Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ (Half Girlfriend, Hindi Medium, The Sense of an Ending and The Circle) that was published in Newsband

New movies released in Navi Mumbai

Half Girlfriend

Half Girlfriend is an Indian romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name written by Chetan Bhagat. The film is directed by Mohit Suri and features Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles.

This story is a coming-of-age romance between a vernacular Bihari Boy - Madhav Jha, who falls in love with an upper class "Delhi high-society" girl - Riya Somani. On the outside, the two of them have nothing in common, but love blossoms in the most unexpected way when Madhav starts to woo Riya.

Madhav meets a girl named Riya and falls in love. After stuggling to convince her to be his girlfriend, she half-heartedly agrees to be his "Half Girlfriend"

The film has Arjun Kapoor as Madhav Jha, Shraddha Kapoor as Riya Somani, Vikrant Massey as Shailesh, Rhea Chakraborty, Seema Biswas and Felix Shindraj.

The film score is composed by Raju Singh. The songs featured in the film are composed by Mithoon, Tanishk Bagchi, Rishi Rich, Farhan Saeed, Ami Mishra and Rahul Mishra while the lyrics have been written by Manoj Muntashir, Kumaar, Kunaal Vermaa, Arafat Mehmood, Tanishk Bagchi, Laado Suwalka, Anushka Shahaney, R. Rekhi, Veronica Mehta, Yash Anand, Yash Narvekar and Ishita Moitra Udhwani. The film has songs like "Baarish", "Thodi Der", "Tu Hi Hai", "Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahunga", "Pal Bhar (Chaahunga Reprise)", "Lost Without You", "Stay a Little Longer", "Mere Dil Mein", "Half Girlfriend (Love Theme)", "Mere Dil Mein (Dialogue Version)" and "Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahungi".

Hindi Medium

Hindi Medium is an Indian Hindi film, written by Zeenat Lakhani and directed by Saket Chaudhary. The film will have Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in the lead roles.

A couple from Chandni Chowk aspire to give their daughter the best education and thus be a part of and accepted by the elite of Delhi. Raj Batra owns a fashion studio in Old Delhi and proudly calls himself a local tycoon. A typical rags to riches story, he seems comfortable in his own skin. Raj’s wife Meeta (Saba Qamar), who he fondly calls Mithoo, is determined to break into the Delhi ‘gentry’. She thinks moving to south Delhi’s posh Vasant Vihar will give validation to her family’s income and ambition to lead an upper-class life. The Batras want a reputed school for their daughter Priya because they think that will be the final stamp in their upward climb. This is where the fun begins.

The film has Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal, Swati Das, Dishita Sehgal, Delzad Hiwale, Jaspal Sharma, Vijay Kumar Dogra, Devansh Sharma (Special Appearance) and Rohit Tannan.

The music of the film is composed by Sachin–Jigar while lyrics have been penned by Priya Saraiya and Kumaar. Amar Mohile has given the background score. The movie has songs like "Suit Suit", "Hoor", "Oh Ho Ho Ho"  and "Ek Jindari". 

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending is a 2017 British-American drama film directed by Ritesh Batra and written by Nick Payne, based on the novel of the same name by Julian Barnes. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Emily Mortimer and Michelle Dockery.

An elderly divorcee receives a letter that unlocks memories of a relationship he had with an enigmatic woman in the 1960s. Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) leads a reclusive and quiet existence until long buried secrets from his past force him to face the flawed recollections of his younger self, the truth about his first love (Charlotte Rampling) and the devastating consequences of decisions made a lifetime ago.

The film has Jim Broadbent as Anthony 'Tony' Webster, Susie’s father, Billy Howle as Young Tony Webster. Charlotte Rampling as Veronica Ford, Freya Mavor as Young Veronica Ford, Joe Alwyn as Adrian Finn Sr., Andrew Buckley as Adrian Finn Jr., Peter Wright as Colin Simpson, Jack Loxton as Young Colin Simpson, Hilton McRae as Alex Stuart, Timothy Innes as Young Alex Stuart, Harriet Walter as Margaret, Emily Mortimer as Sarah Ford, Veronica's mother, Michelle Dockery as Susie Webster, Tony’s daughter, Matthew Goode as Mr. Joe Hunt, Edward Holcroft as Jack Ford, Veronica’s brother and James Wilby as David Ford, Veronica’s father.

The Circle

The Circle is a 2017 American techno-thriller film directed by James Ponsoldt and written by Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers, based on Eggers' 2013 novel of the same name. The film stars Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Ellar Coltrane, Patton Oswalt, Glenne Headly, and Bill Paxton, in his final film role, following his death in February 2017.

