A nearly six-decade ban on women being employed as make-up artists in India’s film industry is set to end after the Supreme Court said it was gender biased and should not continue for a day longer, the Indian Express said on Tuesday.
India’s US$2-billion film industry is the largest in world by ticket sales. It produces between 300 to 325 movies a year and, although there are no official figures, trade analysts say the Hindi-language industry alone employs more than 250,000 people, most of them contract workers.
While women work in most areas including as technicians and hairdressers, the industry does not allow women to work as make-up artists. Trade unions say this is to ensure men are not deprived of work.
But in a court case brought by a group of female make-up artists against the Cine Costume Make-up Artists and Hair Dressers Association (CCMAA), a two-judge bench said on Monday it would not permit this type of discrimination, the newspaper reported.
“Why should only a male artist be allowed to put make-up? How can it be said that only men can be make-up artists and women can be hairdressers? We don’t see a reason to prohibit a woman from becoming a make-up artist if she is qualified,” the Indian Express quoted Justices Dipak Misra and U.U. Lalit as saying.
“You better delete this clause on your own. Remove this immediately. We are in 2014, not in 1935. Such things cannot continue even for a day,” they told the CCMAA.
The Indian Express said the petition was brought by make-up artist Charu Khurana and other qualified female artists whose applications for make-up artist identification cards were rejected by the CCMAA because they are women.
While this case related to the Mumbai-based Hindi and English-language film industry which is known as Bollywood, the court said it will take action against regional language film industries based in cities such as Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad which also bar women make-up artists
Indian consumers have in recent months shown a penchant for ordering goods like smartphones in short-lived, online sales called “flash sales.” Now Burger King is trying to get them to pre-order its sandwiches — on eBay.
In an apparent attempt to tap into the popularity of flash sales — Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi says it has sold more than 500,000 of its low-cost handsets in India using such methods since July — Burger King is allowing customers to pre-book its Whoppers via online marketplace eBay.
The world’s second-largest burger chain after McDonald’s MCD +0.91% is set to open this month for the first time in the populous country. Cognizant of the religious practices of Hindus and Muslims who comprise the majority of the country’s population, Miami-based Burger King late last week said it would offer chicken, mutton and vegetable versions of its signature Whopper sandwich.
Indian consumers have in recent months shown a penchant for ordering goods like smartphones in short-lived, online sales called “flash sales.” Now Burger King is trying to get them to pre-order its sandwiches — on eBay.
The world’s second-largest burger chain after McDonald’s MCD +0.91% is set to open this month for the first time in the populous country. Cognizant of the religious practices of Hindus and Muslims who comprise the majority of the country’s population, Miami-based Burger King late last week said it would offer chicken, mutton and vegetable versions of its signature Whopper sandwich.
Consumers can use eBay EBAY +1.08% to pre-book their Whopper sandwiches from Burger King BKW -0.34% in India.
Burger King India/eBay
Through Wednesday, customers can pay a promotional price of 128 rupees ($2.08) with a credit card, debit card, or online bank transfer for a Whopper. (It’s unclear how much of a discount the price represents.) Buyers then receive a voucher via courier that they can redeem at a new Burger King shop in New Delhi’s Select City Walk Mall when it opens on Sunday. Those who order the sandwich also receive a T-shirt.
Apart from the discounted price and the shirt, however, it is unclear why consumers would buy the sandwiches online ahead of time, when they could presumably be bought quickly in the restaurant.
On Burger King India’s Facebook page, some users were skeptical of the idea. “Pre booking burgers hahaha! Wtf,” wrote one user. Others, however, posted screen shots showing confirmation of their bookings.
Burger King declined to comment, referring queries to the eBay listings. An eBay spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The promotion “will definitely catch the attention of consumers but I will be surprised if it translates into a large volume of sales,” said Neha Dharia, a Bangalore, India-based technology analyst at research firm Ovum.
“However, I think it’s an interesting campaign and it cleverly uses the e-commerce craze that has taken over the country,” she noted.
To be sure, the burger chain has its work cut out for it if it wants to approach Xiaomi’s numbers. As of Tuesday morning, Burger King has sold 260 chicken sandwiches, 154 vegetarian Whoppers, and 199 mutton sandwiches, according to their eBay listing pages.
