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March 2002
Sunday, March 31, 2002
10 dead, 20 injured in Kashmir temple attack
JAMMU, India - Suspected Islamic militants discharged several grenades and exchanged gunfire with police at a 150-year-old Hindu temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday, police said. Ten people were killed and another 20 injured in the assault. Two attackers got out of a white van outside the temple in a crowded shopping district in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, and threw several grenades, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. One attacker carried a gun into the temple and engaged in a shootout with security forces. He was later found dead inside the temple, police said. Another suspected militant was killed before he could enter the shrine, the officer said. Police were searching for a third attacker who drove the van. In total, four policemen, four civilians and two attackers were killed. Another 20 people, mostly civilians, were wounded in the attack. Doctors at Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu said five of the injured were in critical condition. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. The army cordoned off the temple area. In another assault Saturday, suspected guerrillas ambushed and killed two army soldiers in Baramulla, a town 35 miles north of the state's summer capital Srinagar, said M. Amin Shah, the deputy inspector general of police. The attacks come after three weeks of Hindu-Muslim violence in western Gujarat state that left more than 700 people dead. The Gujarat violence began Feb. 27 when a Muslim crowd burned a train car carrying Hindu activists, killing 58 people. Angry Hindu mobs killed hundreds of Muslims in retaliation. More than a dozen Islamic militant groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from mainly Hindu India since 1989. India accuses the Pakistani government of arming and training Pakistan-based militants who carry out attacks in Kashmir to win its independence or merger with Pakistan. The Pakistan governments supports the cause but denies helping the militants.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
Seven more killed in fresh Gujarat violence
Fresh communal violence in Gujarat claimed seven more lives on Sunday. Besides several others were injured in the police firings on Saturday night to quell violence. Rioters killed a resident of the central Gujarat city of Khambhat on Sunday. They also attacked houses and shops. According to the police, the attack left four policemen injured. Two rioters were killed and four injured when the police fired more than 100 rounds in Gomtipur where some 3,000 rioters set ablaze houses and businesses in a renewed frenzy of religious violence. A third was stabbed to death by rival rioters, the official said. The spokesman said police opened fire after the use of teargas and baton charges proved ineffective. Curfew has been re-imposed in Gomtipur and units of Army troops brought into Gujarat to stem the riots deployed in its shantytowns, the police spokesman said, adding the situation on Sunday was under control. One person was shot dead on Saturday night in the central Gujarat town of Petlad, while another was stabbed to death during large-scale arson in the area's business center. Police firing in the town Petlad left at least eight rioters injured.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
BSNL announces lower STD, ISD rates
New Delhi. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Saturday announced new tariffs raising the pulse rates for domestic and international long distance telephony that will benefit customers who can now speak for a longer duration at the same cost. BSNL issued a new tariff circular effective from Monday after the telecom regulator notified the new tariff structure for telecom services a fortnight ago.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
Exim Policy lifts all QRs on exports
New Delhi: Faced with sluggish exports, government on Sunday unveiled a new 5-year Exim Policy, removing all quantitative and procedural hurdles while giving various sops to agri-exports and special economic zones to achieve 80 billion dollars annual exports by 2007. Coterminus with the tenth Five-Year Plan, the policy announced by Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran also improved export incentive schemes like the popular duty entitlement passbook, advance licence and export promotion credit guarantee, besides giving transport assistance for agri-exports. The 2002-07 Policy, first after total liberalisation of imports last year, seeks to diversify markets with new programmes for exports to Africa and CIS countries and provides more benefits to industrial clusters, cottage and handicrafts exports and hardware sector. "We propose to remove all QRs on exports except a few sensitive items. Only a few items have been retained for exporting through state trading enterprises," Maran said. "Even the 3 per cent export target for this year is unlikely to be achieved. If the exports are not negative we will be happy," Maran said but expressed confidence that the policy will push exports in the coming years to achieve an annual 11.9 per cent growth projected in the medium-term export strategy. "The 18 per cent growth recorded in January has now been revised to 15 per cent. February could be bad," he said. Declining to hazard a guess on next year's export target, Maran said that this exercise is done in the month of may after consulting various commodity boards and export promotion councils.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
Yukta Mookhey in trouble once again
Once again the director of Ramesh Sharma of the film Pyaasa and model turned actress Yukta Mookhey had a showdown with each other. In an recent interview to Mid-Day, Ramesh Sharma has quoted saying, " I am ruined. I have been f***ed." Ramesh Sharma, the producer of the film Pyaasa has filed a complaint with the Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers Association (AMPTPP) against the heroine of the film Yukta Mookhey for harassment. Sharma has also demanded compensation of Rs 2.30 crore from Mookhey for alleging in an interview that Sharma had acted fresh with her. Sharma through his company Triple Aar Movies has also alleged that Mookhey's actions had resulted in distributors pulling out of his film.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
Akbar Khan's Magnum Opus Rolls
The mahurat of writer-director-producer Akbar Khan's 'Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story' was held recently at Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur sounded the clapper on a specially erected marble set with a fine replica of the Taj Mahal as the backdrop. This was followed by an engrossing shot depicting the agony of Emperor Shah Jehan, who tells his daughter Jahanara to go and convince his son Aurangzeb not to attack Agra Fort. He says that he is willing to give up his kingdom for peace. A scintillating song composed by veteran composer Naushad and written by Naqsh Layallpuri played in the background, transporting the audience to the Mughal era. The cast of the film was also announced on the occasion. The dashing Kabir Bedi plays the aging Emperor Shah Jahan, Manisha Koirala his daughter Jahanara, Arbaaz Ali is Jahangir, Pooja Batra plays Noor Jahan, Kim Sharma is Laadili Begum and Arbaaz Khan plays Aurangzeb. But Akbar Khan is still to reveal the lead pair who will play the young Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The dialogues are credited to Mohafiz Hyder and Rajeev Mirza, the cinematography is by R.M.Rao, the choreography by Saroj Khan, art direction by Ratnakar Y Phadke, costume designing by Anna Singh, action direction by Sham Kaushal and audiography by Sona Choudhary. Shahala Sheikh is the executive producer and Anil Wasia is the production designer. Mehrangarh Fort has been taken on lease for the shooting of the film and the sets include the Taj Mahal. The Diwan-e-Khaas and Agra Fort. The battle of Samugarh, which marked the reign of the Emperor, will be shot in India as well as in Uzbekistan with hundreds of horses, elephants and camels in attendance under the supervision of action director Shyam Kaushal. To plan is to shoot the film in a start-to-finish six-month schedule in Jodhpur. 'Taj Mahal' will be the first Bollywood film to be released simultaneously in the US after being dubbed in English. Apart from veteran Naushad helped by Uttam Singh, the internationally acclaimed Yanni has been roped in to provide the background score. The film has been co-written by South African freedom fighter Fatima Meer, who has earlier penned Nelson Mandela's biography 'Higher than Hope'. Two songs have already been recorded at Western Outdoor Studio, Mumbai, under the supervision of ace sound-recordist Daman Sood. Sung by Hariharan and Preeti Uttam, the numbers were recorded with more than 120 musicians in attendance. These included 50 string-specialists from Madras. The film will be the costliest Indian film ever with a budget of Rs.50 crore. Akbar Khan has managed to rope in some financiers from The Gulf countries as well as Europe. He plans to hold the premier of his film some time next year and to release it internationally on a big scale. With 'Lagaan already having brought a lot of attention for Indian cinema, 'Taj Mahal-An Eternal Love Story' may just strike the right chord with audiences round the world.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Interview: Preity Zinta
How come you've been keeping a low profile of late? See, I've always maintained that my claim to fame is my work, not my private life. On the eve of the release of my films, I do give work-related interviews. Honestly, I've stopped looking at film magazines after I read an article about my split with Marc (Robinson). What was so offensive? The media wrote about my relationship the way they perceived it, jumping to their conclusions. After our break-up they made me out to be the sweet one and Marc the bad guy. Actually, it doesn't matter as long as I'm the sweet one. I really don't want to explain anything to anyone now. Did you go off men after your break-up with Marc? Why should I be any different when a relationship breaks up? Of course I'll fall in love again, I'm a normal girl. It seems there's new man in your life called Lars. Nothing concrete is happening in my life. Right now, I don't know myself whether something's happening or not. If I meet anyone interesting, I'll surely go out on a date with him. My private life has gone down the tubes. Everyone can say or write anything about me and I can't even defend myself. On the workfront, why're you going slow? I've consciously taken on fewer films. I don't understand how actors manage to do five or six films simultaneously. I'm trying to focus on one film at a time, working out the details of my look, clothes and character. Though I'm into one film at a time, I'll still have three releases a year. It's better to do one film over two months instead of five films spread over two years. Don't you feel insecure then? How can I be insecure when I don't have the time to breathe? Insecurity stems from the kind of person you are, I'm a very happy person, thank you. Maybe I'm not all that successful because I haven't reached the stage of insecurity yet. I've just finished shooting for Kundan Shah's Dil Hai Tumhara in a span of two months. I'm shooting for Koi Mil Gaya now. For next year, I already have two more films. Believe me, this is the best way to work. You insist that you're selective. Then how do you explain Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke and Khullam Khulla Pyar Karenge? Right at the outset of my career, I'd decided to do a variety of roles in different films. I signed these films at that time. I don't regret doing them... it's just that I don't even want to think about them. It's very tiresome if a film goes on and on forever. It gives me heartache to see myself in those films because I've changed so much over the years and it shows. You've rubbed quite a few film-makers the wrong way by rejecting their offers. (Laughs) I've never rubbed anyone the right way or the wrong way. I've never kept any film-maker waiting, I've never dilly-dallied. I know I can't be in everyone's good books. I don't send those dial-a-bouquets to producers, directors and heroes on their birthdays. Neither do I call them up to make shop talk. I'm here to work and when I'm on the sets I'm there 100 per cent. My social interaction with them is zilch and I'm not even interested. Are you glad that you became an actress instead of a criminal psychologist which you wanted to be? I love psycholgy but I love acting too. It gives me an opportunity to be larger than life. I love the extra heartbeat when I watch my own film just before its release. I've worked very hard and very long hours. I couldn't complain even if I was dying. If I was a star daughter, then my parents would've been there to look after me on the sets. I would've got super treatment and lunch from the Taj. I'm not saying this negatively or bitching the star daughters out. It's just that I've learnt to do everything on my own and that's been quite a relentless struggle. Kareena Kapoor and you seem to be sniping at each other in a print war. Why? Kareena and I've never got the opportunity to become friends. I've nothing against her. If she has said something against me it must be because she was conditioned into believing that I'd said something against her. I haven't clarified anything with her because there's nothing to clarify. We hardly have any contact at all. Socially, we do say hello to each other. Has the film industry made you tough? Life toughens you, not just the film industry. Everything in show buisness happens in a flash. If your films do well, then everyone says a "hi"... kaise ho to you. If your film flops, then only 10 per cent of those people will acknowledge you. That's the way it is and no one can change that. Do you ever feel like giving it all up? At times, I do feel like that... when I'm treated like a market commodity. True, I'm a commodity and I've to be marketed but it's sad because I don't agree with that all the time. Would you slash your price for a quality film? No! If I'm doing one film and giving my life for it, then I better get what I ask for. At the same time, the price I quote hasn't made any film-maker fall off his chair. I don't ask for an unreasonable amount. I won't do a film for Rs 5-10 lakhs because someone important is asking me to do it. I've to get a certain amount of money. At the end of the day, acting is a profession. I won't do a film for free because I'm committed to cinema. I'm committed to my work and it shows in my professionalism. Certain trade pundits are touting you as the new numero uno. (Shrieks). I'm not the No.1 and I don't want to be a No.1 ever in my life. I'm very ambitious and my ambition is not restricted to just a number. If I start believing in a number and that I'm the best, then I'll start losing it. There's a saying that films are made by a collective workforce of individual talent. I believe in that totally. Just one person cannot be responsible for making a film click, not even me (laughs). Some feel I'm faking it when I talk like this. Let them. Honestly, may be I'm just too self obsessed. I'm more interested in the way I look and do my character in a film than what the backbiters have to say.15 Is God inside-us or outside-us? God is everywhere. Inside us and outside us. What happens if stardom vanishes one fine day? The very thought of that happening some day makes me happy. That's why I enjoy what I am today. I believe only change is constant in life. I want to leave the industry before it leaves me. I want to lead a normal life with a husband, kids and a different profession. I can't sit here all my life, thinking about my flaws and the few inches of fat I've put on. I'll have to move on. I'm sick on being called cute. But after Dil Chahta Hai, I'm told that men find me hot. I guess that's because of the way I was projected in the film. Who's hot according to you? Sushmita Sen. Hot is not about how low her neckline is or how high her skirt is. Hot is about how Sushmita carries herself. And the men? Sanjay Dutt for sure. Sanju's body language, the way he carries himself makes Sanju boiling hot. Now those who've linked us, will go, "Look, look, she finally said it." Genuinely he has style and class. He has presence, whether he's in a suit or lungi.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Interview: Rani Mukherjee
