03/26/12 ~ News Corner

Seoul: It is a great pleasure for me to meet with you this morning. I would like to thank the leading Korean chambers of commerce and industry for organizing this interaction during my official visit to this beautiful country.

We in India admire the Korean people for the great economic and social progress they have registered. Despite the downturn in the global economy, Korea has sustained one of the highest growth rates among the OECD countries. These achievements are due to the determination, solid hard work and spirit of enterprise of the Korean people.

India too is one of the fastest growing major economies of the world. Despite the adverse international environment, we have managed to maintain a growth rate of 7% per annum in the last few years. I am confident that the strong fundamentals of our economy will help us return to a sustained growth path of about 8-10% per annum in the coming years.

Firstly, our domestic savings rate is about 33 - 35% of our GDP and growing.

Secondly, India has a very young population and over half of the working population is in its twenties.

Thirdly, over the past few years we have invested heavily in education, health and agriculture to give a new deal to rural India. Our rural markets are now booming and the middle class is growing rapidly.

Fourthly, we have been undertaking a huge expansion in our higher education and skill development infrastructure of ports, airports, railways, energy and roads. India is poised to continue to be a frontline player in the global knowledge economy.

Fifthly, we have very ambitious plans for the development of our physical infrastructure. We are planning to secure investment of almost US Dollar one trillion in the next 5 years in new projects in highways, power plants, mass transport systems, ports and airports. This will be achieved through both public and private investment and Public-Private Partnerships.

Sixthly, we are determined to pursue a strategy of green growth. We are committed to increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewables, including solar and nuclear power, in our energy mix. There will be large business opportunities and I am aware of Korean capabilities in environmentally friendly technologies.

Korean companies have always recognized these strengths and competitive advantages of the Indian economy. They were among the early investors to look at India as a strategic investment destination. Korean giants like LG and Samsung are household names in India. Hyundai has a 25% market share in India's domestic passenger car industry.

I recognize that sometimes our processes can be slow but there are effective mechanisms for resolution of problems and differences and a strong rule of law. The government is keen to move forward with the POSCO project and there is some progress in this regard. I believe that India is a stable and profitable long term investment opportunity.

Investment from Korea is a priority for India. We will take pro-active steps to address investor grievances and improve the business climate in the country. Many States of our Union have been actively encouraging foreign investment and we will support these efforts. I urge Korean industry to have faith in India.
After the implementation of our bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 1 January 2010, our bilateral trade has surged by roughly 65% in two years and reached a turnover of 20.6 billion US Dollars in 2011. However, it is still below its huge untapped potential. Therefore, President Lee and I decided yesterday to revise the bilateral trade target to 40 billion US Dollars by 2015. This is a challenge as well as an opportunity that we must both seize together. I look forward to hearing your views.

Thank you

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Priyanka waits for Mr. Right!

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Anarkali lands Housefull 2 in legal trouble

By Hindustan Times

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s soon-to-be-released comedy Housefull 2 may be headed for trouble. The Maharashtra wing of the NGO, Bharatiya Bhrashtachar Nivaran Sanstha has raised objections to the song, Anarkali Disco Chali… They claim that the song’s lyrics spread disinformation and distort history.

The NGO that operates all over the country takes up cases of corruption in the BMC, helps educate children and facilitates police-related issues.

The NGO feels that the line, Oye Hoye Chod Chaad Ke Apne Saleem Ki Gali, Anarkali Disco Chali… from the song could have a negative impact on children.

Maharashtra president of the NGO, Sameer Rai says, “We don’t have any objection to the cast and crew of the film. I’m sure they don’t even know their history well. Our problem is with producer Nadiadwala. We want to ask him if he knows the importance of Saleem in our country’s history. In the Maharashtra School Board curriculum, you find lessons on Saleem, who is the son of Mughal emperor Akbar. After listening to the song, children in the state would wonder why Saleem stayed in a gali (passage) or why Anarkali (Saleem’s love interest according to history) went to a disco.”

Sameer claims he had called up Nadiadwala’s office and wasn’t allowed to speak to him. Instead, the phone was handed over to an employee. He plans to file a PIL against the song on Monday, once the courts open after a three-day break. Rai says, “Before filing the case on Monday, we will send a legal notice to Nadiadwala. We want the lyrics of Anarkali… to be changed or else we will request the court to stop the release. We can’t allow people to misrepresent our past.” Nadiadwala was unavailable for comment. The film releases on April 5.

Anarkali Sisco Chali..., is filmed in a nightclub and stars Malaika Arora Khan, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh among others dancing to it.

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Pakistan's acid victim commits suicide in Italy, buried in Karachi

Islamabad: Barely a month after Pakistan bagged its first Oscar for a documentary on victims of acid attacks, the country's most famous face of one such assault ended her 13-year ordeal by jumping out of her sixth-floor apartment in Italy on March 24.

After funeral prayers at the Edhi Shelter Home, Yunus was buried at a graveyard in the Defence Housing Authority in Karachi.

Fakhra Yunus was 22 when her husband Bilal Khar, a member of the politically strong Khar family of Punjab, marred her life by allegedly throwing acid on her face just three years after their marriage.

