Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Absurd proposal' that was published in Newsband

Absurd proposal

Someone has made a proposal that there should be licences, qualifications and common entrance examinations for journalists. Attempt is being made to circumscribe and limit the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression for journalists.

Any attempt to prescribe licences and qualifications for journalists will necessarily end up limiting what ordinary citizens can do. As in other democracies, newspapers in India do not require a licence to operate. Only in authoritarian or managed democracies, press licensing is the norm. What is mooted as an exercise to raise the quality of journalism could just as well pose a threat to the free flow of information, and to the freedom of speech and expression.

Media in India, specially the print media, is doing their job very well. Media which acts like vigilance has the right to publish and place politicians in embarrassing situations. One of the ministers wants a journalist to have minimum qualification. What is the minimum qualification required for the politicians who become MC, MLA and MP and ministers? Let us fix it first.

 In order to create a good democratic environment in a country, fair reporting on the basis of facts is indispensable. To render the service of journalism effectively and in a honest way, journalist must shoulder their responsibilities; otherwise the role of the basic pillar of democracy will be questionable. But it does not imply that the government should impose restrictions on journalist on the matter relating to reporting of news which is contrary to the basic principle of democracy.

Here in India, most of the journalists, though not all, have succeeded to render their service honestly and in an efficient way. Therefore, raising question on efficiency of media persons is not justifiable. Yes, the government should conduct an examination among the politicians who aspire to be legislators. It will enhance the potential of our democratic system.

It is strange that while almost all the political parties are fighting the proposals to bring in election expenses under the ambit of RTI Act and to disqualify those in police/ judicial custody from contesting elections, Government is planning to stipulate minimum qualifications and experience for journalists!

One should consider that freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic rights and freedoms. Freedom of expression is essential in enabling democracy to work and public participation in decision making. Citizens cannot exercise their right to vote effectively or take part in public decision-making if they do not have free access to information and ideas and are not able to express their views freely. Freedom of expression is thus not only important for individual dignity but also to participation, accountability and democracy.

There may be certain extreme forms of expression, which need to be curtailed for the protection of other human rights. Limiting freedom of expression in such situations is always a fine balancing act. The particular form of expression which is banned in some countries is “hate speech”.

Countries around the world that have emerged from authoritarian and totalitarian rule are discovering that a free political society cannot exist without Free News Media. Because democracy involves public debate and open decision-making, the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and information is essential. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television serve as both forums for debate and sources of information on which decisions can be based.

The government’s attempt to impose minimum qualification for a journalist is a clear indication that the government is planning to pave the path to take total control of media in their hand. This is not democratic behaviour!

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons based on 'Puno' that were published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath and his wife Divya Kamath perform religious ceremony called ‘Satyanarayan Puja’ at Dr. Bhanuben Mahendra Nanavati College of Home Science at Matunga, Mumbai on Saturday 17 August 2013

Dinesh Kamath and his wife Divya Kamath perform religious ceremony called ‘Satyanarayan Puja’ at Dr. Bhanuben Mahendra Nanavati College of Home Science at Matunga, Mumbai on Saturday 17 August 2013

Dinesh Kamath, Editor of Newsband and his wife Divya Kamath, member of staff of Dr. BMN College of Home Science, Matunga, Mumbai. Occasion: Satyanarayan Puja.

Dinesh Kamath, Editor of Newsband and his wife Divya Kamath, member of staff of Dr. BMN College of Home Science, Matunga, Mumbai. Occasion: Satyanarayan Puja. With the priest.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Where there is food there is life' that was published in Newsband

Where there is food there is life

The National Food Security Bill (NFSB) could not be passed owing to continuous disruptions of Parliament. The opposition parties went out of their way to scuttle this move. The pretexts used by opposition parties include the coal scam, the Chinese incursion in Ladakh, the plight of an Indian prisoner in Pakistan, a case of child rape, the creation of Telangana, and the price of onions, to name a few.

Other important social legislations are also languishing. For example, a bill that could give enormous relief from excruciating pain to millions of cancer patients, by removing outdated restrictions on the use of morphine, has sunk without a trace.

As far as NFSB is concerned, a constructive resolution of the current impasse could make a big difference to millions of people who live in conditions of intolerable insecurity.

