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Charan, Akhil Shocking Pay For IIFA Show?
IIFA Utsavam two days celebrations was a glamorous and glittery event with most of the actors across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam industries attending it. Organizers of IIFA have spent money like water and gave a collected amount of Rs 1 crore to Chennai relief fund.
They paid fancy prices for actors to perform on the stage. However, Mega Power Star Ram Charan and young chap Akkineni Akhil’s individual performances on the stage was major highlight of the ceremony. As per a buzz, Ram Charan charged whopping Rs 1 crore for his 7 minute performance.
For his debut show on stage, Charan rehearsed for four days along with his co-performer Tamanna Bhatia and other dancers. Charan danced on songs of his own films.
Everyone who watched the show has lauded Charan’s energetic performance. The buzz adds that, Akhil Akkineni who recently made his heroic debut with Akhil has pocketed a pay of Rs 40 lakhs for his short dance feat.
India sets an example in subsidised TB diagnosis
There is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy TB scenario in India. Of the 12 high-burden countries where the private sector is a major player in providing health care, the Indian private sector offers the cheapest price for the WHO-approved Xpert MTB/RIF, a molecular test for diagnosing TB. India also has the highest number of private labs offering the test, with 113 labs offering it at a subsidised rate.
While it costs only Rs.2,000 in the 113 labs (with 5,200 collection centres) which are part of a novel initiative — Improving Access to Affordable & Quality TB Tests (IPAQT) — that was launched in India in March 2013, the charges are anywhere between Rs.3,500 and Rs.5,000 in labs that are not part of the IPAQT initiative. (The ipaqt.org site provides the details of other labs in the country that offer the WHO-approved subsidised tests.)
The mean price of the highly accurate TB test in Bangladesh is nearly $75, while it is $50 in the case of Afghanistan. It is as high as $155.5 in Philippines. Xpert is not commercially available in the private sector in six other high-burden countries. These are some of the results of a study published today (January 26) in the journal Lancet Global Health. The cost of the test will see a further drop if the Indian government waives off customs duty of 31 per cent levied on Xpert machine and reagents. “Nothing is preventing the government from waiving off the duty. There is a provision to waive import duties for life saving drugs and products, and HIV kits, for example, are duty-waived. Something similar is necessary for the WHO-endorsed TB tests,” Dr. Madhukar Pai, Associate Professor at McGill University, Canada and one of the Governing Council Members of IPAQT and a coauthor of the paper said in an email to The Hindu.
As a result of the subsidised pricing agreement with the manufacturer, there has been an increase in the number of people in India accessing the highly accurate diagnostic test since 2013. From 15,190 people who availed the test between March and December 2013, it has gone up to 131,440 tests in 2015. The total number of tests done since March 2013 stands at 208,550. “With a lot of effort, we have managed to keep the price manageable via IPAQT in India, and have shown that volumes can greatly increase. In other privatized countries, patients pay a lot, and have limited access to good tests,” said Dr. Pai. Access to accurate tests at subsidised price is very important in India as nearly 80 per cent of the population in India first seek the private sector. If one out of every four TB patients in the world is an Indian, one in eight TB patients in the world is a privately treated Indian patient.
Though the price is internationally set at $9.98 per cartridge, and the agreement allows for a 10 per cent variation in the exchange rate, the cost of the test has not been increased since January 2014 despite the rupee depreciating against the dollar in recent times. But the price may be revised if the rupee continues to depreciate, warns Dr. Pai. Besides increasing the access to the highly reliable and sensitive test, all labs that become a member of the Initiative abide to ban the unreliable serological test. India banned serological test for TB in June 2012. Also, TB notification by the member labs has improved dramatically as IPAQT helps them with the process of notifying all TB cases.
While the sensitivity of smear microscopy is about 50 per cent, Xpert has 90 per cent sensitivity (in smear positive cases) and 98 per cent specificity. It can also indicate resistance to rifampicin — a first-line TB drug.
Sailaja Sent Ram To Hong Kong
With back-to-back debacles since his 2011 super hit film Kandireega, Energetic Star Ram was under a huge pressure to come out of the regular commercial potboilers and prove himself with Nenu Sailaja. Released on 1st January, Nenu Sailaja gave Ram his much needed break after 4 long years.