Mae Holland is an ordinary and unaccomplished young woman with an ill father. Through an influential college friend, she gets a customer relations job at powerful internet corporation The Circle, co-founded by Eamon Bailey and Tom Stenton. Mae quickly rises through company's ranks, and is selected for an assignment with the Circle's newest technology which she eagerly takes on. Soon she finds herself in a perilous situation concerning privacy, surveillance, and freedom. Mae comes to learn that her decisions and actions will determine the future of humanity.

The film has Emma Watson as Mae Holland, the newest young member of The Circle, Tom Hanks as Eamon Bailey, the head and co-founder of The Circle, John Boyega as Ty Lafitte/Kalden, a member of The Circle and one of Mae's co-workers, Karen Gillan as Annie Allerton, a member of The Circle and one of Mae's co-workers, Ellar Coltrane as Mercer, Mae's childhood friend, Patton Oswalt as Tom Stenton, a co-founder of The Circle, Bill Paxton as Vinnie Holland, Mae's father, Glenne Headly as Bonnie Holland, Mae's mother, Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Jessica Villalobos, Nate Corddry as Dan, Jimmy Wong as Mitch, Ellen Wong as Renata and Judy Reyes as Congresswoman Santos.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India, US and China' that was published in Newsband

India, US and China

China and India are the world’s fastest-growing major economies, the largest and third-largest by purchasing power. Together they account for one-third of humanity. The two seem destined to compete in the 21st century – even as the United States and India are increasingly partners, if not allies, in shaping a balance of power that tilts in the direction of the democracies rather than being controlled by Beijing.

India fought a war with China in 1962 over their contested border. There is also a growing strategic competition between Washington and Beijing.

In 1998, India tested nuclear weapons, and then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee justified this new posture in secret correspondence to President Bill Clinton as a response to China’s military buildup and Beijing’s arming of India’s enemy Pakistan. In a striking turnaround, Vajpayee called India and the United States “natural allies” with shared interests in managing Chinese power and defeating terrorism. This led to the forging of a U.S.-India strategic partnership in the 2000s centered on military cooperation and acceptance of India’s status as a nuclear-weapons state through U.S. support for normalizing civilian nuclear trade with India in the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is again reaching out to the United States to help balance against China, including by strengthening the Indian armed forces and promoting India’s economic development.

If any country has the prospect of closing the gap with China, it is India and a strong and committed government will be able to pursue this goal.

India’s strategic objective, then, is righting the imbalance of power between it and China, not permanently accommodating itself to overweening Chinese strength.

On the eve of Xi’s arrival, China launched a military skirmish along the two countries’ contested border. Chinese troops were pushing into Indian-claimed territory even as he welcomed Xi with red-carpet treatment. Modi has learnt by experience that China is unlikely to be the kind of partner India could trust. Modi’s May 2015 visit to China focused on closer economic cooperation, but candid disagreements between the two countries on security issues.

In contrast, Modi’s September 2014 Washington summit with President Obama produced an unusually detailed joint declaration that laid out a range of areas in which to deepen cooperation. This included the South China Sea, where they announced a joint interest in freedom of navigation and overflight, and against any use of force to change the status quo. Modi then offered to host Obama for India’s Republic Day parade—a first for a country whose traditional non-alignment led it to welcome leaders from Asia, Russia, and the developing world rather than the West at this annual ceremony.

On January 25th, 2015, Modi met Obama on the Delhi airport tarmac with a bear hug that The New York Times called the signal of a new “Great Game” in Asia—between India and the United States on the one hand and China on the other. Once they got down to business, common anxiety about China, and a common interest in concerting to manage it, drove the conversation between the leaders of the world’s biggest democracies.

When Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India sat down to talk, the first 45 minutes were dominated by just one: China. Mr. Obama and his aides discovered to their surprise that Modi’s assessment of China’s rise and its impact on the greater strategic situation in East Asia was closely aligned with their own. Just as they did, Modi seemed increasingly uneasy about China’s efforts to extend its influence around the region and interested in a united approach to counter them. Given this common concern, Modi and Obama discussed a variety of ways to strengthen defense and security cooperation.

Modi’s embrace of Obama marks the demise of India’s tradition of nonalignment, which may have suited the country when it was weak and poor. Rising and strong, India needs a new foreign policy, which Modi and his advisors appear to understand.

