Buzz: Simran Has Much to 'Show' Than To Perform!

Heroine Simran is putting no condition to accept roles in her second innings. Her heroes now range from top ranking Balakrishna to comical hero Krishna Bhagavan. Be it " Okka Magaadu' or 'John Appa Rao Forty Plus'- it makes no difference for her. She is prepared to pair any guy irrespective of his image or stature.

She is busy doing Item songs too. She has toed with big heroes right from Mega Star Chiranjeevi to upcoming hero Kalyan Ram. Why has Simran remained a shining star amidst the heroines younger to her age? She attributes the reason to her performance.

But many believe she is known for wearing tight fitting clothes revealing her voluptuous structure. This could be the right reason!

Former Pakistan captains rue India jinx

Karachi(IANS): Three former Pakistan cricket captains have lamented their national side's inability to overcome India after losing to their arch-rivals in the Twenty20 World Championships final in South Africa.

"But they said that the thriller was good for the game generally, and that at least Pakistan had recovered from their disastrous show at the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year," The News reported Wednesday.

India lifted the inaugural cup with a five-run win at Johannesburg Monday - maintaining their record of beating Pakistan in every world cup match they have played in.

"It's a repeat and it will hurt the fans and players alike for some time, but apart from that jinx both teams played superbly and cricket was the winner," former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said.

Wasim, who had tipped Pakistan to beat India, said the final was memorable.

"It was a close game and the better team won, no regrets. It was only a game and people have to take it as a game and must appreciate the quality of cricket," Akram maintained.

"I would blame Pakistan batsmen Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi for their reckless strokes and in the end Misbah-ul Haq should have played a straight bat shot," he added.

Akram said both teams had redeemed themselves after their bitter exits from the World Cup in March.

"Shoaib Malik has emerged as a great captain and the way he led the team from the front, I see Pakistan winning the World Cup in 2011," he maintained.

"India have found Mahendra Singh Dhoni as their leader and eventually he will also lead in Test cricket. I see Indian cricket going up from here and it is a boost to Twenty20 because India has the market to lift any form of the game," Akram contended.

Another former captain, Javed Miandad, blamed Pakistan's defeat on the lack of planning.

"We have maintained our losing streak to India in World Cup matches and I would blame poor planning for that. Why did Malik not come in at number three instead of Kamran Akmal?" Miandad wondered.

Intikhab Alam, also a former captain and manager of the 1992 World Cup winning team, said India holds a psychological edge over Pakistan in big games.

"The World Cup jinx continues and India seems to have an edge over us in all World Cup matches. But I am grateful to the Pakistan team for making the final a fitting one," he maintained.

BIG 92.7 FM becomes exclusive radio partner for Mahesh Babu’s FILM ‘Athidhi’

Hyderabad, 25 September 2007: BIG 92.7 FM, Hyderabad announces its exclusive Radio partnership with the upcoming and much looked forward to Tollywood movie ‘Athidhi’. Directed by Surender Reddy, the movie features famous actor Mahesh Babu and Bollywood actress Amrita Rao along with Malaika Arora Khan who is doing item number opposite Mahesh Babu in the film. September 27th 2007 will see the exclusive premiere of the music album on BIG 92.7 FM’s Breakfast show – BIG Sandadi with RJ Sekhar.

BIG 92.7 FM has exhaustive on-air and on-ground plans for the BIG Movie Athidhi in order to create unprecedented buzz. BIG 92.7 FM started the promotion of the movie by exclusively premiering teasers of the music starting September 23. On September 27th all songs of the movie will premier for the first time on radio exclusively on BIG 92.7 FM.

The Station will feature interviews with the cast and crew of the movie and also run contests for its listeners across Hyderabad, Tirupathi and Vishakapatnam to get a chance to meet “Prince” Mahesh Babu.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ashwin Padmanabhan, Station Director, BIG 92.7 FM, said “We are extremely excited to join hands with one of Mahesh Babu’s most expected movies. We are approaching the association with the objective of delivering value to our listeners as well as the producers of the movie. Our effort is to create exciting content around the theme of the movie which will generate listener interest and thereby promote the movie far more effectively. With the clutter-breaking ideas, innovative campaigns and other interesting stuff centered on Athidhi, we are sure that our entire on-air package will make for great content and listener involvement”.