Bilal Khar, a former provincial legislator, is a cousin of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

Following the intervention of Pakistani writer and activist Tehmina Durrani of "My Feudal Lord" fame, Yunus was shifted to Italy where she underwent over three dozen plastic surgeries and intensive counselling.

Ironically, Durrani is also the ex-stepmother of Bilal Khar as she was once married to his father Ghulam Mustafa Khar.

During appearances on Pakistani TV news channels on Sunday night, Bilal Khar acknowledged that Yunus was working as a prostitute in Karachi when he married her. He further acknowledged that he was married at least twice before his marriage with Yunus. However, he claimed that he was not behind the acid attack.

In a touching piece following Yunus' death, Durrani wrote: "At the young age of 22 an acid attack left her only marginally alive, her horrific mutilation disfigured her so completely that she was now confronted by open disgust and contempt by everyone who set eyes on her in Pakistan. She also became a liability to her own family for whom she was once a source of income.

"I have met many acid victims. Never have I seen one as completely disfigured as Fakhra. She had not just become faceless; her body had also melted to the bone. Despite her stark and hopeless condition, the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was not in the least God-fearing. She was provided nothing...but disdain...and trashed."

At Durrani's request, the Italian government urgently arranged for everything Yunus and her then five-year-old son Nauman required. Despite 38 surgeries and efforts to help her lead a normal life, Yunus jumped to her death from her sixth floor apartment in Rome 13 years after the attack.

"Despite her extremely disturbing image, the gracious people of Italy never ever made her feel she was any different to any one of them! In the beautiful city of Rome, Fakhra was able to walk the streets, laze in the parks, and enter a shop or a restaurant in the most prestigious of places, without an iota of embarrassment. In fact every waiter served her more respectfully than he did any other, and every person who looked her way smiled and nodded with respect!" Durrani wrote in The News daily.

Haji Allah Din, Yunus' neighbour in Rome, accompanied her body to Karachi on Sunday. He told the media that he had seen Yunus an hour before she committed suicide. At the time, Yunus looked at her scarred face in the mirror and wept bitterly, Allah Din said. He said he had left her crying in her apartment, dismissing the incident as a "daily episode".

Yunus was reportedly jubilant on the day Pakistan's parliament passed a law under which persons responsible for acid attacks can be punished with life imprisonment. She celebrated the Punjab government's vow to get that law implemented in letter and spirit on International Woman's Day. She was also thrilled when filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid. Chinoy's documentary "Saving face" won an Oscar.

Yunus pined to return to Pakistan, reports said. "If I dont get back in my lifetime, promise to take my dead body home," she once said.

Durrani quoted an Italian professor who counselled Yunus as saying: "I tried to mend her physical scars but was unable to heal her soul."

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Mumbai gets its own Walk of Fame

If staring at Bollywood stars' houses, waiting patiently for them to go grocery shopping, or living vicariously through gossip columns is not enough for you, there's India's brand-new, star-studded walk of fame.

Inspired by the Hollywood original, UTV Stars, a new Bollywood channel, is introducing its own "Walk of the Stars." Slated to open on Wednesday, the walk spans a 2-kilometer, or 1.2-mile, stretch along the Bandra Bandstand Promenade in Mumbai.

The sea-facing promenade will feature the handprints and signatures of Bollywood stars embossed on brass plates on tiles along the path. Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Meena Kumari, Shammi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Sridevi are among the stars featured.

The UTV television group, which calls its new UTV Stars channel "the official channel of Bollywood," has been working on the project for two years, collecting all the necessary permissions and hand impressions. "We wanted to do something as a tribute to the big stars of Bollywood who have contributed so much," said Nikhil Gandhi, the business head at UTV Stars. "It's a one-of its-kind attraction in India to bring fans a little closer to their favorite movie stars."

The new Walk of the Stars will also feature several statues of Bollywood legends, including Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. The statues are life-size brass representations of each star, sitting on benches.

"You'll have a whole horde of people who would like to sit on a bench beside Raj Kapoor and get themselves photographed," predicts Robin Nath, honorary secretary and trustee at the Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust, which developed and maintains the promenade. "You and me might not be infatuated by Bollywood stars but the rest of the public hero-worships them. I'm sure it'll be a great hit."

While unwilling to disclose the cost of the entire project, Mr. Gandhi said each brass statue will cost 35 lakh, or 3.5 million rupees , the equivalent of $68,000. There will be 6 to 8 such statues, and about 100 handprints.

Unlike the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust, this project will be promoted, funded and privately managed by UTV. "We have the support of the entire industry," said Mr. Gandhi. "Bollywood, per se, is not a registered term, so there is not an administration we have to go through," he said.

The name "Walk of the Stars" is a nod to the multiplicity of movie stars generated by the industry in recent years, Mr. Gandhi said. "Earlier it was one superstar per decade," he said. "Now we have 10 or 15 stars per era delivering one super hit after the other."

Mr. Gandhi said, "The project will not only be a monument to the industry but add to the beautification of the Bandra Bandstand promenade. People will visit especially to see it."

Because the walk is being built in a public space, it required the permission of multiple government departments, including a no-objection certificate from the Maharashtra Maritime Board - a process that the company said was simple. "The process of getting approvals from the government was quite easy because of the credibility and value it adds to the promenade - it is a non-commercial project, free of cost to access to the public," said Mr. Gandhi.

