Dinesh Kamath's news item 'High property rates worry buyers' that was published in Newsband

High property rates worry buyers

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: People who want home loans are finding it extremely difficult to get them. To get loans from banks and other financial institutions, long procedures need to be followed and even after that there is no guarantee of getting loans from them. In the past it was much easier to have a home of one’s own owing to the ease with which one could get home loans. But it is not so currently.  

The increase in stamp duty is causing more problems. In Navi Mumbai, the minimum rate at which a flat is available is around Rs 30 lakhs – i.e. if one wishes to buy a 1BHK of 600 sq feet. The bank doesn’t sanction the loan, unless you pay 20% of the amount in cash.  In addition, the buyer has to shell out Rs 15 lakh for paying the stamp duty and registration. If the buyer waits for sometimes to arrange for the cash amount, by the time the amount gets accumulated, the rate of the property is found to have gone up. This is the problem that the buyers face.

Developers and estate agents are found to be merciless since they just are never willing to negotiate the rates, although they are aware of the problems faced by the buyers. One can’t blame the developers and estate agents too since their problems are genuine considering that the prices of plots have really gone up.  

When the plan was put up to have an International airport in Navi Mumbai, an area around the airport was chalked out and this was called Navi Mumbai International Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA). The state government gave the charge of this area to City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) which became the special planning authority for NAINA. This created panic among the developers who thought that since CIDCO was now in charge the rates of the plots would increase. Hence in anticipation they started increasing further the property rates.

The CIDCO then made it clear that it would not try to acquire anybody’s plot and that it would play just the role of the planning authority. This gave some relief to the developers, real estate agents and flat buyers. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Blame public too – not just govt and railways' that was published in Newsband

Blame public too – not just govt and railways

Thirty six precious lives were lost at the Kumbh in Allahabad on the most holy day of the ‘sacred bath’. The deaths occurred not at the site of the Kumbh, but at the Railway station. The tragedy was undoubtedly preventable. Both Uttar Pradesh government and the Railways are blaming one another for the tragedy. The truth is both should be blamed for mismanagement.

There was proper crowd management at the Sangam, where some three crore people took the holy dip without any major catastrophe; Why the same kind of planning was not made at the railway station.

There should have been arrangement of enough trains and buses to take away the lakhs of pilgrims. If this was done then the two stampedes that occurred would not have happened.

Like every year, this year too, there was no place to stand and pilgrims were falling over each other. Finally, the pedestrian overbridge collapsed under the sheer weight of thousands of people fighting their way to the platforms to catch the next train. This led to the stampede, collapse, and the deaths.

The real question now is how to prevent a recurrence of such preventable tragedies? Whenever Kumbh Mela occurs, the state government should leave no loophole in the matter of maintaining law and order. The railways also cannot evade responsibility. They should make arrangements for enough trains during such occasion and also they should pay extra attention to crowd management.

Another sad thing is that there was no adequate medical help after the accident. For hours, the dead and injured lay there without attention. During such occasions, at least the medical help should be made easily available.

Indian railway has learnt nothing from the past. It's the responsibility of the authorities (both government and railways) to be prepared for such situations so that such incidents could be avoided. A professional approach should be adopted during an important occasion like Kumbh Mela.  

Even the people who attend Kumbh Mela every year don’t learn from their experiences. Why do they need to follow outdated customs and traditions? Why can't they go there at some other time and avoid rush on that specific day? Why do they harbour blind belief that if only they go there on that specific day their sins will be washed away and not any other day of the year? The mentality of these people needs to be changed. Even politicians are setting wrong example by going there on that specific day. How many times innocent lives got lost in such Kumbh Melas? Yet they don’t learn from their experiences and change their way of thinking. 

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' (Silver Linings Playbook) that was published in Newsband

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is an American romantic comedy-drama film directed by David O. Russell, from a screenplay by Russell, adapted from the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, with Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher and Julia Stiles in supporting roles.

