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Organising “Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rallies for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge across states has become sort of a political hazard in the Congress. Asked to convene such rallies, Congressmen are literally shivering in their pants considering what happened with Buxar District Congress President Manoj Pandey who was sacked for not organising enough crowds. A livid Kharge had stripped Pandey of his post in an election year in Bihar when he confronted empty chairs on a Sunday afternoon mid-April. No Congress leader is willing to risk the wrath of Kharge. That is why Tamil Nadu Congress leaders recently held a meeting to draw up a plan to organise a meeting on May 4 to be held in Teynampet area in Chennai addressed by Kharge. It was decided that the target to mobilise crowds would be shared by various leaders at different levels. That is eight Lok Sabha MPs from the state would be given the responsibility of bringing a crowd of 5000 people each and 17 party MLAs were given the target of bringing about 1000 people each. Party office bearers from 76 districts were tasked to bring 500 people each. In all the ballpark crowd size of 95,000 to 1 lakh. Some office bearers even suggested raising funds from ally DMK ministers to organise the event. It wasn’t just to bowl over Kharge. The general argument was an impressive show by the Congress that could even make the DMK concede more seats in the TN assembly elections next year. Explaining the lack of crowd at Buxar, Manoj Pandey blamed it on the scorching heat. If Bihar couldn’t withstand the heat in April, will Chennai put up with searing heat in May just to make a political point?
The Pahalgam terror-attack that resulted in deaths of innocent Indians and a foreign tourist holidaying in the Kashmir Valley may cause a deeper deterioration in India-Pakistan cricket ties. Hitherto the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), adhering to a long-standing government guideline, does not engage Pakistan in bilateral series across formats. An Indian cricket team — men, women and under-19 — has not played on Pakistan soil for more than one and a half decades (since 2008), but Pakistan played the ICC World Cup 2023 matches in India — at Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai. The BCCI though maintained its position of not sending the men in blue team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in February-March this year. India played all its matches in Dubai. The Indian government has always maintained that Pakistan is a State-sponsor of terror strikes in the Northern Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir and hence there is no place for bilateral cricketing relationship with Pakistan. The BCCI was quick to condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam and used the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad to pay homage to the victims. A hybrid model was worked out for the ICC Champions Trophy and the same is the formula worked out for future ICC events ending in 2027. Pakistan has qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup to be hosted by India this September-October and it will not travel to India. Will the BCCI take the extreme step of not playing against Pakistan or request the ICC and ACC that India should not be placed in the same group as Pakistan. Only time will tell.
Less than a week after the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress has shed all pretence of extending its cooperation to the government. It is back to fretting and molly-coddling its Muslim vote bank. That is why Karnataka excise minister RB Thimmapur rushed to doubt if the “perpetrators of the attack in Pahalgam would have asked the name and the religion of victims” and insisted “it is unfair to target a particular religion over the attack”. This even as the wife of a victim from Shivamogga had helplessly watched her husband being shot dead, after the terrorists asked the name and religion before shooting the male tourists. Building a defence for the assailants, the minister argued it wasn’t the gunmen who asked for the name and religion of the tourists. Religious colour was being given to cover up intelligence failure. “Kargil, Pulwama and now Pahalgam are the result of central intelligence failure. The BJP has been playing politics over deaths,” the minister argued. Why was the Congress minister making a case for Pakistani terror operatives? It wasn’t just the minister, even chief minister Siddaramaiah had caught the attention of the Pak media playing up his comment saying that there is “no need for war” over the Pahalgam terror attack. He was dubbed “Pakistani Ratna” by the state BJP. With RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat making it clear that “it is duty of the king to protect the people” and urging the government to teach errant neighbour a lesson, PM Modi assured in his Mann Ki Baat that bereaved families will get justice; he felt the terror strike was to destroy the Kashmir narrative with peace and normalcy returning.
