Actress #Angelina Jolie says it was initially quite awkward filming sex scenes with her husband Brad Pitt for their new movie ‘By The Sea’.
The two, who tied the knot last year, are currently directing and starring as a married couple in their new movie ‘By The Sea,’ and the 40-year-old actress has admitted it’s been difficult filming themselves getting intimate on screen, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
“It’s the strangest thing in the world to be lying naked in a bathtub with an iPad that’s showing you the shot outside, while your husband is at the door and you’re directing him to come in and make love to you in front of a bunch of other men with cameras,” she told Entertainment Weekly magazine.
And it wasn’t just Jolie who was struggling to get frisky in front of a crowd of cameramen as 51-year-old Brad’s protective instincts kicked in and he refused to let anyone see his spouse parading around without her clothes on.
“I couldn’t get out of the bathtub to get to the monitor because the director is naked. We’re artists and want to be free, but Brad – it’s his wife. He was on towel duty. He’d hold the towel over me,” she said.
Children’s Day is celebrated in India every year with great enthusiasm on the 14th of November. It is celebrated by the teachers and students in the schools and colleges with great passion and excitement. It is celebrated worldwide on November 20 every year. The date was chosen to celebrate childhood. Prior to 1959, Children’s Day was universally celebrated in the month of October. The date, November 20, was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the day in 1959 when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
Children’s Day was observed on November 20 In India too. But after the demise of our beloved Prime Minister, Shri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, it has been changed to November 14, the date which marks his birth anniversary. Nehru’s birthday was chosen because of his love for children, and the passion he had for their welfare. Children’s Day celebration is the tribute to childhood. John F. Kennedy, United States’ 35th President has quoted it rightly by saying, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”
Children are totally dependent on their guardians to provide for them in all areas possible and when this is not done they grow up believing that the world is a cruel place where no one cares for them and human beings should not be trusted. How many of us would take an abandoned child and care for him her as our own? Would we make the necessary sacrifices to ensure that they feel loved and protected? In India, November 14 is marked with a lot of activities for children. Schools organize events and activities which the students thoroughly enjoy. #Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru loved children. He wanted to be among them, talk and play with them. The children also loved and respected him. Nehru was born in Allahabad on November 14, 1889. His father, Motilal Nehru was a great political leader. Nehru was brought up by his parents like a prince. At the age of 14, he went to England for pursuing further education.
After completing his education when Nehru came back to India in 1912, he began to take a keen interest in politics. He followed Mahatma Gandhi’s footsteps and joined his Non-cooperation Movement. He was elected President of the Congress five times and it was under his president ship in 1929 at the Lahore session that the Congress adopted the attainment of total independence as its goal. During India’s freedom struggle, he was arrested on several occasions. On August 14, 1947 when the British transferred power to India, Nehru became the Prime Minister of India. People loved to listen to his speeches. They honoured him and rallied round him. He was very fond of the children despite of his hectic life as Indian Prime Minister. He loved to stay and play with children. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was not only a powerful speaker but also a renowned writer. He never cared for his own comforts. He struggled for peace. Nehru passed away on May 27, 1964. The entire nation mourned his death because the people loved him.
I was in Delhi recently for an event and again had the privilege to meet n dine with my favourite #Dr Sonal Mansingh. She is a bundle of energy and in her enthusiastic self she agreed to take me out and show me the dance scene in Delhi. That was an evening to remember for a classical dance lover like me. Sonal Mansingh took me to the famous Kamani auditorium and that is where I experience the charisma and beauty of one of India’s best known Kuchipudi exponent Padma Bhushan Swapnasundari.
She was performing Vilasini Natyam, a form that she has been extensively researching on. She is a true example of how a dancer is not only about making the pretty moves and wonderful expressions, but a dancer is one who brings the age old culture and heritage to society, dancers are the ones who keep the traditions alive, a dancer is an activist, a dancer is a teacher, a dancer is a medium through whom stories are told and ethnicity is maintained.
