Dinesh Kamath's another article on Veena Malik that was published in Newsband

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Today I’ll pass on to you more information about Veena Malik.

If you thought Vidya Balan let go of her inhibitions to look her sexiest best in The Dirty Picture, you haven't seen nothing yet. Pakistani starlet Veena Malik has taken steamy a notch or two higher going by the pictures from her The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga. The photoshoot of the film that took place recently has Veena in as many as eight different avatars cozying up to her co-star Akshay.

With Veena sporting sexy short numbers or a sari draped to show every curve, and donning OTT makeup, we wonder if the film is attempting to be true to its name — 'dirty'.

The Dirty Picture portrayed Silk in a very crude manner. Trishul’s film will tackle the subject differently. Trishul will show Silk's character in three different stages — before she got into the film industry, as an actor, and in the last stages of her life. He has used the right amount of glamour. There is no question of vulgarity. There is much more to Silk's life than just the sleaze. This is a realistic take on her life. The film's title might be a deterrent for female audiences.

And while Trishul claims that his film will be an honest attempt to showcase Silk's life, he has not sought permission or got information about the late actor's life from her family. He has exclusive information about her that he’ll use for his film. Silk has acted with several top actors like Ambareesh, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi during her time. All these characters will be there in the film.

The buzz is that Tamil actor R Parthibhan will portray the role that Naseeruddin Shah did in The Dirty Picture. Parthibhan was approached for the role. He gave a green signal.

The picture of Veena seducing with a playful smile as she covers her cleavage with a wad of currency notes has become a big hit. Veena is giving some serious competition to Vidya Balan as she portrays the character of Silk Smitha with conviction. Be it short skirt, or sari, Veena managed to impress in the first photoshoot for the Kannada version of The Dirty Picture.

The Kannada version is titled The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga. It is produced by Venkatappa and directed by Trishul.

As the heroine, Veena will get a lot of opportunity to perform. The director has packaged the film very well with glamour, sentiments and all other ingredients.

Ekta Kapoor, who produced The Dirty Picture in Hindi under her banner Balaji Telefilms, is against the same title being used by Venkatappa. But Trishul has written a different story. He has written a fresh story and it has a lot of native elements that is peculiar to Karnataka. But he thought the title, The Dirty Picture, will suit the story very well. The title has been cleared by KFC and they are legally bound to use it for the film.

Veena doesn’t mind being titled as South’s Vidya Balan. Veena has already started shooting for ‘dirty’ pictures with co-actor Zeenews Bureau. For this bold siren, shooting a sexy picture is a child’s play. No doubt, her professional portfolio includes an array of sizzling photos that will make most of the men out there go weak on there knees.

So now that the much-hyped Kannada version of the The Dirty Picture starring Veena is about to go on the floors, the Big Boss lady has done a ‘as-hot-as-it-can-get’ photo shoot for the movie with her co-actor. As the heroine, Veena will get a lot of opportunity to perform. The director has packaged the film very well with glamour, sentiments and all other ingredients.

Well, we just wish Veena all the best on her ‘hot’ new venture! For all those who were waiting for Veena’s racy avatar in the Kannada Dirty Picture, keep your eyes wide open. You’ll love the glimpse of her different looks from the movie titled The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga. Also you’ll love it when she gets cozy with the Kannada actor Akshay.

If Vidya Balan’s film The Dirty Picture was a blockbuster at the box office, Pakistani actress Veena will make sure that she doesn’t leave a single stone unturned to make her version of The Dirty Picture steamier and dirtier.

One of the photoshoots for the Veena-Akshay starrer The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga was held at the Abbayya Naidu Studios in Bangalore. Veena had tried not one but eight different looks for the film. She was seen in hot dresses, including a sensuous saree exposing her belly button and curves. The movie presents her in the style of the Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe, and isn’t an exact copy of Vidya’s The Dirty Picture. Veena’s photos are sexy, chic, hot, raunchy and visually captivating. Apparently the actress is paid a staggering amount to be the heroine of the film. As the lead heroine, she will get a lot of opportunity to perform. The director has packaged the film very well with glamour, sentiments and all other ingredients.

Can Veena beat Vidya Balan in oomph and sass? The first photoshoot of Veena for the Kannada Dirty Picture will give you the idea.

Veena engages in skin show again and more. Dancing is Veena's latest passion. The starlet has done a salsa number for an advertisement. Choreographed by Longinus Fernandes, she has done her bit of skinfest in the ad as well. The controversy queen now wants to be a dancing queen.

