The Indian Panorama

Tag: Shah Rukh Khan

  • IPL star-crossed? Team owners hit by bad luck

    IPL star-crossed? Team owners hit by bad luck

    MUMBAI (TIP): A leading Mumbai businessman, once interested in buying an Indian Premier League franchise today wants nothing to do with the glamorous cricket league. He believes IPL is bringing bad luck to team owners.

    Dramatic as it may sound, a quick look at where the owners have landed up post their IPL buys tends to lend credence to this expression of superstition. The businessman was insistent: “Vijay Mallya, Subrata Roy, Venkattram Reddy, the Maran brothers, even Lalit Modi – just look where they are. Isn’t it eerie?”

    IPL star-crossed statsAs facts go, the businessman isn’t off the mark. Subrata Roy is in jail, Reddy was arrested, Mallya is in trouble with the authorities, Maranowned Sun TV is having problems with the home ministry over security clearances, Lalit Modi is wanted by ED, and Sunanda Pushkar is dead. Even love has gone missing from Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta’s lives. And N Srinivasan has lost his prized BCCI president’s chair.

    Wait, not just Srinivasan. His son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, a mere cricket enthusiast according to his father-in-law, has been pulled up by the Supreme Court for talking to bookmakers and banned for life from cricket. Ditto with another part owner, Raj Kundra of Rajasthan Royals.

    Those who have bucked the trend are movie star Shah Rukh Khan, India’s biggest businessman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita, and the Delhi franchisee GMR.

    Heck, the league itself is now in massive trouble. The judgment delivered by the SC-appointed Justice Lodha committee has reduced the IPL to just six teams of which, again, some are in serious financial trouble.

    T Venkattram Reddy, the strapping boss of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, from Hyderabad, lost his team Deccan Chargers after cases of financial fraud with several banks began surfacing post 2011.

    And the owners who replaced the team in Hyderabad – Maran Brothers of Sun TV -are also struggling. Once the eyes and ears of former DMK chief M Karunanidhi, the Chennai media barons are no longer politically protected. Apart from the cloud over their TV channels, they have had to sell their airline SpiceJet back to the original promoter.

    Is this the reason why Parth Jindal of Bangalore-based JSW Group doesn’t want to get into the IPL?

     

  • Shah rukh Khan enters Caribbean Premier League buys Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel

    Shah rukh Khan enters Caribbean Premier League buys Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel

    Bollywood star and owner of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, has purchased Caribbean Premier League team Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.
    SRK can expect to be in illustrious company shortly, with Hollywood actors Gerard Butler and Mark Wahlberg owning the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Barbados Tridents respectively in the CPL.
    The Tridents are skippered by West Indies and Mumbai ace Kieron Pollard while the explosive Chris Gayle skippers the side from Jamaica.
    Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the company that Khan co-owns with his wife, and KKR co-owners Jay Mehta and his wife and former Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, have acquired a stake in the Trinidad based franchise.
    The upcoming edition of the CPL will run between June 20 and July 26 this year. The actor has become the first person to own an IPL team as well as an overseas franchise. Khan was overjoyed with his latest acquisition.
    He said: “This is in line with our vision to expand globally. We are thrilled to become a part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad and Tobago.”
    The actor added that he had been thrilled with the passion for cricket in this part of the world and especially with the success of the CPL.
    The business model of his IPL team, KKR has been immensely successful. The side have won the IPL on two occasions already – 2012 and 2014, and are the most valuable franchise in the IPL with a brand value of over 500 crore Rupees.
    Venky Mysore, who is the man behind the success of the KKR in recent years said that the two time IPL champions were one of the most well managed teams in the IPL and that the management were keen to bring their experience to the CPL with the same goals in mind.
    A significant portion of the population of Trinidad & Tobago comprises of people of Indian origin while the US city of Miami is only an hour away by flight. If the side are now able to attract such spectators to the stadium, it will be a major win-win for Khan as well as Indian cricket fans in the West.
  • No contest: Kazakh prez wins polls with 97.7% votes

    No contest: Kazakh prez wins polls with 97.7% votes

    ASTANA (TIP): Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only president Kazakhstan has ever seen since its birth some 24 years ago, won another mandate on April 26 by a margin that’d make words like ‘landslide’ and
    ‘overwhelming’ sound listless and feeble. He won 97.7% of the vote. That too in an election where 97% of those on the voter rolls turned out.