Swapnasundari’s performance was true to her name, she was magnificently gorgeous, with impeccable technique and a personality that will make you want to see and learn more from her. No wonder that she has written many books on dance and has won numerous awards in her career. After the show I got talking to her and here are a few thoughts the Padma awardee shared with me:
You have learnt two forms Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam, why these forms in specific? Why not other classical forms? What interests you the most about them that you took to them?
I started learning dance when I was 5 years of age and did not know the distinction between these dance-forms or for that matter, any other dance-forms. I loved to dance, Period. For a Chennai-based family like mine, Bharata Natyam lessons for this child must have been a natural choice. My entry into Kuchipudi was spurred by my father’s intense love for Telugu culture, from which he never de-linked, though he had moved out of Andhra when he was himself very young!
Kuchipudi has not gained as much recognition as #Kathak or $Bharatnatyam, as a guru and epitome of #Kuchipudi what are your efforts to further popularize the form?
I disagree. Kuchipudi is as well-known today as any other classical dance-style, especially in India. By “recognition”, if you are referring to the number of schools which teach this style, it should be remembered that the “anointment” of Kuchipudi as a “classical” dance-form happened many years after such a status had been accorded to Bharatnatyam and Kathak. Despite this, Kuchipudi rose rapidly to prominence and that has more than made up for lost time. Today there are many flourishing Kuchipudi schools, especially in Andhra Pradesh. Senior exponents like me have done our bit to bring Kuchipudi to this level. Speaking for myself, I have developed a strong Kuchipudi technique and performance-format which I teach to those interested in my expression of Kuchipudi. I hope the next generation builds on the foundation thus provided. Now I am doing similar work for the other classical dance-style of the Telugu people, which is Vilasini Natyam.
Today’s generation just wants to dance and learn more steps after steps somewhere the history, origin and technique is forgotten. Your book ‘World on Koochipoodi Dance’ was well received and so was your album ‘Janmabhoomi Meri Pyaari’. What advice you have for the young generation?
I identify well with young people primarily because I appreciate and also share their spirit of healthy curiosity. But such curiosity should not be just cursory. It should lead young people towards greater understanding and knowledge. Most youngsters, including aspiring dancers look for logic and substance behind an idea or theory that is presented. Instead of relying on information floating on Internet, they would benefit more if they took to reading seriously, especially on matters that interest them. Just as an example, young dancers may gain some insights by reading my second book “Vilasini Natyam -Bharatam of Telugu temple and court dancers”. This book not only details the dance-history of Telugu people but clearly establishes the distinct place and identity of the Telugu Devadasi dance-form Vilasini Natyam, which has no relationship with the dance-drama derived form that we now recognize as Kuchipudi. Many consider this book as being better than my earlier one on Koochipoodi.
What is next for you after the wonderful performance of Vilasini Natyam?
I haven’t thought of that yet! Vilasini Natyam continues to enrich me artistically. Intense involvement with this style has given me great personal satisfaction. Audiences across India now appreciate and respect the very same performing-tradition which they had previously forgotten. The students whom I have trained also get invited to give solo Vilasini Natyam concerts at important dance festivals. We have recently developed a successful performance-package showcasing temple-rituals of Vilasini Natyam through group-choreography.
You have won so many awards for your wonderful work? How does it make you feel winning such appreciation?
All awards and titles are like a pat on the back for good work done so far. But they also bring more responsibility. Audiences including a whole generation of young dancers expect more from a celebrated and feted dancer. One has to live up to these expectations.
Bollywood stars take Kathak and Bharatnayam classes often, you think lessons in Kuchipudi can improve them in film performance too?
Kuchipudi is very different from these two styles. But I would definitely say that, if intelligently employed by the actor, Vilasini Natyam can be far more effective on camera than even Kuchipudi.
Apart from a wonderful performer you are known for your creativity, imagination and execution of dance, if you get a chance would you choreograph a Bollywood film?
Why not? I am a classicist by training but I am not afraid to venture into new areas. Choreographing for a film would be one such area. There is some wonderful dancing talent amongst today’s young crop of actors. It would be great to work with such talent.
