawrence Bishnoi belongs to the Bishnoi community, which considers the blackbuck a sacred animal.

The Bishnoi are a Hindu sect in India who are known for their environmental conservation efforts.

They were angered when Khan was accused of hunting and killing two blackbucks while filming in Rajasthan.

Lawrence Bishnoi, who was only about five years old at the time of the poaching incident, has made it his mission to target Khan as revenge on behalf of his community.

The Bishnoi community was deeply upset by Khan’s alleged actions against the blackbuck.

The rise of Lawrence Bishnoi as India’s most feared gangster highlights the complex nature of organized crime in the country.

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What happened to Victoria’s Secret’s Angels?

VICTORIA Secret was once the trendiest name in langerie and videos of the brand’s Angels strutting down the runway would instantly go viral on social media.

Due to declining interest, the brands’ runway show was put on hiatus in 2019 but fans were thrilled to discover that the Angels will be returning in 2024.

Supermodels including Heidi Klum have donned the iconic wings
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The models go through an intense selection process

The models will be accompanied by the Queen of Comebacks herself, Cher, who will perform some of her biggest hits.

This is the story of the Victoria’s Secret Angels fall from grace and how they returned.

The faces of the brand

An Angel is a model that has signed a contract with Victoria’s Secret, after passing their rigorous selection process.

They are tested on their walk, popularity and look at the Victoria’s Secret headquarters.

When they first debuted, the Angels were hailed as presenting a more empowering image than the then-fashionable “heroin chic” look.

Some of the biggest names in fashion have donned the iconic brand’s feathered wings and stomped down the runway, including Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid and Tyra Banks.

No longer “culturally relevant”

The popularity of the Victoria’s Secret Angels had waned significantly by June 2021, with the brand’s CEO Martin Waters telling The New York Times that they were no longer “culturally relevant”.

He continued: “I’ve known that we needed to change this brand for a long time.

“We just haven’t had the control of the company to be able to do it. We needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want.”

The Victoria’s Secret live shows were put on hiatus in 2019, bringing the brands run of iconic runway moments to a temporary end.

Despite the Angels no longer appearing on the runway, Victoria’s Secret decided to diversify the line-up of models used in their advertising.

Transgender model Valentina Sampaio was one of the trailblazing new stars, alongside actress and producer Priyanka Chopra.

Stars like Harry Styles have performed on the Victoria’s Secret runway
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The Angels’ comeback

The Angels will be flying down the runway on October 15, 2024, in their first live appearance since they were put on hold.

They will be joined by Cher herself, who will sing some of hits from her seven decade career.

Fans have been clamouring for some of Victoria’s Secret’s biggest names to return too, with the teaser for the event featuring Tyra Banks and Gigi Hadid.

There will be one major change to the Angels’ costumes, though.

For the first time, their wings will be made with handcrafted faux feathers instead of the chicken, pheasant and ostrich feathers that were used previously.

Peta’s Vice President of Coporate Projects Yvonne Taylor said: “Peta is tickled pink that the return of Victoria’s Secret’s iconic fashion show will feature dazzling designs that no bird suffered or died for.

“The exploitation of birds has no place in fashion, and Victoria’s Secret is setting a great example for other companies to follow.”

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Apple tipped to take on Meta Ray-Bans with brand new mega gadget – and there could be a bizarre change for AirPods too

APPLE is reportedly plotting more vision-based products and might even put cameras into AirPods.

The iPhone maker recently launched its Apple Vision Pro headset, which became the company’s first new major product category since the release of the Apple Watch in 2015.

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Apple wants to bring more of its expensive Vision Pro tech to other products
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a man stands in front of a pair of ray-ban sunglasses
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Apple could launch a rival to the Meta Ray-Ban glasses[/caption]

But it costs a whooping £3,499 / $3,499 for the base model.

While rival Meta has a competitor in the form of Quest, it’s the Meta Ray-Bans that has got everyone talking.

The Mark Zuckerberg-owned social network recently revealed upgrades to his AI smart glasses, so users can do things like speaking other languages and talk aloud to ask questions.

And Apple may be looking to make a product similar, according to Bloomberg.

The publication claims that Apple is considering its own type of Meta Ray-Bans using some of Apple Vision Pro’s tech in 2027.

But even more interesting is that Apple might even launch AirPods with cameras in them too.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard reports of such a product.

In July, it was reported that they may be infrared cameras similar to those used on iPhone for Face ID, as opposed to taking photos.

The move would come as a way to recoup some of the billions of dollars spent developing Vision Pro’s visual intelligence technology.

