Dinesh Kamath's news 'Politicians seek the help of builders as civic polls approach nearer' that was published in Newsband

Politicians seek the help of builders as civic polls approach nearer

By Dinesh Kamath

VASHI: The unexpected results of the just recently concluded assembly elections have made the politicians of Navi Mumbai work out new tactics to adopt during the civic elections which are just a few months away. One of the tactics these politicians have come up with is that of targeting the city builders to amass revenue from them to enable them fight the elections in a big way.

The builders are feeling pressurized by these politicians. Those builders particularly who depend heavily on civic body to pursue their business are unable to refuse to part with the sum demanded by the politicos. They just cannot afford to displease these politicians who can be of great use to these builders if they manage to win seats in the civic body.

The politicians are of the opinion that these builders have a huge stock of black money and hence it shouldn’t be a big deal for them to part with the sum demanded by the politicians.

Since the civic elections are just round the corner, the builders have already started receiving phone calls from those politicians who are likely to contest the elections. Those builders who are undergoing a bad phase in their business are in a state of panic since they are unable to decide as to how to deal with these politicos and how to convince them about the horrible situations they are in as far as their business is concerned. The thing is if these builders don't pay the politician and in case that particular candidate happens to win the election, then the builder is bound to be taken to task by the winning candidate. Hence many builders fear to refuse paying the politicians. Those builders, who have not yet been contacted by the politicos, keep wishing that they don’t receive calls from them and asked to part with their hard-earned money. 

It is a common knowledge that builders and politicians are mutually dependent and the need of builders’ help is particularly felt by the politicians during the time of elections. The builders also need the cooperation of the elected politicians after the election period. In the past, many elections have been won by the politicians by depending heavily on builders’ money and once they won the elections they took care to see that they pay back those builders with interest. But for the builders it is a gamble since if the politicians to whom they pay cash loses the elections then it is a real big loss for them. Sometimes it could be irrecoverable loss.

The prices of all the commodities have risen today and so also there is a need of much more money to fight elections today as compared to the past. Hence, when a builder gambles by paying certain amount to a politician to fight an election, he could be in for a huge gain or he may lose disastrously. Hence many builders undergo most uneasy experiences during the election period. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Indians strongly believe in democracy' that was published in Newsband

Indians strongly believe in democracy

There was record turnout in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Haryana Assembly election reported its highest-ever polling percentage and Maharashtra improved on its 2009 turnout figures. The increased voter participation could be on account of a desire for change at the national and State levels, or civil society movements on corruption and other social issues. The recent elections have drawn more enthusiastic electors to the polling booths. The awareness campaign of the Election Commission together with vigorous campaigning by candidates and political parties aided by greater access to polling booths, easier process of voting and shorter queues have all added up to a high voter turnout.

It is time election commission as well as political parties start thinking on the German model of proportionate representation based on the votes polled by a party. This will definitely drive out the corrupt and unscrupulous elements from the arena. NOTA and the number of absentee voters should also be taken into account, and this factor needs serious attention.

High turn out of voters during 16th Lok Sabha election and now in assembly elections is the testimony of the deepening of our democracy. People show their faith by turning out in large numbers and now its time for our leaders to fulfill the aspirations of people and not break that faith.

This is highly welcome signs for democracy. Larger participation in the election means the people are still having hopes in democratic institutions. When the average voter turnout in UK, US are declining, ours is increasing.

Higher turnout in voting is due to various reasons. (1) Publicity through visual media and print media, (2) Personal campaigning by political parties, (3) Cash, free transport, other sops, such as liquor, etc. offered by politicians, and (4) Vigorous publicity by Election Commission. The public is also attracted by the hollow promises made by various political parties. On the whole, the political awareness has increased by leaps and bounds and more people are exercising their franchise.

Young voters have enthusiastically voted in the recent elections. The trend clearly indicates that the youth of this country is watching the activities of the politicians and political parties very closely and expecting them to deliver good governance.

Both States, Maharashtra and Haryana, have voted heavily in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party. This fact itself signifies the enormous power of ballot. 

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ [Super Nani, Roar – Tigers of the Sunderbans, The Best of Me, Gone Girl, Fury, Night Crawler, Ouija, Fireflies and Jaanwar (digital)] that was published in Newsband

New movies released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Super Nani

Super Nani is an Indian drama film directed by Indra Kumar. The film stars Rekha, Sharman Joshi, Randhir Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Rajesh Kumar and Shweta Kumar in lead roles. The film is based on the Gujarati play, Baa Ae Maari Boundary. The music is composed by Harshit Saxena and Sanjeev-Darshan.

The film has an interesting plot. Super Nani gives a strong message to all the women that their power lies within themselves; all they need to do is discover and use it. The journey of Bharti Bhatia (Rekha) is definitely a one to be experienced, as the fun, laughter, tickles, and tears of happiness will leave you with a light heart and a changed mind.

