AUSSIES DOWN UNDER

SA Inflict First Home Series Loss On World Champions After 16 Years

Australia have lost a Test series at home for the first time since 1992-93, following South Africa’s ninewicket victory in the second Test at the MCG on Tuesday.
Captain Graeme Smith typically led the way with 75 as South Africa claimed their first Test-series win on Australian soil.
According to The Age, the South Africans can snatch the top ranking from Ricky Ponting’s side if they sweep the series 3-0 with victory at the Sydney Test that gets off on Saturday.
Set 183 to win and resuming at 30 for no loss, the Proteas reached their target one wicket down, 55 minutes after lunch on day five to claim a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Smith hit 10 fours from 94 balls and was out leg before wicket to off-spinner Nathan Hauritz shortly before lunch after an opening stand of 121 with Neil McKenzie.
McKenzie was 59 not out, with Hashim Amla who made an unbeaten 30.
Pacer Brett Lee, who has been ordered to rest for six weeks after this match because of a stress reaction in his left foot, bravely opened the bowling for Australia and took 0-49 from 10 overs. Lee left the field half an hour before the game ended.
Australia’s woes deepened on Tuesday with the news that 12th man Shane Watson will be unable to bowl for six months because of stress fractures in his back.
The Queenslander’s latest injury complicates Australia’s selection for Saturday’s third Test in Sydney.
Watson had been touted as a replacement all-rounder for the struggling Andrew Symonds, who is also battling knee soreness.
Ponting, whose captaincy tactics have been questioned during the second Test, produced a fine double of 101 and 99 with the bat for Australia.
South Africa paceman Dale Steyn took match figures of 10-154. Steyn, who has claimed 74 wickets this year, took four of the first five wickets to fall on Monday.
They included out-of-form pair Matthew Hayden (23) and Symonds (0). The 102-Test career of Hayden, 37, appears almost over.

Paiyya goes on floors

The shoot of Paiyya, which is being directed by Lingusamy, has started rolling in Bangalore. A song tuned by Yuvan Shankar Raja, featuring the lead pair of Karthi and Tamannaah dancing in the rain, against the backdrop of an antique car, was shot in the first schedule. Says Lingusamy, “It is a breezy, action-oriented love story, set against a city background. Milind Soman and Telugu actress Sonia Deepthi are playing supporting roles, and camera is handled by Madhi.” Lingusamy also made it clear that he has no ill feelings towards Nayanthara, who walked out of the film over payment issues.
Adds Lingusamy, “I don’t have any ill feelings towards Nayanthara. She is my favourite actress. I like her style, looks and attitude. I really enjoyed her performance in Yaaradi Nee Mohini.” Let us hope that they bury their differences and work together in the future.

Amrita’s midnight prayer

Amrita Rao doesn’t let her celeb status keep her from doing what she wants to and that includes sneaking off late at night with her group of friends. Because that’s what the actress did when she wanted to attend the midnight mass at Mount Mary’s Church on Christmas eve. A source revealed, “Amrita is a firm believer in Mother Mary. And this time it was more special for her, since like every Mumbaiite, she has been extremely upset with the recent terror attacks and wanted to pray for peace not only for herself, but also her city.” So, she and a couple of her friends attended the midnight mass, covering their heads in scarves. “By the time the mass ended and people started recognising her, she’d quietly left,” the source added. Well, here’s hoping that Amrita’s prayers are answered soon.

Looking back

As the curtain comes down on 2008, it’s time to take a look at incidents that triggered debates and generated interest in Kollywood. From movies that made it big to people who parted ways with their friends, CT attempts to recapture all the major events that made headlines this year

H I T S

• Dasavatharam — The highest grossing film of the year (superhit)

• Subramaniapuram —The best return on investment (blockbuster)

• Yaaradi Nee Mohini(superhit)

• Kadhalil Vizhunthen (superhit)