In what way has success changed you as a person? To be frank, success has not affected me as a person. I am still a friendly person, because that’s my nature. I am getting more offers now then before. Maybe my directors and producers have more confidence in me because I’m successful! Behind this success are my associates who had confidence in me. How has your life changed now? My life style definitely changed. I don't deny that. Work has become the focal point of my life. Suddenly I am meeting a whole lot of people and a whole lot of things are happening to me. This new style is making me run between parties and films. Especially after Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham clicked, I find myself a hot person, though I did a cameo role in the film. But then I am not taking this success too seriously, as I know I am a rising star. I don't want to get carried away. Do you regret having made your debut with a flop like Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat? Not at all. RKAB was not a small film. It was made by Salim Uncle who is a family friend. I feel he was very kind to give me a break and that too as a heroine. Why should a big banner like that launch me? Do you think anyone would have known who Rani Mukerjee is, if, I had not acted in RKAB? My voice is husky and rough. Yet Salim Uncle had given me a break in his film before I bagged Ghulam. Is it true that you had turned down an offer from Mani Ratnam to act in his Tamil film? You make it sound as if I said "No" to his offer because I did not like the subject. Mani is one director I have been longing to work with. Whatever the script of his film may be, I’d be too glad work with him because working in his film would automatically prove to be a benchmark for me as an actress. I couldn’t do his earlier film because I was already committed to my other projects. I will be working in Saathiyan, the Hindi version of Alaipayuthe with Vivek Oberoi, Suresh Oberoi's son. It is being presented by Mani Ratnam and produced by Yash Chopra. Do the comparisons with your cousin Kajol affect you? Comparisons are natural. It happens with everyone. But, Kajol is Kajol and I am what I am. You can't compare the two of us. We are as different as chalk is from cheese. What about the rumours of your 'roaring affair' with Anil Kapoor? This is the limit. Earlier I was being linked to Govinda who is a dear friend of mine. I enjoyed working with him and we share good vibes and an excellent chemistry. In fact I am working with him in Pyar Deewana Hota Hai currently. I was being linked with Anilji just because I had worked with him in Shankar’s Nayak The Hero. Let me clarify once and for all that all these rumors are being spread only by vested interests that have dirty minds and lots of imagination. What happened to Tumko Meri Kasam in which you were to star opposite Anil Kapoor? There were some hassles between Anilji and Mukesh Bhattji and Anil could not do the film. Now I have been teamed in that film opposite Aftaab Shivdasani. I have not shot for the film for quite sometime. The role is challenging for me. Tell us something about your role in Chori Chori? All that I say about the film is that it's a romantic love story with Ajay Devgun and me. It has been a lovely experience to work with an actor of the stature of Ajay Devgun in the film being directed by Milan Luthria who had earlier directed Kachche Dhaage. Is it true that you have turned a producer of a TV serial called Main Hoon Kati Patang? For your information, I have not turned a producer. It is my brother Raja who is producing this serial called Main Hoon Kati Patang directed by Ajay Mehra. Though he is designing my clothes, he has always had this urge to try his hand at production because my dad Ram Mukherjee himself was a renowned producer-director at one time. My dad is presenting the serial, not me. Tell me how long can I survive as an actress? We wanted Raja to stand on his own feet and settle down in life after marriage and hence we goaded him to launch his own serial as a producer When you look back at your career from Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat till Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, how do you feel? I feel happy. I am trying to live up to the expectations of all my fans and well wishers. I am happy with whatever progress I have made as far as my career is concerned. God could not have been kinder to me. What are your marriage plans? It’s too early for me to think about marriage. My top priority is my career. I still have time to fall in love and I will tell you when I am in love, that’s a promise. Falling in love is not child’s play.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Upbeat after win in Delhi, Sonia plans Cong revamp
NEW DELHI: After appointing Ghulam Nabi Azad as Jammu & Kashmir PCC President, Sonia Gandhi is all set now to change the PCC chiefs of various states including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Sources said efforts are also on to fill vacancies in the CWC which include the three caused by the demise of Madhavrao Scindia, Rajesh Pilot and Jitendra Prasad. A couple of new faces are also likely to be brought in as AICC General-Secretaries. Upbeat after the performance of the party in the Delhi municipal polls, Sonia has also started an exercise in short-listing the names of senior leaders in order to give a new look to the CWC and AICC. ‘‘This time, it will not be an old wine in the new bottle,’’ said a senior leader of the party, emphasising that priority is being given to young and energetic leaders. In Andhra Pradesh where PCC Chief M Satyanarayan Rao is to be replaced, the Congress High Command has called a meeting on April 4, to name his successor. The names which are doing the rounds include V Hanumanth Rao, Poona Laxmaya and D Srivinas for the PCC President’s post. Sonia Gandhi is keen on a unanimous choice for the PCC President in Andhra.It was due to the inability to find a consensual choice in the State leadership for J&K PCC President that Sonia Gandhi finally decided to send AICC General-Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad to the State. Her endeavour is to keep the party united on the eve of the State Assembly elections and to expose the designs of the National Conference which is often accused of rigging the elections. The former PCC President Shafi Qureshi is being accused of not being present during the Lok Sabha byelections held recently for the seat of Jammu, which resulted in the defeat of its candidate Madan Sharma. In Tamil Nadu, a campaign has been going on for quite some time now to replace PCC President E V K S Elangovan. Most of the senior leaders of the party led by K V Thangakabalu and Era Anbarasu have been lobbying at 10 Janpath for the removal of Elangovan. Sonia Gandhi is expected to take-up the issue with the State leadership soon. Similarly, in Punjab, going by the principle of One Man-One Post, Sonia Gandhi has to to find a new PCC President since Capt Amrinder Singh has become the Chief Minister. The other states where PCC Chiefs have to be appointed include Uttar Pradesh where Sri Prakash Jaiswal has to be replaced and Himachal Pradesh where Vidya Stokes and CLP Leader Veerbhadra Singh do not see eye to eye. Congress President Sonia Gandhi who is upbeat in the wake of the spectacular performance of the party in the Delhi civic elections and the party forming governments in the three States of Manipur, Uttranchal and Punjab, is now determined to improve her party’s poll propects even in J&K and Gujarat. While J&K elections are due in September- October, Gujarat elections are due early next year. The Congress President is conscious of the fact that if the Congress has to improve its performance in the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections, it will have to strengthen its organisation. For an effective PCC set-up, the State leaders have to work hand-in-hand, which is only possible if there is complete unanimity in the organisation. To achieve this purpose, the Congress President wants to get rid of factionalism in the state organisations by appointing faces which are familiar to the leaders and who can take along the various groups in the State.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
A month later, Gujarat still burns
AHMEDABAD: AHMEDABAD almost took a day off from violence on Holi but the mob continued to invade the streets elsewhere in the state, pelting stones and setting houses afire, even a month after the carnage started. Ahmedabad, the city hit worst in a month of madness, was under control with the Army, RAF and other paramilitary forces patrolling the streets. The only violent incident was in which an autorickshaw was destroyed and its driver assaulted. Police opened fire to disperse a mob indulging in stone-throwing and arson at Borsad in Anand district, which was under curfew. Two persons were injured, including one who was burnt in an acid attack, police said. In Khambhat, police opened fire to scare away a mob setting afire a house. At village Vasad in the district, a shop and a house were also targeted. Meanwhile, other riot-affected places Sarkhej, Ramgam, Prantij, Himmatnagar, Visnagar, Modasa and a dozen areas of Baroda district and Mehsana, that were under curfew, were peaceful during the day. In Baroda, the curfew was relaxed for four hours for women, police said. AT least two dozen incidents of arson, stone-pelting and stabbings are reported every day in Gujarat. The pattern of violence is the same: Mobs gather, stone-pelting turns into looting and arson. If they can burn someone alive, it’s a bonus. And, yes, Muslims are still the target. Going by the figures, Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s claims that normalcy has been restored sounds hollow. Take the death toll. On March 15, the toll was 673, it rose to 707 on March 22 and on March 27, 727 and March 28, it rose to 732. In the last five days, 24 more have died. Interestingly, deaths in police firing rose from 100 on March 15 to 121 on March 22 when police acted tough. But, after March 22, they got lax. Also, the three men who died in firing between March 22-27 were all Muslims. And of the 21 who died during these days, 20 were Muslims. Between March 15 and 27, some 2,495 incidents of arson and stone-throwing were reported. Someone obviously wants to keep the pot boiling. And, the Modi government has given all the right signals. Gujarat police sources say that VHP and BJP leaders named in FIRs are instigating mobs against those who filed police complaints. ‘‘They are targeting those who are filing complaints and diverting attention of police from investigation. The pressure is on to overlook certain things,’’ officials opined. ‘ ‘Otherwise, how can mobs be allowed to gather in areas under curfew? There is so much deployment, still mobs freely indulge in stone-throwing and arson. Someone is simply not interested in keeping things under control,’’ one officer said. So who is going to benefit if the communal cauldron keeps boiling? Gujarat’s fiery VHP chief Keka Shastri has the answers. ‘‘If the BJP plays the Hindu card right, it is going to benefit them. That is what we have been telling them since long,’’ he admitted. When asked if the goal was the next Assembly polls, he said: ‘‘I can tell you only one thing. By playing the Hindu card, the BJP will benefit. Whatever that means to you. Look at what happened in other BJP-ruled states after polls. They failed to retain them,’’ he said. When asked if the violence will stop if the BJP stopped playing Hindu card, Shastri said, ‘‘We are trying to bring things under control. Already most of our men have been withdrawn. The few others will also withdraw soon. Things should settle then.’’ BJP state chief Rajendrasinh Rana admits that the prospect of early polls was discussed at a meeting in mid-March. ‘‘But it was just to take stock of BJP’s position after our defeats in the recent by-elections,’’ he said. Strange that the meeting came up only after February 27. When queried, Rana admitted that the changed political position of the BJP post-Godhra was also discussed at the meeting. ‘‘Yes, we did discuss that the BJP will regain lost ground if there were elections. But declaring elections was not on our minds,’’ Rana said. He fumbled for an answer when asked if the BJP wanted to ride on the polarisation of communities in the last one month. WITH REPORTS
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Inmates take over a prison in Bihar
CHAPRA: THERE have been stories of rebellions in jail but this one is about a total takeover. Prisoners revolted against officials and took over a jail in Bihar on Wednesday night. The inmates are still in control of the jail while security forces wait outside to prevent any possible escape. Around 12,00 inmates of the Chapra divisional jail gained total control of the prison, forcing security personnel and jail officials to flee. Jail Minister Ashok Choudhari said the order for the transfer of five prisoners lodged in Chapra jail to Buxar jail triggered a strong reaction from the inmates who threw out the staff from the prison. He said the order for the transfer was issued Wednesday night. While the Bihar government today said that it has taken adequate measures to prevent any jailbreak, reports indicate that several inmates have already escaped. ‘‘Nearly 1200 prisoners took control of the jail Wednesday night and forced employees and security staff to move out,’’ Superintendent of Police Kundan Krishna told today. Jail Minister Choudhari added: ‘‘We have made necessary arrangements to prevent any escape.’’ He said he had directed the district administration to deploy adequate security personnel outside the prison to prevent any jailbreak. The SP said a couple of prisoners were believed to have already escaped. ‘‘We are at this stage not in a position to speculate about the number of inmates who have escaped. That will be possible only after a head-count .’’