Super Nani is the story of Bharti Bhatia whose every waking hour is devoted to looking after the smallest need and praying for the betterment of her family comprising of her corporate czar husband (Randhir Kapoor), a son who is a wannabe stock market bull, a daughter-in-law who aspires to be the next soap-opera queen and a daughter with ultra modern values.

She selflessly performs her duties only to get ridiculed, humiliated and treated like a door-mat by her family.

An exciting tale begins when Mann pays a surprise visit to his Nani, Bharti Bhatia, in India. Opposite to his expectations of seeing a strong lady who holds command in life, he sees a soft and dormant lady who is commanded by all. This annoys him. So he decides to make his Nani's sad boring life turn into a fun roller coaster ride.

A failed photographer cum film maker, who had come to India with a hope to transform himself into a successful person, he decides to first transform the life of his inspiration, Bharti Bhatia. He dresses her up, makes her realize she is stunning, clicks her pictures and circulates them in various ad agencies.

By doing this he wants to re-invent the real Bharti Bhatia, the one who never gave up. He makes her realize, that the age of 60 is not the end of life, in fact it's a new beginning. This way, a dormant Bharti Bhatia gets a new awakening in life.

As a result, the family which hid her face from the world, abandoned her from various social events, is today the face seen in every household and is the reason for various social events. The lady who once used detergent powders in her kitchen is today the face of that detergent brand in every kitchen.

The film has Rekha as Bharti Bhatia, Sharman Joshi as Manorath, Randhir Kapoor, Shweta Kumar, Anupam Kher and Rajesh Kumar as Suketu

Roar

Roar is a 2014 Hindi-language Indian feature film written and directed by Kamal Sadanah.

Roar - Tigers of Sunderbans tells the story of the tumultuous relationship between a beast and man.

Uday, a young photojournalist on assignment in the jungles of the Sundarbans, rescues a white tiger cub ensnared in a poacher’s trap and brings the cub to a small settlement he is based in. Soon, panic among the villagers sets in. In order to bring calm back to the villagers, the forest warden takes the cub away. The Royal Bengal Tigress enters the village in the night searching for her cub. She picks up the scent of her cub’s blood and reaches the photographer’s hut. When she fails to get her cub back, her instinct leads her to avenge the kidnapping. She unleashes her wrath upon Uday, kills him, and disappears with his body. Enters Pundit; captain of an elite commando team, who comes to the Sundarbans to claim his brother Uday’s body. Silent replies from the villagers lead Pundit to a confrontation with the park warden. She callously declares the case closed and refuses to send a party to recover Uday’s body as the expanse and dangers of the forest ecology are too complex. Angry and emotional, Pundit decides to deal with the matter himself. He calls upon his own crack commando team and with the help of a local guide Madhu they engage a known tracker, Jhumpa, and set off on a do-or-die mission to capture and kill the white tigress. The team's quest leads them deep into the marshy heartland of the Sundarbans where they see things only heard of before in old folklore. Yet sharp and intelligent, the white tigress not only eludes them every time but also manipulates them into her territory. Adding to their predicament, a villainous poacher Bheera senses an opportunity to serve his own interest. He schemes a plan to use the survivors as bait to trap his prize catch, the Royal Bengal White Tigress. But little do they know that the hunters are soon going to become the hunted.

The film has Abhinav Shukla as Pundit, Himarsha Venkatsamy as Jhumpa, Achint Kaur as Forest Officer, Subrat Dutta as Bheera, Nora Fatehi as CJ, Ali Quli Mirza as Hero, Aadil Chahal as Kashmiri, Varinder Singh Ghuman as Cheena, Aaran Chaudhary as Sufi, Pranay Dixit as Madhu and Pulkit Jawahar.

The Best of Me

The Best of Me is an American romantic drama film directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe, based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato.

The film has an interesting plot. Dawson and Amanda met and fell in love while in high school, a golden period in their lives. Twenty-one years later they meet by chance in the town they had both left and renew their relationship. Unfortunately, Amanda is married to someone else and is a mother. The movie then moves towards an interesting climax.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl is a 2014 American thriller film directed by David Fincher and adapted by Gillian Flynn from her 2012 novel of the same name. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon.

The film examines dishonesty, the media, the economy's effects on marriage, and appearances.

Nick Dunne is sitting at the bar he co-owns with his sister Margo on his fifth wedding anniversary, when he receives a call from his neighbour alerting him about his mansion’s door being left ajar. He rushes home to find that his wife is missing and there is obvious sign of struggle that has left a glass table shattered. The police is called and soon a media and community circus ensues to find Amy. Amy’s parents are famous for writing the Amazing Amy series based on what they considered would’ve been the perfect version of the daughter. Needless to say, the media laps up the missing Amy saga and dissects it in ways that have become commonplace in the world of the media today. Meanwhile, Nick is the socially awkward husband who makes a series of unintentional bloopers including not knowing his wife’s best friend, and before he knows it, the needle of suspicion is firmly pointed at him. It doesn’t help that the police investigation reveals that the kitchen floor of his residence was cleared of a blood bath and Nick is arrested on charges of his wife’s murder. Did he murder the wife he started to loathe? What happened to the woman who painstakingly paid for her lazy and disinterested husband despite not getting much affection from him in return? How do two people who seem like the perfect couple disintegrate into an abyss of deceit, lies and double lives?

