Chandigarh, April 15 : It’s neither a remake of the popular “Chak De India” nor does it give any sermons to a women’s hockey team on winning ways. And it is sans Shah Rukh Khan too. But that will not stop the makers of a Punjabi film - “Chak De Phatte” - to work out serious comedy.

Titans of Punjabi comedy - satirist-actor Jaspal Bhatti, Gurpreet Ghuggi and several others - will be part of the new Punjabi movie that is being shot in the state to highlight the greed among Punjabi grooms to get married to non-resident Indian (NRI) girls.

The comedy film is about the foolish actions of a few Punjabi youth who want to get married to a rich Punjabi NRI girl and the failures they encounter in the process.

“It is a film with a deadly cocktail of Punjabi comedy. The film is not moralizing or preaching anything, but is only an honest comedy which aims to have the audiences laughing all the way,” director Sameep Kang said.

Shooting of the film started here Tuesday.

Kuala Lumpur, April 18: A short holiday to Malaysia turned into a nightmare for three Indians who spent 18 days in detention despite having valid travel papers.

They were nabbed for reasons not explained by authorities and on release, found their belongings and money missing.

K. Meenakshi, 52, a farmer, Sheikh Rajendran, 40, a tailor and P. Murugesan, 24, a carpenter, said they had been saving up for a long time to visit Malaysia, a country that they had heard so much about from friends who had visited earlier.

All three were at the Selangor Mansion block of flats in Jalan Masjid India neighbourhood when members of a civil volunteer corps, Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (Rela), conducted a raid March 15.

The Malaysian government formed Rela, which means volunteers of Malaysian people. Its main duty is to check the travel documents and immigration permits of foreigners in Malaysian cities, including tourists, visitors and migrants to reduce the increasing influx of illegal immigrants into Malaysia.

The group’s actions, that have caused harassment to many, have been criticised.

The Malaysian government should immediately take steps to dissolve Rela, “responsible for numerous cases of illegal detentions, unlawful use of force, and extortion”, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in May last year.

“I was sleeping in a room when they came at 1.30 a.m. I had a copy of the passport in my pocket and showed it to them. I kept telling them that the original was inside my bag, which was in the same room. But they did not understand me,” Meenakshi told the New Straits Times.

Sheikh, who was with him in the room, was also arrested.

Murugesan said he had just finished eating and had gone downstairs to throw away the paper used to pack food when a Rela member stopped him.

“I told him my passport was upstairs but he refused to let me get it or come with me to take it. He told me to wait with others and later took us to a camp in a lorry,” said Murugesan.

They spent 18 days in the Semenyih camp, which they described as the worst place that they had ever been.

“The conditions in the camp were bad. The food was terrible and I was so afraid to eat. I spent days not touching the food at all. It was not fit for human consumption,” said Sheikh.

They were “rescued” when a Malaysian businessman, T. Kamalanathan, came to the camp and negotiated for their release.

“I was at my shop when a few Indian nationals approached me and told me to help bring out their friends from the camp,” said Kamalanathan.

He added that the Indian nationals should have been produced in court within 24 hours or even after the 14 days’ remand. He claimed that the immigration officers had also been unhelpful.

“I had about 2,500 renminbi ($1,200 approx.) in the bag. The money and my return flight ticket were missing,” said Meenakshi, adding that the other two also lost their money and belongings.

Sheikh said his friends found his torn passport in a nearby dustbin.

Hyderabad, April 21 : Persons who were selected for the post of constables in the year 1994, are on hunger strike at Indira park here, as they were not given jobs.

D.Venkatesham (R.R Dist), T.Edu Kondalu (Prakasham), B.Rama Krishana (Kadapa), S.K Nabi (Prakasham), Sreenivasulu (Chitoor), Venkata Subbaiah (Kurnool), V.Venkata Ramana (Krishna), are some of the 400 persons who did not get the job of Constable in the Excise Department despite being selected in physical and written examinations in the year 1994. Till now they are waiting for the job letter to come, the anticipation has been nearly 14 years.

Mr. Venkatesham said ” Despite the ruling of Supreme Court and guidelines of Chief Minister Mr. Rajashekar Reddy to the Excise Department on December 12, 2007, we still remain unemployed”.

They are also ready to loose the benefits and salaries of previous years. They point out that there are nearly 10 thousand vacancies in the department presently. Today was the 39th day of their Hunger strike. They hope this plea will reach the Chief Minister, sooner or later.