The Big 7 of The Telugu Industry

The Classiest Movie Of All Time: Shankarabharanam (1979)
'God' Of The Matinee: NT Rama Rao
Ultimate Lover Of The Matinee: Akkineni Nageshwar Rao
Starriest Star: Chiranjeevi
Biggest Grosser Ever: Pokiri (2006)
Funniest Movie Ever: Mayabazar (1957)
Tollywood's Best Export To Mumbai: Sridevi

For mathematicians, it could be just a statistic. 240 movies released every year and Rs 2.3 billion in the last one year. For the producers, it is a boost to their current account. Seven hundred million tickets sold annually, for the bees ka challees wallahs, it is just an awesome figure. But for the Telugu moviegoer, a matinee show is not just a three hour pastime. It is part of his life, an element of his psyche, a component of his lifestyle and a piece of his very being.

Seventy-five years since the first Telugu movie hit the screens, the movie mania continues to hold the Telugus spellbound. How else can you explain the mushrooming of 2,700 theatres across the state? Magic of the movies? Call it mania. An obsession. A passion. Or simply Telugu cinema.

Perhaps the biggest milestone of the industry was the shifting of headquarters from Chennai to Hyderabad and starting off from scratch to build the most exotic film cities in the world.

On the whole, the 75 years of Telugu cinema can be summed up as phenomenal. Barring the post-World War II period when the British levied a ban on movies, nothing else could shake the industry.

While the quality of lyrics has plummeted, the number of young maverick directors has skyrocketed. If the sons of the soil have got a raw deal and are trying their luck in Bollywood imports, the advent of star sons has compensated for this unfortunate trend. If digital intermediaries, animation, CG(computer graphics) and SFX (special effects) has pushed up Tollywood's worth by a couple of notches, copies and inspirations pull it down by a couple of rungs. Tollywood has been breaking new ground in every single decade. The first decade marked the theatre artistes facing the camera; the second decade was about mythologicals. The third centred around socially-relevant themes such as freedom and poverty etc. The fourth was the decade of epics and devotionals. The fifth included love stories, tragedies, classics et al. The sixth opened doors to family dramas and the seventh opened doors to sentiment and love. The seventh was musicals, romance, action and violence.

Each decade gave birth to a new set of filmmakers who added a new dimension. If K Vishwanath put Indian music on a pedestal with his 'S' series, Ramgopal Varma brought in the Hollywood action and revenge dramas amidst the gaana bajana. If lyricist Srisri motivated the youngsters to take up the cudgels for society with his motivational songs,

Sirivennela cocktailed chaste Telugu with colloquial Telugu to produce fresh lyrics. In terms of sheer technical brilliance, the cinematographer took Telugu cinema to new heights, be it with his camera angles or Digital Intermediaries. Interestingly, the stars of the new age have also done their bit for the society. If not directly, but by gently guiding their fan force into social service.

Like any industry, Tollywood too had its ups and downs, awesome flicks and some bakwas movies. But the promise is that there are new paths being explored, fresher ideas being incorporated and path breaking trends. That spirit is enough to celebrate 75 years of Telugu cinema. Salaam Tollywoood!

Andhra girls ignore Tollywood

It’s unfair to blame Tollywood for not taking any girls from Andhra as heroines argues director Krishnavamsi. He says that it’s the girls who are not interested in doing Telugu films. The director reveals that he contacted nearly 60 girls when he was casting for his newly released film Chandamama, but no one showed any interest. "This lack of inclination can be due to lack of courage to pursue a career in films, safety issues and fear of parents," says Krishnavamsi. But he is quick to add that there is nothing wrong with Tollywood for girls to shy away from the industry.

To prove that Tollywood isn’t biased the director who was in Vijayawada to participate in a function to celebrate his film’s success with the lead heroines Sindhu Menon and Kajal Agarwal (both girls aren’t from AP) said, "I shall bring 10 directors to Vijayawada, but show me a single girl who wants to act."

