Posts Tagged ‘nothing’
Written by Rahul on 22 August 2009
Los Angeles (US), Aug.22 (ANI): Racist slurs against Asians in Hollywood’s latest movie “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” has angered Asian Americans, who came out to protest against the film’s maker on Friday.
Karen Narasaki, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center, said in a statement that the use of harmful, racist slurs and treatment of hate crimes in the film are “unacceptable and should not be tolerated.”
Although billed as a satirical comedy, there is nothing funny about using slurs that simply reinforce negative stereotypes, nor in making light of violent hate crimes, Narasaki stressed.
“Hate crimes are very real and have a devastating effect on our communities. Employing the use of racial slurs and hate-based violence for comic relief is unacceptable,” Xinhua quoted Narasaki, as saying.
Meanwhile, Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, said: “We condemn any portrayals of a hate crime as ‘comedy’-as advocates who have worked closely with the families of hate crimes victims over the years, including those who have lost loved ones to hate violence, we are appalled at the film’s flippant disregard of the human cost of hate violence.” (ANI)
Tags: advocates, american, American Justice, ANI, Asian, Asian American, asian pacific american, asians, Aug, center, comedy, comic relief, cost, crime, disregard, effect, Employing, executive director, film, Friday, Goods, Hard, hate, Hate Crime, hate crimes, Hollywood, justice, Justice Center, Karen Narasaki, Legal, light, Live, Los Angeles, maker, movie, Negative Stereotypes, nothing, Pacific, Portrayals, president, Racial Slurs, racist, Racist Slurs, relief, Satirical Comedy, statement, Stewart Kwoh, treatment, us, use, violence, Violence Hollywood, Violent Crimes, Xinhua
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Written by Rahul on 14 August 2009
Washington, Aug 14 (ANI): Kanye West’s girlfriend Amber Rose insists she has no qualms about being dubbed a “bisexual freak stripper” because she has nothing to be ashamed of.
The model, who has rekindled her relationship with the hip-hop star after briefly splitting from him in February, insists she has always been.
The 26-year-old beauty insists she was always open with Kanye, 32, about her unconventional past.
“Yeah, they label me a bisexual freak stripper that f**ks Kanye on a daily basis. You know, ‘Amber Rose, the f***ing bisexual, dyke, freak, whatever the f**k.’ To answer that, I’m extremely open with my sexuality. I can be in love with a woman, I can be in love with a man,” Contactmusic quoted her as telling Complex magazine.
“Kanye knew my life, so when it was, ‘Oh Kanye, do you know she was a stripper, that she used to date girls?’ he was like, ‘Tell me something I don’t know!’ ” she added. (ANI)
Tags: Amber Rose, ANI, Aug, basis, beauty, bisexual, briefly, complex magazine, Contactmusic, daily basis, date, Dyke, February, freak, Girlfriend, girls, hip hop star, ing, Kanye, kanye west, life, love, lover, magazine, man, model, nothing, past, qualms, relationship, sexuality, something, splitting, star, Stripper, tag, Washington, west, woman
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Written by Rahul on 14 August 2009
London, Aug.14 (ANI): Former opener Marcus Trescothick has admitted that suggestions he might come out of international retirement for next week’s showdown Ashes Test had given him nightmares.
Trescothick quit international cricket 18 months ago because he suffers from depression and does not want to tour again, but that did not stop suggestions that he might be the man for a crisis at the Brit Oval.
Trescothick, 33, has dismissed the idea and revealed he had woken up early one morning in a cold sweat dreaming about playing for England again.
“There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience that they can’t get their pads on when they are due in to bat. My dream was a variation of that. I couldn’t get my England kit out of my bag! The other players were waiting for me on the pitch to do a team photo so I was in a right panic. I woke up in a cold sweat,” the Daily Express quoted him, as saying.
“Perhaps that told me something. It gives me a massive kick that I am still thought good enough to come back and play at international level, but I’ve gone too far down the line in battling my stress problems to change my mind now about ending my England career,” he added.
Trescothick said: “My wife, Hayley, and I did talk about what my reaction should be if I were asked and we ended up having a good chuckle about it. She was prepared to back me if I wanted to play at The Oval and part of us both fancied the thought of getting involved again.”
Trescothick and Mark Ramprakash have been two names touted this week as potential England saviours after the debacle of Headingley, which saw Australia level the series 1-1.
Trescothick, writing in his column in a West Country newspaper, added: “I had a great time playing international cricket and we both have some very happy memories of my days as an England player. But it just didn’t feel right.
“Nothing in me made me feel I had to do it so I came to the conclusion that I don’t want it enough. Andrew Strauss did ring me over the last few days, but it was to ask me to play in a golf day for him. We did talk about England, but there was nothing direct about my involvement and he knows I won’t be reconsidering.” (ANI)
Tags: andrew strauss, ANI, Ashes, Ashes Test, Aug, Australia, bag, bat, Brit, Brit Oval, Career, chuckle, Cold Sweat, column, comeback, conclusion, Cricket, Crisis, Daily, daily express, day, debacle, Depression, Dream, England, england player, Express, former, golf, great time, Happy Memories, Hayley, Headingley, idea, international cricket, International Retirement, involvement, kick, kit, level, line, London, lot, man, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Ramprakash, mind, Morning, newspaper, nightmare, Nightmares, nothing, opener, Oval, panic, part, photo, pitch, player, possibility, reaction, retirement, ring, saviours, series, showdown, something, stress, Stress Problems, sweat, talk, Team, team photo, Test, thought, time, variation, week, west country, wife
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Written by Rahul on 03 May 2009
It indeed is ironic that Akshay Kumar who is one of the stars who has popularized Jeans as an attire and symbolizing youth is being tormented reportedly for an obscene gesture while promoting a new brand of Jeans. In fact Jeans as attire had a late debut in the Hindi films but after it got an endorsement from our film stars it became the attire symbolic of youth and energy.