New Delhi, April 21 : Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta have joined hands with the National Geographic channel to urge people to make earth a cleaner and greener place to live in.

Dedicated to World Earth Day, the channel here Monday launched a special music video titled “Earth - A Song for Life” and messages by actors Shah Rukh, Preity, Kunal Kapoor, Rahul Bose and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal on the Internet.

The lyrics have been penned by Sameer of “Sawaariya” fame, Sandeep Chowta has composed the music and Bangalore-based music band Karma6 has lent its voice for the song that inspires people to care about mother earth.

“The sole intention of the music is to inspire viewers and listeners to realize that even one small step can help save our world,” said Chowta.

Netizens can log on to www.natgeotv.co.in to download the song.

“We are extremely happy that these talented stars have joined us in our endeavour to protect our world,” Nikhil Mirchandani, managing director of National Geographic Channel (South Asia), said in a press statement.

“Music can reach out to people across borders. We were convinced that this would be a unique way to spread the message and inspire the youth to be more environmentally aware .

“The song strikes an emotional chord with the messages, and has an extremely youthful and fresh feel to it. We hope that this anthem will inspire today’s youth to do their bit for a better future,” he maintained.

Shah Rukh in his message said he is optimistic the country’s youth would succeed in making the earth a better place to live in.

“I believe my children will breathe easier. I believe there will be nicer things around them to look at. I believe they will be closer to nature. I’m a non-cynic,” Shah Rukh said.

“I’m a very positive thinker and I believe in the power of the youth, and I believe in the sensitivity of the youth. I think the youth is going to be very sensitive to the changing scenario around the world and they will put their best foot forward and make our earth a cleaner, greener, nicer and a better place to live in,” he added.

The actors said even small initiatives like discontinuing the use of plastic can contribute largely in bringing a change.

“My message to all those people out there for Earth Day would be - please try saving the planet, you don’t have to do a very big thing, all you can do is use as little plastic as you can. So if you don’t want Mumbai to drown in the rain or London to have lots of rain or excessive heat anywhere around the world, save it in your little way by using lesser plastic,” urged Preity.

“If one has to go across to the nearby garden for a walk or a jog, why don’t you walk (instead of using a vehicle). I think these are the really simple common sense ways that are not head-in-the-clouds unrealistic, but definitely feet-on-the-ground realistic,” says Rahul Bose in his message.

Sibal said: “Let us preserve nature and thereby preserve ourselves. We can achieve this goal only if we change - change the way we live, change the way we think, change the way we act.”

Kolkata: AICC General Secretary and a die-hard cricket lover Rahul Gandhi arrived at NSCBI airport here today with sister Priyanka Vadra to watch the much-hyped IPL match at Eden Gardens.

The stadium will charge up this evening as Shah Rukh Khan’s team Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Deccan Chargers of Hyderabad.

Led by V V S Laxman, Deccan Chargers has the presence of players like Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchirst.

Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly’s team will not only be cheered by the Kolkatans but also all supporters of King Khan, who has already carved a niche for himself in the field of managing and owning a cricket team despite several criticisms.

Special: Indian Premier League | Comment: IPL – journey into the unknown

Besides Rahul and Priyanka, film maker Karan Johar and actor Arjun Rampal will also be present to root for the Bollywood Badshah’s team. Meanwhile, besides about 400 policemen in plain clothes and 4,500 in uniform, there will be a three-tier security arrangement at the Eden Gardens, city Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said.

A team of National Security Guards (NSG) has also arrived in the city last night to take charge of security for the Gandhi siblings, he informed.

Chakraborty said three senior police officers would be on duty each in the upper and lower tiers of the stadium, while security personnel in plain clothes would be posted in each stand. ”We are not taking any chance. The spectators would get entry only after policemen allowed them, even though their tickets would be checked with laser guns,” he said.

Today security has become one of the most sought after
concerns for any network administrator. With outbreak of recent
viruses, spams, adwares & spy wares (all types of viruses ) a
network administrator runs helter-kelter all the day to just keep
the system virus free.

But in a typical IT department that is perhaps how a network
administrator justifies his day’s salary.

On the contrary there are very strong and robust operating
systems which hardly gets affected by these viruses.

- UNIX , BSD (Barkley Source Devices) and Linux are
to name a few such operating systems.