The coming Friday will witness the release of Indra Kumar’s Rekha-Sharman starrer SUPER NANI and Abis Rizvi Films’ Kamal Sadanah directed ROAR. While the front runner will once again be the week old HAPPY NEW YEAR but given the strong intrinsic merits, the emotional and family content will surely help SUPER NANI find its audience, while ROAR will have to bank on its International standard VFX and niche audience. Interestingly, a film which goes by the name MAIN SHAHRUKH KHAN BANNA CHAHTA HOON is also listed for release!
Last Friday saw the release of Farah Khan’s Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah starrer, HAPPY NEW YEAR. As was expected and predicted, the film scorched the box-office (despite some negative publicity/reviews), setting a new first day, best single day as also the highest weekend record. Monday onwards the collections did fall (as is the norm after a big holiday) but not alarmingly. The film is on a record breaking run in the Mumbai-Gujarat sector. In fact HAPPY NEW YEAR is looking at a first week in the range of around 150 crore or more (including dubbed Tamil and Telugu versions). HAPPY NEW YEAR is also Shah Rukh Khan’s biggest overseas grosser (opening weekend) with $8m. While UK has grossed and#163;570,000, US is much higher at US$2,100,000, during the first weekend (24-25 October).
The major release of the week before HAPPY NEW YEAR, the horror genre MUMBAI 125 KM, saw a fair first day but collapsed after that as it collected 30 lakhs from Bombay, 6.50 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 3.15 lakhs from Surat, 3 lakhs from Baroda (collections from 5 cinemas unreceived), 3.15 lakhs from Pune, 2 lakhs from Nasik, 15 lakhs from Delhi city, 21.5 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 1.50 lakhs from Kanpur, 5 lakhs from Lucknow, 1.75 lakhs from Gurgaon, 1.50 lakhs from Chandigarh, 1 lakh from Jalandhar, 1 lakh from Amritsar, 1 lakh from Ludhiana, 1 lakh from Bhatinda, 1.50 lakhs from Bhubaneshwar, 2.50 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.75 lakhs from Jabalpur, 2.50 lakhs from Raipur, 3 lakhs from Indore (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 1 lakh from Gwalior (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 2 lakhs from Bhopal, 2 lakhs from Jaipur (collections from 5 cinemas unreceived), 1.50 lakhs from Hyderabad and 1.75 lakhs from Bangalore. Netting 1.75 crore during the opening week, MUMBAI 125 KMS has failed at the box-office.
The other release of the same week, SONALI CABLE, is a washout netting around a crore during the first week.
Meanwhile the Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer, BANG BANG, took advantage of the absence of any major release collecting 75 lakhs from Bombay (collections from other cinemas unreceived), 30 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 7.15 lakhs from Surat, 5.50 lakhs from Baroda (collections from 4 cinemas unreceived), 5 lakhs from Rajkot, 15 lakhs from Pune, 3.15 lakhs from Nasik, 1.55 lakhs from Belgaum, 55 lakhs from Delhi city, 9 lakhs from Noida, 6 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 5.75 lakhs from Kanpur, 9.65 lakhs from Lucknow, 2 lakhs from Allahabad, 7.50 lakhs from Gurgaon, 2 lakhs from Faridabad, 5.15 lakhs from Chandigarh, 3.15 lakhs from Jalandhar, 2.50 lakhs from Amritsar, 3 lakhs from Ludhiana, 1.55 lakhs from Bhatinda, 20 lakhs from Calcutta, 2.65 lakhs from Siliguri, 1 lakh from Patna, 2.15 lakhs from Dhanbad, 1.15 lakhs from Ranchi, 3.50 lakhs from Bhubaneshwar, 5.65 lakhs from Nagpur, 3.25 lakhs from Jabalpur, 3.50 lakhs from Raipur, 7 lakhs from Indore (collections from 2 cinemas unreceived), 2 lakhs from Gwalior (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 3 lakhs from Bhopal (collections from 2 cinemas unreceived), 10 lakhs from Jaipur (collections from 8 cinemas unreceived), 2.65 lakhs from Kota, 3 lakhs from Udaipur, 25 lakhs from Hyderabad, 1.50 lakhs from Aurangabad, 30 lakhs from Bangalore, 2 lakhs from Mangalore, 1.75 lakhs from Visakhapatnam, 1.15 lakhs from Madras and 2.65 lakhs from Kochi. Adding another 6 crore BANG BANG has netted 151 crore in three weeks from India (Hindi version). Given the expected satellite price (35-40 crore), 6 crore from the dubbed versions and the great overseas run, the heavily priced BANG BANG is a semi-hit. The film is superb in the overseas grossing $13m with and#163;1,155,000 from UK and $2,580,000 from the US, till the fourth weekend (24-26 October).