    Two others gave Nazarbayev company in this rather stately electoral no-contest — a communist and a trade unionist. Trade unionist Kusainov Abylgazy went home with 0.7% of the vote. Communist Turgyn Syzkykov had his bag slightly fuller with 1.7% of the vote. Both later acknowledged only Nazarbayev had the stature to be president.

    Kazakhstan’s “light” Nazarbayev rose from very humble beginnings to first become a steel plant worker, then the Soviet-ruled region’s top communist leader and the country’s first president after independence. He has always been at the helm. On April 27, he walked into a stadium raining confetti and bursting with roars of ‘Nursultan-Kazakhstan’. Wrapped in sea-blue and gold, this Nur Otan Party victory show was a full house. Amid much singing and dancing, Nursultan proclaimed his determination to take his country to the next level of development. For him it was a proud moment, for his people had backed him to the hilt.

    In the crowd, head covered in a blue party cap and waving a flag was young Imran. He loves Nazarbayev. “What style,” he gasped. Broad-shouldered Nazarbayev, natty in a smart suit, stepped on to the blue carpet. A golden scarf wrapped around his shoulders, the man of the moment was all about success and command. He waved, reached out, waded into crowds, did a quick jig and shook a leg as the music played. He was then on stage exhorting the nation to forge ahead — a show of showmanship.

    Imran also said he loved Bollywood stars. Malika, his course mate at the Eurasian University chipped in: “I love Shah Rukh Khan.” Even then the big Bollywood sultan isn’t a patch on their sultan — Nursultan. Once again, the roar went up: “Nursultan-Kazakhstan”, more confetti showers, more blaring music.

    The previous day, April 26, booth 81 in a central Astana neighbourhood had opened early for voting. On ordinary days, this glitzy structure, also called a palace, is home to children. They come here to learn music, take part in sports, learn other skills. That day, it was all agog. Nazarbayev would vote here. A day before the vote, a campaign ban —called day of silence in these parts —had kicked in. TV wasn’t beaming anything on elections.

    At booth 81, on the courtyard two big boxes made of transparent plastic stood on lovely expensive carpets. Husbands, wives, lithe women, athletic men, toddlers covered head to foot in woolens, elders, security men and women milled around. Unlike back home, where even in non-VIP booths, an air of grimness hangs over polling stations, this place was a breeze. Policemen weren’t making a clumsy display of guns.

    Past a metal detector and the mandatory frisking, it’s a short walk to the arena. Rolls are checked, voters given the ballot, they walk into an enclosure, stamp it and slip it into the big plastic box on the carpet through a narrow slit. Voting here closes at 8 pm. It’s unhurried. Children scamper around unafraid, walk up to securitymen and tug at their uniforms, slip into enclosures.

    Gulnar and her husband had brought their two children along. “I vote communist,” she said pointing to a miniscule photograph of Syzdykov, the communist in the race. Really? That’d make Gulnar a rare specimen of dissent — one of the barely-there 3%that voted against the great leader.

    In no time she drowned in a circle of TV booms and microphones as reporters quizzed her on her choice.

    Across the corridor, booth 81 was readying for Nursultan to show up. That’s the biggest photo-op for journalists here, the must-capture moment. Minutes later, smart securitymen — they look the same everywhere, clones of Obama’s secret service guards — burst into the hall. Nazarbayev’s here. All of 74, trim and straight, a slight smile flashes on his face. He is fit, has a tight jaw but somehow has an old soviet air about him — of being a cut above the rest, dripping dignity, in total control, creator of a nation, a man sitting on a mountain of success.