The file systems of these OS’s are not like windows. Windows
file systems are FAT16 ,FAT32 or NTFS type. Here one can save a
file anywhere he likes. (Just like saving your file at C:\ or at
C:\xyz\abc or at c:\windows\Documents\) but in Unix , BSD or in
Linux an user can save his / her file only in /home/user-home/
directory only. This gives a very robust kind of data directory
structure and immunity to virus attack.

In ext2 or ext3 file structure (Linux file system) the ‘file
permission’ adds up to this immunity. In linux / Unix everything is
considered to be a file . It can be your pen drive ,it can be your
TV tuner card or a webcam or a simple presentation. Unless one
has the right kind of permission one cannot read , write or edit a
file or device.

Unix / Linux are born with network whereas the
windows are born first and networked later. On a networked
environment it is natural for Unix / or Linux to work relentlessly
without any virus attack than that of a windows kind of PC.

It has been seen that on a dual boot computer (Both windows
and linux installed) the windows is affected by many viruses
whereas when it is booted on Linux it works just fine.

The ext2 / ext3 file system can mount a FAT16 / FAT32 or NTFS on
same computer whereas the vice versa is not possible. Such is
the power of Linux.

The outlook or the outlook express is a potential plague house of
viruses. Whereas in linux the evolution email system works with
no threats at all. In case your office uses lotus domino email
system you can use thunderbird email sysetm which works just
like domino. Setting up of thunderbird email is also very easy.

Nonetheless it is identical to outlook. The windows viruses just
can do nothing to it. You open it , double click it and it just stays
there and does nothing . The reason being the virus which is
mostly a FAT16,FAT32 or an NTFS file is trying to work on an ext2
/ ext3 system which does not understand it’s commands.

The strongest aversion for not using Linux is it’s uncommonness.
But those days are past now. Now-a-days a Linux desktop is as
easy and as powerful (if not more) as an windows desktop.

The latest openoffice 2.1 (A SUN’s product now) can ‘open’ files
as well as ’save as’ in not less than 200 types of formats (this
includes DOC,XLS,PPT also ). The openoffice can straight away
edit / save a file in PDF Format !!!

For those who love to work on MS ACCESS would love to work
straight away on MySQL through OpenOffice. MySQL is at least
100 times more powerful than MSACCESS yet MySQL is free.

In a typical Government environment what one does on a
Desktop PC can merrily do on a Linux Desktop. The latest
Mandriva or the SUSE linux are very very colorful and far more
easy to install. Just brake the initial inertia of Windows and install
it on your Desktop or Laptop. You will feel the power of Nirvana
from windows slavery.

The linux servers are very robust , takes less memory hog
besides being highly scalable. Majority of servers on internet
runs on Linux (Viz google , rediff ,kerala govt,CG govt, Goa govt,
IIT Mumbai)
Therefore It is high time now to start harnessing the power of
Linux. Both server and desktop models are available for free in
any Linux distribution CD. Installation is also hassle free and
clean. And once installed it is only joy and joy. Nightmare of
viruses will halt on the login prompt. Believe me satisfaction is
guaranteed.

India the home of tradition has now named as a developing country. New innovations
are implemented in various fields. Medical advancement in India has developed so
vast that attracts even the abroad patients for health in India. Cancer surgery in
India has got the name of best performance and India so called a right destination
for cancer surgery.
Cancer is one of the life threatening diseases that kill the person livingly.
Cancer is the uncontrollable growth of the abnormal cells in the body. The study
of cancer is called Oncology derived from the Greek word called study of mass or
tumor. Cancer is a preventable and curable disease if detected earlier. Patients
are screened and educated to identify the signs of cancer.

Incidence of Cancer:
Cancer is the second leading cause of death. In India cancer incidence is less
than in western countries due to the immigration of population to the rural
cities, changing lifestyles and increase life expectancies. In India oral and
esophageal cancers have high incidence rates than other cancers because Indians
have the habit of chewing tobacco and eating spicy food. There is a significant
variation with age, sex and geography in the incidence of the various types. Risk
factors of cancer are also associated with social and economic status. In
addition, patients in the lower social classes have consistently poorer survival
rates than those in the higher social classes.

Causes of Cancer:
The mutation of the cell in the DNA expose to the carcinogenic agents results in
the failure of the normal cell division, growth, proliferation and cell death. The
progression of the tumor from mild to severe abnormality with invasion of
neighboring tissues called metastases, which results in cancer.

Cancer otherwise called as tumor or neoplasm or carcinoma.

Cancer could be a benign or malignant.

