Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Rule of Judiciary?' that was published in Newsband

Rule of Judiciary?

The Supreme Court’s decision to bar any person who is in jail or in police custody from contesting an election to legislative bodies has come as a surprise to many and as a relief to others.

There are some people who say that this judgement has left the door open for the practice of vendetta politics by ruling parties. All that politicians in power now need to do to prevent rivals from contesting an  election is to ask the police to file a case and effect arrest.

Since Section 62(5) of the Act prevents those in lawful custody from voting, the reasoning goes, those in such custody are not qualified for membership of legislative bodies. Here it would be wise on the part of the judiciary if it considered the suggestion of the Election Commission, which wants only those cases in which charges are framed six months prior to an election to be taken into account.

The effect of this judgement is that the sitting MPs and MLAs will now automatically be disqualified upon being convicted of a serious crime rather than after all their appeals are exhausted. Moreover, a by-election to fill a seat vacated by a convict takes time and a government surviving on a wafer-thin majority could be jeopardized. Hence the courts should also consider the likely practical consequences of their judgments.

If you view from one angle you will agree that the court is right in its decision. There are more than 1000 MPs and MLAs in India with a ‘criminal background’ (that is around 30% of lawmakers).  When these elements are caught they almost never pay the price for their misdeeds. They protect each other. How can there be the rule of law and good governance when the character of such a vast percentage of those who make the laws and govern is so dubious?

But those who support democracy complain that the courts are now doing the governance. They question whether the views of majority in legislature should prevail or the view of one or two judges? They accuse the court of trying to usurp power. But the fact is that the court has only struck down an article of Representation of People Act, 1951 which made an exception for the politicians. Hence they are creating a wrong impression that the court is intruding in executive affairs. The court has simply declared as unconstitutional an article in an Act. Or in other words, it has put the common man and the political leader on the same footing. Equality and Rule of Law are the basic features of our Constitution which have to be upheld at all costs.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (D-Day, Ramaiya Vastavaiya, RED 2, Turbo, White House Down and Ship of Theseus) that was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

D-Day

D-Day is a 2013 Indian crime-thriller film co-produced by DAR motion pictures and Emmay Entertainment Private Limited. The Hindi feature film D-Day is the next directorial offer from Nikhil Advani, starring Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Shruti Haasan, Sandeep Kulkarni and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles.

The film has an interesting story. Nine years ago Wali Khan (Irrfan Khan) was sent into Karachi, Pakistan by the Chief of R&AW Ashwini Rao (Nassar) to report the activities of the Most Wanted Man in India.

Nine days ago, Rudra Pratap Singh (Arjun Rampal) of Indian Armed Forces, MARCOS unit, Zoya Rehman (Huma Qureshi) of R&AW Explosives expert and Aslam (Akash Dhaiya), a petty thief from the streets of Mumbai, recruited by R&AW infiltrated Pakistan to join Wali Khan and carry out the mission to bring back The Most Wanted Man in India. The man who was going to break all ISI protocol and security and attend his own son's wedding. The man who could on that day be abducted and brought back to India to face justice...

Everything was going according to plan till that fateful day. The team sent to bring in The Most Wanted Man in India did the unthinkable. They carried out the most daring operation and almost got away with it - almost because something went horribly wrong.

The film has Arjun Rampal as Captain Rudra Pratap Singh, Irrfan Khan as Wali Khan, Huma Qureshi as Zoya Rehman, Rishi Kapoor as Goldman, Shruti Haasan as Suraiya, Nassar as Chief of R&AW Ashwini Rao, Sandeep Kulkarni, K K Raina, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Shriswara as Wali Khan's wife, Dwij as Wali Khan's son, Imran Hasnee and Maryam Zakaria.

Thus D-Day is the story of four unassuming protagonists, all with varying back stories and a common mission that brings them together on foreign soil to execute one such mission. It explores their journey, their choices, their loss, their victory.

This action drama has music created by Shankar Ehsaan and Loy.

