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Media creating hype, losing perspective: Amol Palekar (INTERVIEW)
By Arpana, 

New Delhi, April 2   A seasoned actor, innovative filmmaker and a veteran theatre personality, Amol Palekar, takes pride in juggling his many roles and says he doesn't like to pick up any as favourite.

And, as a seasoned media watcher, he thinks that the media, particularly TV, is unnecessarily creating hype and losing perspective.

"If I can do both theatre and films or many more things at the same time, why not? And I have been fortunate to do that. I'm not going to reject one for the other," Amol told IANS in an interview.

Very few know that Amol is an adept painter as well.

"You must be familiar with M.F. Husian. Whenever he meets me, he asks me about my painting and not about films and theatre."

Amol, who immortalised the middle-class youth of the early 70s in films like "Rajnigandha", "Chhoti Si Baat", "Chitchor" and "Golmaal", has, sadly, stopped acting.

Ask him what was keeping him away from the silver screen, Amol said jovially: "I always say that its nice to hear, 'Why don't we see you', rather than listening to 'Why the hell do I see you'. So, I guess it is better to be missed."

He may not be visible on the big screen, but off-screen he is very active with his filmmaking and his latest creation is "Thaang" (Quest).

However, what keeps him on his toes is his passion for theatre.

An alumna of J.J. School of Art, Amol started with the Marathi experimental stage with Satyadev Dubey and later in 1972 formed his own group Aniket. He introduced Theatre of the Absurd in Maharashtra and a street theatre-inspired mode of staging plays. He recently organised a theatre festival in Maharashtra.

"We had Ratan Thiyam to come and do complete retrospective of his plays. He performed in the Manipuri language, which the audience did not understand, yet it was a packed houses because Ratan's work is vibrating and exciting. People find it exciting because they experience something which they have never seen before... This is the kind of passion and this is the kind of response for theatre in Maharashtra."

Commenting upon the Indian theatre scene, he said: "When one talks of theatre in India, it's too vague a thing to talk about... because there are states where theatre is extremely lively... like Maharashtra, the state I belong to, or West Bengal. So, if you see the theatre there, it is an essential part of your life and keeps growing, youngsters keep doing different kind of experimentation.

"But if you look at states which have no tradition of theatre, you will be disappointed."

Amol feels Indian theatre is as exciting as Western.

"If you see what renowned theatre personality Ratan Thiyam performs, it is as exciting, as innovative as anything done anywhere in the world.

"Our country has the tremendous strength of being different and diverse and yet being one... The same kind of unity and diversity is visible in theatre."

Amol was very critical of the media.

"There are certain sports which are hyped much beyond a logical explanation, and there are certain sports and players like Vishwanathan Anand, Geet Sethi - they don't get the kind of hype which cricketers get. Even in cricket, women's cricket doesn't get the same kind of attentions. So, it is time that all of us should look at this and have a proper perspective.

"All I'm saying is that it is for the media to realise the kind of hype they are creating, whether they themselves are falling prey to it. Do you think it is realistically possible for every channel to have exclusive stories? No, because the story is the same. What is the perspective you give to that story is the exclusivity. But we are losing this perspective and all of us need to have a look at so-called hype... I think we have forgotten to read between the lines."

He also feels saddened by the ignorance of the new generation.

"Just the other day I was in JJ School Of Arts. It has completed 150 years and there were lots of celebrations and I was also invited.

"Someone asked me about the college, I said that this institution has given so much and I think I'm extremely fortunate to be taught by such stalwarts. I rattled off names like - Shankar Palshikar, Sambhaji Kadam and Baburao Sadavelkar. I also said that outside the college I was fortunate enough to have K.H. Ara (painter) who gave me so much love and affection.

"But these names didn't mean anything to that person. It's really sad."
   

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Bollywood to do away with movie premieres?
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, April 2   Is Bollywood on the verge of doing away with the grand and glamorous film premieres? Yash Raj Films, who lead the production parade, have shown the way. No premieres for their films.

Last week another biggie, Vipul Shah's "Namastey London", opened without a premiere. He says there's a bigger reason why premieres are falling out of favour. "On Thursday night itself negative comments are spread by vested interests, thereby endangering the film's fate," Shah told IANS.

And if the premiere for Mira Nair's "The Namesake" was a starry affair it was only because father and son Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan came down for a short while especially from Karjat where they were shooting the "Mehbooba o mehbooba" song for "Sholay", though they had seen the film earlier.