Beautiful legend Sonal Mansingh and my gorgeous dance partner Jesse Randhawa sitting besides me and another performing on stage, it was a wonderful evening in Delhi indeed. Meeting and experiencing a master like Swanasundari, was surely a delight, I am back home to Mumbai but can still remember her mesmerizing expressions that left me spellbound.
Supriya Pathak says she was not willing to let Sanah Kapoor choose acting as her profession. She may be proud of her daughter Sanah for making a confident debut with “Shaandaar”, but actress #Supriya Pathak says she was not willing to let Sanah choose acting as her profession.
“I didn’t want Sanah to be an actress. I was very concerned. I think the only thing wrong about our profession is the frustration you go through, when you don’t have work, when you are going up or down. All the time the stress is there. I am sure it is there in other professions as well, but I know better about my profession,” said Supriya.
However, Supriya got convinced when Sanah reasoned her saying stress comes with each and every profession. “She was just five when she told me about her desire to become an actress. I was shocked. But, she eventually put it very nicely and said ‘Mom even if I become a doctor I will be going through the same thing. So, why not do what I love doing.’ I realised that if she wants to do it let her do it.” Surpiya feels she and her actor husband Pankaj Kapur have given their daughter the perfect upbringing and are confident that she can take care of herself. “Me and Pankaj have given her the grounding. We know she can be by herself. She is very hardworking girl, because that has been inculcated into her through her father. She is a very strong person and her values are correct,” she said.
Kalki Koechlin thinks the future of small films is great in the country as big producers are ready to pump in money.
“It is great. There is audience for small… alternate cinema. Today there are big studios… producers willing to invest in small films. Things are changing slowly. The time is great for small independent films as these films are getting attention provided the content is good,” #Kalki said.
She is now happy balancing doing both commercial and independent small #films.
“I am happy, I don’t get as many commercial films as independent small films. But I am happy I get to do both commercial and independent small films. Both the kind of films help me explore myself as an actor,” she said.
This is not the first time Shah Rukh was questioned by the ED regarding financial violation.
Diwali turned out to be a dampener for Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as the Enforcement Directorate questioned him in the matter pertaining to the alleged irregularities in the sale of share of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd (KRSPL) to a Mauritius-based company. He was questioned for more than three hours.
“We recorded Khan’s statement in connection with the violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act,” ED sources here said.
The case, dating back to 2008-09, pertains to the share sale of KRSPL, owned by Khan’s Red Chillies along with Juhi Chawla and her husband, to a Mauritius-based company owned by Chawla’s husband Jay Mehta. This is not the first time the actor was questioned by the ED regarding financial violation.
The share transfer which is referred to here had happened in 2008-09, and probing has been taking place since 2010 under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
According to sources, however, Shah Rukh Khan has denied any irregularities from his side.
ED is probing allegations that shares sold to the Jay Mehta-owned Sea Island Investments were undervalued by eight to nine times.
Khan had faced ED once in 2011 when he was questioned about alleged foreign exchange violation of around Rs 100 crore.
At the time of incorporation in 2008, Red Chillies had 9,900 shares of KRSPL. The valuation report, made by ED’s external agency last year, said that when the equity shares of KRSPL were issued to Sea Island Investments, the fair value per equity share of KRSPL should have been between Rs 70-86. However, the shares were issued at a value of Rs 10 each.
According to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), the price of shares issued to persons residing outside India should not be lower than the price worked out under the guidelines set by stock market regulator SEBI in case of a listed company, or on the basis of fair valuation of shares by a chartered accountant as per guidelines of the erstwhile Controller of Capital Issues (CCI).
Officials said that Khan cooperated with them and has provided them with some documents related to the transfer of shares.
The Central Bureau of Investigation said in the Supreme Court that it wants to interrogate former telecom minister, Dayanidhi Maran in custody in connection with the telephone exchange scam. The CBI in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court said that Maran was not cooperating with the investigation and hence his custodial interrogation is needed. The Supreme Court asked Mr. Maran to file his reply to the CBI affidavit and adjourned the case to November 27. This would mean that Maran cannot be arrested until November 27th when the Supreme Court will hear his case. The top court had earlier stayed the Madras High Court order cancelling Mr. Maran’s anticipatory bail. The CBI in its affidavit said that the custodial examination of Maran is needed to ascertain the actual usage of these lines for the benefit of SUN TV which is in his exclusive knowledge.