Thus Veena seduces in ad for aphrodisiac. Controversial Pakistani actress is seen grooving to salsa beats for the new ad for aphrodisiac product Stay On and the dance form gives her "exhilarating freedom". Dancing is her passion and salsa is a new thing for her. She is quite nervous and excited about this project. Salsa is like good music, it elevates the spirit and it's an exhilarating freedom. Veena has put on Salsa shoes for the ad. The dance has been choreographed by Longinus Fernandes, known for choreographing Jai ho for Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire and Pappu can't dance saala for Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Naa, and he is impressed with the way the actress has performed. Veena is crazy about dancing. She is a good dancer and has the skill to adapt a dance move and present it beautifully. She is a dancing star.

Veena loves Kannada heroes. Veena is mad about Kannada heroes these days. During the shooting of The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga, two things that attracted her most are Bangalore and Kannada actors. According to her, Kannada actors are tall, dark and handsome and that's the reason she would love to do more Kannada films. Veena makes her acting debut in Kannada films with The Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga since the script inspired her a lot.

Veena aims to go a step ahead of Vidya Balan’s act in the original. She maintains the two films are different. It’s true that Vidya has delivered an awesome performance in the film. But Veena really wants to go one step ahead in her performance in this film. The actress, who rose to fame in India after her stint in controversial reality show Bigg Boss 4, says it is unfair to compare the two films. Although this is her first Kannada film, she is confident it will be appreciated.

Her first Kannada film has a good package of entertainment and sentimental scenes. She is sure she will entertain the audience with her performance and at the same time they would also feel sorry for the trials that her character undergoes in the film. She will win the hearts of Kannadigas through this performance. She likes the role. Veena can relate to her role in the film. This is a different story and it connects well with all the struggling young women who want to make it big in their respective fields. Veena, in fact was moved after hearing the story as there were many incidents which made her remember incidents that happened in her life albeit in a different fashion.

 Veena hopes she is also offered good roles in other regional film industries down south. Good luck, Veena!

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Children's home or jail?) that was published in Newsband

Children’s home or jail?

One feels shocked when one reads reports of children being ill-treated and that too by those adults whom children look upon as their protectors. We generally hear about isolated cases of under-age maids or servants being deprived of food or beaten in private houses. There are instances of the shelters for the children turning into virtual torture chambers. Here the inmates are at the mercy of sadistic and perverted people who are in charge.

These are just the reported cases. But what about those many cases which go unreported? Many victims don’t lodge complaints with the right authorities because they fear that if they did so they will be tortured more. There are of course cases of some brave children who have escaped from the clutches of their horrible tormentors and managed to tell the tale to police or authorities of social organization. But what about those who prefer to suffer silently?

If the children are females there is danger of them being forced into the flesh trade. Female children are the most vulnerable lot. 

In India, there are may children living in homes which are registered under the Juvenile Justice Act. But side by side there exists many unregistered homes. But we find that even the unregistered homes continue to receive government grants-in-aid. This shows the lack of political and administrative caution. At least the private donors insist that child protection policy be observed by homes to which they make monetary contributions. But the government doesn’t care at all. That’s the reason there are some who run such homes and who don’t hesitate to exploit the children admitted in their organizations. Most of these children are from the underprivileged sections. Most of these children regard such homes as jails.

It is high time the government did something drastic to prevent these children from getting exploited in those places which are referred to as ‘children’s home’. If this is not done one can imagine what the future of such children will turn out to be. They will either get converted into criminals or any type of anti-social elements and the society will have to face the terror and horror of violence unleashed by such elements. So this problem should be solved at the root.

Video: Dinesh Kamath speaks about 12 Bollywood heroines and their best films

Dinesh Kamath's article on Veena Malik that was published in Newsband

Veena Malik is really going gaga in the film industry. She has started getting in Bollywood what she dreamt of it prior to stepping into India. The controversial babe, about whom there are talks that she gets works through controversies, has been riding high in Hindi cinema since the outset. Her name now sells – this she knows pretty well. And to make her name more strapping, she keeps on creating the controversies. We have seen this hot babe in few item songs which she has done so far in films – the more noticeable is Channo that she did for the movie Gali Gali Chor Hai starring Akshaye Khanna in main lead.

Veena is now being considered hot for the item songs and she even has chipped in that leading heroines of the film industry have to do item songs. She said so in response of Hema Malini’s comment about leading heroines to stay away from the item songs. Well, what Hema said that was her own version and thinking. She was right but as the time is of item songs and every leading babe of cinema has been doing so. And most importantly every heroine wants and asks the filmmaker for a special item song. Thus in this scenario, Veena seems right.

Veena’s debut Bollywood film Daal Mein Kuch Kaal Hai hit the screens on June 29th all over. And she is super excited for her Bollywood debut. The movie stars Veena Malik in double role. Apart from Veena, Jackie Shroff, Shakti Kapoor, Vijay Raaz and Raja Chaudhary are featured in this flick. Veena will also be seen in an item song Madam Malai in this movie.

Gossip is Veena’s first name and controversy is her nature. Ask her simple questions and she gets a little restless, itching to rant about anything that would make headlines. She’s not the queen of controversy for nothing. Veena Malik aka Zahida Malik, after her acting stint in Pakistan, changed her name to try her luck on Indian shores.