Saturday, March 30, 2002
India, China agree to clarify LAC
BEIJING: In their attempt to improve bilateral ties, India and China on Friday agreed on a timeframe for clarification of the Line of Actual Control that divides the two countries and also decided to have a series of high-level meetings in the next six months including the first-ever dialogue on counter-terrorism. The two sides have agreed to exchange sample maps of the Western sector at the next meeting of the experts group on the boundary issue and complete the process by the end of the year, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters after wide-ranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan shortly after his arrival here on a five-day visit. Thereafter, the two sides would begin the process of exchange of maps on the LAC in the eastern sector early next year, he said. The two countries have completed confirmation and clarification of the middle sector of the LAC. Singh announced the first meeting of the annual bilateral dialogue mechansim on counter-terrorism will be held in New Delhi on April 23. "The establishment of this comprehensive programme of dialogue on various subjects, the efforts of the last four years or so to put India-China relations on a certain fixed and predictable rail have now borne tangible results," he said. Singh announced Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would visit China later this year. The Chinese Government has welcomed the proposal for a visit by Defence Minister George Fernandes to this country at a mutually convenient date, he said. Stating that his talks with Tang and other Chinese leaders were "very productive and comprehensive", Singh said the "substantial decisions" imparting dynamism to Sino-indian relations was "significant." He said the third bilateral security dialogue will be held here in July-August this year and the 14th session of the Joint working Group on the boundary issue will be held in New Delhi in August-September this year. The next meeting of the Eminent Persons' Group comprising leading personalities from various disciplines will be held in Beijing in May. Significantly, China on Friday announced India would be included in the list of designated countries for Chinese tourists. The minister said the two sides had agreed on easing grant of visas on a reciprocal basis. "We are moving away from the shadow of history and to the sunlight of on Saturday." Singh said adding both sides were working for deepening and strengthening bilateral relations. On the boundary question, Singh said what his Government has inherited was a problem 50 years old. "I would first move on the LAC, around the LAC, define the difference and thereafter strengthen the existing confidence-building measures and then move on to the boundary question," he said stressing he wouldn't like to do so in an adhoc manner. Asked whether Indo-Pak issues figured during his parleys, Singh said the focal point was not Pakistan but India-China relations. Singh, who is meeting Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji on Saturday, said the focus of his parleys would be on trade and economic issues. He said both sides felt that the present trade level on 3.6 billion US dollars was "grossly unsatisfactory" and there was vast potential to substantially increase this quantum. The minister, who arrived this morning on the inaugural direct New Delhi flight on a five-day visit, said this was the "first step" among many that was required to boost bilateral trade. During the parleys, the need to have more non-LAC related confidence building measure was emphasised, he said. The minister said next month's dialogue on counter terrorism would be led by a joint Secretary in the MEA with concerned representive from other departmants. Singh held separate meetings with Vice Premier Qian Qichen and Dai Bingguo, minister in the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Robust agri growth pushes GDP to 6.3%
An upswing in agricultural production in the third quarter of the current fiscal (2001-02) has pulled up the gross domestic production (GDP) growth rate to 6.3 per cent against a growth of 3.4 per cent recorded in the third quarter of the previous year. According to quarterly estimates of GDP for the third quarter (October-December) of 2001-02 released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) on Thursday, growth in the agriculture and allied activities sector jumped to 7.1 per cent in the period compared to a poor 0.8 per cent growth posted in the third quarter of the previous year. Agriculture production had been rising steadily during the current fiscal with the sector posting growth rates of 2.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent in the first and second quarter respectively. Growth in the manufacturing sector remained sluggish at 2.8 per cent in the October-December period of 2001-02 against a growth of 7.1 per cent recorded in the same period last year. In the first two quarters of the current fiscal, the manufacturing sector maintained a growth rate of 2.3 per cent. The mining & quarrying sector also grew by 2.8 per cent during the third quarter, showing a marked improvement over a 0 per cent growth rate recorded in the first quarter and a 0.6 per cent growth rate in the second quarter of the current fiscal. The growth was, however, much lower than the 4.3 per cent growth rate recorded in the third quarter of the previous fiscal. The electricity, gas & water supply sector recorded a growth of 4 per cent in the period against a growth of 9.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2000-01. The construction sector grew by 5.3 per cent in the period compared to a growth of 7.2 per cent in the same period last year. The services sector performed well in the October-December period of the current fiscal. While trade, hotels, transport & communication grew by 6.9per cent, financing, insurance, real estate & bus services grew by 10 per cent and community and social & personal services grew by 6.1 per cent. The three services sub-sectors had posted respective growths of 4.8 per cent, 2.1 per cent and 5 per cent in the same period last year. The advanced GDP estimates for 2001-02 published by the CSO earlier this year had indicated a growth of 5.4 per cent for the fiscal. According to the quarterly estimates, GDP growth in Q1 stood at 4.4 per cent while GDP grew at 5.3 per cent in Q2. The growth of 6.3 per cent recorded in Q3 has taken up the combined GDP growth rate for the three fiscals to 5.33 per cent.
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Debacle in Delhi: BJP counts losses, says it will search its soul
NEW DELHI, MARCH 28: Shaken by the rout in the Delhi civic polls and cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections which even led to its candidate’s defeat in Karnataka, the BJP leadership, already under fire for letting the Sangh Parivar stoke Ayodhya and then run amok in Gujarat, will now head to Goa for the party’s national executive meeting to do some soul-searching and try uncover the reasons for the dismal showing. BLAME IT ON...TAKE YOUR PICK • VK Malhotra: Ayodhya, Godhra even POTO have nothing to do with our defeat. The people are angry with the Budget and our stand on building by-laws • Sahib Singh Verma: The violence in Gujarat was the main factor that worked against us because the minority community voters turned up in large numbers to vote against the BJP • Madan Lal Khurana: The results show that the budget, CNG issue and shifting of polluting industries have distanced almost all classes of people from the party • Acharya Giriraj Kishore: This is what happens when you strike the Ram temple issue off the list of priorities. Whether Ayodhya, Article 370 or uniform civil code, these are basic to the BJP, you can’t deny them • Yashwant Sinha: A harsh budget could be the reason. However, cheap populism and the FM are mutually antagonistic. But at the moment there are no changes in the budget Puja Birla On Thursday, the party coped in whatever way it could. Former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma today said he had put in his papers as party vice-president while old rival M L Khurana said the municipal poll results had come as a ‘‘terrible’’ shock. General secretary Pyare Lal Khandelwal said the party could no longer ignore the string of electoral reversals and called for ‘‘deep introspection.’’ While the blame game is on, nobody is quite sure where to start and who to nail. Some are blaming Yashwant Sinha for churning out ‘‘an anti-people budget in an election month’’ while others believe it could be the voter’s antipathy to incidents such as those in Gujarat where the government stands charged with actively conniving with rioters to target Muslims. To make matters worse, members of the Parivar are now openly blaming the BJP leadership for the party’s dismal performance, saying they invited it the moment they decided to distance themselves from the Hindu cause. Acharya Giriraj Kishore of the VHP, responding to a query on whether the responsibility for the defeat lay with the BJP leadership, shot back saying, ‘‘who do you think would have taken the credit if the party had won.’’ The VHP and RSS are also sore with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for belittling the Hindutva cause. RSS spokesman MG Vaidya refused to join issue on whether Vajpayee had meant the Sangh when he told people to distance themselves from Hindu fundamentalists. ‘‘Pose that question to the Prime Minister. As far as we are concerned, no Hindu can be a fundamentalist. Hindutva is a way of life, not a religion,’’ Vaidya said. But VHP’s Giriraj Kishore was more vocal. ‘‘If he wishes to maintain a distance, let him do so. Who is stopping him?
Saturday, March 30, 2002
Harry Potter Vs Company
After Lagaan and Gadar that released on the same day and went on to become such mega hits, there’s another clash of titans expected on April 12 We already know how much importance is placed on the name of a film from adding ‘lucky’ letters at the astrologer’s instructions to abbreviating the title. But what’s equally important is the film’s release date. Almost all films try to find a perfect date perfect, both astrologically and otherwise for their release akin to finding the perfect mahurat for a marriage ceremony. It’s routine for films to continually postpone their release because of a clash with another big banner. However, April 12 will see the simultaneous release of two of the biggest films of the year the international box office hit Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Ram Gopal Verma’s much-awaited Company. What makes this move unprecedented is that although, usually, English films do not provide much competition to our desi fare, Harry Potter, despite winning nothing at the Oscars, is still a strong contender. ‘‘They both cater to the elite and the south Delhi audiences.’’ says Saurabh Verma of Chanakya cinema adds, ‘‘This had happened before with Dil Chahta Hai and Pearl Harbour, it was the former which did phenomenally well. But in this case, they’re both very big movies so it’s hard to say.’’ Yet, Chanakya cinema mostly because of its single screen, will be showing Company. PVR cinemas, on the other hand, have the luxury of multiple screens and will be showing both the films. ‘‘They’re both different kinds of products,’’ says Vivek Bahl of PVR cinemas. ‘‘While Harry Potter will primarily cater to kids accompanied by their parents or people who have experienced the book, Company is more a mass product,’’ he says. Raj Malik of Warner Brothers, distributors of Harry Potter, gives the same reasoning and say they’re not worried. Pointing to an earlier instance of Gadar and Lagaan sharing their release date and both hitting the jackpot. Though he admits that even though both cater to different audiences, at another level, there’s a common audience for them as well. ‘‘The common audience will see one film on Friday, the other on Saturday. Or if the urgency is too much, they’ll see the films back to back. That’s all.’’ he hopes.
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Militants lay siege to a mosque in Badgam
SRINAGAR: At least three militants laid a siege of a mosque after exchanging fire with security forces in a village in Badgam district early Thursday, official sources said. The encounter took place at Redbug village when security forces threw a cordon around the village following specific information about presence of militants, the sources said. They said security forces had cordoned off the village alongwith Boni-Makhama and Ratsuna in the wee hours and moved for house-to-house searches early on Thursday. As the troops were busy in the operation, a group of militants believed to be three in number opened fire on them at Redbug around 8.30 am and managed to take shelter in the village mosque, the sources said. They said militants continued firing on the troops who immediately encircled the place of worship to clear it from the militants.
