‘Ahalya’ has understated sensuality: Radhika Apte

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July 24, 2015

As the young wife of an aging artist, Radhika Apte brought an understated sensuality to her role in Sujoy Ghosh’s latest short film “Ahalya”, which is director’s feminist take on the famous mythological story.

She liked the fact that despite being a seductress, her character had a certain innocence and simplicity.

“It was a unique character of a seductress and yet so simple. There was nothing flashy about it. It was very simple and subtle. The experimentation with the look is also like that, the way she walks and sits… I am happy it has paid off,” said Radhika.

The actress, who has been getting rave reviews from the audience and the critics for the 14-minute-long short, said it was a wish come true to work with the filmmaker and share screen space with veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee again.

“The two foremost reasons for me to do ‘Ahalya’ were Sujoy, who is a fantastic story-teller and a great filmmaker and Soumitra da, with whom I had worked previously on a Bengali film. I couldn’t believe I was getting to work with him again. I am a big fan of his work.”

For Radhika, playing Ahalya was not difficult as Sujoy helped her to get the nuances right.

“He guided me through it quite unknowingly. It did not feel like I was taking any effort to do anything. The transformation and the look also contributed a lot. Working with Soumitra da and Tota (Roy Chowdhury) added to it. Soumitra da is so charming and effortless that when you are opposite him, you immediately get relaxed. It was wonderful,” she said.

The movie, which hit the internet on Tuesday, is getting rave reviews for its modern take on the age old myth of Ahalya, the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi, was seduced by Indra and cursed by her husband for infidelity.

Radhika is now looking forward to the release of her two upcoming films, Ketan Mehta’s “Manjhi- The Mountain Man” opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Kunal Kapoor-starrer “Kaun Kitne Paani Mei”.

Effortless singing by a kid leaves Sonakshi Sinha teary eyed

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Afternoon Voice

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July 24, 2015

Sonakshi Sinha, who is currently judging the reality singing show Indian Idol Junior 2, has been enthralled by the performances of the kids on the show. The makers are celebrating Parents Day on the show and all the contestants were singing songs as a ode to their parents.

As per the sources, Sonakshi started crying almost inconsolable recently on the sets of the show. One of the top 9 contestants Nahid, performed on the song ‘Meri Maa’ from the movie Taare Zameen Par. His performance left everyone spellbound especially Sonakshi.

A source close to the show said, “Nahid’s effortless singing left everyone speechless.The one who was most affected was Sonakshi Sinha. She started weeping uncontrollably. For the longest time, she couldn’t talk. The shoot came to a halt for sometime as everyone tried to console her.”

Parent’s Day: A tribute to parents

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Afternoon Voice

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July 24, 2015

Everyone of us keep dreaming of birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special occasions. The birthday parties, graduation dinners and anniversaries are one of the special moments that we cherish and eagerly wait for. Among youngsters and children, parents also have a right to hold special occasions to cherish their children up. Just like Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday in June, Parent’s Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July, is celebrated to honour both the parents — i.e. the mother and the father. This year, Parent’s Day is being celebrated on July 26.

Parent’s Day is dedicated to parents all over the world and is an occasion to show appreciation for the commitment to strengthen the family bond and to create an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding. It is the parents’ who mould their child’s/children’s personality according to their inherit strengths, talents and bequeath to them moral values and the spirit of living life wholly. Parent’s Day acknowledges the overpowering presence of parents in the life of children.

It is a gesture of gratitude for the sacrifices, nurturing and care, emotional strength of parents, as they see their children grow up through a series of phases and beyond. Not just a provider of material needs, parents also take on more important roles of a guide and mentor which has a salutary effect on their child’s/children’s attitude and behaviour. This constant flow of positive energy from the parent to the child nourishes and strengthens the family bond and sustains for a lifetime. Parents have an imperative and indispensable role in starting a family, which brings with it a host of responsibilities and commitments.