"It's a very nice thing for the Bandra area, where there are already so many stars residing that people come from all over to stare at Salman Khan's house or Shah Rukh Khan's bungalow," said Mr. Nath. "It is about time that people recognised the fame of these actors living in our neighbourhood and gave them their due honor.

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Akhilesh Yadav's partyman, who fired at Govt officer in Jhansi, arrested

Lucknow: Despite several warnings, Samajwadi Party workers continue to defy orders of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav by indulging in acts of hooliganism and violent behaviour. A Block Development Officer (BDO) in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district, SK Shrivastava, was shot at by a local Samajwadi Party worker on Sunday evening. Mr Shrivastava sustained injuries in his leg and is being treated at the district hospital. His condition is said to be stable.

The police today arrested the Samajwadi Party leader, Bharat Singh Yadav.

Mr Shrivastava says the attack on him was premeditated as Mr Yadav wanted revenge. Mr Shrivastava had got a case registered against Mr Yadav for trying to rig the election of the party's candidate to the legislative council in 2010. Mr Yadav's wife, Kalyani Devi, is the local block head and also belongs to the Samajwadi Party.

For years, Samajwadi Party has been accused as a party which sheltered and promoted hooligans. Akhilesh Yadav had promised voters during his campaign that he would cleanse his party of the "goondas" or hooligans. He had also said that his top priority would be to deliver law and order to a state besieged by crime, but with numerous acts of violence by Samajwadi Party workers being reported, how well Akhilesh will deliver on this front remains to be seen.

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Madhur Bhandarkar to face trial in Preeti Jain rape case

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My first single is ready: Priyanka Chopra

By Hindustan Times

Actor Priyanka Chopra, who is busy working on her debut music album, says that if all goes well, her first single will be out by mid-year.

“Music has always been a passion but I wanted the right opportunity to venture into it. This deal with UMG-Desi Hits! is amazing. We are looking at
dropping a single sometime in the middle of 2012,” says Priyanka, adding, “I was really nervous the first few times I went into the recording booth to sing. But I’m really looking forward to sharing my music with the world.”

The actor, who spent time in Los Angeles writing and recording for the album, is also excited about her upcoming projects — Krrish 3, Kunal Kohli’s next, and Anurag Basu’s Barfii. “I play an autistic character in Barfii. It is one of my most memorable film experiences. People may think it is a very serious film, but it is a funny, sweet film,” says the actor, whose last two films, Don 2 and Agneepath, were blockbusters.

Music and films aside, Priyanka recently beat her contemporaries to win the title of India’s Glam Diva by a TV show. But for her, it is actors Marilyn Monroe and Madhuri Dixit who are the real divas.

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Is Madhuri Dixit acting too pricey?

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Anshuman Mishra apologises to BJP leaders

New Delhi: Anshuman Mishra, who had levelled certain allegations against BJP leaders after the party backed out of supporting him for Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand, today retracted his comments and apologised to the party leaders.

The NRI businessman apologised to L K Advani, M M Joshi, Nitin Gadkari, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Jaitley hours after Mr Jaitley served a legal notice on him.

In a statement, Mr Mishra offered "complete and unequivocal public retraction" of his comments made against leaders like Mr Joshi, Mr Sinha, Mr Jaitley and a few others.

He also offered his "sincerest apologies" to Mr Advani and Mr Gadkari.

Mr Mishra, who had filed his nomination papers for Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand with backing by a section of BJP before the party made a U-turn, said he accepted "the fact that he had no significant association/relationship with BJP."

Mr Sinha had raised a banner of revolt after he found that the party was supporting Mr Mishra, an outsider, for the seat instead of nominating someone from BJP.

He raised the issue with Mr Advani and subsequently, the BJP decided not to support Mr Mishra.

In the statement, Mr Mishra said he would not like to be associated with "negative emotions like - anger and bitterness" and it was "high time to move on and focus on positive things".

He said he does "not intend to waste any more of the nation's time on this issue" when there are "grave issues in front of Mother India - World Economy and its impact, Naxalism and corruption."

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Army chief explains why he didn't file case after offer of 14-crore bribe

New Delhi: The Army Chief has accepted that when a bribe was offered to him for 14 crores, he should have done more than just informing the Defence Minister. General V K Singh has said that he was offered the kickback in 2010 by a retired defence officer if he cleared a sub-standard consignment of trucks.

"I think it would have been better had I complained against him. The way it was said, I could not understand what he was saying," said General Singh, who claims the retired officer told him, "Everyone takes it, what is your problem?" General Singh has not named who offered him the money, or what company he represented.

In an interview to The Hindu newspaper, the General said that the offer was made to him six months after he took over as the Army chief. The Congress and the BJP have both asked why he did not file a police case against the alleged bribe giver. "It was not like he was giving me bribe in my hand. This was an indirect method and that is why no arrest was made," was the General's explanation.

The Defence Minister has reportedly ordered a CBI inquiry into the Rs. 14-crore bribe. The allegations have been seized by the opposition to attack the government in Parliament. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned, with the opposition demanding an explanation from the government.