We’ve already seen this happen on the iPhone 16 which has visual intelligence, allowing users to scan the area around them.

Meta hasn’t revealed how well its AI Ray-Ban glasses have performed since starting last year.

According to data provider IDC more than 700,000 pairs have been shipped.

THE SUN'S SEAN KEACH TRIES META SPECS

The Sun’s Head of Technology and Science Sean Keach had a chance to don the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses at Meta HQ…

I wear glasses every day, so the idea of donning a pair of specs isn’t exactly alien to me.

But convincing people with perfectly sharp eyesight to put on a pair of glasses might be a bit of an ask.

Mark Zuckerberg and friends think they’ve clocked it with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses – serving up enough features for you to consider signing over some of your face real estate to them.

I got a chance to look at probably two dozen different shapes and sizes of glasses, and plenty of them look great.

The only clear downside is that they have a bit of bulk compared to regular glasses, but it’s not a huge problem. And especially not if you’re buying the sunglasses, where bigger specs feels a bit more palatable.

Anyway once they were on, using Meta AI was extremely easy.

I would just say “Hey Meta” followed by a simple request.

I used it to instantly translate a sign from Spanish to English, to scan a QR code, and to remind me to buy something later.

It was very easy and worked eerily well. It really was like having an AI assistant in my brain.

Once Meta adds the ability for it to analyse video of what you’re seeing, as well as live-translate language for you, it’s going to be a game-changer.

But I wasn’t able to test either of those features just yet.

What I will say is that they feel like a worthwhile buy for gadget fans, even minus those bonus features coming down the line.

And even if you don’t use any of the AI stuff, it’s quite fun to have a camera on your face. And yes, you can control that with your voice too.

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Venmo confesses ‘highly requested’ switch to all payments coming in weeks – and there’s a backup if you’re short on cash

VENMO has just announced plans to add a “highly requested” feature to its app, available in the coming weeks.

The popular payments platform will soon allow users to schedule one-time or recurring payments or requests.

The new feature will now allow users to schedule one-time or recurring payments
Venmo
Venmo will be adding the new feature in the coming weeks
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The new feature can be used to set up the payments monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly in advance.

Venmo revealed that the move comes the company found out 84% of consumers have used a peer-to-peer service with payments like monthly rent, utilities, and other common living expenses. 

“We’re excited to introduce this highly requested feature which offers an easy way to set up and manage one-time and recurring payments in the Venmo app to continue our commitment to delivering the best possible P2P experiences for our users,” Alexis Sowa, vice president and general manager, Venmo said in a statement.

The company will also offer a backup option for those whose accounts are short on cash.

To avoid an overdraft, Venmo will grab money from a secondary linked bank account, debit card or credit card to cover the full amount. 

Users will also get an email and notification reminder a day ahead of any upcoming scheduled payment.

For those looking to view their scheduled payments, all will be located on their transaction page.

Meanwhile, canceling a scheduled payment will be in the settings page.

THE EIGHT STEPS

Once the feature is ready, users can set up a one-time or recurring payment in the Venmo app.

According to Venmo, to set them up users must:

  1. Select Pay/Request
  2. Confirm the recipient of the one-time or recurring payment
  3. Tap the Schedule button
  4. Confirm the frequency and dates for the one-time or recurring payment
  5. Tap Save
  6. Confirm the payment amount
  7. Tap Pay
  8. Select Schedule Payment

For those looking to set up a scheduled payment request, users must:

  • Select Pay/Request
  • Confirm the recipient of the one-time or recurring payment request
  • Confirm the frequency and dates for the one-time or recurring payments
  • Tap Save
  • Confirm the payment amount
  • Tap Request
  • Select Schedule Request

WHAT IS VENMO?

Venmo is a peer-to-peer mobile payment service owned by PayPal where users can send and accept payments to and from those on the app.

While the app is free to use, there are some transaction fees depending on how you use the platform.

We’re excited to introduce this highly requested feature which offers an easy way to set up and manage one-time and recurring payments in the Venmo app to continue our commitment to delivering the best possible P2P experiences for our users.”

Alexis Sowa, vice president and general manager, Venmo

For example, the Instant Transfer feature allows users to transfer their money instantly from the app to their bank account – but at a cost.

The fee is either 25 cents or 1% of the total transfer, depending on which number is higher.

Additionally, a 3% processing fee will be tacked on to users who decide to send money from a credit card.

However, that fee comes from credit card companies, not Venmo.