Veena shuttles between Pakistan and four Indian cities she has been granted temporary permits for. She’s currently shooting for her Kannada version of The Dirty Picture on the outskirts of Bengaluru. She is learning Kannada and doing her own dialogue delivery.

Veena gives all the credit to Bigg Boss from where she got so many offers. Her other films up for release this year are Zindagi 50:50, Supermodels, Mumbai 125 kms and The Dirty Picture in Kannada.

How does Veena manage to live the life of a vagabond? Her dad was in the army, so they moved around a lot. In 9th standard she started living in a girls’ hostel. She moved to Lahore in 2007 and did Bigg Boss in 2010. After that she has been living out of suitcases, so she is fine with it.

Veena was very close to Ashmit Patel at one point, but today she is so busy with work that she doesn’t even know what he’s doing or where he is. She has a huge crush on Ajay Devgn and would love to go on a date with him. For her co-stars in Bollywood, she would choose any actor who’s good over the Khans as she doesn’t want them to overshadow her character and steal the limelight away from her. She has done two item numbers and would like to do more.

As far as her nude mag cover shoot goes, that was a morphed image, but she doesn’t mind shooting nude. She will do it of her own will and whenever she wants to do it.

This Pakistani actress is excited about playing a double role in her debut Bollywood film Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai. She is confident she will pull it off well as she has real life dual identities as well. Playing a double role in reel life is a new thing for her. But in real life, she actually plays the double role of two girls inside her - one is Zahida Malik and other is Veena Malik.

This Pakistani bombshell has shed her clothes for this B-grade film Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai. The sultry actress has romanced Raja Chaudhary. Recently, Veena Malik posed naked for a magazine and later on the actress denied it. She was even issued fatwa by Muslim community but the sexy lass is doing what she feels is right.

Raja is so much impressed with Veena’s hot avatar that he expressed his desire to marry her. He is even ready to change her surname from Chaudhary to Malik. Veena also had a wonderful time shooting with Raja. Raja is so much impressed with Veena’s bold ‘performance’ that he wishes to spend the rest of his life with her. When the poster of the film was released the actress was seen in topless covering her secret asset with notes and this excited all her fans.

Who can forget sex Goddess Marilyn Monroe's vintage moment in The Seven Year Itch, where her white dress billows in the air, leaving men gasping for breath? Veena Malik, in the promo for her upcoming Kannada film, The Dirty Picture: Sakkath Silk Maga, has gone all out to recreate the same magic. The actress, who wears a rather gawky blonde wig and a not-so-impressive red dress, has tried to ape that oomphy pose.

The director of Kannada version of The Dirty Picture and Veena want to leave no stone unturned to prove that their film is far sexier than Vidya Balan's Hindi version. The actress has been game enough to pose for some very sensuous pictures. One has her wrapped up in nothing but a black satin drape. Veena, apart from aping Marilyn, has also posed as Eve biting into an apple seductively. With the actress ready to do anything to promote director Trishul's Kannada Silk biopic, one begins to wonder as to what else she is going to do to make the flick most-talked about!

Veena, in the Kannada version of The Dirty Picture, is not inspired by actress Vidya Balan's Silk act in the original. When it comes to acting, she is not inspired from Vidya because she has not seen her film The Dirty Picture. She was planning to see it but when she got the Kannada version of the film, she decided against it because she did not want her character to have any outside imprints.

Veena is working with various people in India and she has a very good working relationship with them. Veena will be seen with ex-boyfriend Ashmit Patel in Supermodel.

Veena Malik was also in news for being kissed by Shakti Kapoor. Shakti Kapoor kissed his co-star Veena Malik on her cheek at the music launch of Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai in Mumbai. Veena even performed at the event. When Veena visited Delhi's Nizamuddin Dargah a couple of days ago, the spirituality was accompanied by perfect makeup and a touching concern for the right camera angles. Nevertheless, it was an avatar Veena's been seen in rarely. In a sequinned burqa and black heels, Veena stepped out of a black car in front of the dargah, where she was received by dargah in-charge Afsar Ali Nizami. She went barefoot inside and sat comfortably on the floor. Later, with a phoolon ki tokri and chaddar on her head, Veena offered prayers at the shrine. She sat in front of it to listen to the qawwals for a while, and then moved back inside the dargah office, perhaps because of the large crowds that her presence had attracted. Draped now in a golden dupatta, Veena looked like a bride.

She is a very religious person. Besides the dargah, she has also visited other religious places like gurudwaras, temples and churches. When she first came to India, she visited a gurudwara while shooting for her first movie in Punjab. She has also visited the Mount Mary church and the Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai. She also has a small temple in her home in Mumbai.

So Veena is not only sexy but also spiritual. In other words, she’s great!

