Bollywood unconventional in 2008 with Fashion, Dostana
New Delhi, Dec 30: A guy falling in love with an older woman in Bachna Ae Haseeno, a leading fashion designer in a gay relationship in Fashion, two normal men pretending to be in gay relationship in Dostana and a man falling in love with his brothers fiance in Sorry Bhai complex issues and taboo subjects hitherto confined to domain of arthouse cinema formed backdrop of many Bollywood films in 2008 .
The year gone by, which saw the film industry try its hand at a diverse range of subjects, from the period film Jodha Akbar to Taut thrillers like A Wednesday and Ghajini to comedies like Singh Is King and Welcome to Sajjanpur and horror films like Phoonk and 1920, also saw it breaking new grounds with a host of films delving into unconventional subjects.
The year began with Ashutosh Gowarikars Jodha Akbar dealing with the unconventional and hitherto untouched romance between Mughal Emperor Akbatr and his Rajput Queen Jodhabai. Though the film created a furore amongst many Rajput organisation for its misinterpretation of history, it hit the bulls eye at the box office. Made at a cost of Rs 40 crore, the film was a big hit across the country as well as overseas and turned out to be the only hit of the first quarter.
Later in the year, Yashraj Films Bachna Ae Haseeno grabbed eyeballs with the love story between Ranbir Kapoor and a much older Bipasha Basu. Though Bipasha herself dismissed the age Difference between her and Ranbir, her pairing with Ranbir Kapoor in the film, dealing with the love story of this man with three women in three different stages of his life, became a talking point in the media.
With an encouraging public response, Bachna Ae Haseeno came as a much needed breather for Yashraj Films, reeling under the failure of their much hyped action film Tashan. Also hitting the Bulls eye at the box office was Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, an unconventional campus romance featuring Aamir Khans nephew Imran Khan in the lead. The unconventional love story between Imran and Genelia D Souza in the film and a chartbuster musical score from the maestro A R Rahman made this film a winner at the box office, beating the much hyped Love Story 2050. Made at a cost of around Rs 9 crore, the film earned over Rs 30 crore from theatrical, satellite and video rights.
Another film making a mark at the box office despite its unconventional storyline was Madhur Bhandarkars Fashion. The film, which dealt with the reality behind the glamour charactersising the world of fashion, eandeared itself to the audience despite it having a track of a leading fashion designer in a gay relationship. Made at a budget of Rs 20 crore, Fashion is expected to recover its cost. The coming of age film for Bollywood in terms of tackling the taboo subject of gay relationships was undoubtedly Dostana which had Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham play two normal guys pretending to be in a gay relationship in order to get a house on rent. The film had the cinegoers turning out in large numbers to the cinema halls despite its liberal use of the gay terminology and gay mannerisms by both Abhishek and John. Dostana was perhaps the first film in Hindi cinema where a mother was shown to accept the relationship of her son with another man.(UNI)

New Year gift: India repatriates 66 Pakistanis despite tension
Attari Border (Punjab), Dec 30: Discounting the war threat rhetoric, India on Tuesday repatriated 66 Pakistani prisoners to their home country as a goodwill gesture on the eve of the New Year.
The Pakistanis, including 28 women and four children, were lodged in various jails in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Amritsar (Punjab) and Delhi. Most of them were put behind bars for entering or staying in India with forged or expired travel documents.
This is the first release of prisoners from here after the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attack for which India has blamed terrorist elements in Pakistan.
Among those released was Mohammad Asif who was arrested in Delhi for overstaying in India.
Asif, who is married to an Indian woman and has three children from her, said he was returning to Pakistan to complete formalities to take his wife there. He was lodged in Tihar jail for three years. “I am glad to be freed. I will complete the formalities to be united with my family again,” Asif said before leaving.
Majority of the prisoners were thankful to the Indian side for repatriating them despite the growing tension between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attack.