The Congress government could be trying to pass the food security bill as a ploy for garnering votes. But it is an important bill. NFSB certainly needs a sensible debate in Lok Sabha general assembly as it is a bill that will surely impact the economical trends of the country and people ambiguously in positive or negative way.

The negative aspect about this bill is that when the entire world is talking about quality Food production, proper storage and proper distribution, under Food Safety, the present bill talks about only distribution, that too without adequate explanation as to how this is going to be sustained in the long run.

It is truly sad that Politics in India has become a farce and Politicians use Parliament to practice their theatrical skills. The country wakes up each day to face a new crisis, the falling Rupee, Sensex collapse etc, each of International significance and the Opposition behaves as if their return to power is more important than the nation's interests. This frivolous conduct of Politicians will lead to millions in India getting impacted.

India must elect a majority Government, bar people who disrupt Parliament from the Chambers, clean up the selection process for Parliamentarians and demonstrate to the whole world that India is worthy of being called a true democracy

Opposition is well aware that this food bill could be a political agenda that Congress can use to allure the below-poverty-line population of India. But keeping this political chess aside, the MPs should think about the food security to the poor people. The food security is the need and right of the citizens of India, who struggle daily for their full day meal. The MPs should pass this bill with amendments over its distribution system, quantity to be given per person and state government role. The bill indeed envisages the obliteration of malnutrition and hunger from the country.

The moot point which most of the political parties are trying to contemplate is the resources to meet the requirement, the storage and the public distribution system in India. But as a moral issue, no one can object to reduction or elimination of hunger.

Sadly, looking at the performance of most MPs in terms of questions asked, debates attended and even the most basic attendance in a session, performances are dismally low for most Parliament members in our country. There should be a legislation to curb disruption of the parliament. But if there has to be a debate over this point, the issue will mostly get lost in a plethora of abuses, antics and walkouts from both opposition and ruling parties.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (Satyagraha, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The Frozen Ground and We're the Millers) that was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Satyagraha

Satyagraha - The Revolution Has Begun! is a Bollywood political thriller film directed by Prakash Jha starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai, Amrita Rao and Vipin Sharma in the lead roles. Kareena Kapoor will play the role of an international journalist. Current situations inspired Jha to make Satyagraha.

The film has an interesting plot. Satyagraha reflects the uprising of the middle class against a corrupt and unjust system that leaves it with no recourse but to form a spontaneous movement to challenge the status quo. It is the story of a dynamic and ambitious young man who is poised to take the elevator of corporate success when a personal tragedy exposes him to the shocking consequences of corruption in this country. Joining hands with an idealistic old man, he ignites a people’s protest that soon escalates into a massive movement with a national resonance, battling politicians determined to crush and discredit him. However, when people’s raw and unbridled anger is unleashed, the unintended penalty could be horrifying by itself.

The film has the following cast:

Amitabh Bachchan: plays the role of Dwarka Anand, a man who is a firm believer of truth and an inherent believer of society who wants his son to give back to society and the nation all that they have given him.

Ajay Devgn: plays the role of Manav Raghvendra. He represents shining India and is a brilliant telecommunication czar who uses the ways of the world to get what he wants.

Kareena Kapoor: plays the role of Yasmin Ahmed. She is a hard headed TV reporter out on the field and she digs deep and as an opinion. She has a very strong connect with Ajay but when they clash on ideologies they break up and reunite when he comes back to his principles.

Arjun Rampal: plays the role of Arjun, a strong socially committed to become a politician. He studied in the same school of which Amitabh Bachchan was the principal.

Manoj Bajpai: plays the role of Balram Singh, wily young politician who uses every means to break the system. He is the real threat to democracy.

Amrita Rao: plays the role of Sumitra as daughter-in-law of Amitabh.

The film also has Vipin Sharma as Gauri Shankar, the Leader of the Opposition, Natasa Stankovic in special appearance in an item song, Mugdha Godse as Malini Mishra, a sultry, oppurtunistic corporate lady, Indraneil Sengupta and Anjali Patil.

Soundtrack of Satyagraha is composed by Salim-Sulaiman, Aadesh Srivastav, Indian Ocean & Meet Bros Anjan, lyrics penned by Prasoon Joshi.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is a 2013 American fantasy-adventure film based on the Rick Riordan novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and continues the adventures of Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) and his friends, as they search for the Golden Fleece at the titular Sea of Monsters to save an ailing magical tree that protects their home from foes.