Parents are the most important people in our lives. They bring us into this beautiful world, care for us with love and care and provide us with education so that we may grow up into responsible and level headed human beings. Nevertheless, we often fail to notice the contributions of our parents in our upbringing and take them for granted. Parent’s Day gives us the opportunity to thank our parents for everything they have done for us. If you too feel grateful for having the best parents on earth and want to let them know your heartfelt feelings, then Parent’s Day is the perfect time for you to convey your emotions. Writing a poem is a fantastic way to express your feelings to them.

I wish my parents ‘A Happy Parent’s Day’ on this joyful occasion. May the Heavenly Father guide and protect you always. I love you mama, I love you papa.

Jubel D’Cruz

Katy Perry brands Taylor Swift a hypocrite?

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Afternoon Voice

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July 24, 2015

Singer Katy Perry believes Taylor Swift “immeasurably capitalises on the take down of a woman.”

The ‘Dark Horse’ hitmaker waded into a war of words between her long-time rival and rapper Nicki Minaj over the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) nominations and in a thinly-veiled attack suggested Swift, 25, is a hypocrite, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The 30-year-old shared her thoughts on the dispute on micro-blogging site Twitter on Wednesday, writing: “Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalises on the take down of a woman…”

Shortly afterwards, Minaj, 32, favourited the tweet.

Perry later added: “The real travesty is where is the shine for #BBHMMVideo when VMA eligibility period was 7/7/14-7/1/15 & that gem dropped 7/1… @MTV (sic)”.

The brunette beauty and Swift have been embroiled in a feud, which is believed to have inspired the latter’s latest track “Bad blood,” for some time.

The spat between Swift and Minaj erupted on after the hip hop star bemoaned being nominated for just three VMAs, with her “Anaconda” video being overlooked for the top prize, Video of the Year.

“When the ‘other’ girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination,” she tweeted.

I’m less inclined towards trends, feels Sarah Jessica Parker

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Afternoon Voice

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July 24, 2015

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker says she’s become less influenced by “trends” as she’s got older, and prefers to buy timeless staple items for her wardrobe to wear over and over again.

“I tend to wear things and buy things that are for life now. I’m less inclined to be hypnotized by a trend or a ‘moment,’ but I think that’s a really important part in young women’s lives: to experience and dabble and sort of flirt with all those things because it sorts out who you are” Parker said.

The ‘Sex And The City’ actress also said that she thinks part of the reason her style has changed over the years has been because she doesn’t want to embarrass her son James, 12, or six-year-old twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, who she parents with her husband Matthew Broderick.

“I think it’s certain my style has changed. I think, first of all, your point of view changes. And probably, if you look back at choices you made five years ago, you wouldn’t necessarily regret anything — you might go, ‘I don’t know if I would wear that dress today,’ but you were probably really happy wearing it at the time,” Parker told.

“I have daughters. Is that part of my decision making? Probably not that consciously, but I would probably not go pick (them) up in something that I used to wear, just because it’s not right for me,” she added.

‘Crazy in love’ Mariah Carey dedicates ‘Hero’ to beau during Vegas show

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Afternoon Voice

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July 24, 2015

Showing her love for her new beau, Mariah Carey recently gave a shout-out to James Packer during her Vegas show.

During her performance, the 45-year-old singer told the crowd that she has “a new heart” and gave the credit to her billionaire boyfriend, reported TMZ.com.

Further, the singer dedicated her hit-song ‘ Hero’ to the love of her life.

Sources reveal that the duo reunited after spending two weeks apart and went out to a romantic dinner in Vegas where he gifted Carey 1,000 roses.

Can BEST be revived?

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Afternoon Voice

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July 23, 2015

Mumbaikars who once used to heavily rely on BEST services have switched to other modes of transport like autos, taxis, metro and monorail.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) which had hiked fares twice this year have witnessed a decline in the number of passengers. Mumbaikars who once used to heavily rely on BEST services have switched to other modes of transport like autos, taxis, metro and monorail. Due to the poor frequency of the buses very few people wait for it and instead prefer share autos for commuting short distances. Today time is more important for citizens hence they are opting for other modes of transport.