It was the advent of Jeans that led to development of notion of health conscious and to have a toned body. It also had its rub-off effect on the female actors as well, and if a fault line were to be discerned that really swayed a nation in a big way and pushed it on to a journey of Jeans discovery, the campaign of Coke involving Aishwarya Rai could be one such fault line. Dressed simply in a white shirt and Jeans she apart from swaying Aamir Khan off his feet was able to literally swoon the whole country as well.
From the previous generation it was in SHOLAY that Jeans made its debut in a big way as attire that had element of rebel and exuberance of youth written on it, and it got manifest in the characters portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. As a matter of fact in SHOLAY for the first time probably in Hindi cinema, Big B had packaged a pair of Jeans with a Black shirt and it became a fashion statement.
As the generational shift acquired its mooring, Jeans slowly weeded out hose pipe pants and flaring bell bottoms, and it became the fabric which defined the chutzpah of the character. In ANDHA KANNON after a long time Amitabh Bachchan had returned to Jeans in a big way, and again the element of casual that he had brought to his character of Jaanisaar Khan got manifested in a big way through Jeans as well.
The generation of Big B probably did not patronize Jeans in a big way owing probably to the fact that this generation was at the cusp of nationalism, where Jeans still was considered as western attire.
But as the new generation made its debut in Hindi cinema, brought on the profuse dozes of Abba, BoneyM, Pink Floyd and Woodstock, Jeans came to make their presence felt in a big way in the world of Hindi cinema. The same kind of paradigm shift was noticed in case of the female actors as well, and experimentation with Jeans as an attire by the female actors also allowed them to experiment with their looks as well. If there was one film that can be considered as a film that promoted Jeans in a big way it was JAANBAAZ and it can always be a matter of debate whether Dimple Kapadia looked more beautiful in a Jeans in JAANBAAZ or in SAAGAR. Jury would go in favor of JAANBAAZ. Incidentally, Feroze Khan can be considered as the father figure of Jeans in Indian films, as right from the time when he made DHARMATAMA, followed by QUARBANI and YALGAAR, to JANBAAZ, his films are a living tribute to the humble Jeans in its most alluring manifestations.
It is a tribute to the fascination of Jeans that a film by name of JEANS was made in Hindi and the female character in this film was enacted by Aishwarya Rai sheer coincidence or fortuitousness, decision is left to sail in the wind. Even a song was written on Jeans epitomizing its association with youth, “Purani Jeans Aur Guitar”…
Jeans as it represents youth, the sense of aghast that is being experienced by the purists, may be condoned as an indulgence and exuberance of youth and nothing else.
Jeans represents youth and youth is allowed to err sometimes, but the magnanimity of the elders is to condone it and allow moving on.
Tags: aamir, Aamir Khan, abba, Advent, Aishwarya, Aishwarya Rai, Akshay, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh, Amitabh Bachchan, ANDHA, association, attire, aur, Bachchan, Bell, Bell Bottoms, Big, Black, body, BoneyM, brand, campaign, case, character, chutzpah, cinema, coincidence, coke, country, cusp, debate, debut, decision, development, DHARMATAMA, Dharmendra, Dimple, Discovery, Dressed, effect, element, endorsement, energy, experiment, experimentation, exuberance, fabric, fact, fascination, fashion, fashion statement, father, fault, Fault Line, favor, Female Actors, Feroze, figure, film, film stars, Floyd, generation, generational, Generational Shift, gesture, guitar, Health, hindi, hindi cinema, Hindi Films, history, History Of Jeans, hose, Hose Pipe, Incidentally, indulgence, jaanbaaz, Jaanisaar, JANBAAZ, jeans, journey, jury, KANNON, Kapadia, Khan, kind, Kumar, line, magnanimity, matter, name, nation, nationalism, nothing, notion, Obscene Gesture, pair, paradigm, Pink, pipe, presence, profuse, Purani, QUARBANI, Rai, rebel, right, SAAGAR, Sail, sense, shift, shirt, sholay, song, statement, swoon, time, toned body, tribute, way, Western Attire, wind, Woodstock, world, YALGAAR, youth
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Written by Rahul on 29 April 2009
Filmmaker Prakash Jha is contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections from the Bettiah constituency in Bihar. The acclaimed filmmaker has already begun campaigning after he got the ticket from the Lok Jansakti Party. Speaking to us about his real life political jump from reel life movies that circle mostly around Bihar politics, Jha says, ”It is nothing new that I am doing. I have been doing this for years. I have tried to change a lot of things in the state while making my films. It won’t be difficult for me to balance both the fields as my filmmaking is an extension of my politics.”
But why he chose to contest from Bihar? ”That’s because it will allow me to access to its resources. So if I go on to win from here, I can do my research and help in developing the state of Bihar. My films have always showcased realistically the problems faced by Bihar, my win will give me a chance to do lot more for the state in actual. I can utilize the available resources more easily as they shall be easily accessible for me and with that I will be able to do a lot more towards the betterment of the state,” states the profound filmmaker.
So will he continue making films after his win? ”Why not? I will definitely continue making them.” Jha replies as he signs out.