Fury

Fury is a 2014 American war film set during World War II written and directed by David Ayer. The film stars Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood.

The heroic attempt by a five-man team led by Don Wardaddy Collier (Brad Pitt), who commands a Sherman tank against Germany when they are outnumbered forms the basic storyline of Fury. At the heart of the story lies the relationship between Pitt's battle-hardened tank commander, Don“Wardaddy” Collier, and the fresh-faced Norman, a typist, who is thrust into the battle to replace a dead crew member.

Don “Wardaddy” Collier, the U.S. Army sergeant has fought his way through World War II and is deep inside Germany as the battle draws to a close. The tank platoon has a mission to hold a crossing, and finds itself outnumbered.

Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler is a 2014 American crime thriller film written and directed by Dan Gilroy. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, and Bill Paxton. Marking Gilroy's directorial debut, it tells the story of a driven young man who stumbles upon the underground world of Los Angeles freelance crime journalism.

The character Lou Bloom is a freelance LA crime scene videographer. Is this man human, exactly? Lou's small talk leans heavy on the self-help axioms and self-directed pep rallies; it's as if he were an alien learning to pass for earthling by watching one too many TED Talks.

We know Lou's a criminal; in the first scene, he beats up a security guard and steals his watch, which dangles awkwardly off his skinny wrist the rest of the movie. Lou is just another LA casualty of anonymity — lost and searching for work, an identity of some kind, something he can "learn and grow into." He finds what he's looking for

Lou Bloom has sharp features, thick, dark hair and piercing eyes. He speaks with extreme confidence, selling himself to you with perfectly faked friendship. He likes buzzwords, pop psychology and think-positive aphorisms.

But Lou isn't another cult-addled movie star, even if he talks like one. He's a sociopath, with a special set of skills. And he's using those skills to climb to the top of a very greasy mountain — the world of freelance videographers who race to a city's crime scenes.

And he will step on anything, or anyone, to get there.

Ouija

Ouija is thriller film directed by Stiles White and co-written by White and Juliet Snowden. The film stars Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith and Bianca A. Santos. It is Hasbro's first horror film.

The film is about a group of friends attempting to make contact with a recently deceased classmate through a Ouija board who awaken a dark and terrifying presence. It is based on Hasbro's supernatural game. It is a supernatural adventure centering around a family.

Olivia Cooke plays a girl who discovers that her dead friend had been messing around with a Ouija board and brings the game home. Douglas Smith is the dead girl's boyfriend, who may know more about her death than he lets on

Fireflies

The film Fireflies is directed by Sabal Singh Sheikhawat. It is a drama capturing the lives of two estranged brothers - one brother who leads a very successful life as a banker and the other who is a law school dropout and lives by the day. Fate brings them together when a tragedy that struck them 15 years ago re-manifests itself in a new avatar in their life.

The film has Rahul Khanna, Monica Dogra, Arjun Mathur, Shivani Ghai and Aadya Bedi.

Jaanwar (digital)

Jaanwar (English language: Animal) is a Bollywood gangster drama film directed by Suneel Darshan, released on 24 December, 1999. It will now be re-released in digital format. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty in pivotal roles.

The film has an interesting story. Sultan (Shakti Kapoor) adopts an orphan and names him Badshah (Akshay Kumar). Badshah grows up to be a criminal and his life was made difficult by Inspector Pradhan (Ashish Vidyarthi). Badshah's sidekick is Abdul (Ashutosh Rana). The only hope in Badshah's life is Sapna (Karisma Kapoor), whom he incidentally met. But circumstances lead Badshah to commit murder in public. During this experience, a child clings to him and he takes the child to Sapna. Before he can explain anything, Pradhan gets there and Badshah has to escape. He changes his name to Babu Lohar and becomes a blacksmith and loving father, to give the child a good future. However, after 7 years, he sees Abdul and Sultan again. Pradhan is still after him. When the child's parents find out about him, they ask Babu to return their child. Will he let the child go? Will the child go with his parents?

Video: Dinesh Kamath about the latest happenings in Bollywood

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Navi Mumbai residents expect BJP govt to perform miracles' that was published in Newsband

Navi Mumbai residents expect BJP govt to perform miracles

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Picture of Lotus - Symbol of BJP

NAVI MUMBAI: After the hectic election campaigning came to an end and after elections took place and election results were out, the Navi Mumbai residents heaved a sigh of relief. They had enough of the noise and tension that were created by the candidates and their election campaigning teams during the election period. Now that the suspense is all over and everyone knows as to who has won which seat and which party has won how many seats, the city residents are trying to convey to the yet-to-be-announced members of the yet-to-be-formed new government that they should not repeat the blunders committed by the past government and that they should, in fact, rectify their errors and to concentrate on providing good, just and efficient governance and come up with excellent infrastructures and bring about stability.