• Santosh Subramaniyam (hit) D U D S

• Kuselan

• Sathyam

• Indralokathil Na Azhagappan

• Bheema

• Seval CALLER TUNES

• Kangal Irandal… from Subramaniapuram

• Thozhiya En Kadhaliya… from Kadhalil Vizhunthen

• Anbae, Anbae… from Dhaam Dhoom

• Taxi, Taxi… from Sakkarakatti

• Mukunda Mukunda…from Dasavatharam
WE LOST…
Sujatha Rangarajan — Noted writer who brushed up the script of directors like Shankar. He passed away on Feb 27.
Raghuvaran — Leading actor who excelled in character roles after starting out as a villain. He‘s acted in over 150 movies in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He passed away on March 19.
Kunal — A Hindi actor who made his entry into Tamil films as a romantic hero before managing a few films. He allegedly committed suicide on Feb 7.
Poornam Viswanathan — He was a theatre personality who strayed into films and did many unforgetable characters on screen. He died on Oct 1.
CV Sridhar — A trendsetting director and scriptwriter of Tamil cinema of the 60s and 70s. He died on Oct 20.
MN Nambiar—He was the euphemism for villainy on screen during the MGR era. Nambiar’s acted in over 1000 films in all south Indian languages and was a versatile actor. He died on November 19. PATCH-UP OF THE YEAR
Simbu and Nayanthara accidentally land up on the same stage during the Nadigar
Sangam’s Unnavrutham over the Hogenakkal issue. As television cameras focus on them, they are forced to exchange pleasantries, leading to a thaw in their relationship.
SPLITSVILLE ’08
Actress Meera Vasudev split with her husband, actor and producer Vishal Aggarwal. Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja divorced his wife Sujaya.
FRIENDSHIP GONE AWRY
Trisha and Nayanthara, the best of friends, have an ugly spat over the ‘Numero Uno' position and turn bitter. They look through each other at an awards function. Mutual associates like Ramya Krishnan and her sister Vinny try for a patch-up, but fail. ARRESTS AND ATTACKS

• Actress Flora, the item number specialist, is arrested for sending illegal immigrants to the US. She is later released.

• Director Murgadoss is arrested and subsequently released in connection with a copyright infringement case filed by Tamil Ghajini producer Salem Chandrasekhar.

• Comedian Vadivel’s house in Virgumbakkam is attacked by persons, alleged to be supporters of actor-turnedpolitician Vijaykanth, for making disparaging remarks against the star.

Subramaniapuram

Bheema

Sakkarakatti

Trisha

BREAK-UPS

Music Director Harris Jayaraj sends an e-mail to the media, announcing he’s parting ways with director Gautham Vasudev Menon on the release day of
Vaaranam Aayiram.

Harris and Gautham aren’t the only ones to part. Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja and director Selvaraghavan too have a face-off and wash their dirty linen through various media interviews to seal their parting.

Sujatha

Raghuvaran

Kunal

M N Nambiar

Can dolphins survive the winter in US rivers?

