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Security forces free to respond if Pakistan opens fire: Rajnath

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As Pakistani Rangers continued shelling on the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the security forces have a free hand to respond as they deem fit if the neighbouring country continued the offensive.

Speaking at the Border Security Force’s (BSF) 16th investiture ceremony function here, Singh said “We have a neighbour that does not want to correct itself.

“Yet, we must not fire the first bullet at our neighbour. But if it opens fire, you (security forces) have to decide what action to take. Then no one will ask why you did so.”

New Delhi had on May 16, announced a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, asking security forces to halt their operations during Ramadan to help “peace loving Muslims” observe the holy month in a peaceful environment.

The Minister also said that perhaps the neighbouring nation “did not want peace for some unknown reasons”.

According to the police, the Pakistani Rangers have been carrying out indiscriminate shelling and firing in Arnia, R.S.Pura and Ramgarh sectors in the Jammu and Samba districts since Monday. At least 30 BSF outposts and some two dozen border villages have been targeted.

‘Clean air plan lacks sector-specific emission reduction targets’

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The proposed National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) would be of “no use” as it has “not mentioned sector-specific and time-bound emission reduction targets” for industries. It has also failed to lay enough emphasis on units which are contributing to air pollution, environmentalists say.

With the goal to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country in a stipulated timeframe, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in mid-April, floated the draft of the programme seeking public opinion till May 17.

According to experts, the draft suggests that NCAP will reduce air pollution by 35 per cent within next three years and 50 per cent in the next 5 years.

“This is more of a generic target for the country and it has to be translated into city or region wise target,” the environment think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Executive Director Anumita Roychowdhury told IANS.

“On the basis of this pan India target, sector-specific targets which are not mentioned in the proposed programme have to be worked out for industries and accordingly a roadmap of stringent action is required to be followed to meet ambient air quality standards in a time bound manner,” she added.

The draft acknowledged air pollution “has increasingly been becoming a serious concern predominantly for the health of the people”.

While the problem of air pollution is mainly urban-centric, studies show regional scale pollution, which is more concentrated in entire Indo- Gangetic plains of India and more industrialised states, the draft said.

“The draft NCAP does not clearly speak about what should be done with various industrial sectors that are contributing to air pollution, though it recognised the fact that they are among major sources of air pollution. The proposed programme, without sector-specific and time-bound emission reduction targets, would be of no use,” Greenpeace India Senior Campaigner, (Climate & Energy) Sunil Dahiya told IANS.

Echoing Dahiya, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment’s Analyst Kankana Das told IANS: “Industries ranging from thermal power, cement, foundry, coke oven and sponge iron plants to construction sector and transports which are major contributors to air pollution hardly got any place in the discussion of the proposed porgramme.”

The government, however, has undertaken a slew of measures, including notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and sector specific emission and effluent standards for industries, monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality, introduction of cleaner fuel, leapfrogging from BS IV to BS VI standards for vehicles by April 1, 2020, ban on bursting of sound-emitting crackers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and many others.

“With these recent policy interventions, air quality has purportedly shown some minor improvement in some major cities in recent times which as of now cannot be called a trend,” the draft said.

However, this is “not sufficient” and higher level of focused time bound initiatives at both city and rural level now “appear obligatory” to address the issue comprehensively at the national level, it further said.

The draft proposes source apportionment study and formulation of action plan, but experts argue there is lack of synchronisation between the two.

“According to the proposed draft, the source apportionment study will be done in two years for 94 non-attainment cities, whereas the action plan for 100 non-attainment cities will be formulated in one year. Without having an insight of pollution sources, what is the purpose of making city specific action plan? It defeats the whole purpose of coming out with an action plan,” Das said.

For instance, West Bengal has Kolkata as the only non-attainment city. What about cities like Asansol, Raniganj, Howrah or Durgapur which are already listed as Critically Polluted Areas (CPAs) or Severely Polluted Areas (SPAs) in terms of air pollution component,” she asked.

Roychowdhury pointed out National Ambient Air Quality standards by themselves “do not put the liability of achieving them on the state governments or pollution control boards”.