Percy (Logan Lerman) is still struggling with issues of not being able to see his father, or speak to him. He’s off living at the Demi-God camp with everyone else. We learn the story of the camp, and how a young demigod girl that was the daughter of Zeus, died, which caused Zeus to create the force field around the camp to protect the demigods. Of course, this is massive foretelling, as that field breaks, and Percy learns about the Sea Of Monsters, and how the Golden Fleece can help save the demigod camp.

Percy isn’t the first to be chosen to go after the golden fleece. That honor goes to Clarisse (Leven Rambin), a badass daughter of Ares who thinks Percy is a joke. But when Percy finds out that Luke (Jake Abel) is still alive, and going after the fleece so he can revive Kronos, he realizes there is a prophecy that puts him in that place anyway. So he decides to grab his gang and go. His gang includes his Heroine and Ron from the first film (Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson), and new entry Tyson, who is also a son of Poseidon. He’s not a human though, he’s a Cyclops. Can Percy and the gang get to the fleece before Luke, or will Kronos be reawakened and destroy the world?

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 American-German action adventure fantasy film based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. The story takes place in an urban and contemporary New York City. Directed by Harald Zwart, the film stars Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kevin Zegers, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, Lena Headey, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Aidan Turner, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Durand, and Jared Harris.

The movie has an interesting plot. Brooklyn teenager Clary Fray goes with her best friend Simon Lewis to a nightclub, and witnesses a murder. Even with Simon by her side, Clary seems to be the only actual witness to the crime. At the club she meets shadow-hunter Jace Wayland and is catapulted into a world that has so far been unknown to her. She discovers that her mother, Jocelyn, has been attacked and taken from their home in New York City by a man named Valentine in his search of an object known as the Mortal Cup.

Clary gets in touch with her new friend, Jace, and his adoptive siblings and fellow shadow-hunters, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, to help her on her quest to rescue her mother. Along the way Clary finds out the truth that her mother had wanted to protect her from, about her past and bloodline and how she, like Jace, Alec and Isabelle, is a shadow-hunter, which are part angel, part human warriors.

Clary is shocked to learn that her mother is also a shadow-hunter and that she too has the powers of one. To remember, Clary goes to the City of Bones and discovers that a warlock named Magnus Bane placed a memory block on her. She, Jace, and the others arrive at Bane's house and are told that Jocelyn asked him to block her memories every year to prevent her from discovering the Shadow-hunter world.

The Frozen Ground

The Frozen Ground is a 2013 American thriller film written and directed by Scott Walker, based on the real-life 1980s Alaskan hunt for serial killer Robert Hansen. Hansen stalked and murdered between 17 and 21 young women, kidnapping them and taking them out to the Alaskan wilderness where he shot and buried them. The film stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens, Katherine LaNasa, Radha Mitchell and 50 Cent.

The movie has an interesting plot. The Frozen Ground is based on the true story of Alaskan detective Glenn Flothe (called Sgt. Jack Halcombe in the film). Halcombe sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen, a serial killer who has silently stalked the streets of Anchorage for more than 13 years. As the bodies of Anchorage women start to add up, Sgt. Halcombe goes on a personal manhunt to find the killer. When 17-year-old Cindy Paulson escapes Hansen's unspeakable violence, she believes the law will take him down. Instead she finds herself, once again, fighting for her life. With his only ally, Cindy Paulson, Sergeant Halcombe is determined to bring the serial killer to justice.

We're the Millers

We're the Millers is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It stars Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, and Will Poulter.

The film is a minor coup de gross-out about four low-lifes who smuggle an enormous quantity of cannabis from Mexico to the United States by motor home. David (Jason Sudeikis) is a small-time drug dealer who takes on the job to clear a debt. His grand plan to avoid the attentions of police and border guards is to disguise himself as a beta-dweeb on holiday with his family.

To this end, he recruits a debt-swamped stripper (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his spouse, and two teenage loners (Emma Roberts and Will Poulter, both superb) as makeshift children. Together the fake family bounce between disasters, most of which hinge on some kind of taboo sexual practice, while putting on an outer show of clenched jocundity with which anyone who has been on a real family holiday will be all too familiar.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Krishnas and Radhas make Matkis with ToyKraft' that was published in Newsband

Krishnas and Radhas make Matkis with ToyKraft

By Dinesh Kamath

VASHI: All of us have memories of playing outside in the mud or clay as a child. ToyKraft India's Edutainment Toy Brand, enjoys Indian art forms and produces some of the best terra-cotta based DIY kits in India. With the understanding of how much children love to play with mud, ToyKraft, organized a workshop at Kidzee Vashi, where all young boys and girls had come dressed as Krishnas and Radhas to celebrate Janmashtami.

