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The world’s oldest public transport service provider, Mumbai’s BEST undertaking’s plan to ramp up its comfortable air- conditioned travel option for last denominator citizens has ended in abject failure. The target 10,000 zero pollution EV buses by 2024 for Mumbai city, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to transform into the international Fin-tech capital has not materialized. BJP’s Maharashtra executive committee member Mahendra Jain has written to the PMO and Maha CMO seeking a high-level enquiry into reasons for the failure seeking full accountability over holding Mumbai city’s progress to ransom. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis shunted out BEST GM Anil Diggikar in December 2024 itself, appointed Harshvardhan Kamble as the next IAS incumbent. Kamble was shunted out too and the BEST is headless. PM Modi provided Rs 450 crore, lying unutilized in BEST’s bank account, under the National Clean Air Programme. BEST admits to having only 3100 EV buses as of January 2025, devastating the PM’s dream. Global tenders floated by BEST in 2021 and Olectra group, a part of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) quoted the lowest L1 value @ 49 per km for supplying 2100 EV buses within a maximum of 18 months-time while Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility quoted the L1 value for supplying 200 double decker EV buses. After tenders were opened, litigation held up the process till November 2022, finally settled by Bombay High Court. But what happened thereafter? Till January 2025 MEIL only provided wet lease services of 275 single decker buses out of 2100 promised while Swift Mobility provided less than 60 of 200 double decker EVs till date.
The BCCI’s selection committee has played it safe was the wisecrack after India’s men in blue team was picked for the 3-match ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. The two biggest failures against Australia — skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — made it to the squad with Sharma as captain. Both have quit the Twenty20 format, but have been highly successful in the limited overs game and the committee with Ajit Agarkar in chair did not want to take the radical step of punishing them for not scoring runs against Australia. With both Sharma and Kohli in the selectors in no way could have acted upon Shubman Gill who gifted his wicket to Australia in both innings of the final Test in Sydney. In fact, he has been named the vice-captain. The outcome of the ODI series against England at home and the Champions Trophy and their individual form with the bat may probably direct a specific course of action on a few old hands from the selection committee which can be said was very conservative in picking the squad for the two campaigns in India and in Dubai. Agarkar went to the extent of saying that the immediate focus is on the Champions Trophy and not about the future of Sharma — who took a swipe at the media during the Sydney Test — and Kohli. Indian cricket is yet to see something big and bold as the change of captaincy – from Tiger Pataudi to Ajit Wadekar — affected in 1971 by the then Chairman of the selection committee Vijay Merchant whose decisions took Indian cricket forward. When will a Merchant happen again for Indian cricket?
Delhi has BJP worried over outcomes considering 12 of 70 MLA constituencies are dominated by the minority community enjoying majority vote count. Rahul Gandhi, keen on BJP losing even at own party’s cost, predictably commenced campaigning from Muslim dominated Seelampur assembly constituency that counts over 50% voters from the minority community. Gandhi targeted PM Modi as usual, consciously launched broadside against Arvind Kejriwal under pressure from Congress local leaders Ajay Maken, former Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep. For once Congress high command heeded local leaders’ advice to fight alone rather than according AAP walkover on pain of losing out erstwhile political bastion, even suffer further in Punjab like it did for general elections and was trounced. In Delhi 3:4 ratio of coalition drew a blank with BJP clinching all seven Lok Sabha victories. Gandhi’s sudden detour to meet RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar Saturday surprised some but was to smoothen political relationship for next-up, Bihar state assemblies at instance of Sonia Gandhi notwithstanding Tejashwi’s hard stance against Congress. Delhi Lieutenant Governor granted prosecution permission against AAP leaders putting Kejriwal in a bind even as conditional bail pre-empts his CM post assumption if AAP wins. NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar preferred fielding 30 candidates for Delhi polls, including 13 Muslim aspirants, than settling within NDA coalition that accorded solitary seats to Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan. Pawar’s gambit is similar to 30 assembly candidates he fielded in J&K, 24 in Jharkhand although the impact of his national foray is yet to register a winning mark.