Passengers are also unhappy with hike in minimum fares of best buses as one has to shell eight rupees for travelling 2 kilometres for ordinary buses. People have started walking for shorter distances after the fare hike a distance which they normally would have covered by commuting in BEST buses. Many private taxis and drivers of private cars pick up passengers waiting at bus stops, thus denying the BEST their legitimate passengers.

The condition of the transport undertaking has become so worse that the BEST management had to appeal to passengers to rely on buses instead of autos and taxis. At some places, the BEST depo officials were making announcements to inform passengers about the arrival of the next bus. Thus the undertaking will have to rethink its strategies to win back the lost passengers.

The BEST statistics indicate that its number of daily passengers has reduced from last year’s 40 lakh to 32 lakh in February 2015, when the first fare revision came in effect. The number went further down to 30 lakh, after the second fare revision was implemented on April 1. It has failed to plug its internal leakages, which has already caused losses of around Rs 2,400 crore to the public undertaking.

BEST along with the suburban railway services are considered as Mumbai’s lifeline. It is also the pride of Mumbai for its generally well-maintained fleet of clean buses.

Transport expert Ashok Datar said, “Only BEST can’t be blamed for drop in passengers. The authorities should earmark dedicated lanes for bus so that the punctuality improves and travel becomes faster. Unfortunately, we are yielding space to cars and taxis, which will prove worse for the city.”

“I have to reach my office on time so I can’t wait for 30 minutes to board a BEST bus. They have also increased the fares which have become at par with share auto tariffs” said Ankit Srivastava a Kandivali resident.

“BEST should have thought about improving its services which has become substandard nowadays. The seats are torn and roofs of buses leak during monsoons. Why should people pay the revised fares if BEST authorities are unable to provide better passenger amenities?” Hemant Sonar a Borivali resident.

“Emotional appeals are not going to work at all. BEST administration needs to bring down the minimum fare to Rs 6 to get back passengers. Some kind of incentive should be given to the fare or passes,” said Ravi Raja, one of the longest serving members of BEST committee.

The policy followed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has been to avoid cross-subsidy of other services by earnings from the electricity sector. The BEST is a unique case where losses from the transport sector are still being cross-subsidised by profits in electricity sector.

The BEST has a fleet of about 4,700 buses of which about 3,800 non air-conditioned buses and 400 AC buses have been in service in 2011. It has now dropped to about 4,200. With the objective of cutting losses, BEST operates only about 3,600 buses daily.

Yakub Memon moves SC seeking quashing of death warrant

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Afternoon Voice

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July 23, 2015

Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, the sole death row convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking stay of execution of his death sentence scheduled for July 30.

Memon, in his petition said that all legal remedies have not been exhausted and he has also approached the Maharashtra Governor with a plea for mercy.

He had filed the mercy plea before the Governor immediately after his curative petition was dismissed by the apex court on Tuesday.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu had on July 21 rejected Memon’s plea saying that the grounds raised by him does not fall within the principles laid down by the apex court in 2002 in deciding the curative petition, the last judicial remedy available to an aggrieved person.

Memon, in his plea, had claimed he was suffering from schizophrenia since 1996 and remained behind the bars for nearly 20 years. He had sought commutation of death penalty contending that a convict cannot be awarded life term and the extreme penalty simultaneously for the same offence.

The apex court on April 9 this year had dismissed Memon’s petition seeking review of his death sentence which was upheld on March 21, 2013.

Memon’s review petition was heard by a three-judge bench in an open court in pursuance of a Constitution bench verdict that the practice of deciding review pleas in chambers be done away with, in cases where death penalty has been awarded.

The apex court, on June 2, 2014, had stayed the execution of Memon and referred his plea to a Constitution bench as to whether review petitions in death penalty cases be heard in an open court or in chambers.

Memon had sought review of the March 21, 2013 verdict of the apex court upholding his death penalty in the case relating to 13 coordinated bomb blasts in Mumbai, killing 257 persons and injuring over 700 on March 12, 1993.

