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Salman Khan acquitted of all charges in 2002 hit-and-run case

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 08:16:00 +0000

The Bombay High Court today observed that the prosecution has failed to establish the case against actor Salman Khan in connection with the 2002 hit-and-run case. The actor has been ordered to appear before it as it pronounces the final order. The court also observed that appreciation of evidence by trial court is not proper according to principles of jurisprudence. There has been a faulty manner to establish procedure for connecting chain of evidence with regard to biological evidence, the court added.

he popular actor was convicted of all charges by a sessions court earlier this year in the case relating to 2002 when Salman’s Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into five men sleeping outside a bakery on Hill Road in Bandra in the early hours of September 28. One person was killed and four others were injured. But later, the Bombay HC suspended the sentence after the actor appealed against his conviction. On Wednesday, the HC said the prosecution had failed to bring material on record to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Salman was driving the car in the incident. The court also said the prosecution failed to convince the court that he was under the influence of alcohol. The court added that Ravindra Patil, who was Salman’s bodyguard when the incident happened, was a ‘wholly unreliable witness.’ Patil later died in 2007. On Monday, the court had observed that the evidence of those injured were not ‘devoid of discrepancies.’ Eyewitnesses had told the trial court that the actor was seen getting out of the driver’s side of the car. However, Salman’s lawyers had argued that it was driver Ashok Singh, and not the actor who was driving that night. The driver had also testified in court and Salman Khan had pleaded innocence. The verdict is expected to be pronounced in the case in a short while.

Bigg Boss 9: Shocking! Rimi Sen evicted from the show!

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 04:55:00 +0000

Bigg Boss 9 elimination tonight will be the most shocking as we will see the most disinterested contestant, Rimi Sen, shown the door! This week Bigg Boss had opened the gates of the house for anyone who is not interested in continuing the game to walk out of the show at that very minute. But even after whining about wanting to go out of the house for seven weeks, Rimi did not leave.

                 Rimi, who did not participate in most of the tasks, managed to survive in the house with plenty of audience votes. But her laid-back attitude troubled her co-contestants and the show producers. Despite Rimi being of no entertainment value on the show, Bigg Boss makers were unable to throw her out of the house. Why? Because she had signed a contract which said that she will get Rs 2 crore if she was evicted by audience votes.
                       If Bigg Boss makers were to throw her out, they would still have to pay the whole sum. And if Rimi were to voluntarily exit, she would only be eligible for 20% of the amount assured to her. This dilemma on both the sides stopped Rimi from going out of the house. Salman Khan persuaded Rimi to participate in the tasks several times but her attitude did not change even a bit.
              The show producers continued trying to make things difficult for her inside the house hoping that she will walk out. But there was one thing that kept her steady in the house -- her determination to get Rs 2 crores! Clearly, Rimi will remain the real winner of Bigg Boss 9 since she has been evicted on the basis of audience votes. She will be paid Rs 2 crore which is still more than what the season winner is due to get! comments

AR Rahman wins two Grammy Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:31:00 +0000

One year after 'Slumdog Millionaire' hit theatres and created a frenzy at the Oscars the buzz still hasn't died - music maestro AR Rahman has won two Grammy Awards for his work in the film.

Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the 'best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture' category before his track "Jai Ho" won in the 'best motion picture song' category just moments later. "This is insane, god is great again," Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.

Rahman beat the likes of Bruce Springsteen for his title song for "The Wrestler", Steve Jordan for his song 'Once in a Lifetime' from "Cadillac Records," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds", and the producers of "Twilight" for the song 'Decode', the producers of "True Blood" and the song 'The Client' from 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'.

Full report of the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards to follow.

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Mayawati ridicules Pawar over Price Rise

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:26:00 +0000

Lashing out at Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the recent rise in food prices, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday said wrong policies of the Central Government had helped "blackmarketeers and hoarders".