In this workshop there were little ones from the age 15 months to 6 years, experimenting with clay and mud to create their own little matki with the help of ToyKraft trained potter. The workshop was conducted by Prerna Bagaria, Manager Marketing - ToyKraft and along with Amisha Waghela, Trained Potter with the help of approximately 10 teacher from Kidzee Vashi.

 The children and parents experienced the joy of making pot for the first time and enjoyed the process as it was something new for both of them.

So, just like Krishna enjoyed his adventures of breaking Matkis with his friends, today all the children at Kidzee Vashi explored the adventures of ‘making Matkis’ with their friends and Parents!

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Stop suppressing freedom of speech' that was published in Newsband

Stop suppressing freedom of speech

Tamil nationalist groups want Madras Café, a film loosely based on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, to be banned because it shows the Tamil Eelam struggle in Sri Lanka in a poor light. These people should be told that the right to freedom of speech and expression is enshrined in the Constitution, and chauvinist elements, no matter of what hue, should not even try to infringe on this right.

The government should act against those attempting to disrupt law and order. Whether the film is good or bad, whether it is fact or fiction, all these have nothing to do with the right to freedom of expression of the film-makers and artistes.

In Tamil Nadu, the government appears to have encouraged such groups by banning the film Dam 999 and seeming sympathetic to those wanting a ban on Vishwaroopam. The Central Board of Film Certification is the only competent body to censor a film, and once cleared by the board, no film should again have to be subjected to “clearance” from groups claiming to have been offended by it. These chauvinist elements are encouraged by the government, which instead of imparting to these people lessons on Freedom of Speech, applies pressure on the film-makers. If these people are hurt by what is included in the film then they should refrain from watching it.  

Right to free speech is one of the most fundamental rights. Any curtailment of this right means we are moving towards an authoritarian and fascist state.

We have so many scenes in the movies assassinating Mahatma Gandhi, but here no political party or government has any problem because Gandhi is not a politician. Now a movie is shown where we have scenes of assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and all political parties and governments have problem.

It is high time the administration and the government machinery stopped bowing down to the demands of some chauvinist mobs. Freedom of speech and expression is being erased, in spirit and in action, freely and frequently. Are we approaching an era where a fundamentalist mob will direct and script a film? Will they decide what India should see and what not?

Our government’s easy tendency to ban films shows a poor appreciation or even total misunderstanding of what freedom of expression (F.E.) means. F.E. is not freedom to express popular bland thoughts; it is the ability to express unpopular ideas. Curtailed freedoms will only reduce our people to live in fear and semi-slavery under tyrannical rulers.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Best behaviour in Parliament expected' that was published in Newsband

Best behaviour in Parliament expected

Angry and loud protests are a common thing in our Parliament and the legislatures, just as they do in the streets and public spaces. Such behaviour can prevent reasoned debate and informed decision-making.

Members of Parliament who want their remarks expunged would do well to reflect on their own behaviour. They should support strict adherence to the rule book in Parliament.

If all the voices in Parliament are not to be drowned in noise, then political parties must agree on not letting debate sink to the levels of a slanging match. The live telecast of proceedings, far from improving decorum, seems to have only contributed to attention-seeking disorders. On occasions, a few unruly members have been able to stall proceedings of Parliament taking advantage of the silence of the majority.

It is time to ensure good behaviour in the House and create conditions for meaningful debate. Harsher methods of dealing with deviant members should be introduced. The rule book should contain suitable punishment to the legislators if they are found responsible for the chaos and pandemonium in the House. A cut in the pay, allowances and other perks for the legislators will to some extent contain the jarring noises.

The people of our country should come out in public place in support of penalty for such anarchist members in the both houses who do not debate and discuss on fruitful bills and distract ours as well as India’s future.

In our parliamentary democracy, parliament is supreme. But unfortunately due to self serving tendencies of the MPs the biggest loser is the poor and the needy common man. They are not raising people’s concerns in floor of the House. The Parliament is being used for party

propaganda not the People Politics.