There is clear wedge being driven in between Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) through the Maran brothers’ issue. Essentially, it’s the clause of 3.2.1 and 3.8 which is the base of the Maran and MHA conflict. Of course, I&B Ministry is soft on the Marans. Also not known to anybody in the Indian media, in February 2009 four employees of Sun TV were arrested in Sri Lanka for Pro-LTTE activities. Maran is trying to use 3.2.1 to continue the bid for FM stations and MHA is firm on 3.8 which restricts them on account of investigations.
There is evidence of forging/tampering and manipulation of records and custodial interrogation is necessary to ascertain the modus operandi of the usage of the illegal telephone exchange, to ascertain the actual usage and consequential loss to the public exchequer, the affidavit also stated.
The DMK leader has been accused by the CBI of misusing his office to illicitly construct an underground telecom exchange at his Chennai residence. The agency claims that hundreds of cables capable of transmitting large volumes of data were used by Mr Maran to benefit Sun TV, a broadcaster group owned by his brother, media mogul Kalanithi Maran. Last month, the former minister was interrogated extensively in Delhi by the CBI. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The CBI has alleged that Maran had 764 telephone lines under the service category which were being used to benefit the Sun TV network owned by his brother. The CBI had moved the Supreme Court after Maran had filed an anticipatory bail application.
Maran brothers are facing a CBI probe over alleged allotment of 300 high-speed BSNL telephone lines to the residence of former Communications and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran in Chennai which were extended to his brother Kalanithi’s channel Sun TV. The Aircel-Maxis deal also came under the scanner after Aircel owner C. Sivasankaran lodged a complaint with the CBI in April-May 2011 alleging that he was forced to sell his stake to Maxis.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has declined to grant security clearance to the group to further its television and radio businesses in India. In a similar manner, Sri Lanka has blacklisted Sun TV and its employees from reporting on Sri Lanka as it is seen as an LTTE sympathizer.
Mr. Maran has been charged with corruption in another case linked to his term as Telecom Minister – he has been accused of refusing crucial clearances to Aircel, a telecom company, till the owner agreed to sell the firm to a Malaysia-based entrepreneur who allegedly made a large investment in the Sun group in exchange.
On February 1st, 2009, four employees of Sun TV network were arrested by the Sri Lankan army for anti-government propaganda and Pro-LTTE decimation of news. Investigations revealed that Sun TV also operated without a valid license in Sri Lanka. The employees were handed over to the Vavuynia Police.
There are various things to be considered while giving contracts to firm:
First of all, tenders are issued by the ministry for any work.
The tender process is a composite process having various stages, you cannot go to the next stage without clearing the earlier stage. The process of elimination of persons held to be unfit is in two stages. In the first stage those applicants which are controlled by persons who are convicted of specified offenses are eliminated from the very beginning, one such offense is money laundering, it means that he who is convicted is barred from participating in the tender process itself. In the present case this clause is not applicable and because of that respondents were allowed to go to the next stage, this is in 3.2.1 of Notice Inviting Application (NIA).
Kalanidhi Maran is the Director as well as the owner of 75 per cent shares of applicant company and therefore he needs to be go through security clearance, besides, he is the key executive taking all important decisions on behalf of the applicant company, hence he has to clear the security. The Kalanithi Maran owned Sun Television Network is under watchful of eye of the Central Intelligence Agencies not only in India but also in Sri Lanka.
AAP leader Mayank Gandhi, who has had a fallout with Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday resigned from its National Executive citing “losing interest” in politics, a month after the party’s Maharashtra unit was dissolved.
The Maharashtra unit of AAP was disbanded following its “reluctance” to act against Gandhi, the organisation’s best known face in Maharashtra, who had said that Kejriwal is “hell bent on destroying” the organisation.
