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Super star Rajinikanth cited health reasons and backed out of politics. But stories and innuendos are still doing the rounds. What happened after he went to Hyderabad for that shooting schedule of yet to be released Annaatthe? Just to jog memories, this mega budget movie is a SUN Network production, and it is vital that Maran brothers get the DMK elected — several legal issues are riding on a DMK win for the brothers and the cousins. According to the tongue-in-cheek waggers, if Annaatthe had a Pongal release as originally planned, it would have given huge heft and traction to Rajini’s political entry and indirectly hit the DMK. So why not delay? And what better reason than Covid on the sets. Many think the penny dropped, a bit late for the star. Things were not going to be that simple, that you get a crazy fan following translate into votes, and snowball it into an AIADMK victory with its alliances. What MGR, M Karunanidhi, and J Jayalalithaa had wrought, endured and survived cannot be replicated. These were very special talents, colossuses who could overcome the toughest challenges. Rajini realised that his health issues could not take on the scorching heat and vitriol of election politics. Better to accept the fan frenzy, sustain your superstardom. Politics is a marathon only a few can run.
Cycling his way from Chennai to Mamallapuram in a red and black tracksuit, sporting his party colours, MK Stalin is sending a message of dynamism to the public of Tamil Nadu. Private exit polls run by elements close to political parties seem to suggest he should get ready for his coronation. Even before he hit the campaign trail, Stalin had presented himself to the voting public as a younger man with a complete makeover — hair transplant, dentistry and Botox — to give him greater confidence in front of the camera. He is the quintessential political leader now all geared to take his father’s seat in Fort St George as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His DMK party’s booth level workers have also injected plenty of confidence in him with confidential reports of how the party may sweep the polls. Looks like the 68-year old Stalin who has been waiting in the wings for a long time will finally find the well-deserved place under the sun.
South’s diva, Nayanthara, the acknowledged female super star is worth all that big moolah paid to her. She has acted in over 75 films –in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam – and is the only south Indian female actor to have made it to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 2018 list. She is quite professional. She has not allowed her stormy love life to come in the way of hits like Naanum Rowdy Thaan, Aram, Ram Rajyam and Darbar. She has been in and out of love several times. Simbu and Prabhu Deva have gone through those revolving doors. Nayan turned wary and watchful after these breakups even as she held on to that top slot. And then came Director Vignesh Shivan. They have been in a relationship ever since they worked together in Naanum Rowdy Thaan. Nayan, it seems, is smitten by him. But the couple have still not announced wedding plans. Recently she was offered a whopping Rs 10 crore for an OTT movie. But when she heard the script and some over-the-top scenes in the movie, she coolly turned down the drool worthy offer. Has she finally found her anchor in Vignesh Shivan?
The former Indian skipper Mahendra ‘Mahi’ Singh Dhoni has been the most successful brand in the Indian market. And, he has been handled and managed quite well by none other than his childhood friend and former cricketer Arun Pandey. Pandey, who used to chuck ball at the nets to Mahi, runs a brand management firm, Rhiti Group. He was the go-to man, if anybody wanted to sign up Mahi for ads or events. He was also the producer of the biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Now, it is learnt that Pandey won’t be managing brand Dhoni anymore. Dhoni’s wife Sakshi has stepped into his shoes. As far as Sakshi’s credentials are concerned, she is the managing director of the Mumbai-based production house, Dhoni Entertainment, that’s into producing films and web series. The documentary web series, titled Roar of The Lion essaying the comeback of the Chennai Super Kings to lift the 2018 Indian Premier League starring MS Dhoni in the lead role was well received. It has entered into a JV with Black White Orange Brands to create Captain 7 an animated fiction show based on Dhoni in a never-seen-before avatar. Close observers feel that the husband-wife team can work wonders for the business as she is extremely confident while Mahi is cool as cucumber. Good luck to Mahi and company!
Business legend Dhirubhai Ambani would have been crying the blues had he been alive today. His alma mater in Gujarat’s Junagadh city is in shambles. The science stream of the government-run Swami Vivekananda Vinay Mandir, where not only the invincible Reliance Industries founder, son of a school teacher, but several state biggies once studied, has had to be closed down due to lack of enough students. In its halcyon days, the science stream, which was started in 1976 in the historical school (formerly Bahadur Khanji School in British India), had as many as six classes each for Class XI and Class XII. With each class comprising about a hundred students, thousands have passed out of the school with a scientific temper. But, according to Principal Pratibha Nagrecha, with the mushrooming of self-financed schools and private tuition classes, the number of students at the school started falling over the past four years with the result that the science stream had just 14 students in the latest academic term as a result of which it had to be shut down. Mayor Dhirubhai Gohil, an alumnus says that teachers of this sarkari school were so dedicated that they often even paid the fees of poor students from their pocket but insisted on a 100% attendance that perhaps did not go well with the students, he feels.
Three-time Olympian (Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988), India captain and the gold medal winner at Moscow, MM Somaya is pleased as punch at the Indian team’s back-to-back wins against Rio Olympic gold medal winner, Argentina, in the FIH ProLeague in Buenos Aires. Somaya, who can articulate on hockey, retired as an Executive Director with oil major BPCL in 2017 after a 30-year service. He resides at Sportsfield, Worli in Mumbai and has spent the last year travelling to Coorg, Goa, Lucknow and Bhubaneswar to present the Sportstar Aces Award to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “India is certainly a medal prospect at the Tokyo Olympics in July–August. I saw both matches against Argentina. India played an all-round game. Earlier, one or two players would carry the burden or would be in focus. But this is a team wherein all 18 are good. There is strength across the field which the opposition finds difficult to contain. The team’s fitness levels are very high. And they are playing professional and correct hockey. Goalkeeping is critical in hockey and PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak are giving us the confidence,” says Somaya who keeps himself fit by walking 6 km a day.
The short answer is: they were over confident that they would be able to manage the environment (read politicians, police). That in essence is the story of all the three law breakers — Big Bull Harshad Mehta, INX Media promoter Indrani Mukherjea and rogue cop Sachin Vaze. Indrani Mukerjea, the main accused in the alleged murder of her daughter Sheena Bora made the cardinal mistake of coming back from London. She was perhaps cocky that no harm would come to her as she had friends in high places. Remember music composer duo Nadeem-Shravan? Well, Nadeem Akhtar Saifi fled the country in 1997 when his name was linked to the murder of T Series founder Gulshan Kumar. He continues to stay in London. Similarly, encounter specialist Vaze seems to have blessings at all the levels. For somebody who was seven notches below, in terms of ranking, he could walk in and out of the Police Commissioner’s Office at will. No questions asked! When BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was seeking a probe into La Affaire Vaze, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray defended him on the floor of the House saying Vaze was No Osama Bin Laden. It is this kind of support that saw Vaze cooking up charges and exploiting people in Mumbai. Republic TV, hounded by Vaze at the behest of his political masters, is bringing to light the nexus between politicians-police that would put any thriller in the shade. In the case of Big Bull, he was a publicity hound and did not lose any opportunity to flaunt his wealth. He came under everybody’s radar for not only his crazy valuations of scrips like ACC, Karnataka Ball Bearing but also driving around in a Lexus. The entire staff of the State Bank of India at Nariman Point came down to see his car when Mehta, at the height of the scam, went to meet the chairman. Finally, he was caught and died in a jail.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.