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Suicide is not the answer to any problem) that was published in Newsband

Suicide is not the answer to any problem

The findings of a recent study by British medical journal Lancet have identified suicides as the second leading cause of death among the young in India. Why is this so? What is the reason that leads many of our youngsters to take resort to ultimate step? It is high time we analyzed the reasons behind our youngsters committing suicide.

It is indeed strange that no worthwhile research on this has been done by a national agency. The research was conducted by the British surveyors.

Indian government must study in details about this suicide issue in our country and find remedies to minimize or nullify it. During the research, it was found that 40 per cent victims of suicides in India are from four southern states of Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Is this because South Indians feel that it is a taboo to approach a psychiatrist in case you happen to feel mentally disturbed? In this modern world, the psychiatrists are as much necessary as physical doctors.

All across the world people suffer from depression which is treated, but in India it usually goes untreated until it develops into a more serious form. There is a need of public education program to convince people that there is nothing hopelessly wrong with being depressed and that there are remedies for it. People must realize that there is nothing wrong in approaching the psychiatrist when one suffers from mental problems. This is as natural as going to a doctor when you have a common cold of flu. In both the cases, the patients get treated and they become normal.

The high suicide rates in South India might be partly attributable to a combination of prevalent suicidal thinking or planning and social acceptance of suicide as a method to deal with difficulties, but this requires to be studied more closely.

The survey report also says that around half the 1.87 lakh people who committed suicide in India in 2010 consumed poison, mainly pesticides, to end their life. This underlines the need to ban the most toxic pesticides and to educate the rural masses about safe storage of pesticides.

Another fact that the survey report exposes is that farmers are most prone to committing suicide. The fact that has come out is that over three in four suicide deaths in India occur in other occupational groups including the unemployed and homemakers.

It is high time that the Indian government did something drastic to prevent rise in suicide cases in India. Suicide is certainly not a solution to any problem. Any human life is not that cheap that it can be given up anytime whenever its owner wishes. It is high time that people began to realize the value of human life.

Dinesh Kamath's article on 'Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai'

Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai is a film produced by Urvashi Bali and Deepak Bali. Writer and director is Aanand Balraj. Cinematography is by Harish Joshi and choreography by Lollypop. Editor is KD Dilip. The casts of the film are Jackie Shroff, Veena Malik, Shakti Kapoor, Aman Verma, Aanand Balraj, Raja Chaudhary, Ali Hassan, Boby darling.

The film has an interesting story. Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai is a story of an upcoming Bollywood actress who is over ambitious. Mr Dabu, a middle aged man of forty, is a complete loser has absconded and is living alone. However, he has a great weakness for luxury life and women. He is madly infatuated by this upcoming Starlet. One day, he suddenly becomes rich after winning a jackpot of inheritance. He decides to go to the actress to share his fortune and his future.

Starlet gets shocked and amazed after seeing so much of money with him in cash. Though she doesn't like him much, she is very much interested in his money and is hence confused as to what she must do. Suddenly, she receives a call from her boyfriend and gets lured by him to con all the money from Mr Dabu. As per the plan, the wannabe actress is expected to convince Mr Dabu that they should go to an unknown destination to decide their future.

Agreeing with the boyfriend but confused what to do but then finally she goes to Dabu and tells him they cannot fly with so much of money and they should hire a car and make their journey by road. The car driver, whose name is Charlie, is a young handsome boy who wonders what the beautiful girl is doing with Mr Dabu.

Due to the stupidity of starlet's secretary, they leave behind scent of money with the unwanted people. On the way, they being odd couple, it makes people suspicious and they feel that Daal mein kuch kala hai or in other words, there is something fishy going on. They also follow them to know what is happening and they get a doubt that Mr Dabu is carrying a bag full of money. In the night, on the road, a stormy rain fall breaks out in middle of the forest, a huge tree falls down and blocks their way.

No ways to go for them, they spot a light; then they go nearby and they find a beautiful palace built in memory of a beautiful lady. They decide to take their shelter for the night. After reaching the palace, they are given shelter by the palace manager. As night passes, rainy storm gets stronger and delay their stay. They also realize that the palace has the presence of a soul and the palace is possessed by her. But to comfort themselves they ignore it.

Their imagination goes hay wire and they think that it's their sixth sense and make courage to stay till the storm stops. The unwanted people who are tracking them also reach the palace. The palace where the spirit of a beautiful angel lives transforms herself into duplicate of the starlet and makes everyone run for the money. Thus the film provides great entertainment and many comic scenes. In the palace, some wanted the money only. Some wanted the money and the girl.

Finally the entire tussle begins over the money which leads to the climax with a question that who will get the money? The angel who is saintly hearted soul finally does the justice and hand over the money to rightful owner. On the whole, from first frame to last frame, the entire film is full of comedy, fun and entertainment.

The makers of Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai have tried to add in spice by bringing on Veena Malik in her first ever lead role. The starting point here is music by Aabfm.

