Private bus operators in Kerala to go on strike

Thiruvananthapuram, June 25 : With diesel prices hiked by Rs.3 a litre, private bus operators in Kerala Saturday demanded a rise in bus fares and called for a token strike Wednesday.

The Private Bus Operators Coordination Committee has said the bus owners have no option but to demand an immediate hike in fares and Wednesday's strike would be a token one.

"If the government fails to act, then we will have no other option but to go on an indefinite strike," the office-bearers of the committee told the media.

The last time bus fares were hiked was on April 3 last year when the minimum charge went up by 50 paise to Rs.4.

There are more than 30,000 private buses operating in the state, while the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has just 5,115 buses.

Actor Mohanlal gets bail in defamation case

Thrissur (Kerala), June 17 (IANS) The faceoff between Kerala's veteran writer Sukumar Azhikode and thespian Mohanlal took another turn as the actor appeared in a court here Friday and secured bail in a defamation case filed by the writer.

The Thrissur chief judicial magistrate granted him bail on the basis of two sureties.

A huge crowd had gathered after news spread that the superstar was to appear in court.

The war of words between the two broke out when Azhikode came in support of thespian actor Thilakan who was served a show cause notice by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and subsequently sacked him on grounds of indiscipline.

Azhikode attacked Mohanlal, who was an office bearer of AMMA, saying that the actor has become old and should limit himself to roles matching his age and figure. He also criticised the actor endorsing a jewellery brand.

The actor retorted, saying Azhikode must be having some "hallucination" and that he considered Azhikode's statements as some "aged uncle's joke".

The superstar allegedly said the writer may be mentally deranged to make such statements, following which Azhikode filed a defamation suit.

Pranchiyettan bags 3 Vellinakshatram Awards

Cochin, June.17 (NR): Ranjith directed 'Pranchiyettan and the Saint' bagged three awards at the Vellinakshatram Film Awards for the year 2010.

The film bagged the Best Film award, as well as the Best Actor (Mammootty)and Best Director Award (Ranjith).

Kavya Madhavan was adjudged the Best actress for her role in 'Gaddama'. 'Malarvadi Arts Club' directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan is the Second Best Film.

The Best Music Director is M Jayachandran for his musical score in 'Shikar'.

Salim Kumar, Salim Ahmed, Padmapriya and R Sukumaran would be given special awards by the jury.

Kill Piracy Against Badrinath

Kill Piracy... Save Cinema..

Badrinath

Badrinaath Day 1 : Nizam 162 lakhs
Ceeded 142 lakhs
Guntur 68L
West - 30L
East - 32L
Nellore - 27L
Krishna - 48L
Karnataka 72L
Vizag - 75L
Kerala - 65L. Total India gross : Rs 7 crores, 25 lakhs.

Badrinath:Movie Review

Movie Review : After all that hype, VV Vinayak's "Badrinath" starring Allu Arjun and Tamannah that was riding high on expectations, was a disappointing ride. The movie with high technical expertise, lavish sets that included the recreation of the famous Badrinath Temple, failed in the story department.

Chinni Krishna, who earlier penned for blockbusters like "Indra" and "Narasimha Naidu" started off the script with a good narration about Hindu temples in India and how they were destroyed by various rulers. Taking an example of the Aksharadhamam Temple incident, which happened a few years ago, all the seers come to a conclusion that they have to safeguard the temples with the help of a trained Kshetra Palakudu (protector). 
The seers approach Bheeshma Narayan (Prakash Raj), a trained martial arts teacher, who lives in the Himalayas and chooses to train the kids who volunteer to do this job. Badri (Allu Arjun) is one of them and he grows up into a strong fighter after years of rigorous training. He is soon appointed as the Kshetra Palakudu of the Badrinath temple. Now, the heroine Alakananda (Tamanna), who is an atheist, enters the picture. Badri learns of her troubled past that involves Sarkar (Kelly Dorjee) from her grandfather. Badri manages to turn this atheist into a devotee and she inevitably falls in love with him.

Meanwhile, Sarkar kidnaps Alakananda and wants her to marry his son. On the other hand, Bheeshma Narayan who wants Badri to be his successor says that to do so he should remain a bachelor forever. What happens next forms the rest of the story.