A group of bottlenose dolphins have been confounding humans since they took up residence in two rivers near the Jersey shore six months ago. Now that it’s winter, some people are worried they’ll never make it out.
Three dolphins have died out of the original group of about 15 that spent the summer and fall in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, waterways just north of Asbury Park.
Federal wildlife experts say the remaining dolphins are healthy, and should be able to make it through the winter if they choose to stay. They cite the cases of dolphins that successfully spent winters in Massachusetts, Virginia and even northern Scotland.
But some animal advocates worry the dolphins will meet the same fate as four that drowned in the Shrewsbury River in 1993 when ice closed in on them, or the 26 dolphins killed by a sudden freeze in 1990 in Texas’ Matagorda Bay.
“It would seem to me that the natural habitat for dolphins in the winter when it gets cold is much farther south in warmer waters,” said US Republican Frank Pallone Jr. “Isn’t it stressful for them to be in this colder environment? Since they are mammals, what happens if the ice freezes over and they can’t breathe?”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has jurisdiction over the dolphins, doesn’t plan to intervene unless the dolphins appear to be in imminent danger.
“This is a normal sort of way of life for these critters,” said David Gouveia, marine mammal programme coordinator for the agency’s fisheries service. “We’re optimistic that things are going to work out just fine.”
Others are not as confident.
“We have seen the disastrous consequences when dolphins remain in the area during the winter months,” said state Senator Sean Kean, R-Wall. “Now it’s up to NOAA to determine a course of action to try to get the dolphins back to the ocean before it’s too late.” Looming over this debate is the dismal history of dolphins that have wound up in the Shrewsbury in previous years. In at least two instances, dolphins lingered too long in the river and died when rescue attempts went awry. Still, dolphins can handle cold weather, said Randall Wells, dolphin research programme manager for the Chicago Zoological Society.
“There are examples of the Navy using dolphins in very cold situations with ice around, and a naturally occurring population of dolphins off the coast of northern Scotland, where ice reaches into the water and snow is in the mountains nearby, and these animals get by fine,” he said. “Blubber is a pretty amazing substance in these animals; it’s able to maintain body temperatures quite well.”
Virginia’s coastal water is usually home to bottlenose dolphins from April through November, when they leave for warmer climes south of Cape Hatteras, N.C. But during the winter of 1996-97, one bottlenose dolphin stayed in Broad Bay off Virginia Beach, making it through 43-degree water in February. It was seen the following June with a healthy calf.
Five others joined the pair that October, and stayed through the winter of 1997-98. In March 1998, they were all examined and found to be healthy.
There are other success stories, but cold is not the only problem winter brings to dolphins. There is also the matter of finding food.
“The food may be plentiful now, but it won’t be plentiful in February,” said Andrew Mencinsky, executive director of the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance who lives in Sea Bright and watches the dolphins almost every day.
Scientists had hoped that when the animals’ summer food source, menhaden, left the area in late October or early November, the dolphins would follow them out to sea.
Instead, the dolphins have switched to other, smaller fish such as alewife, a species of herring that they continue to consume. In four of the last five years, Mencinsky said, the Shrewsbury River has frozen solid. Teri Rowles, lead veterinarian for the Fisheries Service and leader of the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Programme, predicted the Shrewsbury dolphins will be able to keep part of the river open by their constant surfacing to breathe

Jessica Alba in Goa?

Venkat Prabhu, the guy who does things differently, is looking for a heroine for his new film Goa, produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth’s Ocher Studios. Venkat, as per story demands, needs a foreigner as his heroine. The latest we hear is that he has zeroed in on the Fantastic Four Hollywood star Jessica Alba to play an important role in this film. The movie also stars Jai, Vaibhav, Premgi Amaren and Arvind Akash in the lead. The movie is about a group of friends who go on a trip to Goa and encounter adventure. It is said to be a fun-filled entertainer. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music will be a crucial part of the movie. This is the third directorial venture of Venkat Prabhu, after Chennai 600028 and Saroja, and the shoot starts in January.

DUMINATION

Duminy’s Record 180-Run Ninth-Wicket Stand With Steyn Puts South Africa In Pole Position After Third Day’s Play

Jean Paul Duminy stood tall with his maiden Test century to resurrect South Africa’s first innings to 459 against Australia on the third day’s play in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG here on Sunday. At the close of play, Australia were four for no loss with Matthew Hayden on one and Simon Katich two as South Africa lead by 61 runs.
It was a day when Australia flopped and allowed South Africa to recover stunningly riding on a sublime 166 from Duminy, who also played a crucial role with a match winning half-century in the first Test.
Dale Steyn (76) and Paul Harris (39) gave the left-handed batsman exceptional support that literally took the game away from the Australians, who had the visitors on the mat at 198 for seven on the second day. South Africa expected a miracle on the third day and Duminy weaved his magic to take his team to a position of strength against the listless world champions.
With Brett Lee, unable to bowl due to a sore left foot, Ricky Ponting had an inexperienced bowling attack to rely on. But it was Duminy’s irritating stand with the tail that pained the Australians more than Lee’s absence. First it was the 67-run stand with Harris that reduced the threat of follow on and then the courageous 180-run stand with Steyn for the ninth wicket put the Proteas in command.
During the brave ninth wicket stand, which was the third-highest in history, Duminy stayed calm while Steyn battled the pain of a stinging blow on each hand to frustrate the home side. Duminy played a matured innings and got his century by cutting Siddle through gully for four.

Is Anushka Vijay’s heroine?