From an American perspective, managing the Asian balance of power becomes much easier to the extent that there is a strong, friendly state of similar weight to China next door, which is why Washington must continue to support the Indian government’s efforts to fuel the kind of sustained economic growth India enjoyed in the 2000s. The United States also has a compelling interest in promoting India as a successful democracy, to demonstrate to other emerging powers that they need not mimic China’s authoritarian development model in order to modernize. A vibrant Indo-American partnership is likely to create a very different strategic future for Asia and the world than the Sino-centric one championed in Beijing but opposed by nearly every other power.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Cyber security is the need of the hour' that was published in Newsband

Cyber security is the need of the hour

Cyber security is the state of being protected against the criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data, or the measures taken to achieve this.

Computer security, also known as cyber security or IT security, is the protection of computer systems from the theft or damage to their hardware, software or information, as well as from disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

Cyber security includes controlling physical access to the hardware, as well as protecting against harm that may come via network access, data and code injection. Also, due to malpractice by operators, whether intentional, accidental, IT security is susceptible to being tricked into deviating from secure procedures through various methods.

The field is of growing importance due to the increasing reliance on computer systems and the Internet in mostly developed (first-world) societies, wireless networks such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and the growth of "smart" devices, including smartphones, televisions and tiny devices as part of the Internet of Things.

Large corporations are common targets. In many cases this is aimed at financial gain through identity theft and involves data breaches such as the loss of millions of clients' credit card details by Home Depot, Staples, and Target Corporation. Medical records have been targeted for use in general identify theft, health insurance fraud, and impersonating patients to obtain prescription drugs for recreational purposes or resale.

Not all attacks are financially motivated however; for example security firm HBGary Federal suffered a serious series of attacks in 2011 from hacktivist group Anonymous in retaliation for the firm's CEO claiming to have infiltrated their group, and Sony Pictures was attacked in 2014 where the motive appears to have been to embarrass with data leaks, and cripple the company by wiping workstations and servers.

Government and military computer systems are commonly attacked by activists and foreign powers. Local and regional government infrastructure such as traffic light controls, police and intelligence agency communications, personnel records, student records, and financial systems are also potential targets as they are now all largely computerized. Passports and government ID cards that control access to facilities which use RFID can be vulnerable to cloning.

As with physical security, the motivations for breaches of computer security vary between attackers. Some are thrill-seekers or vandals, others are activists or criminals looking for financial gain. State-sponsored attackers are now common and well resourced, but started with amateurs.

A standard part of threat modelling for any particular system is to identify what might motivate an attack on that system, and who might be motivated to breach it. The level and detail of precautions will vary depending on the system to be secured. A home personal computer, bank, and classified military network face very different threats, even when the underlying technologies in use are similar.

In computer security a countermeasure is an action, device, procedure, or technique that reduces a threat, a vulnerability, or an attack by eliminating or preventing it, by minimizing the harm it can cause, or by discovering and reporting it so that corrective action can be taken.

Some common countermeasures are listed in the following sections:

A state of computer "security" is the conceptual ideal, attained by the use of the three processes: threat prevention, detection, and response. 

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Navi Mumbai’s Dance Talent attracts famous bollywood dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya' that was published in Newsband

Navi Mumbai’s Dance Talent attracts famous bollywood dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: The event was held at Vashi Cidco Bhavan at Sunday where bollywood’s famous dance Choreographer Ganesh Acharya along with most talented actress Jeevankala, Marathi film Director Milind Kawade & Suhad Wadekar was present for “Naach 2017”. the event was a huge hit.  Over 400 contestants participated in this event, performed different dance styles and showcased their talents. In the presence of ‘India’s got Talent’ winner Manik Paul, Boogie Woogie’s Bittu Singh, Jeet Singh, Saddam Ibbadat Husaine, Laughy Paul, Jagat Rawal, Actor Rushad Rana, Sanjeev Kumar, and others. 

         Choreographer Ganesh Acharya has worked with Ajay Devgan, Govinda, Salman Khan and with almost every other bollywood star. He shared his experience with audience present there. He said “I believe that I’m not a complete dancer, I’m always learning at every stage of my life and I will always be a learner .I’m very much attached to Marathi people as my mother comes from a Marathi family. I’ll be serving this country all my life through my dance.” He also added that children of Navi Mumbai have a lot of talent in them. Some of the most talented kids have also acted in “Singham” movie under the direction of dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya.

