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Indian Panchatantra dazzles British audience
by Mike Lockey

     London: Inspired by fascinating and much loved stories from folklore, such as Aesop's Fables and Jataka Tales, Punchatantra, an Asian musical for children, has been dazzling and enchanting audiences, both young and not so young, all over Britain ever since it opened last month. It had already had a successful tour in India before being brought to the UK. The show runs for some ninety minutes and is packed full of dynamic dance, songs and comedy, with seven actors playing no less than thirty-five parts. The producer of the musical is Ashvin Gidwani, who describes Punch-A-Tantra as: "a wonderful tale about never losing your faith in your dreams and keeping the child in you alive". The show has had rave reviews in Britain and has been praised for its amazing costumes, catchy songs and wild comedy. The production is directed by Karla Singh, who explains what the show is all about: "It is a story about a father's dissatisfaction with his child's interest in story books. The father throws away one of his son's books, but by a strange quirk he finds himself in the land of stories and meets animals along the way who tell him he must find the book to save the forest and get back home. There are lessons woven into the main story about loyalty, the value of friendship, honesty and other moral values." And of course it isn't giving anything away to say that the show has a happy ending: the father, Varun, sees the error of his ways (surprise, surprise) and becomes a convert to the magic of stories (hurrah, hurrah). The musical will not only be staged in Britain - the UK is only a small part of what is, in effect, a world tour. So, after the completion of its run in Britain, the caravan moves on to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Spain. After that little lot, the production travels much much further, to the Middle East, Australia, the USA and Canada. There are also plans to include South Africa in the tour, as well as Sri Lanka. So how does the producer, and presumably the director and cast, feel about all this travel away from India? Ashvin Gidwani speaks for the whole team when he says: "We all love performing but India is home. We do miss our families but the play keeps us so busy that this trip has become really enjoyable and not just work". Just as well really.

'Nazi' Spielberg in the eye of a storm  (Go To Top)

     London: Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler is in news more than any one else these days. After Elvis Presley's Nazi video and Prince Harry's 'Swastika' controversy, this time Hollywood director Steven Spielberg has been accused of glorifying Nazism in his movies. A prominent UK historian Antony Beevor has described Spielberg's 'Schindler's List' and other films depicting Hitler's regime as 'cinematic pornography', which basically glamorizes Nazism. "Although film-makers such as Steven Spielberg believe that they're making anti-Nazi films, what they produce is a type of cinematic pornography: the image of power of the Nazis, the colourful marches of their troops in the streets, end up being attractive to some young males in societies in which the social structure or order is disintegrating," femalefirst quoted Beevor as saying.

Paris Hilton fined for feeding pigeons in London (Go To Top)

     London: Paris Hilton's love for birds has cost her a fine of 95 dollars. The hotel heiress faces the fine after feeding pigeons on the streets of London, where it is illegal to feed birds unless approved by the Mayor. Hilton, who is in London to promote her own brand of perfume, started throwing pieces of bread to the birds in her spare time, only to find that a penalty is attached to her illegal act of kindness. "I'd live here if it had Los Angeles weather. I just love feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square; I could do that forever. I even prefer it to going shopping," femalefirst quoted Hilton as saying.

Muscle suit helped Christensen bulk up for 'Star Wars' (Go To Top)

     London: 'Star Wars' actor Hayden Christensen has revealed that he wore a muscle suit in the sci-fi series to bulk up for his role as Darth Vader. Christensen said that director George Lucas got the special effects team to make him look bigger in the suit. "Yeah, I'm a bit shorter but they were nice enough to put lifts in the shoes and make a big muscle suit so I could fill it out," femalefirst quoted him as saying.

'Revenge of the Sith' sends box office records tumbling (Go To Top)

     Washington: George Lucas's 'Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith' has earned a business of 108.5 million dollars in just three days at the Box Office, according to preliminary figures by Exhibitor Relations. As per estimates 'Star Wars-III' may get the best three-day opening weekend of all time after 'Spider Man', edging out 108- million-dollar business of 'Shrek-II' last year. The movie also grabbed the four-day record, beating out 'Matrix: Reloaded' which earned 134.3 million dollars. "That's also a record. An international record. A domestic record. And we also set the intergalactic record I believe. I can't find the old one but I know we set it. It's a real kick," E-online quoted Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Fox, as saying. Last week's number one, 'Monster-in-Law', starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, dropped to second place with gross earning of 14.3 million, followed by Will Ferrell's 'Kicking & Screaming', which earned 10.5 million dollars.