Leading silver screen personality Atul Kulkarni has reached Kashmir to spread the message that the state belongs to India and every Indian will visit it. Kulkarni has been known for his fearless stand on many sensitive issues and has never minced words while expressing his sentiments. A fierce advocate of the freedom of expression, Kulkarni has been in great demand for a variety of roles on the stage and in films. His statement has been welcomed since several prominent thespians have chosen to remain mute after the dreaded Pahalgam terror attack. Kulkarni has made it clear that he has no shooting schedule in Kashmir neither has his visit been sponsored by any travel company or hotel. Kulkarni said the intent of the attack is to finish the tourism potential of Kashmir. Referring to his discussions with local people in the state over the past few days, he said the most vital factor is people’s unity, even more important than money. This process had started and over the last two years, a record number of tourists had visited the state. Local people are happy when tourists come. “We have to transmit this message all over,” he said. Another popular actor, Riteish Deshmukh said this attack was not just terror but was a targeted massacre. The masterminds and organisations behind this ghastly attack must be crushed, he said in a message while expressing his anguish.
The AIADMK-BJP alliance is not the only cause of anxiety for DMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin. Senior ministers in his cabinet are as much of a headache for the chief honcho. While trusted lieutenant and money handler V Senthil Balaji put in his resignation on April 27 after strictures from the top court, so too the education minister K Ponmudy quit on the same day as he was also under fire for needlessly disparaging comments that drew the ire of a High Court judge who called for a suo motu FIR against him. Did he really need to joke about Brahmin sects and sexual positions and denigrating the whole of womanhood? Brahmin baiting may be fair game for the DMK that evolved out of the Justice Party, but vilifying women outraged a senior woman party leader in Kanimozhi who spoke out. The most senior minister among Stalin’s cabinet colleagues, Duraimurugan, who was just emerging from the woods after a tasteless description of physically challenged people — whom he called ‘nondis’ using an old Tamil term for lame people — when an old case came out of the woodwork to haunt him. A DA case has re-emerged to trouble the minister as the Madras High Court cancelled his acquittal by a lower court. Even the highly regarded IT minister Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) was pulled up by the Speaker for saying in the Assembly that his ministry had no funds to create new IT parks. He was told there must be a better way to approach the government for funds.
This week has been particularly bleak for the Indian box office with a series of film releases failing to resonate with audiences and resulting in dismal collections. Ground Zero, featuring Emraan Hashmi and Sai Tamhankar opened with a mere Rs 1.15 crore, and despite a slight uptick to Rs 1.90 crore on its second day, the total collection of Rs 3.05 crore over the weekend is far from impressive. Lack of effective marketing played a significant role as it struggled to gain visibility and attract viewers. With no substantial draw for Emraan Hashmi, the film was destined for disaster. So too was Ananth Mahadevan’s Phule. The film was mired in controversy, particularly due to opposition from certain groups in Pune and an outburst from Anurag Kashyap regarding Brahmin representation. Despite the buzz surrounding these issues, the film starring Prateek Gandhi and Patralekha, opened to a disappointing Rs 21 lakh on its first day. Although the reviews praised the direction and storytelling, the film managed to collect a meagre Rs 47 lakh over the weekend. This is one of the most underwhelming openings in recent memory, especially considering the positive reviews. The re-release of the classic Andaz Apna Apna was anticipated to follow in the footsteps of successful re-releases like Sanam Teri Kasam. However, it too fell flat, opening with just Rs 25 lakh on its first day…culminating in a total of Rs 55 lakh over the weekend. This performance is disappointing for a film with such a legacy, indicating that nostalgia alone is not enough to draw audiences back to theatres. Overall, the fate of these three Hindi films can be described as disastrous. Factors contributing to their lacklustre performance include weak scripts, average brand recall, insufficient visibility, and inadequate marketing strategies.
