Andhra Pradesh News Archive: February 2005

CM says prudent fiscal management yielding results

Wednesday, February 23, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad , Feb. 22

PRUDENT fiscal management being put in place by the Andhra Pradesh Government is not only helping bring down revenue deficit, but was also helping better spending of available resources to people-oriented projects, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, asserted in the State Legislative Assembly today.

In a marathon over three-hour response to the Governor's address, minus the main Telugu Desam Party opposition in the House, Dr Reddy claimed that during the last 9 months of the Congress(I)-led rule, the State had not taken any overdraft.

In contrast, the erstwhile Telugu Desam Government often resorted to overdrafts, he commented.

Earlier in the morning the Speaker had suspended the TDP members, except its leader Mr Chandrababu Naidu, for stalling the proceedings. Mr Naidu also walked out in protest.

Taking potshots at the 9-year TDP rule, he said the TDP inherited a Rs 234 crore revenue surplus from the Congress(I) in 1994, but pushed the State to a staggering Rs 21,994-crore deficit. In 1996-97, the revenue deficit was Rs 3,199 crore, against loans of Rs 3,111 crores.

The Congress(I) Government has reduced the revenue deficit to Rs 1,461 crore and is committed to bring it down to 3-3.5 per cent of the gross State domestic product, as directed by the Centre, Dr Reddy asserted.

Rebutting criticism levelled by Mr Naidu that the Congress Government neither had direction nor focus, Dr Reddy said his Government had allocated major funds to irrigation, employment generating schemes, de-flouridation schemes, helping women to utilise land disbributed free, housing for poor, helping farmers etc.

The TDP was busy selling Government undertakings, especially sugar mills and lands cheaply, and did not bother about welfare schemes for people. Nine months, is a short period to judge the Government, which he claimed was moving in the right direction.

Sania vows to be in top 50 this year

Sunday, February 20, 2005 | Editor
Tennis star Sania Mirza Friday said she wanted to rise in the international hierarchy, to be in the top 50 this year.

"I want to be in the top 50 by the end of the year, and I think it's possible and achievable," she said after Sports Minister Sunil Dutt presented her two books by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru when she called on him at his office.

Dutt, who congratulated the Hyderabad Open champion for being the first Indian woman to win a WTA championship, presented her "Letters From a Father to His Daughter" and "Two Alone, Two Together", a compilation of letters between Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

Dutt said Sania, 18, who is ranked 99th by WTA, was "like my daughter" and hoped she would one day become the world No.1. Sania's family members were with her when she met Dutt.

Sania said her current priority was to nurse her injured ankle and she was looking forward to playing in more Grand Slam tournaments.

"My ankle is better now as I haven't been practising recently," said the Hyderabad sensation.

"I am going to play in Dubai and see how they hold up," she said, referring to the Dubai Open starting Feb 21.

Sania had won the Hyderabad Open playing with an injured ankle and an injured thigh for much of the event, relying on painkillers.

She said she hoped to live up to people's expectations from her.

Dutt, an actor-turned-politician, presented a copy of the popular Bollywood flick "Munnabhai M.B.B.S.," starring himself and his son Sanjay, to Sania's younger sister Anam and promised to send her an autographed copy soon.

He also presented Sania's mother a shawl and her father a bouquet.

Dutt said the recent successes of Sania and F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan augured well for the country's sport as this would give competition to cricket in terms of popularity.

"It's good in a way that people are relating to sports other than cricket as they are getting more idols from other sports," said Sania, also a cricket fan.

She said she looked forward to the upcoming Pakistan's tour of India.

[IANS]

'Sankranthi' tops Telugu hits

Saturday, February 19, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, Feb 18 : Two Tamil composers figure in this fortnight's list of Telugu hits with S.A Rajkumar's compositions in "Sankranthi" right at the top.

1. "Sankranthi": Tamil composer S.A. Rajkumar's 150th album is loaded with familiar tunes with nothing fresh. "Doli Doli" and "Andala Srimathi" stand out. Will it prove another musical hit like "Suryavamsam" and "Raja"?

2. "Nuvvu Vasthanante Ne Vadantana": Devisri Prasad has utilized this opportunity to overcome his "Shankardada" hangover. "Chandrulo Unde" and "Adire Adire" have a repeat value. The success of the film has helped audio sales.

3. "Radha Gopalam": Yet again, top composer Mani Sharma produces an uncharacteristically soft album. "Aagadalu Pagadalu" and "Maa Muddhu Radhamma" are interesting compositions.

4. "Dhairyam": Teja's discovery Anoop belts out a racy album for his mentor. Folk number "Badmasee Pori" is already a rage among the youth. Other numbers remind the listener of R.P. Patnaik.