Earlier this month, amid a huge controversy over whether the Army's intelligence wing had bugged offices in the Defence Ministry, a press release from the Army blamed Tejinder Singh, who retired as a Lieutenant General, for trying to create a rift between the government and the Army chief. Tejinder Singh had also served as chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency. The Army chief said he had been interrogated earlier about purchasing off-the-air interceptors without required clearances. The Army's statement added that Tejinder Singh had offered bribes on behalf of a company named Tatra and Vetra, which supplies vehicles to the Army.

"I do not think VK Singh has said that I made or did not make this sort of offer," said Tejinder Singh to NDTV today. General Singh was allegedly offered the bribe to sanction the Army's purchase of a new consignment of vehicles from the same company. He also said that he would initiate "legal action against the people concerned".

The retired officer who has denied the charges has also been allotted a flat in the Adarsh Society, a high-rise building in Mumbai whose apartments were intended for war veterans and widows, but were instead given to politicians, bureaucrats and defence officers. Tejinder Singh told NDTV that he met with the Army chief once after he retired, but said he would disclose the circumstances of that meeting later.

The government and the chief will now have to answer whether the company was blacklisted once the bribe was offered, and why it has taken so long to commission a formal inquiry.

Top Army sources have told NDTV that the man who allegedly offered the bribe to the army chief objected to the open tender for trucks because that could have hurt Tatra's monopoly.

But, the Defence Ministry today they haven't received any compliants against Tatra. "We have never received any complaint from the armed Forces," Joint Secretary (Land Systems) in the Defence Ministry Rashmi Verma said.

She was asked to comment on the performance of these trucks and whether the forces ever complained on their serviceability and availability of spares in light of Army chief's remarks. Ms Verma said that trucks now are bought on the basis of competitive bids.

The Congress today suggested that the Army chief's own actions were wanting. "If someone offered him a bribe, as a government servant, he should have filed a case against the person under the Prevention of Corruption Act," said the Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

The Congress-led coalition at the Centre has been entangled in a maze of financial scandals, with the opposition accusing it of serving as a "government of scams" and of creating an environment that lends itself to graft as the Standard Operating Procedure.

In January, General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court. He wanted the Defence Ministry to accept that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 - records with the Army list both years. The Defence Ministry had refused the General's claim, stating that he had accepted many promotions on the basis of his seniority as established by the documents that showed he was born in 1950. The chief withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court after the judges, through their remarks, indicated they would not side with his claim. He is scheduled to retire at the end of May.

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Certificates instead of gold being exchanged at weddings

Rampur, Uttar Pradesh: Amid the ongoing nationwide strike by bullion dealers, families in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh are exchanging savings certificates instead of gold jewellery at weddings.

The understanding is that they would redeem their 'pawned' certificates by giving jewellery of the same amount once the agitation ends.

Bullion traders in various parts of the country are on strike since March 17 to protest budgetary proposals of doubling import duty on gold and imposition of excise duty on unbranded jewellery.

"We pinned up National Savings Certificates (NSC) to the garlands on our children at their wedding, as there is no gold jewellery available due to the strike.

"We have promised to exchange gold jewellery of the same amount, once the strike ends," said Raees Bhai from Ajeetpur, whose son tied the knot with the daughter of Puttan Bhai.

"We even went to the houses of these jewellery shop owners, who have downed shutters due to the strike, to buy jewellery but were returned empty handed," Puttan Bhai said.

Meanwhile, Dilip Goel, vice-president of Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal alleged that the "Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee or say as to the Congress government has proposed the hike in customs and excise duty for vilification of the non-branded bullion dealers".

However post-budget, speaking on the hike in customs duty and imposition of excise duty, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said, "I did it deliberately". He had explained that in two consecutive years, about USD 90 billion of precious foreign exchange was used in importing gold making it the second biggest item of import after oil.

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Birthday boy Emraan Hashmi's a busy man

By Hindustan Times

This is perhaps the busiest year for Emraan Hashmi. Jannat 2 opens in the theatres on May 4, followed by Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai (June 8) and Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz 3 (August 31). Percept Picture’s Raftaar, which was re-titled Play and now is called Rush, is also finally complete, after a gruelling schedule.

“We wrapped up the 10-day schedule in five. Even though it’s been delayed, Rush is a special film and I reckon it should be out later this year,” says Emraan, who will start Ghanchakkar around August-September, Vishal Bharadwaj and Ekta Kapoor’s Daayan mid-year and Murder 3 towards the year end.

There’s also talk of a Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor co-production to be directed by Rensil D’Silva and a Yash Raj Film with Parmeet Sethi.

“Till a film is signed, sealed and delivered, I don’t like speaking about it,” Emraan smiles, when you bring up these two films, but he says that he has lots of other exciting films already on his plate.

“Jannat 2 will open another can of worms, Shanghai is a kind of metamorphosis that heroes wouldn’t normally risk and Rajkumar Gupta had the whole room laughing during a three-hour narration of Ghanchakkar,” he reminisces. “Daayan is a brilliant script and gives the supernatural thriller a paradigm shift that makes it a film impossible to box. Murder is a surreal franchise and we plan to take your darkest fears to the next level in part 3.”

He had plans of turning producer by the end of this year but Emraan says that while he’s keen to expand his job profile, right now it’s too much stress. “There are so many releases and so many films coming up that it’s impossible to branch out now. Maybe in two years, I will be able to live this dream too.”