The stars from "The Namesake", Tabu and Irffan Khan, were there but Kal Penn, who plays the title role, didn't make the effort.

"It's just that Amitabh is generous enough to attend other people's premieres. Of course, he's in Nair's next film. But he'd have come otherwise too - I'm sure of that. But Abhishek's presence was a surprise, considering he and Nair had parted ways acrimoniously after Abhishek had said no to Kal Penn's role in 'The Namesake'," said a young director.

"Having said that, I must add that premieres are gradually becoming an exercise in futility," he added.

Interestingly, Nair herself came only for the first 40 minutes of her film's premiere. "I had some serious editing work to do," she explained.

Shah agrees that premieres are becoming a thing of the past. "Nobody from the industry is magnanimous enough to come for other people's premieres and I'm not big enough to ask. So I decided to release my new film without a premiere. It's the Friday that decides a film's fate, not the Thursday.

"I could've asked Amitabh to attend my premiere and then the expenses involved for the premiere would've been worth it. But it seemed cruel to ask him to come all the way from Karjat just to attend a premiere. Since Amitabh doesn't say no people take advantage. I didn't want to be one of them."

Are premieres becoming defunct?

"They serve no purpose. The responses are as meaningless as the empty kisses that the guests blow at each other," said Karan Johar, who released his last film "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" without a premiere.
 

New house, new serial - Amna is on the move

By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, April 2   Amna Sharif, one of the most beautiful stars on the small screen, has moved to a new house, which is next to Oberoi Skyhigh in the Meghdoot Towers building in Mumbai.

"I'm busy doing it up right now. I appointed an interior decorator but most of the work was done by me. My family and I have shifted into the new place though the work isn't complete yet. It's a huge house. But it doesn't feel like home as yet. My room is much too glamorous," Amna told IANS.

The actress, who became a popular as Kashish of "Kahiin To Hoga", has a family house in Bandra.

"But I always wanted a place of my own. I'm a very self-dependent person. To have a place of my own gives me great deal of satisfaction."

She's weary of scandals and controversies.

"I don't like talking too much to the press. It takes away from people's curiosity about you? I'd rather let my work prove my worth. I hate being written about. If every day there was a story about Amna doing this or that, why would people be interested in watching me?"

Amna comes from a very conservative Muslim family.

"My folks were totally against my career. But from childhood I was fond of dancing and acting. I was a big fan of Madhuri Dixit. I made a tape of my dances. Though I knew my family would oppose it, I had to follow the call of my heart."

Initially, Amna worked in a boutique.

"For a while I was into designing. Eventually I got around to modelling. It took me a year to convince my mother. Even today I know my dad wouldn't have approved if he was around. But I know I'd never do anything to shame my family.

"My mother let me do one ad film. I was thrilled because I was paid what I felt was a fortune - Rs.25,000. After that there was no stopping me. I did a lot of ads and music videos. Finally, Ekta Kapoor offered me 'Kahiin To Hoga'."

Amna is one of those rare TV actors who had resisted the temptation of working in more than one serial. She's not too happy with the erratic schedules on television.

"I'm constantly fighting the clock. The way of working isn't quite what I had hoped for. But I'm not complaining. I don't blame anyone except the actors. I think television actors have become big now. They need to project themselves accordingly."

Still, she's doesn't want to work in films.

"If I do a film, it has to be bigger than my character in 'Kahiin To Hoga'. I can't just play a Christmas tree. It has to be a performance-oriented film. I don't mind facing the camera without make-up, though I'm very particular about my looks and presentation in my serial."

Amna is known for glamorous self-projection.

"I take a great deal of trouble over my looks. The first thing I do on the sets is to organise my look and costumes for the scenes. It has paid off. Everyone comments on my looks."

She's now doing another serial, "Hum Do Hamare Do", with her "Kahiin To Hoga" co-star Rajiv Khandelwal.

"Frankly, at this stage of my life I don't want to do another daily. Now I need to move ahead. I've made sure I do a lot of things other than the soaps. I do a lot of live shows. I keep on experimenting."

She's not perturbed about the fact that she's become a popular pair with Rajiv.

"I don't think it ever bothered Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol that they were considered a popular pair. Now that I'm doing another serial 'Hum Do Hamare Do' with him, people have bombarded me with enthusiastic responses.