"The government is working under pressure of black-marketeers. Prices are rising due to the anti-poor policies of the Central Government," Mayawati told reporters. Pawar's policies helped sugar mill owners, she alleged, and added that the sugar prices were sky-rocketing because of wrong policies of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Central Government.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief had come under attack from Pawar on Wednesday for the Uttar Pradesh government's sugar policy, which Pawar said had led to a shortage. On Wednesday, Sharad Pawar had stated that soaring prices of essential commodities will start coming down in 8-10 days, adding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had called a meeting of the chief ministers in New Delhi on January 27 to discuss the issue. "With the measures we have taken, the prices of essential commodities are expected to start coming down in eight to 10 days," he told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Prices chaired by Manmohan Singh.

Pawar had said the Prime Minister would also discuss the implementation of the Essential Commodities Act with the chief ministers. Pawar had also stated that state governments were not lifting the wheat and rice stocks made available to them by the Central Government. (ANI)

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Andrew Flintoff out of Indian Premier League

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:26:00 +0000

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) after another operation on his troublesome knee that is expected to sideline him for about six months.

The Lancashire all-rounder has been out of action since undergoing a micro-fracture operation on his right knee after retiring from Tests having helped England regain the Ashes last year. After an arthroscopy operation this week, the 32-year-old will not now be fit to play for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, which runs from March 12 to April 25.

"It is disappointing not to be able to play for Chennai, who have been very supportive throughout my time with them, but I took this decision because I love playing cricket and want to give myself the best chance of extending my career," he said.

Flintoff rejected a central contract from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in September but said he intended to carry on playing One-Day Internationals and Twenty20s. The operation means he will also be unavailable for the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies from April 30 to May 16. Once he recovers from surgery, however, Flintoff said he now wants to play all forms of the game for his county.

"My goals have changed since last summer," Flintoff told Lancashire's website. "I trust the surgeon, Andy Williams, implicitly and he is very pleased with the progress of the micro-fracture operation. "When I first had the operation I did not think I would be able to play anything other than One-day cricket, but the news of my recovery has led me to believe I may play in all forms of cricket for Lancashire.

"First and foremost I have to prove to myself that I can regain my fitness and perform for Lancashire," he added. "My first love remains playing for Lancashire and I want to help them win trophies and hopefully I can help achieve that later this summer." Flintoff is confident he will eventually return to action with England as well as Lancashire. "I have worked extremely hard over the last few months to get to this position and realise there is a lot more hard work in front of me if I want to return and play international cricket again," said Flintoff.

"But if I am going to go through another six months of hard rehabilitation and training for long hours, I need a big incentive to be the driving force of that and playing for Lancashire and England again will become that", he added. (ANI)

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Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli rise in ODI rankings

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:22:00 +0000

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to top the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, while young guns Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli made big strides in the chart because of the their stellar performances in the just-concluded tri-series in Bangladesh.

Left-handed Raina has vaulted 10 places to sit in 20th position after scoring 210 runs in the series. He is now one of six India batsmen inside the top 20. The other Indian batters to feature in top 20 include Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar in eighth place (down by four places), Virender Sehwag in ninth (up by one place), Yuvraj Singh in 12th (down by three places) and Gautam Gambhir in 19th. Kohli, who was the leading run-getter with 275 runs, including 102 not out against Bangladesh, Kohli has rocketed 26 places and is now just outside the top 20 in the 21st spot.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has returned to the top 10 in the batsmen chart after his impressive showing in tri-nation series in Bangladesh, which his side won. Sangakkara not only won the player of the series award for his scores of 74, 60, 17 not out, 68 and 55 but has also been rewarded with a jump of six places in the latest rankings which puts him in 10th position for the first time since February 2009.

The left-hander has now become Sri Lanka's highest-ranked batsman, leapfrogging opener Tillakaratne Dilshan who has also climbed two places to achieve his career-best ranking of 13th. Meanwhile, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (6th) is the lone Indian to feature in the top 10 in ODI bowlers list, which is being headed by New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Yuvraj Singh has achieved a career-best third position by virtue of his Yuvraj four wickets and 96 that he scored in the tri-series in Bangladesh. (ANI)

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noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:01:00 +0000

The selfish philosopher rages.
	Now that you've added your blog, we need to make sure that you own this blog.
Create a new post on your blog. Copy and paste the randomly generated sentence shown above exactly as it is given anywhere in your new post. Publish the new post so that it is viewable at your blog's URL.
Once this sentence is on your blog, come back to your PPP v4 account and press the claim blog button. You can remove the post after you have successfully claimed the blog.