They regretted that terror attack and said that if anyone from Pakistan was involved, he should be punished. “This repatriation is the best new year’s gift for me. I am happy to be going back home,” Karachi resident Shehzad, who was lodged in the Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, told reporters here before leaving.
“The repatriation of these prisoners is a New Year’s gift from India,” a Border Security Force (BSF) official told IANS here as the prisoners walked to the Pakistan side on Tuesday evening. Naif Ahmed, who was to arrive from a Mumbai prison, could not reach here on time and is likely to be sent home later this week.
Out of the 66 repatriated prisoners, 51 were from jails in Rajasthan and Gujarat while 14 were lodged in Amritsar jail. Some of them said that they had been duped by travel agents in Pakistan who gave them forged documents to come here. “The Mumbai attack was a horrible thing. Both countries should resolve issues before them. They should refrain from going to war as people will suffer,” Amir Ali said.(IANS)

India asks Israel to observe ‘utmost restraint’
New Delhi, Dec 30: Condemning the “unwarranted use of force” by Israel in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 300 Palestinians, India has expressed “disappointment” at continuing military strikes and asked Tel Aviv to observe "utmost restraint".
“The government of India had hoped that military action by Israel against targets in the Gaza Strip would abate,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said in a statement here Monday night.
“It is disappointing to note that the use of disproportionate force is resulting in a large number of civilian casualties on the one hand and the escalating violence on the other,” the spokesperson said.
“This continued use of indiscriminate force is unwarranted and condemnable,” Prakash underlined.
“The government of India urges utmost restraint so as to give peace a chance as the peace process may well get derailed irreversibly by Israel's attack in the Gaza Strip and continued violence,” he said.
Israel Tuesday rejected any truce with Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip before cross-border rocket fire ceased and said its air strikes heralded “long weeks of military action”. Around 350 people have died and more than 800 wounded since Israel launched its attacks on Saturday.
This is the second statement by India in less than three days asking Israel to end the use of force against Palestinian civilians.
The first statement December 27 took note of “immediate cross-border provocations resulting from rocket attacks particularly against targets in southern Israel” - a reference to Hamas using rocket attacks to target southern Israel which was cited by Tel Aviv as a reason for attacking the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The statement was seen as mild by some political parties in India.
In a statement Sunday, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) came down heavily on the "savage and horrific wave of air strikes by the Israeli government”, and accused the Israeli government of "policies of colonial repression” in Gaza and the West Bank.
The CPI-M politburo said it demands that the Manmohan Singh government come out strongly against the Israeli government for this massacre.
“Its shameful policy of promoting security and military collaboration with the Israeli state even while Israel continues its occupation and war against the Palestinians will harm India's image among the countries of West Asia and damage India’s own interests,” the party said.
The CPI-M demanded that the Congress-led government stops its security and military ties with Israel.
India’s ties with Israel have grown steadily in recent years with Tel Aviv emerging as an important source of military hardware. (IANS)

BJP says UPA govt weak in fighting terror due to vote politics
Shimla, Dec 30: The BJP today accused the UPA government of being weak in fighting terrorism due to its vote bank politics and also sought clarity on how it will deal with Pakistan following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The saffron party asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clearly state how his government intended to deal with Pakistan in the wake of its links with the Mumbai terror attacks emerging. “The people of India have a right to know this,” it said. “The Union government did a good thing by bringing in anti-terror bills after years of repealing POTA...But its fight against terrorism is weak because of continued practice of vote bank politics," BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani said addressing the “Vijay Sankalp rally” at ridge maidan here on completion of one year of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh. In a lighter vein, he said the “UPA government took a U-turn by bringing in an anti-terror law by realising its mistake of repealing a tough law like POTA, but when will it take a U-turn on vote-bank politics”.