The buzz doing the rounds in Kollywood is that Anushka, the sexy yoga teacher- turned-actress of Tollywood is Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s new heroine in his 49th film. It seems the girl who sizzled earlier with Madhavan in Rendu, singing the peppy number Mobileaa…. on the beaches of Bali, is the frontrunner to play Vijay’s heroine in AVM’s Vettaikaran. The film, directed by Babu Sivam, is said to be a typical mass movie. The title Vettaikaran was used earlier for an MGR film of yesteryears. Anushka was in the news recently for wearing a swimsuit for the Telugu Billa with Prabhas. When contacted, producer AVM Balasubramaniam said, “Nothing has been confirmed. We will announce the heroine formally in the first week of January.”

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Amazing Asin!

Asin’s eagerly-awaited Ghajini is all set to make it to the big screen this Christmas season. She has put her heart and soul into the film — her big ticket to Bollywood stardom. The film is releasing big in nearly 1300 screens across the world and the advance booking for the Christmas weekend has been phenomenal. In Chennai, the original Tamil version of Ghajini released in only five screens. If all goes well, the Hindi version will release in nine screens.
The hype about the film is huge, and all eyes are on Asin. If the film becomes a hit, Asin will make it to the elite list of Bollywood heroines. In her hometown Kochi, a Hindi film is releasing in two screens for the first time ever. Out of that, one show has been completely booked by students from her ‘alma mater’ the prestigious St Theressa’s college. On Monday, she appeared on a popular television channel and and spoke crisply in Hindi. Later, she is reported to have done 22 interviews for print, television and internet. Phew!

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Ma’am Bond

Although Chandni Chowk to Chinais perhaps the first ever Bollywood Kung fu comedy, what many are keen to see is not Akshay Kumar but Deepika Padukone doing stunts and using gizmos.
Deepika, who plays the role of a salesgirl in a tele-marketing channel in the film, uses gizmos similar to those seen in James Bond films, but in a comic fashion and not as part of any serious action sequences. Rohan Sippy, the producer of the film confirms this, saying, “Yes, Deepika uses many gadgets in the film, though not in a sophisticated way like James Bond does. We had kept aside a separate budget for them. In the film, she uses a multi-language translator to translate Chinese into Hindi and a bulletproof umbrella which also acts as a parachute. There is also a ‘love spray’ that she uses to drive someone completely crazy. However, we have not copied any device from any of the Bond films. Sridhar Raghavan (writer of the film) incorporated all these in his script and we have used all of them in a fun way and not in a high-tech manner.”

Lakshmi denies Dhoni link up

Tamil actress Lakshmi Rai has been in the news and though they’re not exactly for the right reasons, she would yet have made the ladies jealous. What with the girl having been linked to Indian cricket’s pin-up, skipper MS Dhoni. Lakshmi, it was supposed, even met MS Dhoni in Chennai at the hotel where he was put up for the Test match. But alas, as it often happens with news that the rumour mills generate, Lakshmi vehemently denies it. “No. I didn’t meet him during this tour since I was busy shooting elsewhere,” says Lakshmi, who claims that the rumours of link ups with Dhoni had died down, only to resurface with the Test match being played at Chennai. “The rumours are baseless,” she categorically states, explaining, “They started when I participated in a couple of events with Dhoni during the IPL campaign. There were more rumours after he came for my birthday party.” Lakshmi accepts that Dhoni and she are ‘just good friends,” but denies anything beyond that. “We struck a chord during the IPL. But like others, we don’t need to keep in touch every day,” she says. In the same breath, she denies a link up with speedster Sreeshanth too. “We met for a photo shoot for a Malayalam magazine but some people selectively used the photos to substantiate their groundless speculations,” she clarifies. At the moment, she’s basking in the success of her Tamil hit film Dhaam Dhoom and is also excited about her other Kollywood films. “I play a significant role in Muthirai,” says the actress.

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The Nayan phenomenon continues...

The Nayanthara phenomenon continues as no other heroine in recent times has created such a craze among the audiences. The trade feels that she is the only heroine with a huge fan following and commands an opening. The latest news on her is that one of her Telugu films with Ravi Teja titled Dubai Seenu has been dubbed into Tamil as Dubai Rani. The highlight of the film is Nayan’s glamour factor as the producer, who has brought the Tamil dubbing rights, has designed larger-than-life six-sheet posters of her for the film. Suddenly, Dubai Rani has become one of the hottest films in the trade, as distributors who were buying Tamil films feel that dubbed movies have a better return on investment than new films!