Meanwhile Emraan turns 33 today and after a lot of wheeling-dealing has managed to get the day off to spend with wife Parveen and two-year-old son Ayyan at a farmhouse in Karjat. “Tomorrow, it will be work as usual,” he smiles.

Who’s busy, who’s not
Akshay Kumar has seven projects — Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Special Chhabis, Khiladi 786, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2 and Joker, as well as his own production Oh My God.

Emraan Hashmi also has seven films in hand — Jannat 2, Shanghai, Rush, Raaz 3, Murder 3, Dayaan, Ghanchakkar.

Hrithik Roshan is so far the least busy star with only his home production Krissh 3 to shoot. He may take on another project soon, though.

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I laughed over reports about weight loss: Asin

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Agent Vinod gets mixed reviews!

By Hindustan Times

Sriram Raghavan’s Saif-Kareena starrer is brilliant in bits, and incredibly asinine in others. Saif and Kareena's performance doesn't impress much, there was little that the supporting cast could do to save the day, feel critics.

Critics feel the film is brilliant in parts, but fails to impress in entirety. "Agent Vinod is Sriram Raghavan’s ode to the spy genre, his continued love affair with ‘70’s Hindi cinema, and a genuine attempt at entertaining in a sensible manner. But it just doesn’t work. It’s not campy enough to be fun, not intelligent enough to be taken seriously, and not entertaining enough to override the first two points. It has flashes of brilliance, yes. Raghavan had the right idea, it seems, and a great choice for the lead role in Saif Ali Khan. But somewhere, there seemes to have been a slip between the script and the film," feels Aniruddha Guha, DNA.

What went wrong
Concurs Raja Sen, Rediff, "If only Agent Vinod were a video game. It has all the hallmarks of a classic: from explosive wall-to-wall action to various levels of globetrotting mayhem, from challenging moments of hand-to-hand combat and clue-hunting to an eclectic slew of fascinating side characters, from a helluva background score to, quite vitally, the fact that it doesn't end where it should and instead keeps giving the protagonist more to do."

"So yes, as a game it'd be sensational, and tremendous fun. As a film, on the other hand, Agent Vinod must be termed a disappointment, a slick and well-produced throwback to the spy thriller that feels both overlong and under-conceived. Sure, it's glossy and gun-filled and looks shiny enough to be from Hollywood, and while that might be Farhan Akhtar's wet dream, one expects both a sense of humour and, most critically, actual cleverness from Sriram Raghavan. Coming from the man who made the marvelous Johnny Gaddaar, Agent Vinod is too depressingly generic to be celebrated," he adds.

But it's chic and uber-cool
Taran Adarsh however feels that Agent Vinod is a chic James Bond kind of a Hindi film. "Sriram Raghavan bestowed Saif with an absolute switch in Ek Hasina Thi. An unblemished look, an unsullied representation. It showcased the aptitude that the actor possesses, which, unfortunately, wasn't tapped in his earlier movies. With Agent Vinod, Sriram and Saif embark upon a spanking new journey, sorry mission, to come up with a spy film. A chic James Bond kind of a Hindi film."

"Back in 1977, a film on a secret agent called Agent Vinod, starring Mahendra Sandhu, proved a surprise hit. Three-and-a-half decades later, Sriram attempts a motion picture of the corresponding sort, retains the title, but goes in for a new plotline all in all. Besides, of course, the new Agent Vinod is uber-cool, vastly stylized and has been filmed at panoramic locales across the globe. Also, it's a well packaged secret agent movie," adds Adarsh.

Stereotype characters?
"Despite miraculous leaps in production values, spy thrillers in Bollywood end up looking like Chinese equivalents of western products. And here, the characters are even stereotyped to the extent of detectives wearing trench coats and moles being obvious, shifty-eyed and literally uncomfortable in their own skin. So let’s just say foreign locales, weapons to annihilate the world, designer suits and not-so-excruciating interrogations don’t cumulatively justify ‘Agent Vinod’ as a thrilling movie-watching experience," writes Kunal Guha, Yahoo.

Agent Vinod, revolutionary?
"Agent Vinod sets out to revolutionise filmmaking in India. It draws inspiration from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the Mission Impossible series, Raj Comic’s Nagraj and Lee Falk & Sy Barry's Phantom stories. The first 40 minutes of the film are intriguing and simultaneously confusing. It is bifurcated into sub-plots, which add adventure to the story. But, the flip side is that some sequences look completely illogical. Like, why would Agent Vinod trust Ruby after being ditched almost twice, is quite amusing! Also, a scene where Ruby recklessly enters the danger zone alone, when she is aware that the enemy is inside and ultimately gets shot in the process, is another one where logic goes for a toss. Like James Bond, Agent Vinod gets away easily, each time he confronts his enemies or vice-versa," writes dailybhaskar.com

"Beyond some sporadic moments, the film lacks any underlying tone of humour, despite the potential. That makes the proceedings somewhat dry. The dialogues are plain functional. Pooja Ladha Surti's editing is smart and sassy and the long runtime doesn't hurt much. The action is slick but doesn't stand out. CK Muraleedharan's cinematography is competent. The background score which derives from James Bond signature tune and RD Burman numbers works well," writes Gaurav Malani, TOI.