5. "Thaka Dhimi Tha": Tamil composer Iman impresses with his debut Telugu album. "Neelo Daagina" and "Himsa" are the best of the album.

(IANS)

Prabhu Deva's Telugu film top list

Saturday, February 19, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, Feb 18 : Dancer-choreographer Prabhu Deva's debut directorial venture, "Nuvvu Vasthanante Ne Vadantana", tops Telugu films this fortnight.

1. "Nuvvu Vasthanante Ne Vadantana": Producer M.S. Raju's feel-good film has proved a smashing hit. The performance of Siddarth and Trisha, Prabu Deva's deft handling of the theme and Devisri Prasad's music have together made it a winner.

2. "Pandem": This rural love story, featuring Jagapati Babu and Kalyani, opened well but is slowly losing ground due to the contrived plot. The producer-actor duo has not been able to recreate the magic of "Kabbadi Kabbadi".

3. "Dhairyam": Director Teja's love story has registered huge opening collections. It is doubtful, however, if the success will be sustained. The theatrical second part, which contrasts with the racy first, can mar the film's chances. It will be difficult for the director to make a comeback with this routine poor-versus-rich drama.

4. "Manasumata Vinadhu": V.N. Aditya dabbles in a love theme but disappoints with a contrived plot. He holds one's interest with a racy and entertaining first part but loses his focus mid-way. Two numbers of Kalyan Mallick are hum-able.

5. "Mass-Damunte Kasko": Nagarjuna's "Mass.." has crossed the 50-day mark comfortably and is doing well in remote centres. The action-based love story may march on to complete 100 days.

(IANS)

Naxals in Bihar, Andhra on arms drive

Thursday, February 17, 2005 | Editor
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, the two most Naxal affected states in India, together account for at least 50 districts of high-intensity influence. Naxalite activity in the two states has retained a fairly uniform high over the last five years with the violence profile of the two major Naxalite outfits, People's War and Maoist Communist Centre of India, according to an intelligence report, being "primarily sustained by greater militarisation".

In Andhra Pradesh, the recent ceasefire was used by these two groups to merge into the Communist Party of India Maoist. This, according to a recent intelligence report, "is very dangerous as it would make it easy for them to identify common targets, like the police, ruling class, and minor Naxalite groups like the CPML-Liberation, besides joint movements, statements and actions, both overground and underground." The merger took place last September with the recent attack on a special police target in Karnataka being perceived as a manifestation of this unity. Six police personnel were killed in an attack 140 km from Bangalore on Friday by 150 Naxalites who had driven over in vans from Andhra Pradesh.

"In the Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh belt, the two groups that have retained their separate identifies together accounted for 90 per cent of the killings and 85 per cent of the total violence, according to intelligence information. These now operate under a full-time secretary of the "Central Military Commission" by the CPML-PW with the recent trend towards further militarisation also indicated by the "use of IEDs alongside refined field tactics like placement of Naxalite 'action teams' even in urban centres," according to the intelligence report. It has also recorded the fact that the People's War outfit has strengthened its People's Guerrilla Army and is in the process of developing "mortar and rocket launchers indigenously". The Maoist Communist Centre of India, the report states, "emphasises upgradation of military skills and conducted several military training camps in Bihar and Jharkhand".

The MCC has close links with Maoist insurgents in Nepal. But experts do not hesitate to point out that the relationship is not one of dependency as yet. There is information that on July 1, 2001 nine Naxalite organisations, from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, joined hands to form an umbrella organisation, the Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations, with the purpose of unifying the parties and the organisations. Though there are indications that the Indian Maoists have been providing training facilities and safe havens to their Nepalese counterparts, there is no evidence as yet of large-scale cooperation of the kind envisaged at the 2001 meeting. It is suspected, however, that the MCC is using the north Bihar region to get closer to the Nepal Maoists. Intelligence sources believe that the technology for the manufacture of landmines, which are increasingly being used by Naxalite groups, was given to the MCC and the PW by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. But the evidence, again, is not sufficient to firmly establish this claim.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Naxalite leadership is drawn from educated, ideologically motivated and fairly well-to-do people. For instance, "mediators" between the government and the Naxalites are a revolutionary writer, Vara Vara Rao, balladeer Gadar, civil rights activist K.G. Kannabhiran and a well-known lecturer, Dr K. Balagopal, apart from many others from similar walks of life. The Naxalite movement cuts across castes with recent years indicating a sharp increase in recruitment, particularly because of the "extreme distress" conditions operating in Andhra Pradesh. Dr Ajai Sahni of the Institute of Conflict Management pointed out that former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu did a great deal for the Naxalites as his policies helped create the conditions of "extreme distress", as evident in the largescale suicides of farmers in the state, which directly helped left-wing extremist groups consolidate and expand.