The film has songs like Duma Dum sung by Mika Singh, Mani Mahadevan, Gaurav Gupta, Devendra Chitnis, Arun Ingle, Alvida by Nikhil D'Souza, Sukhvinder Singh, Shruti Hassan, Loy Mendonsa, Murshid Khele Holi by Munnawar Masoom, Javed Ali, Shankar Mahadevan, Gaurav Gupta, Rajiv Sundaresan, Mani Mahadevan, Raman Mahadevan, Ek Ghadi by Rekha Bhardwaj and Dhuaa by Rahul Ram, Siddharth Mahadevan, Alyssa Mendonsa, Thomson Andrews, Keshia Braganza, Crystal Sequeira, Leon D’souza.         

Ramaiya Vastavaiya

Ramaiya Vastavaiya is a Bollywood romance film directed by Prabhu Deva. The film introduces producer Kumar Taurani's son Girish Kumar, opposite Shruti Haasan. It is a remake of Prabhu Deva's directorial debut Telugu blockbuster Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana which in turn was inspired by the 1980s romantic cult movie Maine Pyaar Kiya.

The movie has an interesting plot. The story is based on youngster Ram (Girish Kumar) who falls in love with Sona (Shruti Haasan), who is his cousin's best friend and lives on the fields of Punjab. He follows her to her farm, where her elder brother (Sonu Sood) challenges him to produce more seed on their fields.

The film has Girish Kumar as Ram, Shruti Hassan as Sona, Sonu Sood as Sona's elder brother, Randhir Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Vinod Khanna, Paresh Ganatra, Satish Shah, Govind Namdeo, Sarfaraz Khan, Zakir Hussain, Nassar, and Prabhu Deva and Jacqueline Fernandez in special appearances in song Jaadu Ki Jhappi.

All songs of this film are composed by Sachin-Jigar. The film has songs like Jeene Laga Hoon sung by Atif Aslam, Shreya Ghoshal, Hip Hop Pummy by Mika Singh, Monali Thakur, Bairiyaa by Atif Aslam, Shreya Ghoshal, Peecha Choote by Mohit Chauhan, Rang Jo Lagyo by Atif Aslam, Shreya Ghoshal, Jadoo Ki Jhappi by Neha Kakkar, Mika Singh and Jadoo Ki Jhappi (Reprise) by Mika Singh.     

RED 2

RED 2 is a 2013 American action comedy film and sequel to the 2010 film RED, which was inspired by the limited comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. The film stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Anthony Hopkins, and Helen Mirren, with Dean Parisot directing and a screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber.

The film has an interesting plot. While trying to lead a normal life, Frank is notified that Interpol is hunting for him. When he tries to clear his name, he is told of a Cold War project to sneak a nuclear weapon into Russia, and that it may have been assembled and activated. In order to successfully defuse it, he is reacquainted with the man who helped set up the project (who has been confined to a mental hospital) and finds himself hunted by Victoria (who has apparently left retirement) and one of the best assassins in the business. It doesn't help that he is also reunited with an old flame who is eager to rekindle their relationship...

The film has Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs, Mary-Louise Parker as Sarah Ross, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Miranda Wood, Lee Byung-hun as Han, Anthony Hopkins as Edward Bradley, Helen Mirren as Victoria, Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov, David Thewlis as The Frog and Neal McDonough as Jack Horton.

Turbo

Turbo is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated sports comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox respectively. It is based on an original idea by David Soren, who is also directing the film. The film features an ordinary garden snail whose dream to become the fastest snail in the world comes true.

Along with Ryan Reynolds, who stars as the eponymous character, the film also features Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson.

The film has an interesting plot. Theo, a.k.a Turbo, is a garden snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagne. His obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an oddity and an outsider in the slow and cautious snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his careful older brother, Chet. Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he's living.

As luck would have it, Turbo gets that chance one fateful day after a freak accident when he gets sucked into the supercharger of a drag racer, fusing his DNA with nitrous oxide on a Street Race when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed and accuracy, as well as some of the characteristics of a car, such as eyes that light up like headlights, and a shell that blinks red like taillights and makes car sounds and music from a radio.

Turbo and Chet are then captured by Tito, a "Dos Bros" taco truck driver and is brought to race with other snails. Impressed by snail leader Whiplash, he is accompanied by the rest of his crew: Smoove Move, Burn, Skidmark, and White Shadow.

Turbo embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the impossible: racing against the best that IndyCar has to offer, but in the Indianapolis 500 there is no way a snail can race in a competition that is meant for cars. He is the ultimate underdog who achieves the impossible by refusing to let his limitations get in the way of his dreams.

