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A surprise
from RBI Buying
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Looking
ahead
Growing
stakes in Gulf
Managing
VIP visits
CINEMA: NEW Releases  Food for heart… and thought too Nonika Singh The way to a man’s heart…. We all now the answer. And clearly The Lunchbox isn’t pointing in that direction alone or stating the obvious. In fact, the movie is certainly not just about the gastronomic delights a housewife dishes out to entice her man but a whole lot more—some complex and some simple, some profound and some mundane issues. In the
fast lane Good
shot! Spoof of
no consequence
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Buying time
The
President of Syria now maintains that it will take at least a year and $1 billion for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons. President Bashar al-Assad’s statement comes as the use of chemical weapons in his nation is subjected to an increased scrutiny and debate at the United Nations. The UN weapons inspectors have submitted their report about the chemical weapons assault on August 21 in which hundreds of civilians were killed in Damascus suburbs. It has confirmed the use of chemical weapons, without saying who used them. On its part, Russia called the report 'politicised, biased and one-sided', while the US said that there was evidence of the weapons having been used by the Assad regime. Even as the world plays diplomatic games about chemical weapons in Syria, the killings continue in the two-and-a-half year old civil war that has destroyed a once-prosperous nation. The humanitarian tragedy in Syria is the killing of thousands of civilians and the displacement of millions of people, as well as the widespread destruction of property. It took the chemical weapons attack to shock the world into action. However, there is much more destruction that is going on with conventional weapons. That too must stop. US Secretary of State John Kerry has already issued a statement urging the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution to remove Syria’s chemical weapons. Russia and China have thwarted the previous US attempts to censure Syria through the UNSC, but now that the US and Russia have agreed on a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons, the chances are brighter of a UN resolution coming through something that US allies France and the UK are also angling for. The Security Council's five permanent members are already holding discussions to hammer out a resolution to ensure that the Syrian government identifies and surrenders all chemical munitions for destruction. President Assad knows that, even with Russian support, his options are limited. He must destroy his chemical weapons.
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Looking ahead
Nowhere
else has the impact of globalisation been more keenly felt than in India's multi-billion dollar film industry, which began its overseas success story by dazzling in-flight viewers. In 2010 the rise of in-flight connectivity meant that millions of new entertainment options afforded by wi-fi opened new gates for inaccessible Asian entertainment content to passengers flying all over the world. What began with catering to entertainment needs of explosive growth of outbound tourism of the Asian countries by just seven airline clients, gradually took over the cinema screens. Though Bollywood has not measured up to the success of spectacular global blockbusters like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, and “Hero”, the American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, Indian films are getting more global acceptance than ever before. The phenomenal success of “Slumdog Millionaire” and Korean pop-star PSY’s “Gangnam Style” are examples of just how similar the world has become in terms of entertainment needs. No wonder, the overseas market for Bollywood, which was 5 to 10 per cent of its entire theatrical business ten years ago has risen to 20 to 30 per cent, and is expected to grow by 50 per cent of the overall business in the near future. In fact, films like “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”, “My Name is Khan” and “Kites” have made more money overseas than in India. At Mumbai Film Mart, that has been catering to the cinema business at the Mumbai Film Festival, distributors, exhibitors and broadcasters from countries like Taiwan, Brazil, Poland, Hong Kong, Sweden, Germany, France, China, Japan and South Korea are lining up to obtain rights for Indian films. This change has come about by the manner in which contemporary themes of universal appeal are treated with high entertainment quotient in Bollywood. Films like “Black” and “3 Idiots” that resonated with popular sentiments in Japan and South Korea created a new demand for Hindi cinema in markets hitherto unexplored. While young producers are willing to take risks with diverse themes, Bollywood has also coined a new idiom of cinema — visually rich, entertaining and easy to comprehend.