    He acknowledges the crowds, waves at them, walks into the arena, follows the process, poses for shutterbugs and showtime’s over. He’s then escorted into an enclosure where he addresses reporters. His voice deep and throaty, Nazarbayev speaks haltingly, carefully picking his words. He addresses reporters first in Kazakh, then Russian.

    Translators tell me he spoke of progress, the next level of consolidation and development. He takes no questions, waves again and walks out.

  • Interpol choses Shah Rukh Khan as 1st Indian ambassador for anticrime campaign

    Interpol choses Shah Rukh Khan as 1st Indian ambassador for anticrime campaign

    LYON, FRANCE (TIP): Internationally-renowned Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been roped in as an ambassador for Interpol’s “Turn Back Crime” campaign to promote awareness on how everyone can play a role in preventing crime.

    Shah Rukh, said to be the first Indian to be made an ambassador for the global campaign, is lending his voice to help spread the message that all of society benefits when citizens respect law and fight crime. “It’s a very special honor to be a part of Interpol’s ‘Turn Back Crime’ campaign as an ambassador,” said Shah Rukh. “As Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘I shall not fear anyone on Earth. I shall fear only god. I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.

    I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering, if I have to. “We all should believe in this maxim and in whatever way possible resolve not to let unjust people who might threaten us with criminal activity make us fear them. “Because I believe we can, we should, and we must stand together against the few who commit crimes against any human being, in whatever form or guise these crimes might take,” Shah Rukh said in a statement.

    Shah Rukh joins actor Jackie Chan as an ambassador for the campaign, which has already garnered support from public figures including footballer Lionel Messi, Formula 1 racing drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen in addition to law enforcement agencies around the world. Interpol’s campaign is aimed at raising public awareness that organized crime is often involved in seemingly unrelated crimes.

    Drug trafficking, human trafficking, counterfeiting, cyber crime, kidnapping, crimes against children and corruption in sport are in fact often interconnected, with profits from one crime area used to fund another. The campaign is aimed at helping the public better understand these issues and empowering them not to be duped by criminals when buying products or using the internet.

    “Shah Rukh Khan has dedicated his life to making films which reflect the highest level of professionalism and commitment to bringing joy into the lives of hundreds of millions of filmgoers in India and around the world,” said Interpol secretary general Ronald K. Noble. “We are honored to have him as an ambassador for Interpol’s global Turn Back Crime campaign and we look forward to seeing how he puts his artistic talents behind this campaign,” the Interpol chief said.

  • KKR to be felicitated by state government

    KKR to be felicitated by state government

    KOLKATA (TIP): The stage is set for the Eden Gardens to witness another round of wild celebrations when IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders are jointly felicitated by the state government and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Tuesday afternoon.

    A similar felicitation ceremony had been held at the Eden Gardens two years ago when KKR had won the IPL title for the first time in 2012, defeating the Chennai Super Kings in the final. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was among the first to congratulate the KKR team and its principal owner Shah Rukh Khan after their splendid win over Kings XI Punjab in the final in Bangalore on Sunday night, is expected to attend the hour-long function.

    The chief minister also congratulated Bengal-lad Wriddhiman Saha, who hit a brilliant unbeaten 115 in KXIP’s losing cause. “Congratulations… KKR, Congratulations… shahrukh, Congratulations to Wriddhiman for his brilliant performance,” the chief minister posted on her Facebook page.


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    A host of dignitaries have been invited to attend Tuesday’s programme, which is being jointly organized by the state sports and youth affairs department, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata Police and the CAB. “The programme at the Eden will commence at 1 pm on Tuesday,” informed state sports minister Madan Mitra. “We appeal to all sports lovers to come to the Eden Gardens to attend the programme, passes for which can be collected from police stations.” KKR players will be presented special gifts to mark their landmark victory.

