Karnataka News Archive: May 2007

Charmme to play heroine in Kannada film
Monday, May 28, 2007 | AY

Charmme is stepping into Kannada film industry, possibly for not getting enough recognition and opportunities to play opposite big heroes in Telugu film industry. Already Genelia became a big star in Kannada and is playing opposite several top heroes there and Charmme is treading the path shown by her. As of now, she is playing opposite Kannada star hero Upendra, for 'Lava Kusa'. Upendra and Sivarajkumar are playing heroines in the movie. Jennifer, who played heroine in 'Naga and Manasunte Chaalu'-fame is playing opposite Sivarajkumar as heroine. It seems the Kannada film industry is according a red carpet welcome to the Telugu heroines who were not getting adequate recognition in Tollywood.

New strategy for kannada films
Saturday, May 26, 2007 | AY

The film distributors are now advertising big budget films using hi-tech and innovative posters replacing the age-old billboard style marketing. The film posters now have things like smoke-emitting gun, artificial waterfall and even a sound track from the film to draw the viewers’ attention. Larger than life cutouts, cinema theatres decorated with flowers - the usual scene at any big Kannada film release is set to change with the new suspense thriller Kshana Kshana. The one of its kind, hi-tech poster sports filmstar Vishnuvardhan firing a gun, sending fumes in the air and a small waterfall streaming out of the billboard. You can also hear a 45 second clip of the film's music from the poster. Though the producer had to shell out a whopping Rs 1 .5 lakh for 2 such posters, he is willing to pay more for those extra eyeballs.

Air Deccan launches Delhi-Leh flight
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, May 23 (ANI): Air Deccan today flagged-off its maiden daily flight from Delhi to Leh.A 180-seater Airbus-320 has been deployed on this route. With this launch, Air Deccan becomes the first low cost carrier to fly to the highest airport in the country. Leh, the largest town of Ladakh is situated at an altitude of 10,800 ft above sea level. Leh is not only famous for its picturesque beauty, but also has popular tourist places. A blend of adventure and mysticism make for the unique allure of Ladakh, also known as India's Little Tibet, which is among the world's highest inhabited plateaus. Warwick Brady, Chief Operating Officer Air Deccan said “The Leh airport is the only easy link for Ladakh to the rest of the country. With 7 months of snowfall disrupting all road-rail links in the region, Air Deccan’s low-cost-easy travel option will enable more tourists to explore this rich cultural, religious and adventurous land.” “With tourist influx in Ladakh growing every year (40,000 tourists in 2006) and nearest rail link being 700 kms in Jammu, Air Deccan will definitely prove to be a catalyst in growth of tourism and economy in the region. The bookings for this sector which opened on 30th April, 2007 have already seen a huge influx of passengers, including domestic and foreign tourist groups. The overall load on this sector for the coming months is expected to be around 80% which is exceptional for a newly introduced flight, ” Brady added. The flight from Delhi will take off every day at 5.20 a.m. and land in Leh at 6.50 a.m. The flight from Leh to Delhi will take off at 7.20 a.m. and land in Delhi at 8.40 a.m. (ANI)

Maathaad Maathaad Mallige
Monday, May 21, 2007 | AY

Vishnuvardhan appears in a double role in Maathaad Maathaad Mallige that is likely to be released in June. Vishnuvardhan is playing the role of two brothers who are not in good terms with each other. After Muthinahaara, Bandhana and Suprabhaatha, Vishnuvardhan is once again pairing with Suhasini in this film. Along with them are Rangayana Raghu, Doddanna, Tara and Mandya Ramesh. Produced by K Manju, it is written and directed by Nagathihalli Chandrasekhar. Earlier the shooting of the film was delayed slightly following Vishnuvardhan’s ill-health. Maathaad Maathaad Mallige has been shot at various locations like Bellary, Honnavara, Kumta and Thirthahalli.