“The NCAP framework needs a system that will incentivise achievement of air quality targets and disincentivise failure to meet the targets. The system needs teeth,” she said.

The environmentalists alleged data from Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) and ambient air quality monitoring stations installed in the vicinity of the industrial plants and facilities, specifically for 17 red-category industries, was not made public.

“NCAP must address this issue,” Dahiya said.

Yeddyurappa stares at uncertain future in Karnataka

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Proving third time unlucky as Karnataka’s Chief Minister, the BJP’s Lingayat strongman, B.S. Yeddyurappa, stares at an uncertain future although his party bets on his return to power again.

“Yeddyurappa will continue to be the party’s state unit president till we return to power again. He will become chief minister again before his political career ends,” Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Vamanacharya told IANS here.

Yeddyurappa, 75, resigned on Saturday before the crucial trust vote as he did not have the majority in a hung House, falling seven short of the 111-halfway mark in the 225-member Legislative Assembly, whose current strength is 222.

Of the 222 assembly segments where the election was held on May 12, BJP won 104, the Congress 78, the Janata Dal-Secular, 37 and one each by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and an Independent, leading to an inconclusive election.

Election in one assembly segment in Bengaluru has been deferred to May 28 due to electoral malpractice and countermanded in another constituency due to the death of BJP contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar. One member of the Anglo-Indian community is nominated to the House.

Mauled at the hustings, a bruised Congress and a wounded Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) came together after the poll results threw up a hung House and formed a post-poll alliance to upstage the BJP in the numbers game and also staked claimed to power.

When Governor Vajubhai R. Vala invited Yeddurappa to form a BJP government and take oath as Chief Minister after he too staked claim to power, a defiant Congress and its JD-S ally petitioned the Supreme Court to stall his swearing-in and advance the floor test from the 15 days laid down.

Though the alliance partners did not succeed in preventing Yeddyurappa taking oath on May 17, they prevailed upon the apex court to advance the floor test to May 19, which he did not take in the absence of even the simple majority.

Admitting that the BJP has in the Congress-JD-S a common foe than two rival parties, Vamanacharya said the combined alliance would be their target to beat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“We are setting our sight on the 2019 general elections as Yeddyurappa vowed to win in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state during his emotional speech on the floor of the House before bowing out of office gracefully,” said Vamanacharya.

With the focus henceforth on the parliamentary elections, the BJP will not worry much on what will happen in the hung assembly or how long the Congress-JD-S coalition government will last, currently with a combined strength of 115 seats.

Political analyst Sandeep Shastri, however, feels Yedddyurappa’s prospects of becoming Chief Minister again are bleak for various reasons.

“Yeddyurappa’s speech in the Assembly before calling quits sounded as a farewell address. Three-four years later, he may not be eligible to become chief minister again if we go by the BJP’s yardstick of not having leaders above 75 years in power. This election possibly was his last chance at the power,” Shastri told IANS.

BJP’s veteran leaders like L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha have sidelined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they were above 75 years in age.

“But the party is certain to bank on Yeddyurappa’s popularity as a Lingayat leader for the general elections,” Shastri added.

Observing that the BJP may not tinker with its state leadership for the time being, Shastri said Yeddyurappa would continue to be the party’s chief campaigner for the Lok Sabha elections as the tallest Lingayat leader across the state.

Vamanacharya, however, contended that age was no bar for the party, as there was no other leader to rival Yeddyurappa in seniority and stature at the state level.

“Age is no bar for us as there is no competition to him (Yeddyurappa). As he has been declared a leader, creating parallels will not be a good sign of a national party,” Vamanacharya added.

The party’s hunch is that the Congress-JD-S alliance may fall apart sooner than later, giving Yeddyurappa another chance to become Chief Minister for the fourth time.

“Let the Congress and JD-S fight, then the anti-incumbency, which exists against the former will escalate, as some of its re-elected legislators will be back in power in their coalition government,” noted the spokesman.

K Chandrashekar Rao Avoid Sharing Stage with Congress In Kumarswamy Swearing- In Ceromony

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will give the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Karnataka a miss on Wednesday, choosing to meet the JD(S) leader a day before instead.