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Ipl 2009-Katrina kaif at the IPL Grand Finale

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:20:00 +0000

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif (L) performs with US singer Akon during a closing ceremony after Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challenger Bangalore in the 2009 Indian Premier League cricket final match in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday May 24, 2009.

A dancer entertains fans at the end of the 2009 IPL T20 cricket final match in Johannesburg on May 24, 2009.

Also, Katrina performs during the closing ceremony of 2009 IPL.

Glam girl Katrina performs during the closing ceremony of 2009 IPL.

Bollywood glam girl Katrina danced to the English version of Jai Ho of Slumdog Millionaire fame sung by the Pussycat Dolls.

Fireworks explode over the Wanderers Stadium during a closing ceremony after Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challenger Bangalore in the 2009 IPL cricket final match in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday May 24.

Two new God Of War 3 Screenshots arrive!

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:20:00 +0000

After the March reveal of God of War 3, we've had virtually no info on the game- until now.

Some of these screenshots are from the trailers, but most of them are new, and some are even in-game. Nothing much, but maybe it'll hold us till E3.

Teeth bared, veins bulging, Kratos plunges both hands elbow-deep into the gargantuan eye socket of the Cyclops.

Propping a foot against each hulking shoulder of the giant, the bloodthirsty Spartan and raging son of Zeus yanks the beach ball-sized organ as if it was a cork coming out of the world's largest wine bottle.

Blood vomits from the orifice as the glistening optic nerve stretches and stretches and stretches like an overtaxed rubber band. It snaps, the two halves of the ruined eyestalk flutter to the ground, and the giant orb comes free in Kratos's hands.

The kicker: this is an in-game, playable sequence from God of War III, Sony's outrageous new action epic for the PlayStation 3. Though it's months away from completion, God of War III is already something special. So are you really going to think twice before playing God of War 3?

Now Mallika Sherawat joins Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:19:00 +0000

Mallika Sherawat has a new hobby – tweeting - the lady has gotten obsessed with Twitter and just adores the networking site like many Hollywood celebs.

The actress, who has a milkshake named after her in Hollywood, was enjoying the US breeze for quite some time while working for the post production of her movie Hisss. Away from home in the US, the lady used to get lonely in her leisure time and started using Twitter (a popular networking site). She started bonding online big time with the members of the site.

Now that she’s discovering the joy of tweeting, Mallika thinks amazing things can happen when you get connected to people.

Tweeting by the username ‘@MallikaLA’, the bombshell confesses that she is addicted to it now. What began as a hobby to beat her loneliness in the US, has now become an addiction.

The surprising thing is that before she joined Twitter, she took classes to learn how to use social networking sites. The actress also discovered that Shahrukh Khan too is hooked to the site. Twitter is used extensively by many Hollywood celebs like Ashton Kutcher, his wife Demi Moore and also sexy celeb-socialite Kim Kardashian who recently posted her photographs showing her sun-burnt face.

May be to the actors bored with their glam world, the virtual world of internet appears more fascinating. Mallika is the new addition to the fast growing brigade. Among Bollywood celebs hooked to networking are Karan Johar , Priyanka Chopra , Shahid Kapur , Celina Jaitley and many others.

Force India VJM01 gets new rear wing

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Following the introduction of an updated diffuser at Spain, Force India has fitted a new rear wing on its 2009 car.

Just like so many other teams, FI is exploiting the small central region of the rear wing where it is allowed to have more than two closed sections.

FI's solution is however quite distinctive as the team have chosen to add an extra little wing above the other elements. At the same time, the existing elements were modified to create an extra slot, similar to that of the new wing of McLaren.

