Posts Tagged ‘cops’
By Taran Adarsh, January 1, 2010 – 12:30 IST
What do you do when you, accidentally, bang into someone on the road? Flee from the spot? Call for help? Dial the cops? Rush the victim to the hospital?
Pick up a newspaper and chances are you might glance upon a hit-and-run case only too often. ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD, a remake of STUCK [Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea], raises a few questions in its own way. Perhaps, the intentions were right, but what eventually unfolds on screen isn’t.
The problem with ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD is that it loses focus after a point and that takes away the seriousness from the issue.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Sonam [Celina Jaitly] is a nurse who accidentally steers her car into the harmless Prakash [Farooque Shaikh], sending him flying through the windshield. Not wanting to jeopardize her future, Sonam, along with her drug-peddling boyfriend Sid [Abhimanyu Singh], chooses not to get him medical help, leaving him clinging to life in her garage.
But soon her psyche begins to unravel as the captor and captive are pitted against each other in a battle for survival.
ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD had the potential to be a thought-provoking film that pricks your conscience, but what comes across is a half-baked attempt that runs out of steam soon after the intermission. In fact, the film begins quite well and a few moments as well as the twists and turns in the first half do keep you on the edge.
But the writing [screenplay adapted by Mahesh Nair and Siddharth Parmar] is shoddy in the second part and does not yield the desired outcome. The sequences prior to the climax are a complete downer, while the climax is the worst part of the film. The drama fails to become the nail-biting one that it ought to be.
Also, the assorted people that flit in and out of the story [the kid and his mom, the cabbie and the nosey neighbour with a dog] are half-baked characters as well. Pray, why were they included in the first place?
Mahesh Nair’s direction is a shade better than the poor and sketchy script. Also, he is unable to involve the audience in the drama. Ravi Walia’s cinematography is ordinary. The film has just one song [music: Raju Singh] – ‘Nasha Nasha’ – which is quite erotic.
Farooque Shaikh doesn’t get any scope, frankly. One definitely expected more, since the veteran returns to the big screen after a hiatus. Abhimanyu Singh enacts his part well. But it is Celina Jaitly who pitches in a commendable act and catches you by complete surprise.
On the whole, ACCIDENT ON HILL ROAD will fail to make any headway.
Raghubir Yadav, aka Mungerilal, is wanted for constantly remaining absent in court. Cops haven’t been able to nab him, though he was shooting till a month ago
While actor Raghubir Yadav may be a known face in every household, thanks to the popular TV serials Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne and Chacha Chaudhary, for the police he remains untraceable for the past two months. This, despite him having been involved in shooting of a film right up to last month.
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| Meanwhile, Yadav’s estranged wife Purnima says he has been shooting for Aamir Khan Productions’ Peepli Live and will be attending the Sundance Film Festival in US soon |
Yadav is wanted by the police after a warrant was issued against him for constantly remaining absent in court.
On the lookout for Yadav, the Aarey police visited the address mentioned by the family court in Bandra. But not finding him there, they submitted a report to the court stating that they have failed to locate him.
On September 19, the family court which is hearing a case against Yadav filed by his estranged wife Purnima, had issued an arrest warrant against Yadav. The court had earlier issued summons to Yadav for failing to appear in court for some time.
“We went to the given address of Roshini Archreja, who worked with Yadav in TV serials, and whose residence Yadav was said to live at. But she denied he ever lived there,” said Inspector Ashok Duliye of Aarey Police Station. “On Monday, we informed the court that he is not available at the given address,” Duliye added.
“I have been fighting for maintenance for a long time,” said Purnima. “He has been shooting for Aamir Khan Productions’ Peepli Live and will be attending the Sundance Film Festival in US soon.
How come the police say they cannot trace him? I got married to him in 1988, and we have not been living together since 1996. I don’t have money to educate my son Achal. I’ve done odd jobs at the National School of Drama, but they were all on contract basis, and today I don’t have a job. Even my rent is paid by my friends and old neighbours,” said Purnima.
When contacted, Anusha Rizvi, director of Peepli Live, confirmed that she had done some dubbing with Yadav for her film about a month ago.
However, a police officer said, “In court cases, we usually search only the address given to us by the court authority, as problems can arise in identifying a person. On the other hand, if it’s a police case, we hunt for the accused everywhere.”
Despite repeated attempts, Raghubir Yadav could not be contacted.
Shakti Kapoor’s wife Shivangi Kolhapure prefers Canada over Mumbai. She even got her Canadian citizenship three years ago. But she is now in Mumbai to support her daughter, Shraddhaa, who debuts with Teen Patti. A source close to her family said, “Shivangi spends a lot of time in Canada. She is in Mumbai because the release of her daughter Shraddhaa’s film Teen Patti is round the corner.”
Shivangi is quite excited about Shraddhaa’s film. She said, “Shraddhaa got offers from many filmmakers, but she refused them all. Most of them wanted to make quick films to be released before Teen Patti. It would have been unethical to sign those films.”
But why did she move to Canada? Shivangi said, “It’s an open economy out there. I want to make movies in Canada. I am very excited about my plans.” Doesn’t she miss her family? She said, “They certainly miss me. But they know I want to structure my life this way. Shraddhaa was studying in Boston, so she was near me. My son Siddhanth was busy studying in London. So, there was no problem until now.”