The residents of Navi Mumbai, in fact, are pleased about the fact that a single party has achieved almost a majority votes and they expect this party to deliver the goods. They expect the new government to make quick decisions since it will not be a coalition government. The residents of the city are also expecting to see the end of rampant corruption, illegal constructions, rotten infrastructures, spreading of slums and bad civic reforms in the days to come. They hope to see tremendous rise in the living standards of the city residents under this new government which will almost consist of members from one single party. In fact, many city residents strongly feel that the new government will succeed in doing what the previous government had just been promising – that is converting Navi Mumbai into most advanced city in the country. They expect the new government to improve the condition of roads in Navi Mumbai, clear the footpaths of illegal hawkers, get the civic body to clear the garbage promptly and regularly, prevent constant occurrences of traffic snarls etc.  

There are quite many residents who are expecting the Bharatiya Janata Party to create some kind of magic or miracle during the next five years of their rule. They are confident that this government will improve the conditions of Navi Mumbai residents to a great degree. 

Dinesh Kamath's news 'NMMC to improve considerably its disaster management plans' that was published in Newsband

NMMC to improve considerably its disaster management plans

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Picture of NMMC

NAVI MUMBAI: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has planned to conduct disaster management programme in three phases. The disaster management cell of NMMC is making a thorough research on how to protect Navi Mumbai in case of occurrence of any kind of disaster so as to make it one of the safest cities.   

The first phase consists of making a study of current ability of the civic body to tackle any kind of disaster. To do this study, Tata Institute of Social Sciences is rendering its help. This institute is studying the plan of the civic body and trying to perfect the plan so as to equip the city with all the resources necessary to tackle any kind of disaster. This institute is making a study of what kind of disasters are likely to occur in Navi Mumbai after which the institute will work out a detailed plan about how to prevent or tackle the disasters. All kinds of disasters like earthquakes, floods, dilapidated building collapse, chemical accidents, tsunami, riots and landslides etc are taken into consideration. The institute will inform the disaster cell of NMMC about the latest technology available to fight any kind of disasters.

In the second and third phases a thorough research will be done about the disasters which are most likely to occur in Navi Mumbai and how it can affect the social lives of the city residents. The disaster cell of NMMC will be informed about how certain haphazardly built infrastructures can make the city vulnerable to disasters like earthquakes and what preventive measures and techniques to adopt to tackle such happenings.

Thus the disaster management department of NMMC is currently very busy reviewing the disaster management plans which once they complete they might come up with fantastic techniques of tackling disasters that are most likely to hit the city. 

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Environmentalists versus NMMC' that was published in Newsband

Environmentalists versus NMMC

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Picture of fallen trees

NAVI MUMBAI: Environment activists were found to be disturbed by the fact that many trees got uprooted during the recent thunderstorm. They have held Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation responsible for this happening. They are not happy with the tree planting techniques adopted and choices of plants made by NMMC. They feel that the civic body should at least consult the forest department before doing any kind of planting. They accused NMMC of planting cheap quality saplings which when they grow are fragile and not strong enough. They suggested that strong trees like Peepal and Banyan be planted instead of fragile badam trees.

But the authorities of the garden department of NMMC denied that they resorted to planting low quality saplings. They said that they had enough knowledge about trees and methods of planting them and hence they were not at fault if the tress fell down in big number. During the natural disasters, even the strongest trees can get destroyed, they said.

NMMC refused to be responsible for the falling of many trees during the thunderstorms, but, however, the civic body in recent times has been promptly taking actions whenever it received any complaint regarding trees and tree-planting. For example, some residents of Nerul came to NMMC with a complaint that there was not enough space around trees at a certain place. NMMC workers were immediately sent to that spot and made to remove the sand gravels laid around the trees. As suggested by the environmental experts, NMMC has begun to leave breathing space around the roots of the trees while planting new saplings. It was owing to lack of such space that some trees in the past had fallen down, said the Environmentalist.  

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Raahgiri once again from first week of November' that was published in Newsband

Raahgiri once again from first week of November

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Raahgiri, which was organized by Times of India and Navi Mumbai police in the past, will once again make its appearance somewhere in the beginning of November along Palm Beach Road and near Nerul lake. Some new activities will also be added this time. This event is open to all age groups and people pursuing any profession.

The organizers of Raahgiri were just waiting for elections to get over. Now that monsoon has ended and so also the elections the organizers are once again all set to come forward with another episode of Raahgiri which is meant particularly for fitness freaks, sportsmen and fun-lovers.