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Temptation is a woman's weapon and man's excuse. — H. L. Mencken
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Growing stakes in Gulf In
another sign of India's changing defence priorities, four Indian naval ships — ‘Mysore’, ‘Tarkash’, ‘Tabar’ and ‘Aditya’ — that form part of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet under the Western Naval Command based in Mumbai have been visiting various Gulf states for the past few weeks. After making separate visits to Qatar and Kuwait, the four ships have now converged on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where they will be conducting naval exercises. From the UAE this naval task force will go to Oman. This month long deployment is aimed at bolstering bilateral ties and reinforcing cooperation in maritime security between India and Gulf states. The Indian Navy has been providing training and hydrographic support to several navies in the region and the involvement of Indian naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia since October 2008 has further strengthened bilateral ties and taken interaction with other regional navies to another level. The latest visit also underlines the Indian Navy's growing ability to operate far beyond the Indian shores and operate on maritime security issues with other regional navies. In the last few years India’s policy toward the Gulf region has often been viewed through the prism of India-Iran relations. The international community and the West in particular have been obsessed with New Delhi's ties with Tehran and has tended to ignore India’s much more substantive engagement with the Arab Gulf states. Notwithstanding all the hype surrounding India's ties with Iran, they remain largely under-developed even as the significant stakes that India has in the Arab Gulf often go unnoticed. New Delhi has been giving serious attention to the Arab states in the Gulf for some time now. When the Indian Prime Minister visited Saudi Arabia in 2010, he was not only responding to the Saudi King’s visit to India in 2006 but was also underscoring that when it came to the Gulf, Iran would not be the focus of Indian foreign policy. The Saudi King had visited India in 2006 with much fanfare. It was also a signal to the broader Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) community to build stronger partnership with India. India's engagements with the GCC states have gathered momentum in the last few years even though India-Iran ties have continued to hog all the limelight. India’s desire to secure energy supplies as well as to consolidate economic and trade relations and the 'Look East' policy of the Gulf States has allowed the two to carve a much more substantive relationship than in the past. While India is not a Muslim-majority country, it still hosts the second-largest Muslim population in the world, a constituency that remains interested in Saudi Arabia as the site of the holy shrines at Mecca and Medina. Indians are the largest expatriate community in the GCC states, numbering around 4 to 5 million. Indian expatriate labour constitutes around 30 per cent of the total population of the UAE and they have significant presence in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar. The economic dimension of India's Gulf policy has become more pronounced in recent years. As a group, the GCC is India's second largest trading partner. It is the largest single origin of imports into India and the second largest destination for exports from India. Bilateral trade between India and the GCC is expected to rise above $25 billion this year. The global financial meltdown and recessionary trends in the US and Europe is prompting India to turn to Gulf states sitting on huge resources looking for investment opportunities. India is hoping that major GCC states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman would participate in India's planned expansion of infrastructure. The Gulf states meanwhile are interested in human resources from India to develop sectors as varied as information technology, construction, transportation and services. With a growing economy, meeting its rapidly increasing demand for energy is one the biggest challenges facing India. The burgeoning population, coupled with rapid economic growth and industrialization, has propelled India into becoming the fifth largest energy consumer in the world. Energy is clearly the driving force in Gulf-India relations. Riyadh is the chief supplier of oil to India's booming economy, and India is now the fourth largest recipient of Saudi oil after China, the United States and Japan. India’s crude oil imports from the Saudi kingdom will likely double in the next 20 years. India’s trade and energy security is inextricably linked to the security of the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. With this in mind the Indian Navy is regularly visiting Gulf ports and training with regional states. In recent years the Indian Navy has made port calls and undertaken a series of naval exercises with a number of Gulf states, thereby lending its hand to Indian diplomacy in expanding India's reach in the region. India is cultivating close security ties with major GCC countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain with the focus shifting from naval ship visits and training exchange programmes to the possible joint development and manufacture of sophisticated military hardware. Tehran's nuclear drive is raising anxiety in the Gulf about a resurgent Iran. During his visit the Indian Prime Minister joined the Saudi King in asking Tehran “to remove regional and international doubts about its nuclear weapons programme.” The security consequences of a rising Iran are hugely significant for the Arab Gulf states even as India has made it clear that a nuclear Iran is not in Indian interests either. As the regional balance of power between Arabia and Persia threatens to unravel with multiple crises looming in the region from Syria and Egypt to Bahrain, the Indian Navy’s latest overtures to its Gulf partners is a clear sign that India would like to protect its interests in the region and has underlined India’s desire to see the extant balance of power in the region stabilise. Given India's growing stakes in the Gulf, it is not
surprising.
