RSS Feed (xml)Blondie - Call Me (live)
Ranjitha to be a witness in Nithyananda's case
Tamil actress Ranjitha, who was disappearing from the scene after her sex video tape with Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda had hit the net, has now appeared before the CID Police. Police sources claim that the actress has assured that she would fully co-operate with them during the investigation of Kami Swami's illegal activities in the Ashram.
The Police sources say that Swami Nithyananda was either going off into meditation or complaining of illness. When he did not co-operate with CID Police during his interrogation, the police had contacted actress Ranjitha over the phone and requested her to be present at the investigation.
Respecting their call, the Tamil actress came from Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday evening and met the CID Police. Later, they took her to a secret place to interrogate her. According to the police sources, the actress will be considered as the witness for Nithyananda's case.
However, it is said that the police will gather information about Nithyananda's sex scandal (Rasaleela) and his illegal activities in the Bidadi Ashram. The actress will be taken to the central office of CID for further investigation today morning (Thursday). Meanwhile, Ranjitha has assured that she would offer her full co-operation for the investigation.
Katrina Kaif: Actress with the Midas touch
A decade ago, it would have been unimaginable for an actress with a pronounced British accent who barely spoke Hindi to make it big in Bollywood.
But that was before Katrina Kaif arrived on the scene.
The 25-year-old has carved a niche for herself in an industry which is usually not very forgiving of upcoming actresses, that too without any connections in Bollywood.
Kaif came to India as a 17-year-old. Born to a Kashmiri father and a British mother, she had lived in the US and the UK, and is known to be very close to her sisters and mother.
She made her debut in Kaizad Gustad's "Boom" in 2003, a performance that went unnoticed. It was only when she appeared in "Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya" two years later with then boyfriend Salman Khan that Bollywood took note. But the critics still panned her, describing her acting as stunted and her accent a hindrance.
"There is no place for any negativity in my life," says Kaif, when asked about those early days. "Everyone has a destiny and I got what was written in mine."
Industry bigwigs like filmmaker Prakash Jha say it would be wrong to ascribe Kaif's success today to mere destiny.
"Katrina is where she is today because of only one thing -- her dedication. She drove for three hours to come back to the dubbing studio because she felt she had pronounced a word wrongly. One word. And then she drove back to catch a flight," says Jha, who directed Kaif in her latest project "Rajneeti".
From a wannabe actress to the leading lady with the Midas touch, Kaif has come a long way. Producers are lining up to sign the one actress who has been fairly consistent with blockbuster hits.
"Out of her 14 films, she has delivered 11 hits. That's a tremendous record for any actress. Even in films which didn't do well, she was appreciated," says trade analyst Vajir Singh.
As for her accent and difficulty with Hindi diction, Kaif isn't too worried.
"I had an accent when I came into the industry, I have one now and will always have one," says the actress.
"I don’t think it has stopped me from doing the kind of films I have done."
It doesn't seem to have deterred the audiences either.
Kaif is today one of Bollywood's highest paid actresses, comparing with the likes of Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but has given more hits than the other two.
Her last two outings, "New York" and "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" struck gold at the box-office, as did films such as "Welcome" and "Singh is Kinng".
Kaif was also the most searched for Indian celebrity on Google last year and street hawkers still stock up on her posters.
"Katrina is the one actress whose negatives have actually turned out to be positives for her -- her accent makes her seem exotic to Indian audiences, and that is why she has the number of followers she does," says Singh.
Trade analysts feel the actress is now at a stage in her career where she can cement her number one position in Bollywood -- if she impresses audiences in "Rajneeti".
Kaif is gearing up for what many say is her toughest role yet, that of an up-and-coming politician in Prakash Jha's film. Her turn as Indu Prakash is drawing comparisons with the Congress party's Italian-born president Sonia Gandhi.
And though she insists there is no similarity, one can't help notice that Kaif herself is a Bollywood outsider who was never given any chance of succeeding.
She still is nonchalant about her unexpected success in the industry.
"I never planned it this way, but even then you can't walk around telling yourself that you are successful, because that would just mess with your head."
What next for IPL?