Parliamentary is for debates and discussions. Time has come for parliamentary reforms. One doesn’t understand as to why time factor doesn't apply to members of Parliament or House in reference to delays in important policy related debates, affecting common man. They are public servants and should behave accordingly.

It is very interesting to see that when it comes to making 'noise' in Parliament, many seasoned members compete with 'freshers'. The live telecast of the proceedings is meant to ensure the level and quality of debate in the house of people. Most of our members need to learn the nuances in the art of debate. It is high time they attended a crash course on how to behave in Parliament.

We have made a constitution. We made many laws under it. We kept on to many old laws made by British. In Britain, the British changed most old laws. The best thing may be to ask the British or the Americans, some legislative experts, to help us make rules, and follow them.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India should join hands with NASA' that was published in Newsband

India should join hands with NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) should be commended for its another fantastic feat. The car-sized remote vehicle with an array of sophisticated instruments which it had sent to Mars has completed one year on the red planet.  

The vehicle has sent many useful information which throws more light on that planet. In all, it has so far transmitted more than 190 gigabits of data and about 37,000 full images.

This vehicle was sent to know whether Mars ever had a habitable environment. The presence of water had to be established to prove habitability. Its discovery of presence of amount of water much more than expected is interesting. The vehicle has sent the information that Mars didn’t just have water but it had drinkable water once upon a time.

The rounded nature of the pebbles revealed many facets of the river, including the depth and speed of water flow and the length of the water course.

This vehicle, during its long journey, has also informed about the existence of the radiation dose in Mars and this would mean that manned missions to Mars may not be possible in the immediate future. There will be need of a better spacecraft and protection gear for astronauts when they are on Mars for a year and outside the spacecraft while conducting experiments for even very brief periods.

This mission by NASA has undoubtedly proved to be very useful. The fact that it has completed one year can make one imagine as to how much vast information about Mars it must have sent back to the Earth. It has sent valuable insights about life conditions in Mars and it encourages man to continue with his extra-terrestrial search project. A break through in this regard will mean another big leap of mankind by NASA

Many have expressed happiness about the finding that there is water in the Mars. But how much water is there? Earth is filled with three fourths of its area with water; but even this is insufficient for its population. Some are disappointed to read about the quantum of radiation that exists in Mars. If even a single visit may prove lethal, how can human life be there?

Curiosity has been one of the most successful and important project executed by NASA. NASA has been able to pull of projects like these because of the availability of the ample amount of funds and talented workforce.

India is also all set to send her vehicle to Mars. That’s a good news. It’s great to know that India has created the expertise and infrastructure to implement this ambitious project. It would be wise on part of India if she partnered with NASA in the space project and learn from them as much before attempting any space project.  

Let us wait and see as to when NASA will be in a position to send the first manned mission to the Red Planet.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Modi is a better speaker than PM or Gandhi' that was published in Newsband

Modi is a better speaker than PM or Gandhi

It was clear from his speech during Independence Day at Bhuj that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seemed intent on drawing all attention to his own self. With his work area extended beyond Gujarat to the national stage, Modi evidently longs to be recognised as the face of the opposition to the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.

He used his Independence Day speech in Bhuj to launch a frontal attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He tirelessly picked on those he wanted to rival, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

Modi was criticized for this speech he delivered during I-Day. His critics said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wouldn’t do such a thing during such an auspicious occasion. 

But what these critics fail to understand is that in his new role as prime ministerial challenger, Modi is entitled to hit out at the enemy whenever he gets an opportunity

Modi is a politician and he is quick to jump at any reasonable opportunity to further his political agenda, as all politicians worth their salt do. Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi didn't attack Modi not out of magnanimity, but out of their all too evident lack of oratorial skills.

There obviously was the dismal lack of a vision for the future in the PM's I-day speech, while the I-day speech of Modi got a lot of popularity and also criticism from Congress. Modi did the right thing by criticizing this non-performing government which wrecked the economy and inundated the country with rampant corruption. Modi asked the tough questions and asked for accountability from this government.

