Index Page                                               Archives

Actress Karisma Kapoor settles dispute with husband

     Mumbai: Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor on Tuesday reached an out-of-court settlement with her husband after a row over their daughter. The estranged couple had earlier sought more time to settle their dispute following which the Delhi High Court allowed them to time to reach a consensus. The tiff between Karisma and her husband Sunjay Kapur began after Sunjay approached the court seeking to restrain her from going abroad with their five-month-old daughter Samaira on legal issues. Kapur had claimed that he was never informed about the passport, while the law clearly states that for a minor child both parents have to submit an affidavit. However, the government counsel said, that the couple has decided to settle their matrimonial discord for the sake of their daughter. "When the issue came before the court, the court felt that it was a larger issue and would be better if resolved between them for it involved their child too. So, the efforts from the beginning had been on the same line. The couple said today that the issue has been finally resolved, that they are better off. There is a cooling off period and there is a hope that things would turn better now, on a positive note," said Kailash Gambhir, government counsel. The crumbling of marriage between the celebrity couple became public on August 5 when Kapur secured an order from the High Court restraining Karishma from going abroad with their daughter. Karisma had married Sanjay, a New Delhi-based businessman in September 2003, after she broke up with actor Abhishek Bachchan. Karisma, who has had several box office hits to her credit, has won several Filmfare awards and a National award for her acting prowess. However, she quit the film industry after marriage.

Amol Palekar's 'Paheli' for Oscar  (Go To Top)
by Seema

     Mumbai: India has selected the Hindi film "Paheli" (Puzzle), a folklore on women empowerment, to represent the country at the 2006 Academy Awards. The film will would vie for top honours at the Best Foreign Film category. The film was chosen by a 10-member panel of the Film Federation of India from a range of other high-profile films like "Mangal Pandey", "Iqbal", "Black", "Veer Zaara" and "Page 3". "Paheli" is an adaptation of a folk tale from desert state of Rajasthan called "Duvidha" -- a story of a newly wed bride who falls in love with an earnest and loving ghost after her husband leaves for a business trip on their wedding night itself. Vinod Pande, Chairperson of Film Federation of India said the film was chosen for its soul that represented true traditions of its region. "We were very faithful to the mandate which the academy gives us. The mandate of the academy, as the name of this great institution is that it's called the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science. So, we told ourselves that we will look at a film with the objective of technical excellence. So, that was number one in our mind. Then the true representative of the region that the film comes from. So, I think the film that we have chosen is absolutely the true representative," he told reporters in Mumbai. The film stars top names from the film industry -- Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Juhi Chawla and Suneil Shetty. Even though "Paheli" did not set the box-office on fire in India, it had a great run at the US and UK theatres, grossing 1.5 million dollars during the first week of its release.

     Meanwhile, Amol Palekar, director of the film said he was quite overwhelmed when he heard that his movie was heading for the Oscars. He said that the credit for this achievement should go to the entire cast and crew. "I felt really great because something which we made with so much passion is being acknowledged. It is a fruit of all the hardwork of the entire team...I am also feeling good because the film federation thinks its the best film among all the films that came out this year," Palekar told reporters in Pune. Palekar, who has won many national awards for his films that touch the human chords, said he would consult other veterans who have been to the Oscars in the past for the promotion. "I felt really great because something which we made with so much passion is being acknowledged. It is a fruit of all the hardwork. "I have no idea on how lobbying and presentation is to be done. But I will ask Ashutosh (Gowarikar), Aamir (Khan) and Sandeep Sawant...I will consult all those who have been there. Then, Shahrukh and I will decide what steps have to be taken further," he said. India's entries to the Oscars over the years have found distinct varieties ranging from story to cinematography to powerful performances. Last year, a regional language film "Shawaas" was sent as an entry but failed to make it to the nominations. Before that a doomed love story "Devdas", which caught film lovers' attention abroad was the unanimous choice. But even the grandeur setting of the film didn't strike a chord with the Oscar jury. "Lagaan" (land tax) and "Salaam Bombay" are the only two Indian films managed to have found places at the nominations so far. India, which produces over 500 films each year, just next to Hollywood has a prolific film industry, which has recently begun experimenting with new stories and scripts, abandoning it's three-and-a-half-hours formula of a rich girl-meets-poor boy.