On Sunday the Force India Formula One Team enjoyed its most competitive race performance to date in the Monaco Grand Prix. Giancarlo Fisichella finished a fighting 9th position, just 1.8secs from eighth and and one point, and the final driver to be on the lead lap at the end of the race. Adrian Sutil passed the flag in 14th place.

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All 8 IPL Teams make Huge Profits

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:17:00 +0000

If IPL has stood all you thought you knew about cricket on its head, it has done the same with finances too.

In a year when franchisees were complaining about shifting how to South Africa would make a mess of their budgets, each one of them will make a profit.

If that’s not strange enough, try this: The two finalists, Royal Challengers and Team Hyderabad, will make a fraction of the profit that bottom-of-table Knight Riders will, even if you take prize money into account.

The main reason for the healthier bottomlines is a jump in the share of revenues from broadcasting. Last year, each franchisee got Rs 25 crore from IPL as its share of the central pool. This year, that has risen to Rs 67.50 crore each.

BCCI’s profit too has apparently jumped to Rs 477 crore from Rs 350 crore last year. Sony Max is also likely to be in the black this year.

IPL franchisees who had been complaining about the event being shifted to South Africa are in for a surprise: Every single team stands to make a profit from this year’s tournament.

Had the matches been organized in India, it’s likely the teams profits would have been even higher because of higher receipts from ticket and merchandise sale, which have averaged Rs 8 crore and Rs 50 lakh respectively in South Africa.

In 2008, teams like Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Team Delhi earned around Rs 20 crore from ticket sales alone as the capacity of their home stadiums was large enough to accommodate over 70,000 and the crowds just poured in.

According to a report by equity research firm IIFL, Team Jaipur will make the highest profit of Rs 35.1 crore in the group matches of the second edition of the tournament. Jaipur had also made the second-highest profit of Rs 14.50 crore in 2008, including the Rs 4.50 crore ($1 million) prize money.

Knight Riders, which finished lowest in the league table during the qualifying round in South Africa, will nevertheless end up with the third-highest profit of Rs 25.8 crore in the second edition of IPL.

In fact, the only semifinalist which also stands to make over Rs 20 crore in profits is Delhi.

This is despite the fact that prize money in the IPL is a sizeable amount, with Rs 4.8 crore for winner, Rs 2.4 crore for the runners-up and 1.2 crore each for the losing semifinalists.

For those who didn’t get past the league stage, the sums are correspondingly smaller - Rs 80 lakh for the team that finished fifth (Kings XI Punjab), Rs 70 lakh for the sixth placed (Jaipur), Rs 50 lakh for the seventh (Mumbai Indians) and Rs 40 lakh for the lowest one.

The healthy bottomlines are a happy change from last year when besides Knight Riders and Jaipur, Team Chennai just scraped into the black due to its Rs 2.25 crore prize money for the runners-up position, according to a highly placed source.

What has helped the IPL and franchisees is essentially the re-awarding of the broadcasting rights. The renegotiated contract was for $1.64 billion (Rs 8,200 crore) for nine years -- a jump of 90% from the original figure

IIT-JEE results declared

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:16:00 +0000

Over 10,000 students have qualified in the 2009 Indian Institue of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination with Nitin Jain, a student from Delhi zone, topping the list.

A total of 10,035 students, including 1,048 girls, have succeeded in this year's IIT-JEE, results of which were announced on Monday.

The students, who cracked the test, will get admission into 15 IITs, IT-BHU and ISM Dhanbad, which will offer over 8,500 seats this year.

"There will be more seats in the IITs this year as the institutes will implement OBC quota. Besides, two new IITs, one in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and another in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, will start functioning," IIT Guwahati Director Prof Gautam Baruah said.

The total number of seats in the IITs for this year will be 8,295, against 6,332 seats offered by 13 IITs last year, he said.

The highest number of 2,831 students have qualified from Mumbai zone.

The counselling for admission will start from June nine, Baruah said.

