Bollywood Stars Attend Ashish Chowdhry’s Sister & Brother In Law Funeral

Actor Ashish Chowdhry lost his sister and brother in law in recent Mumbai Terrorist attacks at Oberoi Hotel. Vinod Khanna, Zayed Khan, Harman Baweja, Ritesh Deshmukh, Indra Kumar, Aftab Shivdasani, Sanjay Dutt’s wife Manyata Dutt along with Neha Oberoi, Neil Nitin Mukesh and DJ Aqeel attend Ahsish Chowdhry’s family members funeral.Source

'Why the fuss?' asks Deshmukh after taking RGV to Taj hotel

Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Monday defended his decision to visit the battered Taj hotel here with his actor son Riteish Deshmukh and Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, saying it was "no big deal".
"It was decided on the spur of the moment. It wasn't pre-planned. Taj security chief Kapadiya called and asked me to visit the hotel. The two (Riteish and Varma) were around so I took them along. What's the big deal? Why the fuss?" Deshmukh asked mediapersons at a press conference here.The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, set up in 1905, was seized by terrorists Wednesday night along with a Jewish centre and the Oberoi Trident hotel. The gunmen killed people and then took hostages until commandos neutralised them Saturday. Deshmukh visited the Taj hotel Sunday along with Riteish and Varma. From there, the chief minister went to the Oberoi. Mumbaikars expressed anger that the chief minister chose to go to the scene of the terror carnage with a filmmaker, adding to the burden of an already stretched out security force."Did he take Ram Gopal Varma so that he (Varma) could make a realistic film one day?" asked Narendra Shinde, an employee of a multinational company."This is insensitive (on the part of the chief minister)," said Aruna Anand, a social activist. "Politicians have to exhibit a sense of sensitivity when common people are suffering."Shiv Sena MP Bharat Kumar Raut said Deshmukh was trying to promote his son and "bring him in front of the camera"."If they wanted to go to the Taj, they could have gone separately to express solidarity. However, if a film star goes there, it is a practical difficulty for security personnel. There was no necessity to go there. He could have sat at home and expressed solidarity."Ashok Pandit, also a filmmaker, called it a "security lapse"."Even if Riteish is the son of the chief minister and Ram Gopal Varma is a filmmaker of repute, it is a serious security lapse... The chief minister should resign."Varma defended himself Sunday, saying: "I have no intention of making a film ever on this issue. My visit was not to make a film on it."

source: www.bollywoodworld.com

No plans to make movie on 27/11: Ram Gopal Varma

Mumbai, In the eye of a storm for visiting the ravaged Taj hotel in the aftermath of the terror strike, Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has denied reports he was planning to make a movie on the bloody assault on Mumbai.
"It's a figment of their (media's) imagination. I have no such plans (to make a movie on Mumbai's 27/11 terror strike)," Varma told IANS. The filmmaker is known for making true-to-life movies. He recently made "Contract" on the nexus between the mafia and terrorists. The media had on Sunday highlighted Varma's visit to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, accompanying Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who had gone to the 105-year-old hotel for a first-hand assessment on the extent of damage.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to take a potshot at Deshmukh for including his actor-son Riteish and Varma in his official entourage.The minister, however, denied it, saying, "It so happened that Varma was already at the Taj when I reached there and he later joined Riteish. I didn't take him along."The landmark hotel suffered extensive damage after terrorists stormed it on Nov 26 night, set off massive explosions and killed many of the guests and staff over three days.Bollywood is, on the other hand, divided as to whether Varma should have allowed himself to be seen with Deshmukh."I think, the media is blowing the whole episode out of proportion," said producer Pahlaj Nihalani.Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was more forthright in his criticism of the media for its "preoccupation with trivia"."Besides being a filmmaker, Ram Gopal Varma is also a human being. Like every sensitive person, he too was curious to know the damages Mumbai's landmark hotel had suffered at the hands of the terrorists. He got an opportunity to go there and so he went. So, what's the big deal about it?," Bhatt, who has directed films like "Zakhm", said.But the majority in Bollywood say it was not proper for Varma to tag along with the chief minister's entourage, especially when he (Deshmukh) was on an official visit."He may be a friend of the chief minister's son but knowing how the media functions today, he should have stayed clear of the TV cameras in order not to stoke a controversy," commented a veteran filmmaker, who did not wish to be identified. Varma's close circle of friends regretted the ire Deshmukh's detractors and the media in general chose to direct towards the filmmaker over the issue. "Aren't they making a mountain out of a molehill?," asked a Varma loyalist."I will not be surprised if some months from now I get to see a RGV production based on 27/11. I hope, he makes it," said Sakir Ahmed, a RGV fan.