1st May 2025 is the release date of Kartik Subburaj’s Stone Bench Productions and Suriya’s 2 D Studios of their movie Retro. After the disaster of Kanguva, it’s widely talked about that Suriya must recover the lost ground via this new release directed by Subburaj himself. Suriya, it is learnt, was not keen to take any chance experimenting with new themes and avant garde story lines. Is that why they have hit upon the title Retro? The movie title is a bit mystifying and quaint for a romantic and action-filled movie whose teaser has set Suriya’s fans gushing over his talent for romance and action, a throwback to his highly acclaimed Kaakha Kaakha, Singam sequels, Pitamagan and Soorarai Pottru. Obviously, the team is not taking any chances. Suriya’s eager fans are rooting for a hit. Retro has to shine, shake and sell in the time frame when Ajith’s Good Bad Ugly and Dhanush’s much touted Idly Kadai will also draw eager fans to cinemas. Whatever the commercial and critical outcome, Suriya, Dhanush, Sivakarthikeyan are targeting that space left vacant by Vijay and Ajith. Vijay has launched his own political party. Ajith is getting more involved in racing events as he has launched his own team. He recently won third place at the popular 24H Dubai 2025 race and caused a flutter when his car did a top spin after hitting a barricade. Seasoned actor that he is, Suriya knows the intricacies of unravelling a story and living his role as the mainstay. Who can predict…Retro might bring back the 90s and millennial styles.
The BJP was in a dilemma regarding the Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu for a seat that became vacant with the death of Congress leader EVKS Elangovan. Having promised a seat to GK Vasan’s TMC, the party did not wish to go back on its word and take over the seat. At the same time, it was fearful of Vasan’s party being wiped out in the poll and finishing far behind Seeman’s NTK. A very poor performance by an ally would not have suited the national party either, which is why it decided not to contest and announcing it was following the AIADMK in boycotting the poll because the election would be fixed by the ruling DMK in bringing hordes of voters into nearby meeting places and then transporting them to the booths. AIADMK had decided to withdraw from the poll to give BJP the chance of putting up what could be a common candidate representing the opposition to the DMK in the state. The BJP boycott means the contest would be a walkover for the DMK that will face the only recognised party in the LTTE leader Prabhakaran-loving Tamil nationalist party NTK that has not won a single election so far. In any case, the seat will only be for a little more than a year as the Assembly elections to all 234 seats are to be held in the summer of 2026.
The suicide of Chandramouli Biswas, former bassist of the renowned Bengali band “Fossils”, has not only left Bengal’s music fraternity in shock but also opened a Pandora’s box about the challenges faced by Bengali musicians. Biswas was found hanging in his Kolkata residence and suicide note suggest the artist was battling depression. Sidhu, a member of the iconic band “Cactus,” lamented the lack of infrastructure in Bengal’s independent music scene. He noted that while the film industry has producers and structured promotion systems, independent musicians struggle to gain visibility. According to him, radio stations no longer play Bengali songs, and decisions about playlists are made by offices in Mumbai, sidelining local artists. Eminent singer Raghav Chattopadhyay added that the supply of music far exceeds the demand where gaining recognition in the music industry has become unpredictable, with some talented musicians struggling for opportunities while others achieve overnight fame without formal training. Another concern highlighted by contemporary musician Debdeep Mukhopadhyay is the lack of respect for instrumentalists. Chandramouli, according to his bandmate Mahul Chakraborty, was working on a new project, “Golok,” with plans to release an album before focusing on live performances. However, the lack of a producer and promotional support made the journey challenging. The lack of sustainable opportunities and acknowledgment for musicians has raised broader questions about the state of Bengal’s music industry. While legendary bands like “Fossils,” “Cactus,” and “Chandrabindu” paved the way, newer bands struggled to gain traction. The disparity between the thriving demand for international performances in Kolkata and the stagnation of local talent underscores the industry’s challenges.