Lastly, merchant fees are for anyone who accepts Venmo as a form of payment at a retail location.

Merchants end up paying a transaction fee of 30 cents, added to a 2.9% fee on the transaction total.

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Tua Tagovailoa’s final retirement decision confirmed with Miami Dolphins star facing further concussion tests

TUA Tagovailoa’s final decision over retirement has been confirmed after his horrific concussion issues.

The Miami Dolphins star has been out since NFL Week 2 following the fourth head injury of his career.

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Tua Tagovailoa goes down after being smashed in the head against the Buffalo Bills[/caption]
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Tua has made a final retirement decision after the fourth concussion of his career[/caption]

He went down against the Buffalo Bills, was taken out of the game, and hasn’t played since.

There have been calls for the 26-year-old to retire, with many concerns over his long-term health.

And Tua is understood to have made a final decision over whether he wants to carry on with the Dolphins.

During an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN star and college football icon Nick Saban revealed all.

The two are close after spending time together while with Alabama, and have spoken on the phone.

“I talked to Tua. He really wants to play,” said Saban.

“Whether he ever can play or get the opportunity to do it again, I guess that’s a medical decision somebody has to make.

“He seemed to be good. I talked to him right afterwards.

“You know, he’s good.

“He’s always positive and, you know, very enthusiastic.”

Tua is the Dolphins leading star, their franchise quarterback, who they handed a huge contract to in the summer.

He penned a $212 million, four year extension, with the AFC East team in July.

The QB has been seeking medical advice over his latest concussion, as he searches for a way back.

He has had expert help, and has been assured by the NFL he can return if he is given the all clear.

Tua is on injured reserve at present, and is not expected to return until some time in November.

Saban also opened up on the difficulty on watching his former star suffer with concussion injuries.

“Tua is the best. I mean, and I hate it, I hate it for him, because he’s such a good person who does everything the right way.

“They want prayers from everybody out there to try to help him, you know, get well.

“The guy is just phenomenal.

“You love to see people like that have success and not have this kind of adversity, but hopefully, he’ll be able to overcome it.”

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Nick Saban has revealed he has spoken to Tua, who has told him his retirement decision[/caption]

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Trump rips ‘pile of garbage’ Apprentice biopic & defends ‘great relationship’ with Ivana as he blasts ‘disgusting’ scene

DONALD Trump has lashed out at the creators behind The Apprentice biopic branding the movie a “political hatchet job” – just weeks before Election Day.

The Republican presidential nominee, 78, slammed one scene that appeared to depict the character Trump, who is played by Marvel actor Sebastian Stan, raping his first wife Ivana.

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Trump and Ivana portrayed in the biopic The Apprentice[/caption]
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Trump and Ivana, pictured in 1984, divorced in 1990[/caption]

The biopic, written by journalist Gabriel Sherman, focuses on Trump’s career as a real estate mogul in the 1970s and 1980s and his relationship with prosecutor Roy Cohn.

Trump’s team reportedly tried to block the movie’s release, and the tycoon’s campaign’s communications director, Steven Cheung, has described the biopic as “garbage.”

Trump took to his Truth Social page and branded the movie “cheap and defamatory.”

In his tirade, he labeled it a “political hatchet job.”

Trump claimed the biopic, released weeks before Election Day, was put out to impact his campaign and branded the film “fake and classless.”

He also addressed his relationship with Czech-American businesswoman Ivana, who died in 2022.

“My former wife, Ivana, was a kind and wonderful person, and I had a great relationship with her until the day she died,” he said.

Cheung told The U.S. Sun: “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.

“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should never see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.”

Trump also lashed out at Sherman in his Truth Social Post, who produced the “piece of garbage.”

The rape allegations surfaced in the book The Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump, penned by Harry Hurt III, a former Newsweek reporter.

The book was initially published in 1993.

It is related to a deposition that emerged in Ivana’s 1990 divorce case against Trump.

Cast of The Apprentice

A biopic titled The Apprentice focuses in on Donald Trump's career as a real estate mogul in the 1970s and 1980s. It also refers to Trump's relationship with the prosecutor and lawyer Roy Cohn. The U.S. Sun has revealed who stars in the film:

  • Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump
  • Jeremy Strong plays Roy Cohn
  • Maria Bakalova plays Ivana Trump
  • Martin Donovan plays Fred Trump
  • Catherine McNally plays Mary Anne Trump
  • Charlie Carrick plays Freddy Trump
  • Mark Rendall plays Roger Stone

In 1993, Ivana had seemed to walk back from the statement, as reported by The Daily Beast.