Opposition stalls Legislative Council proceedings over Muslim quota issue

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Afternoon Voice

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July 23, 2015

The Opposition on Thursday stalled the Maharashtra Legislative Council proceedings, accusing the state government of not being serious about giving reservation to Muslim community even as the latter maintained that it is ‘very serious’ on the issue.

The Opposition members stormed into the Well of the House and shouted slogans against the government, following which Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar adjourned the House for half-an-hour.

NCP MLC Abdullah Khan Durrani, during the Question Hour, asked if the Chief Minister had in December last year said that the government will take the opinion of the Advocate General and provide reservation to Muslims.

“Several committees that were formed to examine the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims have said that the condition of Muslims is bad. There are other states also that have given them reservation. How serious is this government on the issue?” Durrani asked.

In response, state Minorities Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse said the government is very serious on providing reservation to the Muslim community and that it has submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating its stand on the condition of Muslims.

“We have cited the reports of committees that have examined the status of Muslims and have stated that the educational status of the community is poor. We have also stated that the representation of Muslims in government services is poor. After stating all this, we will respect the decision of the courts,” Khadse said.

Another MLC Kapil Patil questioned why the government scrapped the five per cent reservation for Muslims in education in spite of the High Court order.

In response, Khadse said all those children who had taken admissions before the Ordinance lapsed will be allowed admission in educational institutions.

NCP MLC Sunil Tatkare alleged that the government is misdirecting the people with his comments.

Khadse replied that Muslims were not given reservation in the last 65 years and today allegations are being levelled against the government.

This led to a commotion in the House with the Opposition storming into the Well of the House and shouting slogans against the government, which led to the Chairman adjourning the House for 30 minutes.

On June 25 last year, the then Congress-NCP government had approved a five per cent reservation for Muslims in jobs and government schools.

However, on November 14, 2014, the Bombay High Court had stayed the decision to provide reservation to Muslims in government service but it allowed quotas for them in educational institutions.

The state had challenged the Bombay High Court order in the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with the interim decision of the High Court but asked the Maharashtra government to go back to the High Court on the issue.

On January 5 this year, the Bombay High Court gave three weeks to the state government to file an affidavit submitting data to justify its decision on the quota.

“An ordinance to this effect (providing a five per cent quota to Muslims) lapsed on December 23 last year. Considering this fact, the concerned government resolution issued last year is being scrapped,” a Maharashtra government resolution had said on March 4, earlier this year.

BJP can’t cheat people now after promising ‘acche din’: Shiv Sena

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Afternoon Voice

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July 23, 2015

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at its ally and said that ground realities have remained unchanged despite BJP coming to power at the Centre, promising ‘Acche Din’.

“Even 50 years are not enough to clean up the mess created by the erstwhile government. But a lot has to be done in the next five years to fulfill the aspirations of people. You (the BJP) had promised ‘Acche Din’ to people and thus cannot cheat them now,” Thackeray said in an interview in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

To a question, Thackeray said that even though the governments have changed at the Centre and in the state, nothing much has changed on “ground”.

“Every morning when we open a newspaper, we keep reading the same news that once bored us…The thought which comes to our mind is that we used to read the same news before. Be it farmers’ suicide, protests of the unemployed people, crimes against women,” he said.

When asked to comment on Pakistani flags being raised in Kashmir, Thackeray said, “Haven’t seen it happen in a long time.”

Replying to another query, he questioned the change the BJP has brought after allying with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.

“What can I do? It is surprising. I do not have personal enmity with anyone but what stand did you (BJP) have on Mufti Mohammed Sayeed before (election)? How can you forget his style of politics if Kashmir progresses, it is good. But bringing in a change does not mean giving the state a big financial package. People there should be turned back towards India,” Thackeray said.

The Sena chief also reiterated his stand on freeing farmers from their debts and said they should be financially sound so that they can take new debts if they wish to, in future.