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Archives for November 2018

Hindi Film Review

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Thugs Of Hindostan
“Thugs Of Hindostan Is Like A Mirror Image Of Kranti & Totally Disappointing”
 
Banner: Yash Raj Films
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Star Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Llyod Owen, Ronit Roy, Satyadev Kancharana, Ila Arun, Sharrrat Saxsena, Abdul Quadir Amin & Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub
Music: Ajay – Atul
Director Vijay Krishna Acharya, a screenplay writer cum director’s 1st ever outing was in the small screen arena. Then his 1st ever outing in the celluloid silver screen arena was with Tashan which of course proved to be a colossal disaster. In the interim phase he directed the “Dhoom” franchise which proved to be a moderate success to some extent but with his latest directorial offering Thugs Of Hindostan, Mr. Vijay Krishna Acharya has indeed driven a nail deep into his own directorial coffin.   
 
Now time to dig the grave of Aditya Chopra & Yash Raj Films latest Diwali offering Thugs Of Hindostan. So a Diwali release is an event in itself. And this year, Amitabh Bachchan & Aamir Khan team up for the 1st ever time in the hugely awaited Thugs Of Hindostan. But of course it fails miserably.
 
So very disappointingly speaking Thugs Of Hindostan is the story of a group of rebels fighting the British. The year is 1795. The kingdom is ruled by a benevolent king (Ronit Roy). The evil Clive (Lloyd Owen) annexes the kingdom by treacherous means & even kills the king & the queen. The king’s guardian, Khudabaksh (Amitabh Bachchan), escapes with the king’s daughter Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh). 11 years later, Khudabakash, Zafira & their gang are now considered as the most dangerous thugs. They have already wrecked a lot of havoc in the lives of the Britishers. With no other option in hand, Clive summons Firangi Malla (Aamir Khan) to trace the whereabouts of Khudabaksh. Firangi Malla is a devious character & it’s difficult to trust him. Betrayal is his 2nd nature by his own admitted confession.With the help of his friend Shanichar (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), Firangi Malla now devises a plan & enrolls into Khudabaksh’s army of thugs. What happens next forms the crux of the Thugs Of Hindostan’s story in a nutshell?
The story is formulaic oriented & utterly predictable. The writer could have done so much with the content but, sadly enough, he lets go of this golden opportunity. The screenwriting has some moments (especially in the 1st ever half), but the narrative loosens the grip as it progresses. Worse, too many cinematic liberties & a lifeless 2nd hour act as a roadblock. The dialogues are interesting, especially between the senior actors, but they are few & far between.
Vijay Krishna Acharya’s direction is shoddy. Frankly, speaking with such a poorly written material on hand, the director couldn’t have salvaged the show either. However, he does manage to make an impact in a few sequences, like Firangi Malla’s entry & sequences between Firangi Malla & Khudabaksh in the 1st ever hour are worth recalling. And then Khudabaksh’s entry would be greeted with seetis & taalis. Even Firangi Malla’s introduction is funny & keeps the interest going on. The interval point & prior to that, the confrontation & the action sequence involving the 2 actors is engaging.
Thugs Of Hindostan straight away reminds you of Manoj Kumar’s multi-starrer movie Kranti, released in the year 1981, almost 3 & a half decades ago, which remains a far more interesting & hugely entertaining movie made on the subject (a group of rebels fighting the Britishers) Besides Thugs Of Hindostan is also a mixed potpourri of many such films made in all language films. But Kranti at least boasted of memorable songs that hold tremendous recall value even to this date.
Not only this Ajay – Atul’s (of Marathi film Sairat fame) music is a total letdown. The supremely talented composers are not in form this time. Even the background score is jarring. Yet all said & done the cinematography is stunning, action sequences are well executed, production design is top notch. VFX should’ve been better, editing is uneven. The film could’ve done with a shorter run time.
Performance wise Aamir Khan plays to the gallery, but is letdown by writing. Also, at places, he tries too hard to be funny. Amitabh Bachchan delivers a powerful performance & towers above all. Fatima Sana Shaikh (of Dangal famre) fails to create the desired impact. Katrina Kaif is hardly there, barring 2 songs & a few sequences. Abdul Quadir Amin &Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub hams to the hilt. The 2 Britishers are caricaturish. Ila Arun is wasted. Ronit Roy is decent. Sharat Saxena gets no scope.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Thugs Of Hindostan has some engrossing moments in the 1st ever half, that’s about it. The post – interval portions are an absolute downer. The plot is formulaic, while the screenplay is riddled with cinematic liberties.
At the box-office turnstiles, Thugs Of Hindostan is bound to have a huge weekend thanks to the festive period coupled with the tremendous hype & the impressive star cast names involved. But once the initial euphoria settles down, it’ll be difficult for the film to sustain. This one is a golden opportunity lost, it’s like a king – sized disappointment!