Lalu's party to contest 175 of 243 seats in Bihar  (Go To Top)
by Pankaj Yadav

     New Delhi: Whatever might be the ultimate result of the ensuing Bihar Assembly polls, one thing seems to be sure that Lalu Prasad Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal will once again emerge as the single largest party in the state, as it has announced that it will contest 175 of the 243 Assembly seats that are up for grabs. The party second to the RJD in terms of total number of seats contesting is the Janata Dal-United, an ally of the opposition National Democratic Alliance, which would be fielding its candidates in 141 seats. Announcing seat-sharing among the UPA allies today in Patna, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said that while his party will contest 175 seats, the Congress would fight 51 seats, the CPI-M 9 and the NCP 8. Ramvilas Paswan, who is also a UPA ally at the Centre, was left in lurch, unlike last time when the Congress sided with it against Lalu. If a political analysis is done at this stage, then in all probability, Lalu would remain the undisputed 'Raja of Jungle Raj'. With Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party taking a beating for not playing a constructive role in forming a government in the state after the February polls. The BJP appears to be in tatters because of its internal bickerings, and the JD-U does not appear to be in a position to pose a challenge to the RJD. There are almost no doubt that the RJD will remain the single largest party in the state after the October-November polls. But, whether it would succeed in forming the government in the state this time remains to be seen. That will unfold on November 22 when results would be announced. Compared to the May 2005 election, the number of seats the Congress would be contesting has fallen from 85 to 51. On the other hand, Lalu increased his share by five seats ' from 170 to 175. Out of the 170 seats contested last time, RJD managed to win 75 seats thereby emerging as the single largest party in the hung Assembly. Assembly elections in Bihar will be held in four phases and the first phase of voting will take place on October 18. The remaining three phases of voting will take place on October 26, November 13 and November 19 respectively. The Election Commission's decision to proceed with the poll process comes in the wake of Supreme Court virtually giving it a go ahead by refusing to pass any order on a plea for a stay of the elections. The Bihar Assembly was dissolved on May 23 with President A P J Abdul Kalam accepting the recommendation of the Union Cabinet following a report by Governor Buta Singh in the wake of a split in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) headed by Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Since August, members of the Election Commission have visited Bihar on several occasions to review the poll preparation and the status of the distribution of voter photo identity cards. Chief Election Commissioner B.B.Tandon has so far expressed disaatisfaction with the overall arrangements, and asked the state administration to take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

Maoist rebels blow up railway station in Bihar (Go To Top)

     Gaya (Bihar): Maoist rebels in Bihar blew up a railway station after alerting passengers to flee, officials said on Tuesday. The explosion was so powerful that the waiting room, booking office and a newly constructed building of the station was turned to debris. "At around 11.30 p.m. (Monday) we heard a loud noise and got to know that the whole area was blown up," said Mahesh, an eyewitness. The rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of peasants and landless labourers in the country's rural hinterland, pasted a notice on the walls of the station in Bihar's Gaya District, asked police and paramilitary forces to end operations against them, police said.

India celebrates World Tourism Day (Go To Top)
by Maya Singh

     New Delhi: The Ministry of Tourism commenced it's World Tourism Day function in a special way at midnight by welcoming passengers coming from abroad with vermillion, flowers and sweets. Passengers liked the idea and enjoyed it very much. Peter Agathakis, senior journalist of Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, who arrived here co-incidently said," At first, I was very surprised. This is one of he warmest welcomes I have had. I have put this red spot on my forehead for the first time in my life. And, I am very happy, I like it and enjoy it." Reeti Sen, Chief Editor, Indian International Centre,said: "I liked the way I was welcomed here today. It is a fantastic idea. I think they should welcome every passenger in this way, it can help reduce the tiredness a little bit perhaps." According to tourism department officials, the department is in a comfort zone of its own, and this is helping it to promote tourism in a big way. The Depatment of Tourism is celebrating this year's World Tourism Day with the theme "Travel and Transport: From The Imagination of Jules Verne To The Reality Of The 21st Century." Jules Verne was a pioneer in travel writtings. K. L. Das, regional Director (North India) India Tourism, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism, said: " We are celebrating World Tourism Day today. This is a very good year for the tourism industry in India. Our country is being liked for visits. Last year, about 3.4 million tourists visited india, which was 23 percent higher in comparison to 2003. And the pattern indicates a 26 percent increase this year. We are expecting about five million tourists to visit our country this year."