Film launches and releases are taking on novel and highly customised market promos. Naturally, with crores riding on success, all stakeholders pitch in their best. Suriya’s Retro, directed by Kartik Subburaj, slated for release on May 1 ensured all the bells and whistles…and more. Veteran South actor and Suriya’s dad, Sivakumar went on stage as a proud father and fan boy of his son. His over the top accolades for his son’s rise could be because Suriya is still recovering from the disaster of Kanguva and the team wanted to make the event eventful. Sivakumar said, Suriya was the first one to have six pack abs. Expectedly this got a spate of trolls as chiselled abs are nothing new in show business. But the way Sivakumar traced the rise and success journey of his son, it touched hearts. When both his sons – Suriya, Karthi – were teens the father had consulted an astro, who predicted a great presence for Suriya in the world of cinema. Sivakumar was nonplussed as Suriya hardly spoke four words in a day, he is so introverted and quiet. I think this soothsayer is “loose”. But things started gaining momentum when ace directors Vasanth and Mani Ratnam called Suriya for screen tests even as father pleaded with them not to raise high hopes. Mani Ratnam’s film Nerukku Ner was a hit. A still from that movie made Ratnam say “those eyes will give sleepless nights to female fans”. Yes, like all stars Suriya too had his ups and downs. But his place as a reliable hero and bankable star is assured. Retro may vault him back.
On June 14, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi will be completing a one-year term in the office. Has the CM who has the backing of the PM delivered? There are mixed reports from the ground. Some are saying that Odia people are fed up with lip service of the Majhi government – the same line “work in progress and grandiose investment plans”. The general feeling is that Majhi has simply tweaked close to two dozen schemes of the BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik. It is a cut and paste job without any value addition –BJD’s colour green has been changed to BJP’s saffron in government buildings and buses. But a clued-in analyst has a different take. He points out that Majhi is considered “accessible CM” in a stark contrast to BJD’s chief minister Naveen Patnaik with whom ordinary people had no access. Besides, it would be inappropriate to compare the two CMs performances — one with 8 months governance record and the other with 290-month dream run. Adding further he says, BJD failed to fulfil their promise of giving bonus of Rs 100 per quintal to poverty-stricken farmers om Western Odisha’s Sohela in Bargarh district. Here, the Majhi government took a decision in just 24 minutes in its cabinet meeting to provide Rs 800 per quintal input assistance to farmers, apart from providing annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to around one crore women in the state. But the general lament is that Odia people voted for BJP, so that it effectively weeds out “mafia raj” and “percentage raj” but nothing substantial has happened in this direction. Meanwhile, the BJD has not lost the opportunity to brand Majhi as a “copycat” government.
The game of one-upmanship between Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, that followed in the relief operations for the tourists affected by the Pahalgam terrorist attack, exposed the friction within Mahayuti government. Shinde duplicated the efforts of the Fadnavis government with his parallel visits and relief flights for the stranded tourists there. While Shinde was meeting tourists at Pahalgam, donating to the local Muslim victim and even holding parleys with Jammu and Kashmir’s deputy chief minister, Fadnavis was restricted to paying condolence visits to Pahalgam victim families at Pune. This wasn’t Shinde’s first attempt at duplication of governance; earlier too he had set up parallel medical relief funds in tandem with Fadnavis’ official ones. Shinde may have been cornered within Mahayuti with many of his decisions as CM either being withdrawn, stayed, kept in abeyance or simply rejected but he is not lying quiet and instead seizing the moment like he did at Pahalgam. He is also trying to assert himself as a Hindutva mascot and trying to usurp the advantage enjoyed by the Thackeray cousins even if they were to come together. Shinde’s attempt to carve out his own distinct identity in Fadnavis’ term, is clearly not going down with the man and the party at the helm. The BJP is clearly upset with Shinde’s attempt to hog the credit and not let the landslide majority government have its way. Shinde may be indispensable to the BJP in the run-up to the BMC polls to woo the Marathi manoos vote bank but remains to be seen how this open friction between Shinde and Fadnavis may play out for the Mahayuti in the forthcoming local elections.