In Bihar, the Naxalite movement has been overtaken by caste considerations with most of the left-wing groups coming into direct conflict with the upper castes in the state. The "extreme distress" factor in Bihar is more amongst the tribals and the lower castes, who have been particularly responsive to the parallel administration and security provided by the Naxalites in their districts. An upper caste response in the absence of governance has been the Ranvir Sena which, according to conservative estimates, commands 16,000 licensed and unlicensed arms, including AK-47s and grenade launchers. It has claimed credit for several massacres in the state and has close links with all parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

In both Andhra Pradesh and Bihar the Naxalite groups have been effecting their own strategy of "land reforms" to expand their base amongst the poor. The caste war in Bihar has been triggered off by the Naxalites' efforts to take away land from the upper castes and the landed rich and then re-distribute it to their supporters in the districts. Ironically, Andhra Pradesh was amongst the first states to bring in radical land reforms in 1971, but the slow pace of redistribution of surplus land helped the Naxalites consolidate their hold in the rural areas. In just one week of October 2004, the Naxalites occupied 1,142 acres of land in Kurnool and Prakashan districts. They redistributed 400 acres in Kurnool, 2005 acres in Guntur, 10,000 acres in Karimnagar and 3,800 acres in Warangal districts in what is perhaps the most revealing indication of a parallel government in the state. CPI-Maoist leader Ramakrishna boasted of having "liberated" 120,000 acres of land for the poor from different land owners.

The government's response varies from Union home minister Shivraj Patil's "these are our children gone astray" to Karnataka chief minister Dharam Singh's declaration after the recent assault on his policemen: "Earlier we had sympathy and we had a dialogue. Now no more sympathy."

Muslim party refuses to condole Rao's death

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, Feb 15 : In an unprecedented move, a Muslim political party Tuesday refused to endorse a motion in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly condoling the death of former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Members of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) walked out of the house when members of all other parties were paying tributes to Rao.

Before walking out, MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the community could not forgive Narasumha Rao for his "deliberate actions" which hurt the community.

"We cannot, or even history will not, forget the demolition of the Babri mosque which was caused due to his political inaction," he said.

Rao was the prime minister when Hindu groups brought down the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh Dec 6, 1992, triggering Hindu-Muslim violence.

MIM has five members in the 294-member house.

Later, the condolence motion was adopted with members cutting across party lines paying glowing tributes to Rao, who was also the state's chief minister.

Earlier, tabling the resolution, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy described Rao as the architect of India's economic reforms.

The house was adjourned after paying tributes to Rao and TDP legislator Paritala Ravi, who was shot dead Jan 24. Members cutting across party lines condemned his murder.

--Indo-Asian News Service

Sania is world 99, aims at top 50

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, Feb 14 : Sania Mirza's epoch-making win at the WTA Hyderabad Open has propelled her to the 99th spot in the world rankings - and she now aims to climb to the top 50.

The 18-year-old Hyderabad lass, who was 134th before Hyderabad Open, has jumped 35 places, according to the latest world rankings.

Asked about her next goal, Sania, who is known for her powerful forehand, said she would like to break in top 50 by the end of current year.

Sania has had a meteoric rise from lower than 450 to the top 100 in just six months. Her historic performance at the Australian Open, when she became the first Indian to reach third round of a Grand Slam and the maiden WTA title at Hyderabad Saturday helped her to earn a huge jump in the world rankings.

"I was confident that I will break into the top 100 but did not know that it would come so soon. I knew that I will achieve this if I win the Hyderabad Open," said Sania.

It was once again a celebration time at Sania's house as her parents Imran Mirza and Naseema felt proud on hearing about the latest rankings.

This means that Sania, who was a wild card entrant at Australian Open and the WTA tournament, can now directly qualify for Grand Slam events.

She is now looking forward to the French Open. "But before that I have to play many tournaments," said Sania.

Sania, who played in the WTA with painkillers, said she would wait for her ankle injury to heal. "Then I will decide about playing in Dubai Open and other tournaments," she said.

Sania, who started playing tennis at the age of five, began her international career in 1999 at the world junior meet in Jakarta. She won Junior ITF title at Islamabad and also became number one in juniors in India the same year. In 2002 she won three ITF titles (one in Hyderabad and two in Philippines) and the next year added three more ITF titles (two in Nigeria, one in Jakarta) to her kitty.

The Busan Asian games bronze medallist created a history by winning the Wimbledon junior doubles title in 2003. The year 2004 was a milestone in her career as she won six ITF titles (two each in Britain and Nigeria, and one each in the US and Italy.