The Chief Minister’s Office has said that Rao will skip Kumaraswamy’s oath-taking ceremony because of “important engagements”. Speculation, however, is rife that he doesn’t want to share the stage with leaders of the Congress, the regional rival of his party Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Rao was the first among opposition leaders to moot the idea of a federal front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but the JD(S) decision to enter into post-poll alliance with the Congress has put the TRS chief in a spot.

Not wanting to be seen sharing the same space as Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi months before General and Assembly elections, KCR will thus skip the first big show of opposition unity, that too in a southern state.

Besides the Gandhis, Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony is likely to be attended by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu.

Kumaraswamy was among the regional leaders KCR had met to gather support for his ‘federal front’ idea and had even urged Telugu voters in Karnataka to back the JD(S).

Reacting to KCR’s move, the Telangana BJP said the ‘federal front’ idea was “nothing but parties uniting against the BJP”.

“KCR supported JD(S) and now they are going with the Congress. The JD(S) and the Congress even chose Hyderabad to shelter their MLAs in a bid to prevent poaching, with TRS support. The TRS hidden agenda is exposed. The federal front is nothing but parties uniting against the BJP. The TRS will become like the JD(S) here and help Congress,” said Telangana BJP president K Laxman.

For Chandrababu Naidu, the swearing-in ceremony is an opportunity to place itself among opposition parties, having quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) earlier this year.

SP richest regional party with over Rs 82 crore declared income

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With a declared income of Rs 82.76 crore, the Samajwadi Party is the richest of the 32 regional parties in India, a report by Association for Democratic Reforms said on Tuesday.

The SP was closely followed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with an income of Rs 72.92 crore and AIADMK with Rs 48.88 crore.

The total income of the 32 regional parties for 2016-17 fiscal was Rs 321.03 crore.

Out of these, 14 parties claimed decline in income and 13 others an increase in income.

Five regional parties did not submitted their income tax return to the Election Commission. These are Indian National Lok Dal, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, All India United Democratic Front, and Kerala Congress-Mani.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Janata Dal-Secular declared that more than 87 per cent of their total respective incomes remaining unspent, while the TDP said 67 per cent of its income remaining unspent.

The DMK declared spending Rs 81.88 crore more than its income while the Samajwadi Party and AIADMK declared spending Rs 64.34 crore and Rs 37.89 crore more than their total incomes respectively.

Apart from these 32, audit reports of 16 regional parties were unavailable. These include Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

ED seizes Dabur India director’s assets worth Rs 21 cr

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The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday seized assets worth Rs 20.87 crore belonging to the director of Dabur India Limited under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) for holding assets abroad.

The seizure order has been issued pursuant to an investigation which prima facie revealed that the company’s Director Pradip Burman had deposited $3.21 million in his account with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Zurich, according to ED officials.

Burman declared before the Income Tax Department that he had earned the amount, but had not shown it in the IT returns, filed in India for the period 2007-08.

After the investigation, the IT Department filed a prosecution complaint against him in the court of metropolitan magistrate, which is pending trial.

Modi meets Putin as India walks US-Russia tightrope

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi as part of an informal summit between the two countries.

“Russia is India’s old-time friend. We share long-standing historical ties, and Mr. President is my personal friend and a friend of India,” Modi said at the meeting, aimed at underscoring close ties.

“For the past four years, you and I stood side by side in the bilateral format and on the international stage… I am very glad that it was so,” Modi told Putin.

The Russian president reciprocated with similar sentiments, stressing the important role the two countries play in maintaining global stability.

“Last year, our trade saw a significant increase, adding another 17 percent since the beginning of this year,” Putin said.

Major international issues were the focus of the talks between the two leaders.

“The main driver of this meeting is the geopolitical environment prevailing today,” PS Raghavan, chief of India’s national security advisory board,

“The primary purpose of Modi’s Russia trip would be to discuss the evolving geopolitical situation and to understand each other’s perspective – to be able to see how we can both deal with situations in common interest,” said Raghavan, who was also a former Indian envoy to Russia.
New Delhi’s overtures towards Moscow come at a time when India is facing the heat of a US trade war through hefty import tariffs.