    However, there will be no road show this time around, the minister said. Kolkata Police are distributing 36,000 passes for the mega victory celebrations at Eden Gardens in less than half-a-day. The cops are apparently facing huge issues with the cops announced that the distribution process would begin by 9 PM. Next, they said only one pass would be issued to each person on a first-come-first-served basis.

    Needless to say, the queues got longer. The last-minute chaos has infuriated senior cops, but all they could do was grumble. “As if providing adequate security (at Eden) was not enough, now we have to act as distributors. Is this policing?” fumed a senior officer. “I have been inundated with calls, with each caller making a different request: ‘When will the distribution start? Can a pass be collected on behalf of a relative? Should any proof of identity be produced? There’s simply no end to the questions and requests.

    I don’t know how to handle the situation,” said another exasperated senior officer from the southeast division. Even Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, was not spared the cacophony of queries. “In 2012, the chief minister had asked everyone to be let in. It was a miracle that no one was injured, though we had to lathi-charge,” said an officer, not wishing to be named.

    Grand welcome

    Thousands of fans gave KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir and his ‘Knights’ a rousing welcome on their arrival at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international airport on Monday evening. Gambhir, holding the glittering IPL trophy, was among the first to emerge, followed by other team members. The loudest cheers were reserved for Robin Uthappa, who emerged as the tournament’s top scorer with 660 runs.

    Only West Indies player Sunil Narine and South African Morne Morkel, who have returned home, could not make the trip. The city erupted in joy on Sunday night soon after Piyush Chawla hit the winning boundary at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. KKR supporters burst firecrackers and danced on the streets past midnight with KKR’s hugely popular theme song ‘Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re’ blaring from loud speakers.

  • ‘Will Watch Jan 26th Parade in Delhi’: Mangano

    ‘Will Watch Jan 26th Parade in Delhi’: Mangano

    MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano joined ITV reporter Riti Bhalla and watched the Republic Day festivities telecast from New Delhi and marveled at the great national celebration in India with “wonderful parade, the beautiful floats and a great expression of democracy.”

    Last week, joining the teen host of Riti Bhalla Special, Mangano said, “I hope that someday I will watch the parade in New Delhi in person.” Appearing fifth time since 2011 on the special India Day shows hosted by Bhalla, Mangano, representing a county larger in population than seven states of America, greeted Indian Americans across the US with “Happy Republic Day, Jai Hind”. Mangano also commended Indian Americans at large and especially those “who are part of my administration in Nassau County and contribute to our successes each and every day.”

    Bhalla, currently a student of New York University, started hosting her biannual celebrations of the Republic Day and the Independence Day of India in 2008, when she was 14 years old. Over the years, ten governors, 22 senators and congressional leaders, as well as four presidential candidates – Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain and Joe Lieberman – have also appeared on Bhalla’s shows.

    Bollywood celebrities, Shah Rukh Khan, Yash Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Anushka Sharma as well as the former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam have appeared as Riti’s guests. In 2012, history of sorts was made on Riti Bhalla Special when Indian American Astronaut Sunita Williams connected with Bhalla all the way from the International Space Station and greeted Indians around the world on Independence Day. The program was telecast in over 100 countries and covered by the print media worldwide.

  • MOVIE REVIEW – Chennai Express

    MOVIE REVIEW – Chennai Express

    Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sathyaraj
    Direction: Rohit Shetty
    Genre: Action
    Duration: 2 hours 23 minutes
    STORY:
    A 40-year-old Punjabi man is on a mission to immerse his grandfather’s ashes down South. Enroute he meets a young Tamilian girl who has eloped. Their lives entwine and his journey takes an altogether different route. REVIEW: In an ode to his own cinema-read Golmaal series, Bol Bachchan, Rohit Shetty ishstyle, the director, who has grossers in Bollywood’s 100-crore club, ups the scale for his Eid offering. Chennai Express (CE) is a magnificently mounted film.