Ajantha in 4 languages
Monday, May 21, 2007 | AY

Music maestro Ilayaraja has joined hands with Kannada lyricist Kalyan, after a gap of four years. After Namma Preethiya Ramu, they are now coming together for the film Ajantha. Ilayaraja has composed music for nine songs written by Kalyan. He has lent his voice for two songs. Besides Kannada, it is being produced in all the three South Indian languages and would be dubbed into other foreign languages like Japanese, French, English, Urdu etc.It is produced by Raja Ravisangar with a budget of about Rs ten crores. Already 50 percent of the shooting has been completed. According to debutant director K Thirumavazhavan, it is about an evergreen love story. Except the second hero Saikiran, all the other actors are vary for each language. Ravidev is the hero in the Kannada version. A Malayalee girl acts as the heroine. The film would be released in June.

DRDO develops anti-nuclear mask
Sunday, May 20, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, May 19 (ANI): In a significant development, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has indigenously developed state-of-the-art equipments to face any eventualities arising out of modern warfare like that of nuclear or chemical weapons.The Chief Controller of Life Sciences Research and Human Resources, DRDO, Dr Selvamurthy said that the defence services have already begun the use of masks and modern equipments.“DRDO has nine life science labs across the country and they have indigenously developed nuclear, biological and chemical defence masks, and other 35 products to face any threat arising out of chemical and nuclear wars. They have also developed bio warfare agents, field diagnostic kits to fight biological eventualities like that of typhoid, dengue, malaria, anthrax or any other viruses,” he said.The scientific arm of Indian Defence Services has also developed a de-contamination vehicle to sanitise air, ground and water.“These labs have also developed chemical warfare detection system, portable chromatograph, to protect both civil and defence society. A de-contamination vehicle has also been developed to decontaminate air, ground and water,” he said. (ANI)

18 killed in Bellary road mishap
Saturday, May 19, 2007 | AY

Bellary (Karnataka) May 18 (ANI): Eighteen people were killed and twelve others injured when a lorry carrying them collided with a Karnataka State Transport bus at Alur crossing in Bellary District on Friday morning.All 18 victims died on the spot. They were travelling in the lorry on their way back home after attending a marriage when the mishap occurred, police said.The injured have been admitted to hospitals at Davangere and Chitradurga.(ANI) (ANI)

Mungaru Male
Thursday, May 17, 2007 | AY

Kannada film Mungaru Male is running to full houses in all 37 centres across Karnataka. The film is creating waves overseas in the US and Dubai as well, and now two more Kannada films will try to make an impact at the global level. Amrithdhare and Maatadu Maatadu Mallige, both directed by Nagathhalli Chandrashekar, are going to be screened at the Madrid and Cannes film festivals respectively. Amrithdhare released in 2005, was a super hit, completing 100 days across Karnataka, it even had Amitabh Bachchan making his debut in Kannada. Maatadu Maatadu Mallige is still under production and its promotional DVD is going to be screened under the marketing division at the Cannes, this year.

Sivaji may face problems in Karnataka
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 | AY

The release of Rajnikanth's Tamil film Sivaji in Karnataka on May 31 may run into hurdles as some pro-Kannada organisations in the state have decided to block all Tamil releases until the Cauvery river water issue is resolved. The organisations include the powerful Karnataka Rakshana Vedike headed by Narayana Gowda, a faction of Dr Raj Kumar fans association and some other fringe Kannada bodies. The ruling party coalition in the state has not reacted to this move by the pro-Kannada organisations. Rajnikanth's previous films like Chandramukhi and Baba were sold to Gangaraj for Rs 2.20 crore and Rs 1.90 crore respectively. In 1992, producer S Ramanathan sold the distribution rights of his film Dharma Dorai in Karnataka for only Rs 4.35 lakh. The film did business of over Rs 10 lakh in the entire state.

Jasmine fragrance spreads to Europe
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 | AY

The 60th anniversary of the world famous film festival is to be held from May 16 to May 27 and Mathaad Mathaad Mallige will be the first Kannada film to be screened at the marketing section. Already familiar in the Kannada cinema industry as MMM, the film deals with the impact of globalisation on a remote village which becomes vulnerable to forces such as the mining lobby, politics, violence and the rise of naxalism. Incidentally, the film was shot in the vicinity of Bellary and Ooty. Besides Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini in the lead roles, Home Minister M.P. Prakash has played a major role in the film. Mr. Chandrashekhar, a former Kannada lecturer, is an acclaimed writer. Mathaad Mathaad Mallige is scheduled for release on August 10.