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
POTO: Govt wins vote
POTO Bill: Govt wins vote, Opposition the debate NEW DELHI: The 425-296 vote with which the Government pushed its terror Bill through a joint session of Parliament on Tuesday_only the third such session in history_told only a part of the story. This comfortable margin was on expected lines but right through the day the message was clear: the Government was clearly on the defensive. Speaker after speaker from the Opposition, beginning with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, hammered the point that the Government, given the events in Gujarat, had no credibility to push through legislation that, from all available evidence, had only been used against Muslims. POTO was even more unacceptable, Gandhi said, because a joint sitting was being held to pass it in the ``backdrop of communal tension, murder and loot in Gujarat, a divisive Ayodhya campaign and an outrageous physical attack on Orissa Assembly.'' Citing reports in this website's newspaper that exposed the Gujarat Government's bias in its use of POTO and the fact that even boys, under the age of 16, had been booked, the Opposition alleged that the Government was using the ``draconian'' legislation at a time when the polity was divided ``right through the middle.'' In a division pressed by the Opposition, the Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha on March 18 but rejected by the Rajya Sabha on March 21, was approved 425-296. After the vote, the entire Opposition, led by the Congress, walked out. The over ten-hour debate saw heated exchanges between the Treasury and the Opposition benches. From Home Minister L K Advani who argued that POTO was imperative to score a decisive victory against terrorism to the Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi who called for an even more stringent law, the entire ruling coalition was united in pitching for the terror law. But no speaker from the NDA seemed prepared to even refer to Gujarat, even as leader after leader from the Opposition benches tore into the Modi government for the selective misuse of POTO in the State. The so-called secular allies like the TDP maintained a sphinx-like silence, the tenor of their speeches and their body language being mostly defensive. Opening the arguments on behalf of the government, POTO's architect Advani set out his reasons for bringing the legislation. India, he said, had been waging a proxy war for the last two decades through State-sponsored terrorism from across the border. While the country had lost 3,000 to 4,000 lives during wars with Pakistan, the proxy war had taken a toll of 61,000 lives so far. The ``decisive chapter'' of the war against terrorism began on December 13 last when Parliament was attacked, he said. Advani recalled that when he visited Washington some time back, the one question everybody posed to him was: ``Will there be a war between India and Pakistan?'' His answer to that was that India had been facing a terrorist war while for the Americans one single attack on September 11 made their whole country feel that a war had been launched against it. Cross-border terrorism, he said, was the first factor that made the government think of an ``extraordinary'' law like POTO. As if to answer POTO's critics who were concerned with violations of human rights the law could lead to, he invoked the wisdom of the Constitution framers who while declaring that fundamental rights were sacrosanct had also made provisions that these rights could be suspended in a situation of war. They were, he said, fully conscious of the fact that in a certain situation the security of the nation should be accorded a higher priority. Advani set the cat among the pigeons in the Opposition when he ``swore'' that some chief ministers of States ruled by Opposition parties had told him that while they personally favoured a POTO-like law their party leaderships had vetoed them. A huge ruckus ensued with several Congressmen and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar demanding that he either withdraw the remark or name the chief ministers But Advani stood his ground declaring that he would do neither. If Advani's was a logical defence of POTO, the extreme face of Hindutva manifested itself in the speech of his Shiv Sena ally Manohar Joshi who said that this law was the ``minimum'' required. ``What is needed is a more stringent law. It is here we have a difference with the government. How can we fight terrorism with a simple piece of legislation? The threat is too severe but the law too mild,'' he said. The BJP's ``secular'' allies like the TDP's Yerran Naidu did not delve too much into the merits or otherwise of POTO. ``We support POTO in toto,'' he said. Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi who by tradition got the first chance to have a go at the government after Home Minister L K Advani opened the debate was markedly aggressive. From Sonia to the CPI(M)'s Somnath Chatterjee to former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, it was a no-holds-barred assault each of them tarring the BJP and its consorts as anti-minority. It was evident that Sonia and her speech-writers had worked overtime to attack the Government's defences. She focussed the attack directly against Prime Minister A B Vajpayee telling him that his ``moment of reckoning'' had come, asking him to choose between the prestige of office and buckling under pressure from the BJP and its ``sister organisations.'' ``We are here today because this government wants to exploit a constitutional provision to meet its narrow political ends,'' she said. The anti-terror measure, she said, was aimed at ``subverting the very spirit of the Constitution.'' The Bill was being ``bulldozed'' after it was rejected by the Rajya Sabha, she remarked. ``The threat of a joint session was being held out openly even before the Lok Sabha considered it. It is an attempt to intimidate the two Houses and reduce them to a rubber stamp,'' she said. She then changed tack and turned to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi who had ``selectively'' used POTO to bring to book the perpetrators of the Godhra carnage while while overlooking those behind the subsequent violence against the Muslims. The government, she said, had used every device to arm itself with the ``menacing power'' of POTO to pursue its own ideological agenda. Seeking to embarrass all the ``honourable gentlemen'' like Yashwant Sinha, George Fernandes who by the ``grace of the Prime Minister'' was the Defence Minister and Ram Vilas Paswan for their double standards in opposing TADA then and supporting POTO now, she wondered: ``Why this 180-degree turn?'' Unlike POTO, TADA had been approved in Parliament not in an atmosphere of confrontation but in an atmosphere of consensus, she recalled, urging the government to learn from the ``collective experience'' of TADA's failure. Modi, she said, had used POTO in an ``astonishingly'' sectarian manner, although intense public pressure compelled him to eventually give up this falsehood. Taking off from where Sonia left off, Chatterjee referred to Advani's saying that Vajpayee had the distinction of being present in the two earlier joint sittings of Parliament. He said that he did not know if this was some distinction but the Prime Minister had certainly ``acquired the distinction of presiding over the decimation of our secular fabric.'' ``Sixteen year-old boys have been arrested under POTO in Gujarat. Is this the way you use it?'' he asked, telling Advani that probably he wanted to show to US President George Bush That ``Look, here, we have passed this law.''
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
`Who is she to haul me up,' Vajpayee asks Sonia
`Who is she to haul me up,' Vajpayee asks Sonia, sparks uproar NEW DELHI: Ruling party and Opposition members came to near blows on Tuesday night in the well of Central hall when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was making an intervention during a discussion on POTO at a joint sitting of Parliament. Ugly scenes were witnessed when Congress members took strong umbrage to Vajpayee's remarks against their leader Sonia Gandhi forcing the Prime Minister to sit down till order was restored. Taking exception to Gandhi's remarks on his functioning, the Prime Minister questioned her doubting his integrity and patriotism and asked "Who is she to put me in the dock," triggering off angry exchanges between the two sides. As senior Congress leader Arjun Singh went to dais to make his point of order, hell broke loose with a number of ruling party MPs moving menacingly towards Singh expressing strong resentment for interrupting the Prime Minister. Propped up by Raghuvans Prasad Singh (RJD), the Congress leader wanted to express himself but by the time he reached the podium, ruling party members moved towards him in an apparent attempt to prevent him physically At one stage even some senior ministers, including Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu were seen pleading with their party MPs to resume their seats. Finally, the Congress leader was allowed to make his point. Singh said it did not behove the Prime Minister to make such remarks against the leader of the Opposition and that it was a sad day in the annals of Parliamentary Democracy.
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
Preview: Hum Kisise Kum Nahin
Said to be a take-off of Analyze This, Sanjay Dutt takes over Robert De Niro as an underworld don and Amitabh Bachchan takes over from ace comedian, Billy Crystal as the psychiatrist in a Catch 22 situation. For Bollywood sake, David Dhawan adds a twist to the film in his inimitable style, by getting the don fall head over heels in love with the psychiatrist’s sister. After all what’s a Hindi film without a gal, love and glamour. Munnabhai (Sanjay Dutt) is a dreaded but good-hearted underworld don of Mumbai. Once while beating up one of his foes, he sees Komal (Aishwarya Rai) and is so smitten by her beauty that he starts visualizing about her wherever he goes or whatever he does. Not understanding this new phenomenon in Munnabhai’s life, his men take him to Doctor Rastogi (Amitabh Bachchan). The Doctor realizes it’s a love virus so he advises him to woo the girl somehow, not realizing that Munnabhai has fallen for none other than his own younger sister Komal. Munnabhai starts wooing Komal but she is in love with Raja (Ajay Devgan), a local vagabond doing nothing except working in a bowling alley as a bouncer. It is not long before the doctor realizes that his underworld patient is in love with his own sister, so he decides to take her to USA and get her married off. Raja also manages to go to America with them. Not one to be left behind, Munnabhai also follows them and all beans are spilled when the doctor comes to know about Raja and Komal’s affair and Munnabhai’s intentions. Helpless and powerless in America, Munnabhai plays a smart one on them and all are deported back to Mumbai where the don is the uncrowned king. What happens after they land in Mumbai? Will the doctor be able to save Komal from the Don? Will Raja be able to convince the doctor and Munnabhai about his love? However David Dhawan may have turned and twisted the original plot, one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be riot. This is yet another film without Govinda, and in his place comes Bachchan and Dutt who seem to be in form. The songs ‘Yeh kya ho raha hai’ and ‘Dulhe raja’ are already catching up and how. By the way the ‘Yeh kya ho raha hai’ has Anu Malik singing for Bachchan, instead of the mandatory Sudesh Bhosle who seemed to have made a career as a Bachchan’s voice-over. The starcast of Bachchan, Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai means a paisa vasool fare in terms of fun and glamour. Ajay Devgan, the usually morose, sacrificing lover seems to be having a ball with his Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Ash. But really, Bachchan and Dutt are the only reason to watch this DD film.