The aggressive new approach towards Iran adopted by the administration of US President Donald Trump is also upsetting India’s carefully laid plans in Tehran, including operations at a strategic port in which India has pledged to invest $500m.

Reinvigorating ties
Earlier this month, Modi sent his top emissaries to Russia in what analysts say are moves aimed at reinvigorating ties with a traditional ally after a brief period of coolness.

Top Indian officials were sent to Moscow ahead of Modi’s trip. This included a three-day trip by India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month.

India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale also held talks with top Russian officials, NSA Nikolai Pathrushev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on May 10.

“The Moscow-New Delhi ties were never hostage to a third country despite the perception to the contrary,” said Nitin Gokhale, a national security analyst based in New Delhi.

We would like to continue with our partnerships with both Russia and Iran. And we would like to do so by not impacting our partnership with the US
PS RAGHAVAN, CHIEF OF NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD

“What New Delhi is essentially doing is to reaffirm the long-standing robust relationship between the two and continue to support each other on crucial geopolitical matters like Iran and BRICS [an association of five emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa].”

The meetings between Indian and Russian officials are aimed at “reaffirming an old partnership” even as geopolitical realities in the region are changing again.

As the right-wing government of Prime Minister Modi pursued closer ties with Washington since it came to power in 2014, relations between India and Russia had taken a back-seat.

Trump’s America-first policy
A report in Russian business daily, Kommersant, in November last year said Moscow was miffed with India reportedly allowing US forces access to a Russian-built nuclear-powered submarine that is currently on lease to the Indian navy. The report quoted Russian officials considering these as “unfriendly acts towards Russia”.

“The last thing Moscow wants to do is to alienate India now, even though India’s participation in certain military exercises with the US was certainly received without much joy in Moscow,” Dmitry Babich, a Russian political analyst based in Moscow, told Al Jazeera.

“So, even though Moscow may have felt bitter about Modi’s rapprochement with the US, Russian officials never made any remarks that could be interpreted in India as hostile or even critical,” he said.

“Russia is seeking new partners but Russia does not want to lose old ones,” he added.

Moscow has long been the main supplier of military equipment to India, but in recent years, New Delhi has been inching towards the US and Israel for weapons supply.

But with Trump’s America-first policy – as part of which the US has slapped new trade tariffs affecting Indian and Chinese firms, New Delhi is working to improve its relations with Russia and China.

In April, Indian Defence Minister Sitharaman, in an address at a security conference in Moscow said, “Russia has re-established its role and influence in global strategic and defence matters”.

India is friends with and trades extensively with Russia and Iran that are currently facing American sanctions.

New Delhi, one of the biggest buyers of Iranian crude, will have to find measures to nullify the effect of US sanctions on Iran, which would certainly be high on the agenda of talks between Modi and Putin, experts say.

India-Russia ties
India is also battling to avoid a law the US government signed last year imposing sanctions on those who do business with Russia’s military and intelligence sectors.

The law known as the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) threatens to impinge on India’s massive defence trade with Russia.

Russian military hardware accounted for 62 percent of India’s total weapons imports during the past five years, the Stockholm Peace Research Institute said in a report this year.

India is also in talks with Russia to buy five S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, the Interfax news agency reported, a possible deal that could face rough weather under the new US sanctions.

The top adviser to the Indian government said India will defend its trade interests with both Russia and Iran.

“We have a very extensive energy and defence relationship with Russia. It’s not a tap, which you can switch off. Russia still has the lion’s share in our defence imports as compared to the US,” Raghavan told Al Jazeera.

Washington will have to take this into account, he argued.

India’s relations with the US have also been hit by trade frictions. New Delhi is still waiting for an exemption from higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports announced by the Trump administration.

The US is also imposing tougher visa rules that targets India’s information technology industry.

New Delhi-Beijing thaw
Daniel Chirot, Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington, said the Trump administration “believes it can bully other countries into acceding to its demands, even if those are often mistaken”.

“The Trump administration is oblivious to the harm it is doing to relations with friendly allies,” Chirot told Al Jazeera.

These irritants in the Indo-US relationship could fuel some rethink in Indian foreign policy, according to analysts.