A benign tumor is a silent tumor though it abnormally grows but is not a life
threatening.

A Malignant tumor is what we call as cancer where there is an uncontrolled growth
of the cells and affects almost the nearer tissue of the body. This compresses the
nerve even could damage the nerve, the invasiveness of the surrounding tissues, ad
metastasis. It spreads through the lymphatic system or blood to other tissues and
organs. As per the areas affected called as organ cancer.

Signs and symptoms of cancer:
Symptoms varies according to the area affected, the common symptoms are
Unbearable Pain caused by tissue and nerve damage.
Fever, malaise, Delayed wound healing, due to the alteration of the immune system.
Palpable mass could appears in the subcutaneous areas like breast, salivary gland,
lymph nodes, etc
Loss of appetite, and weight
Fatigue
Night sweats
Change in the bowel habits
Hormonal changes
The symptoms also varies depends on the area such as
 

Breast cancer: painful palpable mass in the breast, asymmetrical appearance of the breast
 

Lung cancer: uncontrollable cough, hemoptysis (blood in the sputum), chest pain,
and reduced chest circumference
 

Liver cancer: vomiting even intake of water, yellow coloration of the eyes, nails
and extremities, recurrence of jaundice, indigestion problems
 

Brain Cancer: severe head ache, recurrent fainting, convulsions, vision lost and
the symptoms vary as per the lobe of the brain affected
 

Prostrate cancer: frequent and painful urination, blood in the semen and urine,
painful ejaculation, stiff thigh and lower back
 

Screening tests:
Screening of normal people is done to detect the cancer earlier and to reduce the
mortality rate. Some of the screening tests done to detect cancer are as follows:
X-ray
MRI Scan
PET Scan
Biopsy of the cancerous cell e.g.: bone marrow biopsy, Liver biopsy
Mammography
CT Scan
Endoscopies of the esophagus/ stomach/ rectal
Faecal Examination
Serum prostrate antigen in case of prostrate cancer
Complete blood biochemistry tests
Hormonal tests

Management of cancer:
The first step is the proper diagnosis of cancer for early detection, cure and
improvement of quality of life. . Suspicion of cancer can be achieved by clinical
assessment of the signs of cancer then leads to further tests.
 

Treatment of Cancer:
Cancer may treated by
1. Surgery – removal of the mass
2. Radiation therapy- The X-rays are passed through the skin to the involved
area to erode the tumor
3. Hormonal therapy – By reducing the circulation of the stimulating hormone in
the body may reduce the proliferation of the tissues
4. Immunological therapy – stimulus to the immune system of the body to alter
the natural history of the malignancy.
5. Chemotherapy – New Drugs are being researched for treating cancer.
In India the development of the cancer treatment in India led to higher survival
rate and improve quality of life. Cancer Surgery in India considered being the
primary treatment of Cancer, the latest technology brought miracles to many
patients’ life. Costs for Cancer surgery in India are affordable and also offering
free treatment to poor people in cancer institutes. India is one of the best
centers for the rehabilitation of cancer. In India there are about 15 research
centers doing research on cancer in order to eradicate cancer from the root
itself. Cancer institutes in India invite patients from various part of the
country to provide them best treatment.

Bush’s Resume
TRUE, LOYAL, LOCK-STEP SUPPORTERS OF THE FOLLOWING UNPRINCIPLED SUPER-STUPID DIM
WIT (AKA congressional Republicans):

RESUMÉ
George W. Bush
The White House, USA
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
· COLLEGE: I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a
cheerleader.
MILITARY:
· I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug
test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National
Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.
CRIMINAL HISTORY
· I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence
of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver’s license suspended for
30 days. My Texas driving record has been “lost” and is not available.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
· I ran for US Congress – and lost.
· I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an
oil company, but couldn’t find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly
after I sold all my stock.
· I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land
using tax payer money.
· With the help of my father and our right-wing friends in the oil industry
(including Enron’s CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR:
· I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas
the most polluted state in the Union.
· During my tenure as Governor, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-
ridden city in America.
· I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in
borrowed money.
· During my tenure as governor, more executions were performed than for any
governor in American history.
· With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father’s
appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing the popular
vote by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
· I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion
dollars per week.
· I spent the US surplus and effectively bankrupted the US Treasury. I shattered
the record for the largest annual deficit in US history.
· I set an economic record for the most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month
period.
· I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the US stock
market.
· I am the first President in US history to enter office with a criminal record.
· I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in anyone-year period.
· After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security
failure in US history.
· I am supporting development of a nuclear “Tactical Bunker Buster,” a WMD (Weapon
of Mass Destruction).
· In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq,
and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
· I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a US President.
· In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that
trend continues every month.
· I presided over the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
· I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in US
history.
· I set the record for least number of press conferences of any President since
the advent of television.
· I presided over the biggest energy crisis in US history and refused to intervene
when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.
· I presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history.
· I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty
benefits for active duty troops and their families — in wartime.
· I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously
protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protest
against any person in the history of mankind.
· I’ve broken more international treaties than any President in US history.
· I’m proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration
in US history. My “poorest millionaire,” Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker
named after her.