Producers’ Council Chairman C. Kalyan too agrees with Krishnavamsi as he says, "There is a dearth of local girls in our films, so we are forced to go to other cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. No girl is available here." Noted comedian Uttej also complains that there are no good looking girls with a firm command over the language. This is sad because nearly 100 films are produced by Tollywood every year and none of these films have any local girls in the lead role.

Reel Talk: Bariatric Treatment For Jr NTR!

Do you know the surgical aspect that made Jr NTR slim and sharp by cutting down 26.5 kgs? Do you know the secret behind Adnan Sami's 100kg reduction? That's Bariatric treatment which is accompanied with a surgery to stomach.

It's the process of putting a bandage to liver and making the individual take only less amount of food. This makes the individual take very less amount of food and the fat melts down to met the requirement of heavy body. As there will be no intake of food in big way, the affect will be seen in the form of slim look within a couple of months. A Daily mentioned that NTR and Adnan Sami have undergone this treatment that lasts forever.

But regular exercise is a must for the individuals those take this treatment. Otherwise, the muscles become loose and give an old age look for person. They have to take care in that aspect.

Telugu film News September 26, 2007

Nayanatara upset over media reports

Heroine Nayanatara terribly upset over false reports of her mother found dead in a section of newspapers. "Nayanthara's mother found murdered" - wrote English newspapers and carried Nayanatara photo. It was a terrible mix-up. A junior artist named by the same name (Nayanatara) was all about the news item but the newspapers mistook it for the real Nayanatara.

The Kerala heroine shocked seeing the news and is planning to file defamation case against the said newspapers for falsely writing and causing mental pressure.

Yamadonga to be remade in Tamil

NTR is happy that his "Yamadonga" is doing great business. He will be happier now as many producers from Tamil film industry are trying for remake rights. According to buzz doing the rounds, Tamil top hero Vijay has shown interest in remaking the film. Vijay is popular for making his career on remakes of Telugu movies. He expressed his desire to do this socio-fantasy as Tamil films normally don't do such movies.

Producer Aditya Ram launches new wing

Successful movies like "Sandade Sandadi" and "Khusi Khusi Ga.." made the banner Aditya Ram Movies very popular. The man behind the production house is Aditya Ram who is now producing "Swagatham" with Jagapathi Babu, Anushka and Bhumika. The young producer also is joining Tamil film industry where he plans three big movies at a time. He says he liked the concept and storyline of "Swagatham" narrated by director Dasaradh and immediately agreed to make it. He has plans of launching separate wing for making more big films.

Jackie Shroff in another Telugu film

Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff recently made his debut in Telugu. He played negative role in Vishnu starrer "Asthram". He is also doing a trilingual movie Bank and shot for the film in Hyderabad. Another director and producer R Venu who made "Kotta Katha" brings him back to Telugu. This new film will be launched on Dussera.

Actress Asha Saini becomes Mayuri

Asha Saini set screens afire with her sexy numbers in many films and did very glamorous roles in Telugu. Of late she was not seen in Telugu films. But she is staging comeback to Tollywood with a new name and identity. Asha Saini has changed her name to Mayuri to start her career afresh.

Gossip: Pawan Kalyan Slaps Ileana!

Hero Pawan Kalyan slapped heroine Ileana. No, that's not a scene in the film but open for public. He is presently playing the lead role in a Trivikram Srinivas' film.

As his legal battle with his estranged wife Nandita is becoming tough, he appears restive and tense. Though the shooting of the film is taking place with less hype, the news of 'slapping' is making rounds in the industry. It is not new to know about the anger of Pawan Kalyan.

This incident took place most recently. Being very sensitive by nature, Ileana was aghast at his rude behavior and absconded from shooting from the very next day.

Now Trivikram Srinivas is trying to soothe her.

Press Note: Happy Days Gala Opening

Sekhar Kammula’s movies have always been well received by NRIs. As a tribute to NRIs, this time Sekhar is releasing Happy Days in USA on 28th September before India release (Oct 2nd ). Happy Days is releasing with a bang in Dallas, in Hollywood theaters (Touring Talkies) , Irving. It is opening on 2 screens with 4 shows on friday ( 6 PM, 8 PM, 9:30 PM, 11 PM). The capacities are 425 and 375 for these 2 screens. With 2 shows in each of these screens a combined capacity of 1600 can be accomodated on first day. A total of 22 shows are scheduled for the opening week in Dallas which is the highest in United states for Happy Days. USA Major cities shows are as following for the first week.