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
Oscars: Lagaan lost out but Bollywood won
Lagaan lost out but Bollywood won From L K Sharma DH News Service Washington, March 25 Yes, Lagaan lost out but Bollywood won on the Oscar night! It is a singing tribute to the Hindi film industry. It is longer than a Mumbai production and in its most memorable scene, the heroine quivers and cries, wetting the entire hall with tears. In the audience, not a single pair of dry eyes is left. At times, there is unbearable suspense. Would she or won’t she? And as tears roll down the heroine’s eyes, some in the audience wonder whether a nervous breakdown is next and whether a comedy is about to turn into a tragedy. The heroine shrieks, seems unable to breath, but after the nail-biting moments, fails to collapse and goes on to deliver her lines perfectly. And just like in a Hindi film, the hero, by contrast, remains strong and calm. There are songs and dances and delirium, an infinite variety of strange locales, suspense, a race revolution, social messages, patriotic slogans, special effects, dream sequences, fireworks, fantasies, and dresses as alluring as a wet sari. No sex but plenty of hugs and sanitised kisses, just like in a Hindi film. The opening scene itself is borrowed from an Indian mythological film. Whoopi Goldberg, like a character from the Ramayan, descends from the skies as a feathered creature ready to say funny things and make faces at the awe-struck audience. Perhaps, it is an imitation of an imitation since Whoopi might have been inspired by Nicole Kidman who gets lowered on a trapeze in Moulin Rouge. The cast is multitudinous as in a Bollywood film. There is no dearth of conflicting messages, reflecting the contradictions of the Indian universe. In one scene (Black Hawk Down) war is glorified, in another (No Man’s Land) peace is held up as the ideal. In a town known for tinsel, deeper emotions and family values come in for repeated references in scene after scene. Since the word sex was not censored by the censors, Whoopi Goldberg introduces herself as the original Sexy Beast. That is just before the audience sees Mahatma Gandhi being turned into a sexy beast as Ben Kinsley changed his mind, metamorphing into his new avatar as if with the help of a special effect. An Indian film heroine comes alive when a breathless Julia Roberts coyly admits that she just kissed Sidney Poitier. Every audience member believes that she had waited for the moment for as long as an Indian heroine waits to touch the hero’s coat sleeve. Pretty Julia making that confession is as cute as a pure Chitpavan Brhamin heroine confiding that she had just visited a hotel (read cafe) to have tea with her first boyfriend considered a sin in the India of yesterday. The Oscar film captures a historic moment when the first black woman (Halle Berry) goes up the stage to accept a best actress Oscar. The best actor award is also won by black Denzel Washington. Thus it will remain a historic film in the annals of tinseltown and if some decades from now, America allows a black to become its president, this film will be retrieved from the archives and replayed. Through the high-octane-filled four hours, the audience witness the familiar eternal struggle between the good and the evil and sees unity striving to emerge from diversity, pet themes of Bollywood. There is all the hype, glamour and glitter and yet some actors occasionally jolt the audience to remind it of the dark side of the life. One talks about the town where diamonds are real but breasts are fake. Some parts of the script, especially those delivered by Whoopi Goldberg, allude to the dark Satanic mills of Hollywood, conspiracies and dirty tricks. She sees all the nominees sullied with mud. Like a character in a Hindi film, she preaches when she hopes that there would be less mud-slinging before the next Oscar night. But the sentences spoken by Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier reflect all that is good and great about Hollywood. Woody Allen, during his brief appearance, refers to the sharp contrast between New York’s riches and poverty. He conjures up a situation where his Oscar statute of gold has been pawned and lost for ever because perhaps the recession has claimed even the pawn shop! The audience felt ennobled even if a little confused at the end of the show. The Oscar film left one in doubt whether life was about money-making or helping friends and family and the rest of the unfortunate world. There are social messages saying be good, do good. There are commercial messages saying earn more, buy more, enjoy more. Throughout the film, the grand puppeteer, Hollywood, keeps dinning into the audience through different voices that films are needed even more after September. Don’t feel guilty, be entertained. The tragedy of September is not forgotten. Silence is observed. A Britisher, blessed by the American award, says: God Bless America. There is much talk about love, apart from the love songs sung with music.That is one theme that every member of the audience can relate to because each one had been personally engaged in the eternal pursuit of love, through friendships, and marriages and divorces. The Oscar film ends on a realistic note when in another historic scene, Whoopi Goldberg turns her back and leaves with the parting warning to remember New York and watch your back. STAR BITES This moment is so much bigger than me. It's for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Halle Berry There's been a lot of talk about race ... This is an award to an actor. Denzel Washington To speak of Hollywood as if there has not been change is unfair. You can question the pace of it. You can question how long it will last. But you ought to ... Take note of the fact there has been change. Sidney Poitier, who won an honorary Oscar for than 50 years in the movies
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
POTO in the nation's interest: Vajpayee
SHIMLA, MARCH 25. In a last-ditch effort to persuade the Opposition, especially the Congress, to give up the ``politically motivated'' resistance to the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance Bill, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said today such a law was in the nation's vital interest. Mr. Vajpayee told newspersons here that the Congress, being a national party, had considerable experience fighting cross-border terrorism, and had even brought in the TADA. The BJP, which was then in the Opposition, supported it wholeheartedly because it was convinced that such a law was in the nation's interest. He said he was truly dismayed by the shortsighted and narrow outlook of the Congress leadership on the POTO issue. The Prime Minister said the Government had already dispelled all misgivings that POTO would be used selectively. The prolonged national debate on this issue had raised public awareness so high that it would not be possible for any Government at the Centre or in the States to misuse it for partisan considerations. Mr. Vajpayee admitted that the Congress had not been taken into confidence before POTO was introduced. That, he said, had been made an issue. Terming POTO a weapon to fight terrorism, he said the Congress should accept it now. On the issue of the Trinamool Congress, a constituent of the NDA, deciding not to support POTO, he said the party activists might be fearing action under the same law against them by the West Bengal Government. Mr. Vajpayee said the Congress had Governments in 11 States, and hence it was all the more reason why the party should support POTO. A wrong message would go to the world if all the parties were not united on this issue of eradicating terrorism by passing POTO, he said. Rehabilitation in Gujarat On the situation in Gujarat, Mr. Vajpayee said a concerted effort was on by the State Government, all political parties, voluntary and community-based groups to start an effective programme for the social and economic rehabilitation of the victims of the recent communal violence. He said Gujarat had an exemplary tradition of social work _ by Gandhian organisations, religious bodies, NGOs and even business groups _ without consideration of caste and creed. The Prime Minister, who will be visiting Gujarat to take stock of the situation, appealed to all groups to take up rehabilitation work. Asked whether the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, would be replaced, now that the National Human Rights Commission had criticised him for the incidents in the State, Mr. Vajpayee, said, ``We are waiting for the full and final report''. Nuclear war ruled out, UNI report: Mr. Vajpayee allayed fears that the current Indo-Pak. tension could trigger a nuclear conflict, but asserted that the country was prepared for any eventuality and ruled out the immediate withdrawal of troops from the border. ``There is no possibility or threat of a nuclear war. India had already declared that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons and Pakistan has also expressed similar views. I do not see any threat of a nuclear war,'' he said. Asked whether he saw the possibility of outbreak of a war in view of the prevailing border tension, he said the country was prepared for any eventuality. On the withdrawal of troops from the border, Mr. Vajpayee said, ''There is no such proposal at present'' and recalled that the decision to deploy forces was taken by a high level committee which included representatives from the three services. About a resumption of the stalled dialogue with Pakistan, the Prime Minister said, ``We will talk only when a conducive atmosphere is created. Everyday violence and clashes are taking place. Jawans are being killed and civilians are being targeted.'' Asked whether the Government would seek any amendment to the Constitution to find a solution to the vexed Ayodhya issue in the wake of such a demand by the VHP, Mr. Vajpayee said, ``There is no need for a change in the Constitution.'' Mr. Vajpayee who arrived in Shimla yesterday to attend a public rally to mark four years of Bharatiya Janata Party- Himachal Vikas Congress rule in Himachal Pradesh, left for New Delhi later today.
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
It's been a wonderful experience: Aamir
The 'Bollywood' film industry struggled to swallow its disappointment Monday after its offering "Lagaan" failed to win India's first ever movie Oscar. "Certainly we were disappointed," said the film's producer and star, Aamir Khan, who had lobbied hard before the ceremony in Los Angeles. "But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us," Khan told the Star television network. "It's been a wonderful experience. We have found something even greater than the Oscars," he added. Meanwhile, Aamir Khan's family members Monday said that there was not much disappointment for losing the coveted Oscar, since, being nominated was itself a big victory. The actor's father Tahir Hussain, when contacted, said that Aamir and director Ashutosh Gowarikar had made a brilliant film and their work had been well appreciated in the country as well as abroad. ''Even though, the film lost, there was nothing to feel disappointed.'' Aamir's brother Faizal Khan said he was a little disappointed as he had expected the film to make it in the top slot out of the five nominated films. But, he was quick to add that the disappointment was not as much as the joy of Lagaan being nominated in the best foreign film category. "We are shattered that our dream was not realised," said Raghuveer Yadav, one of Lagaan's main actors. "This was one moment we were waiting for in the last two months. We knew we had a winner on our hands, but then we lost in the finals," Yadav said. "But what Lagaan has achieved for Indian cinema cannot be taken away from it. We will now focus on making better movies. Next time we will be winners as Lagaan was a good learning lesson in quality cinema." "Lagaan", which portrays a village's struggle under British rule in the 19th century, was only the third Indian film to be nominated for an Oscar, after "Mother India" in 1957 and "Salaam Bombay" in 1988. The 5.3-million-dollar "Lagaan" tells the story of a group of villagers in the 1890s struggling to pay "lagaan", or tax, to their British overseers. The British challenge the villagers to a cricket match. If the villagers win, they are free from tax for three years. If they lose, they pay triple. The climax of the movie, the match itself, runs for more than an hour, which added massively to the film's attraction in cricket-mad India -- but perhaps not overseas. "Yes, it's a disappointment not to win the Oscar. But only one had to win and four had to lose," said Javed Akhtar, who penned the lyrics for "Lagaan" which, like most Bollywood movies, included numerous song-and-dance numbers. "But Lagaan will now push producers to make good films. Selection of movies will now be better and of higher quality," Akhtar said, calling for active government support to the domestic film industry. The Oscar disappointment was a personal blow to Lagaan's producer and star, Aamir Khan, who had lobbied hard before the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles. "Lagaan's achievement is entirely due to producer Aamir Khan's single-handed efforts. Not all producers can do such lobbying as Aamir did," said Akhtar. Bollywood's top producer-director, Subhash Ghai, said Oscar success would have been a huge boost to the South Asian film industry. "An Oscar to Lagaan would have given a genuine smile and pride not only to the one billion Indians but also to the whole of South Asia, which has been treated as a backbencher at the Oscars for quite some time," Ghai said. "It was time to prove that we belong to one world, neither east nor west, but the best. It does not matter whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood."
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
Lakshya test-flown
BALASORE (Orissa), MARCH 25. The country's defence aircraft development programme got a boost today when the indigenous pilotless target aircraft (PTA) ``Lakshya'' was successfully test-flown from the interim test range at Chandipur-on-sea. Official sources said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was test-flown at 11 a.m., sources said.