The plot turns predictable soon after it unfolds. Director VV Vinayank couldn't handle this period subject too well. Without a strong story, all the elaborate sets and special effects couldn't salvage the movie. There is not even a single interesting scene in the film. The love story set against the backdrop of the famous Badrinath temple is not convincing. Even the performance of the lead pair is nothing to write home about. Allu Arjun hardly has any scope to emote as he was mostly pushed into action scenes and song sequences. Moreover, the action sequences looked artificial.

Tamannah is energetic, but there was unecessary skin show even in scenes that didn't seem to require it. Prakash Raj's character was a cake walk for him. Another set back for this film is the music by MM Keeravani, it is just average and he failed to recreate his "Magadheera" magic in this film. The only person who deserves a pat on his back is Anand Sai, for his wonderful recreation of the Badrinath temple and other sets.

In a whole new avatar

Under production for more than one year, Badrinath is finally ready for the release this June. The movie has been produced by star producer Allu Arvind under Geeta Arts and is being directed by noted director V V Vinayak.




Just like the banner’s previous films — Ghajini and Magadheera — Badrinath too is a high-budget movie. Allu Arjun is playing the lead role in the film, which also stars Tamanna Bhatia and Prakash Raj.

The movie has been picturised in Badrinath and Allu Arjun is playing a double role in the film — a warrior and a youngster. V V Vinayak is desperate to make a comeback into Tollywood with this movie. Although, all his previous movies fared well commercially, he couldn’t regain the top spot as a director, which he held during his initial days in the industry. For the movie to work, Vinayak is heavily banking on Chinni Krishna’s script and the action sequences choreographed by Peter Hynes. The rushes of the
film suggest that the director has captured some breathtaking sword fights with Allu Arjun.

The music of Badrinath is already out in the market and it is garnering good reviews. Music director Keeravani has tried to balance the album with spiritual and commercial ingredients. Peppy numbers are a must in an Allu Arjun film as he is an impressive dancer. Known for working in wholesome entertainers, right from Arya to Varudu, Allu Arjun hasn’t attempted anything different till date and Badrinath seems to be one such movie wherein he can prove that he is a complete actor. Although his last movie Vedam won him some acclaim, it failed to create any impact at the box office. His last three movies, Varudu, Arya 2, including Vedam, failed to impress the audience.

So it isn’t surprising to know that just for Badrinath, he underwent martial arts training in Vietnam. He has also worked on his looks and physique for this movie. Allu Arjun’s popularity isn’t confined to fans of Telegu movies. Dubbed versions of his previous movies fared well in both Tamil and Malayalam. Keeping this in mind, Allu Arvind has planned to release the movie, simultaneously, in all the three languages.To inject some local flavour, V V vinayak has picturised some exclusive comedy scenes for the Tamil and Malyalam versions, starring Santanam.

Badrinath has already generated a lot of curiosity in the market due to the close resemblance of the film with Ram Charan’s Magadheera. Incidentally, both these movies have been produced by Allu Arvind. The producer is banking on the success mantra of Tollywood — bumper first week collections. Keeping this in mind, Allu Arjun is planning to release the movie a huge number of prints.

As there is no major film scheduled to release with Badrinath, it might just be a winner at the box office. But given the high budget, fortunes won’t come that easy. Badrinath is slated to release on June 10. Let’s hope that Badrinath will live up to the hype it has created in the film industry and amongst movie buffs

HSE FIRST ALLOTMENT RESULTS

First Allotment Results Published.
Admission dates : 6th , 7th & 8th June 2011 : DHSE

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Green Award for Mammooty

Kochi, Jun 4 : Six people, leading Malayalam Film Actor Mammooty, were chosen for the Virgin Earth Golden Feather Environment Awards 2011 and Green Golden Feather Environment Puraskar for their work in the field of environmental protection.

Informing this at a news conference here today. Team Solar Regional Manager Liju K said as part of their global environmental initiatives, they announced 'Golden Feather Awards’ all over the world for the outstanding performance in different areas of environmental protection.

The award, instituted by Global Management of Team Solar, a leading renewable energygroup, is given in two categories.

While Mammootty, Cochin Corporation Mayor Tony Chammany, Vallarpadam Transshipment Terminal-DP World CEO K K Krishnadas were chosen for Virgin Earth Golden Feather Environment Award-2011.

Noted Environmental Activist, Prof Dr S Sitaraman, Fr Johnson J Plakkappill, Principal, Sacred Heart College and Lifeway Solar CEO Dr Georgekutty Karianappallil were elected for Green Golden Feather Environment Puraskar, he added.

The award would be presented by Kearla Agriculture Minsiter K P Mohanan here on June 11, he said.