The film has the following voice cast: Ryan Reynolds as Theo aka Turbo, a garden snail who dreams of becoming a racer, Paul Giamatti as Chet, Turbo's brother, Michael Peña as Tito, a "Dos Bros" taco truck driver who finds and befriends Turbo, Snoop Dogg as Smoove Move, a snail, Maya Rudolph as Burn, a snail and Turbo's love interest, Michelle Rodriguez as Paz, a car mechanic, Samuel L. Jackson as Whiplash, a snail leader, Luis Guzmán as Angelo, Tito's brother and a "Dos Bros" taco truck driver, Bill Hader as Guy Gagne, a French-Canadian Indy 500 champion, Richard Jenkins as Bobby, a shopkeeper, Ken Jeong as Kim-Ly, a shopkeeper, Ben Schwartz as Skidmark, a snail, Kurtwood Smith as TBA, Michael Bell as White Shadow, a snail, Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Mario Andretti as an Indianapolis Motor Speedway traffic director and Paul Page as a booth announcer.

White House Down

White House Down is a 2013 American action film directed by Roland Emmerich about an assault on the White House by a paramilitary group. The film's screenplay is by James Vanderbilt, and it stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.

The movie has an interesting plot. John Cale (Channing Tatum) is a police officer at the U.S. Capitol but is looking for something more glamorous. He is an Iraq War veteran and has a 10-year-old daughter, Emily, who is enamoured with U.S. politics and is as excited as her father when he gets an interview to work as a Secret Service agent. The interview does not go well, but since the film would have us believe this kind of meeting takes place inside the White House (codenamed "the Castle"), it is very convenient for him to take Emily on a White House tour, too.

The tour guide mentions that the residence was blown up in the director's own Independence Day, and while we don't get a repeat, we soon get something very comparable: A bomb goes off inside the Capitol and the dome collapses. President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) is taken to safety by the head of his Secret Service detail; Emily has got separated from the tour group, which is cordoned off inside the presidential residence, but before long, John will take it upon himself to find his little girl, and his military training will certainly come in handy if (rather, when) he meets some terrorists inside the White House. The terrorists, here as in many other films, have only one thing on their minds: the president's nuclear launch codes.

The film has the following cast: Channing Tatum as John Cale, a U.S. Capitol Police officer, Jamie Foxx as James Sawyer, the President of the United States, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Carol Finnerty, a Secret Service agent,  Jason Clarke as Emil Stenz, a disavowed ex-Delta Force operative and the leader of the mercenaries that invade the White House, Richard Jenkins as Eli Raphelson, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Joey King as Emily Cale, the daughter of John Cale, James Woods as Martin Walker, the Head of the Presidential Detail and the mastermind of the White House takeover, Nicolas Wright as Donnie, the White House Tour Guide, Jimmi Simpson as Skip Tyler, Stenz's computer hacker, Michael Murphy as Alvin Hammond, the Vice President of the United States, Rachelle Lefevre as Melanie, the ex-wife of John Cale, Lance Reddick as General Caulfield, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Matt Craven as Kellerman, a Capitol Police officer, Jake Weber as Ted Hope, a Secret Service agent, Peter Jacobson as Wallace, Barbara Williams as Muriel Walker, Martin Walker's wife, Kevin Rankin as Carl Killick, one of Stenz's mercenaries, and radical right wing militant, Anthony Lemke as Hutton, Vincent Leclerc as Ryan Todd, Garcelle Beauvais as Alison Sawyer, the First Lady of the United States, Kyle Gatehouse as Conrad Cern, one of Stenz's mercenaries, Falk Hentschel as Motts, one of Stenz's mercenaries and Jackie Geary as Jenna, assistant to the Vice President.

Ship of Theseus

Ship of Theseus is a 2013 Indian drama film written and directed by Anand Gandhi, and produced by actor Sohum Shah. The film explores "questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and an enterprising stockbroker”; played by Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah.

The title of the film alludes to Theseus’ paradox, most notably recorded in Life of Theseus, wherein the Greek philosopher Plutarch inquires whether a ship that has been restored by replacing all its parts, remains the same ship.

The film has an interesting plot. Aaliya Kamal (Aida El-Kashef) is a visually impaired and celebrated photographer in the process of undergoing a cornea transplant that will restore her vision. Though the surgery is a success and Aaliya’s vision is restored, she has trouble adjusting to her newfound sense of sight and is dissatisfied with her resulting photography.