Slow pace
"Unwanted scenes (between the lead pair) and unwarranted songs add to the film’s already lazily unfurling narrative. For a thriller that talks of nuclear explosions and a plot that zips from one country to another, the film moves at a staggeringly sluggish pace, and is only intermittently gripping," writes Guha.

Script
"An ambitious script, set in various countries, Agent Vinod is by far the most credible secret agent movie made in Bollywood. This hi-octane thriller has style and substance, both!" feels Adarsh.

"Sriram Raghavan and Arijit Biswas’s story is noting out of the ordinary when you compare to other films of the same genre. Of course, Bollywood has seen very few spy films of late, at least not any memorable ones, but that doesn’t imply that the audience will accept a below-average story. However, it is the screenplay, also by the same writers, is where Agent Vinod really falters. While the writer-director Sriram Raghavan has made sure that the scenes are slickly shot and executed but at times, they hardly make any sense. Although this does gives a feeling of anticipation, the audience soon realizes that there is nothing earth-shattering that is going to be revealed in the plot," writes Mrigank Dhaniwala, Koimoi.com.

Direction
"Sriram himself is the vital USP of this endeavor. His method of exemplifying the anecdote is way too varied from the prototypes. Drifting away completely from the Bond movies of swanky cars and cool babes, this one is more about electrifying thrills along with a lot of wit and intelligence and a garnishing of the desi tadka. The nuggets of the quirky humor injected in the plot work incredibly well," says Adarsh.

But Raja Sen differs with Adarsh. "Agent Vinod wants to be funny, and while there is the occasional burst of wit, it's exhaustingly rare. Sriram Raghavan is, first and foremost, a film fanboy, and sure this film has references sprinkled through it? the greatest salutes being to the 1978 Don, with a mention of that immortal character's dislike of a person's shoes, and with inconveniently dead Iftekhaars who are the only ones aware of a protagonist's true allegiance?"

Dhaniwala has a unique perspective. "Director Sriram Raghavan makes a film that sometimes looks like a spoof, sometimes a serious nail-biting spy drama and at other times, is exposed as a half-baked film. His composition of many scenes and action sequences might be unusual and therefore, interesting, but that by itself, means little as the script fails to excite the viewer enough."

"He makes the time honoured mistake of succumbing to the considerable charms of his lead pair and makes it mawkish. So mawkish that it induces sniggers. Which is a pity because he'd been doing fine till then, ticking along nicely, taking Vinod from planes, trains, beaten up Army jeeps, to sailboats, to motorbikes, even to a helicopter," writes Kaveree Bamzai, India Today.

Performances

Saif Ali Khan
"After playing a straightforward simpleton in Aarakshan, Saif returns as a spy in Agent Vinod. Saif has a distinct style of dialogue delivery that gels well with the character here. Saif is effectual and charming all through. It's a flawless performance and it's an absolute delight watching Saif get into the groove so magnificently," says Adarsh.

"When the lead cast of the film fails you, it’s like the tail-enders are put to task. But with Saif and Kareena both believing that expressions are injurious to health, there was little that the supporting cast could do to save the day," says Guha.

Kareena Kapoor
"Kareena has a pivotal part to play and the fact of the matter is that only a commanding actress could've pulled this role off with elan, flamboyance and vulnerability. The fact that she is superlatively talented only gets reiterated with this awe-inspiring and elaborate act," feels Adarsh.

Conclusion
"On the whole, Agent Vinod is a hi-octane espionage thriller with a heart. It is not just brawny and dynamic, but witty and crazy too. Ultra slick and stylish, this desi Bond movie adheres to the formula and succeeds in meeting the humungous expectations. Agent Vinod has all the potential to develop into a triumphant franchise!" Writes Adarsh.

"Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod is brilliant in bits, and incredibly asinine in others. It’s probably the most inconsistently good film I’ve watched lately, and a massive letdown. Which is a pity. It could have made for a rare, looked-forward-to franchise," concludes Guha.

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Details of who allegedly offered Rs 14-crore bribe to Army chief

New Delhi: The Defence Minister has reportedly ordered a CBI inquiry into the Rs 14-crore bribe that the Army chief says he was offered in exchange for clearing the purchase of 600 sub-standard vehicles. General VK Singh said that in 2010, six months into his tenure, a retired Army officer offered him the money, and that he shared the information immediately with the Defence Minister AK Antony.
General Singh disclosed the details of the bribe in an interview with The Hindu newspaper. The allegations have been seized by the Opposition to attack the government in Parliament. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned. The government is expected to make a statement later today on the controversy. The BJP, while seeking details from the government, also pointed out that the Army chief should have filed a case against the man who offered him the kickback. (Watch: Bribe charge - Army chief tells all)

Sources tell NDTV that the alleged bribe was offered by Tejinder Singh, who retired as a Lieutenant General and had served as a chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency. He has also been allotted a flat in the Adarsh Society, a high-rise building in Mumbai whose apartments were intended for war veterans and widows, but were instead given to politicians, bureaucrats and defence officers. Earlier this month, a press release by the army named him for offering bribes on behalf a company called Tatra Vetra. The retired officer has, according to some reports, denied the allegations and threatened a lawsuit.

The army chief was allegedly asked to sanction the army's purchase of a new consignment of vehicles from Tatra Vetra. The offer of the bribe was made to him in his office, say sources.