Mayawati seeks apology from Modi, BJP over demonetization

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 BSP chief Mayawati on Friday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “painful and forced” demonetization he ordered two years back.

In a statement, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that so far none of the benefits propagated by Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in justification of the note ban had come true.

“Facts and data prove that the nation and its people have suffered the hasty decision of demonetization and that like its other poll promises this too was a bundle of lie,” Mayawati said.

She charged the Prime Minister and the BJP with breaking the spine of the honest and hard working people and creating joblessness while helping their favourites in turning black money into white.

The BJP acquired massive property in the run up to the demonetization, Mayawati said.

A party which took power in 2014 with the promise of ‘acche din’ (good days) has done nothing for people’s welfare, farmers and the poor, she pointed out.

She termed the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes ordered in November 2016 a result of the “ego and dictatorial attitude of a single man” — referring obviously to Modi.

IANS

Cabinet expansion HDK meet Rahul gandhi next week,

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Chief Minister (CM) HD Kumarawamy is expected to visit New Delhi in the coming week to discuss the cabinet expansion and appointments to boards and corporations with the Congress leadership.

It may be recalled that the cabinet expansion had been initially deferred owing to the ‘inauspicious’ month of Ashada. Later it was postponed following the announcement of the bypolls. In a recent meeting, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has given his green signal for the Cabinet expansion.

If sources are to be believed Kumaraswamy will hold talks with state Congress leaders before proceeding to hold discussions with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.

Senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah, deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar are also likely to visit Delhi.

 

PTI

 

Nirbhaya’ all-women police team to tackle crime against women.

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‘Nirbhaya’, a 32-member team of lady police personnel dressed in civil wear will take to the streets of Haveri district from today to tackle cases of eve-teasing.

The team, formed by Haveri district Superintendent of Police (SP) K Parshurama will not only be seen on-duty 24/7 but they will also undertake self-defence classes for the women.  Apart from the city limits, the team will also be patrolling the interior areas

Any woman, in distress, can call the Nirbhaya team and the team will immediately reach out for the rescue.

Inaugural today

East Zone Superintendent of Police B. Dayanand will be inaugurating team Nirbhaya today (Friday) at around 4:30 pm at Shivashakthi palace of Haveri.

 

LPG price hiked by over Rs 2 after rise in dealers’ commission

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Domestic cooking gas LPG prices have been hiked by over Rs 2 per cylinder after the government increased the commission paid to LPG dealers.

A 14.2-kg subsidised LPG cylinder in Delhi will now cost Rs 507.42 as against Rs 505.34 previously, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. This followed an order of the Oil Ministry that raised the dealer’s commission. In that order, the ministry said the domestic LPG distributors’ commission for 14.2-kg cylinder and 5-kg cylinder was last fixed at Rs 48.89 and Rs 24.20 respectively in September 2017.

“Pending finalisation of De-Novo Study for revision of LPG distributors’ commission and taking into consideration the increase in transportation costs, wages etc, it has been decided to revise the distributors’ commission to Rs 50.58 per 14.2 kg cylinder and Rs 25.29 per 5 kg cylinder as an interim measure,” the order said.