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Managing VIP visits Visits
and inspections by VIPs hold a universal enigmatic fear. Since these are few and far between, the impression gathered by the dignitary normally dictates the host's professional future. This is especially pertinent to the Army due to the obvious fallout of sensitive dimension. The common irritants include the failure of the public address system (or the mike) during the course of a lecture by the VIP, undesired obstructions suddenly appearing ahead of the VIP cavalcade, a heap of garbage left uncollected, unattended plants along the route and, of course, the embarrassing appearance of aggrieved humans despite a strict briefing to the contrary. The visited military unit, thus, devotes considerable energy and resources to stage-manage visits of senior officers. An incident comes to my mind. Our unit was occupying TRH accommodation (temporary hutments) without a foolproof and sealed boundary. Stray dogs were a menace because of the availability of ample food, courtesy our animal friendly troops. All were living in perfect harmony till the General Officer Commanding (GOC) decided to come on an inspection of the unit. Brain-storming sessions to control the dog menace made us arrive at a magnanimous consensus of organising a 'food fair' for the dog community at a secluded place in the unit lines. This would ensure the man's best friends concentrating at one place rather than straying all over during the GOC's one-hour stay in the unit. The Commanding Officer (CO) of the unit was impressed with the young Captain, who came up with this face-saving suggestion and promised to reward him after the visit. Everything was progressing well till a column of stray dogs in a bid to rush towards the food fair were almost run over by the GOC's open jeep being driven by the hitherto proud CO. In a bid to save face, the GOC was taken to the feasting enclosure of the stray dogs to give an impression of the unit’s love for the homeless destitutes. The young Captain was reprimanded after the visit for the faux pas. He blamed it on the cook for using aromatic spices and the wind direction which attracted the outsider dogs from the neighbouring units to join in the feast. Given the circumstances, the overall management of the recent visit of a VVIP to our city, Chandigarh, was on expected lines. The zero-error syndrome while dealing with security issues is understandable, notwithstanding the inconvenience to the general public for a few hours. The unprecedented closing of the Golf Club for practically the whole day, which happens to fall en route of the VVIP movement, however, intrigued the golfing fraternity. Some felt the UT Administration doubted the golfing skills of the members who might hit wayward shots and inflict damage to the passing cavalcade...a la projectile, others blamed it on the recent fracas at the club and the consequent apprehension amongst the city authorities of a repeat during the 'quarter minute' of the VIP cavalcade crossing the Golf Club. The exact reason, however, may elude us
forever.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Food for heart… and thought too Nonika Singh
The
way to a man’s heart…. We all now the answer. And clearly The Lunchbox isn’t pointing in that direction alone or stating the obvious. In fact, the movie is certainly not just about the gastronomic delights a housewife dishes out to entice her man but a whole lot more—some complex and some simple, some profound and some mundane issues. Actually, The Lunchbox takes off from a simple premise. A tiffin lands up at the wrong address and triggers an unlikely romance between a bored hausfrau Ila Love here is not a grand statement (no wonder there is a reference to what is considered the most grandiose statement of love the Taj Mahal) but simple exchange of handwritten notes in which the dabba crossed man and woman share their innermost secrets. From being accosted in the train to suicide to television serials and above all loneliness…they bond over a wide gamut, most paramount the need to connect with another individual. In fact, human alienation is brought out most beautifully sans despondency or melancholy in a story otherwise set in crowded Mumbai teeming with millions where the famed dabba chain works with unerring precision. It’s not just the romantic track in which loneliness becomes a bond between a man and a woman but also in the parallel trajectory of a heart-warming relationship between Irrfan and his trainee Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Sheikh. Even when the story looks at death in the eye, its life and hunger that it celebrates. Sure it exposes the hollowness of marriage not only through the tale of lead protagonist but also this small character played by Lillete Dubey as the mother of Ila. Her reaction to her husband’s death is telling and in a way chilling too. Come to think of it each moment tells a story, each dialogue is laden with meaning and each frame chosen with care and attention to detail. Yet a film that conveys so much thrives on the art of minimalism. Not a single dialogue is superfluous or out of place. Nor characters for that matter. Not only do they flow with the narrative but belong just there to their individual milieus. Be it Irrfan Khan, Nimrat or Nawazuddin … actually none of them seem to be acting, only playing their parts with as much spontaneity and artlessness with which you and me get along with our daily routine. Yes the humdrum of life finds an echo. But equally strongly does the indefatigable human spirit to overcome its monotony and to triumph over dreariness. The unconventional climax leaves you with much to chew over. The film is as delightful as well cooked home made food is. With just the right dose of basic ingredients, here it is served with an understated fineness that is as natural as appealing. When Irffan takes out the food, sniffs its aroma and puts it on the stainless steel plate, you actually feel hungry and want to dig in. Of course, you can choose to stay away if you fancy the glitzy readymade market variety. Else simply bite into the appetising fare. Happy eating…. here is food as much for thought as for the heart.