Hudugaata
Monday, May 14, 2007 | AY

Actress Rekha is the rising star of Kannada movies and upcoming film 'Hudugaata' will only confer her with greater stardom. While her first film 'Chellaata' with actor Ganesh, has completed 100 days, 'Hudugaata' has made Rekha a much-sought-after artiste in the heroine-starved Kannada film industry. With Rakshitha's retirement and Radhika's hibernation, Rekha is inching towards the number one slot. Her next film will be 'Gunavantha', where she is paired opposite actor Prem.

Kshana Kshana
Saturday, May 12, 2007 | AY

Kshana Kshana, the much-expected film of director Sunilkumar Desai has already completed its dubbing, DTS work and is getting ready for release. Produced under the banner Trans India P. Ltd, the film is a thriller. Since his earlier film Ramya Chaitra Kaala did not do well, Desai is pitching all his hopes on this film.With Aadithya, Kiran Rathod, Sridevika, Prema, Sowmya, Dilipraj and Kishore in the lead roles, veteran artiste Vishnuvardhan is appearing in a guest role. The film has music by RP Patnaik, cinematography by R Prabhakar, editing by BS Basavaraj, lyrics by Kaviraj and art by Ismail.

Sex workers, folk artists fight for their rights together
Sunday, May 6, 2007 | AY

Mysore, Mar 20 (ANI): In a significant development that could facilitate the empowerment of the marginalised, an entertainment workers conference organised here, saw folk artists and sex workers gathering on one platform to fight for their rights. The conference, a first ever initiative by sex workers of the Ashodaya Mahila Samanvaya Samithi in Mysore, was organised to integrate folk artists and performers across the state. The secretary of the samithi and a sex worker, Bhagyalakshmi, described the problems of both folk artists and sex workers as being similar. “We think the problems of the folk artists, the performers and the sex workers are the same. After our experience at the samithi which is our voice, we thought of bringing them together to fight for their rights. They are also an exploited lot. We have created a platform to integrate all these people to fight for our rights. We have brought more than 70 groups together,” Bhagyalakshmi claimed. Sunil Kumar, a folk artist, said it was necessary to come together on common platform with the sex workers. “I am a peacock dancer. We have been performing for ages, but it has not got us any recognition. We have a proven model of the samithi, which gave a voice to the sex workers. We have decided to come together to fight for our rights,” Kumar said. The brain behind the initiative, Dr. Sushena Reza Paul of Manitoba University, Canada, described it as an opportunity to encourage empowerment of the weaker and dispossessed sections of society. “The sex workers of samithi have taken an initiative to bring all the entertainment workers together, which leads to a new social movement. It was significant to bring them together on a common platform to share their problems,” Paul said. A two-day conference was held on March 18-19, and was attended by over 1000 people from across the state. (ANI)

Narayan Murthy's as country's next President will be fantastic, says Kalam
Sunday, May 6, 2007 | AY

Mysore, Apr 8 (ANI): President A P J Abdul Kalam grinned with joy and said that it would be 'fantastic' to see Infosys patron Narayan Murthy as the next President of the country."Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic", Kalam reacted, when asked about his opinion if Murthy succeed him to country's highest post. "I will say fantastic," he added at an interactive session here today. The term of the incumbent President is going to end this year and political circles are already buzzing with names, who could possibly emerge out as probable for next President of the country.The main opposition party BJP has supported second term for President Kalam. (ANI)