    Never having been strong in the story department, CE too has a guillible plot line. Rahul ( Shah Rukh Khan) is asked by his dadi (Kamini Kaushal) to drop his granddad’s ashes in Rameswaram, the southern-most tip of India. He boards the Chennai Express to hoodwink granny but has secretly planned a getaway with his guy friends to Goa. Alas, in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge fashion, a damsel in distress, Meena ( Deepika Padukone) asks for his outstretched hand as he stands on the footboard.

    And his Samaritan act changes his destiny. He discovers she’s the daughter of a Don from a South-side village and her accompanying cousins (hulks in pony tails) want her to return home. Her father wants Meena to marry another hulk (Niketan Dheer) from a nearby village, so he can then rule two villages. Meena resists and insists to her father (Sathyaraj) that it is Rahul who has her fancy.

    The father relents but the other hulks resist. From here on, Rahul constantly tries to outsmart the South Indian mob. And as expected in Indian mainstream cinema, he breaks into song-and-dance, gets drunk, blows up jeeps and does a Jim Carryish over-thetop act to get guffaws from a captive audience. For what is primarily a Hindi film, there’s too much spoken Tamil.

    There are cleverly written lines that ask you not to underestimate the south because it even plays a crucial role in the coalition government, but for the rest of India, a lot of the dialogue is lost in translation. Subtitles would be in order. After Cocktail and Yeh Jaawani Hai Deeewani, Deepika is once again in superlative form. Shah Rukh’s attempts at comedy go from convincing to convoluted. But, for the most part, he lights up the screen with his effervescence.

  • India protests questioning of UP minister at Boston airport

    India protests questioning of UP minister at Boston airport

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India has formally protested to the US the brief detention of Uttar Pradesh urban development minister Mohammad Azam Khan at Boston airport as he arrived to take part in an event at Harvard University. Khan, who is accompanying UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for the presentation of a Harvard study on the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, was detained for about 10 minutes for “further questioning” at Boston Logan International Airport Wednesday, according to Indian officials.

    Once the visitors were cleared for entry by immigration, a woman officer of the US Customs and Border Protection wing of the Homeland Security took Khan to an adjacent room “for further questioning,” sources said. Incensed, Khan is reported to have kicked up a ruckus in the immigration area saying he was detained because he was a Muslim and sought an apology from the officer who merely said she was doing her duty.

    As arguments became heated, officials from the Indian consulate in New York intervened and Khan was escorted out of the airport. In Washington, Indian embassy spokesman M Sridharan said the mission has “taken up the issue with the State Department officially and we have conveyed our serious concern.” “We have asked them to intervene and take appropriate measures to avoid recurrence in the future.” At the State Department, when asked to comment on the incident, spokesman Patrick Ventrell said he was “not aware of the specifics of this case” as the Department of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over airport movements inside the US.

    But “I do want to underscore that we have a very important bilateral relationship with India and a very robust and thorough diplomatic exchange with our partners, he said. “We very much value our partnership with the Government of India.” The Azam Khan case is the latest instance of Indian VIPs being detained at US airports. Last year, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was detained for over two hours by immigration officials at a New York airport. Former President A P J Abdul Kalam was twice subjected to frisking at New York’s JFK Airport by US security officials. India’s then ambassador to the US Meera Shanker was patted down by a security agent in Mississippi in December 2010.

  • The World Is Not The Same Without Them

    The World Is Not The Same Without Them

    With legendary musicians- Mehdi Hassan, Pandit RaviShankar, actors- Rajesh Khanna, Dara Singh, AK Hangal,Joy Mukerjee, filmmaker Yash Chopra and ace comedianJaspal Bhatti transcending to heaven, the world of artsand entertainment was left bereaved. Hindi Cinema lostits first superstar Rajesh Khanna and actor-wrestler DaraSingh to prolonged illness, while Hangal succumbed to oldage. Yash Chopra breathed his last after contractingdengue, a few days after celebrating his 80th birthday.