Tags: available resources, betterment, Bettiah, bihar, campaigning, chance, circle, constituency, extension, filmmaker, filmmaking, films, Jansakti, jump, life, Lok, lot, movies, nothing, parliamentary elections, party, politics, Prakash Jha, Rajneeti, reel, reel life, Research, signs, state, ticket, win
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Written by Rahul on 21 April 2009
Film: ‘Yagna’; Director: Krishna Brahma; Cast: Sree Murali, Priyanka, Om Prakash Rao, Jayaprakash Reddy, M.S. Narayan and L.B. Sreeram; Music: Murali Krishna; Rating: *
‘Yagna’ was publicized as an action-oriented horror film, but it ends up as a horror of horrors. This Kannada film is illogical and uninspiring and seems to have gone terribly wrong in every department.
Two things become apparently clear after seeing director Krishna Brahma’s ‘Yagna’ – firstly a talented actor like Sree Murali, who had a great beginning with a film like ‘Chandra Chakori’, seems to have perfected the art of choosing wrong subjects. And secondly, Krishna Brahma needs to brush up his narratorial skills.
‘Yagna’ lacks freshness and its narration is pedestrian. Producer Shankar has taken the storyline from actor Charmmee’s successful Telugu film ‘Manthra’, which released just a year ago. Krishna has just made some cosmetic changes to present his own version of ‘Manthra’.
To make the project economically viable, producer Shankar has included many Telugu artists like Jayaprakash Reddy, Venu Madhav, M.S. Narayan and L.B. Sriram.
Krishna Brahma repeats the same old stereotypes associated with almost every other horror flick – door locks being opened, curtains oscillating, antique objects shown in different angles – and nothing of these gimmicks take you to the edge of your seat.
And many sequences of the film are predictable. The film comes into life just before the climax, but the director has floundered in this as well.
The film is about Anji, a carefree youngster who works for a city-based don. Known to be a daredevil, Anji is sent to a haunted house by the don, who wants to usurp the property. Anji goes into the cursed house with his friends and is witness to the weird goings-on in the house.
In the meanwhile, Yagna, a music student,, comes to the house along with her friends on a project. But a murder in the house forces Anji and Yagna’s friends to leave the house.
As the story progresses, Yagna declares her love for Anji and wants to marry him. She also reveals that she is the legal heir of the disputed property.
But Anji goes ahead with his investigations into the murder and it is later revealed that he is actually a police officer.
Sree Murali may have to refuse projects like ‘Yagna’ now onwards. He is good in action sequences, but his efforts are wasted because of the poor narrative. Debutant actress Priyanka indulges in a lot of skin show in the song sequences.
The so-called comedy by Om Prakash Rao and a galaxy of Telugu artists are in poor taste.
Krishna Brahma has also failed to bring the best out of the technicians. Music director Murali Krishna, who gave a few good tunes in his first film ‘Neene Neene’, has fumbled in his compositions. Nothing special can be written about Niranjan Babu’s camera work either.
‘Yagna’ is an ordinary film. It may not be liked even by fans of the horror genre.
Tags: action, actor, Actress, Anji, Antique Objects, art, Babu, beginning, Brahma, camera, Chakori, Chandra Chakori, Charmmee, climax, comedy, Cosmetic Changes, daredevil, debutant, Department, director, Door, edge, film, flick, freshness, Galaxy, genre, Haunted House, heir, horror, horror film, Horror Flick, Horror Of Horrors, house, Jayaprakash, kannada, Kannada Film, Krishna, L.B. Sreeram, L.B. Sriram, life, lot, love, M.S., M.S. Narayan, Manthra, meanwhile, Murali Krishna, murder, Music, Music Student, Narayan, narration, narrative, narratorial, Neene, Niranjan, nothing, Officer, police, Prakash Rao, Priyanka, producer, Project, property, rating, Reddy, seat, shankar, show, skin, song, special, Sree Murali, sriram, story, storyline, student, Talented Actor, taste, Telugu, telugu film, Venu Madhav, version, Weird Goings, witness, work, Yagna, year, youngster
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Written by Rahul on 08 April 2009
Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) ‘Aamir’ director Rajkumar Gupta’s next film is based on the sensational Jessica Lal murder and he approached Kareena Kapoor to play one of the two protagonists. But so far he hasn’t been able to finalise anyone for the lead roles in ‘No One Killed Jessica’.
‘I did approach Kareena Kapoor initially to play one of the two protagonists. But nothing more can be said about the casting right now,’ Gupta told IANS.
Jessica Lal was gunned down in a New Delhi restaurant in April 1999. Manu Sharma, son of a former minister, is serving a life term for killing her.
‘All I can say at this moment is that the film and its script which I’ve just completed is inspired by a headline that I saw in the Times Of India in 2006 which said, ‘No One Killed Jessica’ (when all the accused in the sensational case were acquitted). It immediately set me thinking. Over the years, as the case dragged on, that headline acquired immense ironical overtones,’ he added
‘No One Killed Jessica’ will need two leading female performers – one will play Jessica and the other will be cast as her sister Sabrina who fought for justice on Jessica’s behalf.
The director, whose edgy hard-hitting drama ‘Aamir’ earned rave reviews in 2007, intends to give the same gritty treatment to his second film as well.
Apart from ‘No One Killed Jessica’, Gupta had also written the script of recently released ‘Barah Aana’.
Though Gupta is all for the way first time director Raja Menon had directed his script, he admits he would have filmed the script differently.
‘I’d have made ‘Barah Aana’ edgier, more gritty and fast-paced. That’s the treatment I had envisaged for the screenplay.
‘Also, it isn’t clear in the film why Naseeruddin Shah’s character doesn’t speak. He just looks angry. The fact is the character has nothing more to say to the world. This aspect doesn’t come across in the film,’ Gupta said.
Gupta also feels that Arjun Mathur is miscast as a Bihari waiter in ‘Barah Aana’.
