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| Newcomers to enrich flavour of the
season in Bollywood NEW DELHI, May 27: Perhaps it was inevitable, with star power and charisma failing to enthuse the cinegoers,......more Discrimination prevents nation’s progress: Raj LUCKNOW, May 27: The country cannot progress as along as caste-based discrimination prevailed in the society, Udit Raj, Chairman of the .....more Dumka bypolls likely to be triangular RANCHI, May 27:The countdown to the bypolls to the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency of Jharkhand...more Its not "Phool Ki Seaj" but relief camp for the newly wed GURDASPUR, May 27: The newly wed couple Sohan Lal and Asha Rani were denied "Phool Ki.....more Metro rail to incorporate futuristic technology NEW DELHI, May 27: Come December, when the first metro train in the capital would ...more |
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KOLKATA, May 27:At least 46 persons, including eight women and four children, .....more 9 NDFB militants killed, huge cache of arms recovered GUWAHATI, May 27:Nine NDFB militants were killed and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered ......more Govt seeks views of parties on NJC NEW DELHI, May 27: To erase the controversy over a proposal to set up National Judicial Commission with powers to appoint ....more Sonia has picked up in politics: Basu BANGALORE, May 27: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has picked up in politics and has ....more Approval granted for Machak extension canal extension BHOPAL, May 27:The Progress Review Committee for Water Resources Department has granted administrative ....more |
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2 more bodies found, Magisterial probe ordered into fire ......... Approval granted for Machak extension canal extension ......
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| Newcomers
to enrich flavour of the season in Bollywood NEW DELHI, May 27: Perhaps it was inevitable, with star power and charisma failing to enthuse the cinegoers, and hardly any film becoming a box office success. More and more films in the past few months have attempted to introduce new and younger talent in the hope of cashing in on the jet set which comes to see films today. In fact, the problem appears to have been highlighted by the fact that some renowned performers and filmmakers have come a cropper on the ticket window. Charismatic stars like Amitabh Bachchan (‘Aks and ‘Aankhen’), Shahrukh Khan (‘Asoka’), Salman Khan (‘Tumko Na Bhool Payenge’), Govinda (‘Aamdani Athanni Kharcha Rupiya’ and ‘Pyar Diwana Hota Hai’), Sunny Deol (‘Indian’ and ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’), Amisha Patel (‘Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar’, ‘Kya Yahi Pyar Hai’ and ‘Kranti’), and Hrithik Roshan (‘Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage’ and ‘Na Tum Jaano Na Hum’) have crashed at the box office. Perhaps one fact that reinforced the trend is the success this year - albeit moderate - of some low-budget ventures featuring newcomers: Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Raaz’ (featuring one-film-old Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu), Kuku Kohli’s ‘Yeh Dil Ashiquana’ (starring rank newcomers Karan Nath and Jividha), N Chandra’s ‘Style’ (Sharman Joshi, Sahil Khan and Riya Sen), Mani Shankar’s ‘16 December (Milind Soman and newcomer Dippanita Sharma), and Raj Kanwar’s ‘Ab Ke Baras’ with Arya Babbar and Amrita Rao. This appears to have emphasised that audiences can be wooed by the story and its presentation rather than star power. Even a film like Vasant Chheda’s Danger which failed at the boxoffice attracted attention for the cameos by Tara Deshpande, Jas Arora and Gautam Kapoor. Expectedly, the bollywood horizon is dotted with films featuring a large number of newcomers - Tanuja Chandra’s ‘Sur’ featuring Gauri Karnik with singer-turned-actor Lucky Ali (also appearing in ‘Kaante’), D Rama Naidu’s ‘Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Ham Kahen’ with Richa Pallod opposite Fardeen Khan, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Paanch’ starring Tejaswini Kolhapure, ‘Wah Tera Kya Kehna’ starring Priti Jhangiani, ‘Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar’ with Jimmy Shergill, Sunil Shetty’s untitled film with cricketer-turned-actor Ajay Jadeja, Raman Kumar’s ‘Wah Wah Ramji’ starring Amar Upadhaya, Rahul Rawail’s ‘Is Pyar Ko Kya Naam Den’ featuring John Abrahim and Akanksha Malhotra, Mahesh Manjrekar’s ‘Pran Jaye Par Chawl Na Jaye’ with Aman Verma, and debutante Juhi Babbar with singer-turned-actor Sonu Nigam in Kaash Aap Hamare Hote. Even the veteran Yash Chopra in his ‘Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai’ (a Desi version of ‘My best friend’s wedding’) has opted for newcomers Jimmy Shergill, Tulip Joshi (name changed to Sanjana) and Bipasha Basu , apart from his younger son Uday Chopra. The film is being directed by Sanjay Gadhvi, a debutante director whose earlier directed Tere Liye did not even get a theatre release. Even the music is composed by the newcomer-duo Jeet-Pritam. Industry insiders also claim that the trend of more and more filmmakers casting newcomers is in keeping with the increasing corporatisation of filmmaking in bollywood. The magic mantra in the new scenario seems to be youth, presentation and marketing - with filmmakers paying more attention to a film’s story, characterisation and its pre-release publicity. Why cast established stars if the script demands fresh faces asked producer T P Aggarwal at a press meet here recently, noting that there was hardly any established star who could boast of having given hits consistently. Aggarwal s recently-released film ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’ featured newcomers Rinku Ghosh and Vikramaditya. Casting newcomers in a film also helps to complete the film in time and in limited budgets, apart from giving the film a fresh look, according to filmmaker Vashu Bhagnani, who has cast several newcomers in films like Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein and ‘Diwanapan’. Model-turned-actor Dino Morea attributes the entry of new stars to the fact that "today’s audience wants to see new faces and is tired of seeing the same old faces." He adds that "in any case, it is up to a director to extract a good performance out of an actor." (UNI) |
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Discrimination prevents nation’s progress: Raj LUCKNOW, May 27: The country cannot progress as along as caste-based discrimination prevailed in the society, Udit Raj, Chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, said today. "The nation cannot progress as long as caste-based discrimination continues," Udit Raj said here. Making a scathing attack on those indulging in politics in the name of B R Ambedkar, he said such people had deviated from Ambedkar’s ideals for political gains. He also criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for opposing the candidature of K R Narayanan for the presidential election. "Mayawati’s opposition to Narayanan’s candidature is reflective of her anti-Dalit attitude," Udit Raj said. He claimed neither the BSP supremo Kanshi Ram nor the Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan ever fought for the rights of the Dalits. Raj said his organisation was "seriously considering to jump into the political arena to safeguard" rights of the Dalits. Stressing the need for Dalit-Muslim unity, he alleged that the recent communal riots in Gujarat were "engineered by the Brahminical forces." He claimed that thousands of dalits embraced Buddhism at a ‘Diksha ceremony’ held on the banks of Gomti River yesterday on the occasion of Buddha Purnima to protest the age old caste discrimination in the country. (PTI) |
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Dumka bypolls likely to be triangular RANCHI, May 27:The countdown to the bypolls to the Dumka Lok Sabha constituency of Jharkhand has begun with the battle of ballot taking a triangular turn. With the contest confined to three main candidates, over one million electorate would exercise their franchise for the first time since the creation of Jharkhand as a separate state. Altogether 13 candidates are in the fray for this prestigeous tribal reserved seat for which polls would be held on May 31 with ruling BJP’s Ramesh Hembrom pitted against JMM’s veteran war horse Shibu Soren and Congress candidate Simon Marandi. If the BJP has to its advantage the divided opposition, the Congress is likely to get the active support from RJD. Development, which holds the key to success in Dumka, has overshadowed all other issues, including the fielding of turncoats by two major political parties—the BJP and the Congress—and the presence of an "outsider", Mr Simon Marandi. Chief Minister Babulal Marandi is on a hectic electioneering for his party nominee Ramesh Hembrom while the Congress has brought in senior leaders like Oscar Fernandes and Chattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi to woo the voters. The Congress, which fielded former JMM Vice-President Simon Marandi, has gradually made its presence felt in the constituency particularly in the urban areas. He represented the neighbouring Rajmahal parliamentary constituency in the past. Being a Christian, Mr Simon Marandi is likely to get the support of over 0.15 million minorities besides over 0.12 million ‘Yadav’ voters. If the BJP is banking on the votes of the dominant Santhali tribals and the general caste, its arch rival—the JMM—is expecting the support of .39 million tribals and 50,000 scheduled caste. Braving the summer heat, a horde of senior leaders belonging to different political parties have campaigned actively. RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav is also likely to join the trail for the Congress candidate. Prominent among those who have campaigned for BJP’s Ramesh Hembrom are star-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha and journalist-turned-Rajya Sabha member Ajay Maroo. For the Congress, attempts to mobilise electors were made by AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Chattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and state party chief Pradeep Balmuchu. JMM’s star campaigner Shibu Soren, also one of the candidates, is on a whirlwind tour of the constituency, recalling his contribution towards the creation of Jharkhand and highlighting the failures of the present Government. However, his recent election to the Rajya Sabha with the NDA’s support, has come in the way of his smooth sail at the hustings. Mr Soren is being lambasted by his poltitical detractors for contesting the bypolls inspite of being a Rajya Sabha member. They allegd that he was trying to clear his debt by helping the BJP retain the seat. The Dumka seat, which had remained a traditional bastion of the JMM since 1980, was won by the Congress in 1984 and twice by the BJP in 1998 and 1999. (UNI) |
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9 NDFB militants killed, huge cache of arms recovered GUWAHATI, May 27:Nine NDFB militants were killed and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered during a joint operation by the police and army in Assam’s Dhubri district today, police said. Acting on specific information, Army and police launched an operation in the Mahamaya forest at Bongsijara and Harjora areas to flush out the militants. Nine militants were killed during the operation which lasted for a few hours while the other ultras camping in the area escaped. A large cache of arms- including AK-47, four AK-56, five AK-47 rifles- AK-56 and 47 magazines, 240 rounds of ammunition, large quantities of polythene sheets, Army fatigue, medicines and documents were recovered. Combing operation was continuing with senior district and police officials camping in the area. Security has been further tightened in the sensitive border district, the police added. (PTI) |
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Govt seeks views of parties on NJC NEW DELHI, May 27: To erase the controversy over a proposal to set up National Judicial Commission with powers to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the Centre has initiated a process for evolving a consensus by seeking the views of all political parties on the issue. Ahead of preparing a draft bill for constituting njc chaired by the Chief Justice of India as per the recent recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), Law Minister Arun Jaitley has written letters to all political parties and Chief Ministers seeking their view on the issue. "Since the proposal for setting up a NJC would involve amendments to the Constitution of India, it is necessary that Government moves in the matter with a consensus proposal. May I request you to communicate the views of your party so that consensus proposal could be presented before Parliament," Jaitley said in his letter. Government, after receiving the views, would prepare a bill and is likely to place it before Parliament during the coming monsoon session, Law Ministry sources said. At present, the appointments of the judges of the Supreme Court of India and also Chief Justices and Judges of the High Courts are made in accordance with the recommendations of a collegium of judges headed by the Chief Justice of India. The primacy of these appointments has been assigned to the Chief Justice of India by majority judgement of the apex court pronounced on October 6, 1993. Jailtey in his letter said "the Government is committed to the setting up of a NJC which would make recommendations for appointment of judges of the Supreme Court of India and High Courts as also draw up a code of ethics." The first step for setting up of NJC was initiated way back in 1990 when the centre had introduced a bill in Lok Sabha in line with the 121st report of the Law Commission but the same could not be taken to its logical consequences due to dissolution of Lok Sabha in 1991. The Law Minister’s letter said "during the last few years, the need for changing the present system has been articulated in and outside Parliament. "In Parliament, questions