Modi didn’t say anything wrong in his speech; all he enunciated was nothing but true; yet his detractors picked hole because of the occasion. Most importantly there is no need to compare the two speeches. PM is a figure head of the organisation and hence his speech on Independence Day cannot consist of criticisms or smell of any ulterior motive and Manmohan Singh maintained the dignity. On the other hand, Modi who is restless and not bound by any moral obligation like PM, pursuing aggressive politics was all right in his speech. More importantly what could be better occasion than 15th August to put facts before country about a failed government? Modi did no wrong in taking pot-shots at government; the propriety of the occasion is not questionable here. Political detractors and dissidents will keep harping on the occasion and scoffing at Modi on flimsy grounds since they too are intimidated by him.

Much is being talked about the propriety or otherwise of Modi's Bhuj speech. Why is there no discussion about the PM's insipid speech year

after year? Independence Day address by the PM has been reduced to the status of a non event in recent years, thanks largely to Mr. Manmohan Singh. Compare the same with other leaders from other countries in similar situations which they use to connect with the people as well as to lay a road-map for the future. None of these can be witnessed from our jaded and fumbling leaders. What Modi's speech has done is to urge for the need to rekindle the glory and importance of the PM's speech on Independence Day.

Dinesh Kamath’s column on ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (The Light: Swami Vivekananda, Madras Café, Jobs, Kick-Ass 2, Planes, Oops a Desi, Popat and Tasher Desh) that was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

The Light: Swami Vivekananda

The movie The Light: Swami Vivekananda is a tribute to the great Saint of India produced by Tricolor Productions on his 150th Birth Anniversary. The Movie will be released both in Hindi and English.

Directed by Tutu Sinha, the film portrays the life history of Swami Vivekananda with some told and untold stories and his journey in search of God. The music of the film has been composed by Nachiketa Chakraborty and Dr. Hari Charan Verma. The Light: Swami Vivekananda shows the transformation of the young restless child to a matured individual who sacrificed the worldly pleasures for the sake of God.

The role of Swami Vivekananda will be played by Deep Bhattacharya. The star cast also includes Gargi Roy Choudhury, Premankur Chattopadhyay, Courtney Stephens, Biswajit Chakraborty, Biswajit Chakraborty, Piyali Mitra, Archita Sahu and Sayak Chakraborty in pivotal roles.

Madras Cafe

Madras Cafe is an Indian political espionage thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri and Rashi Khanna in lead roles. The film is set in the late 80s and early 1990s, during the time of Sri Lankan civil war and the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The film was earlier titled Jaffna after the northern Sri Lankan city.

The political thriller is set against the backdrop of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The film has been titled Madras Cafe, as the plot to kill Gandhi was hatched at the cafe. Madras Cafe brings us closer to what changed the political history of India.

The film, set in India and Sri Lanka, is a political spy thriller set against backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war. Vikram Singh (John Abraham) is an Indian Army special officer who is appointed by the intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing to conduct covert operations in Sri Lanka shortly after Indian Peace-Keeping Force was forced to withdraw. As he journeys to Sri Lanka, with the intention of disrupting a rebel group, he discovers the larger issue. There he meets a British journalist (Jaya) who wants to reveal the truth about the civil war, and in the process he uncovers a conspiracy.

The film has John Abraham as Vikram Singh, Indian army officer appointed by the Research and Analysis Wing to carry out operations in Jaffna, Nargis Fakhri as Jaya, a British war correspondent in Sri Lanka, Rashi Khanna as Ruby Singh, wife of Singh, Ajay Rathnam as Anna, a fictitious rebel group leader, closely resembling Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Leena Maria Paul as a Tamil rebel, Tinu Menachery as a Tamil rebel, Siddharth Basu as Robin Dutt, a key bureaucrat in Research and Analysis Wing, Agnello Dias as a Sri Lankan minister, Piyush Pandey as a cabinet secretary of India and Dibang.

Jobs

Jobs is a 2013 American biographical drama film based on the life of Steve Jobs, from 1974 while a student at Reed College to the introduction of the iPod in 2001. It is directed by Joshua Michael Stern, written by Matt Whiteley, and produced by Mark Hulme. Jobs also has two cinematographers: Russell Carpenter for scenes shot in the United States and Aseem Bajaj for scenes shot in India. Steve Jobs is portrayed by Ashton Kutcher, with Josh Gad as Apple Computer's (now Apple Inc.) co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Like the man it’s about, Jobs is thin and unassuming, but keeps surprising you with ideas and innovation. The movie looks at the late Steve Jobs and the technological and cultural changes he brought about.