Nearly four lakh students had appeared in the test held across the country on April 13. The number of questions came down to 120 this year compared to 132 last year.

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Barbara Mori upset over smooch publicity

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:15:00 +0000

Mexican actress Barbara Mori is surprised that a kiss between a hero and heroine is a big deal in Hindi films.

There was a time when romantic scenes in Hindi films had the hero and heroine coming close to each other and just when their lips would be inches away from docking…cut…two roses gently meeting. Times have changed today, but the mentality hasn’t. Today, either co-stars don’t kiss; but if they do, it becomes a headline for tabloids. Barbara, who comes from a culture where kisses are as common as handshakes, is quite surprised by all the hype surrounding kisses in Hindi films.

“In most films they don’t kiss, they just come together but at the last moment it stops. I was always left wondering why they stopped,” Mori expressed her surprise while speaking to a news channel. .

Incidentally, the actress has been making a lot of news in India over suggesting co-star Hrithik Roshan to kiss her on the lips in a crucial scene in Kites , while the original scene had just a peck on the cheek.

Hrithik, on his part, says he has developed genuine love and respect for Barbara after working with her in ‘Kites’.

“We have a fabulous working relationship. I have genuine love and respect for Barbara. She has become very close to our family. If it was not for her, we would have not been able to accomplish the kind of film we have,” said Hrithik

‘Kites’ is a turbulent, sensuous love story between an Indian salsa dancer and a Mexican girl. Kangana Ranaut adds a third angle to the love story.

Katrina and Akon blaze at the IPL Finale

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:15:00 +0000

From Katrina Kaif unto Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan to Akon's smash hits, the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the New Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday night showcased the diverse cultures of South Africa and India.

Senegalese-born American singer Akon sang his popular number Smack That, while the fusion of the Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram bhajan with African drums created a magical aura at the Bulls Ring at the New Wanderers.

It was Brand India all over at 40,000 capacity stadium, where the Deccan Chargers lifting the IPL crown after a heart-stopping final against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

From Jai Ho to Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram and Vande Mataram, the IPL closing ceremony gave South Africans a taste of Indian culture. The ceremony was better planned as compared to the inaugural, which was put together in a short span of time after the tournament was moved from India to South Africa.

Bollywood glam girl Katrina Kaif danced to the English version of Jai Ho of Slumdog Millionaire fame sung by the Pussycat Dolls, while the winner of Miss IPL Bollywood Dune Kossatz matched steps with Akon.

Jugglers took the centrestage and put on a jaw dropping performance as they literally juggled with fire, while a group of drummers rocked the New Wanderers with fire on their drum sticks.

British reggae musician Eddie Grant kept everyone on their toes with his popular tracks. Grant performed his anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Jo'anna and also Walking on Sunshine to bring down the curtain on the 37-day IPL extravaganza that has greatly strengthened ties between South Africa and India.

Adriana Lima tops Twitter totty List

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:14:00 +0000

It turns out that Twitter isn't all about men like Amitabh Bachchan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ashton Kutcher discussing what they had for breakfast.

The world's hottest women are also logging on to tell the world what they're up to. And now a Top 50 Twitter totty list has been compiled, starring some of the hottest women around.

It's topped by supermodel Adriana Lima who posts hot bikini pictures and videos of herself online.

Movie goddess Jessica Alba also makes the chart, along with songwriters Taylor Swift and British singer Lily Allen.

Here we reveal the Top 9 list along with links to their Twitter blogs - or at least those claiming to be official.

1)Adriana Lima
2)Jessica Alba
3)Taylor Swift
4)Ashanti
5)Audrey Hitching
6)Brooke Burke
7)DJ Tamara sky
8)Tila Tequila
9)Lilly Allen

Nation pays tribute to Rajiv Gandhi

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:20:00 +0000

New Delhi, Thursday 21 May 2009: The nation on Thursday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 18th death anniversary.

President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the departed leader’s widow and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among the first to pay floral tributes to the late leader at ‘Veer Bhumi’, the memorial of Gandhi.