‘I’d have cast someone like Deepak Dobriyal. But that’s neither here nor there. ‘Barah Aana’ is fine the way it is,’ he said.
Would Gupta write more scripts for other directors?
‘I don’t know. ‘Barah Aana’ was a commitment from before I directed ‘Aamir’. Right now my concentration is on casting for ‘No One Killed Jessica’. I just hope I don’t end up casting whoever is available. I need two very strong young actresses.’
Tags: aamir, AANA, anyone, approach, April, Arjun, aspect, BARAH, behalf, Bihari, case, character, commitment, Concentration, Deepak Dobriyal, director, drama, edgier, fact, Female Performers, film, finalise, fine, First Time Director, gupta, headline, ians, india, Jessica, Jessica Lal, Jessica Lal Murder, justice, Kapoor, Kareena, Kareena Kapoor, Killed, lead, life, Manu Sharma, Mathur, minister, miscast, moment, Mumbai, murder, naseeruddin, Naseeruddin Shah, New Delhi, New Delhi Restaurant, nothing, one, overtones, play one, Protagonists, Raja Menon, Rajkumar, restaurant, Sabrina, screenplay, script, Sensational Case, Shah, sister, someone, son, term, time, times, Times of India, treatment, waiter, way, world
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Written by Rahul on 08 April 2009
Guwahati, April 7 (IANS) A maximum security alert was sounded in Assam Tuesday, a day after a series of explosions rocked the state ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s arrival here for poll campaigning. The toll in the blasts rose to 10 with two of the 61 injured succumbing to their injuries.
A woman injured in the explosion here and a youth injured in the Dhekijuli blast died Tuesday morning, police said.
The prime minister arrives in the eastern tea growing town of Dibrugarh Monday afternoon to campaign for the Congress party.
‘Security forces have been put on a state of high alert to prevent any further rebel attacks. Police, army and paramilitary troopers have been deployed in strength across the state,’ Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told IANS.
Security forces have launched a massive hunt to nab the bombers. The government has blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for Monday’s four explosions and two grenade attacks.
‘The ULFA is behind the attacks and I would say such senseless killings of innocent civilians would achieve nothing. We all should stand up against such barbaric terror attacks. I have asked the security agencies to make sure the bombers are captured,’ the chief minister said.
A powerful explosion rocked Guwahati’s busy Maligaon area Monday, while another explosion shook Dhekiajuli town in northern Sonitpur district, about 150 km from here.
The third explosion took place in eastern Karbi Anglong district injuring two people, while another grenade attack in northern Udalguri district had no casualties.
There was another grenade attack at a police station late Monday in Mancachar in western Dhurbi district in which one policeman was killed and two injured.
Tags: afternoon, alert, Anglong, April, area, Army, arrival, Asom, assam, attack, Blast, campaigning, chief, congress, congress party, day, Dhekiajuli, Dhekijuli, Dibrugarh, district, eastern Karbi, explosion, Front, Gogoi, government, grenade, Grenade Attack, Grenade Attacks, guwahati, hunt, ians, innocent civilians, karbi anglong, Liberation, Maligaon, Mancachar, Manmohan Singh, Massive Hunt, maximum, maximum security, minister, Monday, Morning, morning police, NAB, northern Sonitpur, northern Udalguri, nothing, party, place, police, Policeman, poll, prime minister manmohan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, rebel, Rebel Attacks, Security, security agencies, Senseless Killings, series, Series Of Explosions, Singh, state, station, strength, tarun, tea, terror, toll, town, Tuesday, tuesday morning, ULFA, United, united liberation front, western Dhurbi, woman, youth
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Written by Rahul on 08 April 2009
Two bomb blasts killed seven people in Assam on Monday, only a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was due to visit the region, police said.
Police suspect the state’s main separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), was behind the attacks.
The first bomb exploded in a crowded parking area in front of a restaurant in Guwahati, on the 30th anniversary of the founding of ULFA, police said.
“Seven people have died in the blast,” P.C. Saloi, a senior police officer in the city, told Reuters by phone. At least 32 people were injured and several of them are in a critical condition.
The death toll is likely to rise. Several vehicles and buildings caught fire after the blast.
A second bomb went off two hours later opposite a hospital in the town of Dhekiajuli, 150 km north of Guwahati. Police said the device was planted on a bicycle. Six people were injured, three of them critically.
Accusing police of not providing adequate security, hundreds of angry protesters blocked Guwahati’s main street, shouting slogans against police.
Political parties have started campaigning in the state ahead of an April-May general election. Manmohan Singh of the ruling Congress party was set to campaign in Assam on Tuesday.
Last week a bomb blast killed one person in Guwahati, close to where Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee had been due to address an election rally. The rally was subsequently cancelled.
The ULFA is among more than two dozen armed groups in India’s northeast which are either fighting for an independent homeland or more political autonomy.
They accuse New Delhi of plundering the region’s mineral and forest resources, neglecting the local economy and giving them back nothing in return.
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Written by Rahul on 06 April 2009
BIG Music partnered Kingfisher Airlines for a novel in flight music launch. Mumbai Delhi Kingfisher fliers were in for a special surprise on 3rd April, with Jagjit Singh, the ghazal supremo launching his brand new album ‘Inteha’ on board one of the flights. What made the occasion even more special was the presence of Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary Ravi Shankar and herself a famous sitar player and composer.
Inteha is a part of the three album deal that BIG Music had signed with the king of ghazals. Inteha, which translates as anything ranging from ‘extreme’ to ‘limits’ to ‘boundaries’ encapsulates the sheer dexterity of Jagjit Singh’s voice, his ability to emote and evoke deep feelings and sentiments. The album featuring six romantic tracks and two ghazals steeped in life’s philosophy takes us to the very boundaries of the world of romantic, sentimental music.