Indo-Asian News Service

Sania wins WTA Hyderabad Open

Saturday, February 12, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad girl Sania Mirza beat Ukraine's Alonya Bondarenko to win the WTA Hyderabad Open today.

In a hard fought final, she upset the ninth seed 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in straight sets in about two hours.

Sania is the first Indian woman to win a WTA tour title.

And the Hyderabad Open was the first time that Sania has beaten two sub-100 players in one tournament.

Namrata Shirodkar weds Mahesh

Friday, February 11, 2005 | Editor
Mumbai, February 11: Bollywood actress Namrata Shirodkar tied the nuptial knot with Telugu actor Mahesh Babu at a simple ceremony here, her family sources today said.

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Babu married Namrata, who has acted in several movies including Hindi blockbuster Vaastav, at J W Mariott hotel in suburban Juhu on Thursday. The marriage ceremony was attended by close friends and relatives of Shirodkar, the sources said.

Mahesh Babu is the son of Telegu actor Krishna.

Among those who attended the wedding included Namrata's sister and former actress Shilpa Shirodkar and her husband Jay.

Sania determined to thrill home fans

Thursday, February 3, 2005 | Editor

Hyderabad, Feb 3 (PTI) The sore ankle may be a cause of concern for Indian sport's new pin-up girl but Sania Mirza is determined to showcase her skills in front of home fans at the Hyderabad Open beginning next week.
The 18-year-old said she was playing in the WTA tour event, not out of any "obligation" but because it was her home event.

"Nobody has forced to me play the Hyderabad Open. I want to play because it is my home event and I want to play in front of home fans," Sania told PTI.

Sania, who became the first Indian woman to reach a grand slam third round at the Australian Open, said "the feeling had sunk in long ago" and she was back to the grind.

The 18-year old has been practising and working at the gym to get back to peak form ahead of the USD 140,000 prize money WTA Tour event starting next Monday.

Sania said the left ankle, which was injured two weeks before the Australian Open, would not hamper her performance in the Tier 4 event.

She said she was happy with such additional responsibilities and attention following her exploits Down Under.

"Really it is good for the sport in the country. People are becoming aware that there are other sports where we can excel, not just cricket. Pressure has always been there, it comes with success," the 2003 Wimbledon girls doubles winner said. PTI

Pongal releases sink!

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
A still from KadalFour major movies were released this Pongal, including one from the king of the Tamil box-office, Vijay.

However, none of the releases fared well -- not even Vijay's Thirupachi. The movie had the star treading the beaten path, and could not be a hit like Gilli even though he was paired with Trisha Krishnan in both.

The question is, was it because of the tsunami the films did not do well, or was it because the movies were bad? If the tsunami had wiped enjoyment out of the lives of the people of Tamil Nadu, how come a small film called Kadal from Shankar's production house is doing so well, that too in tsunami-affected places like Nagapattinam and Cuddalore?

Kadal, a low-budget film with a schoolgirl as its heroine and Bharath (of Boys and Chellamey fame) as the hero, not only stood up to the mega-budget Pongal releases but also toppled them in the numbers game.

Kadal was in the news recently, for the wrong reasons, when its music director Joshua Sridhar, a married man with two kids, disappeared with his girlfriend and keyboard player Natasha. Natasha's mother has lodged a complaint about her missing daughter.

Earlier, Bharath was caught copying in a university exam!
While a top hero like Vijay sticks to formula, Prashanth dares to experiment.

He had the courage to remake Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot in Tamil as Shock without any masala or songs. Though the film was not as big a success as the Hindi original, it was noticed. Now, he will star in Adaikkalam, where he has no songs and no romance.

The film is about relationships in a family of four. Prashanth's father Thyagarajan acts as his reel dad while Saranya plays his mother and Uma his sister. The other character in the film is the maternal uncle, played by Radha Ravi.

Sensational smooch

Though Hindi Bollywood heroes and heroines are now kissing on screen, the lip-lock is still a no-no in Tamil movies. The exception, of course, has been Kamal Haasan.

But the most talked-about kiss of recent times is the passionate smooch 'Jeyam' Ravi gave Telugu heroine Shriya in Mazhai, the Tamil remake of the Telugu blockbuster Varsham. Mazhai is produced by playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam.

Woman on top

A still from Azhagiya TheeyeIn Tamil movies, women directors are a rarity. Priya, who worked as an assistant to Mani Ratnam, is about to become an exception -- she is working on a love story. The producer of the film is the National Award winning actor Prakash Raj. He had earlier made a small but successful film called Azhagiya Theeye.

Prasanna, who acted in Azhagiya Theeye, plays the lead in Priya's film as well. The movie also stars Karthik Kumar, Laila and Revathy.