Some signs of this are already visible – the trips to Russia from key Modi aides as well as an olive branch to neighbouring China.

“The New Delhi-Beijing thaw is a bilateral necessity again because of a fluid global order,” national security analyst Gokhale.

The Indian prime minister flew to China to hold informal talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month after a border standoff last year. The trip showed that Delhi has “essentially entered the shadow trade war between the US and China on China’s side”, wrote Mihir Sharma, senior fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Both these informal outreach trips of the Indian prime minister – earlier to China and now to Russia – are part of the “flurry of consultations between world leaders to discuss this geopolitical environment that exists today”, said Indian government adviser Raghavan.

“We are witness to a very acrimonious standoff between the US and Russia which has gone on to levels that didn’t prevail even during the Cold War. These anti-Russia sanctions have an extra-territorial applicability – this draws in everybody,” he said.

“There are decisions that countries take in their national interest. It is your business in protection of your national interest to see whether you can change, amend it, work around it,” he added referring to the US sanctions.

On Monday, Modi tweeted to say he was “confident” talks with Putin would boost the special ties between the two countries.

Deepening Russian and Indian economic ties stretch back to the Soviet era. Last year was witness to the biggest foreign acquisition ever in India – Russian oil major Rosneft closed their $12.9bn purchase of Indian refiner Essar Oil.

Strategically, Russia has facilitated India’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and endorsed India’s long-held demand for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Moscow is also pushing for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a club of countries controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology.

The Chief of India’s National Security Advisory Board, Raghavan, however, said India would continue to walk a tightrope between Moscow and Washington.

“We would like to continue with our partnerships with both Russia and Iran. And we would like to do so by not impacting our partnership with the US,” he said.

Aljazeera

Facing Arrest For Insulting Woman Journalist, BJP Leader Gets Relief From Court

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Actor-playwright and BJP leader Sve Shekhar Venkataraman, who forwarded a misogynistic post about woman journalists, got some relief from the Supreme Court today.

Sve Shekhar was facing arrest after his Facebook post infuriated people on social media. The post, which he later deleted, abused women journalists, saying they are illiterate, stupid and ugly, and accused them of getting ahead in their profession by granting sexual favours.

It contained equally derogatory comments about the young woman journalist who had objected after she was patted on the cheek by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit at an official programme. The woman journalist, the post said, only intended to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Governor “should wash his hands with phenyl” for touching her.

The leader’s defence – that he had forwarded the post without reading its contents – failed to placate the state’s women activists and politicians like DMK’s Kanimozhi, who demanded his immediate arrest. A case was lodged against him following a complaint by the Tamil Nadu Journalist Protection Welfare Association.

The Madras High Court, where he appealed for anticipatory bail, refused to grant it. In its order, the court said forwarding a message on social media, be it read or not, amounted to accepting and endorsing it. Justice S Ramathilagam said a post like that would “send a wrong message to the society at a time when we are talking about women empowerment” since a celebrity has a huge following.

The top court today warded off the possibility of any immediate arrest and issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu police after Sve Shekhar’s lawyer argued that his client just forwarded the message, and later deleted it and apologised.

Business man shot in Bangalore

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Armed assailants opened fire on a 62-year-old businessman on the busy Assaye Road in Pulakeshinagar on Monday. According to the police, the incident took place at 11.30 a.m.

The victim, Masood Ali, owns a furniture shop on St. Marks Road. In his statement to the police, he claimed there were four assailants. They allegedly waylaid his car and opened fire when he was driving to work. Ali tried to evade them, but sustained a bullet injury on his back. He is said to be out of danger.

Police have booked the four accused in a case of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act.

Ali told police that he neither has any enmity nor did he receive any threat in the recent past.

The police are verifying CCTV footage to identify the assailants.