Jagjit Singh shared his thoughts on the release, “All my fans have been asking for ‘new’ ghazals since a long time. This is my ‘Inteha’ of gratitude for all their love and support. My association with the BIG Music team goes a long way. BIG Music has been a very supportive partner and I hope everyone is happy with the results.”
All Kingfisher guests got autographed music CDs from Jagjit Singh, along with a photo opportunity. Commenting on the association, Vikram Malhotra, Vice President, Marketing Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said “In flight entertainment has always been an integral part of the Kingfisher Airlines experience and is unparalleled in the Indian skies. Be it the first personalized in flight entertainment system or Live TV, Kingfisher Airlines has always gone that extra mile to delight our guests. We are pleased to take yet another step in this direction through our partnership with BIG Music in launching this treasured collection by the legendary Jagjit Singh. Our guests can witness the launch of the album ‘Inteha’ being launched in flight as well as enjoy the music on board.”
Keeping in mind, the flavour of the times, with music becoming more and more ‘visual’, genres like ghazals need to be marketed differently. Thus, BIG Music will release the entire album on home video format. This format carries greater relevance for the contemporary audience and BIG Music plans to exploit this distribution platform to the fullest. All 8 tracks in the album have been shot on video and DVDs and VCDs of Inteha are slated for release next month. Further, the album is a kick start to the Inteha tour with Jagjit Singh performing across USA and Canada for the next two months.
Kulmeet Makkar, Chief Executive Officer BIG Music and Home Entertainment is happy with the launch. “This is a proud moment for us. We were looking at doing something different in the ghazal genre. This album is nothing short of a resurgence of ghazals. It also sees Jagjit Singh returning to his old era of ‘romantic’ ghazals. The album is an exceptional collection, beyond just the ghazal genre, and I am sure this will be treasured by all music lovers.”
The first album between Jagit Singh and BIG Music, the path breaking Gujarati ghazal album Jeevan Maran Chhe Ek, created new dimensions in the non film regional language genre. Following the overwhelming success of this album BIG Music convinced Jagjit Singh to return to his forte, the romantic ghazal. And Inteha is the result.
Jagjit Singh has composed and rendered all tracks in Inteha while the lyrics have been penned by a team of young and contemporary lyricists, viz. Aalok Shrivastav, Payyam Sayeedi, Faragh Rushvi, Rajendranath Rahbar, Sanjay Masoom, Amjad Islam Amjad and Naseem Ajmeri. Inteha presents the best of traditional music in a contemporary garb.
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Written by Rahul on 06 April 2009
Actor Hrithik Roshan has quite a lot in common with Aamir Khan. Besides being perfectionists, both actors are always willing to go the extra mile to led credibility to their characters on screen.
Hrithik, of course, chooses his films with care and does very few outside movies. Most of his movies, however, are for his own production house, hence he is always operating in a comfort zone. But it does not take away from the effort that he puts in to get his act just right for the character. For instance, in the recent Kites, which is being directed by Anurag Basu and produced by dad Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik has not only learnt salsa, but is also believed to have taken acting lessons to help polish his American English. Roshan Sr was more than willing to shell out big money for his son. According to reports, the Roshans hired Aaron Speiser, one of the top most Hollywood acting coaches to help train the cast of the film in getting their American English right. Aaron, who has worked with Hollywood icons like Will Smith, JLo, and Charlize Theron, reportedly worked quite extensively with Hrithik as well. And it was not just on getting his accent right, bit also on the finer points of acting. Clearly, Roshan Sr is leaving nothing to chance where Kites is concerned. But the really good news is that the interest that Indian actors are showing in honing their craft. Beisdes Hrithik. Kites also stars Barbara Mori and Kangana Ranaut.
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Written by Rahul on 06 April 2009
BIG Music partnered with Kingfisher Airlines for a novel in-flight music launch. Mumbai – Delhi Kingfisher fliers were in for a special surprise on 3rd April, with Jagjit Singh, the ghazal supremo launching his brand new album ‘Inteha’ on-board one of the flights. What made the occasion even more special was the presence of Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary Ravi Shankar and herself a famous sitar player and composer.
‘Inteha’ is a part of the three album deal that BIG Music had signed with the king of ghazals. Inteha, which translates as anything ranging from ‘extreme’ to ‘limits’ to ‘boundaries’ encapsulates the sheer dexterity of Jagjit Singh’s voice, his ability to emote and evoke deep feelings and sentiments.
Jagjit Singh shared his thoughts on the release, “All my fans have been asking for ‘new’ ghazals since a long time. This is my ‘Inteha’ of gratitude for all their love and support. My association with the BIG Music team goes a long way. BIG Music has been a very supportive partner and I hope everyone is happy with the results.”
Commenting on the association, Vikram Malhotra, Vice-President, Marketing Kingfisher Airlines, said “In-flight entertainment has always been an integral part of our Airlines experience and is unparalleled in the Indian skies. Be it the first personalized in-flight entertainment system or Live TV, our Airlines has always gone that extra mile to delight our guests. We are pleased to take yet another step in this direction through our partnership with BIG Music in launching this treasured collection by the legendary Jagjit Singh. Our guests can witness the launch of the album ‘Inteha’ being launched in-flight as well as enjoy the music on-board.”
Keeping in mind, the flavour of the times, with music becoming more and more ‘visual’, genres like ghazals need to be marketed differently. Thus, BIG Music will release the entire album on home video format. This format carries greater relevance for the contemporary audience and BIG Music plans to exploit this distribution platform to the fullest. All 8 tracks in the album have been shot on video and DVDs and VCDs of Inteha are slated for release next month. Further, the album is a kick-start to the Inteha tour with Jagjit Singh performing across USA and Canada for the next two months.