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In the fast lane Comparisons, they say, are odious but director Ron Howard does well to merit recognition for his right blend of speed and sensibility as he bares the psyche of two fierce competitors James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). Their high-risk jobs give them the license to live and love furiously. Hunt, on his first meeting with Suzzie (Olivia Wilde) asks her "you don't fancy getting married?" But before she answers, cut…to the wedding ceremony. Lauda is more in control in his romance with sophisticated German Marlene Knaus (Alexandra Maria Lara). An excellent screenplay by Peter Morgan studded with one-line repartees gives the narrative a further boost apart from holding the attention span. So, do shots of the different cities this motor circum visits—Rio with skimpily clad dancers jiggling their breasts and wigging their bottoms in typical Latino style and the comparatively staid Fuji in Japan. But the climax is in Nurburgring which sticks to history of the 1976 race season. The racing sequences are cleverly shot by Anthony Dod Mantle but are not overdone as to detract from the equally important emotional content. Director Howard, who earlier made A Beautiful Mind, exercises the same sensitivity in developing the relationship between these two men, frame by frame and a gradual intensity till the last quarter where it reaches its nadir. Chris Hemsworth is excellent in the lead role but he is soon challenged for top honours by the colourful Daniel Bruhl. Of the women Olivia Wilde has a brief cameo but is shadowed by the elegant Alexandra Maria Lara. Rush is a "must" for connoisseurs of cinema, not only for racing aficionados.
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Good shot!
For
me Icelandic director Baltazar Kormakur is a gem and in collusion with scriptwriter Blake Masters and two great actors have put together 2 Guns as enjoyable a caper of convicts on the prowl as one can expect. A modern-day Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! With so many 'open mouths' the plot is not surprisingly complicated. But wit-strewn one-liners delivered with panache by our two actors/convicts it keeps the viewer in splits. The best thing, director Kormakur manages to do is to keep the film 10 minutes more than Bunuel's stipulated 90, and for this he is aided by Michael Tronik's terse editing, providing a blend of action, humour and suspense. Washington and Wahlberg are neck-and-neck with each other as two excellent performers are expected to be and it will be a toss-it to pick the winner, but who wants to? The burly Edmond James Olmos make as good villain while Paula Patton provides the female relief and does it fetchingly. 2 Guns is an absolute "must see."
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Spoof of no consequence Vishwas Rao (Shahid Kapoor) wants to be an actor but his mother's ambitions for him are of a more disciplined and idealistic nature. Having experienced misery at the hands of her corrupt cop-husband, the single parent, who drives an auto-rickshaw to support her family, wishes to see her son in the same uniform as his father but with a more moral zeal. Unfortunately, all her efforts come to a naught because Vishwas Rao is least interested and deliberately shows-up for all his tests and interviews in spastic overtones. Then he gets an opportunity to go to Mumbai and pursue his dreams — as opposed to that of his mother. He lives a lie and causes grievous harm before he is able to set everything right. The story, dialogues and screenplay aim hard at spoofing the bad son-idealistic mom (Amitabh Bachchan-Nirupa Roy) track from Deewar, but to no avail. The intention to make Shahid Kapoor appear larger-than-life, leaping out, in the opening sequence, from a giant-sized poster high-up on a building, appears ridiculous. It’s a scene that is a telling indictment on what is to follow thereafter! Illeana D'cruz though, as Kaajal, a social worker who lands up at every crime scene, makes her mark in an ill-defined role. Her presence in the movie is indeed a saving grace.
