Singh is King

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha with a comfortable margin belying predictions of a close contest on a day marred by unseemly scenes over allegations of bribery.

The Prime Minister's motion expressing confidence of the House in the Council of Ministers was carried with 275 votes in favour and 256 against.

In a House with an effective strength of 541, it was not immediately clear how many abstained. The results were announced after nearly an hour when officials corrected the initial figures which showed 253 votes in favour of the motion, 232 against and 2 abstentions in a total vote of 487.

In the din caused by BJP members demanding Prime Minister's resignation and shouting down his speech, Singh laid his reply to the debate on the table of the House.

As Opposition members pressed for a division, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee ordered voting by electronic voting machine.

Even before the final result was announced, ruling alliance members went to the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to greet them on the victory in the confidence motion, the first in over four years of this government.

The Prime Minister sought the confidence of the House after the Left parties, which provided outside support since May 2004, withdrew it on the issue of government operationalising the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal by approaching the IAEA.

The two-day debate on the motion was often acrimonious but it took an entirely different turn after BJP members shocked the House by producing bundles of currency notes alleging bribes by the Samajwadi Party to them to abstain from voting.

Four BJP members, including former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, were permitted to vote from the inner lobby of the House through slips on account of their ill-health.

Race

The director duo, Abbas-Mastan returns with yet another thriller, but this time around a flick that is sleek and high on style. After over 6 years of waiting, the duo finally does a film with Saif and is it worth all that much?
Well to take off, the film revolves around two brothers; Ranvir [Saif Ali Khan] and Rajeev [Akshaye Khanna] who own a huge stud farm in Durban, South Africa. They breed horses on their huge ranch house and are also the biggest bookies in the horse racing circuit. Ranvir, the elder of the two, is known to be a very shrewd man. He is very aggressive and is always on the move. Rajiv, on the other hand, is very laidback and is also a chronic alcoholic.

Sophia [Katrina Kaif] is Ranvir’s personal secretary. She adores her boss and loves him. Ranvir is totally unaware of her feeling and regards her adoration as her efficiency. Sonia [Bipasha Basu] is an upcoming Indian ramp model in Durban.

Sonia loves Ranvir, but through a twist of fate gets married to Rajiv. When she discovers that Rajiv is a chronic alcoholic, things begin to get worse.

Eventually, Ranvir and Sonia come very close to each other and an affair starts between the younger brother’s wife and the elder brother. When the younger brother starts suspecting his wife, all hell breaks loose.

A murder is committed, a contract killing is issued, double crossings become the order of the day… A sharp-tongued investigative officer R.D. [Anil Kapoor] starts an investigation with his brainless assistant Mini [Sameera Reddy].

Abbas- Mastan have proved it over the years that no one can beat them when it comes to the thriller genre. With films like Khiladi , Baazigar , Humraaz ; Race might just add to their list of hits. The film has several twists and turns that keep you saying ‘oh’ and reanalyzing everything so that bits and pieces of the story fill in to form the collage called Race.

But one little factor that has to be noted is that as the duo directors attempt to make things complicated and shock the audience , they just kind of lose out on the whole plot and this con man film at the end makes the viewer wonder when did certain characters team up to plot against the others.

The screenplay of the film by Shiraz Ahmed is good but at times is loose. The 1^st half of the film is quite a drag and the songs look really forced upon. Next time around, Abbas-Mastan should consider chopping some tracks. Maybe this time they couldn’t do so considering their producers are Music giants.

On the acting front, the film truly belongs to Saif. Saif looks stylish, smart and carries the adrenaline in the character perfectly. His dialogue delivery is just amazing and the action sequences considering he did them all by himself is just commendable. Watch out for Saif’s jump from a great height. It’s terrifically done courtesy Allan Amin.

With due credit to all the actors in the film, Race wouldn’t be all that racy if it wasn’t for Saif. Watch out the dialogue where he addresses his younger brother on the funda of winning-losing and on the outcome of betrayal where he blows up his jockey’s car.