"It's a completely different character. I'll play a bubbly character, completely different from Kashish in 'Kahiin To Hoga'. I've reduced my dates for 'Kahiin...' so dates will not be a problem for the new show."

She admits she shares a great on-screen chemistry with Rajiv, but all other insinuations are annoying.

"It was really embarrassing for my family and me. But now I'm used to it. Fortunately or unfortunately, I don't share the kind of rapport with my mother where she can question me directly about such rumours. But she trusts me. Explanations aren't needed.... I'm very comfortable working with Rajiv. He's a brilliant actor."

And did she share the same chemistry with the Gurpreet Singh, who played Sujal in "Kahiin To Hoga" after Rajiv's departure?

"It isn't really important to be friendly with co-stars. But I was friendly with everyone on the sets."
 

Govinda rejuvenated after working with Priyan and Akshay
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, April 2   "Bhagam Bhag" left Govinda absolutely rejuvenated and he describes the experience of shooting with Priyadarshan as unique.

"I've done many comedies with my friend David Dhawan. But working with Priyadarshan was a new experience," Govinda told IANS.

Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar are quite a team therefore Govinda faced an initial spell of awkwardness on the sets.

"That's true," Govinda admits honestly. "For the first four-five days I was the odd one out. It took me a while to get into Priyadarshan's and Akshay's rhythm. Once I did that, I had the time of my life."

The actor, who delivered hits like "Hero No.1", "Coolie No. 1", says earlier he used to shoulder a lot of responsibility on the director's behalf.

"Not that it never paid off! K. Ravi Shankar was completely new when he did 'Sindoor' and 'Dariya Dil' with me. So were Rakesh Roshan and my brother Kirti Kumar when they directed me in 'Khudgarz' and 'Hatya'. But now I've decided to be a director's actor.

"In Nikhil Advani's 'Salaam-e-Ishq' you saw me the way he wanted me to be. In Priyadarshan's 'Bhagam Bhaag' I'm what he wanted. And in Dhawan's 'Partner' you'll see Govinda in his style."

In fact, Govinda is on the verge of signing yet another film with Dhawan.

"I've never felt more charged as an actor. The shooting in London with Priyadarshan was extremely educative. I met so many new people. Travel and work open up your mind. I was doing both in London."

Be it Advani, Priyadarshan or Dhawan - everybody says that Govinda is a changed man.

"I'd like to think I've changed. Yes, I did have time-management problems. I've solved that. But more than that I did a lot of films for emotional reasons. At one time I'd have three-four films on the sets. That took its toll on my health and career. I've learnt my lesson well. No more 'bhagam-bhag' for me."

Politics now takes a backseat. Govinda is clear about where his priorities lie.

"I've always been very clear about my film career. It was always my first love. Everything else came later. However, other commitments got in the way. But now I've decided to give all of myself to my acting career. It's a great joy to be back on the sets."

In his second innings Govinda's humility gets to you. After all he has had the kind of comic innings that no leading man has seen. Govinda brushes off the past.

"A lot of time has passed. Trends have changed. And I'm trying my best to readjust. Just how much I'll succeed remains to be seen. Right now I just want to enjoy the feeling of getting back into the groove."

Govinda squarely shoulders the blame for his career's eclipse.

"I've been involved in one catastrophe after another. Sometimes it's hard to be optimistic when you're faced with one crisis after another. I try to put myself outside my troubles.

"I'm still a soldier of Soniaji's (Congress president Sonia Gandhi) party. I'll present myself in Delhi if I'm called. But for now I only want to savour the bhaagam-bhaag of film industry."
 

 
IIFA awards: Big B takes Leeds by storm
By Prasun Sonwalkar, 

London, April 2   Train passengers and workers with origins in India and elsewhere in Asia could scarcely believe their ears when they heard the announcement at the Leeds City train station: 'Ladies and gentlemen, the train now arriving at platform 8 is carrying a top movie star..."

The star was none other than Amitabh Bachchan, who was visiting Yorkshire to promote and catch up with arrangements for the International India Film Academy (IIFA) awards from June 7 to 11.

Soon, a small crowd gathered around Bachchan's train from London King's Cross. After the excitement settled down, he was quickly ushered through the station and out via a side entrance into a chauffeur-driven Bentley.