‘Naach 2017’ started in full swing in Pune on 2^nd May 2017 and second part of the event was held at Navi Mumbai. The event was organized by Deepak Shetty & Sindhu Nair.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Religion and Science' that was published in Newsband

Religion and Science

‘Religion and Science’ has been a subject of study since a long time. Some characterized the relationship as one of conflict, others describing it as one of harmony, and others proposing little interaction.

Science acknowledges reason, empiricism, and evidence, while religions include revelation, faith and sacredness whilst also acknowledging philosophical and metaphysical explanations with regard to the study of the universe. Both science and religion are complex social and cultural endeavors that vary across cultures and have changed over time.

Hinduism has historically embraced reason and empiricism, holding that science brings legitimate, but incomplete knowledge of the world. Religion and science have been in conflict methodologically, factually and politically throughout history.

The concepts of "science" and "religion" are a recent invention: "religion" emerged in the ancient times. "science" emerged in the 19th century in the midst of attempts to narrowly define those who studied nature. In the ancient and medieval world, the etymological Latin roots of both science (scientia) and religion (religio) were understood as inner qualities of the individual or virtues, never as doctrines, practices, or actual sources of knowledge.

It was in the 19th century that the concept of "science" received its modern shape with new titles emerging such as "biology" and "biologist", "physics" and "physicist" among other technical fields and titles; institutions and communities were founded, and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred. The term scientist was first coined by the naturalist-theologian William Whewell in 1834 and it was applied to those who sought knowledge and understanding of nature. From the ancient world, starting with Aristotle, to the 19th century, the term "natural philosophy" was the common term used to describe the practice of studying nature.

In the 19th century, Max Müller noted that what is called ancient religion today, would have been called "law" in antiquity.

Dinesh Kamath with Powerful Naik Family of Navi Mumbai

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Will Pakistan respect ICJ’s orders?' that was published in Newsband

Will Pakistan respect ICJ’s orders?

Sentenced to death by a military court after what was a summary and arguably bogus trial, Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav is in imminent danger of execution. New Delhi’s position is that Jadhav is innocent and that he was “kidnapped” by Pakistani agents from Iran. India  has moved the International Court of Justice.

However, this is not the first time that India has approached the world court against Pakistan. In 1971, it wanted the ICJ to decide the limited question whether the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation had the jurisdiction to question India’s suspension of overflight rights to Pakistani aircraft. India has every claim to approach the ICJ to protect the life and rights of its nationals. Now Pakistan’s adherence to international law will be under test.

India must save Jadhav at any cost because he is an army man, who crossed the border with the true intension of probing into terrorism instead of espionage.

Bilateral talks will achieve little. India must move every organisation like the ICJ, UN, EU in order to save Jadhav. Pakistan should realise that hanging an Indian soldier does not solve either Kashmir problem or border crisis. Only talks on both sides can help in improving situations. The attempt of avenge may further complicate the problem leading to loss of lives on either side

The Pakistani government states that Jadhav is a serving commander in the Indian Navy who was involved in subversive activities inside Pakistan, and was arrested on 3 March 2016 during a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan. The Indian government recognises Jadhav as a former naval officer, but denies any links with him and maintains he took premature retirement and was possibly abducted from Iran.

 According to reports in the Pakistani media, Jadhav joined the Indian National Defence Academy in 1987 and was commissioned in the engineering branch of the Indian Navy in 1991. After the 2001 attack on the Parliament of India, he started gathering information and intelligence within India. After 14 years of service he allegedly entered into intelligence operations in 2003, and established a small business in Chabahar in Iran. From Chabahar, he made several undetected visits to Pakistan, where his activities were confined to Karachi and Balochistan.

According to the Pakistani government, on 3 March 2016, Jadhav was arrested inside Balochistan in Mashkel near the border region of Chaman, having made illegal entry into Pakistan via Iran. He was arrested during a counterintelligence raid conducted by security forces. Pakistani security forces reported Jadhav as a serving officer in the Indian Navy and asserted that he was commissioned to the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. They believed him to be involved in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi. Jadhav was shifted to Islamabad for interrogation.

India has rejected the video confession. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed that it is a completely doctored video, fake video made by Pakistan. They are just cooking up stories and doctoring videos to defame India, he added.

On 10 April 2017, Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) in Pakistan, following a confession before the magistrate and court. Jadhav's trial lasted three and a half months and the charges he was convicted for included spying for India, waging war against Pakistan, sponsoring terrorism, and destabilising the state.

The International Court of Justice late on 9 May, 2017 ordered a stay on the hanging of Jadhav. The order came a day after India approached the Hague-based ICJ against the death sentence handed down to Jadhav by Pakistan’s field general court martial in April.