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Indo-British production ‘A Game of Two Halves’ sets release date

The film stars actor Saaj Raja, known for featuring in Marvel Studios’ Eternals, alongside Lucy Jackson, Swaroopa Ghosh, and Nikkita Chadha.

Indo-British production ‘A Game of Two Halves’ sets release date

An Indo-British film, exploring the themes of identity crisis, racial dissonance, and acceptance, will be released in theatres on February 23, 2024, the makers have announced.

Titled A Game of Two Halves, the film stars actor Saaj Raja, known for featuring in Marvel Studios' Eternals, alongside Lucy Jackson, Swaroopa Ghosh, and Nikkita Chadha.


The Indo-British sports drama, which is directed by Khayam Khan, will be making its debut in theatres in India, the UK, and North America, a press release said.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of both Britain and India, A Game of Two Halves chronicles the transformative journey of Sanjay (Raja).

"A young British student who discovers his true self not amidst the academic pressures of a prestigious university, but on the dusty fields of Hyderabad in India, while teaching football to underprivileged children," the official plotline read.

"Having grown up in an emerging multi-cultural Britain, where I was one of only a handful of 'Brown' skinned kids at school, I identify with Sanjay and sympathise with his struggle to find acceptance. Sanjay tries to be accepted by the 'cool kids' by following the beautiful Shreya but learns his true nature through the life lessons the kids teach him.

"In the film, I want to show the juxtaposition of what we believe our identity is and what it truly is when we find ourselves and are comfortable in the skin we have been blessed with," Khan said.

The film is written by Shirley Day, and its ensemble cast also includes Sudha Bhuchar, Chizzy Akudolu, Rajiv Kumar Aneja, Pawan Chopra, and Sachin Chaudhary.

It is produced by Nicola Gregory and Sheila Nortley under the banner of K Squared Films, 2HotFilms, and Emineo Films and internationally distributed by Shiladitya Bora of Platoon One Films.

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Government considers £100 weekly payments to move asylum seekers out of hotels

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  • Asylum seekers could receive £100 per week on top of existing £49.18 support to leave hotels.
  • Currently over 32,000 migrants housed in 200 hotels costing £145 per night or £5.5 m daily.
  • Separate scheme offers up to £3,000 to asylum seekers willing to return to home countries.
The government is considering paying asylum seekers £100 a week to leave taxpayer-funded hotels and live with family or friends in the UK. Home Office officials have proposed the scheme as part of prime minister Keir Starmer's drive to accelerate the closure of asylum hotels. The weekly payment would come on top of the existing £49.18 support for living costs that migrants in hotels currently receive. The plan, set to be trialled in 2026, could reduce accommodation costs to a seventh of current spending. More than 32,000 migrants are currently housed in 200 hotels at an average cost of £145 per night or £1,015 a week. This compares with £23.25 a night for other dispersal accommodation in communities. The total bill for asylum hotels stands at £5.5 m a day, or £2.1 bn a year. Labour has pledged to stop their use by the end of this term in 2029, though suggestions indicate Starmer has privately set a one-year target.


The government has earmarked two former military barracks in Inverness, Scotland, and Crowborough, East Sussex, to house 900 migrants from the end of November as part of the hotel closure plan.


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