‘Sexiest’ Hugh’s wife not impressed

Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman has revealed that his wife couldn’t believe he had been voted as the ‘world’s sexiest man alive’. The X-Men actor revealed that Deborra Lee Furness was very sceptical of his victory. “The very first thing Debs said was, ‘I knew it! I knew I’d marry the sexiest man alive!’” a website quoted Jackman as saying.
“The second reaction was a genuine questioning of the process, and how it’s chosen. ‘Is it readers, is it votes, is the editors?’ she asked. I said, “I think it’s the editors and a think tank, and they get together, throw up photos and work out whose publicist they’re on good terms with, and they decide!” he added. “And she said. ‘So anyone could get it?’ I replied that they could. And she said. ‘And Brad Pitt didn’t get it?’!” Jackman revealed at a press conference.
“He’s a triple threat, a star who can sing, dance and wield a weapon,” a magazine explained when naming Jackman, the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’.

Piggy Chops is also Miss Pranks

Did you know that Priyanka Chopra besides being called Piggy Chops — a name given to her by Abhishek Bachchan because she hogs a lot — is called Pranks because she’s known to be a prankster? Priyanka, who is currently shooting for What’s Your Rashee? has a robe that has “Pranks” written on it. So true to her nickname, Pranks decided to play a prank on director Ashutosh Gowariker. For a particular scene, she had to use a mobile phone and for that, she was handed over the assistant director’s cell. She sent a message to Ashutosh saying, ‘Need you to intervene. Priyanka and Harman are giving me lots of trouble.’ Ashutosh read the message but decided to tackle the problem later, but he conveniently forgot about it. After a while Pranks went up to him and asked him why he hadn’t replied to the AD’s message. A surprised Ashutosh asked her which message she was talking about! To Priyanka’s embarrassment, her prank fell flat on its face and it was Ashu who had the last laugh. Better luck next time, girl!

Priety on a straight bat

She is often known to speak her mind fearlessly and has always impressed audiences, not just with her acting skills but also with her bold decisions. Priety Zinta, for her fans, is one true star. Point out to the lady that the year 2008 has been a year of huge changes in her career and she replies, “Oh yes, lots of changes. My career shifted gears. I was suddenly doing the kind of work that I had never done before. I won my first international award.” The year also changed her into an entrepreneur. Ask her about it and she says, “Yes, it did change me into an entrepreneur and while learning to deal with huge crowds and bigger egos, I hurt my eye and arm. I’ve two releases and the Indian Premier League (IPL) coming up. 2009’s IPL is going to get bigger and better, despite the recession.” How is that possible? “Research shows that during recession, home entertainment grows a lot, mainly sports.That’s where the IPL will come in. Also, the cost of the tickets for the seven matches won’t be astronomical,” she explains. The lady has openly voiced her support for women on several occasions and had said that she is all for the participation of women as spectators during the IPL matches. Personally, what will she do to improve the IPL further? Says the actress, “The entertainment quotient can’t be upgraded any more. But I want Mohali to flourish.” Ask her what the IPL experience has taught her and she replies, “IPL’s taught me to win and lose with a smile. It has taught me to play the game by the rules and still play from the heart.” So, what is she looking forward to now? “Right now, I’m excited about my New Year holiday. I also want to be physically super-fit next year.” And marriage? “Let’s not even go there. I’ll get married when I want to have babies. Look at the marriages today, yaar! But Ness is very well broughtup. There’s a nutty side to him, just like me.”

It’s all about celebrating love

After Billa, director Vishnuvardhan is back with Sarvam, a breezy musical love story — a genre that is completely different from his pervious films. Now, the team of Sarvam is shooting it’s last schedule in the picturesque locations of Vagamon and Munnar in Kerala. Says Vishnu, “With this, we have completed the talkie portion. We just have to shoot one song. It will be picturised on Arya and Trisha. We originally wanted to shoot it abroad, but now I have decided to film it in India. After all, it has some of the best locations in the world.” The film has some great music by Yuvan, which will be one of the highlights of the film and Vishnu plans to launch the audio in the first week of January. Ayngaran International is likely to release the film during the Valentine weekend in February as the movie is all about love.