Relieved from the years long stress at last, Ram is now reportedly off to Hong Kong, where he is unwinding himself along with a bunch of cousins and friends. While this short holiday will revitalize Ram before he commences his next, he is also utilizing the most from this getaway by shopping for his wardrobe for his next project.
While Ram’s immediate project has not been announced officially, sources say that the Energetic Star is so impressed with Kishore Tirumala, the director who helmed Nenu Sailaja, that he asked his uncle Sravanthi Ravi Kishore to rope in Kishore for his next film as well.
Apparently, Ravi Kishore gave the director a handsome cheque in advance and told him to take his time but come up with yet another solid script for Ram.
Like to do self-discovering roles: Lavanya Tripathi
Chennai: Actress Lavanya Tripathi, who is basking in the success of latest Telugu film “Soggade Chinni Nayana”, says she’d love to pick up roles that allow her to go through the process of self-discovery. “I’d love to do roles where I discover myself more. Though I’m happy with the kind of roles I’ve done so far, my dream would be to do the kind of roles that show people to look beyond the material world we are living in,” Lavanya told IANS.
With two back-to-back hits including last year’s “Bhale Bhale Magadivoy”, she says she doesn’t feel like she’s on cloud nine.“I just feel normal and happy. It’s probably because I don’t know how to react to such overwhelming success,” she said, and added that the success of “Bhale Bhale Magadivoy” boosted her confidence.
Lavanya currently awaits the release of forthcoming Telugu crime-comedy “Lacchimdeviki O Lekkundi”, in which she essays a character with three different shades. Did she find playing such a character challenging? “I actually enjoyed, because it brought out all the craziness, which obviously one can’t portray in real life. It also allowed me to play around with the characters,” she said.
Of the three characters, Lavanya found Ankalama to be the toughest. “Ankalama is this really dangerous avatar and pulling it off was physically challenging. I had to do this song where I’m dressed like kaali with trishul and damaru in my hand. It required a lot of energy to dance with so much of weight,” she said. Next up for her is a yet-untitled Telugu film with Allu Sirish. “It’s a film really high on family sentiments. It’s coming out really well. I may also sign a road film soon,” she added.
Mystery Behind Ramya Krishna’s New Look
During the late 80’s and the whole of 90’s, yesteryear heroine Ramya Krishna ruled the hearts of lakhs of her fans. The power-packed performer was also highly popular for her glamorous on-screen treats and she has fans among Telugu Tamil and Bollywood movie lovers.
After her marriage to director Krishna Vamsi, Ramya Krishna got busier on TV for several years. And then, she made a dream comeback to silver screen with the monstrous hit, Baahubali. Ramya Krishna’s presence as the Royal Sivagami added a lot of depth to the film.
After her surprising performance in Baahubali, Ramya Krishna followed it up with yet another surprise as she slimmed down and looked sensuous in the recent photoshoot photos that made a huge splash on the internet.
Interestingly, Ramya did the photoshoot as she has already completed shooting for her part in Baahubali 2.
Fans and film industry circles have been murmuring nonstop about Ramya’s mysterious image makeover and many are wondering if the actress is making a strong statement to filmmakers down south and especially in Bollywood that she is game for more roles with substance. Let’s see if this new look will do wonders for Ramya’s career.
Rahul Gandhi to visit Hyderabad university on Tuesday
Hyderabad: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday will visit University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit research scholar committed suicide. Rahul will land at Begumpet airport in the city by a special aircraft and reach the university by road. President of Telangana unit of the party Uttam Kumar Reddy said Rahul would meet the students.
Rohith Vemula, a P.hD. student, committed suicide by hanging himself in a hostel room on Sunday, triggering massive protests by students who alleged that he took the extreme step because of discrimination and social boycott. Rohith and four other students were subjected to boycott by the authorities of the university, the students said.
The five students of Amebdkar Students Association (ASA) were suspended and later expelled from hostel following a clash with leaders of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). ASA alleged that the action was taken against them after Union Minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to Union minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani.