A crucial meeting between RSS functionaries and BJP members of the Maharashtra cabinet in Mumbai will go a long way in charting the future path to be adopted by the state government led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two-day conference was attended by Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who is also the revenue minister. The ministers were told in no uncertain terms that their priority will be to serve the public and to maintain a clean image. Moreover, special arrangements should be in place to cater to the work connected with various individuals and organizations under the Sangh Parivar umbrella. The NDA’s unprecedented success in the state assembly election held recently is mainly attributed to the ground work done by RSS activists all over Maharashtra, especially to mobilise pro-Hindutva vote. Although the RSS has not taken any credit for this spectacular feat publicly, those working for the BJP candidly acknowledge the saffron organisation’s debt. A tentative agenda for the way ahead has been prepared for the ministers and discussed with them by top RSS representatives. Subsequently, it will be finalized as its importance will impact the local body elections, likely to be held in the near future. Like the assembly election, the BJP will dominate the candidate lists for the local bodies, too, it is expected. Accordingly, the two partners, the Shiv Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde and the NCP under deputy Ajit Pawar, will have to be accommodated in the Mahayuti formula for the ensuring electoral bout, it is suggested.
In the absence of a leader of opposition in Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti’s dominant party, the BJP seems to have taken up the mantle of the Opposition’s role upon itself. Leading the attack against the lawlessness in Beed and raking up issues of corruption and extortion is none other than BJP’s own legislator, Suresh Dhas. Beed has been on the boil for weeks after a campaign against Dhananjay Munde and his aide Walmik Karad met up with large-scale violent reaction. Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Sena) has alluded that the entire Beed saga is a Fadnavis operation to cleanse the local political scene there. Local police officers have been transferred, gun licenses cancelled, corruption cases dug out as part of this operation. However, the central party leadership of the BJP particularly Amit Shah continues to be in the loop and maintains a hawk’s eye about the ongoing situation in the state. That the entire political situation playing out in Beed also has the Centre’s blessing is evident from the fact that leaders like Pankaja Munde and even Ajit Pawar, who have strong stakes in the local politics of Beed, have met and discussed the situation directly with Shah himself. The main accused Walmik Karad was slapped with the strong MCOCA Act, a day before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mumbai and briefed the state’s legislators. The man at the centre of the current political storm, NCP’s Dhananjay Munde was kept out of this crucial meeting with the PM. Though Munde has managed to retain his ministerial berth without resigning despite the controversy, he has been considerably weakened politically with his own leader Ajit Pawar disbanding his party’s entire team of office-bearers in Beed.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar has come under fire from firebrand leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has lashed at the party’s ‘monopolistic’ style of functioning. Bhujbal’s outburst at the NCP’s Shirdi conclave and his distancing from Pawar by not even greeting him has sent warning signals within the party as the OBC proponent is among the senior most colleagues of Ajit. When veteran Sharad Pawar was attacked prior to the split in the NCP, it was Bhujbal who took up cudgels on behalf of Ajit and alleged that the latter was always sidelined. During the recent assembly election, Bhujbal’s importance was underscored following his spirited pro-OBC statements since it became evident that the OBCs had wholeheartedly voted for the NDA of which NCP(A) is a constituent. However, the picture suddenly changed when Bhujbal was not inducted in the government led by Devendra Fadnavis. The discord grew when Bhujbal maintained that Fadnavis wanted him in the cabinet but the NCP decided otherwise. So far, Ajit Pawar has not reacted at all to Bhujbal’s grievance even once. Hence, Bhujbal’s complaint that there was no collective decision making in the NCP is interpreted as a cautionary sign. NCP top leader Praful Patel has tried to quell it by announcing that internal talks will be held to exactly understand the issue. But this relief has not satisfied Bhujbal, who has declared that he will decide his course of action soon.