Children of Gandhis, Congress MP Rahul and Priyanka along with her husband Robert Vadra were also present at the remembrance ceremony at the memorial, which was decorated with hundreds of white lotuses on the occasion.

Besides, Defence Minister A K Antony, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and a number of newly elected MPs, leaders of UPA allies like NC’s Farooq Abdullah and Kerala Congress chief K M Mani also paid floral tributes at the memorial.

The remembrance ceremony began with the entry of 18 children signifying the 18th year of martyrdom of Gandhi. He was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a LTTE suicide bomber during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

The eldest son of Feroze and Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, was born in 1944 and served as the the youngest Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. Rajiv attended Cambridge University, where he met and married Sonia at 24. Following the death of his brother Sanjay in 1980, his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, persuaded Rajiv to enter politics.

He stood successfully for election in 1981 and became a political adviser to his mother. After her assassination in 1984, Rajiv succeeded her as the head of the Congress, and was sworn in as Prime Minister of India.

Rajiv Gandhi is credited with ushering India into the 21st century. He was among the few world leaders who saw the potential of information technology and laid the foundations for India to become an information technology superpower.

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Lalu: No hard feelings if Cabinet berth denied

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:43:00 +0000

With little hope of getting "sympathetic treatment" from the Congress top brass, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday appeared resigned to his fate, saying he would not feel bad over being denied a Cabinet berth.

Asked whether he was hopeful of getting a berth in the UPA Government, a visibly perturbed Lalu said: "Why are you asking me this question? It is the Prime Minister's prerogative." He, however, refrained from saying anything against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and said he still shared a good relationship with her as well as Manmohan Singh.

He told reporters that there was no reason to feel bad about being denied a berth in the Government as "ups and downs were part of a politician's life". The RJD chief went on to reiterate that he had given unconditional support to the UPA and was happy that his "mission" of not allowing the BJP to come to power had been successful.

Pointing out that all was not over for him, he said he would go back to the people and earn their support once again.

Lalu's annoyance comes not only from the fact that the Congress has been keeping him at an arm's length but also because inside his own party there are voices calling for only outside support to the UPA. Rural Development Minister in the outgoing Government and RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has gone on record to say that "we (RJD) should provide outside support as more time needs to be devoted to rejuvenate the party at the grassroots".

Interestingly, this comes amidst reports that considering Raghuvansh's commendable performance as the Rural Development Minister, the Congress leadership is eager to accommodate him instead of Lalu.

Meanwhile, PTI reports from Patna said the RPF security at the bungalow of the former railway minister was quietly restored on Wednesday. On Tuesday, PTI had reported that personnel deployed at the 10, Circular Road residence of Lalu were withdrawn following instructions from the RPF headquarters. When contacted, Chief Security Commissioner, East Central Railway, Neeraj Sinha said the security personnel would continue to guard the bungalow till further orders. The bungalow, where Lalu stays in Patna, is allotted in the name of his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi.

Freida Pinto is miffed at blogs and websites

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:31:00 +0000

Websites and blogs are picking up pictures from an old calendar shoot she did in 2006.

The scans of her calendar made an appearance on the net a few weeks back. They were first uploaded on a US-based celebrity blog and were later picked up by many popular blogs and sites.

After seeing the old pics, the Slumdog Millionaire actress has now asked her lawyers to take legal action against any site making these pictures more popular.

Ever since Pinto made it big, she has been marred by a series of picture and video leaks on the internet.

Apart from her ex-fiance, Rohan Antao lashing out at her and pictures of their engagement in Goa leaking online, recent images of current boyfriend Dev Patel and Freida getting cosy in Paris, also made it to the net.

There are not just images but also a music video featuring Canadian singer-song writer Dal Hothi that is popular on several blogs.

Pinto shot for the video years back when she was still a struggling model.

However, the actress is most upset over the calendar pictures and has asked her agents in Hollywood to try and get them off the web.

A source reveals, "She is doing very good for herself and doesn't want any controversies. Freida feels that people are jealous of her success and want to malign her.