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Movies on TV Saturday september 21 sony pix
5:02PM The Pink Panther 2 is an American detective comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. It is the sequel to the 2006 film The Pink Panther, a reboot of the popular comedy series. In the film, Inspector Clouseau must team up with detectives from other countries to rout a daring burglar, The Tornado, who has returned after a decade of inactivity. ZEE CINEMA 6:58AM Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja 10:40AM Lal Baadshah 1:54PM Mohra 9:00PM Tirangaa INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM Devdas 1:00PM Saajan 4:30PM Badshah 8:00PM Ram Balram ZEE CLASSIC 7:34AM Chitchor 9:45AM Suraj 12:51PM Hum Paanch 3:56PM Nastik 7:00PM Mother India 10:00PM Bombay To Goa ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Mission to Mars 10:30AM Hostel 1:00PM Twelve Monkeys 3:50PM The Karate Kid, Part II 6:30PM The Rock 9:30PM The Tudors (Season 1) 10:30PM The Truth About Charlie STAR MOVIES 7:24AM The Muppets 9:33AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 10:03AM Land of the Lost 12:17PM Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2:18PM X-Men Origins: Wolverine 4:31PM Evan Almighty 6:31PM Battleship 9:00PM Glee: The 3D Concert Movie 10:44PM Terminator 2: Judgment Day MOVIES OK 8:25AM Patiala House 11:35AM Dil 3:35PM Surya 5:30PM Kala Bazaar 9:00PM Dhammu 11:20PM Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne STAR GOLD 8:55AM Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin 11:55AM Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet 2:55PM Daag: The Fire 6:00PM Billu 9:00PM Judwaa No.1 11:35PM Zor ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Jaanbaaz Dil 10:30AM Milan 1:30PM Karz Chukana Hai 5:30PM Dhanwaan 8:30PM Ganga Tere Desh Mein SONY PIX 7:59AM Transporter: 12 Hours 9:03AM Transporter: Cherchez la femme 10:07AM Black Hawk Down 1:00PM Iron Man 2 3:13PM Rogue Assassin 5:02PM The Pink Panther 2 7:01PM Detention (2011) 9:00PM Spider-Man 3 11:59PM Rocky Sunday september 22 Barfi! is an Indian romantic comedy-drama film directed, written and co-produced by Anurag Basu. Set in the 1970s, the film depicts the story of Murphy Barfi Johnson (a mute and deaf man from Darjeeling) and his relationship with two women, Shruti and Jhilmil (who is autistic). The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles, with Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Roopa Ganguly in supporting roles INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM Ram Balram 1:00PM Keemat: They Are Back 4:30PM Rockstar 8:00PM Housefull ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Confessions of a Shopaholic 10:10AM The Truth About Charlie 1:00PM Real Steel 3:50PM Tron: Legacy 6:40PM The Mummy Returns 9:30PM The Tudors (Season 1) 10:30PM Real Steel ZEE CLASSIC 9:35AM Bandhan 12:38PM Prem Rog 4:01PM Karz 7:00PM Muqaddar Ka Sikandar 10:00PM Himmat MOVIES OK 9:30AM Toonpur Ka Superhero 11:35AM Bhagam Bhag 3:00PM Cheeni Kum 6:05PM Angoor 9:00PM Return of Ghajini 11:35PM Prince STAR GOLD 9:40AM Paa 12:50PM Yeh Hai Jalwa 3:15PM Hukumat Ki Jung 5:50PM Waah! Tera Kya Kehna 9:00PM Zameen ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Mera Lahoo 10:30AM Izzatdaar 1:30PM Pehchaan 5:30PM Ravan Raaj: A True Story 8:30PM Real Don No. 1 ZEE CINEMA 8:00AM Kasam Paida Karne Wale Kii 11:00AM Aan: Men at Work 2:18PM Ishq 5:43PM Barfi! 9:00PM Vivah FILMY 9:00AM Jo Bole So Nihaal 12:00PM Ram Aur Shyam 3:00PM Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam 6:00PM Chori Chori Chupke Chupke 9:00PM Mangal Pandey: The Rising
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(Nimrat Kaur) and an elderly widower Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan) working as an accountant in a government insurance agency. And simplicity remains its greatest strength be it portrayal of human emotions or its characters. 
It all begins when two convicts Robert 'Bob' Trench (Denzel Washington) and Michael 'Stig' Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) are arrested by the US Customs after meeting with drug lord Papi Greco (Edmond James Olmos) in Mexico.
ZEE CINEMA 5:43pM