The police on Monday booked a case against Dattatreya, Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two BJP leaders for abetment of suicide and violation of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act. A two-member team will arrive in Hyderabad to probe the incident.
Taking a step higher with Big B’s project: Taapsee
Hyderabad: Actress Taapsee Pannu is excited about teaming up with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in a yet-untitled Hindi film. She says she will be taking a step higher in her career with the project. “This is one step ahead for me. I’ve always tried to climb one step higher and this project is one step higher for my career,” Taapsee told IANS on the sidelines of the first edition of IIFA Utsavam.
The film will be produced by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar under his home banner, Rising Sun Films, and it marks the directorial debut of Bengali Filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhary in Bollywood. “I’m really excited. We go on the floors from next month,” she said. Asked about the Hindi remake of Tamil blockbuster “Kaththi”, in which she’s rumoured to be paired with Akshay Kumar, Taapsee said: “I have no idea about the project so far. Once I get any kind of confirmation, I can talk about it.”
Commenting on Utsavam, a celebration of talent of the southern film industry, Taapsee said she is proud to be part of the event. “This time the event is for a good cause. It’s a tribute for the victims of t he devastating Chennai floods. Though all of us have already contributed in whatever small way, the fact that IIFA Utsavam has brought us together for so mething bigger makes everything special,” she said.
‘Airlift’ mints Rs.44.30 crore on opening weekend
Mumbai: Actors Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur-starrer “Airlift”, which revolves around the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war, earned over Rs.44 crore at the box office on its opening weekend. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, “Airlift”, which released on Friday, saw a good growth over the weekend, taking its cumulative total to Rs.44.30 crore, read a statement.
According to trade analysts, the film has received tremendous response from both critics and movie buffs. “#Airlift had excellent trending over the weekend. Received tremendous love from movie-goers, which explains the day-wise growth,” Adarsh posted on Twitter. “#Airlift went from strength to strength with each passing day. Friday Rs.12.35 crore, Saturday Rs.14.60 crore, Sunday Rs.17.35 crore. Total: Rs.44.30 crore. India biz. Fab,” he added.
The film tells how the Indian government evacuation of 1,70,000 people of Indian origin and also of other nationalities through 488 flights during the Iraq-Kuwait war. “Airlift” also stars Feryna Wazheir and Purab Kohli.
Dhanush ‘excited’ about Hollywood debut, shoot in June
Chennai: Actor Dhanush, who is “excited” about making his Hollywood debut in Iranian-French director Marjane Satrapi’s “The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Cupboard”, will start filming for it from June, said a source. “Dhanush will start shooting for his portion of the film from June 15. He is expected to shoot for nearly three weeks. The film will be shot in Italy, Morocco and France (apart from India),” a source close to Dhanush told IANS. He will be sharing the screen space with “Kill Bill” star Uma Thurman in the film, which is a comedy adventure tale based on Romain Puertolas’s bestselling debut novel with the same name, which came out in 2014 and has been translated into 35 languages.
Dhanush earlier took to Facebook to share his excitement about his overseas debut. “I am very excited by this opportunity to work in a full length Hollywood film ‘The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard’ for the first time.” “The director Marjane Satrapi felt I would be apt for this role and I feel there are many facets I can explore for this character. I thank my fans and media for constantly standing by me and pushing me to explore new endeavours and challenges all the time,” read his post.
The novel that the film is based on relates to the pilgrimage of a con man from India to an IKEA store in Paris which turns into a philosophical odyssey. The film will follow his journey from New Delhi to Paris where he falls in love with a woman and accidentally gets deported along with a band of African refugees to the far corners of Europe against his will. The film will also feature “Bandit Queen” actress Seema Biswas, Alexandra Daddario, Barkhad Abdi and Laurent Lafitte.
Bumrah, Kohli help India win 1st T20I against Australia
Adelaide: A strong bowling performance, coupled with a quickfire half-century by Virat Kohli helped India to a 37-run victory over Australia in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Adelaide Oval here on Tuesday. Chasing 189, Australia started strongly before losing wickets at regular intervals to slump to 151 all out in 19.3 overs. young pacer Jasprit Bumrah had a memorable T20I debut, returning figures of 3-23 in 3.3 overs.