Advani referred to the government's failure to execute Afzal Guru and initiate action against lakhs of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. “Despite a clear-cut verdict of the Supreme Court on the two issues why Manmohan Singh government is not acting on them? How can you (UPA govt) fight terrorism practicing vote-bank politics?” he questioned. Advani said after the terror attacks in Mumbai, the UPA government has been sending confusing signals both to people and the international community. “Those at responsible positions in government and Congress are talking in different tongues often contradicting each other.” (PTI)

In 2008, corruption dented Indian judiciary’s image
New Delhi, Dec 30: Hit by at least three scandals involving judges, the halo around India's higher judiciary dimmed a little in 2008. But, led by its first Dalit chief justice known for his no-nonsense approach to issues of public importance, the institution also demonstrated its resolve to weed out corrupt elements from it.
“Because of so many scandals, the judiciary has lost its tag of being a holy cow,” Prashant Bhushan, senior lawyer, told IANS. One of the worst scandals involved the siphoning off of millions of rupees worth of social security funds of lower grade court employees in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh for the benefit of the high priests of judiciary. The case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The judges who allegedly benefited from the fraudulently withdrawn fund of Rs.230 million from Ghaziabad district treasury since 2000 included one of the Supreme Court besides around a dozen judges of the Allahabad High Court and several others of the Uttar Pradesh subordinate judiciary. The scam tumbled out of the closet at a time when the Supreme Court was already contending with a question mark over Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan's decision to confirm the services of Madras High Court's Additional Judge Ashok Kumar despite having adverse intelligence inputs against his integrity. In a lawsuit filed in the apex court in 2007 itself, the chief justice had additionally been accused of confirming Justice Kumar's services without the mandatory consultation with his two seniormost colleagues in the apex court.
“Surely, the year was pretty bad for Indian judiciary,” said senior advocate K.K. Venugopal. The year also saw the bizarre episode of erstwhile Haryana additional advocate general Sanjiv Bansal's clerk delivering a bagful of cash worth Rs.1.5 million at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Singh Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh in August. Justice Kaur reported the matter to police and the initial probe revealed that the cash was meant for another woman judge of the same high court, Justice Nirmal Yadav, allegedly to finance some of her corrupt deals. This case too is being probed by the CBI.
There was more discomfort for the judiciary.
Barely a month later, it transpired that the apex court was unsuccessfully trying to get rid of a Calcutta High Court judge, Justice Soumitra Sen, who had misappropriated Rs.58 million of the high court's fund in the mid-1980s, nearly two decades before he was appointed a judge in December 2003.
Justice Sen had misappropriated the court's fund, accruing to it as suit properties, on two occasions - first in 1984 and then again in 1997. The startling revelations about criminal misappropriation of the court's fund by Justice Sen came to the public domain after Chief Justice Balakrishnan wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, recommending ouster of the erring judge through impeachment. The CJI had sought Justice Sen's ouster after he ignored the apex court's advice to quit. The government is yet to move parliament for his impeachment. But despite more than one scandal denting the judiciary's image during the year, Chief Justice Balakrishnan never sought to shield it.
“He has a no-nonsense approach to issues of public importance, owing to his firsthand awareness of ground realities,” a top Supreme Court official said. Balakrishnan didn't just allow a probe by police and CBI into various instances of judicial misconduct and corruption, but also formed high level judicial panels for independent scrutiny of the truth behind the allegations. In the process, the chief justice also allowed full legal scrutiny of his own administrative decisions, like his move to confirm the services of Justice Ashok Kumar of the Madras High Court. Similarly, he also allowed legal scrutiny of his decision to see the vetting of questions to be posed by police before high court and Supreme Court judges, suspected to be beneficiaries in the fraudulent withdrawal of funds from Ghaziabad’s treasury.(IANS)

No build-up of troops on border: Indian Army
New Delhi/Islamabad, Dec 30: The Indian Army Tuesday denied there was a build-up of troops on the border and said they were only on alert after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked New Delhi to “relocate forces to peacetime locations”. A senior Indian Army officer, who said he was reflecting the official position but could not be identified, said: “We have not deployed any troops along the border. It was Pakistan that whipped up war rhetoric and not us.