Kulmeet Makkar, Chief Executive Officer – BIG Music and Home Entertainment is happy with the launch. “This is a proud moment for us. We were looking at doing something different in the ghazal genre. This album is nothing short of a resurgence of ghazals. It also sees Jagjit Singh returning to his old era of ‘romantic’ ghazals. The album is an exceptional collection, beyond just the ghazal genre, and I am sure this will be treasured by all music lovers.”
The first album between Jagit Singh and BIG Music, the path-breaking Gujarati ghazal album Jeevan Maran Chhe Ek, created new dimensions in the non-film regional language genre. Following the overwhelming success of this album BIG Music convinced Jagjit Singh to return to his forte, the romantic ghazal. And Inteha is the result. Jagjit Singh has composed and rendered all tracks in Inteha.
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Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
ETAH: The BJP on Thursday alleged that Varun Gandhi, booked under National Security Act (NSA), has been “harassed and tortured” in the jail and said
he was implicated under a “conspiracy” of BSP and Congress.
“Varun Ganhi was kept in a small cell, where he could not see anyone. Inhuman treatment was meted out to him. He was harassed and tortured,” party vice-president Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.
“Gandhi has been implicated under NSA under a well-knit plan and conspiracy of BSP and Congress. It has been done to keep him out of elections,” the saffron leader said after meeting him at Etah district jail.
Accusing the Uttar Pradesh Government of “misusing” law for vested interests, he said cases against Varun were concocted.
“The CD has been manipulated and his voice was not there in the CD. There was nothing objectionable in his speech,” Naidu said seeking to defend the young leader who was arrested for alleged hate speech during electioneering.
He alleged that the district magistrate and the Election Commission had not ordered any enquiry to verify the genuineness of the CD.
Venkaiah alleged that Varun was shifted from Pilibhit jail to Etah jail without seeking court’s permission.
On security risk for the young leader in the wake of reports that a gang of underworld don Chotta Shakkeel had planned to attack him Naidu said, “There was danger to Varun’s life.”
Tags: Accusing, act, anyone, bjp, BSP, cell, Chotta, Commission, congress, conspiracy, court, danger, district, district jail, district magistrate, election, election commission, Electioneering, enquiry, Etah, gandhi, gang, Ganhi, genuineness, government, Hate Speech, Inhuman, Inhuman Treatment, Jail, Law, leader, life, Magistrate, naidu, national, National Security Act, nothing, nsa, party, permission, Pilibhit, plan, Pradesh, risk, Saffron, Security, security risk, Shakkeel, speech, Thursday, treatment, underworld, Uttar, Uttar Pradesh Government, Varun, Varun Gandhi, Venkaiah, venkaiah naidu, vice president, voice, wake, Young Leader
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Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday dismissed as “silly” BJP’s charge of Centre behind the detention of Varun Gandhi under the
National Security Act but steered clear of queries whether the action of Mayawati government was proper.
He also had a dig at senior BJP leader L K Advani for comparing Varun’s arrest with that of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying “decibel level is high during election and it is just sound and fury signifying nothing.”
“This is a silly accusation,” he said when asked at the AICC briefing whether the UPA government had a role in the detention of the young BJP leader as alleged by the saffron party.
“The problem is that by remaining out of power for five years, the BJP has forgotten the law. What can the central government do? The order was given by the state government,” he said, adding that these accusations fall flat.
Refusing to comment on whether invoking NSA was right or wrong in the case, Chidambaram said, “I have a view but cannot express it since representation is likely to come to me. I will deal with it on merit. There is a conflict of interest whether it is right or wrong. It was a quasi judicial matter as the matter is pending in the Supreme Court”.
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Written by Rahul on 05 April 2009
LUCKNOW: In an apparent show of strength, the three leaders of the newly-formed ‘Yadav Front’ – Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ram Vilas
Paswan on Friday addressed a joint press conference and vowed to work for the poor.
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan said, ?LJP, SP and RJD have come together to fight against communal forces and not against Congress.?
“We are determined to fight for the poor. We will fight against corruption together,” Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav announced.
“We are here to show the country that we are united. We have nothing to do with the Third Front,” Lalu said.
Lalu also slammed BJP over Varun Gandhi?s controversial speech saying that it reflects the saffron party?s mindset.
The recent entrant in the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Dutt, was also present in the press conference.
Tags: bjp, communal forces, conference, congress, Controversial Speech, corruption, country, entrant, Friday, Front, gandhi, Joint Press Conference, Lalu, LJP, lucknow, mindset, Mulayam, nothing, party, party chief, Paswan, prasad, press, RAM, ram vilas paswan, RJD, Saffron, saffron party, Samajwadi, Sanjay Dutt, show, Show Of Strength, Singh Yadav, speech, strength, Third, Varun, Varun Gandhi, Vilas
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Written by Rahul on 03 April 2009
Paramjit Kaur Gulshan is contesting the ensuing polls from Faridkot (reserved) Lok Sabha seat as Bathinda has been made a general constituency.
PROMISES GALORE: She promised to uplift the status of women in backward areas of Bathinda and Mansa districts through education. Her election agenda also included fight against female foeticide, setting up of an information technology institute and a modern hospital, improvement of economic conditions of farmers, weaker sections and traders and completion of Bathinda refinery to generate employment. Gulshan also promised to provide potable water to the residents, railway overbridges in Bathinda, Mansa, Rampura and Budhlada and revival of closed spinning and sugar mills.