Dallas – 22 shows
Bay area - 18 Shows
Atlanta - 17 shows
New Jersey – 16 shows
Detroit - 13 shows
Virginia -10 shows

For non USA readers, on an average opening week’s ticket price is $10. Typically in major cities decent movie can get any where from 1000 to 4,000 patrons for the opening week. Dallas is the fast growing telugu market in USA and watch for this space for first week numbers.

Sekhar Kammula’s Dallas fans can buy Happy days tickets on www.gohollywood.com.

Reel Talk: Mamta Mohandas To Add On Little

Mamta Mohandas is in the process f adding little weight to her body following some comments raised after her first direct debut on Telugu screen with 'Yamadonga'.

She is putting on little weight to look stuffed that suits to the aesthetic sense of Telugu audiences. She has got the talent in singing and adaptability in acting. She also gave her own dubbing for the film for her character which stood as a standing example for her commitment.

Let us see how she looks with that added stuff in her body. Well, while many actresses are struggling a lot to reduce Mamta is going the other way round.

That's The Greatness Of Late NTR

Myriad things can be learned from Late NTR especially in the matters of punctuality, discipline and giving respect to deserved people. He always used to stand when producer walked into the sets. Although the producer is many years younger to him, he used to follow that.

He also used to say that if big heroes fail to respect producers, the youngsters cannot learn. At the same time, he also used to say that if the hero of the film respects the producer then entire unit will also respect him.

But these are the days where producer is being treated down by young lasses and juvenile heroes as well. Who will teach them discipline?

Nayantara To File Case On 'The Hindu'

The online edition of The Hindu has wrongly published that heroine Nayantara's mother was killed. It was not heroine Nayantara but it's the case of Jr artiste Nayantara. The deceased lady was Kamala Devi, the mother of that junior artiste. The issue has become a serious note since the photograph of heroine Nayantara was published wrongly in the News Paper.

Nayantara was stunned to know that and said that she is going to file a defamation sue on The Hindu for disturbing her psychologically and socially. The reporter and the team are so unprofessional that they published perfect wrong news. The jr artiste named herself as Nayanatara only to turn the attention of industry.

Nayanatara stays only in Taj Krishna when she comes to Hyderabad . She never stays in any house. She is in the shooting of Tamil film 'Sathyam'. Knowing this news Nayantara called her mother Omana Kurian in Thiruvalla and informed about the news.

Nayan is now boiling on the popular English daily for pulling her mother into the gossip in the nastiest way possible. She said that she is tolerating all sort of gossip written on her but pulling her mother into that is demeaning and disappointing.

India's Twenty20 Cup heroes welcomed home

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's triumphant Twenty20 World Cup squad arrived home from South Africa on Wednesday with thousands of joyous fans gathering at the airport to greet them.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team mates were greeted by the region's chief minister before being taken on an open-top bus to the Wankhede stadium for a reception hosted by the national cricket board.

Elaborate security measures were in place on the 35- kilometre journey from Mumbai airport, with giant hoardings on display to congratulate the surprise winners.

India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final in Johannesburg on Monday, a victory to compare with their upset 1983 World Cup final win over West Indies.

The Indian board has announced a win bonus of $3 million (1.49 million pounds) and a special cash award for batsman Yuvraj Singh, who hit six sixes in one over in a match against England.

Pakistunned! India lift Twenty 20 World Cup

A youthful Indian cricket team, full of vigour and determination, made history here Monday by beating Pakistan by five runs to clinch the Twenty20 World Championship when all seemed lost.

India kept their nerves to clinch the win with three balls to spare and sent the New Wanderers Stadium, packed with Indian supporters, into wild celebrations. There were also millions of Indian across the globe who rejoiced the sweet triumph.

Off the last over, bowled by pacer Joginder Sharma, Pakistan required 13 runs to win with the last wicket remaining - and all seemed lost for India. But Joginder, the man with the golden arm - he had also bowled the crucial final over in the semi-finals upset of Australia - castled Misbah-ul-Haq to help script an epoch-making win with and signal wild celebrations at the New Wanderers Stadium.