The recent Supreme Court order invalidating the West Bengal government’s 2016 appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff triggered off sitting demonstrations and agitation in the state. During the course of agitation what came to the fore was, the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee was not countering the attack from the front. He consciously stepped away from the frontline, raising serious questions about the cracks within the party’s top leadership. It is also obvious that Abhishek’s public appearances have been reduced to congratulatory social media posts for local football clubs and the occasional endorsement of police efforts in his constituency. His last major political intervention was a virtual meeting on March 15. Since then, his near-total disengagement from party affairs has triggered anxiety within TMC’s rank and file, many of whom now openly question the party’s leadership strategy. The official narrative claims Mamata Banerjee has asked Abhishek to focus on national politics. But Abhishek’s loyal followers say that he was deliberately being sidelined from talking on the school recruitment scandal. Instead the State President Subrata Bakshi was given the job of doing all the heavy weight lifting on this front. Sure enough, his exclusion has left his loyalists demoralised. Further, Abhishek’s social media activities, particularly his praise for Diamond Harbour police during communal tensions and earlier disapproval of police actions post the RG Kar Hospital incident, are being interpreted as subtle criticism of the state government’s performance. These posts have drawn further scrutiny and are being read by Opposition parties as indirect jabs at the administration led by Didi.
Suddenly Kollywood is facing an existential crisis after its 2024 stocktaking. A Telugu sequel, Pushpa 2 hauled in Rs 1500 crore in just a few weeks. But Kollywood is shell shocked and stunned by the math –it trotted up Rs 1,000 crore loss in 2024. Where did it go wrong? Of 241 films released, 223 were either flops or performed badly. Even as Malayalam films faced Rs 700 crore loss, Kollywood could reap only Rs 2,000 crore. Of its repertoire, 18 films satisfied big outlays and stars … Amaran, GOAT, Meiyazhagan, Aranmanai 4 and a few more. 186 small and medium budgets like Demonte Colony 2, Romeo, Andhagan, Vaazha, Lubber Pandu and Pechi did good business on modest outlays. Tamil Film Producers Council Secretary, K Rajan said “Of the 241 films released in 2024, only 7% have brought cheer to the producers and all other stakeholders. We need quality films backed by strong scripts and stories”. Looks like the much celebrated Kollywood factory seems to be facing a creativity hiatus. Can’t blame fickle audiences and non performing cast who earn astronomical remuneration. Actually, there are many conflicting pulls…OTT, attention deficit, lack of time to watch a film unravel for 2-plus hours, and myriad other digital distractions. Time to change according to the ecosystem. Nayakan, Thalapathi, Thillana Mohanambal, Sankarabharanam, Thevar Magan and past film hits underscore the creativity of Kollywood to give gripping films. Will Kollywood reinvent itself?
Kamal Haasan has turned a legend in his lifetime, conquering artistic heights that only a few Indian actors have scaled. The Ulaga Nayagan (universal hero) sobriquet in his case is not just a cinematic encomium but a justified title. A skilled Bharat Natyam artist, screenplay and story writer, singer, director and actor, his every film only adds to his aura. Veteran actor Sivakumar says, “I consider only two actors as unparalleled – the late Shivaji Ganesan, and Kamal.” Kamal turned 69 on November 7. Imagine the delight of his fans when his upcoming movie with Mani Ratnam was introduced with a riveting title video Thug Life. Thirty five years after the worldwide acclaim of Ratnam and Kamal’s classic Nayakan, Thug Life will soon play in cinemas enhanced by its team of super talented artists –AR Rahman, Dulquer Salman, Trisha and Jayam Ravi. The cherry on the cake was the voice over of Kamal, “I am Ranganayakan Saktivel Nayakkar from Kayalpattinam“, enough to send diehard Kamal fans into ecstasy. Thug Life is bankrolled by his own production house and Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies. This conveys a significant message; business is business and political postures are on a different track, expedient and expected. Kamal has annoyed the DMK by insisting that his party Makkal Needhi Maiyyam be given three seats — Coimbatore, Madurai and South Chennai.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.