· I am the first President in US history to order an unprovoked, preemptive attack
and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of
the United Nations, the majority of US citizens, and the world community.
· I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the
history of the United States government.
· I am the first President in US history to have the United Nations remove the US
from the Human Rights Commission.
· I withdrew the US from the World Court of Law.
· I refused to allow inspector’s access to US “prisoners of war” detainees and
thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
· I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors
(during the 2002 US election).
· I am the all-time US and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate
campaign donations.
· My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, is Kenneth
Lay, who presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in US history. My
political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my
success with the US Supreme Court decision during my election. I have protected my
friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time
and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent
investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
· I garnered the most sympathy for the US after the World Trade Center attacks and
less than a year later made the US the most hated country in the world, the
largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
· I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view
my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
· I changed the US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government
contracts.
· I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden and Saddam
Hussein to justice.
RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
· All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father’s library,
sealed and unavailable for public view.
· All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt
companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
· All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-president, attended
regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public
review.
 

Gentlemen:

Given your recent reading of the college application essay and your ties to that other (lesser) institution in Cambridge, I thought you might enjoy this.

Yours sincerely,
Stan McGee.

MIT certainly has a reputation to be proud of, but its admissions department went a little over-board, I think. The first letter is an honest-to-goodness mailing from MIT, the second is one prospective student’s reply:

Mr. John T. Mongan
123 Main Street
Smalltown, California 94123-4567

Dear John:

You’ve got the grades. You’ve certainly got the PSAT scores. And now you’ve got a letter from MIT. Maybe you’re surprised. Most students would be.

But you’re not most students. And that’s exactly why I urge you to consider carefully one of the most selective universities in America.

The level of potential reflected in your performance is a powerful indicator that you might well be an excellent candidate for MIT. It certainly got my attention!

Engineering’s not for you? No problem. It may surprise you to learn we offer more than 40 major fields of study, from architecture to brain and cognitive sciences, from economics (perhaps the best program in the country) to writing.

What? Of course, you don’t want to be bored. Who does? Life here *is* tough *and* demanding, but it’s also *fun*. MIT students are imaginative and creative - inside and outside the classroom.

You’re interested in athletics? Great! MIT has more varsity teams - 39 - than almost any other university, and a tremendous intramural program so everybody can participate.

You think we’re too expensive? Don’t be too sure. We’ve got surprises for you there, too.

Why not send the enclosed Information Request to find out more about this unique institution? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,

Michael C. Benhke
Director of Admissions

P.S. If you’d like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, “Insight,” just check the appropriate box on the form.

May 5, 1994

Michael C. Behnke
MIT Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions, Room 3-108
Cambridge MA 02139-4307

Dear Michael:

You’ve got the reputation. You’ve certainly got the pomposity. And now you’ve got a letter from John Mongan. Maybe you’re surprised. Most universities would be.

But you’re not most universities. And that’s exactly why I urge you to carefully consider one of the most selective students in America, so selective that he will choose only *one* of the thousands of accredited universities in the country.

The level of pomposity and lack of tact reflected in your letter is a powerful indicator that your august institution might well be a possibility for John Mongan’s future education. It certainly got my attention!

Don’t want Bio-Chem students? No problem. It may surprise you to learn that my interests cover over 400 fields of study, from semantics to limnology, from object-oriented programming (perhaps one of the youngest professionals in the country) to classical piano.

What? Of course you don’t want egotistical jerks. Who does? I *am* self-indulgent *and* over confident, but I’m also amusing. John Mongan is funny and amusing - whether you’re laughing with him or at him.

You’re interested in athletes? Great! John Mongan has played more sports - 47 - than almost any other student, including oddball favorites such as Orienteering.