Thus Raahgiri is once again making its appearance after four months. The lovers of this event were eagerly waiting for this moment. Last season, they had enjoyed every bit of this fitness regimen. They are now looking forward to taking part in cycling, running, zumba, fitness arena, serious sporting activities such as street soccer, Indian conventional games such as stapu, lagori and yoga, among others. All these activities have been included in Raahgiri and school students particularly are bound to participate in this event most enthusiastically. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Khattar as Haryana’s CM – a great move!' that was published in Newsband

Khattar as Haryana’s CM – a great move!

In Haryana, the first-time legislator Manohar Lal Khattar was chosen by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the top job not for his legislative experience or administrative expertise, but for his organisational skill and political savvy. Mr. Khattar joined the BJP from the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, where he was an active pracharak, and was put in charge of the party’s affairs in several States in the last two decades. In Haryana, his inputs led to BJP becoming strong and achieving a victory in the election.  

Chief ministership was a form of recognition for Khattar’s efforts. It is also an expression of gratitude by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah team to Mr. Khattar. Modi was himself an organisation man before he became Chief Minister of Gujarat and hence he must have found something common between him and Khattar. Now that Khattar is made the CM of Haryana, he will now have to shift his focus to governance from political manoeuvres.

While Mr. Khattar may have been known for his organizational skills, his escalation from the ranks of RSS directly to the post of State Chief Minister is a reflection of much more than that. To be elected unopposed for the post of CM denotes a tacit understanding amongst the party members, manoeuvred by the shrewd skills of the man. It was more of his prudence and political skills that got him there. Khattar was chosen for the top post in Haryana owing to the RSS factor. The Prime Minister and the BJP President come from the same source and have been successful in taking daunting challenges of strengthening the organisation as well as the party. In that line, it is to be seen whether Khattar stands tested on the expectations of PM and BJP president steering through the problems that grip the state.

Laurels to the man for working close knit with the top brass of the BJP, garnering all support from Modi-Shah duo. Will Khattar go on to become a national leader one day?

Appointment of a non-Jat as the CM of Jat-dominated Haryana was a great move. Similarly a Brahmin should be made the CM of the Maratha-dominated Maharashtra. The need of the hour is appointment of patriotic and energetic people of integrity, dedication and honesty at all levels of governance.

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Dampened Diwali for some while others enjoyed the festival' that was published in Newsband

Dampened Diwali for some while others enjoyed the festival

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: This Diwali was a dampener for many people who are fond of dry fruits. The exceptional steep prices of dry fruits at both wholesale and retail markets in Navi Mumbai dampened the spirit of those who always look forward to enjoying and distributing the dry fruits.

During last Diwali, the stalls selling the dry fruits used to be packed with customers to buy the dry fruits packaged in various attractive ways. Those were the days when even the pavements used to consist of sellers of boxes of dry fruits. Business was brisk then. But this year, the same was not the case owing to tremendous hike in prices of dry fruits.

The shopkeepers at APMC market too were finding it extremely difficult to attract customers to buy their expensive dry fruits. They could not even keep the dry fruits packed in boxes and had to wait to do that till they received the orders from the customers. In fact, the owners of many shops in APMC were expecting the business to be bad and hence they focused their attention on selling Diwali goods other than dry fruits. Those sellers who depended solely on dry fruits to do their business were the worst hit since they could hardly make any profit.

The dry fruits are imported from Afghanistan and the Middle East and they are not only highly priced but even have high duties and taxes are imposed on them. India cannot produce all the dry fruits here and hence they have to depend on the foreign countries for dry fruits other than walnuts and cashew nuts. But the thing is even the dry fruits that are produced locally are high priced. This fact has disappointed both the customers and the shopkeepers during this Diwali season.

While the dry fruit lovers found this Diwali dampened, there were others who used lots of colourful lamps, diyas and torans to make the occasion very special. The interesting thing about these lamps, diyas and torans were they were made by special children, who have been working on these products long before the festival arrived.

These children had undergone vocational training at special school and here they were taught to make handicrafts and gift items. These special children went on to make a range of items such as diyas, paper bags, boxes, thalis, candles, lanterns, and spices, which they displayed at an exhibition and sale in the school. The items were reasonably priced according to their qualities.

Thus even though the festival was a dampener for some, there were others who went on to enjoy Diwali like they did every year in the past.

Dinesh Kamath's self-clicked photographs

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

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Sunny Leone to dance to the tune of Aishwarya's song'

Sunny Leone to dance to the tune of Aishwarya's song

Sunny Leone made the hearts of many a man (and woman) beat aloud when she gyrated to the beats of 'Laila' in the film Shootout at Wadala. And ever since, Sunny Leone has made a place for herself in the dancing world, as far as Bollywood is concerned. This time around, Leone will be seen doing an Aishwarya Rai, in her upcoming film Leela. Sunny Leone will dance to Aishwarya's 'Dholi taro dhol'

Ash's 'Dholi taro dhol' dance in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was one of her best. Now, Sunny will be seen dancing to the tunes of a remixed version of the song in director Bobby Khan's film. This film, in which Leone plays the role of a princess, is touted to be a musical, and will have some nine songs in it.