Chaos theory

As i said before, went to watch Dasavatharam on first day.Was fortunate i should say. I was dumbstruck seeing the technical quality ,the screen play,kamal's getups ,the story and the list goes on.Wait wait this is not a review of the great movie but this is something related to the movie(spoiler:I have revealed the plot).After coming back from the movie I still did not understand what a butterfly was doing in the opening scenes of the movie.Well thats the central theme 'butterfly effect'.To tell in a single line the small variation in initial conditions of a dynamic event has a great impact in its eventful result.Is it confusing ? Well the theory says that a flap of a butterfly might well change the initial conditions for occurrence of a tornado by stopping it or changing the direction or even changing its speed.Still more confusing? Here we go again let us consider a ball set on top of a hill it might run down in any direction that depends on the initial conditions.So now in the movie Dasavatharam which is about chaos theory the events like the immersion of the 12 century idol can be taken as an initial condition for the occurrence of tsunami(chaos) and thus the plot.So in the movie thus from Govind's perspective the idol was just part of the chaos theory but from Aandal's perspective its GOD's will at which the events have happened.So next time when the butterfly flaps remember some thing might well be on its way.

Review

One striking feature that hits you in the face once you have watched ‘Dasavatharam’ is Kamal Haasan's passion for filmmaking. All the ten roles he has essayed have been meticulously planned right from the body language to dialogue delivery. Be it the American president George Bush, the Vaishnavite priest of the 12th century or Fletcher, the American baddie.

The eyes are considered the most effective tools in creating the right kind of attitude for any actor and Kamal Haasan is a master at that. There are many a time in the film when the audience would have to force themselves to believe that it is the same actor who is the good guy as well as the bad guy.

The expressive and determined eyes of the priest, the mushy and yet funny countenance of Balaram Naidu, the hilarious CBI officer and the peaceful martial artist eyes of the Japanese character have all shaped up to fit into any acting text book. Hats off to Kamal Haasan on the acting front!!

Based loosely on Chaos theory, the narration of the film promises a lot of excitement and as the story unfolds, somewhere down the line there are a few missing links that have been forcefully stitched together. Govind, the bio-scientist in the United States of America has been wronged by his boss who has intentions of selling his invention to wrong hands. The determined scientist doesn't give up. He sneaks it away and after a few accidents the invention lands in India. The hunt and race against time especially with Fletcher, the ex-CIA baddie sniffing at his neck with murderous intent culminates into Govind meeting an irrationally sentimental and at times sweet Andal (Asin). The baddie with sizzling Mallika Sherawat for company proceeds along the vulnerable Indian security system and shows up at the right places at the right time.

The narration then makes sure most of the characters played by Kamal get into close proximity in terms of geography. The stunt sequences are quite professional with its share of thrilling moments, but then there are too many coincidences consistently. The protagonist and his slowly, but surely falling-in-love lady companion seem to be jumping off just about everything. Soft landing seems to be a predictable option at most times.

When it comes to action and stunt scenes, ‘Dasavatharam’ is head and shoulders above most Indian films. The music element in the film is passable with some breathtaking re-recording bits in patches.

Cinematography has been simply awesome. The heavy compositing and trick shots have not dampened Ravi Varman's innate talent at creating the right kind of mood the film depicts.

‘Dasavatharam's’ review can never be complete without talking about the makeup part. Apart from the desired result one can guess the kind of effort and hard work Kamal Haasan would have had to go through just to get them on and that too on a daily basis. Makeup has been good overall except for a few shots that show off a kind of plastic look.

Computer Generated Imagery plays a huge role in the film. When the same actor plays seven feet plus youth and an old woman who is barely five feet, one can imagine the kind of intensive scaling and image manipulation by the CG team. Recreation of the 2004 Tsunami is impressive and the action part weaves the intensity of the story.

The direction has been apt sticking to the script in the true sense of the term. K. S. Ravikumar known for his simple style of narration has not been himself with ‘Dasavatharam’, but has shown sparks of ingenuity.

Kamal Haasan has stuck to his favorite subject of the 'no God' debate in this film too and has glorified himself probably for the first time on screen with a dialogue directed at him as being the 'Ulaga Nayagan'.

With Kamal Haasan playing ten roles, all other actors have been completely overshadowed.

This is a movie that has highlighted a highly talented and passionate actor in his entire splendor. At the end of the film one tends to ask….has Kamal Haasan been so spectacular that he has overshadowed the script and story this time?

Dasavatharam

Dasavatharam is gonna realease tomorrow(June13th). I have got the tickets for first day. Waiting to watch the movie. I will post the review once i watch it.