Monday, March 25, 2002
'Lagaan' fails to bag Oscar
LOS ANGELES: All hopes of Aamir Khan's 'Lagaan' bagging the Oscar were dashed when it lost out to Bosnian film 'No Man's Land' in the Best Foreign Language Oscar category Sunday evening. Despite the disappointment, the Lagaan team represented by Aamir and director Ashutosh Gowarikar put up a brave front and applauded as Danis Tanovoc walked up to the stage to collect the Golden Knight trophy, the first for Bosnia and Herzegovena at the Oscars. Produced by Noe Productions, "No Man's Land" had also bagged the Best Foreign Film Golden Globe and a Special Jury prize at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. In a close fight, the Bosnian film raced ahead of the favourite for the award, French film "Amelie" directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet and the much hyped "Lagaan", the third Indian film to come this close to winning the coveted award. The other two films vying for the award were "Elling" from Norway, a story of two former mental patients trying to adjust to life outside the hospital and an Argentinian entry "Son of the Bride", directed by Juan Jose Campanella.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Troops patrol flashpoints in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD (Reuters) - Troops patrolled flashpoints in the battered state of Gujarat as the authorities tightened security on the eve of a major Muslim festival to prevent fresh religious bloodshed. Police said a curfew was in force on Sunday in the Vijalpur area of Ahmedabad and in Jambusar in Bharuch district after scattered incidents in the state, where mob violence has killed hundreds of Muslims and Hindus. In the latest unrest on Sunday, a mob killed a Muslim woman in Vijalpur, a Hindu-majority area of Ahmedabad, and one person was stabbed in the same area, police added. "Curfew has been enforced in Jambusar town after some arson and stone pelting was reported between Hindus and Muslims," one police official in the state police control room said. Authorities were particularly worried about Monday's Muharram festival of Ashura -- the 10th day of the Islamic new year -- in which Muslims traditionally organise street marches. "In view of Muharram, (in) areas with a history of communal disturbances, additional police and paramilitary forces will be sent in," Gujarat's Additional Home Secretary, Prakash Shah said. "Additional protection would be given to places of worship." More than 700 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in reprisals for an attack last month by a Muslim mob on a train in which 58 Hindus burnt to death. Tensions between Hindus and Muslims, who form 10 percent of Gujarat's 50 million population, have risen sharply after the worst bloodshed in almost a decade. Widespread clashes have not spread beyond Gujarat but rampaging mobs have burnt houses or attacked places of worship in the state. While there have been no large-scale killings for two weeks, isolated incidents are still being reported. NO PROCESSIONS Shah said the minority Muslim community had decided to scale down ceremonies on Monday. "They have voluntarily decided not to have Muharram processions," he said. But the authorities were taking no chances. "There is a fear among the minority community that whatever they do, even if it is a small ceremony, they may be attacked," Shah said. The state government has asked district administrators to deal strictly with any violent incident. "Forces will be on high alert. In any event of a disturbance, the army will be called in. They are on stand-by, already patrolling the street," Shah said. Six areas of Ahmedabad and half of the industrial town of Baroda were under curfew, officials said. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has faced severe criticism from his opponents as well as coalition allies, who have demanded a crackdown on the traditional Hindu fundamentalist supporters of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said last weekend that minority Muslims must understand that their safety lay in the goodwill of the majority. This outraged Vajpayee's opponents and allies alike. The RSS on Friday stood by its statement but the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) backed down from a controversial plan to carry the ashes of supporters killed in the train attack round the country. The BJP rode to national prominence on a wave of Hindu revivalism after a Hindu mob razed a mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, triggering nationwide riots in which 3,000 people died. When it came to power in 1999, the BJP vowed to give up a campaign to build a Hindu temple in Ayodhya in return for support from secular allies in the ruling coalition.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Indian Institute of Softare Engg
The Indian Institute of Software Engineering (IISE), set up in association with the US-based Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to address the emerging needs of the information technology (IT) industry, was formally inaugurated today. The institute will offer post-graduate programmes of three semesters in IT as well as software engineering. The institute will also conduct research in IT and software engineering. It is expected that in future, IISE will become a deemed university. The institute will offer special industry-sponsored programs. Mukesh Ambani, chairman and board of trustees of IISE, said at the inaugural session, The establishment of this institute is a significant development. The setting up of the institute is an effort towards churning out high quality software professionals. The institute is dedicated to creating and developing top of the line specialists and leaders incorporating the best current international practices. The seed capital of Rs 4.2 crore for the institute, which is largely in terms of infrastructure, has been provided by the state government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
Monday, March 25, 2002
The new girl in captain Sourav Ganguly's life
Kolkata, Mar 24 There's a new girl in Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly's life. And his family is jubilant about it. She's Shonai, his four-month-old daughter, who has already accompanied her father to one of his matches and, what's more, brought him luck. Beginning of March, when India beat Zimbabwe on the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds in New Delhi, she flew out with mother Dona Ganguly and her nanny to keep her beleaguered father's spirits high. "This is the first time I ventured to take her to see her father play," Dona, who put her career as an Odissi dancer on hold since she was three months pregnant, told . "We stayed in Delhi for a week. I've had to cut down on these trips. "During my pregnancy, I gave up taking dance classes at Diksha Manjari, my school, taking part in stage shows and even accompanying my husband on his tours. Shonai and I both plan to do it oftener after she turns one." Sourav had been calling her up from Hyderabad and Guwahati, urging her to repeat the Delhi venture. "These days, when he calls up, the entire conversation is about Shonai," says Dona, who married the Prince of Kolkata, as Sourav is known, when she was only 20. "He misses her more than he misses me. And I don't mind in the least!" However, for now, she's decided to stay at home. "It's so difficult trying to bathe a baby in a hotel room," she said. "Men! They just don't understand these things." While marrying an international celebrity didn't change her lifestyle, the baby has. "For instance, now I have no fixed time for going to bed or waking up. I sleep whenever she sleeps, I get up whenever she does. If I am away from her for some chore, I tend to rush back to her to see if she's ok." Dona, who falls in the cusp between Virgo and Leo, says she is a cool person by nature. This coupled with the preoccupation with the daily chores a baby entails makes her take match results in her stride. Unlike Sourav's mother, who is said to take refuge in her prayer room while her son is batting and refuses to touch food or water during that time, Dona tries to be professional about it. "You have to take the bad days with the good ones. If India loses or my husband doesn't play well, we are disappointed but not devastated. We know there's another match coming up. With the praise, you have to accept the criticism as well. And when you're playing badly, you can't hope for good reviews." Shonai Ganguly, the new mascot of the Indian captain, has got a wide grin topped off by a shock of black hair. Her mother says she's very friendly. However, Indian cricket's first couple is to decide on a formal name for her. "At one time, we thought of calling her Sana. My mother suggested Swaha but my husband didn't like it. We came up with Sakshi but we are yet to make a final decision." Were they expecting a daughter or a son who'd follow in his father's footsteps? "We wanted a healthy baby, that's all." Are they planning a bigger family? "No thank you. One child is enough," says Dona
Monday, March 25, 2002
I play better when tense: Sachin
Yesterday, former India captain Kapil Dev questioned the commitment and attitude of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, the team’s star batsmen. Apart from creating doubts in the minds of their numerous fans, it may also show the former great in poor light as it comes at a time when the team is preparing itself for a long and arduous tour of the West Indies. Certainly Kapil’s innuendo, Sometimes, you get the impression that they are in their own world. Sorry to say that, but you get the impression that they are not (part of) a team unit, even though great cricketers, are not the words of encouragement the team was looking for, especially two of their best bets. Mid Day’s attempts to reach Tendulkar for a reaction on the same went in vain. Nonetheless, this is what the little champion had to say during the course of the programme, Harsha Online, which is to be aired on Monday. Excerpts: On his wearing the Indian flag sticker on his helmet: I am obviously proud to be an Indian and it is just one of those things. It just goes with the uniform and when I am representing India, its there right on my forehead, it's special and I feel proud to wear it. I might be in any part of the world, but I am an Indian and I would like to be known as an Indian. On how he still manages to motivate himself before every game: I don’t take things for granted and when so many well-wishers are watching you, it is a motivation in itself. I want to do well for the country and when I go out there, I want to perform well and I hate losing. On why he does not destroy the opposition anymore: It is a mind game. You try to overcome most of the problems, but sometimes you go there in the middle and realise that your footwork is not good. So I better not fool around. I just need to hang around and play within my limitations. On what sort of pressures he faces when he bats for India: There is a fair amount of pressure not only on me but all international cricketers. You are playing for your country and you always go out there to win. For that, if you are under pressure, it is good because then you don’t take things for granted and that is a positive sign. I always feel I perform better when I am a little tense. On whether he is evolving as a batsman: I have found ways to score runs and I think my style has changed a bit. I remember earlier people used to say ‘why do you need to hit the ball in the air so much’. When I didn’t hit the ball in the air in Nagpur, they asked me ‘why didn’t you hit the ball in the air?’ I am just trying to do what is good for the team. On whether he sometimes wants to run away from all the pressure and be someone else: Not really. I really enjoy what I am doing and it is a great feeling to be out there in the middle with millions of fans cheering for you. It is a wonderful feeling and I don’t want to run away from it.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Cricket - Tendulkar not against assuming captaincy again
NEW DELHI - Sachin Tendulkar does not mind taking over as India captain for a third time, but feels he is not ready for the job yet. "To be honest, I am not really thinking about it right now," Tendulkar said in an interview to Star Sports due for telecast on Monday. "But I haven't ruled it out completely," he added. "I just want to give myself some time and when I am ready to take over, I will let the concerned people know that I am open for this. It's your (the selectors') call." Tendulkar first became captain in 1996 but was removed at the end of 1997 after a series of poor results, only to assume the responsibility a second time in 1999. He relinquished the job on his return home following a 3-0 test series rout in Australia in early 2000 and hinted he would never return to lead the national side again. Current skipper Saurav Ganguly replaced him in the job. The 28-year-old batsman also admitted he has become more conservative in his shot selection in tests, cutting down on uninhibited stroke-play that has featured his career so far. Asked whether he had slowed down, he said: "I've just learnt to pace my innings better. I think my style has changed a bit." He also attributed his new batting approach to his changing temperament: "Sometimes your frame of mind is also different. One can't forget that. "Maybe my bat swing is not right, my footwork is not... so better not to fool around. On that occasion you don't end up playing too many shots." Tendulkar, the only batsman to score over 11,000 one-day runs with a world record 31 centuries, is also India's second highest test run-getter with over 7,000 runs. His 28 test hundreds stand only behind compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world record 34 and Australian Don Bradman's 29.
Monday, March 25, 2002
What turns me On-Raveena
Recently, Raveena was interviewed by VJ Pooja, the new bubbly jock from Channel V who has a brand new breakfast show where she chats with lady celebs and talks everything under the sun like in the case where they were talking about Raveena’s first crush, sex, orgasm you name it! And guess what like every interview she gives Raveena was bold enough in answering all the questions. At times Raveena even cross fired questions to Pooja, which made for a very interesting chat to watch for. On her first crush Honestly speaking, my real metamorphosis from a fat gawky teenager to a confident beautiful one took place because of a particular incident. I had a crush on my brother's best friend when I was in the eight standard. He used to always call me "Moti, moti". I had this friend called Sonal, I remember I told her, "I'll become so slim that one day he will come and ask me for a date." That was my incentive to lose weight. And eventually, that guy went off to a boarding school to study and all. When he came back, he asked me out for a date. That was my first victory. The only tragedy was that by then, I was three inches taller than him. Orgasm Yes! It is definitely necessary for any relationship, I don’t deny that. What part of male body turns her on It has to be the bare feet, that really turns me on the most!
Monday, March 25, 2002
Film Awards are a Sham - Amisha Patel
Amisha has been telling reporters that she is upset with Filmfare Award. "I feel all awards have been over-commercialized in recent years. The show, the telecasts, the events all have so many sponsors and advertisers involved in them and their fairness is questionable. I think such awards are a sham. Not only me, but also stars like Aamir, Shah Rukh Khan and more recently Sonu Nigam have said this before. It is a mystery why Gadar was not even given one award though it was a big hit as Lagaan and grossed as much money," she says in a recent interview published in The Sunday Free Press Journal. Amit + Asha == Amisha. Did you know that actress Amisha Patel was named adding her parent’s name. Amit for his father and Asha for his mom - this surely a cool way to name kids!