The IIFA is scheduled to be held in Yorkshire and local press promoting the event gushed that if the reaction to Bachchan's visit from the adoring public in Leeds last week was anything to go by, "the county is in for the time of its life".

Mubarak Khalifa, a 30-year-old cleaner at the Leeds station, was among those who had turned out to greet Bachchan. He said: "I can't believe I've just seen him in the flesh. It's amazing, really amazing, to have him here in Leeds."

Later sweeping across Leeds, Bachchan combined the famous baritone with characteristic modesty and courtesy, and charmed one and all at the Leeds Civic Hall where he addressed a gathering of nearly 200 politicians, business leaders and others.

Moved by the warmth of his reception, Bachchan said: "I am so happy with the hospitality, love and affection shown to all of us by the people of Yorkshire. It has been deeply emotional and I will carry that back with me to my country."

Speakers at the event included the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Mohammed Iqbal, who confessed to feeling more than a little starstruck. He said he had been a huge fan of Bachchan for many years.

Iqbal said: "I never thought I would welcome my icon, everybody's icon, to Leeds."

Bachchan was also presented with a symbolic white rose by Linda Pollard, deputy chair of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, an agency that played a key role in the county's successful bid for the IIFA event in the face of rival bids from New York and Barcelona to host the event.

Pollard said: "Events such as the IIFA Weekend will bring an economic boost to the Yorkshire and Humber region. In addition to the predicted tourism spend, the awards will also act as a catalyst to access a new market.

"It will forge stronger business and cultural links between Yorkshire and India, which is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world. What is equally as important is the message this sends about the region. Resulting media coverage will give Yorkshire and Humber the chance to introduce its world-class tourism, culture, business, film locations and creative industries to a new international audience of more than 300 million people.

"Hosting an event of this scale will underpin the region's credentials as a major player for international events, building on the success of Royal Ascot at York in 2005."

The main awards ceremony is scheduled at Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena, and other events will happen in and around Leeds. They include: a celebrity cricket match at Headingley Carnegie stadium, where Sachin Tendulkar, who played for Yorkshire in county cricket, is expected to turn out; an Asian market at the Corn Exchange; the world premiere of a Bollywood movie at Castleford's Cineworld cinema; a business forum at the Royal Armouries museum; performances of a play called Bollywood Jane at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; and a grand networking dinner at the Leeds Town Hall.

The Leeds Mela, the city's annual celebration of Asian culture, is normally held in August, but this year it will take place over the weekend of June 9 and 10. It has been given a new name, Bollywood in the Park.

Some IIFA events will also be held in the neighbouring town of York, including the York Indian Film Festival. Also set to perform is the Bollywood Baja Band, which will play everything from Bhangra to Jazz.

David Atkinson, chief executive of City of York Council, said: "The city of York, as a great international destination, welcomes the IIFA delegates and guests to Yorkshire.

"This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the culture and creativity of York and the region to such an important and influential audience and we look forward to giving them an enthusiastic welcome."

Hrithik, Kajol bag top Zee awards

Genting (Malaysia), April 2   Hrithik Roshan won the best actor award for his superhero act in "Krrish" while Kajol was adjudged best actress for "Fanna" at the Zee Cine Awards in Malaysia.

The best director award went to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for "Rang De Basanti". The film also won the Best Film of the Year award at the Aditya Birla Group Zee Cine Awards 2007 at a function at this popular hill resort Sunday attended by a galaxy of Bollywood celebrities.

"Lage Raho Munnabhai" and "Rang De Basanti" bagged the maximum awards as well as the Power Team awards for their respective film units.

Current heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan, who did a rock n' roll number with his fiancée Aishwarya Rai at the event, received the best supporting actor male award for his performance in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehan" while Konkona Sen Sharma won the best supporting actress trophy for her powerful performance in "Omkara".

Saif Ali Khan, who co-hosted a segment of the show with main host Karan Johar, was honoured with the best actor in a negative role for playing Langda Tyagi in "Omkara". Arshad Warsi won the best comic actor award for "Lage Raho Munna Bhai".

In the critics award segment Sanjay Dutt was given the best actor (critics) trophy for "Lage Raho Munnabhai", while the film also bagged the best entertainer (critics) award. Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia won the best actress critics award for "Dor".

Rekha won the Forever Diva Award while Vinod Khanna was given the Lifetime Achievement award.

The award for best screenplay went to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijit Joshi, the best dialogue to Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijit Joshi and best story to Hirani - all for "Lage Raho Munnabhai".