First we have Ritu Pathak crooning Madam Malai for Veena Malik. Lyricists Naresh and Anand Balraj have gone all out to make the song enticing and not succeeding one bit.

Next number is Vada Pav. This is what the song has been titled as well and with Vinod Rathod given charge to go all out with this song. Written by Nasir, the song goes into biryani, bangla, gaadi, Ambani, Salman, Mumbai and other things before coming back to Vada Pav.

From this point on lyricist Vijay Akela takes over. Mamta Sharma sings a song that hails the glory of Mumbai. The song is Mumbai Money Hai which is set in the 80s.

Next number is Apun Ki Life. Third song in a row with Mumbai as a centre of attraction; it could well be a record to have as many as three songs about the city in a single Bollywood film. Still, one gets reasonably interested in listening to the song since Amit Kumar returns after a hiatus behind the mike. He along with Bali Brahmabhatt croons this number.

Arun Daga is the singer roped in for Nadiya and this time around the makers try to get all philosophical by talking about jeevan being compared with nadiya ka paani and stuff alike.

 Pakistani actress Veena Malik plays double role in Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai. Veena Malik is excited about playing a double role in her debut Bollywood film. She is confident she will pull it off well as she has real life dual identities as well. Playing a double role in reel life is a new thing for her. But in real life, she actually plays the double role of two girls inside her, one is Zahida Malik and other is Veena Malik. If she can play a double role in real life, it naturally was exciting for her to play a double role in a movie.

The actress, who became popular in India after her stint on Bigg Boss 4, has also signed the Telugu version of the Bollywood hit The Dirty Picture. She will even feature in Hindi movies Mumbai 125 km and Zindagi 50-50.

After giving nude poses for a magazine, queen of controversies Veena Malik, is once again all set to bare all for movie Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai, in which she will be seen romancing with actor Raja Chaudhary. In the film, the sexy siren has gone nude and given some hot scenes with Raja in Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai.

Veena had a wonderful time while shooting with Raja and wishes to work again with him in future. Apart from Veena and Raja, the movie also has important roles for actors Jackie Shroff, Shakti Kapoor and Vijay Raaz. In some of the posters of Daal Mein Kuch Kala Hai, Veena is seen topless.

Thus the controversy queen Veena Malik’s Bollywood career has finally rolled out. She has shot for four films - Mumbai 125 kms, Daal Mei Kuch Kaala Hai, Zindagi 50-50 and Supermodel.

In the poster of the film Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hain, she is clad in a red dress; the actress looks sizzling hot in the poster of the film. And, it’s not just the poster that became the talking point, in fact, the song Madam Malai has left many gaping at the smoking hot actress. Thus Pakistani actress Veena Malik is waiting to make it big in Bollywood.

Thus Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai is a mad comedy which is all set to hit the theatres on 29 June 2012. So do watch the film. You will like it.

Dinesh Kamath's article on movie 'The Amazing Spider-Man' that was published in Newsband

The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming 2012 American superhero film directed by Marc Webb based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

The film has an interesting story. Teenage social outcast Peter Parker spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past and winning the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy. Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, which leads him to his father's former partner, Dr. Curtis Connors. The discovery of his father's secret, coupled with an encounter with a genetically altered spider, will ultimately shape his destiny of becoming Spider-Man and brings him face to face with Connors, who becomes the vicious and vengeful Lizard.

Cast of the film:

* Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man

    An unpopular adolescent struggling to find his place in life ever since his parents disappeared when he was a young boy. Garfield described Parker as someone he can relate to, and claimed the character was an important symbol to him since he was just a toddler. Garfield drew from his life experiences as inspiration for the role, revealing, "I was thinking of my history and thinking of the kid at school who I wasn't as strong as, who behaved badly to a lot of people – including myself – and who I constantly tried to stand up to but never had the physical prowess to". After taking the role, Garfield studied the movements of both athletes and spiders and tried to incorporate them, saying Parker is "a boy/spider in terms of how he moves, and not just in the suit." He also did yoga and Pilates for the role in order to be as flexible as possible. When first wearing the Spider-Man costume Garfield admitted to shedding tears and trying to imagine "a better actor in the suit", which he described as "uncomfortable" and admitted to wearing nothing beneath it since it is skintight. When filming Garfield explained that he had four months of training and described his physical roles on stunts as terribly challenging and exhausting.

* Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy

    A high school classmate and love interest of Peter Parker, a smart, charismatic and rebellious girl who is the chief Intern at Oscorp. For the role, Stone dyed her hair blonde, her natural hair color even though she is better recognized with red hair. She felt that she had a responsibility to educate herself on Spider-Man, admitting she "hadn't read the comic book growing up, and my experience was with the Sam Raimi movies. . . . I always assumed that Mary Jane was his first love", and having only been familiar with Bryce Dallas Howard's portrayal in Spider-Man 3 Stone said, "There's a part of me that really wants to please people [who] love Spider-Man or Gwen Stacy and want her to be done justice. I hope they'll give me license to interpret her my way."

* Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard

    One of Oscorp's leading scientific minds, who attempts to engineer a revolutionary regeneration serum to help regrow limbs and human tissue. Something goes wrong and he is transformed into the monster known as the Lizard. In a September 2011 interview, Ifans said his character spends the majority of the film as a human. While filming for the 9-foot tall Lizard, Ifans was required to wear a CGI suit. Initially, a large stunt-double was used as a stand-in for the role, but Ifans insisted on portraying the transformed character, to which Webb agreed. Commenting on the technology used to bring his character to life, Ifans continued "I had a green suit on, and then this cardboard head, and these big claws... Each and every time you see the Lizard, the technology is so advanced now that when the Lizard's eyes move, they're my eyes. If I frown or show any emotion, they're my emotions. That's how spectacularly advanced technology is." Ifans also said that he voiced the Lizard as well explaining.

* Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy

"This is a Denis Leary you've never seen before — he's not the cool cat bucking the system, he is the system. He's got wit, he's got an attitude, and he's got 500 officers looking for Spider-Man — who just happens to be dating his daughter." — Matt Tolmach explaining Leary's character.

Gwen's father and a New York City Police Department captain who hunts both Spider-Man out of distrust and the Lizard for his rampage. Director Webb said of his casting, "[W]e all trust Denis Leary. He's got this attitude, but you love him. In this movie, he puts pressure on Peter Parker. He's on Spider-Man’s case, but you understand him. I've said this before, but good drama comes from competing ideas of what's good."

* Martin Sheen as Ben Parker

    Peter Parker's uncle. Sheen admitted he was unfamiliar with Spider-Man other than through seeing Tobey Maguire's portrayal in Spider-Man 2, and knew little of the character Ben Parker except for knowing Cliff Robertson had played the part. Sheen described his character as a surrogate father, saying, "I'm dealing with this adolescent who is having problems with changes, with hormones changing and his getting out of hand. I have to give him the marching orders and so forth." Webb said, "You think of Martin Sheen as President Bartlett [of TV's The West Wing]. He has that sense of benevolent authority, but there's something else that's important, in terms of the dynamic that I wanted to explore, vis a vis Peter's relationship with his absent parents." Webb feels that unlike the scientifically inclined Peter, Uncle Ben represented the blue collar working man, a gap that could create a dynamic between the characters.

* Sally Field as May Parker

    Ben Parker's wife, and Peter Parker's aunt. Director Webb felt that "when you cast someone like Sally, they come with a certain level of awareness and real genuine affection, which for Aunt May is an incredibly important thing to have." Webb said that while "we all love Aunt May", he wanted to create a tension between May and Peter. "He’s got bruises on his face, and what happens in that moment? That can create some tension, but you want there to be love there. That’s what someone like Sally Field gives you."

* Irrfan Khan as Dr. Rajit Ratha

    A depicted employee of Oscorp (a company that the director Webb admitted to be owned by Norman Osborn in the film universe) and boss of Doctor Connors who provides pressure for the character. Khan said he was offered what he described as this "pivotal role" after appearing in the TV drama series In Treatment. Webb even described himself as a fan of the actor when watching the series along with the films The Namesake and The Warrior. Khan said he was uninterested in the project at first but that both of his sons were excited about it and insisted he take the role.

* Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson

    A high school nemesis who picks on Parker. Of playing the role, Zylka said, "You just try to focus. As an artist or as an actor, you just try to focus and stay in that world and block it all out."

The film has other minor characters.

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter felt that the film was a satisfying result of a reboot of one of Marvel's most successful film franchise explaining that Marc Webb directed the film with emotional touch and plenty of comedic touches while also describing the film as a somewhat darker depiction of the superhero and having stronger romance when compared to the original film series. Boyd Van Hoeija of Variety described the film as a "mostly slick, entertaining and emotionally involving recombination of fresh and familiar elements". He said Garfield makes an interesting hero of the film because "his struggles involve real people -- and real lives."

Thus the film The Amazing Spider-Man is undoubtedly an interesting movie. So do watch it when it gets released on 29 June 2012.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Punishment and Reward for Navi Mumbai Police' that was published in Newsband

Punishment and reward for Navi Mumbai policemen

There are policemen in Navi Mumbai who many a times have to do 16-hour day duty. Bandhs especially spell bad news for policemen. For, they have to ensure the law and order situation in the city remains under control, even long after we have reached home safe.

A majority of the city policemen, along with forces like the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) are roped in for duty during occasions like bandh. They have to report for work between 5 am and 6 am, in case any trouble breaks out early during the day. Many of them live in distant suburbs like Thane or Navi Mumbai, which means they have to start from home even before the sun rises. They have to begin their day when the rest of the city is still asleep. They cannot complain since everyone has to adjust in such circumstances. This is their job.