    BAL THACKERAY: THE TIGER IS DEAD
    Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray passed away onNovember 17. Lakhs of mourners joined the Shiv Senafounder’s grieving family to bid him a tearful farewell. Asevident during several times in his life, the Thackerayphenomenon was in evidence once again in death as hebrought Mumbai to a complete halt.

    VILASRAO DESHMUKH: MASS LEADERDIES
    A mass leader, Union minister Vilarao Deshmukh wasgiven a tearful adieu by tens of thousands of grievingpeople at his native village from where he began hispolitical journey as an obscure sarpanch four decadesago.

    IK GUJRAL PASSES AWAY
    Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral passedaway on November 30. He was 92. Gujral, who wasadmitted to the hospital on November 19 with a lunginfection, had been on dialysis for over a year. The PrimeMinister of the country for the year between 1997 and1998, he is best known for his ‘Gujral Doctrine’ thatproposed closer ties with India and her neighbours.

    PONTY CHADHA MURDERED
    Ponty Chadha was shot dead on November 17 in acontroversial shootout with brother Hardeep. The moversand shakers of politics, business and tinsel town paidtheir last respects to the liquor baron – It was the finalvalidation of Ponty’s massive clout and the larger-thanlifepersona he created single-handedly.

    YASH CHOPRA: KING OF ROMANCE NO MORE
    Noted director, screenwriter and producer YashChopra passed away at the age of 80. In a career spanningfive decades,Indian cinema’s ‘king of romance’ neverfailed to amaze the audience with his movies. His deathhas left a void in the industry which will never be filled.Chopra is also remembered for making the careers ofmany Bollywood actors, including Amitabh Bachchanand Shah Rukh Khan

    PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR: SITARMAESTRO DIESLegendary musician Pandit Ravi Shankar passed awayon December 12 at the age of 92. The sitar maestroenjoyed worldwide popularity and was known for his indepthunderstanding of various styles and schools of music.

    JASPAL BHATTI DIES IN ROAD ACCIDENT
    Noted comedian and filmmaker Jaspal Bhatti, 57, diedin a road accident near Shahkot in the early hours onOctober 25, 2012. Bhatti along with his son Jasraj whowas on the wheel, and two others was coming toJalandhar from Bathinda for the promotion of his newfilm ‘Power Cut’ when the car hit a tree on the roadside.

    RAJESH KHANNA: A SUPERSTARPASSES AWAY
    Actor Rajesh Khanna passed away after a prolonged illness in Mumbai on July 18. The first superstar ofIndian film industry, he gave many memorable hits likeAnand, Kati Patang, Aradhana, Amar Prem, Safar,Bawarchi etc.

    THE WORLD IS NOT THESAME WITHOUT THEMDR VERGHESE KURIEN: INDIA’SMILKMAN NO MORE
    Dr Verghese Kurien did not like drinking milk, but asfather of the White Revolution, he made India into anation of milk drinkers . Often called India’s best knownmilkman, Kurien passed away on September 9. In the sixdecades he spent in Anand, he ensured India istransformed from a milk-deficient country into one ofthe world’s biggest milk producers.DARA SINGHThe original action hero of Indian cinema, Dara Singhpassed away on July 12, 2012. He was keeping unwell for along time. His most popular role was of Hanuman in theepic TV series Ramayan.

    MEHDI HASSAN
    The popular Pakistani singer and Ghazal maestroMehdi Hassan passed away on June 13, 2012. Thecelebrated singer had also lent his voice to many songs inIndian films.

    JOY MUKHEJEE
    Yesteryear actor Joy Mukhejee known for his romanticroles in films like Love in Tokyo, Shagird, Ek BarMuskurado and Phir Wahi Dil Laaya Hoon passed awayon March 9, 2012. Mukherjee’s neice Kajol attended hisfuneral.