Prasoon Joshi won the best lyricist award for hit number "Paatshala" in "Rang De Basanti" and A.R. Rahman bagged the best music director trophy for the same film.

Shaan was adjudged best singer male for "Chand sifaarish" in "Fanna" and Alka Yagnik the best female singer for "Tumhi dekho naa..." in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna". The Radio Mirchi best track of the year award went to "Bidee", while Ganesh Acharya got the best choreographer award for the same song. The best background score went to Salim Sulaiman for "Krrish".

In the technical award category - best visual effects went to Craig Mamma and best action to Shyam Kaushal for "Krrish". P.S. Bharti got the Renu Saluja award for best editing for "Rang De Basanti" while Vinod Pradhan bagged the best cinematography for the same film.

Best audiography award went to Jeetendra Chaudhary for "Krrish" and best song recording to "Salman Afridi" for "Omkara".

Anna Singh bagged the best costume award for "Umrao Jaan" and Sharmishtha Roy for best art direction in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna".

Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan kept the audience spellbound with some great dance numbers at the gala.

 

Preity upset over Suchitra dragging her name in break-up
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, April 2   Suchitra Krishnamurthy's outburst against Preity Zinta, blaming her for the break-up with hubby Shekhar Kapur, has upset the spunky actress.

Both Preity and her friend Ness Wadia are wondering why Suchitra has been talking in this way.

Preity denies having anything to do with Kapur and has issued the filmmaker an ultimatum to clear her name.

Preity told IANS: "I don't know how I get involved in controversies. Where do I come into this? I've met Shekhar maybe five times in 10 years. He was supposed to make my launch film. But it never happened. But we've kept in touch and we've met up when he was in India.

"In fact, I was supposed to have been directed by Shekhar for producer Vishal Bharadwaj in a film called 'Mantra'. That was the last I met him."

Preity called up Kapur asking him to clear her name immediately. Kapur, who was in Mumbai last week to meet his daughter, was apparently very embarrassed and has promised her that he would clear the air.

"Otherwise Preity will take drastic action against those who are bad-mouthing her," said a close friend of the actress.

"Kapur treats Preity like a child. He has virtually seen her grow up. Surely there're more discreet ways for an angry wife to be noticed? How would Suchitra like it if her six-year-old daughter is questioned by her friends in school about her dad and Preity? Suchitra claims Preity called her up and said not to talk this way because she (Preity) is getting married. No such thing happened," added the friend.
 

Sanjaya impresses US record company
 
Los Angeles, April 2   Indian origin Sanjaya Malakar, an "American Idol" contestant, seems to have impressed Sub Pop Records, a recording firm in the US, even though most Americans say he cannot sing.

The record company is based in Seattle, Sanjaya's hometown, and has recorded the likes of Nirvana and The Shins. And Stuart Meyer, an artist and repertoire representative, feels that being able to sing is not the only quality a pop star needs, reports www.hollywood.tv.

"He has a charm about him that is key to being a pop star. Some of the biggest pop stars like Madonna and Britney Spears aren't exactly the best singers," Meyer said.

He feels Sanjaya has "a bright future ahead" and is sure that someone will sign him because "he has personality".

Lastly, "you have to give him credit for getting out there and singing live", Meyer added. "A lot of the biggest pop stars out there today rarely do that."
 

Iraqi woman wins reality show in Lebanon
By Weedah Hamzah

Beirut, April 1 (DPA) Beautiful Iraqi Shada Hassoon, a contestant on a Lebanese Satellite entertainment Television show similar to American Idol, brought joy to some 8,000 Iraqi refugees living in Lebanon when she won this week's vote.

"We (were) all voting for Shada tonight, she is an Iraqi and our people, Shiia or Sunnis, inside Iraq have been united despite the difficult circumstances they live in to vote for the beautiful Shada," said Iraqi national Leila Hamed.

Leila and her family fled war-torn Iraq along with her husband and six other family members a few months after her father, an official working for the Iraqi government, and her youngest brother were killed.

She and her family are among 8,000 Iraqis living in Lebanon amid harsh conditions awaiting the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to transfer them to a European country.

Leila, who is a Sunni Muslim, wished that she could go and see the final episode of the show "Star Academy" to carry the Iraqi flag and cheer for Shada.