Belgaum is Karnataka’s new second capital
Sunday, May 6, 2007 | AY

Belgaum, Sept 27 (ANI): The boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has been complicated further with the Karnataka cabinet today giving Belgaum second state capital status in a special session. Making it clear that Karnataka would not part with Belgaum, the state cabinet unanimously decided to confer the second state capital status to the small industrialised town that borders Maharashtra. A five-day special session of the Assembly was organised here for the first time in the history of the state after neighbouring Maharashtra called for the integration of Belgaum with the latter on account of the huge proportion of Marathi speaking people living in this town. Belgaum rivals Bangalore, in terms of modernity and educational facilities. The controversy of Belgaum’s inclusion in Karnataka dates back to 1956 when the Maharashtra Government contested it on the grounds that the district had more Marathis than it had Kannadigas and that it was against the essence of the States Reorganisation Act (1956) that was based along linguistic lines. The Centre thereafter constituted a Commission on October 25, 1966 under Chief Justice Meherchand Mahajan. The Mahajan Commission, in its report, recommended the exchange of several villages in Belgaum District between the two states but rejected Maharashtra's claim on Belgaum city. The Maharashtra government rejected the recommendations of the Mahajan Commission report and demanded another review of the issue. The Karnataka Government, however, continues to demand the implementation of the Mahajan report. In March this year, the Maharashtra Government filed a petition before the Supreme Court calling for the integration of Belgaum District citing ”the feeling of insecurity prevailing among Marathi speaking people living in Karnataka, in the recent days". Though the Supreme Court’s verdict is awaited, the Centre in its opinion in the apex court stated that Maharashtra’s petition could not be maintained under law. Meanwhile, a new movement launched by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti is attracting a huge response from Marathi speaking people along the towns bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka. Political parties in Maharashtra are demanding Belgaum’s inclusion to Maharashtra. A similar polarisation in Karnataka is taking place. (ANI)

'Mungaru Male' going strong even after 125 days
Saturday, May 5, 2007 | AY

'Mungaru Male' has completed 125 days but is still going strong amid predictions that it will be the biggest grosser in Kannada cinema. The top five Kannada films are: 1. 'Mungaru Male' 2. 'Duniya' 3. 'Arasu' 4. 'Ekadhantha' 5. 'Bhaktha'.

2 killed, 30 injured in Karnataka boiler blast
Saturday, May 5, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, May 5 (ANI): At least two persons were killed and thirty others were injured in a boiler blast at a food-processing factory in Gokak town in Karnataka’s Belgaum District on Friday night.The blast occurred at Ridhi-Sidhi Gluco Boils Factory, a starch and glucose manufacturing unit, police said.The injured were rushed to hospitals in Belgaum, where condition of ten of them was said to be serious.Several workers were evacuated after the blast, police said.The death toll is likely to go up as many of those injured have suffered about 90 per cent burn.However, the police said that no death has been reported so far.Short-circuit is believed to have triggered the blast. (ANI)

Editor Guild of India condemns Karnataka Police’s highhandedness
Thursday, May 3, 2007 | AY

New Delhi, Mar 22 (ANI): The Editors Guild of India condemned the Karnataka Police behavior with B V Seetaram, Editor-in-Chief of Karavali Ale, which is published from Mangalore and his wife, Director of Chitra Publications, here today.The Guild alleged the police of adopting intimidatory tactics against Seetaram and his wife.The couple was dragged out of their home at midnight on March 3 by policemen and was then taken to jail. When they were enlarged on bail another police team from neighbouring Shimoga district was waiting outside the prison and took them into custody. They were again in custody for five more days.In a complaint to the Guild, Seetaram fears a conspiracy to eliminate him, as the police are enraged over reports of the nexus with a transport mafia, which has appeared in his newspaper.The Guild has said the vindictive action of the police is a strong assault in the freedom of the press and has sought an independent inquiry into the allegations of intimidation, harassment, torture and violation of norms against the police."Seetaram’s allegation that the police are acting as handmaidens of a transport mafia in this case raises serious questions on criminalisation of the police force, which could be of vital concern to a democratic Government and civil society," said the Guild in its letter to the Chief Minister and the Governor of the State. (ANI)

“Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur” awarded to Air Deccan chief
Thursday, May 3, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, Apr.28 (ANI): Captain (retired). G.R Gopinath, the Managing Director Air Deccan, the man who pioneered low cost air travel in India, has been awarded the prestigeous “Chevalier Legion d’honneur” by French President Jacques Chirac. The Ambassador of France to India, Dominique Girard conferred the award on Gopinath today in Bangalore.Air Deccan has the largest network in India today covering 65 airports, plying over 350 flights a day. The airline currently operates a band new fleet of 19 Airbus A – 320 aircraft, with an average age of 1.5 years and 24 ATR Turboprop aircraft. Since its inception in August 2003, Air Deccan has carried over 10.65 million passengers and the numbers are growing everyday. The airline has recorded an on time performance of (within 1 hour) of 98.65 percent for March 2007. (ANI)

AOL launches first ever country-specific web-portal in India
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, Apr 27 (ANI): The world's largest media conglomerate, Time Warner's America Online (AOL) has launched its first country-specific web portal in India. The web portal called www.aol.in is AOl's first country specific initiative outside the North America. Launching the website in Bangalore, President and Chief Operating Officer of AOL, Ron Grant said, “With the current population of 45 million Internet users, we hope to grow to 100 million users by 2010”. AOL’s Indian portal is the first from the company targeting the growing internet population in the Asian market. India and china are two of the fastest growing internet markets in the region.“We have chosen India as the first country-specific portal on the basis of Internet users in India. Our entry in the Indian market is not very late,” Grant added. The Indian portal from the company is in English language though the company is expected to expand the availability to regional languages to cater to a larger segment of the Indian market.Maneesh Dhir, Executive Vice-President of AOL's international operations said, “With such emphasis in the Indian markets, its talks about our commitment in this region. AOL would soon come out with multiple language options”. This new website offers features like e-mailing, mobile services and instant messaging. The website aims to combine the best of America with the best of India. There will also be a host of Indian content, which shall be accessible like news, Bollywood and sports. (ANI)

HIV victims protest against drug price hike in Bangalore
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, Apr 27 (ANI): A group of local voluntary organisations and a positive network for people living with HIV/AIDS protested in front of the US-based Abbott Laboratories in Bangalore demanding a reduction in drug process. The protest was held under the banner of “Affordable Medicine Campaign” to denounce Abott's action in Thailand.Rama, an organiser, told ANI that Abbott has withdrawn its anti-retroviral drug from Thailand in view of a compulsory licence policy to reduce drug prices by the Thai Government. The protests are being carried out in front of all Abbott offices round the globe. “Abbott has sent out an unequivocal message to developing countries, including India, that it will use all of its might to prevent the entry of generic drugs into developing markets,” said Asha, a volunteer. Thailand's decision to prioritise its public health interests in the face of the intense international political pressure is an inspiration to the campaigns that are being run to access affordable medicines throughout the developing world. This move comes at a time when millions of people and their governments are struggling to access safe, effective and affordable life saving medicines. (ANI)

CII, IISc sign MoU to create an ecosystem of innovation in India
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 | AY

New Delhi, May 1 (ANI): The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore today signed a memorandum of Understanding to create an ecosystem of innovation for the Indian Industry. The MoU, signed at the fifth Meeting of CII Mission for Innovation in Manufacturing, is aimed at providing collaboration between Academies and Research Institutes of India and CII. An industry-academia partnership forms part of the critical infrastructure for building a culture of innovation in a country. The IISc with its expertise in cutting edge research and CII with their large industry membership have come together to build this crucial eco system for the country. This MoU, signed for an initial period of two years, is a landmark in Industry Academia collaboration in the area of innovation. Given the huge unserved needs of a large part of India’s population in India, this partnership would specifically focus on providing high quality low cost product solutions for this section of the society. CII would set up a help line from the Institute to provide service to Industry. This help line will endevour to bring together experts from the academia and the entrepreneurs looking for solutions to technical and engineering problems. These could include solutions to issues such as the search for a new material to meet a very specific high technology need of the entrepreneur, which only the academia can provide. In today’s context, when technology is becoming increasingly difficult to access from outside India, this synergy would be a stepping stone to creating our own technology for products and processes.With a view to sensitizing the industry to the criticality and processes of innovation, the two institutions will bring together the expertise to ‘hand-hold’ the stakeholder in the area of innovation.The CII Mission for Innovation in Manufacturing just concluded its’ first year with trail blazing activities that created a great excitement in the Indian industry. CII realizes that for India's manufacturing sector to surpass 14 percent growth rate and contribute at least 35 percent to the GDP, the only strategy is to become innovative; to find sustainable solutions to meet the unserved needs of millions of Indians. With this backdrop CII had set up a Mission for Innovation in Manufacturing under the Chairmanship of Dr. Surinder Kapur. (ANI)

