Legendary singer Shamshad Begum dies at 94


Legendary singer Shamshad Begum dies at 94

Legendary singer Shamshad Begum, one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry and voice behind hit songs like Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar and Kajra Mohabbat Wala, has died at her Mumbai residence. She was 94.

“She was not keeping well for past few months and was admitted to the hospital. She passed away last night. The funeral was a solemn affair with a few friends present,” Shamshad Begum’s daughter Usha told PTI.

Shamshad Begum was born on April 14, 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab. She made her debut on Peshawar Radio in Lahore on December 16, 1947, captivating the hearts of her listeners with her enchanting voice.

The singer has been living with her daughter Usha Ratra and son-in-law in Mumbai, ever since her husband Ganpat Lal Batto died in 1955. Her other hit tracks include Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana, Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re, Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re, Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar and Chod Babul Ka Ghar.

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Sanjay Dutt convicted in 1993 Bombay blasts case, gets 5 years in jail


Sanjay Dutt convicted in 1993 Bombay blasts case, gets 5 years in jail

New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt has been convicted by the Supreme Court today in the Arms Act case that he was booked under in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. He has been given a 5 year sentence. He has served 18 months in jail already.

The actor was arrested in April 1993, a month after the serial blasts that ripped Mumbai apart and left 257 people dead and over 700 injured. Police said the AK-56 foundin his house was from the consignment of arms smuggled into the country before the blasts. He was arrested and booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) and sent to Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, where he did time for around 16 months before being granted bail.

Mr Dutt received partial relief in November 2006 when a TADA court absolved him of terrorism charges and booked him under the Arms Act for illegal possession of arms. In July 2007, the court sentenced him to six years in jail. He was arrested on August 2 and sent to Pune’s Yerwada Jail. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court on August 20.

In his confession upon his arrest in 1993, which he later retracted, the actor had said that mafia don Abu Salem visited his home in January 1993 with Samir Hingora and Hanif Kadawala, proprietors of Magnum Video and alleged close associates of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

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National Awards for Irrfan Khan, Vicky Donor, Eega


Irrfan in Paan Singh Tomar

The 60th National Awards have been announced, and Irrfan Khan [Images ] has bagged the Best Actor award for his brilliant work in Paan Singh Tomar. Khan shared his award with Vikram Gokhale for Marathi film Anumati.

Paan Singh Tomar – directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia — also bagged the Best Hindi Feature Film award. 

The Best Actress award went to Usha Jadhav for the Marathi film Dhag.

The award for Best Film in Wholesome Entertainment went to Vicky Donor. Dolly Ahluwalia and Annu Kapoor, who starred in the film, bagged Best Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor respectively.

Best Screenplay (Adapted) went to Oh My God while the Best Sound Recording award went to Gangs of Wasseypur.

The Best Original Screenplay went to Kahaani.

Actress Parineeti Chopra received special mention for her performance in Ishaqzaade.

NASA [ Images ] scientist-turned-filmmaker Bedabrata Pain’s Chittagong won Best Song, and Shankar won Best Playback Singer for Bolo Nafrom the same film.

Telugu film Eega won two National Awards — Best Regional film, and Best Effects.

The National Film Awards jury was led this year by filmmaker Basu Chatterjee.

Link - http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/national-awards-for-irrfan-khan-vicky-donor-eega/20130318.htm

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Breaking News: Hrithik Roshan in Karan Malhotra’s Next titled Shuddhi


After the success of Agneepath, Hrithik Roshan is going to star once again in Agneepath Director Karan Malhotra’s next which is titled Shuddhi. The movie is going to be produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

Karan Johar tweeted

“Team Agneepath is back…@KaranMalhotra21 will direct his next with @iHrithik in a 2014 diwali release titled SHUDDHI(purification)”

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Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam banned in Tamil Nadu


Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam banned in Tamil Nadu

ChennaiThe Tamil Nadu government has decided to ban the screening of actor-producer Kamal Haasan’s film Vishwaroopam in the state till further orders. Highly placed sources in the government told NDTV “district collectors have been orally instructed to pass appropriate orders and to make sure advance booking is stopped”. The Rs. 95 crore film, Kamal Haasan’s most expensive ever, was slated for release this Friday on around 500 screens in Tamil Nadu alone.

The Tamil Nadu government’s move comes after Muslim organisations expressed fear that the “film could disturb communal harmony” after watching a show, specially screened for them, a few days ago.