Kutcher’s Zen-style bemusement is front and center as the soon-to-be Apple co-founder is seen in 1971 having dropped out of college in Portland — though he still goes to classes (often barefooted). Jobs does drugs, takes a consciousness-raising trip to India and dates a woman (Abby Brammell) he says he loves but may not care about.

What Jobs, always curious about things people are working on, does care about is ideas. When he and pal Steve Wozniak (an endearing Josh Gad) get a quick gig with Atari they fix the assigned problem and then take a right turn into inspiration. After turning their attention to making a personal computer, they make one that’s a combo of a typewriter and a television.

Once their fledgling business gets investors, the hippie-ish Jobs lets others do the heavy lifting. But he’s not as spacey as he seems. After Apple moves out of his parents’ garage and into the real world, he coldheartedly blocks the guys who helped him and Woz from getting shares in the company.

As Jobs and Apple introduce the Macintosh, his antisocial behavior — present when he was at Atari — gets worse. His girlfriend gets pregnant and he denies paternity, despite tests that prove otherwise. He puts creativity ahead of profits to such a degree that the Apple board (Matthew Modine, Dermot Mulroney and J.K. Simmons play the business-suited adults) reduces Jobs to a figurehead.

He resigns, and after returning years later following corporate upheaval, he’s got lots of plans — including one for a tiny device that can play music, which is where the film wraps up, in 2001.

Kick-Ass 2

Kick-Ass 2 is a 2013 British-American superhero comedy film based on the comic book of the same name and Hit-Girl, both by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., and is the sequel to the 2010 film Kick-Ass. The film was written and directed by Jeff Wadlow and co-produced by Matthew Vaughn, who directed the first film.

This latest film sees KickAss' antics from the first flick inspiring a new wave of costumed, but ordinary, superheroes. However, for Kick Ass aka Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) himself, life's got rather quiet and humdrum. He's hung up the green and yellow unitard and is concentrating on life as a high school student. Likewise with Chloe Grace Moretz's Hit Girl. She's trying to be part of school as well.

But the reality is the pair of them are bored silly with a normal life and crave the ultra violence of the vigilante world.

Hit Girl's determined to stick with the quieter life and deal with Mean Girls style bullies at school, but when Kick Ass meets up with the sadistic ex-Mafia enforcer Colonel Stars and Stripes (an electric Jim Carrey), he becomes part of a team called Justice Forever.

Just round the corner though is Christopher Mintz-Plasse's bondage wearing super-villain, The Mother F***er, who's determined to avenge his father's death at the hands of Kick Ass, putting them on a collision course.

Planes

Planes is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated adventure sports comedy film produced by DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a spin-off of Pixar's Cars franchise and the first film in a planned Planes trilogy.

It's a Disney film, though not from the Pixar stable. Planes is really exactly the same as Cars, but with wings: a family animation about cute vehicles with big eyes racing each other. Dane Cook voices Dusty Crophopper, the humble little crop-dusting plane who dreams of making it big as a superstar racing plane, if such a thing can be said, strictly speaking, to exist. The only problem is that poor Dusty suffers from a fear of heights. There is the expected nasty villain and the mandatory grumpy oldster who agrees to mentor our plucky underdog hero. It's an amiable enough entertainment, gentle and good-natured.

Ooops a Desi

Ooops a Desi is a Hindi Fast-Paced Thriller, Action film directed by Jenner Jose. The film features Buali Shah, Adnan Khalid, Pragathi Yadhati and Gideon Samson as main characters.

Ooops a Desi is about Indians (Desi) living in the USA on an invalid immigration status. The movie opens to a busy downtown street (in New York city). The passing pedestrians notice something very alarming. It’s a Desi (Indian) holding a visible sign. Sign states “BOMB here!!!”. Soon we are taken to the story that occurred before this incident. The guy with the Bomb Sign (Xavier), along with Dev, does odd jobs because of their illegal immigration status in the USA. They have their own troubled past that is preventing them from returning to India. The roller-coaster begins when AJ, their room-mate is mysteriously abducted to which Sonia is a witness. Because of their illegal status, Dev and Xavier along with Sonia have no option but to take matters in their own hands.

Music Directors of the film are GUFY, Gaurav H. Singh, Hardik Dave, Divyajeet Sahoo, Saurabh Malhotra and Bharat Hans.

Singers are GUFY, Hardik Dave, Bharat Hans and Suryaveer Hooja.