Monday, March 25, 2002
Movie Review : Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai
Movie Review: Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai Director: Allu Arvind Producer: Tips Films Music: Sajid-Wajid Lyrics: Jalees Rashid Cast: Amisha Patel, Aftab Shivdasani & Jackie Score: * * Kya Yehi Film Hai? Will be question you will ask once you watch this film. An average flick with a different ending. Tips guys and Allu Arvind have come together to make this very well publicized film. Hard-core love story, this movie does not have any underworld dons or terrorists (thank god!). Bus number 16 is very important for Rahul (Aftab Shivdasani) and his gang of friends, Iqbal, Peter, Sunder and others. Every day, they make sure that by hook or by crook, they catch the bus. The reason is very simple. Sandhya (Ameesha Patel) always travels by this bus and Rahul is madly in love with her. Rahul crazy in love keeps following Sandhya for almost four years but only get guts in the 5th year of college. Sandhya does not know here secret admirer and as for her she is more interested in academics as her only dream is to get a gold medal and make her parents proud of her. Sandhya is the only child of Rachna (Neena Kulkarni) and a manic and alcoholic police inspector Raj Patil (Ashish Vidhyarthi). Patil is a crazy father who gives a damn about feelings of his wife and daughter. He comes to home drunk and then beats his wife and even accuses her of having an affair with some men. He is a crazy nut so much that once he burns a mavali trying to tease his daughter. He keeps repeating his credo statement throughout the film: Mera naam hai Raj Patil Raja. Raja ko praja dokha nahi desakta. He has no respect for anyone so much that once when the young neighbour girl come to his house to fetch vegetable he sits in a very obscene manner in front of her. Thoroughly fed up of Patil’s brutal ways, the mother has always encouraged Sandhya to be a good student so she can do well in life and get away from this miserable life. Sandhya’s hear and mind are totally obsessed with studies, studies and more studies! While Rahul’s heart and mind are totally obsessed with Sandhya, Sandhya and Sandhya! Rahul’s indulgent elder brother, Dr. Tiwari (Jackie Shroff) tries hard to convince him that love can only be part of your life, but Romeo Rahul refuses to listen and continues to live, breathe and dream Sandhya. Brother Tiwari loves his brother so much that he even does not marry to give his love forever! Tiwari is cool and cooperative exactly opposite of Sandhya’s dad. He even does not mind going out with bother and his friends for an adult film! Suddenly there comes a moment of reckoning for the love-struck, carefree young boy. He finally realises that what is brother had told him is true after all. That love can only be a part of your life not your whole life. But by then it is too late. Rahul tries lot of attempts to convince Sandhya, but she is just not ready for his love. His brother and his friends ask for Sandhya’s hand but Patil insults them in a very pathetic manner. That particular scene is brilliant and the credit goes to Jackie Shroff and Sarfaraz Khan. Then there is the entry of sexy-looking Anupama Verma, the setting girl for Rahul. She believes in Rahul’s true love and obsession. Being close to Sandhya she tries her best to get them closer. But it is too late and thing worsen when Dr.Tiwari dies in a fatal accident while he was thinking about his brother’s bad state while driving. This makes things worse for Aftab; he realizes that he has lost his only brother for the name of love. Sandhya finally relaises and decides to accept Rahul, but then he turns down her offer. Having wasted so many years of his life and having lost his brother, he philosophizes that love is not everything in life. Aftab gives a message to millions of people watching this flick that if you are in love think logically take care of career, your loved ones and not simply fall in love like a jerk as he was in the movie. The end shot is interesting they show Amisha well dressed at the 16 number bus stop waiting for Aftab. He never comes. The End! While the first half is repetitive and very slow because there's not much happening, the post-interval portion moves faster. The first half is full of song sequences and Rahul running after Sandhya. Lot of filmi dialogues, Aftab looks like a nerd but talks like a poet all the time the same goes for Amisha. In one scene when Amisha tries to use the technique of explaining things to Aftab rather than abusing him. She lands up giving unnecessary bol-bachan. Yes! Too much of bol-bachan in this film, it bores you like hell. The dialogues suck, instead they could have used simpler but more convincing dialogues. The choreography for this film is great also the songs by Sajid-Wajid are soulful and worth hearing once. Add to that the special echo effects in songs are a good effort in making the movie bit different. Aftab is brilliant in this movie; this man is surely improving movie-after-movie. Though must say that it must be an easy job for him as in every movie he has to chase some chick! Aftab looks cute and yes the girl will find him very attractive throughout the movie. Amisha fails on her dialogue delivery she is too artificial when she speaks. For frontbenchers there is lot of sex appeal of Amisha as she is seen in sexy outfits in the songs sequences. Aftab friends do good justice to their work. Sarfaraz Khan makes an impact while Vrajesh Hirjee’s take-off on Shakti Kapoor will be like by the masses. Anupama Verma is herself and could have been a better choice as the lead instead. She too has the appeal for all the frontbenchers! Ashish Vidhyarthi is absolutely fabulous though you feel that he overacts. On second thought it is true that there are men like him who are full of shit and make other peoples life miserable. Jackie does justice and looks great as a big brother in this film. Watch out for his very own Sandhya soon! Some goof-ups: In one scene, they show celebration of Flag Day. Amisha collects money and sticks the flags on the shirts of guys. Wonder why she has to do this when she can just give the guys the flag to pin themselves. Why she has to touch them, unless she is really desperate! On Rahul’s birthday which happens to be Feb 29th they show heavy rains in Mumbai! Also one wonders where one can find busses like Bus No.16 in Mumbai? When were the busses privatized here? There is a bad impression given to the Isckon people in one scene. There is so much confusion in the city they show, the auto rickshaws shown on the Mumbai streets are actually from Hyderabad or Vishakapatnam. Also one cannot fool people by showing Mauritius and pretending it to be Mumbai. The movie is average and might not appeal at the box office; the NRI desi’s might not like this movie so much.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Bobby upset with Kranti performance
It seems Bobby Deol is quite upset with the opening response meted out to his latest flick KRANTI. The actor was confident that the film would do his career a lot of good, but the dull opening to the film has demoralised him. The non-performance could also be attributed to the wrong release period of the film, with people shying away from going to the theatres. With almost all producers postponing the release dates of their films, the makers of KRANTI should've postponed the film by a couple of weeks. But the ones who are bound to be affected by the non-performance of KRANTI are those producers who had signed Bobby and Amisha as a team. After all, you are as good or bad as your last release in Bollywood. Right?
Monday, March 25, 2002
Hrithik features in the latest GQ
First it was Rahul Dev the only Indian to have been featured in the popular international men's magazine GQ and now yet another hunk from India - Hrithik Roshan features in the March issue of the mag. Previously Rahul Dev had done a seven pages fashion shoot for GQ magazine though they have not carried any photo shoot of Hrithik but a very interesting interview with the Roshan son. Surely Hrithik Roshan is going places, and who knows now he would even have gori chokris going ga-ga over him!
Monday, March 25, 2002
Will Company bring trouble?
The much hyped movie Company has already getting rave reviews before its release date. But one really wonders what effect the movie will have on the junta of India who are not very receptive to controversial stories. In the past we have seen the crowds reacting in a negative manner to films covering sensitive issues. The country is already under deep pressure because of the Ayodhya problem as the communal tension is rising. Company a movie about the mechanics of underworld comes at a very wrong time. Will it create more problems when it hits the cinema halls is a serious issue to be addressed by the makers of Company. We hope that nothing of that sort happens as audience need to understand the difference between fiction and reality.
Monday, March 25, 2002
Urmila to star in Ramu's next
With Ramgopal Varma all set to release COMPANY this month, the enterprising director has already started work on his new film, a heroine-oriented subject. Though Ramu was unavailable for comment, a trustworthy source tells us that the film, a suspense thriller, will star Urmila Matondkar in the central role and will present the actress in a completely new light. If true, the news will stop gossip mongers from spreading malicious rumours that Ramu and Urmila have decided not to work with each other.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Who's Akbar's Mumtaz?
Taj Mahal-an eternal love story, is actor director Akbar Khan's dream project. The film is currently being shot on a war footing at the Mehrangarh fort in Jodhapur but Ash was nowhere near the shooting. The lady who was to play Mumtaz Mahal was no other but Aishwarya Rai. But Ash is no longer part of the dream project. There are other ladies: Manisha Koirala (Jahan Ara), Kim Sharma (Laadli Begum), Pooja Batra (Noorjehan), but who's Mumtaz? According Akabar it's a new face and even his wife is unaware of her. But what happened to Ms. Rai ? Says Akbar "At one point I did feel she would be apt. But she is very busy with other projects. And I can't change my shooting dates to suit stars".
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Postal hikes to be reviewed, says Sinha
Finance minister Yashwant Sinha today said he would take a relook at the postal tariff hike during the passage of the Finance Bill. I will take up postal and other tax issues when the Finance Bill is discussed in the House, Sinha told the Rajya Sabha during his reply to the debate on the budget for 2002-03. The House later returned the vote on account for the first two months of the fiscal 2002-03 amounting to over Rs 1,34,848 crore. It also passed the third and final batch of supplementary demands for grants and relevant Appropriation Bills for the current fiscal, sealing parliamentary approval for the first stage of the budget. Sinha, however, declined to elaborate on the steps that might be taken on the postal front, saying he had to take the unpopular measures of hiking rates because of the difficult fiscal situation. The budget has raised the price of envelopes from Rs 4 to Rs 5, and doubled the price of both competition post cards from Rs 5 to Rs 10 and Rs 3 to Rs 6. It has also raised inland letter rate from Rs 2 to Rs 2.50. Sinha said the economy was reeling under an interest burden. "We are paying about Rs 1,17,390 crore by way of borrowings," the minister said while pointing out that the interest burden in 1991 was barely Rs 18,000 crore. Sinha said without the interest burden the Centre would have had an additional Rs 1,00,000 crore of resources for development. The finance minister concurred with views of Congress MP Kapil Sibal that it would be difficult to attain the 8 per cent growth rate without enhancing domestic saving rate to 32 per cent. He said while the household saving was pegged at 20.09 per cent and the private sector at 4.2 per cent, the public sector had registered a decline of 1.7 per cent. Sinha admitted that he had become unpopular after this budget. "This was not the year to seek popularity," he clarified and expressed his satisfaction at the 20 per cent enhanced allocation for the Plan. The minister said he would like to give elaborate response to members' queries during discussion on Finance Bill in the next sitting of the session. Earlier, the government and the Opposition had agreed to hurry through the legislative business in post-lunch session to enable members to attend felicitation of retiring members of the Rajya Sabha.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Forex reserves rise nearly $10 b this fiscal
THE country's forex reserves have increased by nearly $10 billion this fiscal to touch a high of $ 52.189 billion for the week ended March 15, 2002. As at end-March 2001, reserves stood at $ 42.281 billion. For the week ended March 15, 2002, reserves have increased by $ 753 million to $52.189 billion from $51.436 billion in the previous week. According to the weekly statistical supplement of RBI, foreign currency assets held in the reserves have risen by $ 753 million to $ 49.127 billion for the week ended March 15 while gold and special drawing rights have registered no increase at $ 3,052 billion and $ 10 million respectively. Dealers said that over the past year, reserves had primarily increased due to a substantial increase in FII inflows.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Dollar dreams get downsized
NEW DELHI: The news isn’t too good. Recession seems to have struck the recruitment drive at the IIMs this year with the average salaries hitting a new low - as low as Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. The lowest offer last year was Rs 3.8 lakh. Every year, final semester students at India’s top business school, the Indian Institutes of Management, desperately wait for that one week around February\March the placement week when dream jobs are up for grabs. That week has come and gone this year, but there were not many happy faces. IIM Indore had to settle for an average salary per annum of Rs 4.97 lakh, Lucknow for Rs 6.98 lakh and Kozikode for just Rs 5.46 lakh. In fact, IIM Calcutta did not release average salary figures at all this year, for fear that it would send "confusing signals" to recruiting firms. What’s worse, many students had to settle for ‘lesser’ jobs in public sector companies - not a done thing, according to IIM students. But that’s not the end of the ambitious grad’s woes. "Dollar salaries have almost not happened this year," points out Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Dean, IIM Indore. While, for the first time, sought after companies like Capital One, Lehman Brothers, KPMG, McKinsey did not visit all campuses; many US-based companies did not make the trip at all. "We were forced to look at domestic offers because foreign ones were not there," says a disappointed IIM Calcutta student. IIM Calcutta saw only 20 overseas offers, a significant fall from last year. In Lucknow, only 10 students got overseas offers compared to 41 last year. The scene was no different in Bangalore, where only 20 overseas offers were made compared to 63 last year. These elite institutes had to stoop to hardselling their students. "We have not seen this kind of canvassing in IIMs. In the midst of our group discussions, we were requested to fit in 14 more students. When we declined, they tried to hard sell at least five students," says a prospective employer. "Considering the general economic recession post 9\11, we have allowed students to accept their first offer," says Saji Gopinath, chairman placements.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
4 yr old Mumbai boy spent two days with dead parents
A four-year-old boy spent at least two horryfying days with the corpses of his doctor parents who were gagged to death by unknown assailants a few days back. The four-year-old boy Ibrahim was found in a state of shock when police officers broke open the door of their flat at Al-Hilal Building near Rizvi Park, off the Lilavati Hospital at Bandra, in north-west Mumbai Friday night. Neighbours lodged a complaint when no one was responding to the doorbells. An investigator attached to the Bandra Police Station said the couple have been identified as Dr Hanif Baig, 35, and his wife Zareena, 30. Preliminary investigations reveal that the couple may have been gagged to death at least two days ago and the bodies had started decomposing. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem to the nearby Cooper Hospital at Vile Parle here and the report is expected by Saturday evening, senior police officials who are investigating the incident, said. Robbery could be the motive behind the incident, police said, however, adding that detailed inquiries are being carried out and a massive manhunt has been launched to track down the culprits. Dr Hanif was a private medical practitioner and his wife Dr Zarina was working with the King Edward Memorial Hospital at Parel here. The spine chilling incident came to light when neighbours suspected some foul play and informed the Bandra Police that the Baigs were not responding to the door bell and telephone calls and there is no lock outside. Police immediately rushed to the site and broke open the door and found the four-year-old boy, a KG student, in a state of shock. Deputy Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari said more than one person was behind the murder. The dog squad was also pressed into action to track down the assailants.
