War games hint at stronger Indo-US relations

India and the US are currently engaged in an enormous joint military exercise with the active participation of the soldiers and machinery from both sides. The unsettled South Asian scenario has made it necessary for the US to have a strong ally in the region. India has proved to be a dependable ally provided the relationship is mutually beneficial.

The US is concerned about the murky state of affairs in Afghanistan and India is more worried about Pakistan harbouring terrorists. Both nations share a common problem in the form of China. The US has plans to keep a check on China as well via a stronger relationship with India. India too is in need of a strong support to keep China at bay and to deal with the
neighbour in case of a brawl.

The primary aim of the joint military exercise is to prepare the soldier for the worst situation that can arise in the region. As per the pact signed in the month of July, India has permitted the entry of military aircraft manufacturers Lockheed and Boeing into the Indian defense market. The war game will also function as a testing stage for the Indian officials to assess US weaponry prior to ordering the same.

The program was initiated after the suicide bombing on the Indian embassy in Kabul. The attack took the lives of 17 people.
Source: - Sanjoy Alexander http://www.reelsandwheels.blogspot.com 

Sachin helps eBay India make Rs. 1.2 million sale

The online auction phenomenon reached new heights due to one site – eBay. The popularity of the site has led to the launch of its territory-specific editions across the globe. EBay India has been around for a while, but hadn’t actually been as huge a hit as the real one. But things have changed for the good recently as eBay India has achieved its biggest sale so far (single sale for Rs. 1.2 million), with a little help from a gentleman named Sachin Tendulkar. The batting maestro had placed a private coaching camp for auction on eBay. The highest bidder will get the opportunity to learn the tricks and tactics of cricket from Sachin himself. The earnings will go to Apnalaya charity, a charity firm which helps slum children. The auction was so intensely fought that it tied up with two bidders, each placing Rs. 600,000 on the table. Eventually the camp was offered to both of them with the combined camp fee of Rs. 1.2 million. One of the bidders is from Whirlpool India, New Delhi while the other is a philanthropist from Mumbai. Now what do the winners get for all that money? The camp could take place on any day from October 2009 to March 2010 on any cricket ground in India. Winners will be given the details of the venue 30 days prior to the date of the camp. The winner could bring 14 persons along or come alone. The training will include batting techniques, inputs on fitness, practice routines to follow, developing match readiness and psychological training. The camp will be on a morning to noon schedule and will be followed by a photo shoot and lunch. Is it a value for money package? We’ll never know, but can make an educated guess that it’s the admiration for the legendary batsman and the added bonuses of fame and charity associated with the whole idea which drove these two bidders to shell out the cash.  Source:www.namasteshopper.com

Acid Factory tanks

Sanjay Gupta’s action thriller Acid Factory has officially tanked at the box office. The opening weekend collections are 

so dismal with attendance in the range of 30-40%. The slick action and the suspense element haven’t found much 

interest among the moviegoers who have reserved their excitement for the Diwali big movies. The crowd-pulling 

capacity of the cast being pretty low, we are not much surprised. But the intensive promotional activities have found no 

response at all. That’s something which has shocked us and the makers of the movie.

Priyamani is Shoorpanakha in Mani Ratnam’s movies

Priyamani has variety of roles and tags attached to her career as an actress. She has treaded both paths of film making – commercial and art – and has emerged a winner in both of them. A poster girl for the youth and a fine actress for the followers of good cinema, she is the best of both worlds. No surprises as to why she is one of the most sought after actress in all South Indian languages. It’s high time that she graduated to Bollywood and Mani Ratnam has taken up the task of giving her the best Bollywood debut that she could have. The ace director is currently involved in the making of two movies with the same storyline – one in Hindi and the other in Tamil. Titled “Raavan” in Hindi and “Raavana” in Tamil, the plot of the movies mirror the Indian epic – Ramayana. Insiders say it’s a modern adaptation with a different take on the epic. The cast is pretty much the same in both versions. The actors involved with the projects include Abhishek Bachchan, Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Govinda, Prithviraj, Prabhu Ganeshan and Ravi Kishen. The actors will find this as a chance to familiarize with the language and movie making style of the other industry. The Raavan-Raavana project is one of Mani’s most ambitious projects since Yuva. So where does our pretty girl come in? Priyamani has been roped in for the role of Shoorpanakha in both movies. She’ll be Abhishek’s sister in the Hindi movie and Vikram’s sister in the Tamil one. The role had been offered to many actresses in the north and south. But many chose to turn it down as they found it an unwise choice to be cast as Abhishek’s or Vikram’s sister, whichever the case might be. We believe that Priyamani who is also a National Film Award winner, made the right choice of opting in for the role, that will let both the north and south be aware of her prowess as an actress.

Women rule Big Boss 3

Big Boss a.k.a the desi version of Celebrity Big Brother, has kicked off its third season with a lot of surprises. The second season’s anchor, Shilpa Shetty has made way for none other than the Big B himself – Amitabh Bachchan. By the way, we find the association between Mr. Bachchan’s nickname (Big B) and the name of the show Big Boss quite amusing. Opinion is divided on Big B’s decision to host a show like Big Boss which does have the TRP ratings but not the good graces of all.

Back to the story. The third installment seems to be crowded with pretty faces from the entertainment industry. We can’t call them stars as such, because if they were stars then they won’t be in a reality show. Sarcastic lines apart, we do have resident beauties Shamita Shetty, Sherlyn Chopra, Aditi Govitrikar and yesteryear leading lady Poonam Dhillon in the house. Did we miss someone? Yes we did. There is Rakhi Sawant’s melodramatic mother Jaya Sawant to contribute to all the drama.

Shamita Shetty had made her debut with Mohabbatein in 2000 and lost footing thereafter. She had a string of average movies and flops with the last outing being Anubhav Sinha’s Cash. We do hear that Shilpa didn’t prefer her sister going into the furnace that’s the Big Boss house. Sweet indeed. Hope Shamita has learnt a bunch of tips from her sister on how to score in the house.

Sherlyn Copra on the other hand can’t be classified into any particular category as such. She is a model who claims to be an actress who claims to be a singer. We do admit the facts that she is gorgeous and outspoken - interesting qualities which the audience love to see in the house residents.

Aditi Govitrikar has always maintained composure in social and media circles. But it remains to be seen as to whether she’ll be part of the brash cat fights.

We do place our bets on one between Shamita and Sherlyn though. Meow…

Shilpa smitten by Big B in Big Boss

Shilpa Shetty has nothing but words of praise for Amitabh Bachchan who has taken over the role of the host in the reality series Big Boss. Shilpa had hosted the second season of the show.
She posted on her blog, "I have to mention I enjoyed watching Amit-ji on TV again. I had missed him, and as usual he's doing a great job. His panache is unmatched."

Check www.shilpashettylive.com/blog/ for more of Shilpa’s thoughts.