Mithunda does an SRK, shops Kolkata Tigers
Move over Shah Rukh Khan and his Kolkata Knight Riders. Tollywood superstar Mithun Chakraborty is the newest entrant in the hot pursuit of cricket clubs up for grabs.
Mithunda, as he is popularly known in West Bengal, has bought the Kolkata Tigers team playing in the Indian Cricket League (ICL). "Yes, I have bought the Kolkata Tigers of the ICL. Thursday everything it will be formally announced after completing some legal formalities," he told TWF.
"I have always been a sports lover and had organised the Raj Kapoor Trophy in Chembur, Mumbai, for several years where big stars played. But it was not just passion that made me buy the team; there is business in it also," Mithunda said.
"I am an entertainer and Twenty20 is a fantastic form of entertainment. There is craze and good business in it. So I decided to try my luck," he added.
"At present I cannot reveal the figure, but it is certainly in crores."
He said after completing the formalities he would go for an overhaul of the team and add to its sheen by giving it a logo of its own along with a slogan and a theme song.
So what made him go for a team in ICL and not IPL? Said Mithun: "I woke up late. The realisation that I could even own a team and make it into a profitable business venture dawned late on me."
Asked if he is competing with SRK, he said, "There is no question of competing with Shah Rukh. He is one of the finest gentlemen I have come across and he gives a lot of respect to his co-stars. Besides, you can't compare our popularity. He is way above me."
Hema Malini funds cat shelter in Kolkata
Hema Malini, Bollywood actor and Rajya Sabha MP, has allotted funds to set up the first cat shelter of India in the West Bengal capital.
Hema Malini said over telephone: "There are several shelters for dogs but none for cats, whereas the number of stray cats are increasing every day. In this shelter not only will stray cats be vaccinated against rabies, but will also be sterilised."
Hema Malini has chosen NGO People For Animal (PFA) to plan and build the shelter in Mukundapur area off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the city's eastern fringe.
Managing trustee of PFA Debashis Chakraborty said: "We had requested Hema Malini to allot us funds to control stray cats. She has given us Rs.200,000 for the project."
Joint commissioner of Kolkata Corporation Shahidul Islam said: "Our engineers inspected the site Friday. The funds have also reached us. We will soon start working on the project."
Fashion guru Sabyasachi planning a film?
The Tollygunge grapevine is agog with the news of the internationally renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukerjee's decision to quit the fashion scene. And do what? Write scripts and direct films, of course! Recuperating from a severe bout of high fever and nausea attacks, Sabyasachi, agreeing to talk over the phone, said that he was fed up with doing the same thing in the world of fashion designing and that he wanted to switch over to films. "No creative person can remain satisfied in the same creative line year after year. He needs to extend himself to other areas. I am no exception. I am considering the option of handing over my business to my sister Paulomi who is much better at handling the business side than I am."
For starters, Sabyasachi is pouring over Tagore's short stories, making notes, scribbling changes and preparing to write a script based on the story he finally chooses to direct. He is reluctant to give out which story he has finally decided to film because "others may simply pounce on the same story and steal my entire concept. Secrecy is the key word for any script that is to be made into a film. I will script, direct and design the costumes but I do not want my name to go in the credits for the script. How long can the greed for 'name' fascinate you tell me?" he asks rhetorically, his passing shot being that it will take another four years for the concept to take concrete shape. So, there…. .
UNPA, Left launch protests against price rise
The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) and the Left Saturday launched a weeklong nationwide protests against soaring food prices, warning the government of an "explosive" situation.
"An explosive situation will emerge if (food) prices are not controlled," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat told a meeting organised by the UNPA and the Left here.
The UNPA and Left leaders are to march to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office after the meeting.
The UNPA includes the Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, who heads the UNPA, shared the platform with Prakash Karat, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala.
Aptech to open animation centre in Brazil
Aptech Global Learning Solutions will open its first animation training academy in Brazil in May, a company official said Saturday.
"The centre in Brazil will start functioning within three weeks. We have decided to open 35 new centres in countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia and Vietnam this fiscal. These centres will be a combination of Arena Animation Academy and Aptech Computer Education training institutes," Aptech executive director R. Krishnan said.
"We will also be expanding nationally. New centres will be opened this year at Cuttack, Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, Durgapur, Guwahati and Dibrugarh," he added.
The course content for the two academies is also going to change from May.
Krishnan said: "With animation and computer training institutes mushrooming everywhere, we are focussing on how our students can get faster and better jobs. We will introduce some new modules and methodologies.
"We have introduced a specialised demo reel making module in the syllabus this year. Earlier, the demo reel was just a part of the curriculum. Now this demo reel will act as the portfolio of a student." |
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