Scores: India 157 for five in 20 overs after winning the toss and Pakistan 152 all out in 19.2 overs.

While Joginder successfully bowled the final over, it was left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan who captured three crucial wickets in an excellent spell to tilt the tide in India's favour. His final bowling analysis of 4-0-16-3 fetched him the Man of the Match award and helped India win the maiden edition of the newest version of the game.

On a day when the Indian batsmen - barring Gautam Gambhir's resolute and enterprising 75 off 54 balls (8x4s, 2x6s) and Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 30 off 16 balls (2x4s, 1x6) - failed, the bowlers did the trick again.

Left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh also bowled superbly to start Pakistan's downfall and also ended up with three wickets. Joginder took two wickets.

Their efforts meant that Misbah's 38-ball 43 (4x6s) - the top score for Pakistan - as well as Imran Nazir's 33 (14 balls, 4x4s, 2x6) went in vain.

The only consolation for Pakistan was that Shahid Afridi, who failed to score a run and take a wicket, was adjudged the Man of the Series.

The win wiped out bad memories of the World Cup five months ago, when India - as also Pakistan - had crashed out in the first round, leading to prolonged national mourning and criticism.

The win - achieved without Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, who all had opted out - also kept India's slate clean against Pakistan in cricket's global competitions. India have never lost to Pakistan in the ODI World Cup - and now in Twenty20 too.

It was India's second win over Pakistan in the 12-nation tournament, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's boys won both. In the Super Eights, India had won the 'bowl out' tiebreaker 3-0 after their scores were tied after the regulation period.

India and Pakistan were playing for the first time in the final of a world-level tournament - if the 1985 World Championship of Cricket is not taken into account - and Dhoni's team gave much to shout about at the end of it.

India had also beaten Pakistan in the final of the World Championship of Cricket in Melbourne. Although all the Test-playing nations had taken part in that competition, it was a one-off venture organised by Victoria.

Wild celebrations erupted when Sreesanth caught a lofty shot from Misbah when the game could have gone either way.

As a despondent Haq sank to his knees while Indian players went crazy with joy, it was jubilation time for Indians.

Good bowling from Pakistan restricted the Indian batsmen, but an admirable and determined counter-attack led to Pakistan's collapse.

Chasing India's total, Pakistan got a shock early on in their innings when R.P. Singh, who is going through a purple patch, struck off the fifth ball of his first over.

As opener Mohammed Hafeez tried to guide the ball over the slips, he managed to give Robin Uthappa an easy catch at first slip. Pakistan: two for one.

With the addition of 24 runs, R.P. Singh struck again, castling an experienced wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal for nought. Pakistan: 26 for two.

Imran Nazir, who looked in ominous form, and Younis Khan then tried to steady the ship, but after adding only 26 for the third wicket Nazir (33, 14 balls, 4x4s, 2x6) became the target of Uthappa's direct throw after he reacted late to Younis's call for a run off Sreesanth.

Younis made 24 in as many balls and hit four boundaries but Joginder in the ninth removed him as he mistimed a fuller length delivery, giving Yusuf the catch at mid-on.

Soon, Malik and Afridi were also back in the pavilion. Misbah and Yasir Arafat (15) added 27 for the seventh wicket to keep Pakistan in the hunt.

Then Misbah and Sohail Tanvir added 34 crucial runs for the eighth wicket. But once Sreesanth got rid of Tanvir, all the responsibility fell on Misbah's shoulders in the company of Umar Gul and Mohammed Asif.

Eventually, Misbah also caved in under the pressure as he tried to play the scoop shot over fine leg off Joginder only to hole out into the hands of Sreesanth - and signal India's win.

Earlier in the day, Dhoni won the toss but the Indian batting failed to live up to expectations after Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the match with injury.

Even the total of 157 would not have been possible but for Gambhir's knock of 75 and young Rohit's cameo towards the end of the innings.

Yuvraj Singh, who has been in fabulous form in this competition, failed to click and managed only 14 off 19 balls (1x4) as the Pakistan bowlers and fielders looked sharp and purposeful.

Debutant Yusuf Pathan, Irfan's elder brother, had a sensational start to his international career by hitting pacer Mohammed Asif for a six as his first scoring stroke. But he scored 15 (8 balls, 1x4, 1x6) before getting out.