The film opened to major critical success and earned numerous accolades. It received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, in addition to achieving the rare feat of being nominated in all four acting categories, the first time since Reds in 1981, and also being nominated for the Big Five, the first time since Million Dollar Baby in 2004; four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Lawrence winning Best Actress; three BAFTA nominations, with Russell winning for Best Adapted Screenplay; four Screen Actors Guild nominations, with Lawrence winning Best Actress; and five Independent Spirit Award nominations.

The film stars Bradley Cooper, who gives an excellent performance as Patrizio “Pat Jr” Solitano Jr, a man with bipolar disorder. Pat Jr was sentenced to a mental health facility by the courts after brutally assaulting the man his wife, Nikki, was having an affair with. Now, with expectations that border on delusion, Patrizio hopes to get back together with his spouse, while being counseled by his court mandated therapist Dr Patel (Anupam Kher), who tries to keep Pat Jr grounded in reality. After all, the cuckolded Pat Jr beat his victim nearly to death when he came home to find him in the shower with his wife, with their wedding song cruelly playing in the background.

But Pat Jr finds it difficult to stay balanced, especially whenever he hears his wedding song, which causes him to lose all control. He also finds it difficult to now live in the care of his parents, especially his unemployed and crazily superstitious father Patrizio “Pat Sr” Solitano (Robert DeNiro) who tries to fund his restaurant dream by betting on football games featuring his favorite team.

Here, Pat Jr is set up with his best friend’s sister in law, Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a recovering sex addict who lost her job, and her direction, after the death of her husband.

Both Pat Jr and Tiffany are seemingly made for each other, even though Pat Jr continues to long for his wife.

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' (Zila Ghaziabad) that was published in Newsband

Zila Ghaziabad

Zila Ghaziabad is an upcoming Bollywood political action thriller film directed and written by Anand Kumar. It is presented by Bharat Shah and Mohammed Fasih. The film features Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vivek Oberoi, Minissha Lamba and Ravi Kishan in lead roles amongst others.

The story is based on the true story of the gang war between two powerful rival groups of Gujjar, which took place in the 90s in Ghaziabad. One led by Satbir Gujjar (Vivek Oberoi) and the other led by Mahender Fauji Bainsla Gujjar (Arshad Warsi), with a police officer Thakur Pritam Singh (Sanjay Dutt) in between all of this.

The film has  Sanjay Dutt as Inspector Pritam Singh Chauhan, Arshad Warsi as Mahendra Fauji, Vivek Oberoi as Satbir Gujjar, Ravi Kishan, Sunil Grover, Paresh Rawal, Minissha Lamba, Chandrachur Singh, Charmy Kaur as Sanika, Divya Dutta, Geeta Basra as Herself in a item number (special appearance) and Shriya Saran as Herself in a item number (special appearance).

The soundtrack of Zila Ghaziabad is composed by Pritam and the album contains six tracks. The songs are Ye Hai Zila Ghaziabad sung by Sukhwinder Singh, Ranjha Jogi by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, Baap Ka Maal by Sukhwinder Singh, Mika Singh and Mamta Sharma, Tu Hai Rab Mera by Mohit Chauhan and Tulsi Kumar, Chamiya is the bad 1 by Sunidhi Chauhan and Baap Ka Maal (Rock Again) by Mika Singh and Anupama Raag.

Dinesh Kamath's column on 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' (Kai Po Che!) that was published in Newsband

Kai Po Che!

Kai Po Che! is an upcoming film based on Chetan Bhagat's novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life directed by Abhishek Kapoor, with music by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire. Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh star as the three main protagonists while Amrita Puri plays the female lead respectively. The film has screenplay by Pubali Chaudhari, cinematography by Anay Goswamy and editing done by Deepak Bhatia.

The film title Kai Po Che is a Gujarati phrase meaning "I Have Cut" which refers to a kite competition where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitors kite and yells "Kai Po Che!"