Shada won over three other finalists - Marowa Bensghaier of Tunisia, Mohamed Kammah of Egypt and Carlo Nakhleh of Lebanon.

Star Academy Lebanon or Star Academy Arabia - also known as Star Academy LBC - is a reality TV show, which had its first appearance in the Middle East through the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. The show started airing in 2003 and featured a group of 16 young male and female candidates from all over the Arab world.

Star Academy Lebanon is an Arabic adaptation of the French Reality Television show, Star Academy, which is produced by a Dutch company Endemol. The format is based on the Spanish show, Operacion Triunfo.

The Star Academy idea revolves around 16 candidates or students who are locked down in the academy in Adma, north of Beirut, where they show their talents in singing, dancing and acting.

The Star Academy candidates undergo several competitions between each other in front of the Academy teachers and then the television audience in each week's contest. The audience can vote on who they think is best.

By Friday, Hassoon was regarded the front-runner. Most of her trainers and teachers described her as a very talented woman who sings in Arabic, French, English, Spanish and Italian who had a big chance to win.

Shada was quoted as saying that "her dream is to win the title for her country Iraq and her people.

"She deserves to be a star, not because she is Iraqi," said Khalil Yassin, an Iraqi refugee also living in Lebanon.

Hasson's father is Iraqi and her mother Moroccan.

"What I like in her is that she identifies herself as an Iraqi national and that she has dreamt since childhood to represent her country in a singing competition," said Haitham Hamed, another Iraqi refugee.

Hassoon has been the object of wide attention in the Arab media and some foreign media which, liked the US-based CNN, covered the final episode Friday night.

Iraqi newspapers and television broadcasters advocated for Hasson and called on the Iraqi people to vote for her.

One Iraqi TV channel went far to urge Iraqis to "vote for the daughter of the Euphrates ... despite the sad circumstances in Iraq, please vote for our daughter Shada, the daughter of the two rivers". Lebanese media reported.

One Lebanese media outlet described Shada as "a person who has united Sunni's and Shia Muslims in Iraq - despite the lack of a national reconciliation".

Shada in short managed to take the minds of her Iraqi nationals in and outside Baghdad from the civil strife that is ripping their war- torn country apart.
 

Sushant to play 'contemporary' Samba in new 'Sholay'
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, April 1   Actor Sushant Singh, who plays villain Gabbar Singh's right-hand man in Ram Gopal Varma's "Sholay", says he wants the new Samba to reflect "a contemporary sensibility".

"It was a pleasant surprise when Ramu called me. I didn't think twice before accepting the offer. It's not often that one gets a chance to revisit an all-time classic like 'Sholay'. Also, I've never had the privilege to work with Mr. (Amitabh) Bachchan. I get to be with him in almost every frame," said an excited Sushant.

The talented actor has worked on his complete look for the film. "Obviously my Samba will be very different from the way it was played in the earlier 'Sholay'. Ramu (Varma) has opened up the character. Not much is known about the character in the original. I'm very interested in exploring the relationship between Gabbar and Samba."

Sushant wants to go for a complete change of wardrobe and attitude. "So far I've never had the chance to play a really trendy character. I wanted Samba to dress and speak in a way that reflects a contemporary sensibility."

He seemed hardly bothered about the baddie's role being offered to Manoj Bajpai first.

"It means little to me whom the role was offered to first or second ... as long as I finally got it. For me it's a double whammy that I get to work with Ramu again and share screen space with Mr. Bachchan."

Mani Shankar's "Mukhbiir", featuring Sammir Dattani in the lead, is an unusual espionage thriller and Sushant is gung-ho about his part in it, too.

"I play a very dark shade of grey. From Ramu's 'Sholay' to 'Mukhbiir'... it is a complete performing spectrum for me," he said.
 

Indian films with smoking scenes may get 'A' certificate
By Prashant K. Nanda, 

New Delhi, April 1   Films showing actors blowing glorious rings of smoke or village elders smoking a hookah may soon be out of reach for those below 18 years.

An autonomous body helping the Indian government in its fight against tobacco consumption has suggested that films showing smoking scenes should be awarded an 'A' (adult) certificate.

Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), an autonomous public-private body, was formed with active involvement of the government to create awareness against tobacco consumption and help in devising strategies to tackle the issue.

"We have suggested awarding 'A' certificates to all movies showing smoking scenes. It's a unanimous decision and the health ministry has also shown its keenness about it," said PHFI president K. Srinath Reddy.