The Nano

When I was figuring out the meaning of technology this is what I ended up 'an application of science' to be in short, to add to that I found this 'Economics is a branch of social science'.So then an application of Economics can also be called a technology right.So lets take this we produce some thing at a low cost and expect to sell the item in large numbers in a market that is often driven by competitive pricing.So now you might be wondering why I am telling all this as most of you might be knowing it.One such application is the NANO the new car from the stables of TATA MOTORS. My initial reaction to this car, when it was announced long back was that it might be more like a share auto,but I must confess that this one is not of that kind .I am sure it will give sleepless nights to other automobile companies especially the Maruti Udyog.I am extremely astonished by the fact that Ratan Tata has taken this challenge and has come out extremely successful.I Salute him and his team.Tatas have once again proved that the word TATA means TRAILBLAZERS.Having talked about the brain behind the project lets now shift the focus to the brain child.The design of NANO looks stylish,it claims a mileage of 20kmpl.The most important point is the price 1Lac that makes it a value for money car.The new kid on the block is sure to rock! This will surely be a car with both MASS n CLASS.The only problem with its launch is that will there be space on the road to drive it ? Lets see.

About Hammi

Now a household name and an inspiration to many across the UK and beyond, Lewis's motorsport career started in 1993 when he was just 8 years old. By the age of 10 he had won his first British Karting championship. A further four British Karting championships followed in 1996 and 1997.

At the age of 13, Lewis was talent spotted and subsequently signed to the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme by McLaren Group Chairman and CEO Ron Dennis. The programme, established by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, provided Lewis with a long-term contract guaranteeing financial and technical support to help with his future motorsport career.

Lewis makes sure that he enjoys his time away from the track as well, spending time with friends and family.

Favourite Music: Hip-hop, R&B, Reggae and Funky House

Favourite Artists: The Roots, De La Soul, 2Pac, Biggie, Nas, Bob Marley, Sizzla, Sean Paul, Freddie McGregor, UB40, Chaka Demus & Piliers, Beenie Man, Sanchez, Warrior King

Hobbies: Music, playing guitar, books, gym, cycling, squash, tennis, karting, partying with friends, chilling with family and friends, cinema, watching DVDs

Sourav-The Dada

In the Behala suburb of Kolkata stands tall a four-storey palatial home of printing business baron, Chandidas Ganguly. This residence is home to around 50 members of Ganguly family. Among all of them also resides the Prince of Kolkatta who also is known as Sourav Ganguly.

The second son of Chandidas and younger brother of Snehasish, was born on this very day of 8th July 1972 in the City of Joy Kolkata. Being a true Bengali, his first and true love (not to forget Dona) was Football. His favourite position was that of a striker, but destiny had something else written for this naturally right handed batsman.

Yes, little would people know that Sourav was actually a right handed batsman. He became left-handed for convenience. His brother Snehasish was an accomplished left-hander and was the one who pulled Sourav from football to cricket.

Nevertheless, thanks to Snehasish the cricket world could see one in a million off-side batting God in Sourav Ganguly. Sourav's international debut was a forgettable one, way back in 1992. Almost all or whichever cricketing pundit saw him must have written him off then and there. Sourav Ganguly was almost like a story that started to end on the same day.

But he was determined to make an impact whenever possible. Selectors gave him a couple of high-performing youngsters a nod for the English tour. Sourav was one and the other was Rahul Dravid who from then till Sourav became the captain remained in his shadow. His breathtaking back-to-back centuries in England remained one of the most scintillating debuts in Indian cricket.

From then till now Sourav Ganguly's tale has been the chronicle of cricketing circles most unpredictable intellectuals. For his impulsive way of cricket he was perceived to be a brash person too. But records gave another side of the story that he was India's best ever captain. His strong belief in individualism led to his evolution of being one of the most revered cricket leaders of all time.

This also led to his down fall. Cricket showed its other side to a man who possibly gave the world the likes of Yuvraj, Harbhajan and many more youngsters who became show-stoppers from no-showers. In a cricket-crazy nation, the famous bare-chested captain of Natwest series and the heroic leader of 2003 World cup became an anti-hero. His run-ins with the administration and especially against the much-hyped coach Greg Chappell went against him.

But his insistence and patronage to this attitude gave India many glorious moments. His unflinching support to the likes of Yuvraj and Bhajji made them stand against the world in support of their beloved leader. Yuvi on one of his comebacks was quoted "I'm ready to die for such a captain". The quote said volumes about how Sourav galvanised his team. Probably, no one else than him understood the insecurities of a newcomer as he had received a raw deal in the beginning of his career.

It was under his stewardship that India's dismal overseas records took a u-turn. His instinctive, tough and hardnosed leadership saw India going on to the World Cup finals in 2003. The most difficult part of his captaincy was the fact that he took over the reins when the country was sucked up by the match-fixing scandal. His in your face stance got his equal appreciation and criticism.