The head of India's USD 4 billion cricket league was suspended from his post on Monday following graft allegations in a growing scandal that has ensnared politicians and strained the ruling coalition.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has appointed an interim chief and has said it will cooperate with tax authorities probing the three-year-old Indian Premier League (IPL).
Here are some questions and answers about the future of Modi and the league, the game's most lucrative tournament.
What steps has the BCCI taken?
The BCCI suspended Modi minutes after the final of the third edition of the tournament on Sunday, pending inquiry.
Modi has 15 days to respond to the board's questions on various activities of the IPL, BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters.
The board will drop its probe if Modi convinced them of his innocence, Manohar said.
BCCI has appointed board member Chirayu Amin as interim president of the IPL and asked the board's secretary Ratnakar Shetty to look into all the records of the IPL, many of which are missing from the office, Manohar said.
The BCCI was "fully cooperating" with the government, Amin told NDTV news channel on Tuesday.
What are the charges?
The BCCI is looking into allegations related to initial bids for two of the franchises, charges of rigging of bids this year for two new IPL franchises, broadcast deals, and the "behavioural pattern of Lalit Modi", Manohar said.
IPL has a telecast deal with Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd (MSM) backed by Sony Entertainment Television, and a broadcast deal with Google's YouTube, Shetty said.
The BCCI is handing over all documents pertaining to these and other deals to tax officials, Shetty said.
"MSM strongly refutes all unsubstantiated allegations of any impropriety in this matter as incorrect and inaccurate," a statement from the company said.
"We have not been contacted by any investigating authorities with regard to our agreement", a spokesman for Google said.
The Income Tax department, in a statement, said it was "investigating only the taxation aspects of transactions relating to the (IPL)".
Ajay’s role play
Ajay Gehi, who plays Vibhishan in Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, almost went unnoticed during the film’s music release last Saturday.
Ajay looked so different from the way he looks in Raavan that co-actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Bachchan, and even director Mani Ratnam, failed to recognise him. Blame it on the fact that Ajay looked completely different from his bald and moustachio avatar in Raavan.
The entire cast and crew walked up to the stage on Aishwarya’s request. But when Ajay walked up and greeted Mani Ratnam, the director completely cold shouldered him as he didn’t recognise him. When Ajay introduced himself to Mani, the latter could not believe his eyes.
Ajay was in for some more embarrassment when he greeted Abhishek who also failed to recognise his on-screen brother.
Ajay confirms and says, “Yes, it was very surprising. Mani sir didn’t recognise me at all and when I told him it was indeed me, he asked me about my missing moustache. Abhishek too hugged me on stage when I told him it was me. It's nice to be recognised as my character but I hope that I don't go unnoticed.”
‘Shoaib wants Rs 35 m for coverage’, but no buyers
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik reportedly demanded a whopping Rs 35 million from TV channels for coverage rights to his reception in his hometown Sialkot on Sunday and the April 27 ‘walima’ in Lahore.
Shoaib had asked his private security guards to keep the media away from both ceremonies as none of the TV news channels agreed to cough up the huge amount demanded by him, Dunya news channel reported.
The channel claimed it got an invitation card for the ‘walima’ to be hosted by Shoaib in Lahore’s Pearl Continental Hotel by paying Rs 10,000 to a relative of the cricketer.
In Lahore, Pearl Continental Hotel management has asked journalists to leave the premises. Dozens of reporters, especially those from TV news channels, have been thronging the hotel since the couple arrived there two days ago. “The hotel administration took the step on behalf of Shoaib,” claimed journalist Hina Farooq.
Shaoib has already requested the government of Punjab province to provide the couple and his guests from India “foolproof” security. Shoaib and his brother-in-law Imran Zafar criticised the media after Sania and her mother Nasima Mirza were jostled and pushed by an unruly crowd after reaching the Pearl Continental, an incident that “brought tears to Sania’s eyes”. “Please spare us,” both Shoaib and Zafar requested the media.
“For God’s sake, leave us alone. You are trying to fix cameras in our rooms,” an angry Zafar shouted at the media.
Before leaving for Sialkot, Shoaib, Sania and her parents and relatives visited the shrine of Hazrat Ali Hajvary Data Ganj Bakhsh and offered prayers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