Concluding with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shahid Kapoor starrer, HAIDER, the film managed another decent week collecting 50 lakhs from Bombay (collections from other cinemas unreceived), 5.50 lakhs from Ahmedabad, 2.25 lakhs from Surat, 2 lakhs from Baroda (collections from 3 cinemas unreceived), 1.50 lakhs from Rajkot, 5 lakhs from Pune, 1.50 lakhs from Nasik, 1.55 lakhs from Goa, 50 lakhs from Delhi city, 9 lakhs from Noida, 4.50 lakhs from Ghaziabad, 3.50 lakhs from Kanpur, 5 lakhs from Lucknow, 1.25 lakhs from Allahabad, 10 lakhs from Gurgaon, 1.25 lakhs from Faridabad, 5 lakhs from Chandigarh, 2.50 lakhs from Jalandhar, 1.50 lakhs from Amritsar, 1.55 lakhs from Ludhiana, 20 lakhs from Calcutta, 1.65 lakhs from Siliguri, 2 lakhs from Bhubaneshwar, 3 lakhs from Nagpur, 1.75 lakhs from Raipur, 3.75 lakhs from Indore, 1 lakh from Gwalior. 2.50 lakhs from Bhopal, 5 lakhs from Jaipur (collections from 5 cinemas unreceived), 1.50 lakhs from Kota, 1.15 lakhs from Udaipur, 10 lakhs from Hyderabad, 20 lakhs from Bangalore, 1.25 lakhs from Mangalore and 1.15 lakhs from Kochi. Adding another 5 crore , HAIDER has netted 60 crore in three weeks from India. Given that HAIDER’s director Vishal and actor Shahid have forfeited their remuneration (resulting in a reasonable budget), as also the praiseworthy overseas performance, the film is an above average fare. HAIDER has done very well in the overseas (especially US) , grossing and#163;181,000 from the US.
Shekhar Kapur is all set to direct a fantasy adventure drama ‘Tiger’s Curse’ that is based on a series of best-selling novels by Colleen Houck
The story centers around a teenage girl, who, while working at a circus, encounters a white tiger named Ren, whose true identity is a prince under a 300-year curse, according to an international Hollywood news portal. They team up to unravel a prophecy that might be the key to breaking the curse.
Shekhar, best known for his films like ‘Masoom’, ‘Mr. India’, ‘Bandit Queen’ and ‘Elizabeth’, has also announced plans to direct ‘Paani’ for Yash Raj Films with Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead role.
The Japanese government Monday announced that former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh will be conferred the Imperial Decoration for his “significant contribution” towards boosting bilateral ties.
Manmohan Singh is among the 57 foreign recipients who would be honoured with the 2014 Autumn Imperial Decorations.
The former Indian prime minister, who was at the helm of the country for a decade till the 2014 elections, is the first Indian to be conferred the “Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers”, the Japanese embassy said here in a statement.
The former Indian prime minister, who was at the helm of the country for a decade till the 2014 elections, is the first Indian to be conferred the “Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers”, the Japanese embassy said here in a statement.
It said Manmohan Singh will be conferred the honour “in recognition of his significant contributions to the enhancement of relations and the promotion of friendship between Japan and India for about 35 years”.
“The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers is a high level National Order rarely awarded to those who are recognised for their distinguished contributions. Manmohan Singh is the first recipient of the order.
Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s debut feature is all set for a world premiere at Venice Days, an independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival, that runs from August 27 to September 6.
Aditya, who is a graduate of the National Institute of Design and dabbles in graphic design, animation and advertising, talks about his Labour of Love:
What is Labour of Love about?
Labour Of Love is set against the backdrop of a spiraling recession that has Calcutta in its grips. Several people are losing their sources of livelihood and faced with the uncertainty of losing their own jobs, the film’s two central characters are under constant pressure to sustain their livelihood. The film deals with their strained routines as well as the calmness they depict in dealing with the eventualities of their existence.
There are no dialogues in the film. What was the idea behind not having dialogues?
Well technically, there are no on-screen dialogues in the film. My idea was to engage the viewer as a participant in the proceedings of the film, rather than merely a spectator. Although my original screenplay did have dialogues, as I went on shooting the film, dialogues just seemed unnecessary and out of place and I let the film take its own course.
The first thing I asked the actors to not do is Act. I wanted them to behave normally in front of the camera. I wanted them to live the spaces, the silences and experience the moods. The character sketches were designed in a way that they do not become strong characters.