Apart from getting a plum role in a Woody Allen flick, she also recently shot for Miral in Jerusalem."

No pubs for Kareena!

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:58:00 +0000

Actress Kareena Kapoor has been losing sleep... and it’s not quite over Priyanka Chopra and ex-beau Shahid Kapoor’s alleged love affair.

Or so we’re told! “What else can you expect when you’re shooting for four films simultaneously?” says a friend of the actor. Currently working at completing 3 Idiots, Kambakkht Ishq, Agent Vinod, Qurbaan and Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Bebo now prides herself in not having slept a wink for 36 hours. And, while most girls her age are going pub-hopping, Kareena is set-hopping! But, this is something that Kareena doesn’t mind. After all, her bank accounts are getting heftier, and her power yoga, diet and beau Saif seem to be giving her the energy she needs to keep going on!

Ramu can't be punished for distorting national anthem

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Director Ram Gopal Varma has irked the censor board by tampering with the national anthem for the song "Jana gana mana rann hai" in his upcoming film "Rann" which stars megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Lawyers say there is no specific law to prevent people from doing so.

"There can't be anything disparaging on the national anthem or flag or any such property. One can't play around with these things. But sadly, no legal action against any person can be taken if he or she tampers with the anthem because there is no law for it," Lalit Bhasin, president of the Society of Indian Law Firms, told IANS.

According to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, a person could be charged with a criminal offence with regard to the national anthem only if he or she "intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian national anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing".

Bhasin also said that nothing can be done to prevent Varma from using the anthem under the existing law.

Varma faced the ire of protesters and a ban on the song by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after he showcased the first look of "Rann" last week. But the filmmaker maintains it does not portray the national anthem in bad light.

"Through this song, we are talking about the (ongoing) disputes in the country but there were no intentions to ridicule anything. It's something I felt in my heart and it was my idea to place the song like this. It is based on the script of my film and I don't think there's any offence in it," Varma had said.

The promo, however, led to protesters burning effigies of Varma and Bachchan in Mumbai and Ranchi a few weeks ago.

A Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader, who was among the 100-odd protesters in Ranchi, had said: "We cannot tolerate twisting of the national song. It is dishonour of the national song and the country. We are planning to file public interest litigation in the Jharkhand High Court seeking banning of the movie."

But such acts of protest are futile, say lawyers.

"I don't see why justice is going to the roads. When there is no punishment for the act according to the law, nothing can be done about it. I have heard the song and there is no dishonour to the national anthem," said Supreme Court lawyer Pinki Anand.

"Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen. And when there is no system of law against what the filmmaker has done, no amount of people taking to the roads and agitation can help," she added.

Jayant Bhushan, a senior advocate, echoed similar sentiments and said: "Freedom of speech is important. One shouldn't be too sensitive. I don't think the filmmaker has dented the national anthem by just changing a few lines. The dignity of the national anthem is not so fragile."

Varma is now moving Supreme Court after the censor board refused permission to air the song, said producer Madhu Mantena.
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A good cause: Hrithik reaches out to AIDS affected

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Mumbai: After the first look of Kites was unveiled at Cannes Film Festival last week, Hrithik Roshan's next stop was a candlelight memorial for the AIDS affected in Mumbai. And joining him for the good cause were his wife Suzzane Roshan, actor Nandita Das and author Shobha De.

"I was in Cannes but I had to come for this function. Our film got a great response and we are positive, let's see what happens," said Hrithik.

Making his presence felt at the 26th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, Hrithik, it seemed truly believed in the cause and insisted it was for wife Suzzane who got him on board for this cause.

"Suzzane has been the most important impetus, because she said this is something she truly believes in and wanted to do. She wanted me to be a part of it," he said.

With that Hrithik put a stop to all rumours of trouble in paradise. And looked like there has been no love lost between the couple with Kites star Barbara Mori's name popping up from time to time.

When asked about the brewing controversy of Barabara and Hrithik's chemistry, Hrithik said, "Aap jo bol rahe ho kafi hain, (I don't need to add to what the media is saying, it's enough)."