WHAT SHE DELIVERED: Released liberal grants in education sector for infrastructural development from her MPLAD funds. Out of the sanctioned Rs 10 crore in five years, Gulshan released almost 100 per cent MPLAD funds, with only Rs 1 lakh being unutilised. She also released Rs 10.1-lakh MPLAD funds that were carried forward to her from her predecessor. Being member of the Railways Parliamentary Committee, she upgraded Bathinda railway station, was instrumental in starting Bathinda to Dhuri train and got Jammu-Ferozepur train route extended up to Bathinda. She also claimed to have got approval for railway under- and overbridges for Bathinda. Â
WHERE SHE FAILED: Information technology institute is nowhere in sight, modern hospital is still a distant dream and there has not been much improvement in the economic conditions of farmers and weaker sections. She did little to revive closed spinning and sugar mills.
ATTENDANCE IN LOK SABHA: Out of total 332 sittings in 15 sessions, Gulshan attended 226, which means her attendance was 68 per cent.
NUMBER OF QUESTION ASKED OR ISSUES TAKEN UP: Asked 21 questions on allocation of funds under the Prime Minister Rozgaar Yojana (PMRY), construction of ROBs, closure of industrial units, admission of SC/ST candidates to IITs and IIMs, filling of reserved quotas seats for SC/ST students, rural development projects, pending application for agricultural import,
subsidy on fertilisers, Bathinda refinery, payment of arrears to employees, funds under welfare schemes and grant for upgrade of urban
infrastructure.
OPINION: “She is an upright and honest person. The two politicians I admire are Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and Manpreet Badal. But at the same time I feel that they should be more expressive in airing their views,” says social activist Jagmohan Kaushal.
“Gulshan has done nothing for Bathinda. Cases of female foeticide are still being reported,” says Dr Vitull Gupta, human rights activist.
Votes secured by top three candidates in 2004 election
Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (SAD): 3,23,394
Kaushalya Chaman Bhaura of (CPI)-Congress alliance:Â 2,60,752
Sarabjeet Singh (SAD-A): 1,13,490
Total votes polled: 7,63,195
Tags: Â Â
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Written by Rahul on 03 April 2009
After piquing his adversaries within the party for the nomination from the South Central Mumbai constituency, Congress MP from North Central Mumbai Eknath Gaikwad is now gearing up for a contest against Mahim MLA Suresh Gambhir of the Shiv Sena.
Gaikwad, 69, had won a surprise victory in 2004 against Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi of the Shiv Sena.
The former three-term MLA from Dharavi is planning to contest for his second innings in a constituency that has seen its name and boundaries being changed in the delimitation. The following are excerpts from an interview:
What will be your poll plank? My main plank will be the performance of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre in the last five years and the manifesto of the Congress Party. My work as an MP, public contacts, relations with people and my work aimed at redressal of public grievances will also be important.
Mumbai East MP Gurudas Kamat was also in the race for your constituency. Do you see any threat from your rivals within the party? I do not feel that such an atmosphere exists. I have been moving around in Chembur and Anushakti Nagar (earlier part of Kamat’s constituency) for the past two days and meeting MLAs and corporators. I cannot sense any discrimination. Gurudas (Kamat) also belongs to the Congress. In a democracy, all feel that they must get a nomination and nothing will happen once my nomination has been declared by Sonia Gandhi and the high command. I am also organising a conclave of workers at Sion where Gurudas will also be present.
Sena candidate Gambhir has pockets of support even among minority voters, apart from the significant number of Maharashtrians. Do you see a strong threat from the Shiv Sena? This will not be of any trouble. Gambhir was elected an MLA with a margin of just over 2,000 votes, and the Congress candidate came number two. Of the seven MLAs in the constituency, five belong to the Congress and two to the Sena. This election is for power at the Centre and is being fought on the policies of the party. My contacts with people will also help. If the constituency was so easy for the Sena, Manohar Joshi would have contested here. However, I am not underestimating Suresh Gambhir.
Your constituency of North Central Mumbai was seen to be jinxed for people who were trying to get re-elected. Barring Sharad Dighe of the Shiv Sena who was elected in 1984 and 1991, the constituency has a record of seeing sitting MPs biting the dust. I have been elected since 1985 from Dharavi. Before I was elected, it was said no one could be elected twice from the constituency. I have won thrice and my daughter (Varsha Gaikwad) has been elected once. We are people who make history.
There is resentment in your stronghold of Dharavi over the arbitrary method in which the Dharavi redevelopment has been initiated. Do you expect a backlash? There is no reason for the people to be cross. Some (Sena) tried to mislead them by asking for 400-sq ft houses, but Dharavi is a difficult slum and giving 400-sq ft houses is not possible owing to the density of population. People have realised the double standards (of the Sena). They (Sena) are also not seeking 400-sq ft houses in the SRA projects that are underway as the work has been undertaken by their builders. We have promised 300-sq ft carpet area houses. If we wanted to cheat them, we could have promised 400 to 450-sq ft super carpet area houses, but we told the truth. I will also get votes from areas like Dadar and Prabhadevi as I have taken up problems of the old buildings. I expect more votes than last time from these areas as earlier Manohar Joshi was in the fray and they had no option. Now they have an option.
What will be the impact of the MNS? The MNS will eat into the Sena votes. I will not be surprised to get a lead in the Dadar Mahim constituency owing to it.
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Written by Rahul on 02 April 2009
Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications got a booster from the telecom industry tribunal on Tuesday as it upheld a ruling on a petition from the association of entrenched GSM technology-based mobile phone service players -who may go to Supreme Court against the verdict. The decision allows dual technologies which means CDMA-based entrants like the Tatas and Reliance can diversify using GSM technology.
The Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) upheld a decision by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and enables Reliance and Tata Tele to get GSM spectrum. The tribunal said that dual technology is clearly allowed in the licence conditions and the National Telecom Policy (NTP) framed in 1999.
The tribunal also said the GSM operators do not have any vested right to receive spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz. GSM operators claim they have a vested right on spectrum up to 15 MHz.
“We are disappointed with the judgement. We believe that spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz is legitimately ours as per the rules and regulations,” said TV Ramachandran, director-general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which had made the plea.
“We are still reading the judgement and have not yet decided whether we will go to the Supreme Court against the verdict,” Ramachandran told the Hindustan Times.The tribunal also said that state-owned MTNL and BSNL should not be given special treatment in getting additional spectrum.
“We hold that there is nothing irregular in grant of 4.4 MHz as start- up spectrum to respondent (RCom),” the tribunal said.
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Written by Rahul on 02 April 2009
FORGIVE BISHAN Dass, the pakora seller near the India-Pakistan border. He thinks he is invisible for five years – until each election.
That’s when politicians rush to the 1 lakh people living along the international border in the Jammu region, whose Hindu parents and grandparents fled east for safety in the chaos of Partition in 1947. They are technically citizens of India and have the right to vote in Parliamentary elections – but few other privileges that residents of Jammu and Kashmir have.
Sixty-two years – and three generations – later, they are still classified as West Pakistan refugees. They cannot own property or apply for government jobs and their children, increasingly, are being turned away from government schools.
“Every five years, politicians visit us and remind us to vote in the Lok Sabha election. That’s the only time we become citizens – when it’s time to vote,” says Dass, a 53-year-old pakora seller and father of seven in Mandal Pallian village, 15 kilometres from the border.
Behind him, Punjabi music blares out of the only music shop in the tiny village and buffaloes strolling confidently down the middle of the main road. Dass’s father Ram Lal walked across the border from Sialkot during Partition, to settle in the village, 15 kilometres west of Jammu city.
“Our relatives here said we had nothing to fear because the state had ceded to India,” says Lal. “They said we would get all the rights of citizens of the state and the nation.
” It’s a decision he and his son have come to regret. “Had we shifted to Punjab, we would have at least got citizenship rights,” says Dass.
“I was born here. So were all my children.
But we can never be full citizens.” The impasse began as one of the clauses in the special status accorded to Jammu and amp; Kashmir and its “state subjects” under the Indian Constitution.
Jammu and Kashmir is also the only Indian state to have its separate constitution and flag, part of the pact under which it acceded to India in 1947. The legal tangle has since been used by political parties to oppose the inclusion of the West Pakistan refugees as residents of the state.
“Our constitution forbids citizenship rights to outsiders. It’s as simple as that,” says National Conference leader and Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar.
“This situation dates back to the days of (20th century Kashmir ruler) Maharaja Partap Singh, who barred outsiders from becoming permanent residents of the state,” says Peoples Democratic Party leader Nizam-ud-Din Bhat. “It is a law we have inherited and a very good tradition.
It should not be fiddled with.” Bhat goes on to admit that a change in the norms would “affect a demographic change and affect political equations, which again is unacceptable”.
Meanwhile, over 1 lakh ‘refugees’ continue to survive on odd jobs and a few years of private schooling in a 100-kilometre border strip across Jammu, from the border with Punjab to the Line of Control. Only one of Bishan’s seven children is studying – at a local private school.
Even the government schools now demand proof of permanent residency at the time of admission. “In any case, what’s the use of educating our children,” says Bishan.
“They will end up jobless anyway. That has become our destiny.
” This time around, though, the West Pakistan refugees are using the one weapon they have to try and get their due – they plan to field their own candidate in the upcoming general election. Labbha Ram, a longtime protest leader, will contest as an Independent.
“Maybe if Ram gets elected and we have a voice in Parliament, things will start to change,” says Bishan.
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Written by Rahul on 02 April 2009
The Supreme Court will take up on Thursday the complaint of a Rae Bareli judge who recently received a threat days before he was scheduled to pronounce the judgment in a murder case in which a former MLA is the main accused and in which two witnesses have been murdered.
After he was threatened, Additional Session Judge of Rae Bareli Shivnath had sought guidance from District Judge Ashok Kumar Srivastava who, in turn, apprised the Supreme Court of the threat.
The judge also deferred the judgment in the case, originally scheduled for March 28, to April 10.
Government Counsel of Rae Bareli Kripa Shanker Tripathi said that the judge had written in the order sheet on March 24 that his family had received a threat. He stated that witnesses and complainants in the case had been threatened in the past also.
The judge did not say how he was threatened, but sources said the threat was conveyed by unidentified men through one of his relatives. Rae Bareli SP Tarun Gauba said they had registered an FIR against unidentified persons and are investigating.
Former MLA Akhilesh Singh, who is in Kanpur jail for the past two years, is the main accused in the case. His lawyer Tara Chand Gupta said his client had nothing to do with the threat.
The case relates to the murder of Congress leader Rakesh Pandey, who was shot dead in his Rae Bareli home by five unidentified men on July 2, 2002. His brother, Manoj Kumar Pandey, lodged an FIR against five people, including Singh, who was the then Congress MLA from Rae Bareli. He alleged that Singh had earlier threatened to eliminate his brother and had even attacked him over an old rivalry. Except Akhilesh, all the other accused in the case have got bail.
Manoj Pandey said that two witnesses in the case, Mangal Pandey and Babloo Shukla, were killed in 2004. “They were shot while they were on their way to Rae Bareli from Lucknow. There are 16 witnesses in the case,” he said.
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