The government and the chief will now have to answer whether the company was blacklisted once the bribe was offered, and why it has taken so long to commission a formal inquiry.

"He was offering a bribe to me, to the Army Chief. He told me that people had taken money before me and they will take money after me," the General said to the newspaper about the lobbyist.

In January, General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court. He wanted the Defence Ministry to accept that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 - records with the army list both years. The Defence Ministry had refused the General's claim, stating that he had accepted many promotions on the basis of his seniority as established by the documents that showed he was born in 1950. The chief withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court after the judges through their remarks indicated they would not side with his claim. He is scheduled to retire at the end of May.

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Maharashtra encounter: One alleged terrorist killed, two arrested

Aurangabad: A team of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has reportedly killed one alleged terrorist and has arrested two others after an encounter in Ahmednagar district of the state.

One of the two people arrested - Abrar Sheikh - is an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad blast case. The second man - Shakeel Ahmed - was wanted in connection with the murder of a BJP leader from UP.

An ATS constable has sustained bullet injury in the encounter.

More details are awaited.

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Rupee drops to lowest in more than 2 months

Mumbai:

The rupee gave up early gains and skidded to its lowest in more than two months on Monday, pressured by oil payments and subdued shares.

India imports about 80 per cent of the oil the country consumes and refiners are the biggest buyers of dollars in the currency market, with their demand tending to peak towards the close of each month when they make payments.

Tension between Iran and United States is likely keep demand for dollars strong as Indian companies would look to clear import dues as early as possible before any financial sanctions are imposed on Iran's customers, traders said.

New Delhi, which buys nearly 12 per cent of its oil needs from Tehran, could be exempted from tighter U.S. sanctions, the International Energy Agency's executive director told Reuters.

At 10:54 a.m. (0524 GMT), the rupee was at 51.27/28 to the dollar, weaker than last week's close of 51.17/18. It weakened as far as 51.30, a level last seen on January 16 according to Thomson Reuters data.

The drop was halted on expectation the central bank would intervene to smoothen volatility. The Reserve Bank of India is suspected to have sold dollar on two occasions last week to shore up the currency.

"Outlook on the rupee seems a bit bearish as month-end dollar demand from oil companies will be strong," said a currency trader with a brokerage. "On top of this equities too look weak."

The main share index was down more than 1 per cent on worries about growth and stalled reforms encouraged market players to roll over short positions before the expiry of monthly derivatives on Thursday.

Technical charts too point towards possibility of more pressure on the rupee.

The one-month offshore non-deliverable forward contracts were at 51.84.

In the currency futures market, the most-traded near-month dollar-rupee contracts on the National Stock Exchange, the MCX-SX and the United Stock Exchange were all around 51.31, on a total volume of $1.29 billion.

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There will be a Housefull 3: Sajid Khan

By Hindustan Times

Director Sajid Khan has no qualms admitting that he takes actors Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh for granted. So much so, that when the filmmaker finished scripting the soon-to-be-released film Housefull 2, he gave the entire cast a formal narration, but didn’t include the two actors in the
sitting.

“Akshay had a vague idea of his character. But Riteish was completely clueless. I remember him asking me what his role was, and I looked back at him and said, ‘Don’t you trust me?’ We even had a small fight and then Riteish said he didn’t want to hear the story. For at least half the shoot, he did not read the script or know what the story of the film was. Until we shot the climax, that is,” says Sajid, who in the past has directed the two actors in Heyy Babyy (2007) and Housefull (2010).

There seem to be a lot of similarities between the first film and the sequel. The Housefull 2 song Right Now Now… has been shot a lot like the original’s Papa Jag Jayega… Not only is the location and setting similar, but the actors are also dressed in their nightclothes in both the videos. “I realised what worked, and that’s why I’ve kept these similarities. I’ve even used animals in this one like in the previous film. But it will have a completely different climax as people didn’t seem to understand the original’s climax,” he says.

Meanwhile, even though his next film is a few weeks away from release, the director has already considered a Housefull 3. “Yes there will be a Housefull 3. But I will not make it without Sajid Nadiadwala producing it and Akshay and Riteish acting in it,” says Sajid, who along with Riteish, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez and Shazahn Padamsee made a brief appearance at the HT Mint Luxury Conference in the city on Friday.

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Shooting ads more challenging: John Abraham

By Hindustan Times

Before he became an A-list actor with hits like Dostana (2008), Force (2011) and Desi Boyz (2011), John Abraham was a supermodel, featuring often in commercials. And despite being in the industry for several years now, the actor still feels more comfortable shooting for advertisements than
films.

“As I was a model earlier, I am rather used to doing commercials than doing films,” says John, who recently shot a commercial for Skybags, which he endorses. Apart from that, he is associated with a number of brands and is constantly shuttling between commercials and films. Now, he’s arrived at the conclusion that making a commercial is more challenging than acting in a movie, given its limitations.

“It’s more challenging than acting in films as it demands a convincing performance under strict parameters and within a stipulated time,” explains the dimpled actor.

In his 10-year acting career, John has showcased an array of emotions through his characters, and has enjoyed enough liberty to improvise as far as he can — a liberty he doesn’t get when facing a camera for a commercial.