Maitreya (Neeraj Kabi), an erudite monk, is part of a petition to ban animal testing in India. When he is diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, his reluctance towards medication is questioned and he must now depend on the people he’s been fighting against - a path he refuses to take.

A young stockbroker, Navin (Sohum Shah), has just had his kidney transplanted. He soon learns of a case of kidney tourism involving an impoverished bricklayer, Shankar. His initial fear is that his new kidney originally belonged to this man. Further investigation proves otherwise, but Navin takes matters into his own hands and confronts the actual recipient in Stockholm.

The film has Aida Elkashef as Aliya Kamal, Neeraj Kabi as Maitreya, Sohum Shah as Navin Parnami, Amba Sanyal as Bhanu Ajji, Faraz Khan as Vinay, Vinay Shukla as Charvaka and Sameer Khurana as Mannu.

Dinesh Kamath presents the list of staff members of daily newspaper Newsband

The following were the members of the staff of daily newspaper Newsband on 17 July 2013:

Publisher: Kailash Gindodia

Editor: Dinesh Kamath

Co-Editor: K R Bhat

Marketing Manager: Divakar Gore

Marketing Executives: Vijay Kamble and Rampreet Roy

DTP Operator: Shanoj

Computer Technician: Manoj Gole

Administration and Computer Technician: Anant Hadawale

Office Assistants: Rajeshri Surve and Varsha Tambe

Photo Journalist: Ashok Dhamija

Reporters: Chandrashekhar Hendve, Vikram Gaikwad, Umesh Parida, Prakash Koshy and Vijay Bhor

Photographer: Sandesh Renose

Guest Contributors: C K Subramaniam, Lakshman Sundar, Dr. Kanak Tiwari, Hema Lobo, Dilip Sengupta and Nitin Kamat.

Newspaper Distributors: Tempo driver Makrand Bhurke, Sunil Sharma and Mayur Pawar. Also Khan, Karim and Ghulam

Office Boys: Anil Sharma, Radhe, Namdeo Kamble and Nitin

Sweeper: Neeta 

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Toll to be charged on the Eastern Freeway?' that was published in Newsband

Toll to be charged on the Eastern Freeway?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: The proposal to charge a toll on the Eastern Freeway have angered the residents of Navi Mumbai.

The freeway, which opened last month, is proving to be very beneficial to the residents of Navi Mumbai. But the residents of the city strongly feel that the new 14-km stretch should be left free of toll. According to them, it is the duty of the government to look after the maintenance of the road.

These residents already pay surcharge on rail tickets and a toll before entering Mumbai. Now on top of that they are being asked to pay a toll for using Eastern Freeway. This, the residents feel, is absolutely not fair.

If the toll is charged on the freeway, it will discourage the private car owners but will prove beneficial to public transport. Hence those who work for public transport insist that charges be collected for using of freeway since this could help the government to recover Rs 1200 crore spent on the freeway’s construction.

There are some people who argue that when toll is charged on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, why the same rule shouldn’t be applied in the matter of freeway? Hence it is left to be seen as to what decision the government arrives at in the matter of charging toll for Eastern Freeway. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Well done, Japanese!' that was published in Newsband

Well done, Japanese!

In the past, producing fully functional human organs happened only in the realm of science fiction. In the near future the things will change. Some Japanese scientists has come up with a “functional” miniature human liver that produces blood proteins and breaks down drugs when transplanted into a mouse. Thus they gave birth to a rudimentary functional human organ. The same technique can be used to grow other organs like kidneys and pancreas.

The liver exhibits excellent regenerative capacity; it can heal when less than 70 per cent of the organ is damaged. While the liver’s failure due to moderate alcohol consumption can be prevented by providing it sufficient time every year to heal, liver failure due to hepatitis B infection can be easily avoided by getting vaccinated.

This is a path breaking study - more exciting than any science fiction! Great achievement by the Japanese scientists!

Don’t be surprised if in future it will turn into a simple clinical procedure, providing a rescue for many diseases as well as cases like disabilities.

It will help the siblings who are born without some organs and even help to cure the disease caused by consumption of alcohol. Hope that it reaches the clinic stores in less than a decade and help the needy.