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Anushka to sizzle with Karthi

Remember the Telugu heroine Anushka ,the sexy yoga teacher-turned actress, who sizzled with Maddy in Sundar C's Rendu? The tall, sultry actress is back and this time opposite young and upcoming hero Karthi. Karthi, who’s currently working on Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan,will follow it up with Paiyya, to be directed by Lingusamy, with Tamannaah as his heroine. Following this, he is all set to work again for his cousin Gnanavel under the banner of ‘Studio Green’, who had earlier produced the critically acclaimed Paruthiveeran. The new film in which he will be paired with Anushka is titled Siruthai was to be directed by Sooraj, but now it looks like VV Kathir, the director of Thenavettu will be doing the film.

Aamir Khan cool about Ghajini cuts

... but Murugadoss wasn’t, as the Censor Board cuts three gory scenes from the movie



Aamir Khan sure knows how to take things in his stride. The Censor Board passed Ghajini but not before making three cuts. The film got a U/A certificate. But while Aamir walked out of the Censor Board screening without a tinge of disappointment, the film’s director, A R Murugadoss was quite upset with the Censor Board’s decision. He kept arguing that they were being too harsh on his film.
The key reason why the Censor Board made the three cuts was because they thought that the film was too violent. The screening for the Censor Board was held at Liberty Cinema.
The Censors objected to three scenes — a man hits Asin with a rod twice, Aamir breaks a baddie’s neck and Aamir hits a villain with a tap and when the knob of the tap pierces the baddie’s stomach, blood starts dripping from the tap.
When contacted, Vinayak Azad (Regional Officer, Censor Board) confirmed the news and said, “Yes, we have cut the
three
scenes
which you are
talking about.”
Explaining
the cuts, Vinayak
said, “We toned down the Asin scene and the neck-breaking. As for the tap scene, we couldn’t pass that as it was too gory.”
Vinayak added, “Murugadoss wanted to know why we couldn’t let those scenes remain since it was only a remake and the original version that had all these scenes. Murugadoss was especially particular about retaining the tap scene. We explained that we wouldn’t let it go in its original state unless he was okay with an A certificate.”
After consultation, Aamir and Murugadoss decided that they didn’t want an A certificate. “Murugadoss was a bit disappointed but Aamir looked calm and composed,”

The World at their Feet

Vying for the most coveted Miss World 2008 crown, India's Parvathy Omnakuttan is pretty upset over nearly missing the main title as she was announced as the first runner up. Contesting 108 beauties at the international pageant, Parvathy was upbeat throughout the gala with her confidence, poise and attitude but much to her shock, the final results left her in despair. On being asked about the highlights of her Johannesburg journey, a confident Parvathy had said, "It feels like being at home and I can see many similarities between my country (India) and South Africa. From warmth, hospitality to great cultures to having two most influential men - Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, it's like being in my own country." From making it to the 15 semi-finalists, to Top 5 and then to the 1st runner up title at the Miss World 2008 pageant, Parvathy kept all hopes alive just to see them shattering on hearing the final verdict. We spoke to Parvathy as she bares her soul on losing the Miss World title yet winning the battle... Frankly, there was nothing much going in my mind or heart. And I was really very confident that I will make it to the final three winners. But the moment results were announced, I was extremely shocked. I don't know whether the most deserving one has won or not. Victory would have been more special if I would have won the Miss World title, as it was never my dream to be a runner up. So my efforts, confidence and hard work would have actually paid if I would have won the pageant. Right now, there's nothing great to feel happy about. I do not believe in checking the past. While standing there among top five, I was thinking that if I win the Miss World crown, it would be the 6th victory for India, and this in itself would be a record. But it's really sad and upsetting that I lost out. What made me feel even worse was the fact that everybody including the co-contestants and my fans came to me and said 'you deserved the title.' I just don't believe in faking and I was being my natural self throughout the pageant, so this, I guess, was my biggest strength.