That Sunny is a good dancer is no longer in doubt. The question, however, is whether she will be able to match Aishwarya or whether she will outclass Aishwarya with her dance to the tune of 'Dholi taro dhol'. The new version of the song will be sung by Tulsi Kumar, of Aashiqui 2 fame, and will be filmed in Rajasthan. Sunny, who plays a princess in the film, will also gyrate to some peppy masala tracks. The first look of Leela is already out, and has generated quite a buzz about the film.

While Sunny is currently busy shooting for sex comedy Mastizaade. Her action flick, Tina and Lolo, in which she is acting along with Bigg Boss 8 contestant Karishma Tanna, is also currently keeping the Jism 2 actress busy.

'Mastizaade' teaser depicts Sunny Leone while she is seducing. Actress Sunny Leone, is also making her Telugu debut with Current Theega. Sunny Leone is found to be extremely punctual and professional and maintains a professional attitude on the set throughout the course of the shoot. Leone plays a cameo of a school teacher in the film, which is the official remake of Tamil hit Varutha Padatha Valibar Sangam. The film includes a special song featuring the Indo-Canadian actress.

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Alia Bhatt impresses in a short film'

Alia Bhatt impresses in a short film

If the masses loved her in movies like "Highway" and "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", Alia Bhatt has again won many a heart by her splendid performance in the short film "Going Home", based on women's safety. This film has gone viral on social networking site. The director of the film is Vikas Bahl. He is the one who created this short film titled 'Going Home', in which he visualised a utopia for women, where, unlike today, mistrust and fear don't dictate actions and decisions. The over five-minute long film shows Alia driving all by herself in the middle of the night and telling her mother over the phone that she will reach home soon.

But her car breaks down. With no soul on the street, she wonders what to do next. Soon, she spots a car with a bunch of guys smoking and staring at her from across the street. Seeing her alone, they drive next to her car. The car approaches cautiously, however, Alia Bhatt without any inhibitions jumps out of the car and explains her situation. The men get out and examine the vehicle. In a strange turn of events, they are obviously enamored by the beautiful young girl in the tight leather skirt. One imagines the obvious - Alia, dressed in a short skirt with a top, getting attacked by the men. But instead they try to help fix her car and when that doesn't work out they become absolutely chivalrous and drop Alia safely to her gate till her house.

The actress is thrilled with the reception to the Vikas Bahl short film.

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Shraddha Kapoor as Basanti'

Shraddha Kapoor as Basanti

Hema Malini had played the tongawali Basanti in Sholay. Now it is the turn of Shraddha Kapoor to play Basanti in her upcoming film ‘Ungli’. Young and bubbly actress Shraddha Kapoor is gearing up for her item song 'Naach Basanti' for Karan Johar's production ‘Ungli’.

This is something Shraddha had never tried doing before and there are all the possibilities of people liking her in that role. Shraddha has not done any appearances in the film. She is just a part of this song and it's a cracking song.

The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Randeep Hooda, Neil Bhoopalam, Angad Bedi and Sanjay Dutt.

Shraddha had earlier impressed her fans with her performance in the film ‘Haider’ and now she will be seen in a special number for the film. Shraddha Kapoor is on high spirits these days, thanks to the kind of appreciation she has received for her film Haider. And now she will perform to the tune of the number ‘Naach Basanti’. The song is a racy item number and Shraddha fits perfectly for this number.

Thus after the success of Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villian and now with Haider Shraddha has completed a hatrick!

Haider is supposed to be Shahid Kapoor’s film, but audiences loved Shraddha’s character Arshia in the film and that left Shraddha surprised. From the time Vishal had offered her the role of Arshia she was in love with the character and really worked hard for it, and she didn’t fail to make people love Arshia.

There is another film ABCD 2 in which she is acting and here not only will she get an image makeover, but she will also have a radical change in her character name! Unlike Aarohi, Aaisha or Arshiya, where all her characters were named with ‘A’, Shraddha’s character in ABCD 2 will start with ‘V’.

Nowadays we find Shraddha beaming with happiness post the Haider super success!

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies to get released in Navi Mumbai’ (Happy New Year, Pyarwali Love Story, CD Kand and Honeymoon) that was published in Newsband

New movies to get released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Happy New Year

Happy New Year is a 2014 Bollywood action comedy-drama film directed by Farah Khan and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment. The film has an ensemble cast which includes, Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah, Sonu Sood and Jackie Shroff.

The film has an interesting plot. A team of six losers fake participating in a dance competition in their attempt to pull off the greatest diamond heist ever.

Happy New Year is the ultimate underdog story where a team of 'losers', win the love of millions in their quest to pull off the biggest diamond heist ever!!

The premise is simple. It's the Christmas-New Year holiday season. The biggest dance event in the world, the World Dance Championships, is being hosted in Dubai. While all eyes are on the different world-class teams that have gathered, there are a few unlikely entrants who have somehow managed to stumble into the competition.