The technique is unlikely to produce whole replacement livers, but could be used to grow mini-livers that supplement a failing organ. Such transplants would not even need to be located near the existing liver.

This is indeed a game-changing study because these researchers have taken a giant step by providing proof-of-concept demonstration of a “functional” miniature human liver that produced blood proteins and the drugs broke down when transplanted into a mouse.

The technique is very novel and based on the Nobel winning discovery. What remains to be seen, in the years to come, is how the scientists can improve its efficiency. The government should promote research on this front because this technique of producing functional human organs will go a long way in curbing the "organ black market". 

Sakshi Tanwar excites Dinesh Kamath

Sakshi Tanwar excites Dinesh Kamath

Be it the traditional and dutiful daughter-in-law in Kahani, the spiritual incarnation in Devi, the robust anchor in Crime Patrol, the vicious and scheming Teepri or the very practical yet loving Priya, Sakshi has played each role with elan. She just excites me.

Dinesh Kamath's column 'Information about Careers' (Automobile salesperson) that was published in Newsband

Information about careers

By Dinesh Kamath

Automobile salesperson

Introduction

Automobile salespeople sell new and used cars to individuals (and sometimes to businesses). They work for car dealerships. Some dealerships, usually large ones with several 'outlets', sell new and used cars. Other dealerships may sell only used vehicles. Cars are displayed on forecourts (outside) and in showrooms (inside).

The automobile salesperson is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new and/or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car dealerships or used car dealerships.

Types of salespeople

A salesman negotiates deals with private buyers and corporate buyers. An internet salesman or manager may handle advertising and leads that come through the internet, or distribute leads to floor salesmen. The fleet manager markets to corporate or institutional customers who buy several vehicles at a time at a discounted, set price, and do not deal with the general public. A closer is often a manager who assists in negotiation. The floor manager sits in an office which usually has a sales board listing appointments and recent sales activity by salesman. The salesman brings offers to the manager who can accept or make counter offers. The manager makes decisions as to what final negotiated prices will make business sense under current market conditions. With the advent of the internet and pricing tools like vauto, the car salesman job has changed. Dealers and consumers can find out what any car is selling for with the click of a mouse. This has caused dealers to have to slim down profit margins to lure in internet buyers who are looking for the best deal.

Car negotiation

The price of a car, unlike many retail sales, is often negotiable. New cars will often have a factory window sticker listing equipment and options, and the suggested retail price. With the prevalence of the internet, and third party information sites, the profit of dealers has dropped dramatically since prices are widely advertised and best discounts are given to remain competitive. The salesman is paid a commission, rarely a fixed salary but usually based on a percentage of profit, so a deeply discounted price results in a very low commission for the salesman.

Popular culture

The automobile salesman, particularly the used car salesman, has often been a source of characters, often negative, in movies and television shows and cartoons. History and fairy tales often characterize peddlers (people selling goods) as negative influences, or outsiders out to take advantage of people. In the Muppet Movie, Milton Berle plays Mad Man Mooney.

In Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Leonard Stone plays Mr. Beauregarde, Violet Beauregarde's father.

In Fargo, William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a salesman at an Oldsmobile dealership in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In Used Cars, Kurt Russell plays a slick used car salesman and wannabe politician named Rudy Russo.

In Suckers, a movie humorising automotive dealerships and salesmen is depicted.

In True Lies, Bill Paxton portrays a used car salesman who pretends to be a spy to seduce bored housewives.

In Matilda, Danny DeVito portrays an unscrupulous used car salesman named Harry Wormwood.

In Cadillac Man, Robin Williams portrays a used car salesman.

In Three's Company (TV series), Larry Dallas is a used car salesman.

In EastEnders, Roy and Barry Evans, Kevin and David Wicks, Bradley and Max Branning, Frank Butcher, Darren Miller and Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb, Have all at some stage portrayed car salespeople.

In the Seinfeld episode, "The Dealership," Jerry attempts to buy a new car from David Puddy due to the "insider" deal Jerry would get from being friends with Puddy's girlfriend, Elaine. Puddy and Elaine have a fight at the dealership, leading Puddy to backtrack on his discounts and start charging Jerry for miscellaneous "extras." Jerry, frustrated, tries to reconcile Elaine and Puddy so he can get the insider discount again.