Pacer Umar Gul was the pick of the bowlers as he took three wickets for 28 in four overs.

Earlier, India got a scare off the very first ball of the match when non-striker Yusuf barely avoided being run out after hesitating to take a single called by Gambhir.

Undaunted, Yusuf hit the fourth ball of Asif's opening over for a huge six. He hit another boundary off a wide ball from the same bowler in the third over. But off the next ball Asif took his revenge.

Asif had the tall Vadodara batsman caught off a miscued pull shot. As Pathan tried to pull the short delivery over midwicket he mistimed it and captain Shoaib Malik at mid-on ran back to grab the catch.

As Uthappa attempted to hit over the infielders off left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir he mistimed the shot and Shahid Afridi at extra cover took a comfortable catch.

A 63-run third-wicket partnership between Gambhir, who looked in fine touch, and Yuvraj saved the innings from total collapse and India from complete embarrassment.

However, Yuvraj failed to reproduce his form Monday and was out, top edging a forceful pull shot. Gul easily took the catch off his own bowling.

After that partnership, there was not much fight seemed to have left in the Indian camp, though young Rohit came up with another gutsy knock.

'Padma' Award Proposal For P Susheela

P Susheela is the legendary singer in Telugu film industry. She sang more than 40,000 songs so far. Padmabhushan Vara Prasad Reddy of Shanta Bio-techniques said, "It is really a surprise to underline that Susheela hasn't given Padma award till now. But there is no loss for her if she didn't get that. That loss is ours and our own Telugu film industry".

That is a really a right note. P Susheela, the senior most playback singer was not given right recognition that was given to her other colleagues.

Grapevine also says that some recommendations are moving on to consider Susheela for Padma award in the coming slot of award announcement. Susheela sang with two generation of male singers, Ghantasala and SP Balasubrahmanyam.

Ashwini Dutt Recalls SV Krishna Reddy's Help

Ashwini Dutt had dug into nostalgia and shared his past. He said that he started his career as producer at a very tender age of 19 and has seen many ups and downs in the business. He said that he lost 3-4 films in series and almost got bankrupted. Then SV Krishna Reddy saved him, he recalled.

"I cannot forget SV Krishna Reddy. He directed the film 'Subhalagnam' and made that a very big hit. That film cleared many of my problems. In the same way, another film that brought me big happiness is Pelli Sandadi. I was confined to make films with big stars till then. But, to do some variety I planned films with new actors. The success of Pelli Sandadi had wet into my head. Then I planned for Paradesi with all new faces that was flopped miserably", he shared.

"Coming to the films like Subhash Chandrabose and Govinda Govinda, my reading habit pushed me to make those films. I like fiction and hence out of passion I made then without making calculations", he added.

What Is The Strength Of This 'Creative Star'?

The new unknown actor Kiran Tej could make it news with his first film 'Brahma' stating that it was ran for 150 days. That was really a wonder even for the trade experts, how the film could run for 150 days despite no collections after first week. Then he announced 'Rudra' and the shooting is going on now. Interestingly, his third film was also announced with the title 'Vaadusthaadu'.

How could he hit the tinsel town like this like a child's play? He has no big following and no recognition at all for that matter. But he is making everything happen like that happens to be a big hero's son of nephew.

What is his strength? Many say that his sole strength is money and his passion to stand as hero on silver screen added fuel to that. Then who can stop him? After all, film industry is a self employment scheme. There is no boss here for the man who has big money.

Will This Tamil 'Yamadonga' Materialize?

Grapevine says that 'Yamadonga' is going to be remade into Tamil with Vijay in lead. Vijay always eyes on hit films in Telugu and wishes to make them in Tamil. He is now thinking to do Yamadonga in Tamil. The concept of yama is not that popular in Tamil but the audience would certainly relish it there, says the sources. If everything goes well Vijay may do the film in the first half of 2008.

It is also said that Mamata Mohandas will be retained in the same role in Tamil as well. Well, why to leave Priyamani? Even she is a known Tamil actress who ruled the screen with the film 'Paruthi Veeran' there.

Let us wait and see how far it will materialize.