This is the second increase in rates this month, the earlier one being on November 1, when prices went up by Rs 2.94 per cylinder because of tax component on base price.

Since June rates have gone up every month because of the GST paid on higher base price and cumulatively prices have risen by Rs 16.21. In Mumbai, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder now costs Rs 505.05 while in Kolkata it is priced at Rs 510.70. Chennai has a price of Rs 495.39. Rates differ from state to state depending on local taxes and transportation cost.

The new dealer’s commission will be made up of Rs 30.08 establishment charges and Rs 20.50 delivery charges for a 14.2-kg cylinder. For 5 kg cylinder, the establishment charges have been fixed at Rs 15.04 and the rest Rs 10.25 are delivery charges, the ministry order said. Customers who collect their refills directly from distributor’s premises will continue not to be charged for delivery, it said. Before the hike, the dealer’s commission was made up of Rs 29.39 establishment charges and Rs 19.50 delivery charges for a 14.2-kg cylinder. For 5 kg bottle, the establishment charges were Rs 14.70 and delivery charges Rs 9.50.

All LPG consumers have to buy the fuel at market price. The government, however, subsidises 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each per households in a year by providing the subsidy amount directly in bank accounts of users. This subsidy amount varies from month to month depending on the changes in the average international benchmark LPG rate and foreign exchange rate. When international rates move up, the government provides a higher subsidy. But as per tax rules, GST on LPG has to be calculated at the market rate of the fuel. The government may choose to subsidise a part of the price but tax will have to be paid at market rates.

This has led to an increase in price.

On November 1, the non-subsidised or market price LPG rates went up by Rs 60 per cylinder to Rs 939. Because of the rise in dealer’s commission, the price is now Rs 942.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

 

PTI

India rest Umesh, Bumrah, Kuldeep for 3rd T20I vs Windies

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Array

Having won the three-match T20 International rubber 2-0, the Indian team management has decided to rest three of their senior bowlers — Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav — for the third and final T20I against the West Indies here on Sunday.

Pacer Siddharth Kaul has been added to the India squad for the final T20I.

“The Indian team management has decided to rest Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav from the upcoming third Paytm T20I against the Windies in Chennai. The decision has been made to allow the trio to be in the best physical condition ahead of India’s tour to Australia,” a BCCI release stated.

The men-in-blue have already pocketed the series by winning the first two games comprehensively.

India won the first T20 in Kolkata by five wickets, before skipper Rohit Sharma’s masterclass century helped the hosts take an unbeatable 2-0 lead with the 71-run win in Lucknow.

The absence of Umesh, Kuldeep and Bumrah will also give the likes of Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Kaul a chance to show their mettle ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

India’s squad for the 3rd T20I series against the Windies: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul.

 

IANS

Indian Bank says most of its Rs 1,800-crore loan to IL&FS is ‘good’

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Indian Bank, which has lent over Rs 1,800 crore to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), on Friday said that most of its loans to the crisis-hit company were ‘good’.

“The bank’s exposure to IL&FS is Rs 1,809 crore. Out of the 10 loan accounts, six are for special purpose vehicles (SPV of IL&FS) whose revenues are ring-fenced with an escrow account,” Padmaja Chunduru, Managing Director and CEO, told reporters here.

She said that one account had turned bad three years ago and that the state-run lender had made necessary provisions.

One loan of Rs 172 crore slipped into the non-performing category recently.

Chunduru said that two more loan accounts totalling about Rs 130 crore were under the watch list.

Indian Bank’s total exposure to the non-banking finance companies is Rs 20,477 crore, accounting for 12.40 per cent of its gross advances as of September 30.

Congress protests against note ban in Bengaluru

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Leaders and workers from the Karnataka unit of Congress on Friday slammed the Narendra Modi government’s demonetisation of high value currency notes two years ago, calling it the worst attack in comparison to the 26/11 and the 9/11 attacks on Mumbai and in the US.