Slumdog star Rubina's house demolished

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:52:00 +0000

Mumbai: After Azharuddin Mohammad, another Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali's home too was razed by civic authorities on Wednesday.

The child actor lived in Mumbai’s Bandra (East) suburb, and the construction was demolished by the local railway authorities as it was deemed illegal.

However, when Rubina's father, Rafiq Qureshi went to the police to inquire about the demolition, he was allegedly beaten up by the police. He is currently at Bhabha hospital undergoing treatment.

While the police officers on duty have denied the incident, Rubina confirms the reports.

Ironically, Rubina and other impoverished child actors from Slumdog Millionaire were promised a house by the government.

Press Trust of India had reported that a week ago, another Slumdog Millionaire actor, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail's house was razed down too.

"All the illegal encroachments on the nullah were today demolished because it needs to be widen to avoid flood-like situation during monsoons," Umashankar Mistry, H-East ward officer had told PTI on May 14.

The child actors’ houses fall on the nullah that has to be widened for better drain management.

Azharuddin had played the role of young Salim in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and Rubina had played young Latika.

With no alternative accommodation given, the families are at a loss about future action.

"The Chamdawadi nullah needs to be widen and it was important to demolish all the hutments on the nullah. Fifteen such hutments have demolished till now," Mistry told PTI.

"All the hutments that have come up post-1995 would be provided alternate accommodation only if they have proof regarding it," he said.

Earlier this month Azaruddin's house was demolished following the Bombay high court's order. The BMC that time took action against illegal encroachments on water pipelines based on a petition filed by city-based NGO Janhit Manch.

The family then took shelter in a makeshift tarpaulin home at Chamdawadi nalla opposite railway station which today again got demolished.
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Shilpa to join R&B artist Akon at IPL finale

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:47:00 +0000

Johannesburg: Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty will join American R&B sensation Akon as he sings his Grammy award winning Smack That at the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL)

at the Wanderers on Sunday night.

Organisers also said on Wednesday that Katrina Kaif will join a troupe of Indian and South African dancers led by award-winning choreographer Shiamak Davar to perform the Oscar-winning A R Rahman song Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire.

The two actors will be the only ones performing at the finale, ending widespread speculation here that a bevy of Bollywood beauties would feature at the closing ceremony.

Caribbean music legend Eddy Grant will perform the ever popular "Walking on Sunshine" and his anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Jo'anna, which became an anthem in the days when the white minority government of South Africa strictly regulated everything from music and song to social gatherings.

The five-week will end on a high note for Shilpa performance-wise, but this will be clouded by the fact that her Rajasthan Royals team have no hope of retaining their champion status from the inaugural series last year.

Other highlights on the night will include a perfectly synchronised piece featuring renowned percussionist Shivamani and a group of Indian and South African drummers.

Apart from the various musical acts, the crowd will also be introduced to the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa finalists, culminating with the crowning of the winner of the beauty competition, who will get a guided tour through Bollywood as one of her prizes.

This apart, 1,500 flying lanterns will be lit and released while a thrilling pyrotechnics show using several thousand rounds of fireworks will light up the Johannesburg skyline as final awards signal the end of an unprecedented cricket event which was keenly taken up by locals, who also opened their hearts to the thousands of Indians who came to watch the series.

Shahid Kapur signs another Yash Raj film

noreply@blogger.com (jdpatel) — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:29:00 +0000

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur seems to have become Yash Raj Films' (YRF) favourite. His first venture with the production giant is yet to hit the screens, but the actor has already signed another film with the banner.

Shahid's first film with YRF is being directed by Anurag Singh. He has teamed up with Rani Mukerji in the film, which was earlier titled "Hadippa", which is said to be about cricket.

The second project that Shahid has been signed up for will be actor Parmeet Sethi's directorial debut and he teams up with Anushka Sharma of "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" fame.

"The Yash Raj camp sees Shahid as the classic romantic hero who has the potential to turn on the sexy or rugged vibe when required," said a source close to the actor.