But he became the cult idol of India after beating Pakistan in Pakistan. That was the peak from where he actually started sloping down. He strongly believed in brinksmanship which could be easily seen when he kept many captains including Steve Waugh waiting at the toss. This got on to the nerves of Waugh sr. but in his autobiography confessed that Ganguly brought a 'new steeliness in the team'.

But for all what he is, in Bengal he is one of the most influential personalities. His one word here or there makes noise of great magnitudes. Any criticism on him becomes a state-level issue. When he was dropped from the Indian team, it became a point of debate in Bengal state legislative assembly. From a layman to the top political leaders of the state, all worshipped their 'prince' from the bottom of their heart.

But all this didn't actually help when Sourav had not scored anything substantial and his athleticism was as usual a question mark. He was out and pundits thought that this was the end of the Sourav era. However, Ganguly in his unflinching ways was determined to prove all his critics wrong. He went back to domestic cricket, scored a couple of hundreds and made a comeback to the Indian team when the formula of young blood was failing.

When all seemed to be over and out for him, Sourav turned the tables around. His comeback to Indian team was one of the most fascinating ripostes ever seen in this game. It was nothing short of a fairy-tale. This comeback fetched him the Castrol Asian Cricketer of the year award for being the highest run scorer in Asia in the year 2007.

Keeping all his whims and fancies aside, Sourav gave the world of cricket many reasons may be good or bad to read about. His cricket story is nothing less than a drama or a soap opera. Believe it or not Ganguly amader ashol jhyodha (Ganguly is a true warrior)

Fantastic Opening

Dazzling fireworks that lit up the sky and a glittering opening ceremony attended by the top brass of the ICC and the BCCI kicked off the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) in Bangalore on Friday evening.

In a spectacular ceremony before the lung-opener between Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders, the BCCI patted itself for heralding the start of a new phase in international cricket.

A packed house erupted in excitement as captains of the eight participating teams walked out to sign the MCC's Spirit of Cricket, under which the entire tournament will be played out.

BCCI President described it as a ‘historic day’ for international cricket and hoped that fans would maintain their interest for the next 44 days, which will see 59 matches.

Later in the night, the Kolkata Knightriders team went on to beat the Bangalore Royal Challengers convincingly.

Indian Premier League

Indian Premier League (IPL), a brainchild of BCCI or to be precise its vice-president Lalit Modi, is a Twenty20 league sanctioned by ICC. Eight franchise teams owned by business tycoons, Bollywood stars and media magnets feature in the league.

Each team will have a pool of 16 players, with a max of eight overseas players and a min of four U-22 players besides a min of four players from the catchment area as is fixed by the governing body. IPL franchises bought the best cricketers of the world thro' the players' auction held on Feb 20 in Mumbai. The franchises sans icon players - Chennai and Hyderabad - spent lavishly to net big fishes in the shape of Dhoni ($1.5m) and Symonds ($1.35m) respectively. Franchises bought players -Indian and international - of their liking from a pool of 77.

Each team will play seven others in the fray on home and away basis. The top four teams at the end of league stages will make it to semis' and bottom four will play classification ties. The inaugural event, involving 59 ties, will kick-off on Apr 18, when Mallaya-owned Bangalore Royal Challengers take on Kolkata owned by SRK at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The franchise teams will battle it out for 44 days for a US$3m prize money.

IPL, the billion-dollar first-of-its-kind in cricket, is loosly modelled after the mega sporting events English Premier League (EPL) a football league in UK and MLB (Baseball league in North America). However the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question is: Will the much-hyped T20 league match EPL and MLB in magnitude or is this a gigantic bubble waiting to burst. Time alone will tell.

The teams that are going to take part in the inaugural IPL tournament are

• Mumbai Indians - Mukesh Ambani - Captained by Sachin Tendulkar
• Bangalore Royal Challengers - Vijay Malya - Captained by Rahul Dravid
• Chennai Super Kings - India Cements - Captained by MS Dhoni
• Delhi Daredevils - GMR Group - Captained by Virendra Sehwag
• Deccan Chargers - Deccan Chronicle - Captained by VVS Laxman
• Kolkata Knight Riders - Shah Rukh Khan/Juhi Chawla - Captained by Saurav Ganguly
• Kings XI Punjab - Preity Zinta/Ness Wadia - Captained by Yuvraj Singh
• Rajastan Royals - Emerging Media Group - Captained by Shane Warne