Happy New Year is built around 5 disparate characters who are fighting a most unlikely battle - a battle of international proportions, but it's a battle being fought on a dance floor. Where the rest of the world's competitors are battling for national pride and glory on the world stage, our 5 are dancing for a different cause - revenge, retribution and closure. This is Team India, a group that has no confidence in its own dancing abilities, but is competing for a cause very important to them.

With the city of Dubai as the backdrop, and its global village ambience as its setting, Team India set about their task of staying in the competition. What follows is a manic run to the finish, where our characters face several challenges in their quest for victory as the film reaches its climax, a climax that is full of national pride, diabolical revenge and triumph.

How this bunch of losers transform themselves into a team that performs really well and how they win over the hearts of the people in the city and across the world, forms the rest of the story.

The film has Shahrukh Khan as Chandramohan Sharma/Charlie, Deepika Padukone as Mohini Joshi, Abhishek Bachchan as Nandu Bhide, Sonu Sood as Jagmohan Prakash, Boman Irani as Temhton Irani, Vivaan Shah as Rohan Singh and Jackie Shroff as Charan Grover. The film has special appearances by Dino Morea, Prabhu Deva, Sarah-Jane Dias, Malaika Arora Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Dadlani, Sajid Khan and Anupam Kher.

The music of Happy New Year is composed by the duo of Vishal-Shekhar while the lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil. The film has songs like India Waale sung by Vishal Dadlani, K.K., Shankar Mahadevan and Neeti Mohan, Manwa Laage by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, Satakli by Sukhwinder Singh, Lovely by Kanika Kapoor, Ravindra Upadhyay, Miraya Varma and Fateh, World Dance Medley by Neeti Mohan, Vishal Dadlani, Sukhwinder Singh, K.K., Shankar Mahadevan and Shah Rukh Khan, Nonsense Ki Night by Mika Singh, Dance Like A Chammiya by Sunidhi Chauhan and Vishal Dadlani, Sharabi by Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, Indiawaale (Electronic) by Neeti Mohan, Vishal Dadlani, K.K. and Shankar Mahadevan, The Heist (Instrumental) and Kamlee by Kanika Kapoor, Ravindra Upadhyay, Fateh and Miraya Varma.

Pyarwali Love Story

Pyaar Vali Love Story is a Marathi movie directed and written by Sanjay Jadhav. Starring Swapnil Joshi and Sai Tamhankar in the lead roles, the plot of the film is set in the 1990s.

This movie is passionate love story set against the backdrop of communal war. Set in the 1990s, Pyaar Vali Love Story tells the story of Aliya and Amar, who share a passionate romance. Alas, their love will be tested as something horrible is about to take place. Will they be able to face the dangers that threaten their togetherness?

The film has Swapnil Joshi as Amar, Sai Tamhankar as Aliya, Urmila Kanitkar as Nandini, Upendra Limaye as Kadar, Sameer Dharmadhikari as Pashya, Nagesh Bhosale and Chinmay Mandlekar.

CD Kand

CD Kand is a film directed by Imtiaz Patil and its cast consists of Anuya Bhagvat, Anara Gupta, Jay Kapdia, Dhananjay Singh and Samarth Chaturvedi.

CD Kand is a story of a woman known as Gauri Devi, who was victimized by state politicians sexually and then killed to burry the matter. But there is a saying that woman and elephants never forget their revenge and so is Gauri Devi. She returns as a ghost to take her revenge. Mansi Rana who is a reporter of a local news channel becomes the medium for her. And then the movie depicts the struggle of Mansi Rana to expose killer of Gauri Devi and Gauri Devi’s desire to fulfill her vendetta.

Honeymoon

Honeymoon is a 2014 horror film directed by Leigh Janiak. The movie is about Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as a newly married couple whose honeymoon ends up being ruined by a series of strange events.

The movie has an interesting plot. Bea (Rose Leslie) and Paul (Harry Treadaway) are newly married and off to have a romantic honeymoon in a rustic cabin set in a secluded forest. During their stay there, they go to a small restaurant whose owner initially acts hostile, asking them to leave, but later calms down, realizing he was Bea's childhood friend. The man's wife then comes in, acting weird and saying they need to get away. After that, everything goes normally until their wedded bliss is cut short when Bea goes missing. Paul finds her naked and disoriented in the woods with no evidence as to how or why she got there. He takes her back to the cabin, with her claiming she was sleepwalking due to the stress, and to make nothing of it. However, as time passes, Bea's behavior becomes increasingly distant and strange. At first, Paul blames Bea's strange behaviour on some encounter with Will, the restaurant owner, but soon he realizes there's more going on. On one night Paul was staying awake and he sees some bright lights through the windows, but when he goes to investigate he finds nothing. One day, during an argument Bea locks herself in the bathroom, and when Paul breaks in, he finds her repeatedly stabbing herself in the crotch. Paul then ties her to her bed and she asks him to "take it out of her". Paul puts his hand into her vagina and takes out a large worm-like creature. Bea later explains that the night she disappeared into the woods, she saw the lights at night and couldn't help walking towards it. She then saw some silhouettes and they apparently impregnated her. Bea then says that she is Bea, but they're taking away what's left of her. She then says she must protect Paul because they are going to "dispose of him". Bea then knocks Paul out, takes him into the middle of the lake on a boat, ties an anchor to his feet and throws him into his death. Bea is then shown to be deteriorating, her skin becoming white and flaky. Bea then meets Will's wife, and they walk away into the lights. The film finishes with Bea saying "Before I was alone, but now I'm not."