Through an open letter published in his blog, that he addressed to “Arvind and my other friends”, Gandhi said that he has been “losing interest in politics for some time”.
“I think that it is unfair to continue to be a member of NE (national executive) with this mindset. You are requested to please accept my resignation from the NE with immediate effect. Hope that you will find some capable representatives from Maharashtra,” he said.
Gandhi had taken on Kejriwal through his blogs when the Delhi Chief Minister was locked in a bitter feud with now expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.
However, in his parting note, Gandhi steered clear of any attack on Kejriwal or on any other member of the top leadership and sought to remind Kejriwal that the country “has a lot of hopes from you”.
“It has been a wonderful experience working with many of you since January 2011 and being part of the change in this country. I pray and hope that this transformation continue and accelerate in the coming months and years and lead to a resurgent India,” he said.
As underworld don Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan cools his heels in CBI custody, details of his alleged involvement in over 85 cases registered in different states are yet to be provided to the central agency. While Rajan was involved in over 85 criminal cases of murder, extortion, smuggling and drug trafficking in Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat – including 69 cases in Maharashtra alone – the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has only a fake passport case on the basis of which he has been put in CBI custody.
The central agency booked Rajan on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, impersonation and forgery under the Passport Act and Prevention of Corruption Act. He is at present in a 10-day CBI custody. Mumbai police faced acute embarrassment on November 5 when the Maharashtra government officially declared to hand over all its cases against Rajan to the CBI.
“Our officials are in constant touch with the top brass of Mumbai police and other states’ police officials regarding cases against Rajan. But we are yet to get any document to investigate all cases against him,” a CBI source said. “Now, our officials are investigating only the case in which Rajan has been booked by us,” said the source.
Officials said they were still awaiting the documents pertaining to the home ministry and department of personnel and training orders on probe into all cases against the don. On the other hand, Mumbai police said the decision to transfer cases to the CBI had brought all their efforts to a nought.
“We had begun to look for case papers and even witnesses in old cases since cases registered between 1980-90 are difficult to locate; but with the government’s decision to transfer the cases to the CBI, all those efforts have gone in vain,” a Mumbai police official said. Chhota Rajan, 55, was deported to New Delhi on November 6, after his arrest in Bali on October 25.
Sources said Rajan got an Indian passport (No. G9273860) made in the name of one Mohan Kumar, resident of 107/B, Old M.C. Road, Azad Nagar, Mandya in Karnataka. The passport was made in Harare in Zimbabwe on September 22, 2003. The CBI is now probing this case.
The CBI registered the case against Rajan on October 31, before its team proceeded to Bali in Indonesia to get him deported to India.
Actress #Angelina Jolie says it was initially quite awkward filming sex scenes with her husband Brad Pitt for their new movie ‘By The Sea’.
Singer #Britney Spears took a dance class with children aged eight to 18, and taught them how to groove to Pharrell Williams’s hit song “Happy”.
Supriya Pathak says she was not willing to let Sanah Kapoor choose acting as her profession. She may be proud of her daughter Sanah for making a confident debut with “Shaandaar”, but actress #Supriya Pathak says she was not willing to let Sanah choose acting as her profession.
Kalki Koechlin thinks the future of small films is great in the country as big producers are ready to pump in money.
Diwali turned out to be a dampener for Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as the Enforcement Directorate questioned him in the matter pertaining to the alleged irregularities in the sale of share of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd (KRSPL) to a Mauritius-based company. He was questioned for more than three hours.
AAP leader Mayank Gandhi, who has had a fallout with Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday resigned from its National Executive citing “losing interest” in politics, a month after the party’s Maharashtra unit was dissolved.
As underworld don Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan cools his heels in CBI custody, details of his alleged involvement in over 85 cases registered in different states are yet to be provided to the central agency. While Rajan was involved in over 85 criminal cases of murder, extortion, smuggling and drug trafficking in Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat – including 69 cases in Maharashtra alone – the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has only a fake passport case on the basis of which he has been put in CBI custody.