In case there is no untoward incident, they can leave after 8 pm. But if there is a problem, then there will be no fixed timing. Even the top brass has to report for work early, in order to decide the deployment of forces. This is the punishment that Navi Mumbai policemen have to face.

But it is heartening to know that these policemen are now going to be rewarded. Navi Mumbai police stations are to get new buildings soon.

For police stations in Navi Mumbai awaiting new buildings, the wait is almost over. Development plans have been approved for the police station buildings where new structures had been proposed. Construction works of some of the police stations have also begun. As many as four new police stations had also been approved for Navi Mumbai. The new police stations — Turbhe MIDC, Rabale MIDC, Khandeshwar and Kamothe — are sanctioned to cater to the growing population of the city.

The plans for the police stations awaiting new buildings are approved by the authorities concerned. Among the police stations which are to have new buildings, the plans for the Kharghar, NRI Coastal, Kamothe, Nhava Sheva and Turbhe police stations have been approved. Construction work has started at the Kharghar and Kamothe police stations. The work is on and will be completed in the next few months.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) has prepared the plans for three of the police stations which are awaiting their new structures. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) authorities have prepared the plans for the Nhava Sheva police station, and the Police Housing Corporation have prepared the plans for the new Turbhe police station. The new Turbhe police station will be located close to the Palm Beach Road near Sanpada. The new police station, although called Turbhe police station, will cater mostly to Sanpada residents.

The police are awaiting clearances for the NRI police station. As the airport is coming up, Navi Mumbai policemen will have to await clearances as the police station may be in the flight path.

Thus it’s great to know that a serious attempt is being made to improve the working conditions of the Navi Mumbai policemen. All that is left to be done now is to provide these policemen decent ownership houses near to their places of work. That will make their lives more comfortable.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Cop or Villain?) that was published in Newsband

Cop or villain?

Mumbai’s cop Vasant Dhoble, who is ACP (Social Security Branch) of the Mumbai Police, has earned the wrath of the English press for his overzealous following of rules.

The English press in Mumbai is in campaign mode – at least the city’s leading newspaper is. They are furious at a crackdown on the city’s nightlife by a cop known for his rough and ready ways. They have gone all out to stop the crackdown – to no avail, it would seem.

Here are some interesting information about Dhoble who has a controversial record. Convicted by a trial court for beating a man to death in 1983, he was dismissed from service, spent two days in custody, but was acquitted by the High Court and reinstated. The Supreme Court upheld his acquittal. The incident occurred in 1983; the Supreme Court verdict came 20 years later. In the interim, Dhoble got into further trouble. A year after he was reinstated in 1996, Dhoble was involved in an alleged “encounter”, in which he was accused of gunning down the wrong man. An inquiry ordered by the High Court termed the encounter fake. But this finding was rejected by the High Court. The matter is pending in the Supreme Court.

Dhoble likes to carry a hockey stick. At a raid in April on a juice centre outside a hospital, against which the local people had complained, Dhoble strode in, hockey stick in hand, wearing plain clothes, and in full view of the customers, manhandled the manager before taking him away. In his numerous raids on the city’s pubs, cafes, and lounges, Dhoble has barged in post-midnight. His men have taken pictures of customers and made them cool their heels while their names and addresses were taken down. Single female customers have been charged with prostitution and sent to remand homes. A 19-year-old claimed her family had disowned her after she was released from the Home. Two sisters, currently in a Remand Home, have sued him for defamation.

Since he took over, Dhoble is said to have shut down 20 bars. He has penalized restaurants for being open past the 1.30 a.m. deadline, offering hookahs which are banned, allowing customers to dance, serving alcohol without licence, using footpaths as extensions and allowing prostitution and drugs on their premises. Among Dhoble’s targets have been bars owned by a Shiv Sena leader’s wife and the wife of a Deputy Commissioner of Police; customers fined include the son of the State Health Minister. Rarely does a cop take on such powerful people.

Dhoble is also the first policeman to arrest clients of prostitutes as mandated by the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act, 1986. A diamond trader and his friend were arrested from a hotel along with two prostitutes, and he had to spend six days in police custody.

Among Dhoble’s recent victims has been Yusuf Bhure, a 64-year-old restaurant owner, who alleges he was hit so hard by the ACP that he collapsed and now has a damaged ear.

This is the story of the Mumbai Cop who is in the limelight these days. It is left to the readers to decide whether he is a cop or villain?

Video: Dinesh Kamath speaks about his 12 favorite Bollywood films

Dinesh Kamath's article on film 'StreetDance 2' that was published in Newsband

StreetDance 2 is the sequel to StreetDance 3D which was released on 21 May 2010. The film has been released in RealD 3D, XpanD 3D, and Dolby 3D with Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini returning to directing. Britain's Got Talent stars George Sampson and Flawless return along with Hip-hop dancer Sofia Boutella (backing dancer for Madonna and face of Nike) and Falk Hentschel. The cast also features b-boys such as Lilou, Niek, and Yaman.