How did you finance the film?
Like most independent films, it was challenging to raise money for the film. My wife Jonaki and I approached several producers regarding the film and after a few rejections, we decided to produce it ourselves under our company For Films. We invested our savings and also raised money from investors to finish the film.
Last year, I showed an assembly cut of the film to producer Sanjay Shah (Salaam Cinema) who had previously worked on Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely. Although our film was in its early edit stages, he showed a lot of enthusiasm in the vision and expressed his interest in developing it and working on its marketing and distribution strategy.
Are you looking at a theatrical release for the film? Will it not be difficult to market a film without dialogues?
I am quite confident that we will find distribution for the film. I think the audiences from any part of the world can relate to it.
What kind of preparation did you demand from your actors, as the film relied majorly on their expressions?
The first thing I asked the actors to not do is Act. I wanted them to behave normally in front of the camera. I wanted them to live the spaces, the silences and experience the moods. The character sketches were designed in a way that they do not become strong characters. I didn’t want their thoughts to influence the viewers at all. We might get hints of how they could be feeling, but not exactly what they are feeling. In the film, the actors are merely bodies that allow us to live and experience their lives.
What kind of music have you used in the film?
We are using a few old Bengali songs in the film and the very talented Alokananda Dasgupta, who previously composed music for Fandry and B.A. Pass, has composed a theme track for the film.
Tell us about your background
My background is actually design. I studied Graphic Design at the National Institute of Design and spent all my free time making live-action and animation films. I worked with channel [v] as a promo director for 3 years and then quit to work on my own projects. I started painting and exhibiting my art works and eventually started freelancing as an ad filmmaker and animator to earn a living.
I decided to make Labour Of Love early last year as I always knew that films would allow me to combine my different interests…and that was exciting. The only challenge I faced was trying to find a producer to support the project. But I was determined to make the film and I had to make it happen. We managed to put the resources together, found amazing people to collaborate with and that’s how the film was made.
What kind of cinema inspires you?
I am inspired by a wide range of cinema and filmmakers. Amongst my favourites are Robert Bresson, Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar and contemporary filmmakers Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Takashi Miike, Tsai Ming Liang and many, many more
Robert Hannigan, head of Britain’s surveillance agency, has accused US technology companies of becoming ‘the command and control networks of choice’ for terrorists. Photograph: Felix Clay for the Guardian
Privacy has never been “an absolute right”, according to the new director of GCHQ, who has used his first public intervention since taking over at the helm of Britain’s surveillance agency to accuse US technology companies of becoming “the command and control networks of choice” for terrorists.
Robert Hannigan said a new generation of freely available technology has helped groups like Islamic State (Isis) to hide from the security services and accuses major tech firms of being “in denial”, going further than his predecessor in seeking to claim that the leaks of Edward Snowden have aided terror networks.
GCHQ and sister agencies including MI5 cannot tackle those challenges without greater support from the private sector, “including the largest US technology companies which dominate the web”, Hannigan argued in an opinion piece written for the Financial Times just days into his new job.
Arguing that GCHQ needed to enter into the debate about privacy, Hannigan said: “I think we have a good story to tell. We need to show how we are accountable for the data we use to protect people, just as the private sector is increasingly under pressure to show how it filters and sells its customers’ data.
“GCHQ is happy to be part of a mature debate on privacy in the digital age. But privacy has never been an absolute right and the debate about this should not become a reason for postponing urgent and difficult decisions.”
Hannigan, who was born in Gloucestershire, not far from GCHQ’s base, has advised the prime minister on counter-terrorism, intelligence and security policy, goes on to take aim at the role of major technology companies. A senior Foreign Office official, Hannigan succeeded Sir Iain Lobban at the Cheltenha. Hannigan said a new generation of freely available technology has helped groups like Islamic State (Isis) to hide from the security services and accuses major tech firms of being “in denial”, going further than his predecessor in seeking to claim that the leaks of Edward Snowden have aided terror networks.
GCHQ and sister agencies including MI5 cannot tackle those challenges without greater support from the private sector, “including the largest US technology companies which dominate the web”, Hannigan argued in an opinion piece written for the Financial Times just days into his new job.
Arguing that GCHQ needed to enter into the debate about privacy, Hannigan said: “I think we have a good story to tell. We need to show how we are accountable for the data we use to protect people, just as the private sector is increasingly under pressure to show how it filters and sells its customers’ data.