The latest news that the phlegmatic Sitanshu Kotak is likely to be the dedicated batting coach of the men in blue team starting from the five-match Twenty20 series against England has set tongues wagging about the need to equip the Twenty20 World Cup winning team with three ‘batting’ coaches — all left handers — under head coach Gautam Gambhir who himself is a left hander. Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) is a left hander and so too is Kotak. The BCCI has not declared Kotak being added to the team that will meet in Kolkata for the first match. While India’s batters in general flunked against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the knee-jerk response from the BCCI — cannot say if the 116-Test veteran Dilip Vengsarkar, a 1983 World Cup winning star, a former Chairman of the senior national selection committee and an Apex Council member was consulted about the addition of a batting coach to the national team. And also Shubangi Kulkarni the second former cricketer in the Apex Council. Only the BCCI can reveal if Kotak is going to do the batting coach role across formats. More importantly to whom will the batters take their problems to — Gambhir, Nayar or Kotak who has not played for India in any format. Kotak (52) has played 130 first class matches and scored only 15 x 100s! He has been part of the National Cricket Academy set up for many years and has managed India A and junior teams. In addition the men in blue team has a second Assistant Coach in Ryan ten Doeschate, bowling coach Morne Morkel and fielding coach T Dilip, who was retained from the previous coaching staff under Rahul Dravid.
Just when Rhea Chakraborty thought the nightmare was behind her and that she could focus on her acting career comes the news that her name figures in the Narcotics Control Bureau chargesheet linked to the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Trouble, they say, never comes alone. Earlier, she found to her dismay that her name was missing from the credit list of the mystery thriller Chehre directed by Rumi Jaffery. Yet, this 28-year-old starlet did not lose hope. She, according to sources, flew to Hyderabad to meet a producer and almost bagged the film. One does not know if Jaffrey will ever revive the film he had planned with Rhea and Sushant. But some film makers have decided to give her a second chance. However, those who know her say that Rhea is treading cautiously; not signing films till there is clarity in her case. Nikhil Dwivedi has already announced that he is open to working with her. People from Bollywood are asking why she shouldn’t get a second chance when Sanjay Dutt has got more than three chances. In fact, she recently met Salman Khan’s former talent manager Reshma Shetty who helped Salman resurrect his career after two big court cases. Looks like Rhea is working towards a gameplan!
It appears that no death — be it that of Mahatma Gandhi, John F Kennedy, John Lennon or Lady Diana — has been as hysterically covered that too non-stop for over 100 days by the Indian media as that of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput who died under mysterious circumstance on June 14, 2020. The CBI has been on the job but their findings are yet to be made public. The glimmer of hope came in December 2020 when the CBI, in response to a letter written by the BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Dr Subramanian Swamy to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The CBI is conducting investigation in a thorough and professional manner using latest scientific techniques. During investigation, all aspects are being looked at and no aspect has been ruled out as on date,” Dr Swamy was informed. Meanwhile, the diehard fans of Sushant are keeping the issue alive by posting relentlessly on Twitter: it was trending at #7 with 129,000 tweets on 3 March 2021.
The doyen of the Indian film industry, Sashadhar Mukerji, who initially joined Bombay Talkies and went on to create Filmistan and Filmalaya Studios, was considered the man with the Midas touch. He not only launched several new faces who have become a runaway success stories but his entire family right from his sons (Joy, Deb, and Shomu), grandson (Ayan), grand-daughter (Kajol), relatives (Ashok, Kishore, and Anup Kumar) are part of the film fraternity. It is a huge extended family. Actually, he was the brain behind the concept of formula films. A legend in his own lifetime, Mukherji was approached by Shammi Kapoor constantly for a big break. “Sir, you have made so many stars, when are you going to do something for me?” This persistence by Shammi went on for some time till one day Mukherji said: “Shave off your moustache and see me tomorrow.” Without wasting time, Shammi landed at his office the next day sans moustache and producer Mukherji signed him for Tum Sa Nahi Dekha which was directed by Nasir Hussain. Interestingly, this film became a launch pad for heroine Ameeta, director Hussain and catapulted a struggling Shammi Kapoor into the big league. Shammi told the undersigned: “I had a Hillman car those days. Even before the release of the film, I sold it and went on a holiday to the Far East. I knew when I return, I shall be a star!”