Thus the film has Rose Leslie as Bea, Harry Treadaway as Paul, Ben Huber as Will and Hanna Brown as Annie

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'How long will BJP last and is Congress finished?' that was published in Newsband

How long will BJP last and is Congress finished?

Bharatiya Janata Party won the Haryana Assembly election and emerged as the single largest party by far in Maharashtra. BJP now seems to be in a position to encroach on the national political space occupied by the Congress. Now, after a majority of its own in the Lok Sabha, the party is less risk-averse. The strategy to fight without major allies seems to have paid off very well, though in Maharashtra, where it fell short of a majority, the party might want to revive its ties with the Shiv Sena.

In its desperation to see its pramukh Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister, the Sena preferred to go alone. But what happened is that the BJP has increased its ability to dictate terms with prospective allies, not lower its dependence on alliances. In Maharashtra, it is a good strategy to go it alone. It is high time that frenetic groups are kept out of political power. At best, these two warring groups of Sena are there only to create frenzy laden with fear and to create a perpetual unrest in the Mumbai city and its suburbs. They always have a divisive agenda and thrive on the fear factor.

The Lok Sabha elections had helped BJP establish a strong foothold across the country. The high risk taken by Modi-Shah duo helped BJP score an illustrious victory in Haryana and an almost victory in Maharashtra, both Congress strongholds. It appears as if the Congress is being decimated to a regional party. The Congress is decimated in Haryana and is gasping for breath in Maharashtra, its poor third position in both States. So caste politics did not work here. These polls signal the death of feudalism in our polity. The Congress failed to come out of its obsession to cling to Nehru-Gandhi family as the sole hope and there was no leader of some substance who emerged. This trend of shrinking is going to continue. But looking to its sycophancy nature and it being unable to realize and appreciate the truth, and reconnect with the masses, everyone doubts whether it will ever be able to relocate itself. The lack of a charismatic leader and corruption led the Congress party into a great crisis. Both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly election are the examples of this crisis. BJP gathered the anger of the people and was able to turn into the votes. Congress had ruled and ruined this country for 60 years. People have now voted BJP and Modi with hope. How long will Modi and BJP rule this country is left to be seen.

The ever tireless Modi has proven his prowess, conducting numerous rallies in 10 days. It is now time for him to start acting and showing results. BJP should be always conscious of the promises of development it made to the country and in all the states in a true spirit of cooperative federalism and focus on quick results to remain as a party with proven capacity to deliver on its promises.

Yes, there is Modi wave going on in the country but we cannot deny the ability of local leaders of the BJP who won in this election. Hope, new government both in Maharashtra and Haryana would provide good governance and fulfill the aspirations of the people.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Why can’t we be like China?' that was published in Newsband

Why can’t we be like China?

India won the gold medal in hockey in the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, only its third, at the expense of eight-time champion Pakistan.  India now prepares for the Rio Olympics, for which it has automatically qualified as the Asian Games champion.

Hockey apart, there were gold medals for India in athletics, kabaddi, tennis, archery, shooting, squash, boxing and wrestling. But the eventual medals tally of 57 including 11 gold, fell short of expectations. The eighth place on the medals table was not a big deal.

The main features of India’s achievement included the iconic Manipuri boxer M.C. Mary Kom’s maiden title in the Games, and the runaway victory for the women’s relay team.

These achievements showed us that there is no shortage of talent in India, just we need to harness them. Government has to frame a National Sport Policy which will be implemented by Sport Ministry. Sports should be part of the school curriculum and student should participate in at least one sport of their choice. Every state must have an Olympic like infrastructure and sport academy on the basis of NDA.

We have to start Sports institutes for children with good physique and train them in the sports of their choice. The children should be selected at school level and families of those children should be encouraged to send their children to boarding schools, where sports form the main curriculum. Their education should be taken care of. We need investment for a generation or two to see tangible results.

The show at Asiad is just peanuts as compared to our vast population. The major hindrance is lack of infrastructure at grass root level. At prime age talents should be nurtured. We should have a clear-cut vision in promoting sports.

Take the example of China. Now everyone accepts it as just next to US. Same is reflecting in the medal tally either in Olympics or in Asian games. In 1986 they just got 5 gold medals in Seoul Olympics and ranked 11th in the world. But they took the issue very seriously, as these events are watched very closely around the world. Within 20 years they got 51 gold medals in Beijing Olympics and even surpassed US and acquired rank 1. Why we can't?