Her remarks appeared on the front page of Hurt’s book.

“During a deposition given by me in connection with my matrimonial case, I stated that my husband had raped me,” it said.

“On one occasion during 1989, Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage.

“As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent.

“I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”

In 2015, Ivana told ABC News she and Trump were the best of friends.

She said the pair had raised three children they were “very proud of.”

Ivana and Trump’s children are Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka.

Trump’s team tried to block the release of the movie, but its director, Ali Abbasi, told NBC he didn’t want to make a “hit job” out of the tycoon.

“It fits very well with my outsider perspective,” he said.

Trump is seeking to be the first former president since Grover Cleveland to win two non-consecutive terms in office.

If the election were held tomorrow, Real Clear Politics analysis suggests Trump would retake the White House with 302 Electoral College votes.

Surveys suggest he is narrowly ahead in the key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

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Hypersonic jet ‘The Quarterhorse’ that could fly from London to NYC in under 2hrs moves step closer with $135m test site

A TEST site has been chosen for a new aircraft called The Quarterhorse MKII which is set to travel faster than the speed of sound.

Hermeus, a hypersonic aircraft company based in Georgia, in the United States, has huge hopes for the Quarterhorse MKII.

an american flag hangs above a plane in a hangar
instagram/@hermeuscor
Hermeus is a step closer to developing ‘The Quarterhorse’ that could fly from London to NYC in under two hours[/caption]
an airplane is being assembled in a warehouse with a yellow crane
instagram/@hermeuscor
The hypersonic aviation company has broken ground on a new $135million test site in Jacksonville, Florida[/caption]

It will be five times faster than the speed of sound with the aircraft expected to reach Mach 2.5, or 1918mph.

Such speed would see the aircraft fly from London to New York City in less than two hours.

Hermeus has selected Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida as its new engine test facility, taking it one step closer to launching hypersonic commercial flights.

The High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test Facility broke ground last month and is set to be the largest and most advanced Hermeus test site.

It will be constructed in stages with the first sea-level static engine test set to begin this year, according to Aerospace Manufacturing.

It is hoped that once production on The Quarterhorse has started, the jet will be “used as a platform for commercial testing and development efforts,” Hermeus said.

The HEAT facility will support flight modelling by continually providing the conditions needed for hyper-supersonic and low-hypersonic flight.

A series of engines and propulsion systems will undergo tests in Jacksonville including the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine and Hermeus’ proprietary hypersonic Chimera engine.

It will be a key hub for hypersonic technology for both the Department of Defense and commercial parties.

The Jacksonville facility is also set to serve as the base for the company’s commercial high-Mach flight test services starting in 2026.

The aircraft will depart from Cecil and ferry into the Eastern Range to conduct flight test operations, before returning to Cecil.

This service is hoped to be quickly brought up to the weekly test cadence set to meet the demand signal of numerous official and commercial customers.

Hermeus’ plan following the success of The Quarterhorse MKII is to make history with the MKIII.

The goal is that this aircraft will become the “world’s fastest aircraft” after successfully breaking the all-time airspeed record

While the hypersonic jet company has its eyes set on commercially using its jets, it will also work with other government organisations to work on uncrewed, highspeed military defence aircraft.

“Hypersonic aircraft represents a major step change in defence technology, offering unprecedented speed, altitude, and manoeuvrability,” Hermeus states.

“The United States is lacking in the capability to rapidly and economically test air-breathing hypersonic engines,” AJ Piplica, Hermeus co-founder and CEO said.

“The few test facilities available have years-long waitlists and are prohibitively expensive.

“The commercially operated testing services that we will offer at our HEAT facility are more economical and responsive to dynamic test requirements and are better suited to match the ever-changing needs of the warfighter.”

Hermeus is set to invest $135 million into the project and is expected to create over 100 jobs.

Meanwhile, a British aviation company has launched talks regarding the hypersonic ‘Son of Concorde’ which would travel from London to the US in just 60 minutes.

a supersonic jet is flying through the air
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The jet is set to go five times the speed of sound[/caption]
a futuristic jet is flying through the night sky
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Hermeus is also hoping to make history with the Quarterhorse MKIII[/caption]

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Lupita Nyong’o on Becoming a Scream Queen and Living With Grief After Chadwick Boseman’s Death: “I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Be Done Shedding My Tears”

The 'Black Panther' star also said that when filming the 2018 Black-led movie with Boseman: "Marvel was shaking in their boots a little bit. We were too! But it totally shattered the myth that Black doesn't sell."

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