Shah Rukh Khan helps India 'Chak De'

Johannesburg, Sep 25 (IANS) The surprise attendance of actor Shah Rukh Khan in the stands and the numerous 'Chak De! India' being waved with gay abandon spurred India to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship at the Wanderers here.

With spectacular performances by both India and Pakistan, the game had the capacity crowd on the edge of their seats as the pendulum violently swung either way.

In terms of crowd support, India clearly had an edge over Pakistan, with the tricolour hugely outnumbering the Pakistan flags.

Clapping vigorously from the VIP area, Hindi film icon Shah Rukh blew kisses to the crowd when they cheered him as loudly as the teams each time his face appeared on the giant TV screens at the 'bullring' as the Wanderers is fondly referred to by the locals for being the hub of Johannesburg's sporting activity for almost 75 years.

Sporting a velvet shirt to promote his forthcoming movie "Om Shanti Om", Shah Rukh occasionally lifted his 10-year-old son Aryan and was clearly enjoying the game thoroughly.

At one stage he was shown taking pictures with a Nikon camera, with local host Jagdish Parekh of Sahara Computers trying to teach him a few tricks of the trade.

Current promotions of 'Om Shanti Om' are making a great fuss about Shah Rukh taking off his shirt in the film to show his newly acquired six-pack, and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed to emulate him briefly. Dhoni took off his shirt and put it on a young lad who was brought in by a TV commentator to meet him, walking off bare-chested.

Regular refrains of "India! India!" from the crowd drowned out any chance of the Pakistani supporters getting much opportunity to spur on their side. These supporters included some English fans, complete with punk hairstyles in support of their T-shirts reading 'Punkistan'.

As Misbah-ul Haq brought Pakistan to within one shot of victory, a member of the Pakistani support team muttered desperate prayers with folded hands in the dug-out, alas to no avail.

Team India will take home not just the trophy, but also a cash booty of $490,000, which pales in comparison to the $2 million reward announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Hyderabad Buzz: City celebrates Twenty20 victory

Hyderabad: The city erupted in joy and celebrated India’s win over Pakistan in the final of the first Twenty20 World Cup with fireworks, motorcycle rallies and silent prayers late on Monday night.

Sending a message that India will not be cowed down by terrorism exported from across the border, several youth took the celebrations to the sites of the August 25 twin blasts — Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat, Koti.

During the final few overs, the city roads were virtually empty, bringing back memories of the curfew. And minutes after the match-deciding catch was taken by speedster Sreesanth, the city kicked off a night-long party with major celebrations at Banjara Hills, Necklace Road, Tank Bund, Koti, Abids, Charminar and Secunderabad.

When Pak’s Misbahul-Haq tried to hit Joginder Sharma over wicketkeeper Dhoni for a six, a million hearts missed a beat, but the Kerala speedster latched on to the catch in the short fine leg, giving India victory and sweet revenge over arch rivals Pakistan.

Several hundred youth took to the streets for a double treat, Ganesh immersion and India’s victory. At least 300 motorcycle-borne youth, carrying the tricolour, did rounds of Koti, while a motley crowd descended on Nagarjuna Circle in Punjagutta shouting ‘Jeetgaya bhai jeetgaya, India jeetgaya’ in praise of Dhoni’s men in blue.

On Road No. 13 Banjara Hills, about 10 boys burst crackers, while on Necklace Road speeding youth were seen holding aloft the national flag whistling, blowing trumpets and shouting merrily.

At Chaitanyapuri in Dilsukhnagar, Nalgonda crossroads and Malakpet it was Diwali on the roads with several hundred youth, some of them even shirtless mimicking Dhoni, danced in gay abandon and bursting crackers. Police had a tough time controlling them as they were obstructing free flow of traffic, but the men in khaki too were in a celebratory mood so allowed them to indulge in the festivities for some time.

Riding on their two-wheeler with the national tri-colour aloft at Madhapur, Jagadish and his friend could not stop their anxiety. “I was supposed to attend evening shift, but I bunked office just to watch the match,” Jagadish, an employee of HP Technologies, told media.

Well, some others celebrated by distributing sweets and cutting cakes. Several residential apartments and complexes were abuzz with celebrations as the residents greeted and danced.