Poonam Pandey's morphed pic creates ruckus in Kolkata!

By Hindustan Times

Incensed over a photograph that appeared in a city daily, protesters blocked roads for up to six hours throwing life out of gear over parts of Kolkata on Tuesday, prompting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to appeal for peace.

"Some people provoked by political influence are trying to create problems in the city. I urge them not to fall to such provocation and ask them to maintain peace and harmony," Banerjee said here after returning from New Delhi.

Without naming the opposition, Banerjee accused it of stoking the fire and urged everyone to maintain peace and harmony. She warned that the administration will not tolerate any attempt to create trouble.

A photograph featuring model Poonam Pandey is alleged to have hurt religious sentiments which triggered the protests in the city.

Senior police officers rushed to the spot to persuade the agitators to lift the blockade which stalled traffic movement from Park Circus crossing to Bridge No. 4 since 3.45 p.m. Road blockades were also reported from the nearby Mullickbazar area.

Police said the situation was under control.

The opposition Left Front also urged people to maintain peace and order.

"West Bengal is known for its tolerant and peace loving people. Therefore, I urge everybody to maintain peace and harmony," Left Front chairman Biman Bose said.

Poonam Pandey reacts on the controversy
@iPoonampandey: I am really Shocked and Hurt over the incident in Kolkata, A fan made stupid morphed pic of mine was published by mistake on a News Paper

Poonam Pandey posted a racy pic for Virat Kohli on Twitter

@iPoonampandey: Please keep me away from any such unwanted controversies which could hurt one's sentiments.

@iPoonampandey: TweetHrts & all my Fans round d World i do appreciate ur Love towards me but such edited/Morphed pix really hurt me

This is what tweeple are saying
@prasanto: Major ruckus at ABP, Kolkata now with cops, protesters after Telegraph carried Poonam Pandey tweet and pix

@shadymumbai: POONAM pandey sweats for 1 hour ... 1 man happy ... Sachin sweats for 1 hour .... 2-3 billion happy !!

@Vijay_Chicku: Disclaimer: I don't follow Poonam Pandey! Having said that, you should see what she posted for Sachin & Kohli on twitter! #gonecase

@PBNRG: Will Poonam Pandey send a picture to Bangla team?

Apology
The Telegraph tenders an unconditional apology for reproducing a tweet by @iPoonampandey in Monday’s edition of t2.

The publication was the result of a technical error.

The Telegraph had no intention to hurt the sentiments of any community. We sincerely apologise for the hurt the publication of the tweet has caused.

City security
Calcutta police have said “in view of apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity and to prevent disruption of the ongoing school examinations, all unlawful assemblies are prohibited within the limits of Calcutta police jurisdiction”.

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Protests in Park Circus in Kolkata blocks traffic for six hours

Kolkata:  Protests in the Park Circus area of central Kolkata threw traffic out of gear for over six hours on Tuesday.

The protests was triggered by a photograph that was published in a local newspaper that was allegedly tweeted by model Poonam Pandey. The newspaper has offered an apology since.

Senior police officers had earlier rushed to the spot to persuade the agitators to lift the blockade which stalled traffic movement from Park Circus crossing to Bridge number four since 3.45 pm.

Traffic disruptions were also reported from the nearby Mullickbazar area.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday appealed to all for maintaining communal amity and refraining from indulging in rumours and said that the state government would take all steps to rein in the situation.

In the appeal, the chief minister said that some persons were trying to foment communal tension centering around a published photograph in a newspaper and urged all not to get provoked.

"Higher secondary examination is progressing. I am requesting all to see that the examinees are not disturbed," she said.

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Kahaani brings Kolkata back to limelight

By Hindustan Times

Stepping out of Mumbai and Delhi's streets and lanes which have been shown in films over and over again, Bollywood is now romancing Kolkata and its Victorian aura still intact in some places.

After the just-released Kahaani where Vidya Balan traversed through the length and breadth of the city searching for her missing husband, two other big-budget films, due for release later this year, have focused on the metropolis and West Bengal.

Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor, two of the most bankable actors in Bollywood, shot for more than a month recently in the city and in the hills of Darjeeling for the Anurag Basu directed murder mystery Barfee.

Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, on the other hand, will recreate the old-world charm of West Bengal in Lootera, a romantic period film set in the 1950's.

It was shot recently in the natural surroundings of the picturesque Purulia district, 295 kms from Kolkata.

Director Sujoy Ghosh, who describes Kolkata as one of the characters in his thriller Kahaani, says other filmmakers might soon jump into the bandwagon.

"I am overwhelmed with the kind of interest Kolkata has generated among the people in Mumbai and elsewhere. It is Kolkata and not any other city which people are talking about now," he told PTI.

Portraying the colourful and vibrant city that Kolkata is, Kahaani has brought alive the city on screen.

The film's star Vidya considers the City of Joy as her second home which gave her a break in Bengali film Bhalo Theko.

Filmmakers point out that the landscape of Mumbai has been overused by the camera in the last few decades.

The multi-layered Kolkata, on the other hand, has a different appeal with its Metro trains, rickety trams, hand-pulled rickshaws, dingy bylanes, British-era buildings, iconic structures like Howrah Bridge and Victoria Memorial.

"If I look from the eyes of the camera all other metros look the same but Kolkata has a unique character," said Anurag Basu whose Barfee will be in theatres this July.

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