The movie is a triangular love story, but with P C Sreeram behind the camera, it is likely to be different. He is one cinematographer who would not accept a project unless he felt passionately about the story.

Young moms

With young and petite Nadia Moidu playing mother to 'Jeyam' Ravi in M Kumaran, s/o Mahalakshmy, the image of mothers in Tamil movies has changed drastically. The film's success and Moidu's performance have given other filmmakers the courage to look for young and glamorous ladies in their late 30s to play mothers' roles.

Now, actresses like Aishwarya (Lakhsmi's daughter), Seetha, Saranya and Nirosha are getting ready to play screen mothers to heroes like Dhanush, Bharath and Ravi, who are in their early 20s.

Tabu

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
In an industry dominated by candy-box pretty faces, National Award winning Tabu stands out as an intense and sensitive actor. Whether in Maachis or in films like Astitva and Chandni Bar, her characterisations evoke an older era of method acting, often devoid of make-up or glitzy costumes.

She is known too for her versatility, ranging from the comic Chachi 420 and Biwi No 1 to the complex Maqbool. Yet she says she remains a simple small-town girl from Hyderabad, a diehard fan of Paulo Coelho and tells Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, on NDTV 24 X 7’s Walk The Talk, that she holidays far more than she works:

• You’ve been described as the thinking man’s dream date, so...

Oh God!

• I’m very privileged to have you on the show.

You’re a thinking man.

• You’re a dream date alright. You’ll figure out what I am by the end of it, but...

I’ve already figured out. I’ve thought a lot about this interview.

• Well, I have to measure my skills with somebody like you, who can move from the funny to the very serious so easily.

Thank you so much.

• I’ve been asking people what is it that sets Tabu apart and they tell me it’s just this ability—Tabu can make you cry in one movie for two-and-a-half hours and then she can make you laugh for two-and-a-half-hours.

I wish I could make more people laugh, now looking at it, I think I’ve made too many people cry too many times. And my family at one point they were getting really fed up of seeing these films where I’m only making them cry. So really, well it’s great to know that one is able to bring some emotion to people, whether it’s laughing or crying.

• But, which are the roles that you enjoy more, the funny ones or the serious ones?

See, while doing the funny ones, the atmosphere automatically generates so much fun and laughter, the whole atmosphere catches it and then to work in an ambience like that is really, really interesting. With serious roles, I’ve enjoyed doing them also. But I’ve not been serious while doing them. Contrary to what people might think, because when I say Chandni Bar, the shooting was like a picnic and we were just laughing, people refuse to believe it, for them the whole illusion crashes when they know that Chandni Bar was shot in a light atmosphere. But it was like that.

• So when you’re making us cry, you’re actually having a good laugh at us.

No. I’m laughing at myself.

• In our cinema, particularly women are classified as serious actresses or non-serious ones, the mainstream ones and the serious ones. How do you manage to transcend both?

I’ve been very fortunate. I don’t think it’s anything that I have done, but the fact that I’ve got all these roles and they have fortunately been in all kinds of cinema and more than that, all languages, in every region. I’ve done films in all languages. And the meaningful and commercial mainstream in those languages also. Because every industry has their own segments. But for me it’s always been the same, because for me acting is acting, whether I do it in x film, y film or z film.

• But that’s a very Tabu talent again. You’ve done Telugu, Bengali, Punjabi...

Not Punjabi. Telugu.

• Biwi No 1?

Almost.

• Almost Punjabi?

Well, I’ve done five films where I’ve played a Sikh woman.

• Maachis.

And people in Punjab refuse to believe that I’m not a Sikh.

• Because you look very Sikh.

They get very upset when I tell them I’m not a Sikh, so I’m happy being that. And yeah, Marathi also...Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam.

• Did you learn this or have you just been born with this talent?

I have a flair for languages, but also having said that, I think as actors we don’t have a choice. When you’re standing there in front of the camera and you have to speak these Malayalam lines, which you know you’re just saying something which is not making sense and in the whole unit, you’re the only non-Malayali... The first few days it’s really like breaking the ice, but then once you get used to it and you get into the flow, it’s the same with all languages. I think we as actors, are a little more blessed. Because we have to do it, we do it. Like I speak fluent Telugu, but my mother and sister have also stayed there, in Hyderabad. They have not picked up even a word of Telugu.

• I see.

Yeah, and it’s the same with Marathi. I’ve picked up Marathi, they haven’t.

• I don’t know about Bengalis and Marathis, but I come from the Punjabi side of the country and people find you a natural when you speak your Punjabi.

Yeah? That’s nice. I worked with Gulzaarsaab in Maachis at a very early stage in my career so all those nuances and the way he spoke, and our whole unit was...we had a lot of Punjabis.