“Our forces are only on alert so that they can be pressed into operations if need arises,” the official said, asked about remarks by Qureshi asking India to “de-escalate tensions” in the wake of the Mumbai carnage. “India should deactivate forward air bases and relocate forces to the peacetime locations," Qureshi said on state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) on Tuesday.
He said: “Positive developments have taken place in the last 48 hours and we welcome (Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab) Mukherjee’s denial of a war ultimatum.”
He said Pakistan would positively take action against those found involved in terrorism, if evidence was provided against them by the Indian authorities. Also on Tuesday, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani called for the resumption of dialogue between the two nations to resolve issues arising out of the Mumbai attacks for which India has blamed Pakistan-based terrorists. “The media has created unnecessary hype. We have to remove mistrust. We have to talk,”Durrani told CNN-IBN news channel from Islamabad.
India sees the orchestration of war hysteria by the establishment in Pakistan as an attempt to shift focus away from the core issue of taking action against elements in Pakistan suspected of having a hand in the Mumbai mayhem, government sources said.
Last week, Pranab Mukherjee had cautioned Pakistan against war hysteria and asked Islamabad to address the key issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistani territory.
Relations between India and Pakistan went into a tailspin following the Nov 26 terror strikes in Mumbai that left over 170 people dead, including 26 foreigners. India has been maintaining that the 10 terrorists who ravaged the financial and entertainment capital of India had come from Pakistan and were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit based in Muridke, near Lahore.(IANS)

Shobha De is a ‘porn writer’: Sonam Kapoor
MUMBAI, Dec 30: Saawariya girl Sonam Kapoor has lashed out at writer Shobha De by calling her a ‘porn writer’. In an interview with a newspaper, Sonam said, “for a 60-something porn writer, I am sure she (Shobha) knows what she’s talking about.”
Shobha had earlier commented on Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in her blog and reffering to Sonam’s airbrushed photo-op in which she is posed in lingerie. Shobha wrote, “Sonam just doesn’t cut it in the sex appeal stakes.” Shobha had also commented about Deepika after she won Maxim’s Sexiest Woman title. She had written, “Deepika P is the ‘sexiest woman on earth? Are they kidding me? She would not win a Miss Dombivali contest. I mean, look at her closely. Go on: jawline? Too wide. Eyes?Bulging. Hair line? Untidey. Speech? Verni.” The only silver lining in the otherwise controversy is that Sonam Kapoor defended not only herself but her foe-turned friend Deepika Padukone saying, “if she (Shobha) thinks Deepika is ordinary then she sure needs to wear glasses. Her eyesight is failing her.” Who said two women who love the same man can’t be friends even if one is ex-flame and the other—current.(Agencies)

‘Food security can be achieved only by agri, rural development’
Hyderabad, Dec 30: The important goal of food security can be achieved only through rapid agricultural growth and multi-dimensional rural development, President Pratibha Patil said here today.
“Food security is an important goal, particularly in the contemporary world, which faced a serious global food crisis earlier this year. This can only be achieved through rapid agricultural growth and multi-dimensional rural development,” she said, while delivering the golden jubilee address at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD).
To enhance agricultural productivity, land development and irrigation are necessary, she said.
She, however, said there should be optimum utilisation of land as land is a scarce resource.
Efforts must also be made to improve land quality and to restore soil health, Patil said. Encouraging farmers to adopt improved agricultural practices, she said making innovative farm implements available to them would go a long way in improving farm productivity.
Stressing on the need for providing irrigation facilities, the President favoured building small structures like farm ponds, village tanks, nallah bunds, besides de-silting of existing water bodies to improve their water storage capacity. “Apart from government programmes, these activities can also be undertaken through ‘shramdaan’ by motivating people,” she said. (PTI)

I’ve always wanted to work with Hrithik: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Mumbai, Dec 30: Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali says he always wanted to work with Hrithik Roshan and he's doing exactly that in his new venture that also stars his favourite actress - Aishwarya Rai. The two have already created wonders together in Dhoom-2 and Jodhaa Akbar.