Kai Po Che had a world premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2013 where it was the first ever Indian film to feature in the World Panorama section.

The film has an interesting plot. Best friends Ishaan, Omi and Govind – young, ambitious and restless – are trying to make a mark in the India of the early 2000s. These are exciting times – a new millennium has just dawned, India's a nuclear power and ostensibly shining – a perfect place for the three Ahmedabad boys to start a business that could be their ticket to fame and riches. In a country where cricket is religion, they hit upon a brilliant plan – to start a training academy that could produce India's next sporting superstars! What follows is without doubt the greatest adventure of their lives, as they attempt to navigate the big hurdles in the path of fulfilling their dreams. Based on Chetan Bhagat's bestselling novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Kai Po Che (meaning a triumphant yell in Gujarati uttered when flying kites) is an unforgettable ode to friendship and the magical moments one shares with one's closest pals – celebrating festivals, drunken dancing, watching cricket matches together, strategizing on how to catch the attention of the cute neighborhood girl, being there to watch each other's back in troubled times and to celebrate one's successes by screaming "Kai Po Che" with full joy!

The music is composed by Amit Trivedi. Musicperk.com rated the album 9/10 quoting "We are witnessing the transformation of a prodigy into a genius". Though there are only three songs on the Kai Po Che soundtrack the song Shubhaarambh got nice review.

Dinesh Kamath's column 'New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai' (A Good Day to Die Hard) that was published in Newsband

A Good Day to Die Hard

A Good Day to Die Hard is a 2013 American action film directed by John Moore and written by Skip Woods. It is the fifth installment in the Die Hard film series. Bruce Willis reprises the lead role of John McClane, who travels to Russia to help his estranged son, Jack (Jai Courtney), out of prison, but is soon caught in the crossfire of a terrorist plot.

The plot, such as it is, sees John McClane (Willis) travelling to Russia after learning that his never-before-seen son Jack (Jai Courtney) is on trial for assassinating the henchman of a high ranking Russian politician.

McClane doesn’t really have a plan to spring his boy but heads to Moscow anyway, where, luckily enough, someone blows up the courthouse where his son is being tried, wiping out everyone but McClane Jr and a mysterious Russian dissident who knows the location of a file that would end the aforementioned corrupt politician’s career.

Thereafter the chase is on, as John, Jack and their Russian accomplice Yuri race to evade the criminals who’ve been sent to track down the file. After a few twists and turns, the film’s final showdown plays out in, of all places, Chernobyl.

Dinesh Kamath about Shahrukh Khan and Kajol who are adjudged as the most romantic Bollywood pair

Shahrukh Khan and Kajol  are adjudged as the most romantic Bollywood jodi

Shahrukh Khan and Kajol - this pair immortalises love like no other. According to a poll conducted by Sanona, UK’s largest pay-per-view movie portal, the most romantic Bollywood jodi is of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, thanks to their chemistry in movies like Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, My Name is Khan amongst others. In the poll contest this pair beat other jodis like Dharmendra-Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha, Raj Kapoor-Nargis, Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh and Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit. Thee poll results indicated that SRK-Kajol left the others far behind.

There was somewhat of a gap between Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, and the rest. This shows that they really have captivated the hearts of millions in the past 20 years since first coming together in Baazigar (1993). Perhaps they are the only onscreen couple who can actually draw audiences on the basis on them being in a movie together.

The poll was conducted across social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, email and via the movie portal itself to coincide with Valentine's Day. Bollywood movie fans, who voted the popular actors as their 'jodi' number one, quoted the pair's sizzling chemistry in the iconic romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), as one of the main reasons for their choice. In the film, Shah Rukh and Kajol portray two Non-Resident Indians living in London, who fall in love during a trip around Europe.

Shah Rukh showed he really is the king of romance as he was the only star that featured twice in the top 10, a second time with Rani Mukerji.