Kapil urges budding talents to fill up the shoes of their seniors
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, May 1 (ANI): Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev on Tuesday urged budding cricketing talents to make the best of the opportunities available to them and to contribute to the formation of a quality national side. Addressing trainees at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Kapil asked the budding talents to fill up the vacuum that has developed in the wake of the World Cup defeat. "This is the time when you can make your career. You just have to be that much more serious. Everybody knows we really had a tough time in the World Cup because of our own weakness. We did not play up to our standard what we set for ourselves. So, I think, we as former cricketers look up to you people, you young boys when you can come out to become a player of that magnitude who can pick up and win the cup," he said. The former captain also promised to bring the senior players to the academy for tips on what was needed to play international cricket. "Players like Sachin (Tendulkar), Sourav (Ganguly), Harbhajan (Singh), (Irfan) Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, they might be here. We will request the board (BCCI), if they are free, they will come and play with you, train with you. I think those are the people you look up to more than anybody else. We understand your point of view. We will try to give you. What we require from you is total discipline, dedication and application to become a better player tomorrow," Kapil added. India was knocked out of the 2007 World Cup in the very first round after being defeated by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, prompting several former players and fans to call for large-scale changes to the team. Selectors have picked some youngsters for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, and rested senior players like Tendulkar and Ganguly for the one-day series. However, the two players are in the Test squad. The team leaves for Bangladesh on May 7 after a five-day preparatory camp in Kolkata. (ANI)

Karnataka to enact law making pre-marital HIV test mandatory
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 | AY

Bangalore, Mar 28 (ANI): Karnataka Government is mulling to make pre-marital HIV test mandatory.The State Government, which has been studying the issue for past few months, has also approached the Centre to give its opinion on this issue."We want that first there should be consensus on the issue, amongst the entire political class in Karnataka as well as other states, before the measure is implemented," said Karnataka Minister for Health and Family Welfare, R Ashok. Several Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) had demanded the need for such legislation and the State Government's move is seen as a victory for them. Recently, cases of unsuspecting women being married to HIV positive men have come to light. Since such marriages are bound to have an adverse effect on society, especially in rural areas where women are still not aware of the dreaded disease, such legislation becomes necessary to protect them.However, the Minister said the reason for the delay in enacting such legislation was because other States were also trying to introduce a similar law on HIV tests as well."The Government wants that law should be applicable even if the bride and groom are from different States," he added.The State Government on its part has implemented a number of programmes to spread awareness about HIV through the Karnataka AIDS Prevention Society and also supports several NGOs in this regard. (ANI)

Telgi, four others get 15 years imprisonment
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 | AY

The kingpin of the multi-crore stamp scam, Abdul Kareem Telgi and four others were convicted for selling fake stamp papers in Karnataka in 1990s and got a sentence of 15 years imprisonment. They used counterfeit government stamps and cheated the Karnataka Government and a private company to the tune of Rs.494, 000. With this conviction, Telgi got his second conviction in stamp paper racket in the State. Special judge Vishwanath Virupax Angadi convicted Anis Khan, Bhadruddin, Telgi, Illiyaz and Wasir Salik. This case relates to a complaint from Deccan Structural Systems Private Ltd. on Tumkur Road. On March 24, Telgi and his four associates were sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The main suspect in the multi-crore fake stamp paper racket, Telgi, is a native of Belgaum district in Karnataka. He began as a vendor in a small railway station before coming to Mumbai. Though no one has been able to determine the extent of Telgi's business or the loss to the exchequer, but it is believed to run into hundreds of billions. Telgi was arrested in 2001, and is presently languishing behind bars in Karnataka. (ANI)

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