‘I’m dying to be swallowed by Mallika’

Versatile actor Irrfan Khan has a lead role in the first Hindi film being directed by a Hollywood director. Mallika Sherawat plays a man-eating creature in Jennifer Lynch’s Hisss and the actor says he would love to be devoured by her.
“She plays a man-eating creature. She swallows men in the film. And I’m just dying to be swallowed by her. Watching
her devour men is a very, very sensuous process. Unfortunately, I don’t get eaten by her. I’m the investigative officer trying to find out who’s devouring all these human beings,” Irrfan says.
Irrfan adds that the special effects in the movie are awesome.
“I’m working in Hisss with two very different
and interesting kinds of
women, Mallika and Jennifer. Hisss
would’ve been like any other snake-woman story. But the way Jennifer has treated the story has taken the film to another level. The special effects will shock our audiences. I think Jennifer’s film inspired Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) to make Agyaat. High time we got special effects guys from abroad to do the needful,” he says.
Irrfan’s just released Dil Kabbadi offers him a change of image. “I’m not going to pretend. Dil Kabaddi is a film strictly for adults. And we shouldn’t shy away from saying this. It’s about dishonesty in man-woman relationships. I call it dishonesty by the standards set by civil society

Getting candid

For some of her fans, she’s the Angelina Jolie of India, for certain others, she’s nothing less than an angel. But irrespective of what she is to her fans, Nayanthara loves them all. A fact she proved by choosing to celebrate her birthday recently with a few of them.
Their admiration for her is probably one factor that has helped the actress see off a year that hasn’t been a particularly good one for her professionally. Firstly, three of her movies (Kuselan,Sathyam and Aegan) failed to meet expectations and now, she has been forced to pull out of director Lingusamy’s next project, Paiyya, in which Karthi is playing the lead.
Ask her about the year being a bad one and she says, “Yes,2008 has been a bad year for me, except for Yaaradi Nee Mohini, which was a hit. I can’t give you an exact reason as to what went wrong. In every movie, I give my 100 percent. Sometimes, people don’t like what you do in a particular movie. They cite several reasons for not liking a performance. If a movie doesn’t do well, it isn’t anyone’s fault.” So, what forced her to pull out of Paiyaa? Says the actress, “I waited for almost three months for the movie and they didn’t start the project. They kept telling me that Karthi had problems with Selvaraghavan’s movie and that he couldn’t come out of it. So, I waited patiently and during this period, I heard rumours that Lingusamy was on the lookout for other heroines. But I never asked him anything. We were supposed to start our photo shoot on December 14 and 15 but now we are not doing it because all of a sudden they called up and said that I had to reduce my salary. I asked them to give me reasons for wanting to reduce my salary and they said that they didn’t have the budget for the movie. I told them that they must have thought of this before signing the contract with me.
“After a producer is willing to pay a whopping amount, you can’t expect me to settle for less. For me, self-respect is more important than money and fame. Also, I wasn’t happy with the way they dealt with us. They called up my manager and said I’ll have to reduce my salary or they can’t work with me. I said fair enough. If Lingusamy had told me about his problems before signing the contract, I would have considered cutting down my pay. I’ve done it for several movies and would have done it for this movie too. They should have handled the issue in a better way.”
Does she plan on suing them? “No. I don’t believe in these things,” she clarifies.
The audience loves it when she sports a swimsuit, but there are those who criticise her for it. How does she take criticism? “Criticism never hurts because I take it very normally. But recently, I have been subjected to a lot of unnecessary criticism. Even if I don’t do anything, people criticize me.”
Draw her attention to the fact that while technicians who have worked with her laud her camaraderie, not many actresses feel the same way and she says, “I’m a very honest person and I expect the same honesty, sincerity and faithfulness from the other person, be it a guy or a girl.” Interrupt her to ask her if she thinks guys are more honest and she admits, “Yes. To a certain extent. Girls tend to have a professional ego. This brings out the anger and hatred. Boys, on the other hand, are quite honest about everything.”
On Reema Sen’s caustic remarks about her, Nayan says, “I’m not here to make friends. If they have problems with me, it’s their problem. Not mine. I don’t have any problems with anyone.”
On her upcoming projects, the star says, “I am doing Villu and I will also be doing a movie with Surya.”
The going hasn’t been easy for this star. But then, as they say, the tough get going when the going gets tough.