• I think you were a Punjabi in your last janam. You remember a line from Biwi No 1?

I can’t remember really, but there were moments in Biwi No 1 that were very funny and we all created it ourselves on the spot.

• Like what?

Like that scene where she’s being checked at the airport and she’s refusing to get—what do they call it—the detector, metal detector. She’s refusing to get that done and she says that nobody can touch me except my husband. That scene was quite funny, that’s her introduction, so it was quite an in-the-face introduction. It was funny all through. Anil was a great help. My name was very nice. And I christened her Lovely.

• Now, let’s move to the serious part. Maqbool. It’s a film that sits in your heart for a long time. And you transit from a mistress who has been taken for granted to a flirtatious manipulator to somebody who is doing something very risky knowing fully well that this will go wrong. How complex was it to handle that?

Maqbool was my most complex role. Very complicated to understand and put a finger on any one quality of Nimmi, the woman I played. Because she was so many things and yet she was so centered about what she wants, she was so right, you know, so you really wonder whether she’s wrong or right and then you feel, okay, there’s no right or wrong. So because there’s so much going on in her head, you know and as people we know she’s completely immoral, there’s nothing morally right about her.

• She’s manipulative also...

Yeah, yet there’s so much reality to her, so much truth and so much honesty that you wonder that you know...is she justified? • There’s a scene when she sees that she is being abandoned, sacrificed, and she knows it. And just the expression on your face, it’s so complex and it’s so memorable. And you wonder, it’s also intriguing, you wonder what’s going on in her mind. What was going on in your mind?

I think, like you said, she’s just helpless about her situation. She would want the situation to change in her favour and that particular shot, I know, Vishal had written from Maqbool’s perspective. That moment was his imagination and what she was going through lying on that bed, you know, according to him. So it was more his trauma about what he felt for her and it was, I remember Vishal told me that the shot, where she’s looking in the camera, it was almost like she’s looking at Maqbool and you know asking him to help, she’s pleading.

• But there was also some fear, you know like a game having gone wrong, like a move in a game having gone wrong, regret?

I don’t think there was any regret, only in the end. I see regret only in the end and that too not because she thought she was wrong, but she never, I guess, wanted to admit that she was wrong. But also there was this strange parallel in her thought process, where somewhere she knew that she was betraying so many people, so I guess it’s also very mad.

• And through the process, at least for some time, sort of enjoying doing it.

Uhh, I’m not sure whether she was enjoying it...She wanted to have power, but I don’t think that when she really got the power she would enjoy it...

• This, Maachis, Chandni Bar, how do you rank your roles?

Maachis was not complex. It was very, matlab it was a very big thing for me to do because...I was also young and it was quite, almost the beginning of my career and I had to do this role and that also in a film with Gulzaarsaab, so that was quite intimidating.

• Who I believe has been a very strong influence on you.

Yeah, he’s been a father figure. I was standing at a point where the transformation happened, you know, and just by working with people like these, I grew so much.

• I saw that film, it was great cinema, although I as a reporter had covered terrorism in Punjab and did not quite agree with the story. I thought the story was a little bit too fancy, a little bit too kind to the people behind that movement in Punjab. Did you ever think like that or were you completely divorced from the politics of the film?

I’ve never looked at my films being a vehicle of propaganda for anything.

• You were not part of any statement that was being made?

No, I was just doing the role...A film is always a director’s language.

• But have you heard this from other people? That Maachis was too kind to Punjab terrorism.

I have not had that analysis of the film, except that, I guess, when people talk to me they talk to me about my role you know in relation to the film and all that happened.

• And Chandni Bar? Was it complex?

Ummm, no. Though it looks very, very widespread, in terms of growth. She’s shown as this 19 or 20-year-old and till she’s you know some 40-something. So in that way of course the transformation had to show and we had to work, but it was more in the physical aspect, because I never saw her really evolving as a person, because I never saw her with a lot of intellect or emotional depth...She was this girl from a small place somewhere and she came into this world and she was okay with everything. There was not some great drama that she was doing.

• And in some ways you see yourself also as a small-town girl who came to big, bad Bombay.

Bad, no. Big, yeah.

• Tough Bombay.

Yeah, tough Bombay, very, very tough.

• Tell me more about what happened when you came to Bombay.

I was actually very intimidated by everything that was happening around because ek to Hyderabad is a really, really small place and that time in the ’80s, I mean, when I grew up in Hyderabad it was really, really not what it is now. It was really small. You know, a small town and simple. And suddenly that shift from Hyderabad to Bombay sometimes would feel really intimidating.

• What was the biggest surprise? The way people dressed, talked, or did business?

Business, I still don’t relate to in Bombay, because I never do business.