Unlike yesteryear’s stars who hid their married status and pregnancy, today’s stars are going to town on both the counts. Both Kareena Kapoor Khan and Anushka Sharma have smartly cashed on their pregnancy by endorsing advertisements showing their baby bumps. Result: both made money hands over fist. Kareena, according to industry sources, earned about Rs 12 crore from brand endorsements. Interestingly even brands are keen for such endorsements by celebrities. It was a hush-hush affair when Sridevi was pregnant with Janhvi while shooting for Judaai, produced by her husband Boney Kapoor. Though one did get a glimpse of it in one of the songs in the movie. Similarly, Aamir Khan’s marriage was kept a secret although the audience saw the glimpse of his wife Reena Dutta in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was probably the first Bollywood actress who had the courage to show her baby bumps. She was spotted at fashion shows when she was pregnant with Aaradhya. She walked the ramp and did invite snide remarks, but she was unfazed. Today, pregnancies have become just a minor bump in a female actor’s career. Rani Mukherjee made a successful comeback; so did Kareena after her first baby. Even Neha Dhupia is back in the business with her talk show besides making guest appearances on TV shows and Page 3 events. Come to think of it, today’s stars are having the best of both the worlds – motherhood and career.
This model turned actress-producer-social worker has never changed her narrative. She is one woman who stands up for women’s rights and children’s rights and has never cared about political correctness. Bhumi Pednekar may be called the climate warrior and Taapsee Pannu has begun speaking up on the subject now. But the original voice of dissent from Bollywood and the person who took on the mantle of activism in this generation is the 39-year old Dia Mirza. Dia is unique in her own way – elegant, charming yet understated. She went through a painful divorce but nobody got a whiff of it. She compartmentalised her personal and professional life smartly. There was no mudslinging and neither did she look up for any sympathy. Even if we look at her PR, it is not about publicising her role in a movie but about the good work she does outside films. Her work on the Yamuna clean up and the Ganga documentary are well-known. That is why when she was appointed as an official Sustainable Development Goals’ advocate it made sense because we know this woman will do justice to her role. Everybody needs a second chance. Professionally, Dia is making a comeback on big screen and web series, and personally she got married for the second time. We wish her luck on both fronts.
Remember Salma Agha the honey-eyed husky voiced lady who came here from Pakistan to make it big as a singer-actor-star in Bollywood — a la Noorjahan, Suraiyya! That was the time when the legendary film maker BR Chopra (who always made films on social issues – Ek Hi Raasta, Naya Daur, Mazoor) was planning to make a film on triple Talaq- based on a short story given to him by a Hindi freelance journalist Achala Nagar. She had forgotten about it. Chopra not only read the story but also asked to search for the writer. He decide to make this film with an entirely fresh cast and crew. Salma got a break with this film along with Hasan Kamaal as its lyricist. The film was made under the title Talaq Talaq Talaq and that precisely attracted the ire of muslim groups. They said even if we mention the title of the film in front of our wives we would be pronouncing “Talaq!” One important muslim poet/journalist told Chopra “Muslims make 70% of cinema going audiences, if we issue a Fatwa to not to see the film, the film would flop.” Heeding his advice the title of the film Talaq Talaq Talaq was changed to Nikaah.
When Bollywood stars tweeted against international pop star Rihanna they were targeted by the Maharashtra government. Now Big B and Akshay Kumar are being targeted by the Congress in Maharashtra for not tweeting against rising petrol prices. Guess one meeting or a phone call to Sharad Pawar might just solve Big B’s problem. Recently, Sonu Sood bought peace from Sena after talking to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. Earlier Sunil Dutt sought blessings of Balasaheb Thackeray after Sanjay Dutt was arrested in the Mumbai bomb blast case. Also, Manisha Koirala went to complain about Shashilal Nair who had used her body double in a controversial scene without taking her consent. Karan Johar had to frequently meet politicians — once for My Name Is Khan, the second time for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil when the film got into trouble for featuring Fawad Khan, a Pakistani national. Even Dev Anand had to call on Balasaheb Thackeray as he had a Pakistani actor Anita Ayub in his film. Of course, one cannot forget that Mani Ratnam had to screen his film Bombay for Balasaheb Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. Looks like politicians have always been a different kind of censor board for films even after approval from the CBFC.