     A rundown of the top 10 films based on Sunday studio estimates: 1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, 108.5 million dollars 2. Monster-in-Law, 14.3 million dollars 3. Kicking and Screaming, 10.5 million dollars 4. Crash, 5.5 million dollars 5. Unleashed, 3.8 million dollars 6. Kingdom of Heaven, 3.3 million dollars 7. House of Wax, 3.1 million dollars 8. The Interpreter, 2.8 million dollars 9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 2 million dollars 10. Mindhunters, 909,049 dollars

Kylie to get memorable birthday bash (Go To Top)

     London: Kylie Minogue's family is throwing a huge party on her 37th birth anniversary. According to the Sun, the pop star's parents Ron and Carol, brother Brendon and sister Dannii want to celebrate the success of her cancer surgery on her birthday. Sources informed that Kylie's family members want to give her a birthday, which she will remember for years.

Is Imran Khan romancing Goldie Hawn? (Go To Top)

     Islamabad: It seems Imran Khan's heart now beats for Hollywood star Goldie Hawn. The Pakistani cricketer-turned- politician, who divorced his British wife Jemima Khan in June last, was reportedly spotted in India with Hawn two months ago. According to a foreign magazine, 60-year-old Hawn fled to Indian after her split with longtime lover Kurt Russell. She was spotted arm in arm with Imran at a party and the two were posing as a couple. Meanwhile, Kurt is said to be enraged at Goldie's alleged relationship with Imran and told friends that she is obsessed with the former cricketer and mysteriously changed after meeting him two months ago. "The ink has barely dried on his divorce papers and there he is, flirting with my partner," Online quoted Kurt as saying to a pal. Goldies's ex-husband Bill Hudson said that he had discussed the matter with a family member and believes that reports of their romance are true. "There was something more than just friendship...She is very much eclectic. This bond has probably tied her to the east and Buddhism. And maybe for the first time in her life, Goldie is not the dominant one," the paper quoted Hudson as saying. A spokesperson for Imran, however, denied the rumours, saying, "There is no truth to those stories whatsoever."

Kylie not marrying her beau (Go To Top)

     Melbourne: Kylie Minogue's representatives have denied reports that the singer is to marry her French boyfriend Olivier Martinez. ccording to news.com, a spokesperson for Kylie's manager Terry Blamey, dismissed claims that Martinez had proposed to the star just hours after she underwent surgery for breast cancer. Meanwhile, Martinez has said that Kylie's cancer treatment may force them to postpone their plans to have a baby. "We were going to start working on it after the (Showgirl) tour was over. Now it will be put off, not forever - we pray and hope - but for the time being," the report quoted Martinez as saying to New Idea.

Jackson sells Neverland for 19.5 million pounds (Go To Top)

     London: Troubled singer Michael Jackson has reportedly sold his Neverland ranch for 19.5 million pounds to pay-off his ever-increasing legal costs. The 'Thriller' star is expected to reveal the name of the anonymous buyer of the 2,700 acre estate on 13 July(05), the date he anticipates his child molestation trial will end. Michael, who originally paid 1.95 million pounds for the sprawling ranch in 1988,is currently on trial accused of molesting Gavin Arvizo there. "When Michael first bought the property it was all about Finding Neverland. Now he won't be sorry to see the back of it." News of the World quoted an insider as saying. "He has always said that after the sheriffs raided his bedroom he felt his personal space had been invaded and tainted-and that he would never return there," he added.

French woman claims she has Diana's kidney (Go To Top)

     London: A French woman has startled the world by claiming that she has got Princess Diana's kidney. According to the Daily Mail, Francoise Gaellar, 30, a secretary at a local primary school, said that on September 2, 1997 - two days after Diana was killed in car accident in Paris with lover Dodi Fayed - she had a kidney transplant and the donor was the Princess of Wales. Gaellar said that doctors had told her that she needed a kidney transplant and the donor would have to be a woman of a similar age and build. One day she received a telephone call informing that a match had been found. "He said I was going to receive Royal blood. I, like many others, was affected by Diana's death. She was a person I admired and at the time she was very much on my mind. I also think the timing was too much of a coincidence. Also the Princess had roughly the same build as me," the paper quoted her as saying. Authorities, however, said that Francoise might be wrong, though she did receive a kidney at that time, there is little evidence that the organ had belonged to Diana.

Destiny's Child addicted to chocolates (Go To Top)

     Washington: Destiny's Child singers Kelly Rowland, Beyonce Knowles and Michelle Williams are on a constant fight against sugary snacks like chocolates and pancakes to look good on stage. The sexy trio have reportedly revealed their chocolate addiction and admit they need to keep a check on their extra-indulgence in sweet treats to maintain their sexy appearances. "(I love) M&Ms, the plain ones... and chocolate covered strawberries - they are romantic and not that fattening," Femalefirst quoted Beyonce as saying in the upcoming issue of America's Instyle magazine. "(I love ordering) pancakes. They taste just like cake," William added. While, midnight snack-lover Rowland admitted to love room service treats when she's on tour. "I like something bad in the middle of the night, like a Snickers (bar)... Call up for the dumbest, smallest thing and they're like, 'We will have that right up there, Miss Rowland," she was quoted as saying.

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