International
Film Festival of India may be postponed
Bangalore : The
International Film Festival of India, scheduled to begin in Bangalore
on October 11, may be postponed as international air travel is being looked
upon with trepidation. The Karnataka Cabinet decided to urge New Delhi to
postpone the festival as the state is facing its worst drought in three
decades. A minister said : "Air travel all over the world has been affected
and one should not expect too many film personalities to take the chance of
travelling all the way here."
President
and Prime Minister congratulate Mira Nair for winning Golden Lion award
New Delhi : The
President, K R Narayanan, and the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee,
congratulated Mira Nair for winning the Golden Lion.
Mira Nair's vision of an elaborate wedding in India (Monsoon
Wedding), won top honours at the Venice Film Festival with the Golden
Lion award for best film.
The President said : "Her achievement is a pleasure for Indians and an
honour for the Indian film industry". The Prime Minister said : "The
award proves that Indian cinema is second to none in the world".
"It's unbelievable", said an ecstatic director Mira Nair summing up her
feelings on her latest venture Monsoon Wedding, a story
detailing the drama of Punjabi marriage, winning the prestigious
Golden Lion award.
"It has not yet sunk in. It is a matter of great pride for the country
and for me and my entire team which made the film," said Nair who is
the first woman director to win the coveted honour.
L'Emploi du Temps (The Use of Time), by French director
Laurent Cantet, a true story of a man who resorts to murder to keep alive
a fictitious life he has created for himself, won the night's second
Golden Lion in a new competition category of Cinema of
the Present.
Monsoon Wedding, which was a favorite at the Cannes Film
Festival and also Venice, was shot in a month using hand-held cameras and
depicts a colorful and musical wedding in India's Punjab state.
"This one is for India, my beloved India, my continuing inspiration,"
Nair told the audience as she held the small Golden Lion statuette. She
called the film "nothing but a testament to life".
The maker of films like Salaam Bombay and Kamasutra,
Nair said she got the idea of Monsoon Wedding, along with
its story writer Sabrina Dhawan, from sequences of Punjabi wedding shown
in various Hindi films.
Nair said there had been no movie made on Punjabi marriages although
there were films based on family drama. The director said their main idea
behind Monsoon Wedding was to reflect contemporary and modern
India in the light of globalisation taking place there.
Nair said she had not expected any big award at the festival. "I expected
nothing from the movie. I just wanted to make a small thing. I am so happy
it has become big."
Shiv
Sena demands immediate ban on film "Lajja"
New Delhi : The
New Delhi faction of the Shiv Sena demanded an immediate ban on
the film "Lajja". They said that it has insulted
the religious sentiments of Hindus. The Party's Delhi President,
Jai Bhagwan Goel, said : "The film should be banned immediately,
failing which the Shiv Sainiks will enforce the ban in their own
way." He said the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Sushma
Swaraj, should take steps to stop the screening of the movie, in
which the "great character" of the Hindu Goddess Sita has been
"insulted".
BJP
workers burn an effigy of filmmaker Rajkumar and posters of actress Madhuri to express their protest
Bhopal : A group
of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) workers burnt an effigy of the
Bollywood filmmaker, Rajkumar Santoshi, and posters of the film actress,
Madhuri Dixit, to express their protest against what they described as
"objectionable dialogues" against Hindu gods and goddesses in Santoshi's
latest movie "Lajja".
According to BJP workers, Madhuri's posters were burnt because the
"objectionable dialogues" against Hindu gods and goddesses were uttered
by her in the movie.
"Lajja" is also being screened at the local Sangam cinema
hall, but no demonstration was held there. This is the second time this year
that a demonstration against a Hindi film has been staged in the city.
Amitabh
Bachchan will be honoured with "actor of the century" award
Dubai : Indian
superstar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the "actor of the
century" award at the Alexandria international film festival in Egypt in
recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema.
Amitabh will be given the award at the concluding ceremony of the
festival to be held in the historic city from September 5-10. Jaya Bachchan
is the president of the jury of the festival. She said the festival will
largely screen films from the Mediterranean region. In all, 18 films will
be participating in the festival, the largest representation being from
France and Italy.
Jaya said : "There were cultural commonalties between India and Egypt,
which would help in understanding the themes of the participating films
better."
On a question regarding the dominance of American films that threatened
regional cinema including Indian cinema, Jaya said there was no threat to
Indian and Egyptian cinema as the countries had a rich historical and
cultural heritage of their own.
Rangmahal
Theatre destroyed in a fire
Kolkata : Rangmahal
Theatre was destroyed in a fire here. The caretaker and two employees
of the theatre were arrested. The flames turned to ashes the auditorium
and the Kolkata's first revolving stage. There was no casualty. Police and
Fire Brigade personnel say a short circuit sparked the flames.
On the other hand, a committee of Kolkata police had inspected seven
to eight cinema halls in the city. Among them four in central and north
Kolkata have been issued show-cause notices as the "overall amenities,
including safety" were found unsatisfactory. The notices are to be answered
within 15 days.