Looks like Priyanka Chopra Jonas has started her own #MeToo movement as a marketing tool for her memoir Unfinished. There has been some leaked content from the book since the day it was published. The content points fingers at Bollywood. The PR strategy seems to be highlighting all the sections which make headlines – basically being spicy. Every section is infused with some spicy scoop. It is more like the film Sanju, where a lot was spoken but nothing really confirmed. Sensationalism sells and Priyanka is doing just that by exposing filmmakers whom she met at the early stage of her career. The actress in her memoir has written that a director-producer made her twirl around and asked her to get a boob job, fix her jaw and cushion her buttocks. Those who have worked with her and the filmmaker know who she is talking about. But she has kept the media and others guessing as she continues to make headlines. There is one review that states that Priyanka has chosen to leave out far more than she chooses to record. Priyanka is rather honest that she could not give time to her relationships. The actress has dated some of the top actors of Bollywood but she does not name them. However, she doesn’t mind mentioning a boyfriend named Bob who she hid in her closet and was caught by her aunt. Her strategy of not naming names seems to have unnerved a whole lot of people in Bollywood and many are hoping she does not come with a sequel titled Finished.
It may sound clichéd but behind every successful man there is a woman. Baldev Raj Chopra after doing MA in Literature from the University of the Punjab, Lahore joined as a journalist with film magazine Cine Herald and eventually acquired it in 1947. With right contacts, he launched a movie the same year in Lahore but the Partition genocide saw him fleeing to India. Eventually, he moved to Mumbai and made a movie Karwat in 1948. It flopped. In 1951, he directed a movie starring Ashok Kumar and it was a hit. More hits followed. Soon he was flooded with offer by producers to direct their films. A well-known producer gave him Rs 5,000 (a big sum those days) to direct his movie. Chopra was elated and happily broke the news to his wife. But his wife’s response surprised him. She told him: “You should not direct for others, you should become your own producer and director.” Heeding his wife’s advice, Chopra returned the money and floated BR Films in 1955. His first movie Ek Hi Raasta was a runaway hit. After that there was no looking behind.
After the Tandav controversy, the Indian government is seriously looking at tightening the noose around the OTT channels. The plan is to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to bring in a regulation to control the content that is streamed on the OTT channels. Feelers are being sent to various film personalities to become a part of the JPC and create some kind of guidelines based on the lines of the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) for feature films. Those close to the film industry have hinted that the Standing Committee on the Information & Technology Ministry are examining the functioning of the CBFC. In order to have a holistic examination of the subject, the committee has decided to seek views of individuals associated with the media and entertainment industry. While their plan is being worked out, the makers of edgy content have begun self-regulation to avoid any kind of issues with the government. Most industry people said there has to be censorship, but there are quite a few who feel that self-regulation is the best option. The government, it seems, is keen to avoid another Tandav kind of situation. So, for now it is wait-and-watch game.
With four films in his kitty, Kartik Aaryan is one of the busiest stars from the younger generation of Bollywood actors. The actor has finished shooting for Ronnie Screwala’s film in record time and, believe it or not, has received a fee of about Rs 20 crore. The film was first slated to have a theatrical release, but the makers decided to go for a digital release with the actor being paid a premium price for it. Kartik is one of the most sought-after stars and those in the film trade feel that the actor is justified in being paid that amount. They believe that he is going the Akshay Kumar way by slowly becoming the Gen-Next bankable star. He is also following Akshay Kumar’s footsteps and becoming a socially responsible star. The actor’s monologue ‘Corona Stop Karo Naa’ became a huge hit. He is also one of the few to donate about Rs 1 crore for the welfare of Covid Warriors followed by an awareness chat show on Covid-19 titled ‘Kookie Poochega’. Kartik who started his journey in Bollywood with multi-starrers is now shouldering a film as a solo hero. It is his track record with Lukka Chhupi and Pati Patni Aur Woh that probably got producer Karan Johar to sign him for Dostana sequel. Kartik’s other films in the pipeline are Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Rohit Dhawan’s next film, which is a remake of a South film.