“Hrithik and I wanted to work together for a very long time. I’ve always been impressed by his sincerity as an actor. I was waiting for the right opportunity to sign him. Working with Hrithik would be a new and rewarding experience," Bhansali told IANS in an interview.
The director admits that Aishwarya is “special”, after having worked with her in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas.
“Aishwarya is very special to me. She suits the role in my new film to perfection. When she read the script she was deeply moved,”he said.
Bhansali also rubbished reports that he had signed on Pakistani actor Imran Abbas for his next venture.
“I haven’t signed anyone called Imran Abbas. I’m not making Heera Mandi right now...I met him almost a year ago, but I immediately realised he wasn't the actor I was looking for. Just because I don’t speak out, people take advantage of my silence.”
He also maintains that he is still proud of his Saawariya, which flopped.
“It’s my rarest work in terms of treatment.”
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. You seem to have quietly signed a Pakistani actor called Imran Abbas for Heera Mandi.
A. So quietly that even I don’t know about it. I haven't signed anyone called Imran Abbas. I’m not making Heera Mandi right now. It may happen much later.
I’m now directing another film with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. I’m very excited about the film, and so are they.
Q. You continue to be fearless in spite of Saawariya?
A. This is the time when filmmakers need to be fearless and experiment with themes. Fearlessness is my biggest asset as a filmmaker. I will continue to make films that come from deep within me. My very first film Khamoshi: The Musical didn’t do well at all. A lot of people think it’s my best work.
Q. So are you as proud of Saawariya as the rest of your films?
A. Of course. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Devdas can be made again, but Saawariya cannot. It’s my rarest work in terms of treatment. It had beautiful performances and visuals. I tried to put a stage-play on film. Of course at the end of the day the audience decides what it likes.
Q. So have you met Pakistani actor Imran?
A. Moin Beg, who has written Heera Mandi, wanted me to meet Imran. So I met him almost a year ago, but I immediately realised he wasn't the actor I was looking for. Just because I don't speak out, people take advantage of my silence.
Q. Why don’t you clarify the misconceptions when they occur?
A. I can’t bring myself to become the master of sound bytes. But beyond a point silence is construed as a sign of acceptance. I don't even meet new actors, musicians or lyricists. I’ve already decided whom to work with in my next project. And why go to Pakistan to get actors? We’ve very talented people in our own country.
Q. There were reports that some actors, including Ranbir Kapoor, didn’t want to work with you?
A. People are writing tragic tales about me every day. They are even deciding what film I'm making and also casting actresses in them... Maybe stories about me sell. But when the misrepresentations go beyond my tolerance, it's time to speak up. The truth is Ranbir and Sonam would be there for me whenever I need them. However, at the moment I'm making a film with Hrithik and Aishwarya.
Q. What prompted you to sign Hrithik?
A. Hrithik and I wanted to work together for a very long time. I've always been impressed by his sincerity as an actor. I was waiting for the right opportunity to sign him. Working with Hrithik would be a new and rewarding experience.
Q. You and Aishwarya created magic in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. Time for a hattrick?
A. Aishwarya is very special to me. She suits the role in my new film to perfection. When she read the script she was deeply moved. Of course the true friend that she is, she told me she would've agreed to work with me even if I didn't send her the script.
Q. Will this Hrithik-Aishwarya film be your first for an international market in English?
A. But Black was also in English. It's important for me to make my films for our market. But we must take our cinema to the remotest corner of the world. Today the spoken language is no barrier. The spoken language in our country is as much Hindi as English. I want to capture that feeling of everyday conversations.
Q. 2008 was a great year for you. It was the year when an Indian director was invited for the first time to direct an opera in Paris.
A. Yes, I had a wonderful time. I loved directing the opera. It was an exceptional honour and an unforgettable experience. I managed to write the script that I wanted to and got the cast I wanted. It’s been a year of hard and fruitful work. And 2009 will mean even harder work.(IANS)