But Kamal Haasan had time and again denied allegations that the movie is against Muslims. Recently the actor told NDTV “in fact after watching Muslims would love the movie”.

The run up to Vishwaroopam’s launch remains chequered. First the actor had to abandon his dream premier launch of the movie on Direct To Home (DTH) following opposition by theatre owners that the move would affect their revenues, after which Kamal Haasan decided to launch the film on DTH a week after theatrical release.

However, sources in the industry say there could be more than what meets eye in this development.

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Delhi Gangrape Victim’s friend and only Witness of Delhi Gangrape Incident Interview



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Delhi gangrape braveheart dies after battling for life for over 12 days


The 23-year-old paramedical student, who was allegedly gangraped and brutally assaulted by six men inside a private bus in Delhi on December 16, has died. The student, who was airlifted from New Delhi to Singapore on December 26 as her condition showed no signs of improvement even after 10 days of treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, breathed her last on Saturday (December 29, 2012).

According to the doctors at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital, the victim, before her death, had shown signs of severe organ failure despite the doctors putting her on maximum artificial ventilator support and optimal antibiotic doses.

Before being shifted to the Singapore hospital, the 23-year-old was being treated at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital with doctors performing multiple surgeries on her. However, despite all the efforts, her condition did not show much improvement and she succumbed to her injuries.

All the six men accused of brutalising the girl have been arrested and the case has led to nation-wide protests. The protesters have been demanding better security for women and girls, especially in Delhi which many point out is considered to be one of the most unsafe cities for women according to National Crimes Bureau records.

The 23-year-old gangrape victim had remained on ventilator support for a long time at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, and then at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

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Barfi out of Oscars as predicted


Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 85th Academy Awards®. Seventy-one films had originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Austria, “Amour,” Michael Haneke, director;
Canada, “War Witch,” Kim Nguyen, director;
Chile, “No,” Pablo Larraín, director;
Denmark, “A Royal Affair,” Nikolaj Arcel, director;
France, “The Intouchables,” Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, directors;
Iceland, “The Deep,” Baltasar Kormákur, director;
Norway, “Kon-Tiki,” Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, directors;
Romania, “Beyond the Hills,” Cristian Mungiu, director;
Switzerland, “Sister,” Ursula Meier, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2012 are again being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 71 eligible films between mid-October and December 17. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 4, through Sunday, January 6, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m.

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Girl gang-raped in moving bus in Delhi


NEW DELHI: A medical student in her twenties, who was traveling with her male friend in a whiteline bus from Munirka to Uttam Nagar area in west Delhi, was allegedly gang-raped by a group of men inside the moving bus and thrown off the vehicle near Mahipalpur in south Delhi on late Sunday night.

The woman’s friend is an engineering pass-out and works for a private firm.

The girl and the boy were reportedly returning after watching a movie at a theatre in Select City Walk mall in Saket area of south Delhi.

They took an auto till Munirka and then boarded the whiteline bus from the bus stop to go to Uttam Nagar area near Palam where they reside.

The girl was gang-raped by people including the staff of the bus even as the driver drove around the city and her friend was brutally assaulted.

The duo were then stripped and dumped from the moving bus near Mahipalpur flyover.

The girl and the boy raised an alarm and the cops arrived. They were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Center for medical help.

The girl was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital later. Her condition is stated to be critical. She has abrasions and head injuries apart from the sexual assault injuries.

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Golden Globes 2013 Nominations


Best Picture, Drama:
“Argo”
“Django Unchained”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Director:
Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”

Best Actor, Drama:
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”
John Hawkes, “The Sessions”
Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
Denzel Washington, “Flight”

Best Actress, Drama:
Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”
Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

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Legendary Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar dies



Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar died on Wednesday morning IST in San Diego in the United States at the age of 92 years. Pandit Ravi Shankar was in the US with his family for a surgery.

A three-time Grammy award winner, Pandit Ravi Shankar was nominated for a Grammy award for 2013 too.

Ravi Shankar was born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury on April 7, 1920 in Varanasi. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1992. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1999.

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Caught on camera: Raj Thackeray’s man repeatedly slaps 65-yr-old contractor


Check out Raj Thackeray’s man repeatedly slapping 65-yr-old contractor and the MNS General Secretary defending the act not as an assault.


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