Sivaji
Ganesan laid to rest at Besant Nagar crematorium in Chennai
Chennai : The film
star Sivaji Ganesan was laid to rest at the Besant Nagar crematorium
in Chennai. Thousands of people thronged Sivaji Ganesan's residence in the
city to pay their last respects to the thespian. Dada Saheb Phalke
awardee Sivaji Ganesan (74) died of a heart ailment on Saturday. The
veteran Tamil actor is survived by his wife, two son and two daughters.
Ganesan was born in 1927 in Nellipkuppam hamlet near Villupuram in north
Tamil Nadu around the time when his father, Chinnaya Manrayar, was actively
involved in the nationalist movement.
The 74-year-old actor's funeral procession began from his residence in
T Nagar and wound through Chennai's streets bringing the city's teeming
traffic to a grinding halt. People gathered all along the streets of Chennai
to bid farewell to an actor who was considered second only to former Chief
Minister M G Ramachandran. Sivaji's body was mounted on a floral carriage.
Bollywood
actor Salman and six others charged in yet another case of poaching protected wild life
Jodhpur : The
Bollywood actor Salman Khan and six others have been charged in yet
another case of poaching protected wild life. The Chief Judicial Magistrate
of a local court, S K Mathur, read out the charges, relating to alleged
killing of chinkara in 1998, to the main accused Salman and others,
personally present in the court.
The accused denied the charges and said they will contest them in the
trial. The case will come up for hearing on September 22.
Bollywood
financier Bharat Shah admits Hospital
Mumbai : The
bollywood financier, Bharat Shah, admitted to Lilavati hospital for
an angiogram test. Shah also is a famous diamond merchant. He was
brought to the hospital amidst tight security. He had earlier refused
to undergo angiogram test on the ground that the government-owned J J
hospital was not well-equipped. A special court had accepted his plea
to undergo angiogram test in a private hospital.
Bharat Shah had been booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised
Crime Act for his alleged links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel.
Police claim to have recorded telephonic conversations between them
which revealed the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was
financed by the underworld.
Maharashtra
government refuses to ban "Gadar
Mumbai : The
Maharashtra government refused to ban the film "Gadar - Ek
Prem Katha. On the demand for a ban on the film by certain
religious groups and Janata Dal (S), the Maharashtra chief minister,
Vilasrao Deshmukh, told that the government has no authority to do so.
As the sporadic protest against "Gadar reached Mumbai,
police have been kept on alert. The joint commissioner, Y C Pawar, has
asked all police stations to tighten vigil. The alert followed a protest
note to the chief minister by the Muslim League's Mumbai unit demanding a
ban on "Gadar within 48 hours.
District
administration rejects demand for banning screening of Dardar in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal : The
district administration has rejected the demand for banning the screening
of the controversial Hindi film Dardar in the State capital.
The decision follows a special show of the film for representatives of
different religions, eminent public personalities and media persons, who,
it is said, felt that there was no objectionable scene in the film. District
Superintendent of Police Arun Pratap Singh said several Muslim brethren,
including Mohammedan festival committee president Shahmiri Khurram, who
were present during the show, unanimously expressed the view that there
was nothing in the film which hurt religious sentiments of a particular
community.
Indian
film, Dattak, is likely to win top laurels, says Hema Malini
Beijing : The
chairperson of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and
leading film personality, Hema Malini, said the Indian film,
Dattak (The Adopted) is likely to win top laurels
in the competition section of the fifth Shanghai International Film
Festival (SIFF). The film was produced by NFDC. Dattak has
been directed by Gul Bahar Singh. Its cast includes Rajit Kapur, A K Hangal,
Anjan Srivastav and Kritika Desai. The film was screened on Thursday at the
SIFF. She said : "The Chinese people seemed to have liked it and we received
rave reviews." A four-member Indian delegation led by Hema Malini is
attending the SIFF and is keen to promote Indian filin China.
Nandita
doing Mani Rathnam's new Tamil film
Mumbai : Indian film
actress Nandita Das has done films in several regional languages
including Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada and Oriya. She is now doing India's
celluloid geniuses, Mani Rathnam's new Tamil film.
Nandita flew to Chennai from Mumbai for a meeting with Rathnam and the
deal was struck at the end of the discussion. Nandita said : "That's right,
I am doing Mani Rathnam's new Tamil film. But it isn't the romantic lead. I
have a very powerful character to play, and I'm looking forward to the
experience."
Rathnam earlier cast Tabu and Aishwarya Rai in his political Tamil
film Iruvar, Manisha Koirala in Tamil-Hindi
Bombay, and Manisha-Shah Rukh Khan in Rathnam's first Hindi
venture Dil Se.
Film
actor Fardeen Khan released on personal bond of Rs 20,000 by special court
Mumbai : The Film
actor, Fardeen Khan, son of actor-producer Feroze Khan, was on
Thursday released on bail on a personal bond of Rs 20,000 by a special court.
Fardeen Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday.
Special judge M S Keny also asked Fardeen to deposit his passport and report
to the NCB office everyday till May 18. He was not produced in the court.