‘I would love to do a Garam Masala with Akshay Kumar’

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has been circuitously connected with Bollywood, owing to his liaisons with actors Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone says if he ever decides to act, he would love to do a film like Garam Masala with Akshay Kumar.
“If I ever enter Bollywood, I would love to work with Akshay, since he too is a Punjabi and I gel very well with him. I would like to do a film like Garam Masala with him,” said Yuvraj.
Asked about the leading lady, he said: “I have always liked Kajol as an actress, so I would like to work with her as well. I don’t want to take any names from the new breed because I don’t want to spark any controversies.
“However, cricket is my priority at the moment and I love my sport. But since you never know what the future holds for you, to Bollywood, I’m not saying yes or no.”
Yuvraj was in the Capital to promote an animation film Jumbo produced by Percept Picture Company with voice-overs from actors like Akshay and Lara Dutta. He too has agreed to do the voiceover in Punjabi for the movie.
“I hope the movie does very well. In fact, I’m sure it will rock. All the kids are going to love the movie and the characters in the film,” said Yuvraj.
On the same platform, condemning the terror attacks on Mumbai, Yuvraj said, “The terror strikes that created havoc in Mumbai were unbelievable. It was devastating to see something like this happening in Mumbai. It was also traumatic for me because my friend Ashish Choudhary lost his sister Monica and brotherin-law Ajit in the attacks.
“I hope that Jumbo acts as a catalyst to happiness and lifts the spirit of all those people who have lost their loved ones in the Mumbai attacks.”
Yuvraj, who has a massive fan following, loves playing tennis and describes himself as ‘sweet, charming and innocent’.

Nicole, Hugh get spiritual

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman meditated every day on the set of Australia. The 41-year-old actress says getting in touch with her spiritual side with co-star Hugh, while they were shooting Baz Luhrmann’s new movie helped her connect with her character. She said, “I have a strong faith in God, he is at the centre of my meditation. Hugh and I would both meditate on the set of Australia. I also do the meditation that my father taught me.” Nicole, who gave birth to daughter Sunday Rose, her first child with husband Keith Urban, in July also revealed she keeps a diary to help herself stay grounded. She added, “I do keep a diary, it forces me at the end of the day to consider what the day has brought. I sometimes re-read them too. You learn things from that. It does help realising that the things you were worried about, that were life and death that day, five years later are not even part of the equation.”

It’s a double whammy

Will the new bat make the T20 more exciting? Chennai Times finds out



The T20 Champions League may have been postponed due to the terror attacks that took place in Mumbai. But the charm of T20 cricket per se refuses to die down.
The extent of the popularity of instant cricket (T20) can be gauged from the fact that people are coming up with innovative ideas to make this format even more riveting. And Sydney’s Stuart Kranzbuhler’s endeavour of coming up with a bat design which will enable batsmen to hit the ball with both sides of the blade, will (if accepted by the players) revolutionise the way T20 is played.
According to him, this type of bat will draw young hitters who look for an advantage in T20 cricket. Even Andrew Symonds is said to be experimenting in practice with the back of the bat. But then
the big question is, will budding young cricketers be game for this kind of a bat?
According to Swatantra Mishra — a budding batsman who has played U-15 state tournaments — there is no harm in playing with this kind of a bat. “Innovation should always be welcomed with open arms because it takes the game to another level. And if a player has the required batting skills, he will surely adjust while playing with a bat that is double-sided. One will have to mould himself in such a way so as to make the most of the latest innovation. And since the focus of most young players these days is on T20 cricket, this bat could well turn out to be a blessing,” says 19-yearold Mishra.
But not everybody agrees with Mishra. There are players like Aouj Naqvi — who has also played in the U-15 tournament and believes in sticking to the basics and playing orthodox cricket. “The double-sided bat will create nothing but confusion in the minds of the batsmen. And it will surely affect the technique of the player as well because the batsman will try to play more unconventional shots once he has such a bat in his hand. I believe the best way to score more and quick runs is by playing conventional cricket. With the right technique,runs will automatically flow,whether it’s in Tests, ODIs or in T20,” says Naqvi. The bat-makers claim that the two-sided bat will help those players who have purely developed their game for the T20 format. Former Ranji player Mohsin Raza, who now runs his own cricket academy doesn’t agree though.
“Adjustment while playing with this double-sided bat is not possible. The young batsmen will have to practice more with this bat, which eventually will result in a lot of time getting wasted. The technique of the players will get affected and they will end up playing more shots which aren’t in the coaching manual. This may even jeopardise their cricketing career. I don’t think such a bat will be a hit in Asian countries. Asians will prefer to play with the orthodox bat,”