An Interaction With Malyalam Superstar Dulquer Salmaan

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Dulquer Salmaan – The Most Charming And Talented Actor

The ever smiling and the ever charming Malyalam star – actor Dulquer Salmaan, who also happens to be the son of Malyalam superstar Mamooty, is currently all set to make his Bollywood debut in Karwaan with another talented actor Irrfan Khan. Now it remains to be seen how the two multitalented actor’s comic chemistry works on the celluloid silver screen. Dulquer Salmaan was also seen in the recently released Telugu – Tamil biopic Mahanati wherein he had enacted the role of the late veteran star – actor Gemini Ganesan, and which was also based on the life and times of the late legendary South Indian actress Savitri.
*You have already made a mark as a Malyalam star – actor. You also did a Tamil – Telugu bilingual namely Mahanati which was recently released and now you are all set to make your Bollywood Debut with Karwaan. Right!
*Right Sir!!! I had indeed wanted to make my Bollywood debut, but the clichéd answer was that I had been waiting anxiously for the right script which I had ultimately come across. So now I will finally be seen in debutante Akarsh Khurana’s directorial debut Karwaan which also stars the talented Bollywood nay international actor Irrfan Khan. I think Abhishek Bachchan was initially chosen for the role but he had to opt out as his dates clashed with J P Dutta’s film Paltan. And the next thing I knew was that I was approached for the comic role by Akarsh Khurana. I just liked the script and also my role in it and I instantly signed on the dotted line before giving a chance to Akarsh Khurana to have second thoughts of casting me.
*Fine! So what is your Bollywood debut movie Karwaan all about?
*Well! Kaarwaan is a light – hearted comedy, and it features me and Irrfan Khan as friends on a road trip. I am enacting the role of a Bangalore based youngster, that’s all I can reveal as of now. Mithila Palkar is also a part of the cast. Akarsh Khurana has also co – written the script with Hussain Dalal and Ronnie Screwvala is producing it under his own banner. The movie is almost finished and will be shown to the censors soon. And incidentally speaking Karwaan was shot in Mumbai, Kerala and Bengaluru.
*Your performance as the Tamil matinee idol Gemini Ganesan in Mahanati has really been appreciated a lot. What Say?
*The entire team of Mahanati knew that we were doing something important and something very special. To tell the story of this Tamil-Telugu cinema’s legendary actress Savitri was something that I had really believed in. This was a role away from my home territory in Kerala; hence it was an added challenge.
*Why do you look at Kerala as your home ground?
*Well, I’ve to agree that the demarcation lines are blurring. I won’t say there was a divide. But clearly Malayalam cinema has a narrower market than cinema in some other Indian languages. I was happy to expand into the Tamil market. And now into Telugu also with Mahanati and into Hindi as well with Karwaan.

*It seems that you really enjoyed working in the recently released Tamil – Telugu bilingual Mahanati!!!
*Actually speaking it has been my ardent desire for a long time to be a part of a period film. Amazing period is being captured in films and even in small screen serials in the West. For a long time I have desired to be a part of a period drama. But fortunately or unfortunately, in the Malayalam film industry, we don’t have huge budgets to make such period films. But Mahanati was being made on a massive scale and I was lucky to be a part of this project. It has been directed by Nag Ashwin and besides me it also starred Keerthy Suresh as Savitri, apart from Samantha Akkineni, Prakash Raj, Mohan Babu and Vijay Devarakonda, I was indeed thrilled to be working with a young team. Both the director and the producer were younger than me. It was a young team with so much of energy. I had always been against the idea of bilinguals but it made a lot of sense to make this film in 2 languages. In Mahanati I had enacted the role of Tamil star – actor Gemini Ganesan but frankly speaking I did not even look like him. I can’t, honestly, and I did not want to wear the prosthetics. My approach was simple. I just wanted to be myself in the phase of 1950’s if I was a big movie star. I never thought that I should even attempt to play Gemini Ganesan. You don’t really have any off – screen footage of him. You don’t know what kind of person he was off – screen. We only know his persona on screen and I did not want to use that to play him off – screen.
*How difficult was it to speak your own lines in Telugu?
*It was far more difficult getting the Telugu dialogues right than the Tamil ones. I have been dubbing my own lines in Tamil for some time now. In Telugu I had to practice the words, understand and absorb what I am saying and then speak them in the dubbing. I would think I got them right. But the next moment I would be told that something was not right. I would wonder what was wrong. Still I would do it again and again until it came out sounding right for the experts in the language.
*So moving on you really share a very good rapport with Rana Daggubati of “Bahubali” franchise fame. It is rumored that this was just a ploy to get a right foothold in Telugu Cinema. Would you care to elaborate!!!
*Yes I am indeed sharing a very good bonding with Rana Daggubati and it’s very natural. Believe me there is no selfish motive behind this. May be it’s my down to earth attitude and my ever smiling countenance that attracts them. But my friendship with Rana Daggubati is for keeps no matter what the rumor mills churn out. In fact I share a good camaraderie with all my male co – actors then be they from Malyalam, Telugu or Tamil film industry. And my female co – stars need not get upset as I would like to share a healthy friendship with them too, both on a personal as well as professional level.
*That apart you were also really happy doing Parava released recently. How come?