have been raised and a private member’s bill seeking to establish a NJC has been debated. Outside the Parliament, objections to the present system have been raised on the ground that the procedure, on a matter of principle, cannot be accepted as the country is wedded to the rule of law and people’s power," it said. The CRC felt that instead of judiciary alone recommending the appointment of judges, "it would be worthwhile to have a participatory mode with the participation of both the executive and the judiciary in making such recommendations". On NJC’s composition, the CRC suggested that it would be a five-member commission including the Chairman Chief Justice of India. The four members would be two senior-most judges of the apex court, Union Law Minister and one eminent person nominated by the President after consulting the Chief Justice of India. (PTI)
Sonia has picked up in politics: Basu BANGALORE, May 27: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has picked up in politics and has a better understanding of things than before but unless the party listens to self-criticism, especially on its economic policies, it would not advance, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said today. "I think she (Gandhi) has picked up in politics. She has better understanding than what she had earlier", Basu responded when asked if he thought the Congress president has become a matured leader now. "She has changed a lot". When he met her last time, he asked her as to what is happening in the Congress, she replied with a smile: "You know better as to what is happening in the congress than I do". Basu said he suggested to the Congress to build a core leadership. Basu, who was addressing a meet-the-press organised by the Press Club of Bangalore, was, however, critical of the Congress stand after the Vajpayee Government fell by just one vote, that it would form a Government of its own. Referring to a recent statement of a senior leader of the Congress that the party is not averse to a coalition Government at the centre, Basu said it is obvious that any Government formed in Delhi would have to be a coalition one. He observed that Congress had "surrendered to communalism" but said party is not communal. He said unless the Congress is self-critical, it would not advance. (PTI) Approval granted for Machak extension canal extension BHOPAL, May 27:The Progress Review Committee for Water Resources Department has granted administrative approval to "Machak Extension Canal" for extending the left bank canal of Tawa project in Khidkiya tehsil of Harda district in Madhya Pradesh. State Chief Secretary A V Singh chaired the meeting of the Progress Review Committee of Water Resources Department here yesterday which approved the extension canal, estimated to cost Rs 55.28 crore, an official release said here today. The committee also finalised tender pre-qualification norm for strengthening and modernisation of the left bank canal of Tawa project. This work will involve an expenditure of Rs 13 crore. The committee in another decision sanctioned survey work of "Bina joint project "which is estimated to cost about Rs 4 crore. "Machak Extension Canal" on completion will bring 14,000 hectare area of 60 villages in Khidkiya tehsil under irrigation. The rantionale for this extension canal is that the demand of water from the Command Area of Tawa reservoir during kharif season is small, which results in considerable under utilisation of water, the release said adding, the extension of canal will ensure proper utilisation of water stored in Tawa reservoir. The modernisation and strengthening of the left bank main canal are being taken up for arresting wastage of water via seepage and for carrying to the extension canal, the release added. Bina joint project in Sagar district is proposed in two stages. "Madiya dam" on Bina river and "Chakrapur "are proposed in the first phase, creating irrigation facility in 60,500 hectare. The second phase of the project envisages construciton of Hhardua pick-up wear, Dhasan diversion scheme and a dam on Kkuri Nullah. The second phase would irrigate 37,000 hectare. The committee also directed to assess the potential of 30 mw power generation under the project. The committee also laid down the tender pre-qualification norms for the execution of two aquaducts on the right bank canal of bansagar project. These works are estimated to cost Rs 3 crore, the release said. The right bank canal of Bansagar Project is being taken up as a "fast track scheme" under accelerated irrigation benefit programme of the Government of India, with the objective of completing the canal at the earliest, the release added.(PTI) |
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