Ravindra Jadeja (2-21), Ravichandran Ashwin (2-28) and another debutant, Hardik Pandya (2-37) also bagged a couple of wickets each as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Ashish Nehra (1-28) gave away a lot of runs in his first spell before clinching a wicket towards the end. Earlier, Kohli stiched together a 134-run stand with Suresh Raina which brought the Indian innings back on track after the visitors had suffered a couple of early blows.
The Delhi batsman remeained unbeaten on 90 runs, smashing nine fours and two sixes during his 55-ball stint. Raina batted excellently at the other end, scoring 41 runs off 34 deliveries with three hits to the fence and a six. The duo helped India post 188/3 in their 20 overs. Kohli was adjudged the man of the match.Captain Aaron Finch was Australia’s highest scorer with 44. He had four boundaries and a coule of sixes in his 33-ball innings. Put in to bat by Australia, India were off to a flying start with Rohit Sharma producing the early fireworks. The Mumbai right-hander took a special liking to Shaun Tait’s bowling, hitting the pacer for a six and a four in the first over and then another couple of boundaries in the third.
With opening pacers Tait and Kane Richardson unable to control the Indian batsmen, Australia captain Aaron Finch was forced to make a bowling change, bringing James Faulkner and Shane Watson into the attack. Faulkner was unlucky to miss out on a wicket in his opening over as a loose shot from Rohit saw the ball come off the top edge of the bat and fly towards third man where Cameron Boyce dropped a sitter. But the disappointed home fans did not have to wait too long to celebrate as Watson struck twice in the next over. The right-armer sent back the dangerous Rohit with his very first ball as the opener drove an off-cutter straight to Faulkner at mid-on. Watson dismissed Shikhar Dhawan just four balls later with a slower one as the Delhi batsman’s mistimed shot offered an edge to Matthew Wade behind the stumps.
That saw Kohli and Raina come together and they handled the Australian bowling with ease and by the time the partnership cam to an end in the final over, they had alrady guided the visitors to a big score. Raina was unlucky to miss out on a half-century, and was dismissed while moving across the stumps and attempting to steer a Faulkner on the off-stump to the on-side. But the left-hander mistimed the shot as the ball went on to his the stumps. India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni strode to the middle and brought the crowd to their feet by hitting his first two balls for a six and a four to end the Indian innings on a high note. The Australians had strong start to their chase with openers Aaron Finch and David Warner going great guns. Although Warner departed in the sixth over after miscuing an attempted pull of Bumrah, Finch and Steven Smith found the gaps at frequent intervals to maintain a high scoring rate.
They scored 42 runs between them in just 23 deliveries before Jadeja and Ashwin struck in bac to back overs to peg back the Australians. Debutant Travis Head never looked comfortable during his five-ball stay in the middle before being trapped leg before by Jadeja. Watson did not last long before offering skier to Nehra at short fine leg while trying to sweep an Ashwin delivery. Pandya then sent back Cris Lynn and Matthew Wade in consecutive overs to plunge Australia into deep trouble.
Boys weren’t interested in me till I was 18: Sunny Leone
New Delhi: Actress Sunny Leone says she was a “geek” while growing up and so, boys weren’t really attracted to her until she was 18 years old. “I was a very academic student in college, but until college, I was an average student. But I knew business and I was fond of marketing, and all kind of geeky stuff. I was a nerd in my teenage years and didn’t have a lot of friends.”
“I also knew how to edit videos, do photoshop and lot of other things that a lot of 18- or 19-year olds don’t do… No boy was interested in me until I was 18,” Sunny said in a statement. The actress, who is currently awaiting the release of her forthcoming sex comedy movie “Mastizaade”, opened about her past in Zoom TV’s show “Yaar Mera Superstar”.
Before Sunny forayed into Bollywood, she was popular as an Indo-Canadian porn star. She was recently in news following an interview with a news channel where an anchor posed questions regarding her life as a porn star.