Lyrics are by Deepak Agrawal, Leeladhar Dhote, Divyajeet Sahoo, Gaurav H. Singh and Hardik Dave.

Popat

Popat is a Marathi film produced by Mirah Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Citrus Check Inns, directed by Satish Rajwade, written by Satish Rajwade.

The cast of the film includes Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Menon, Ketan Pawar, Amey Wagh, Anita Date, Neha Shitole and Megha Ghadge. Music is by Avinash-Vishwajeet. It’s a comedy film.

After the super success of Premachi Goshta, director Satish Rajwade is back with Popat. The film is about four friends (Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Menon, Ketan Pawar and Amey Wagh) and their hilarious encounters while making a movie.

Tasher Desh

Tasher Desh (English: The Land of Cards) is a 2012 Bengali fantasy film directed by Q. The film has been described as a "trippy adaptation" of the Rabindrath Tagore's namesake play. It features Soumyak Kanti DeBiswas, Anubrata Basu, Tillotama Shome, Rii, Joyraj Bhattacharjee, Tinu Verghese, and Immaduddin Shah in the lead roles.

The film is in the form of a story-teller wanting to tell a story. The story he tells mingles between his own story and that of a queen and her son banished to a palace where they lead a life of luxury and decadence. An oracle whispers the secret words to the prince and he leaves the palace with his friend, the merchant’s son. Their boat sinks and they arrive at the land of cards where the inhabitant cards are governed by a military regime. The prince and his friend get caught and bring about a change in the women cards with music and prophecies of love. The woman cards revolt. The king who banished them surrenders and the prince finds the meaning of life.

The film has English sub-titles.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Buy arms from America – not Russia' that was published in Newsband

Buy arms from America – not Russia

The sinking of INS Sindhurakshak, a submarine of the Indian Navy, with enormous loss of life is an unprecedented setback to India. Our government needs to strengthen undersea defence capabilities. The wrecking of an important submarine is undoubtedly a matter of great concern, but it is the death of a large number of submariners that makes the incident extremely tragic.

Recently, Mr. Antony spoke of adequate funding having been included in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Plan periods for the “Project 75 – India” submarine programme. That’s good news.

The fact is there were fewer vessels which had sunk due to explosions in recent decades, than due to flooding and collisions. Clearly, the lessons from this disaster will be vitally important for the safety of the nine other diesel-electric submarines of the same class that the Navy lists as ‘active.’

Indians need to design a propulsion technology that is “air independent.” In other words, it could lower explosion risk from submarine power plant gas leaks, and help vessels stay underwater longer.

It is sad to see the wreckage of what was till yesterday a symbol of great pride. Why does the government insist on buying Russian arms? Russia herself has seen disasters - one submarine sunk with no survivors, Chernobyl and probably others that are not public. Historically the quality of Russia's T- series tanks and guns has also been very suspect. It's high time India switched arms suppliers - it would be pointless to wait for a few more disasters that would shatter the confidence of our armed forces before switching to a different supplier. Why not buy arms from the United States of America?

Isn’t it time to say goodbye to the Russian equipment? Another thing is it should not be difficult for India to do her own research and development. Our government should display strong political will in this matter. If the production and research is outsourced to Tata and Reliance like companies with major investment in R & D it will pay rich dividends in future.

It’s very sad to hear that we lost 18 naval persons, on the eve of Independence day. The submarine was designed to patrol and to protect naval communications, assault warships, enemy submarines, land targets and perform naval reconnaissance. The Sindhurakshak has had two minor mishaps in the past: in February 2010, a sailor was killed in Visakhapatnam when its batteries were being charged. In March this year, while sailing to India from Russia, the Sindhurakshak had hit rough weather in the Mediterranean and had to be towed to port by Egyptian tugboats before it resumed its voyage. All these incidents should have made our government very alert. Had they been alert this major mishap could have been avoided.

This is a big setback at a time when India is trying to make further advances in the deep sea field. What we need right now is a thorough and efficient inquiry as what caused the explosion inside the submarine and use that knowledge to prevent any further such accidents.

Another thing is those who cannot access and protect their equipment, what can they do in times of an emergency? This is a serious issue which casts doubt on the ability of people in charge.

Lastly, why do our politicians still insist on buying from Russia despite the low quality and high cost of their hardware? Why not turn to the US for these products?