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Wealthy Kuwaiti woman flees to India for love
In a real-life love story that unravelled at the Chennai airport on Friday, a 23-year-old wealthy girl from Kuwait deserted her home to be with the man she loved. Immigration authorities at the airport were reportedly moved by Dhalal Falal Al Azmi's story and were in a quandary on their next course of action after they found that she had entered the country with a fake passport. The young girl poured out her heart in between sobs in her native language, which was translated by her lover. Dhalal who had used a fake passport to get out of Kuwait pleaded with the officials not to send her back home as she would face a death penalty there. According to reports, Dhalal had fallen in love with Khader Bhasha, 25, a native of Cuddappah in Andhra Pradesh, who was employed as a driver in their house. When chances of getting her parents' approval for their marriage seemed bleak, the two reportedly tied the knot in secret and decided to live as man and wife in India, Khader's motherland. The two devised a plan for their getaway. As per their plan, the passport of an Indian girl working in Dhalal's household was stolen and the photographs swapped. The lovebirds smelt freedom when they successfully hoodwinked the Kuwaiti airport authorities and boarded the plane to India. But, alert immigration authorities at the Chennai airport detected the fake passport of Dhalal and detained the couple. At present, Dhalal is admitted in a private hospital in the city after her health deteriorated on Friday faced with the prospects of deportation. Earlier, Chennai airport police arrested Dhalal on the basis of a complaint from the immigration officials and produced her before the magistrate, who later released her on bail. Immigration authorities are reportedly in touch with their higher officials in Delhi to decide on the next step in this unusual case, which it is felt deserves a humane handling. The media in Chennai has been filing stories with a clear sympathetic slant for the girl, inviting digs from officials that journalists are a love-struck lot! One report ended with a plea, "Will anybody big in Chennai intervene and do something that would give a sudden twist to the love tale and help the love-lorn remain united?"
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Sourav ducks Kapil's bouncers
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly played with a straight bat and denied to comment on Kapil Dev's allegations against him and other senior players. Speaking to UNI here Sourav, who did not want to be pushed into the controversy, replied with a terse 'no comment', thereby giving no importance to the allegations. Kapil Dev in an interview Friday had questioned the commitment and attitude of Ganguly and the other senior players. Kapil had alleged that 'sometimes you get the impression that they are in their own world.' Kapil had further in the interview alleged that 'you get the impression that they are not (part of) the team unit, though they are great cricketers.' Sourav Ganguly said he was one such captain who experimented with youngsters, adding 'injuuries forced us to blood youngsters.' However, he was happy that some of the youngsters have come good. "It creates healthy competition in the team." He had a word of praise for Yuvraj Singh and said he is equipped with a lot of talent, but was inconsistent in between. However, in the last two one-day matches against Zimbabwe he proved his talent and can be a terrific player in future. "He, however, will have to work on his consistency," the Indian captain said. About his recent lean patch, Sourav was quick to point out that his lean patch was only in Tests, adding that all sportsmen have to go through a lean patch at one time or the other. On the pressure of captaincy, Sourav denied feeling any pressure and said leading the country was the greatest honour for him. UNI
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Vajpayee confident, POTO will be passed in joint session
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said that the government has a comfortable majority and expressed confidence that the anti-terrorism legislation will be passed in the joint session of Parliament on Tuesday. In what would boost the government's chances even further, five unattached MPs under the leadership of PC Thomas have floated a new party called the Indian Federal Democratic Party and have agreed to join the National Democratic Alliance. Anwar-ul-Haque, Pappu Yadav, Mohan Dilkar and Sukhdeo Paswan are the four other MPs besides Thomas who are joining the NDA family, which already is a conglomerate of more than 20 parties. "We decided to accept the invitation and join the alliance because we felt the need to strengthen the alliance which should lead the government," said Thomas. The numbers game This move takes the total strength of the NDA in the joint session to 418 -- well above the half way mark of 392, giving the government a comfortable cushion even if some allies like the Trinamool Congress were to leave. But the NDA is trying hard to woo the Trinamool Congress, which has said that it will stay away from the joint session in parliament over POTO. "In NDA, all allies are with us. But after last night we found out that Trinamool Congress has decided not to go with us over this issue. So we are now trying to talk to them and get everyone together on POTO," said BJP Chief Whip, VK Malhotra. Hitting out at the Congress for voting against the bill in the Rajya Sabha, which forced the Government to convene a joint session, he said, "One never thought they would stoop so low to oppose a law to fight terrorism as most of the nations have similar laws to tackle this menace." He said the Congress by voting against the bill has "only exposed itself to the world that it is not interested in tackling terrorism which has afflicted this country for over two decades." Allies pacified The BJP's other allies have however assured the Prime Minister of their full support and said that they would participate in the crucial joint session of Parliament on Tuesday. A joint session of Parliament has been called on March 26 - for the first time in 25 years - to pass the legislation on the new anti-terrorism law. "The Prime Minister has said that government will confine itself to the common minimum agenda. So everyone has decided to support," said Yerran Naidu, Lok Sabha MP of the Telugu Desam Party. The National Conference, which did not vote for POTO in the Rajya Sabha, has also said that it will back the government in the joint session. The turnaround seems to have come after an assurance from the Union Home Minister L K Advani that POTO is not being misused in Gujarat. Crisis defused Advani's clarification that the VHP has no plans to take out asthi yatras, which had drawn widespread criticism from the allies also seems to have helped to cool tempers. "Certain apprehensions about the VHP taking the Godhra ashes were wrong and Advaniji has clarified the issue. The yatra had led to some anxiety and had made the allies uncomfortable. Now that has been settled, there is no problem," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the Minister of State for Commerce. For now the BJP has made peace with its allies and guarded against any possible embarrassment during the joint session of Parliament. But any further provocation by the Sangh Parivar could once again strain the already fragile relationship. (With Inputs)
Sunday, March 24, 2002
Six Killed, 11 Wounded in Disputed Kashmir Region
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Six people were killed and 11 wounded on Saturday in separate incidents in divided Kashmir, a Himalayan region at the heart of a military stand-off between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Police said militants threw a grenade into a crowded marketplace in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, killing two and wounding 11. "Some militants lobbed a grenade at Border Security Force men at the busy Habakadal crossing," a police official told Reuters. Two Muslim separatists were killed in a shootout near the border district of Poonch, 160 miles north of Jammu, the state's winter capital. Two more people died when they stepped on a land mine near the military line of control that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan. More than 70 people, mostly civilians, have been injured in four grenade attacks in last three days. No militant group has claimed responsibility. Nearly a dozen militant separatist groups are fighting New Delhi's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the country's only Muslim-majority state. At least two pro-India groups are helping Indian security forces combat militancy. More than 33,000 people have been killed since 1989 when Islamic guerrillas seeking either independence or union with Pakistan launched a revolt in the mountainous region. Separatist violence has surged in recent weeks. On Friday, two Indian soldiers and a civilian were injured in border firing in the Nowshahra sector in Rajouri district, 105 miles north of Jammu. Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged fire at points along their border in the region several times in recent days. Fears of war were stoked after a December 13 attack on India's parliament which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatists.
Saturday, March 23, 2002
Music Review: Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai
Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai marks the debut of Nakul Kapoor and Aarti Chabria with this film and also stars Kim Sharma of Mohabbatein fame. The film has music by Nadeem-Shravan. The album has 10 tracks of which the last two songs are instrumental -- Tumse Acha Kaun Hai... and Aankh Hain Bhari Bhari.... The first song is the title song. soft and lilting, the title song is wonderfully sung by refreshing newcomer, Tauseef Akhtar. The second is the peppy track Dil gaya mera dil gaya... sung by Sonu Nigam, toogh one can easily say that lyrics are not that great. The third one Ye un dino ki baat hai... is a romantic track which is a fairly decent song, sung again by Sonu Nigam with Sarika Kapoor. The real gem of this album is the fourth track Aankh hai bhari bhari... Hummable with wonderful lyrics by Sameer. A song that immediately hooks you with it’s emotions, tune, lyrics and singing. The song comes in two versions, one sung by Kumar Sanu and the other by Alka Yagnik. For once none of the singers overpower the other. Each one does a commendable job. Sukhwinder Singh makes his mandatory presence. Here he’s heard a pop number Aap jaisa... which reminds one of R D Burman’s songs. Door wadiyon se.. by Sonu Nigam is a typical love song. For quawali lovers, here’s one right up their street with Jo jaam se peeta hoon.. by Sonu Nigam and Tauseef Akhtar. Quite good stuff. Overall Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai is a notable film album especially for Ankh hai bhari bhari... which is a real gem of a song.
Saturday, March 23, 2002
Interview: Amisha Patel
How do you feel having won so many awards off late? Naturally, it’s a great feeling because it just goes to show that even though I have no sugar daddy in this line, I have managed to do what most actress achieve after so many years. Winning the Filmfare and Sansui Award has made one thing clear- that good work is always appreciated. It’s very easy to pass of success as luck, but I know how hard I have slogged to reach this position, so I am very happy. Have you forgotten the failure of Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar? No, I haven’t forgotten it but it is definitely behind me. I did that movie because of Tanuja Chandra. I wanted to work with her because I thought highly of her as a maker and I still feel that she is a brilliant director. I liked my role in the film and did my best. But maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Finally the audience is the judge and if they didn’t take well to the film, it must have had some faults. Your next releases, Kranti & Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage pair Bobby & Hrithik with you. Expectations are high. The expectations will be high from every film of mine. Kranti is my first release with Bobby so I am really looking forward to it. The film’s music has been very appreciated and it’s a total commercial movie. With AMALL, I know that people are expecting Hrithik and me to recreate history and I must say that they won’t be let down. The film has shaped up very well and it has all the potential to be another Kaho Na Pyar Hai. I had a great time working on the film with Hrithik, so the movie will always be very close to my heart. What about your on-going rivalry with Kareena Kapoor? I don’t know her at all. So much has been written about our rivalry that I must say I have never given Kareena much thought in my life. For me, all actresses are competition and she is one of them. I firmly believe that we must let the audience decide whom they like and whom they want to discard. It is foolish for us to claim to be in top league; rather that should be decided by our work. As for Kareena, I have seen some of her work and find her good. But she doesn’t have what I have and vice-versa. And there is a lot of place for the top heroines here. We both have a long innings here, so why get into each other’s way? Lastly, your personal life seems to be rather dull. Why? (Laughs) I have had no time for anything in the last two years. There has been so much work that my personal life has taken the backseat. The only romance I’ve had has been in the movies. I have been linked with my heroes but that is ridiculous. See, I will definitely fall in love when I find Mr Right. Till then there is no hurry. But one thing is for sure; that I will never go out with a married man or marry someone from this industry. Once I leave the movies, I want to live happily with a normal man and have a regular loving family. Some Trivia of Amisha: Date of Birth- 9th June, 1979 Favorite Actor- Aamir Khan Favorite Actress- Madhuri Dixit Nene Favorite Designer- Rocky.S
Saturday, March 23, 2002
Nominations of IIFA Awards
Nominations of IIFA Awards Best Picture: -- Chandni Bar -- Dil Chahta Hai -- Gadar - Ek Prem Katha -- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham -- Lagaan Best Director : -- Anil Sharma (Gadar) -- Ashutosh Gowarikar (Lagaan) -- Farhan Akhtar (DCH) -- Karan Johar (K3G) -- Madhur Bhandarkar (Chandni Bar) Best Actor: -- Aamir Khan (Dil Chahta Hai) -- Aamir Khan (Lagaan) -- Amitabh Bachchan (Aks) -- Shah Rukh Khan (K3G) -- Sunny Deol (Gadar) Best Actress: -- Amisha Patel (Gadar) -- Gracy Singh (Lagaan) -- Kajol (K3G) -- Preity Zinta (DC |