• No, business meaning the business of cinema.

Yeah, I’m actually still not in touch with that part. I’m more, I was more into my films and enjoying what I did. But it was yeah, very different, for me it really took a lot and it transformed me, because...I had to make that shift from this completely introverted person who couldn’t even speak proper English and you know, I went to a convent but only till the 10th standard and then I just did two years of college and in the beginning I used to feel out of place and things like that.

• And I believe in your family you were not the one who was, who it was presumed would go into cinema, it was your sister.

Never, they thought I’d be a doctor. They really had dreams to make me a doctor. And...

• If they made you a dentist, it would be the most attractive person who’d take to torture in the history of mankind.

Then I would go to the US, because they make a lot of money there. But it didn’t happen that I would become a doctor...And I’m glad I discovered cinema or cinema discovered...

• And how did this happen?

That’s a long story. You’ll run out of tape.

• That’s all right.

It happened because we kept coming to Bombay because we had family here. And Goldie uncle’s, Vijay Anand’s, wife was a friend of my mother and when I was a kid then she saw me at a kid’s party and Devsaab was doing this film where he needed someone to play his daughter. I was 11 years old. And everybody said I should go ahead and do it. And of course, my principal really, really pulled me up and my mother that I was going in and out of Bombay for shooting.

• And then there was no looking back.

No, then I went back to school, I didn’t want to do films. I went back to school, I came back, my sister had started working, because Yashji saw her screen test, which Devsaab took when he tested me, he also took my sister’s screen test because she was standing next to me and I went back to Hyderabad and Devsaab showed the test to Yashji, who was looking for a girl for Faasle. And he liked my sister and then they called us up in Hyderabad, at our neighbours’ because we didn’t have a phone. And we didn’t even know what was happening. So, bas my sister started acting and then I went back to school after Devsaab’s film.

• Was there sibling rivalry between you and your sister?

No, not at all, because I was too young and she had started working and was very successful doing these hazar films and you know being this glamour girl. And then she wanted to just stop acting, by the time I started, she quit. She got married and quit.

• Like doing one film and going back to school, you’ve this habit also, which is very unusual, of taking sabbaticals.

I holiday more than I work.

• Recovering from one now?

Yeah, actually.

• What made you take a whole year off? Nobody does it in your business. In fact, people in five years don’t admit they’ve grown, and you take a year off.

I’m always in a hurry to tell people exactly how old I am. But that’s okay. I was overworked. I’ve been working continuously for the past few years and doing all languages. And I was travelling so much so I really never ever had the time to do anything else. And when I signed Maqbool I decided that after I finish Maqbool I want to stop for some time and just start later after about a year on a clean slate. I really wanted to, you know, just go away from everything and look at it. It was really getting too much for me.

• So what did you do for that whole year?

I did nothing. I went and learnt Spanish for three months and then I travelled a lot.

• So now Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, English, Spanish...

Spanish. People thought I was doing a Spanish film, but that was not the case. I just wanted to fill my time doing something interesting. I travelled a lot.

• And what was the most interesting thing you did?

My travel. I spent a lot of time with my friends, which I never had. I did that and kind of reflected on what I want to do.

• And I believe a lot of your friends are in the south.

Yeah, actually. I go and spend a lot of time there in Hyderabad and Chennai.

• People say Tabu needs half an excuse to go to Hyderabad.

Yeah. I’m happy when I’m offered a Telugu film, because for me it means going to Hyderabad.

• Don’t you have a new boyfriend there? You can make an admission now...

No, no, no. They are all looking for a...

• ...we have plenty of tape.

Everybody’s looking for a nice Andhra boy for me there.

• Why Andhra boy?

So that I can settle there.

• The rest of the country will be heart-broken. I think anybody from anywhere would move to Andhra with you, given half a chance.

Good, we’ll have a lot of traffic in Hyderabad then, like Bombay.

• So one of the interesting things I believe you’ve been doing is reading a lot.

These days I’m off reading. I’m not able to even finish half a book. I’m in the off-reading phase. It’ll come back.

• So what did you read through the year?

I really didn’t. I just read half-half of book. I couldn’t complete books. I started Namesake, I’ve read it half. Nothing I was able to finish, Life of Pi, or whatever.

• I came to see you in your apartment. I thought you were a Paulo Coelho fan.

I am. The Alchemist has been greatly a source of inspiration for me in many ways. And a few lines from there...

• How many times have you read it?

I’ve read it like twice but I’d like to go back to reading it. Because at every stage in life it has a new meaning for you.

• Like Sholay, you see it once, you see it ten times after that.

Yeah, really.

• So, you remember a line from The Alchemist that stays with you?

