'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