*Parava was supposed to be a real game changer. Comedian actor Soubin Shahir had made his debut as a director with Parava. Although I had an extended cameo of only 25 minutes I think it was a terrific film and I also think it was supposed to be a real game changer. It was another huge blessing that I got to be a part of this film and I thank my Allah – The Almighty daily for every chance I have been given. But I think my ardent fans did not like the movie. So it failed to make a mark on the Box Office turnstiles. No problem, I wish myself better luck next time.

*Ok! How was it working in Solo which was also released recently?

*Yes Solo has been finally released. I had great expectations from Solo too, as for me working in Solo was like working simultaneously in 8 films. Solo had been packaged with 4 stories and I had 4 different looks. Since Solo was a bilingual film in Tamil & Malayalam, it was like acting in 8 films at the same time. In O Kadhal Kanmani & Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, I had a bubbly energetic image but with Solo it changed. The film had 4 heroines including Dhanshikaa, Sruthi Hariharan, Neha and Aarthi. And though we had 4 heroines in the film, there were no ego hassles. 3 cinematographers and 11 music composers had also worked in Solo, besides our film had 15 songs.

*You have often been labeled as an arty hero. Why are you hesitant on donning the mantle of a commercial hero?

*Frankly speaking again I am more scared to attempt an out and out commercial film. As I feel it can either click all the way or go down all the way. So audiences will either like it or hate it. Besides I have always entertained the audiences with memorable content. So doing a film like Solo gives me more courage because irrespective of its Box – Office turnstiles fate, people at least appreciate the intent, its effort or just the desire to make a good cinema.

*How would you describe your filmic journey right from your debut film Second Show to your latest film Mahanati en route Solo and Parava?

*I would not like to describe my filmic journey with mind blowing adjectives suffice it to say that right from day one it was effortless and smooth sailing. No doubt I have gained a lot of enriching experience too. I also got a chance to work with the best of people. I am most happy that I ended up making a lot of good friends and I don’t think any enemies whatsoever.

*
What is the main criterion for accepting a role?
*The right set up, the right script and the right role in defining my character that is the main criteria, I have for accepting a role. It has to offer me a challenge of some kind. Otherwise there is no point in doing a role. I would be very uncomfortable doing a safe part. Besides it would make me think something is wrong.
*Why have you chosen a career path very different from your father?
*It had to be different from his. I couldn’t possibly do what he had already done. He has a larger-than-life image. It made no sense to walk in his footsteps. There is a nothing like a “born actor”. It’s all about honing the skills. Duplication never works for anybody. Why would it have worked for me? I chose my own path because that was the only way to go. At the same time I’ve to admit there was an advantage in being my father’s son. The debut film came much easier to me than it would have if I was an outsider.
*Would you like to do a film with your father Mammooty?
*The thought has crossed the minds of many filmmakers. We’ve had quite a few offers to work together. But no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The comparisons would be unacceptable to me. So unless it is something that offers a truly special challenge for us to come together it is unlikely that we will work together.
*Do you & your father discuss each other’s roles?
*I do talk to him about my work with him if I feel like. But nothing beyond the usual! We’d rather discuss other things when we are together.
*Name your 5 favorite films!!!

*I loved and enjoyed doing all the films of my career, so naming just 5 films will be an injustice to all my other films.

*Lastly name your forthcoming films?

*Oru Bhayankara Kamukam, Kerala Street and Bollywood film Kaarwan. There other films too which are still in on the floors.

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