“In advertisements, we are the agency’s babies. They come down with an idea and are very strict on how they want to shoot it. An actor can improvise only within that limit,” says John, who made his acting debut in Jism (2003) along with ex-flame actor Bipasha Basu.

He elaborates that telling a whole story in a stipulated span of 30 seconds also decreases the limit of playing around with the character. “Here, we get very little time to tell the whole story, whereas in films, we get at least two hours to show the progression of the character,” says John, who is currently shooting for Sanjay Gupta’s Shootout At Wadala, where he plays the role of Manya Surve, a dreaded gangster of the ’80s, who died in the first ever encounter between the police and the mafia, which took place in Mumbai.

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Barack Obama greets Manmohan Singh with hug at Seoul meet

Seoul: US President Barack Obama gave Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a big hug and greeted him with 'Nice to meet you prime minister', during a brief dinner meeting between the two at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, an official said on Monday.

While there was no anticipated "pull aside" meeting between the two leaders, Obama and Dr Singh did have a "pull-in" meeting at a dinner for the 58 leaders attending the March 26-27 Nuclear Security Summit, the official said.

"There was no pull-aside; there was a pull-in. Obama gave the prime minister a big hug and said 'Nice to meet you prime minister'," the official said.

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Punjab govt won't execute Beant Singh's assassin on Saturday: Top 10 developments

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has said it will not execute Balwant Singh Rajoana on Saturday. Mr Rajoana was sentenced to death in 2007 by a special CBI court in Chandigarh for his role in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh, who was from the Congress. Mr Singh had been killed in 1995. Here are 10 big developments in this story:

1) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said in the Assembly that Mr Rajoana cannot be executed on Saturday. His announcement comes on a day when the Shiromani Gurdwara Pharbandhak Comimttee or SGPC, which functions as a parliament of Sikhs, has sent a mercy petition to President Pratibha Patil. It allegedly cites 11 other similar cases where the death sentence was commuted.

2) The Sikh clergy has said the state government must fight to save Mr Rajoana. The Akal Takht, which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, has conferred the title of zinda shaheed or living martyr conferred on him by Sikh high priests. Mr Rajoana has said he does not want this title.

3) A court in Chandigarh has asked authorities at the Patila Jail, 80 kms away, to execute Mr Rajoana on Saturday.

4) Mr Rajoana, who has been convicted for being a Babbar Khalsa terrorist, has refused to defend himself in any court saying he wants to die for "the cause of Khalistan" (a separate Sikh homeland).

5) Mr Rajoana was awarded the death sentence for the assassination of Beant Singh in 2007 by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court. Another terrorist, Jagtar Singh Hawara, was also given the death sentence. Mr Hawara has been described as the mastermind of the murder.

6) Beant Singh who was the chief minister of Punjab from 1992 to 1995 was largely credited with wiping out terrorism from Punjab. He was assassinated by a human bomb, Dilawar Singh, at the high security Punjab civil secretariat in Chandigarh in August 1995. Mr Rajoana was to serve as a back-up human bomb.

7) The assassinated chief minister's family has also stated that it has forgiven Mr Rajoana and would like his death sentence be converted to life imprisonment.

8) The Punjab government has already sought para-military forces from the Centre as a precautionary measure, officials said.

9) Yesterday, the BJP, sharing power with SAD in the state, steered clear of the controversy saying the matter was sub judice. "It is for the courts to decide and nobody has a right to interfere," Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma had said.

10) On Saturday, the Patiala Jail said the execution is not possible. "After looking into the all legal aspects of the case minutely, the Jail Superintendent of the Central Jail Patiala is of the view that since this case has many legal and constitutional shortcomings, loopholes and flaws, the execution of the court order is impossible within the ambit of law," Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told the Punjab Assembly today.

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Not yet lucky for Hollywood role: Sonam

SPOTTED: New moms Aishwarya, Lara at an event

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Arun Jaitley sends defamation notice to Anshuman Mishra

New Delhi: The tiff between NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra and senior BJP leaders is getting murkier. Party leader Arun Jaitley has now sent a defamation notice to Mr Mishra for making "baseless allegations."

Mr Mishra was initially supported by a section of the BJP as an independent nominee for Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. But he had to withdraw at the last moment following a directive from the BJP central leadership to its MLAs not to vote for him.

Right after Mr Mishra's nomination for a seat in the Rajya Sabha, top leaders had revolted and blocked Mr Mishra's chances. From LK Advani to Sushma Swaraj, they all agreed that the entrepreneur's background and his status as an "outsider" in Jharkhand make him an unsuitable candidate.

However, after he dropped out of the race, the 37-year-old fired salvo at BJP leaders including Murli Manohar Joshi. He claimed that he had funded the senior politician's poll campaigns in 2004 and 2009 and that he facilitated a meeting between Mr Joshi and corporate leaders being probed in the 2G scam. Mr Mishra also said that he has been the BJP's fund-raiser for over a decade.

Yesterday, BJP President Nitin Gadkari hit out at the NRI business and termed his allegations "baseless." "Anshuman Mishra's motivated and selective tirade against some of the top BJP leaders is nothing but an expression of frustration over his failure to make it to the Raja Sabha with the support of BJP MLAs from Jharkhand," he said. He is believed to have initially backed Mr Mishra's nomination. (With Inputs from PTI)

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Monday, March 26, 2012

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