“GCHQ is happy to be part of a mature debate on privacy in the digital age. But privacy has never been an absolute right and the debate about this should not become a reason for postponing urgent and difficult decisions.”
Hannigan, who was born in Gloucestershire, not far from GCHQ’s base, has advised the prime minister on counter-terrorism, intelligence and security policy, goes on to take aim at the role of major technology companies. A senior Foreign Office official, Hannigan succeeded Sir Iain Lobban at the Cheltenha
New Delhi, Nov. 4 (ANI): The Shi’ite Muslim mourners take out Muharram processions amid tight security, as they indulge in self flagellation, to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad.
The Ashoora-e-Moharram which is being observed with reverence and solemnity in various parts of the country today marks the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad and his companions, who laid down their lives for upholding truth, righteousness and justice in Karbala.
Tazia processions are being taken out to mark the occasion of Ashoora-e-Moharram which is being observed with reverence and solemnity in various parts of the country.
In Uttar Pradesh, elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of Muharram all over the state.
On tenth of Muharram which is also known as Yaume Ashur, it is culmination of grief for the mourners of Imam Husain who lost his life fighting for truth and honour of Islam.
To mark the occasion, a procession will be taken out from Imabada of Nazim Sahab to Karbala Talkatora today.
More than 6,000 police personnel and several drones with live satellite feed would patrol and guard the city in so that mourners can observe the Muharram peacefully. (ANI)
New Delhi, Nov 4:
Mumbai has the highest number of Internet users at about 16.4 million in the country which has over 243 million web users, a study has found.
The commercial capital of India saw the Internet user base growing to about 16.4 million in October this year from 12 million in the same month last year, the joint study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB said.
Delhi was second with a user base of 12.1 million. The National Capital recorded the fastest year-on-year growth rate of 50 per cent in Internet user base among top eight cities of the country.
India had about 243 million Internet users as of June 2014, according to IAMAI.
Top eight cities —— Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune —— accounted for over 58 million Internet users, the study said.
Kolkata ranked third in the list with 6.27 million users, followed by Bangalore (5.99 million) and Chennai (5.58 million).
“Overall, the top four metros have a 23 per cent penetration of Internet users in India. The other four metros have 11 per cent penetration,” it said.
Among other cities with a population of more than one million, Surat, Jaipur, Lucknow, Vadodara and Nagpur have the highest number of Internet users.
Surat had 2.97 million users, followed by Jaipur (2.35 million), Lucknow (1.95 million) and Vadodara (1.85 million).
On a Sunday after a long break from monotous work I took the privilege of watching a movie in a hall. Got myself a ticket and in good eneterd the balcony hall. To my dismay the ticket checker reminded me that the ticket was for the lower stands. How I cursesd myself for not checking the tickets properly before buying.
How insulted and disgusted I felt after having reviews of Roar and other movies promoting movies without a dime of benefit did not have the privilege of watching a movies comfortably. I wanted to meet the manager showing my press card but decided to let it go and satisfied myself in the lower stalls.
The movie went on, I like it from the start. Of course the idea and plot very similar to Anaconda. However a movie made by Indians was really of substance. I forgot to add an important remark. There was a big long line to enter the hall which I assumed is for some other regular sing song Hindi movie. To my surprise the line was meant for Roar. Here I really would like to comment that the choice of the audience has changed according to time. Here the audience is lower middle class with very little education.
This crowd thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The cast being all new looked fresh and fit according to each character of the movie. Therefore it is now or even in the past proved that for a movie to be successful doesn’t necessarily need a big name. For instance Mary Kom without Priyanka would be a hit because of a strong story line. In fact a Northeastern girl would have been more appropriate and effective. Unfortunately our directors with name and fame don’t seem to have confidence in themselves; they have to piggy back with a famous name and celebrity.
Now coming back to the movie every time the tiger was attacked in the deep jungle felt the connection with the builders of Mumbai trying to snatch any bit piece of empty space available. It was so strongly connected in my mind. The environment and healthy living can go for a toss but the land has to snatched by these merciless mercenaries. The mercenaries are so confident of themselves you could knock the doors of justice for decade you would get nothing but frustration, hatred and anger to the corrupt officers and politicians who these builders carry in their pockets. We have heard of plans of the beautiful lush green Mahalaxmi race course to be converted to a commercial complex soon. God forbid this does not happen.
The nature, animals and god created abodes will be a thing in past for the future generation where children will live in more concrete jungles. They will only have the privilege of watching nature and animals on Television with the famous tale “Once upon a time”
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