Film-star
Fardeen Khan remanded to NCB's custody till May 18
Mumbai : The Film
actor Fardeen Khan and drug traffickers Nasir Abdul Karim Shaikh and
Tony Gomes were remanded to NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) custody till
May 18. Fardeen's bail petition has been listed for hearing on tomorrow. The
NCB is reportedly also keeping a close watch on at least six other Hindi
film stars suspected of drug abuse.
On Saturday, Fardeen Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau
in Mumbai for illegal possession of drugs. The Pyaar Tune Kya
Kiya... star Fardeen Khan is the son of veteran film-star
and producer Feroze Khan and Hrithik Roshan's brother-in-law. Fardeen Khan
was caught with a peddlar in the suburbs and had cocaine on him.
Noted film-maker Feroze Khan said his son actor Fardeen Khan, was not
an addict but had taken the contraband drug "three or four times" to get
relief from stress. Feroze Khan said : "It is a case of consumption and not
possession."
Vinod
Kambli agree to play in movie Anarth
Mumbai : Former
Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli is set to make their Bollywood debut
soon. Actor Sunil Shetty said there was a good role for Vinod Kambli in
a movie Anarth, to be directed by Ravi Dewan. He said :
"As I am acting in the film, I asked Kambli if he was interested in the
role and he agreed." Shetty said Kambli was a very talented guy and a very
good singer too.
Bryan
Adams will perform in India in May
Bangalore : The
Canadian rock star, Bryan Adams, will perform two live shows in India.
Adams, who made the hit album, "18 Till I die," is now 41 and his first
tour show on May 4 will mark Bangalore's second big rock show in less
than five weeks. Adams will play on May 6 at Bombay's N S E grounds,
officials of the sponsor, Internet-based financial services firm Home
Trade Ltd, said.
Local
court frames charges against bollywood actor Salman Khan
Jodhpur : A local
court framed charges against bollywood actor Salman Khan and others
for poaching protected wild animals more than two years after they were
booked for the alleged offence. The bollywood actor was booked on the
charges of poaching protected animals and carrying illegal arms in October
1998 when he was shooting for Rajshri Production's
"Hum Saath Saath Hain".
Tamil
actress Devayani marry Rajakumaran
Chennai : Popular
Tamil film actress Devayani married a director, Rajakumaran,
at the famous Murugan temple in Tiruthani, about 100 km from here. The
marriage took place as per Hindu traditions, the temple sources further
said. Earlier, Devayani's parents had preferred a police complaint that
she was "missing from the house".
Devayani shot into fame through the Tamil film "Kalluri Vaasal".
She had played a prominent role in "Vinnukkum Mannukkum",
directed by Rajakumaran.
Noted
Hindi litterateur Savitri Parmar passes away
Jaipur : Noted
Hindi litterateur Savitri Parmar passed away here following a
prolonged illness. She was 72. Parmar had authored over 15 collections
of short stories and poetry. He was a recipient of Rajasthan Sahitya
Academy's Meera Award and Rajasthan Patrika's Creative Award.
Actor
Soumitra Chatterjee also rejects special jury award
Kolkata : Following
in the footsteps of film-maker, Gautam Ghosh, actor Soumitra
Chatterjee spurned the special jury award for his role of a blind poet in
the film Dekha. Earlier Gautam Ghosh refused the national
award for the best Bengali film Dekha.
Actor Soumitra said : "For me the award is meaningless and I don't
believe in portraying characters for getting awards. It is the appreciation
of the people which counts."
Eminent
film-maker Gautam Ghosh decides to return national award
Kolkata : Eminent
film-maker, Gautam Ghosh, has decided to return the national award
for the best Bengali film won by his recent film, Dekha,
citing the resignation of three jury members and "other unfortunate
developments". Ghosh said : "This year's National Film Award has become
farcical with reports of rigged results in a section of the press indicating
that the names of some winners had been decided even before the official
declaration. I don't want my film to be clubbed with an award tainted with
controversies."
On Tuesday, the ministry of information and broadcasting named
Dekha as the best Bengali regional movie. It was directed by
Ghosh, who is the former chairman of the jury which selects the awards.
Ghosh said : "I will not accept any award where the selection process is
rigged."
The prestigious national film awards, given away by India's Information
and Broadcasting Ministry, has sparked a bitter row with three jury members
quitting the 17-member panel, saying some of winners did not merit the
prizes.
Film
actress Sonali Bendre arrested for objectionable pose on a magazine cover
Mumbai : Film
actress Sonali Bendre was arrested for posing semi-nude on a cover
page of a magazine in a dress which allegedly hurt the religious sentiments
of the people. She was arrested along with her dress designer, Ashali
Charles Rebello, and photographer, Amit Shanta Kumar Ashar. Later she was
released on bail by a local court in a case filed against her for allegedly
hurting the religious sentiments of people by appearing in an "objectionable"
pose on a magazine cover.
Film actress Sonali Bendre was produced before Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Usha Iyer who released her and two other accused on
bail on a personal bond of Rs. 12,000 with one surety each. The trio were
charged with Section 295 A IPC which deals with deliberate and malicious
acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class.
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