Joining party cadres across the country as Congress held protests against the 2016 note ban, Congress state unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao told the protesters at the city centre that compared to the Mumbai and World Trade Centre attacks by the terrorists demonetisation was worse as “it was an attack made by the country’s Prime Minister himself”.

At least 200 of Congress supporters joined the protests marking the second anniversary of the ban on 500 and 1,000 rupee bills as a “black day”.

The Prime Minister had on November 8 in 2016 banned the currency notes in a sweeping and sudden decision that caused common man to suffer for months, Rao said.

“Ever since not only citizens but even our national banks have been suffering huge loses due to problems in cash flow,” Rao added.

“Whatever reasons were given for the ban, it did not yield any benefits to our economy. The value of rupee also depreciated over the past few months,” Rao said.

Even though the price of crude oil in the international market has been cheaper during the NDA regime compared to what it was during the previous UPA rule, the Modi government failed to pass on the benefits to people, he said.

“The petrol and diesel prices have only been rising even though the crude oil prices have been cheaper globally. The central government is making profits even from fuel,” he said.

The country’s top institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) were also being “attacked” by the union government, he said.

“Modi has not responded to any of the issues raised by our President Rahul Gandhi,” Rao added.

He said it was now only up to the Congress to save the country from the “fascist” rule unleashed by the Modi regime.

“We are the party that worked towards bringing Independence to our nation. It is also our responsibility to save our democracy when it’s under threat,” he added.

Activist threatens fast unto death if Parrikar doesn’t resign

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A Goa-based activist on Friday threatened to go on a fast unto death if ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar did not resign and hand over the reins of the state administration to a “physically fit” successor.

“Goa needs a fully fit Chief Minister who can dedicate his time and resources to find solutions to problems confronting the state. If Parrikar, who has been ill for a long time now, does not hand over charge by November 16, I along with my colleagues from other NGOs will sit on a fast unto death,” Rajan Ghate, the Right To Information (RTI) activist said in a press conference here.

The conference was also addressed by members of the Goa Citizen’s Action Forum (GCAF) and representatives of another state-based NGO Nari Adhikar.

“I am giving the BJP-led Goa government a notice of seven days’ time to announce a solution to the issues like rising unemployment, loss of jobs, spread of gambling and casino culture and the failure of Parrikar to allocate important portfolios like Home, Finance, Industries,” Ghate said.

Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi for nearly nine months.

He returned from New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences on October 14 and has not moved out of his private residence, for any official event since.

He has however chaired meetings with top bureaucrats, party officials and local industrialists over the last few days.

IANS

Couple Killed Over Suspicion of Practising Black Magic, Two Arrested

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A woman and her husband were allegedly hacked to death at a village in Pune district of Maharashtra on the suspicion that she was practising black magic, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday at Aundhe village, around 50 kms from here and the victims were identified as Lilabai Mukane (47) and her husband Navasu Mukane (55), police said.

Two persons, identified as Jaitu Borkar and Baban Mukane, were arrested by Khed police in this connection, they said.

According to a police officer, the deceased woman was a quack, but some people in the village, located in Khed tehsil, suspected that she was practising black magic.

“A few days ago, Borkar’s daughter had developed cyst in her abdomen. Borkar suspected that it due to the black magic done by Lilabai,” a senior officer at Khed police station said.

“Baban’s wife had also developed some rashes on her body and even he suspected that it was due to Lilabai’s black magic,” he added.

According to the officer, on Thursday both the accused stormed into Mukane’s house with sticks and sharp weapons and attacked Lilabai.

“When her husband came to save her, they also hacked him to death with sharp weapons,” he added.

After some of their neighbours found the couple lying in a pool of blood, they alerted the police.

“During the probe, Lilabai’s daughter told us that in the past her mother had arguments with Borkar. Based on the inputs, he was picked up for questioning. During his interrogation, he spilled the beans and confessed to killing the couple with the help of Baban,” he added.

A case under section 302 (murder) has been registered against the duo, police said.

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