Yeah. ‘When you really, when you want something, the entire universe conspires to give it to you.’ Something to that effect, so...

• That’s an optimistic line.

Yeah, really, so it gives you a lead to start wanting.

• Hmmm. A Hindi film star who reads Paulo Coelho?

A lot of people read Paulo Coelho, I’m not the only one. He’s very popular.

• In your business, I don’t know how many people read anything. But tell me, you’ve been described as the thinking man’s dream date, who is your dream date?

My dream date, I don’t know actually. I’d like to meet Nicolas Cage and spend some time with him. Closer home, I can’t see. There’s a lot of blur which is happening. I can’t see clearly closer home.

• Is this a part of your personality, this on-again, off-again, switch-on, switch-off, like in a cricket match you know when a day’s play ends, batsman goes, not out. Comes back the next morning, it’s a new innings. It’s the same innings, it feels like a new innings.

Yeah, for me every day really, really feels different. I feel different every day. I look different every day. I remember, when I was doing my first Telugu film...

• Better?

I don’t know about that, but different. My continuity is always something else when I come back the next day. But, yeah, there is a lot of on and off with me. But it’s been like that.

• No, but it’s getting better not just in terms of looks but also in terms of the kind of work you are doing and you are really emerging as a completely unlikely character in Hindi cinema.

Fortunately, I’ve got roles which really have put me on that path. Without those films and those roles, I really couldn’t have done much.

• But you know, as I said, my favourite is still Biwi No 1. Will you now tell me that one line? What was the line, when she gets really angry with the security person at the airport...

She tells him Hum kya aapko aatankvadi nazar aata hai jo aap hamara checking kar raha hen? (Do I look like a terrorist that you are checking me?)

Devisri Prasad holds two top music slots

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
[India News]: Hyderabad, Feb 1 : It is Devisri Prasad's fortnight. The talented music director has managed not one, but two albums, in the current top Telugu charts.

1. "Nuv Vasthanante Ne Vadantana": Devisri Prasad has finally come out of his "Shankar Dada" hangover, and come up with a soft and peppy album. The theme provided him scope to experiment and he does it well. "Chandrulo Unde Kundelu" is soothing to the ears, while "Ghal Ghal" is a nice foot-tapping number. Carry on the good work Devi!

2. "Sankranthi": Tamil composer S.A. Rajkumar makes a strong comeback with a credible album. "Chilaka" and "Doli Doli" have been received well. Despite rehashing old Tamil hits, he manages a decent album.

3. "Baalu": Mani Sharma, despite losing his place to Devisri Prasad, can still boast of a noteworthy, new album. "Inthe Inthe" is the chartbuster while Chitra's rendition takes "Lokale Gelava" to a different plane.

4. "Dhairyam": Hotshot Teja extracts the best from young composer Anup. "Beebesi Badmashi Pori" and "Ela Telupanu" are already a rage. Teja, who has given us musical hits like "Nuvve Nenu" and "Jayam", seems to have a winner on hand.

5. "Mass": Devisri Prasad rehashes himself, but succeeds because of the film's success. The big promotion by Nagarjuna also appears to have helped. "Kotu Kotu" and "Anna Adichosthe Mass" have become huge hits.

Indo-Asian News Service

Prabhu Deva film tops Telugu releases

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 | Editor
Prabhu Deva film tops Telugu releases:

[Cinema, South India]: Hyderabad, Feb 1 : Ace choreographer Prabhu Deva's debut directorial venture tops the list of Telugu films this week and establishes him as a director to be reckoned with.

1. "Nuv Vasthanante Ne Vadantana": Producer M.S. Raju's latest love story, directed by Prabhu Deva, is registering record collections. The film, starring Siddharth and Trisha, has Deva making a mark as a promising director. Trisha gives one of her best performances as a girl caught between her loving brother and lover.

2. "Mass-Damunte Kasko": Nagarjuna's action flick holds on, despite new releases, after registering terrific openings. The oomph of Charmi and Jyothika is drawing crowds.

3. "Baalu": Pavan Kalyan has salvaged his career with a moderate hit after two colossal flops. His daredevil action and Mani Sharma's music are the USPs of the film.
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4. "Dhana-51": After twin hits, many put their money on Sumanth scoring a hat-trick but the chances are looking bleak. The film stands third among releases this Sankranthi festival. The routine tale of a reformed social deviant lacks the steam for a long run.

5. "'Naa Alludu": NTR Junior's overconfidence has not helped, as the film lost its sheen from the second day itself, putting the buyers in the red. Debutant maker Vara's poor narrative skills mar the show and lewd dialogues further spoiled its chances. Even the skin show of Shreya, Genelia and Ramya has not drawn the crowds.

Indo-Asian News Service

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