    ACHALA SACHDEV
    Senior actress Achala Sachdev, popularly known as the’Zohra Jabeen’ of Bollywood (after her popular song ‘AeMeri Zohra Jabeen’ in Waqt) passed away on April 30,2012.Former Union Minister K C Pant, an eminent publicfigure and an able administrator, passed away at the ageof 81. He had served under late Prime Ministers IndiraGandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and switched to BJP in the late1990s. The son of Govind Ballabh Pant, a former UttarPradesh Chief Minister and Union Minister under latePrime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Pant held theportfolios of Defence, Finance, Energy and Steel amongothers. Pant also played the role of negotiator during theseparate Telangana agitation in the 1970s and wasinstrumental in reaching of an agreement called `MulkiRules` that gave prominence to recruitment of locals andended the agitation.

  • Jab Tak Hai Jaan

    Jab Tak Hai Jaan

    Cast: Shah Rukh Khan,Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma
    Direction: Yash Chopra
    Genre: Romance
    Duration: 3 hours

    STORY: Through a personal diary account a carefree media professional discovers that a Indian Army man who fascinates her has a love interest tucked away in London. Will she be able to bridge the gap and get close to him? Or will his past come back to haunt?

    REVIEW: Jab Tak Hai Jaan is the swan song of Yash Chopra, the big daddy of romance. Every frame is picture perfect, the emotions are well nuanced. But there is one inherent flaw–the story by Aditya Chopra is hackneyed. Shah Rukh Khan is Samar Anand a bomb disposal expert from the Indian army posted in Ladakh.

    He’s a brave heart(of the kind you’ve seen in Hollywood movies like Livewire, Hurt Locker) who has defused close to a hundred bombs without bothering to ever wear a safety suit. His colleagues laud him and refer to him as the man who cannot die.

    Samar goes about defusing bombs with such ease; even your fear of the bomb is temporarily suspended, at least through the duration of this film.

    On the personal front, Samar is a brooder and sleeps with his personal diary strapped close to his chest. Anushkha Sharma (Akira Rai), a documentary filmmaker, who is also in Ladakh, accidentally finds herself in possession of Samar’s diary. Since no one has ever told her that it is bad manners to read another person’s diary, she leafs through its contents.

    And discovers that the army man doesn’t smile because of his poignant past. The story unfolds to tell you that in his growing up years Samar, who did odd jobs in London, to make ends meet was footloose till he fell headover- heels-love-with a rich heiress Katrina Kaif (Meera Thappar).

    Meera is engaged to be married to a gora but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the desi Samar; the man who teaches her how to shed her inhibitions and live life king-size. A road-accident in London changes the course of Meera-Samar’s happy love story and Samar finds himself back in Ladakh diffusing bombs. In this strife ridden atmosphere, his path crosses that of Akira; a young girl, who falls for him.

    Before Samar and Akira’s acquaintance turns into anything deeper, the film plot lands Samar back in London, where he meets with a road accident yet again. This time, the hospital authorities, diagnose him with retrograde amnesia… and say he has been in a time warp of sorts for close to a decade.

    The only one, who can bring him back from the brink, is his first love Meera. And a new chapter unfolds. Shah Rukh Khan is the backbone of JTHJ. He’s charismatic as the lover and enigmatic as the army guy.

    Katrina Kaif is a smart dresser and looks stunning. She’s also a delight to watch in the song Ishq Shava, she having become this dramatic Bollywood film dancer.

    But when it comes to handling the intense emotional scenes, Kat is still a Barbie doll, beautiful but plastic. Anushka Sharma is easy on the eye and an ideal fit in the motor-mouth parts. She has the perfect 10 figure but frankly she is saddled with an unsatisfying role

    A R Rahman’s music–be it the Challa track or the Heer song never grew on the charts; but in the film, the music charms you because the lead actors infuse life into the songs. Frankly if someone were to ask what’s the bonus you take back from JTHJ.

    It’s the end-credit visuals of Yash Chopra horsing around with his actors or immersed in deep discussion with his crew.

  • Amitabh Bachchan turns 70

    Amitabh Bachchan turns 70

    MUMBAI (TIP): It was dance, music and masti galore at Amitabh Bachchan’s 70th birthday bash, says Shah Rukh Khan who shook a leg with the “birthday boy”. Vishal Dadlani called it a “stellar party” and for Karan Johar it was a beautiful blend of nostalgia, reverence and legendary.