source: www.bollywoodworld.com

Terror strikes hit new releases in Mumbai

Mumbai, Just released light-hearted movies "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and "Sorry Bhai" have suffered at the box office due to the Mumbai terror strikes as both the films opened with thin attendances here.
Though the terror-hit city was back on its rails Friday, two days after the terror strikes began Wednesday night, not many people are venturing out to the cinema halls and malls even now. The 61-hour operation against the terrorists by the security forces ended Saturday morning. The attacks claimed 183 lives and injured 239. While the cinemas in south Mumbai were ordered by the police commissioner to keep their shutters down on Friday, some in south-central areas in the city, like Dadar, Parel and Byculla, were also closed as a precautionary measure.Barring Inox at Nariman Point, there are no multiplexes in south and south-central Mumbai.As a result the box-office performances of the two new releases are not satisfactory even in the suburbs also, both in multiplexes as well as in single-screen outlets. Though "Sorry Bhai" has a better star-cast than "Oye Lucky...," it is lagging behind in terms of revenue collections.While Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi, Chitrangada Singh, Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani forms the cast of "Sorry Bhai!", "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" only has Abhay Deol and Paresh Rawal. Both the films hit the screens Nov 28.According to trade circles, the audience reaction to "Oye Lucky!..." is positive and the sub-distributors are confident that it will, finally, end up as a safe proposition, considering that it is not a high-cost vehicle. But they don't expect the movie's collections go beyond 50 percent. The single-screen cinemas are confident that the movie's revenue collection will improve Monday onwards, though multiplex managements are a little skeptical about it, given the city's tense situation. "Sorry Bhai" is produced by Mumbai Mantra.Vikramjit Roy, Mumbai Mantra's communication chief, echoed the same feeling: "The recent incidents hit the opening of our film in Mumbai. There is no doubt about it, but it opened well elsewhere and that's reassuring," he said. A UTV official remarked that "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye1" would surely wrap up the year on a positive note for the company. "We are upbeat about it," he said

source: www.bollywoodworld.com

Terrorists have no religion; politicians, act responsibly: Aamir Khan

New Delhi, Bollywood star Aamir Khan Friday wrote on his blog that politicians may try to use the Mumbai terror attack to their own advantage and stressed that terrorists have no religion.
“I dread to think of how various political parties are now going to try and use this tragedy to further their political careers. At least now they should learn to not divide people and instead become responsible leaders,” wrote Aamir on his blog www.aamirkhan.com/blog.“When will these politicians realise and admit that terrorists have no religion. Terrorists are not Hindu or Muslim or Christian. They are not people of religion or god. They are people who have gone totally sick in their head and have to be dealt with in that manner,” he added.Aamir went on to write about how the tragedy that struck the financial capital Wednesday night and spilled over into Friday has exposed how “ill-equipped we are as a society as far as proper leaders go”.“We desperately need young, dynamic, honest, intelligent and upright leaders, who actually care for the country,” he opined.Militants struck in at least 10 places in Mumbai, killing at least 125 people and injuring 327 people besides holding scores of people hostage inside two luxury hotels since Wednesday night.The actor has been actively keeping a tab on the proceedings of the rescue operations in the city through television. He shared that it was shocking and heart breaking for him to see various locations there turned into a war zone.“At this moment I pray that the brave officers of the Mumbai Police, the Indian Army, Navy, the NSG and the various other security forces dealing with the situation are able to end this crisis as soon as possible,” Aamir wrote.Aamir extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed and of those who had been held hostage since Wednesday night. He made a special mention of the “brave officers of the Mumbai Police” who lost their lives leading from the front to take on the terrorists. He also wrote about Anti Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who was one among the three top officials who laid down their lives while fighting terror.The actor-turned-filmmaker has urged countrymen to have faith and signed off with “Jai Hind”.

source: www.bollywoodworld.com

Aamir Khan Is Shocked To See Mumbai Turn Into A War Zone

The finest actor of the bollywood Aamir Khan expressed himself as being shocked, heartbroken, helpless and angry too. ”I Have been watching television since yesterday and to see various locations in Mumbai turned into a war zone is shocking and heart breaking to say the least. My heartfelt condolences to the families of persons killed and taken hostage! I was feeling sick in the stomach when the fire broke out at the Taj. What would the people caught inside be going through? The fire fighters were doing their best but my imagination was running wild and I was feeling helpless watching other people trapped in the rooms adjoining the fire.” said Aamir.

Aamir also extended his condolences to the family of the brave officers of the Mumbai Police who lost their lives. There was a special mention in his blog about Hemant Karkare of the ATS, who in the recent past was being targeted by various political parties for the work that he was doing. On the Terrorists Aamir said, “They are not Hindu or Muslim or Christian. They are not people of religion or God. They are people who have gone totally sick in their head and have to be dealt with in that manner.”

Aamir also wrote, “I dread to think of how various political parties are now going to try and use this tragedy to further their political careers. At least now they should learn to not divide people and instead become responsible leaders. An incident such as this really exposes how ill-equipped we are as a society as far as proper leaders go. We desperately need young, dynamic, honest, intelligent and upright leaders, who actually care for the country.”  Source