The movie has an interesting plot. To beat the world's best dance crew at a dance-off in Paris, France, streetdancer Ash (Falk Hentschel) and new friend and manager, Eddie (George Sampson), gather the greatest streetdancers from around Europe, whilst hoping to add a Latin element courtesy of salsa dancer Eva (Sofia Boutella).

The film has Sofia Boutella as Eva, Salsa/Latin dancer and romantic interest, Falk Hentschel as Ash, the protagonist, George Sampson as Eddie, Ash's manager, Richard Winsor as Tomas, Akai Osei as Junior, Tom Conti as Manu, Eva's uncle, Flawless as dance crew "The Surge" and Ratisha Belush as Catacomb Clubber

StreetDance 2 received its first review with Screen International chief film critic, Mark Adams, describing the dancing as "toe-tappingly cool" and stating that lead actress Sofia Boutella is "destined to be a big star"

The film caused significant outrage among Algerians living in both France and Algeria due to their compatriot Sofia Boutella's appearance in scenes that are excessively risqué by Algerian standards. Viewing the film as an "insult to Algerian traditions and ethics," some Algerian immigrants in France boycotted the film and a campaign was launched through social networking sites Twitter and Facebook to prevent the showing of the film in Algeria.

Actor Falk Hentschell has so far played dark characters and his experience in Street Dance 2 has been fun-filled. His experience in this film has been very different because usually he plays dark or tough characters that don't get to be so playful. So to do a movie that is so fun with a lot of laughter and isn't too serious, it was great. Hentschell plays a street dancer in Street Dance 2. He wanted to be an actor when he was little. There wasn't a real way in, so his mum, she asked him as to why he didn’t learn how to dance. So he started with Latin and Ballroom which is so unusual for a 14-year-old.

That turned into hip hop. Then he wanted to know a bit more about dance like jazz and tap. Later he became a back-up dancer which led him to Hollywood. He has been focusing on acting for 10 years now and solely acting for the last five years. Then he got this role in Street Dance 2.

The film also has the first film's dancing sensation - George Sampson. Street Dance 2, scripted by Jane English, releases June 22 in India.

Flawless reached the finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 with their street dance routine and have since gone on to star in feature movie Streetdance 3D and Streetdance 2. The film has moments of breathtaking brilliance.

Streetdance 2 has energy; Falk Hentschel is Ash, a guy with something to prove, having embarrassed himself in a confrontation with a streetdance crew hubristically named Invincible. So he assembles a super-cool crew of his own from all over Europe to take them on again, and incidentally falls for Eva (Sofia Boutella), his most luscious signing. And after some ups and downs they are the winners.

In the middle of Streetdance 2, a breakdance crew storms a Parisian bar to show off their moves. They flex and writhe as the music thumps. On the edge of the circle, away from the sweat and the fury, Tom Conti leads a partner through a gentle spot of salsa.

The film is really not about dancing. It is about the connection between man and woman. The streetdancers don't connect with each other, they just do phenomenal acrobatics. There's no sex, really.

Conti in this film doesn't like to dance. He has some problem but he likes music, girls and sex. And he is, despite his cautious Cuban motion , the heart of Streetdance 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the most successful British independent film of recent years. The film sees Conti, who is Scottish, play Manu, a curmudgeonly French club owner who helps a troupe of young breakdancers learn how to fuse the energy of street dance with the raw sexuality of Latin. It's a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Conti has loads of fun with it. The salsa scene may send up his reputation as a sex symbol although there was a definite sexual tension between Conti and his twentysomething street dance partner. Conti is thoughtful company. He laughs a lot and doesn't guard himself.

There are 54 years between Conti and Sampson, but the phenomenal success of the first Streetdance film – which took £2.5m on its opening weekend in the UK – suggests that the audience for Streetdance 2 might be broad enough to cover both of their bases. Conti is no doubt a useful draw for older cinemagoers, though it's a stretch to imagine those who remember him from his Tony award-winning performance in Brian Clark's Whose Life is it Anyway? making the leap into Streetdance territory.

Thus Street Dance 2 is a fun-filled film. There is a lot of laughter and it isn’t a very serious film. The film features the return of the first film's dancing sensation - George Sampson. Street Dance 2 releases June 22 in India. Talking about other dancers in the film, everyone is an expert. I don't think dancing is ever to be about the best, it's supposed to be about expressing yourself and you are ok whatever you do. To me, everyone is expert in expressing themselves. You’ll love Sofia Boutella a lot because she's a hard worker and she had never done salsa before and yet she has performed excellently in the film. So do watch StreetDance 2. You’ll enjoy it.