You think I can pay for your school? Don’t be too sure. I’ve got surprises for you there, too.

Why not send a guaranteed admission and full scholarship to increase your chance of being selected by John Mongan? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,
John Mongan

P.S. If you’d like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled brochure, “John Mongan: What a Guy!” just ask.

Pakistan lifted the ban on exhibition of Indian movies

early this month and Firoz Nadiadwala’s “Welcome” was the first

Bollywood movie to be “officially” released in Pakistan. And now

“Khuda Ke Liye,” in which actor Naseeruddin Shah plays a major role,

is also going to be “officially” released in India March 28 for the first

time

Bollywood movies may have been released in cinemas in Pakistan on

and off, but the government of Pakistan officially lifted the ban on

exhibition of Indian movies early this month.

Firoz Nadiadwala’s “Welcome” was the first Bollywood movie to be

“officially” released in Pakistan Feb 8 after “the Senate standing

committee on culture recommended to the government to allow

exhibition of Indian movies under a proper censorship policy”.

The movie is currently running to packed houses in Lahore, Karachi,

Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Multan. It is reported to have

netted more than Rs.70 million from the local box-office.

Another good news is a Pakistani movie, “Khuda Ke Liye,” in which

Naseeruddin Shah plays a major role, is also going to be “officially”

released in India March 28 for the first time.

The movie, directed by Shoaib Mansoor, has been brought to India by

Percept Picture Company, which will release it in the country with 150

prints initially.

“The film was a big hit in Pakistan when it was released there in July

last year. Everybody who saw it when it was screened at the

International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa this year appreciated

it. So, we thought of bringing it to India through legitimate channels,”

Ashok Ahuja, director, acquisition and distribution, Percept Picture

Company, told IANS.

The company is hopeful that the movie will get a good response from

the Indian audience, not only because it is well made but also because

the theme on which it is based is relevant to contemporary society.

The movie, a Geo Films presentation (the film division of

Karachi-based Geo TV network), is about the ideological clash

between liberal Muslims and fundamentalists.

The language of the movie is Urdu.; It stars Shaan, Fawad Afzal Khan,

Imran Ali, Hameed Shaikh and Austin Marie Sayre, besides

Naseeruddin Shah.

Though the film industry in Pakistan is in a shambles due to various

reasons, the box-office success of “Khuda Ke Liye” gave it a new lease

of life.

But the problem the industry is facing at present is lack of exhibition

outlets as many of the cinemas have closed down because of poor

patronage.

It is with a view to giving the industry a shot in the arm that exhibitors

and distributors in Pakistan have been urging the government to lift the

ban on Indian films.

Bollywood movies, in particular, have many takers in Pakistan. Earlier,

they could satisfy their insatiable passion for Hindi movies,

blockbusters and the rest, either by buying pirated CDs and VCDs or

watching them when they were aired on various satellite television

channels.

The last Bollywood movie to be released in Pakistan was Mukesh

Bhatt’s recent offering “Awaarapan.” It grossed nearly Rs.80 million,

the highest for a Bollywood movie so far.

“Welcome” is also expected to net an equal amount from the Pakistani

market.

“Now that the ban on Indian films has gone, a Bollywood movie can

earn Rs.10-12 million in an average from the Pakistani market,

provided it clicks at the box-office,” said Asish Wagh, spokesman of

Studio 18, which has distributed “Welcome”.

Bollywood’s casting pundits are busy speculating

about Mani Ratnam’s second hero for his new movie starring Abhishek

Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. It is an intense love story.

The rumour that actor Ranbir Kapoor will be a part of the cast has

triggered the guessing game. “We’ve no idea where all the speculation

started, or what it means. Ranbir doesn’t feature in the cast of Mani’s

film at all,” said a source close to the project.

The source added: “There is another male lead required in this

Abhishek-Ash love story. But it must be someone older than Abhishek.

So, it cannot be Ranbir.”

Could it be Madhavan, who has done five films with the Tamil

filmmaker?

Madhavan denies the rumour. “No. I’m certainly not a part of Mani sir’s

new film. He hasn’t asked me and I wouldn’t be able to do it even if he

does because I’ve no dates from September when he shoots his Hindi

film.”

Is Madhavan disappointed that Mani Ratnam has switched favourites?

“Not at all!” Madhavan laughs. “Mani and I have done five films

together. He needs to work with other actors. And I need to look at

other directors.”