"A committee will judge the requirement of the scene vis-à-vis the story and ask the character who is a part of the smoking scene to speak against tobacco consumption at the beginning of the movie, during interval time and at the end of the movie," Reddy told IANS.

Reddy, who was a former head of the cardiology department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said movies with smoking scenes are affecting young minds. "The new suggestion, once implemented, would be an effective tool to curb public promotion of a wrong thing."

PHFI has an empowered, independent governing board consisting of representatives from the government, philanthropists and leading Indian and international professionals.

Its members include health secretary Naresh Dayal, planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief N.K. Ganguly, Nobel laureates Amartya Sen, Ashok Alexander, director Avahan - the India AIDS Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In India alone, there are over 800,000 tobacco-related deaths every year and it is posing a huge challenge to the country's public health expenditure and productive working hours.

According to government estimates, India is home to 200 million tobacco users. To dissuade people from smoking, pictures of corpse, cancerous mouth and the caption "your smoking kills babies" would be displayed on packets of tobacco products from June onwards.

There are currently 1.3 billion addicted smokers across the globe of which five million die every year.

Elaborating on their suggestions Reddy, who has been awarded by World Health Organisation (WHO) for his anti-tobacco consumption work said: "During the smoking scene, a one minute anti-smoking scroll will also run to negate the message among the audience."

Reddy said a blanket ban on smoking scenes in movies faced a roadblock after producer-director Mahesh Bhatt moved the Delhi High Court challenging the government's proposal two years back.

In an interview to IANS in November 2006 at Agra, Robert Beaglehole, director of the chronic diseases and health promotion, WHO, had termed endorsement of tobacco products by actor Shah Rukh Khan and motor racing legend Michael Schumacher as "horrible".

Urging them to stop promoting what was a "social malice", Beaglehole had said: "We know that celebrities in both Hollywood and Bollywood are endorsing tobacco in a huge way and we denounce it vehemently. It's really horrible to see public faces not showing enough responsibility."
 
 

'Barso re' once again crowned top song
 
New Delhi, April 1   A.R. Rahman's "Barso re" from "Guru" continues to hold the top slot among Hindi film songs for the week.

The top 10 songs for the week are:

1. "Barso re" - Film: "Guru"; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Singer: Shreya Ghoshal. The hugely popular song about welcoming the rains and featuring Aishwarya Rai retains its premier position this week too.

2. "Chakna" - Film: "Namastey London"; Music Director: Himesh Reshammiya; Singer: Himesh Reshammiya. A dance number already doing the rounds in discotheques, the song has moved quite a few notches up and landed up in the number two position.

3. "Rabba" - Film: "Hattrick"; Music Director: Pritam; Singer: Labh Janjua. The song has some Punjabi charm to it. Fused with drumbeats and western arrangements, it also qualifies as a dance number.

4. "Aayo ri sakhi" - Film: "Water"; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Singer: Sukhwinder Singh. A semi-classical song, it shows singer Sukhwinder's versatility and gels with the film's mood.

5. "Dilli" - Film: "Delhii Heights"; Music Director: Rabbi Shergill; Singer: Rabbi Shergill. Though the film has been criticised, music lovers are lapping up the foot-tapping number.

6. "Saiyaan re" - Film: "Salaam-e-Ishq"; Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy; Singers: Shilpa, Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendonsa. A fusion of Indian and Western music, the song with a qawalli touch is a treat to watch. It has moved up five notches this week.

7. "En dino" - Film: "Metro"; Music Director: Pritam; Singer: Soham. A soft romantic rock number boasts of Pritam's creativity and makes its maiden entry on number seven. It might move up in coming weeks.

8. "Rozana" - Film: "Nishabd"; Music Director: Vishal Bharadwaj; Singer: Amitabh Bachchan. "Rozana", an awesomely romantic and sensuous number, nose dived and landed on number eight from number three.

9. "Crazy kiya re" - Film: "Dhoom 2"; Music Director: Pritam; Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan. This is another Aishwarya song on the list. The fast number sets your feet tapping and is a visual treat as well.

10. "Sajanaji vaari" - Film: "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd"; Music: Vishal-Shekhar; Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan and Shekhar Ravjiani. It's a great track with a folk touch. Sunidhi is at her best in the song, which has amazing dance vibes.

(Source: The Music Shop, Khan Market, New Delhi)



IANS