There is one thing that the remake of Coolie No 1 managed to achieve in December 2020 – it made the film industry miss the original bearer of that title, Govinda. Film buffs felt that Govinda’s Coolie No 1 was like Mughal-e-Azam in front of the new-age version starring Varun Dhawan. The senior actor, however, does not have anything to say on the remake as he is getting ready to make his debut on the OTT platform. He wants to explore the medium as he has been getting offers for it. He feels that the pandemic has exposed people to the world of cinema and content that has universal appeal. The actor, who has often mentioned a conspiracy against him and his films, feels that the OTT is a boon for somebody like him who has been struggling to find a platform. Much before Govinda became largely synonymous with breezy entertainers and musicals, he had showcased his versatility in intense films like Hatya, Swarg, Awaargi and Marte Dum Tak among other films. The actor is now hoping to make 2021 his year and is seriously working towards making a comeback in a big way. The actor has been listening to scripts and will soon be making an announcement. He also has plans to give opportunities to those looking for a break in the film industry.
Seema Pahwa of the Humlog fame is breathing fire at Bollywood’s trade magazines which dubbed her maiden directorial venture Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi as a commercial disaster. Digital entertainment portal Koimoi.com said: “Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi was an ensemble affair that hit the screens on 1st January and the numbers are practically nothing to talk about. The collections were never meant to be encouraging and this is what actually transpired too with just about 20 lakhs coming in.” According to Seema Pahwa’s interview in Mid-Day: “For a film to release in current times and survive is challenge in itself. How can box-office be the yardstick of a film’s success when the theatres are functioning at half the capacity?” Many are questioning the current yardstick of measuring the success or failure of a movie based on footfalls during Covid times. Interestingly, the Twitteratis were all praise for the director and producer. But, it is about time trade magazines revisited their traditional approach – and usual parameters — to gauge the popularity of a movie.
From pauper to prince everybody was badly impacted by the Lockdown. But, not a section of Bollywood; they were flush with funds and therefore they lost no opportunity to invest in real estate as prices were attractive. Nine top Bollywood producers, directors and actors forked out around Rs 400 cr to buy luxurious apartments, penthouses in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Goa in 2020. Of this, nearly Rs 387 cr was spent on buying apartments between Bandra and Juhu by paying anywhere between Rs 50,000 and 150,000 per sq ft. Leading the pack was Bhushan Kumar of T Series fame. He paid a whopping Rs 167.5 cr for 6,700 sq ft villa in Vasanta Theosophical CHS in Juhu. Following him was Hrithik Roshan. He bought three floors —14th, 15th & 16th — admeasuring 38,000 sq ft for Rs 97.50 cr on Juhu-Versova link road. New comer Janhvi Kapoor paid Rs 39 cr for a flat in Juhu, Alia Bhatt Rs 32 cr for a flat in Bandra’s Pali Hill while R Balki, bought two flats worth Rs 24 cr in Bandra. Of course, some made killing too. Parineeti Chopra sold her two flats in Quantum Building in Bandra reportedly for Rs 13.50 cr. So did Karisma Kapoor by selling her Khar flat for Rs 10.11 cr. While Ranbir Kapoor rented his 6th floor flat in Bandra apartment for Rs 7.94 lakh per month.
Reel life villain but real life hero Sonu Sood is widely hailed for helping thousands of migrants stranded at different parts of the country to reach their home safely during Corona lockdown. Now, his new image as the migrants’ messiah seems to have unnerved some politicians in Maharashtra, and set tongues wagging. “He is just the face, the producer-director is BJP,” suspects a section of non-believers. Mahatma Sood is what Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut called him. Be that as it may be but this can’t be denied that thousands of migrant labourers have benefited from his social mobilization and community initiatives. Now, he is embroiled in a court battle with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for allegedly converting a residential building in Juhu into a hotel. Both the civil court and High Court has not given him any relief and Sood has moved the Supreme Court for a relief. But, the moot point is why is BMC trying to make an example of a good Samaritan like him when there are thousands of illegal structures in the Maximum City.
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.