    Bollywood celebrities can’t stop raving about the fun they had while ushering in Amitabh’s 70th birthday at the Reliance Media Works, Film City, Goregaon.

    Here`s what the guests have to say:

    SALIM MERCHANT: Nice speeches by the family, Yash Chopra especially Javed Akhtar’s speech was heartwarming! Karan Johar was a fab master of ceremony. And it ended with a mashup of Bachchan’s biggest hits on the dance floor! I’ll always cherish this party.

    SHAH RUKH KHAN: Danced with Amitji and Jaya aunty to all the songs I have grown up listening. Too much fun. Thanks Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aaradhya for the warmth.

    KARAN JOHAR: The B70 bash was a beautiful blend of nostalgia, reverence and legendary acknowledgement… SrBachchan has a legacy of abundant goodwill….

    VISHAL DADLANI: Feet hurt, voice hoarse, heart full of love for Amitabh Bachchan, Mrs. (Jaya) Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aaradhya! Stellar hosts, stellar party! Happy Birthday Sir! There can only ever be one ‘Amitabh Bachchan’! Much love and respect, always!

    MADHURI DIXIT: Had an amazing time at Amitji’s party. Was a re-union of sorts. Got to spend time with so many of my friends! It was great seeing everyone! It was an honour to be in the presence of so many talented people. It brought back so many amazing memories. Looking forward to more!

    RITEISH DESHMUKH: Love and respect to the entire Bachchan family for hosting such a gracious function last night, specially Jaya aunty. everything was mesmerizing.

    KAILASH KHER: What an epic birthday bash… a true larger than life kind of experience… God Bless you sir.

    SANJAY GUPTA: Sir Happy Birthday and thank you for a fantabulous party. Wishing you health and happiness.

    ARSHAD WARSI: Mr Bachchan`s party last night was absolutely amazing, it was great to see the entire film industry under one roof….

    RANGANATHAN MADHAVAN: The most wonderful evening yesterday… Whatever the Bachchans do has to be classy and this was right up there. Met the industry after the longest time, but the highlight was to realise that I was part of
    the industry as the same time as Mr. Bachchan.

    KUNAL KOHLI: What a great party.Party is the wrong word. Event. To celebrate Bachchan`s bday. Honoured to be there. He`s a legend. He`s the ultimate hero. He`s Amitabh Bachchan.

    RAJ KUNDRA: Many many happy returns of the day sir. Thank you for a lovely party. Love and respect.Who was present

    Who attended the party? Everyone who is anyone! Well, everyone except for the three Khans, who seemed conspicuous by their absence. Celebrities like Karan Johar and mother Hiroo, business tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s mother Kokilaben, late actor Shammi Kapoor’s wife and son Aditya Raj Kapoor and others arrived to the main gate in a golf cart-like vehicle. Shashi Kapoor came on a wheel chair.Shah Rukh Khan arrived with wife Gauri Also present at the bash were Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Pran, Jeetendra, Waheeda Rehman, Prem Chopra, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor with wife Neetu, Moushmi Chatterjee, Aruna Irani, Yash Chopra with wife Pamela, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Jeetendra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Priety Zinta, Vidya Balan, Bipasha Bau, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit with husband, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Govinda.

    Apart from the film industry, others who came to greet the actor included Anil Ambani, Aditya Godrej, Kumar Manglam Birla, Mulayam Singh Yadav with son Akhilesh, Chaggan Bhujbal, Uddhav Thackeray with wife and son.

    Wishes for Big B

    He has everything. But I have all my love for him – TABU

    Blessings – WAHEEDA

    May God wish him good life and good health – RAJINIKANTH

    Well, we’re all here, the whole city’s here to wish him – ANIL KAPOOR

    I’ve just come for the love of Amitji – SHILPA SHETTY