‘Protest over documentary, not hanging triggered fracas at HCU’
Hyderabad: It was the protest over the ABVP disrupting the screening of a documentary at Delhi University, and not over the hanging of Yakub Memon, which led to an argument between two student groups at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and the subsequent suspension of five research scholars, one of whom committed suicide. The Ambedkar Students Union (ASU), other student groups and even faculty members claim that the alleged protest over hanging of 1993 Mumbai bombings convict Yakub Memon was mentioned in the report of the sub-committee of the executive council following the intervention of two central ministers. Interestingly, the earlier report of the proctorial board committee which conducted an inquiry into the incident made no mention of the protest against Memon’s hanging.
“The executive council made no fresh inquiry but dragged the issue of Yakub Memon’s hanging in its report when it nowhere figured in the probe by the proctorial board,” HCU Students’ Union president K.P. Zuhail told IANS. The ASU members were protesting on August 2 over an incident at Delhi University, where the ABVP disrupted screening of ‘Muzaffarnagar baqi hai’, a documentary on the Muzaffarnagar’s riots. The protesters termed the ABVP’s action as ‘hooliganism’. It was after this protest that ABVP president Susheel Kumar made this comment on Facebook: “ASA (Ambedkar Students Association) goons are talking about hooliganism..feeling funny’. On the night of August 4, ASA members went to Susheel Kumar’s hostel room and made him write an apology. “The security officer was also present when Susheel Kumar gave a written apology,” said Dontha Prasanth, one of the students who was later suspended.
Susheel Kumar, however, alleged that ASA members assaulted and one of them even kicked him. He later lodged a complaint with university authorities and was admitted to a private hospital for a surgery for appendicitis. The proctorial board in its interim report of August 12 said it found no evidence that Susheel Kumar was assaulted. The report, which was prepared in the absence of Susheel Kumar’s deposition, strongly warned for posting “such comments on Facebook”. It also strongly warned the five ASA members for going to Susheel Kumar’s room at midnight and asking for an apology instead of complaining to the appropriate authorities.
It was on August 17 that Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani. He claimed that ASA had staged a protest against Memon’s execution and when Susheel Kumar protested against this, he was manhandled. Dattatreya, a Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad, also wrote that Hyderabad Central University has become a “den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics”. The proctorial board, in its final report on August 31, imposed a complete suspension on the five students. However, on a request by the students, then vice chancellor R.P. Sharma revoked the suspension and decided to form a fresh committee of the proctorial board to look into the issue. This committee was never constituted.
In the meantime, the HRD ministry sent at least five reminders to the university authorities between September 3 and November 20 last year with reference to Dattatreya’s letter. P. Appa Rao who took over as the new vice chancellor on Sharma’s retirement, formed a sub-committee of the executive council which suspended the students. Subsequently, Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, one of the five suspended students, committed suicide triggering nation-wide protests which are still continuing. Appa Rao then went on leave but the students are demanding that he quit. The university has also established a judicial commission to probe Vemula’s suicide.
Sarainodu Hot Cake In Overseas
Stylish Star Allu Arjun every so often says that he is not in the game for Tollywood’s top hero slot. In fact, his strategy is not to mount up unnecessary expectations on his films. But, with good selection of stories and directors, Bunny is slowly increasing his trade value.
Allu Arjun is one of the biggest stars in overseas with 2 million dollar grossers in his account with Race Gurram and S/O Satyamurthy. So, demand for overseas rights of Bunny’s forthcoming film Sarainodu is high. As per a buzz, an overseas distributor offered Rs 7.5 cr for Sarainodu rights. The deal is expected to close soon. Since, Allu Arjun is minimum guaranteed hero, Sarainodu would make good pre release business in all the areas.
Sarainodu first look has been released on the special occasion of Republic Day to positive response. Bunny is seen carrying a dumbbell in the poster is massy. This furious look of the actor has raised the expectations on the film. As per the poster, the film is expected to release in theatres in April 2016.
Rakul Preet Singh and Catherine Tresa star opposite Allu Arjun in Sarainodu being directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Allu Aravind. Senior actor Srikanth has been zeroed in for a crucial role and Anjali will be seen sizzling in a special number. SS Thaman composed audio album will be launched in March.
