Pompeii is one of those rare films for which I am glad that a 3D format was used. If cheesy, overdone, masala flicks are your kind of fare, this is your kind of film. For the rest of us, Pompeii just blows, rants Paloma Sharma.
Koratala Siva on the success of his film Srimanthudu starring Mahesh Babu
By-elections to 12 assembly seats in Telangana region on July 27 and the obvious power game in the ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh have risen the political temperature in the state.
The happenings in this movie are not as scary as the notion that producers are repeatedly funding movies like this.
'Films don't bring about change in society. People may watch a film, and want to live life like the actors on screen, or want to wear the same outfits or live in the same house... Films can affect a person's mind for an hour but after that, they will think about something else.' R Balki prepares us for his new film, Ki & Ka.
'Politics and religion can be a combustive combination, but this once I am pleased that Pinarayi Vijayan made an issue of a rather innocuous tweet by Amit Shah.' 'It provided the perfect excuse to seek respite from political pronouncements and take (temporary) refuge in the classics,' says T V R Shenoy.
Aseem Chhabra picks the scenes that left him impressed this year.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report says the gaming industry he helped found in the former Portuguese colony and ruled for 40 years before the Chinese broke up his monopoly in 2001 will double its size, already twice that of Las Vegas, in the next four years.
The former World junior champion defeated former World champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine 2-0 in the tie-break games of the final.
The CPI-M's decision to support Pranab Mukherjee came at great cost, and given Mamata's Banerjee's decision to back him, clearly without any political dividends. Left unity at this crucial juncture was cracked, with the CPI deciding to abstain, says Seema Mustafa.
"Honda Jazz is very spacious and the flexibility inside the cabin makes it extremely versatile, while the new and punchy diesel heart comes at the right time," says Indian motoring website MotorBeam.
Let us take four examples, though, one each from telecoms, aviation, the media and banking, because these are the great success stories. Without exception, the service quality in each of them has plummeted.
Talmiz Ahmad is a former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. In an interview with Aditi Phadnis, he says the disequilibrium in Iraq will continue to prevail. Ahmad also says there are indications that the US is now anxious to avoid intervening militarily in West Asia, and that this is the appropriate moment for Asia to assume responsibility for its own security. Edited excerpts:
'Knowing him personally, I can safely say that the usually soft-spoken, qualified medical doctor would not have said what he was 'caught' saying if only he had realised that he was stepping on a political landmine across the emotional LoC, says Mohammad Sayeed Malik.
India can only hope that the Pakistani generals crackdown on the Taliban under sustained US pressure. But that seems too much to hope for. India needs to prepare for the likelihood that Pakistan will shortly commence its own 'political solution' to the Afghan problem, built around a so-called reconciliation effort under some sort of 'Islamic' auspices.
New Delhi and Beijing are the only two regional capitals that have commented on US President Donald Trump's speech on August 21 outlining the way forward in Afghanistan. The Indian foreign ministry statement was effusive in praise, while the Chinese statement has been one of cautious and guarded hope. Delhi has identified itself with Trump's Afghan strategy, whereas the Chinese stance is calibrated -- observant and objective, keeping a distance, says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'The summer of 1857 saw violence, perpetrated by the Indians and the Britons, on an unprecedented scale.' 'Never before and never after in the history of British rule in India was there violence at the level that 1857 witnessed.'
Funds like Taurus Starshare capitalise on market conditions by holding concentrated portfolios and taking on higher risk, but this only reveal a part of the true picture.
Activists strongly opposed to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project have now turned to God. In their letter, they have urged the Almighty to save them from a 'nuclear disaster'.
'I believe politics was imposed on it by the censor board, when it gave the film's trailer an A certificate, hoping to deny children, teenagers the opportunity to watch it during prime time television shows,' says Aseem Chhabra.
Columnist Sidin Sunny Vadukut gives us his take on the hue and cry the Indian moral police are forever raising over minor issues.
Malayalam film audiences, who had spent close to two decades waiting for something truly interesting to watch at the movies, seem to be finally getting their due.
Any weakening of army support would spell doom for Musharraf. The Pakistani army's image is much dented and it is doubtful if it can withstand a civil war with the Taliban.
'There is a communication gap between the Modi government and the allies. During the last one year, the NDA has met only once and that was two hours before the land bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.' 'When Vajpayee was prime minister if any NDA chief minister asked for time , he was given it the next day. Modi is not doing it.' 'If there is tension on the streets, if there is insecurity amongst the minorities, then Make in India will remain a pipe dream.'
The movie, which despite its slick image and incredibly beautiful stars is not what it claims to be. It's not a great action movie. Not a great love story. Not even a noteworthy Indian contribution to global cinema.
'When we urge you to complete the task of eliminating terrorism, we are not suggesting that we are ready to fight the battle to the Last American. Indians, Americans and humanity itself have a stake in ridding the world of the scourge of terrorism. There should be no more Headleys to perpetrate terrorism.'
Mulayam's exit will make way for Mayawati to return to power. UP has now begun to resemble Tamil Nadu. Two regional parties rule by turn.
As politicians dismantle the levers of power, whether it is subsidies, allotment of land or spectrum, etc, they fear the prospect of losing the power of patronage much more than the power to extract rents therefrom, says Sonali Ranade
The Hindu Right has, ever since its inception, consistently used terror as its major weapon for stirring up Hindu passions so as to cultivate a Hindu vote-bank. This has been particularly the case on the eve of major elections, as is the case today, says Yogi Sikand
On May 11 we launched our campaign against caste in census 2011 and responses from readers have been pouring in. While some merely clicked the 'I am against the caste census' button, others were more vocal. We present what our readers had to say.
Now asset allocation may sound like a complicated concept, but isn't. As the word suggests, it means distributing your money across various investment avenues or assets so that the poor performance of any one avenue/asset does not jeopardise the entire investment plan. As logical as that sounds, it is one of the rarest traits in a financial plan, but more on that later.
With President Musharraf under pressure from the US, his continuance as leader of Pakistan is under a cloud, says Anil Athale.
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