Did the decision to spend time in Canada stem from her discomfort over the media glare? After all, her husband Shakti Kapoor is no stranger to controversy. Shivangi replied cautiously, “Not at all. I am not running away. I really like it this way. Think about it, there was a controversy around Siddhanth too. In fact, he was the only guy who tested negative in that party that was busted by the cops. Did anybody write about that?”
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| (L): Shraddha (R): Shivangi Kolhapure |
By AMUL SHARMA (Mid-Day; December 12, 2009)
High-adrenaline action flick and Nicolas Cage-Angelina Jolie-starrer Gone In Sixty Seconds went on to become a big hit worldwide following its release in 2000. A decade later the film is still high on recall because of its high-speed car chases.
The Indian version will be changed to suit the Indian sensibilities. It will have drama and songs. Yusuf Khan who made Khel (2003) directs the remake. The film will have Sunil Shetty playing Nicolas Cage’s role. Shreyas Talpade and newbie Rehaan Khan form the rest of the cast.
Producer Sanjay Ahluwalia says, “Right now, I can’t say anything about the film. It is on hold for some time now.”
Gone In 60 Seconds
Randall “Memphis” Raines (Nicolas Cage) retired from the business of grand theft auto in 1994. Six years on, he is forced to return when his brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) falls foul of a Russian crimelord when he defaults on a delivery of stolen cars. The only way out? Steal 50 cars in one night dodging cops hot on their trail.
I had gone to Tirtanr, a village in Jharkhand to campaign for my close friend, Vinod Sinha. We had gone to Tirtanr from Dhanbad in a chopper and were supposed to return the same way. But, a snag in the chopper’s fuel tank discovered just before we boarded on the way back meant I had to come back some other way as I had professional commitments in Mumbai.
I opted to go from Tirantr to Kolkata by road from where I would take a flight to Mumbai. I left Tirtanr with a close friend Rajkumar Shrivastava and my driver. As the route from Tirantr to Kolkata is akin to a base camp for the Naxals, I asked for some security.
The cops joined the convoy two kilometres before the place of the attack. It was around 11.25 in the night when we saw a huge red divider kept right in the middle of the road. I am told that it’s a Naxal sign. The cops immediately told us to lie down in our van. They said that the place was the abode of naxals. They asked the driver to drive as fast as possible through the divider.
The people who laid the trap didn’t know that there were cops in our midst. This served us well as they were not prepared for any retaliation on our part. I was lying down in the car with my eyes shut. I could hear the bullets. It was like being in a war zone, I was completely shaken.
The cops called the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). To be safe, we had to reach a police chowky which was about five kms away. A few cops from that chowky had rushed to our aid. When we reached the chowky, the cops who were being updated on their walkie-talkies said that the Naxalites were angered by my escape, they would strike back. They believed that the chowky could be attacked.
By then, three vehicles of CRPF with about 25 soldiers each arrived. They said that they would escort me to a safe location. I was taken to Dhanbad in one of those vehicles, with one preceding us and the other following.
The first thing I did after reaching a safe spot was to call my wife. She was extremely worried. I then spoke to my eight-year-old daughter. She asked me if my plane was hijacked.
My conversation with these soldiers and my first hand experience of the perils they face is something I will never forget. I am still upset and scared.
I want to thank the almighty God and the soldiers who risked their life to take me out from the jaws of death. If not for them, I would not be speaking to you. It was the most scary and dreadful experience of my life.
A near stampede resulted outside Hrithik Roshan’s building Palazzio, Juhu late on Sunday night when Hrithik threw a party to celebrate his wife Sussanne’s birthday. The who’s who of Bollywood attended the do and a throng of fans stood outside the gate to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. Guests at the party included Shah Rukh-Gauri Khan, Saif-Kareena, Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar, Parmeshwar Godrej, Tusshar Kapoor, Arjun Rampal-Mehr Jesia, Chunky-Bhavna Pandey, Shilpa Shetty-Raj Kundra, Zayed Khan, Kajal Anand, Neelam, Kunal Kapoor, Vicky-Gayatri Oberoi, Sonali-Goldie Behl and Farah Ali Khan,amongst others. Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza came in together, as did Dino Morea and his now on-now off girlfriend, designer Nandita Mahtani. While Gauri Khan was having a great time dancing, Shah Rukh, who came in an hour after her, was in a rather sober mood. Parmeshwar Godrej was in high spirits and was one of the last guests to leave the party. Hrithik looked dapper, as usual, in a black shirt and blue jeans, while Sussanne complemented his attire with an elegant black dress. Incidentally, Hrithik’s favourite co-star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan did not attend the party. A source close to the Roshans said, “Abhishek was busy shooting, hence Aishwarya decided not to come.” Hrithik’s good friend Priyanka Chopra was also absent. The actress’s official spokesperson said, “Priyanka could not attend Hrithik’s party because she wasn’t feeling too well due to food poisoning.” Unlike most parties where Ameesha is usually accompanied by her boyfriend Kanav Puri, this time she came alone and looked quite lost. A rather plump looking Katrina Kaif managed to raise quite a few eyebrows by hobnobbing with boyfriend Salman Khan’s arch rival Shah Rukh Khan. A close friend of Salman said, “Never before have we seen Katrina get along so well with Shah Rukh. Has she broken up with Salman?” When we asked why Hrithik’s sister Sunaina did not attend the party, the source said, “Sunaina is a loner.” Since Shilpa got engaged to Raj on Saturday night, everybody wanted to have a look at her huge ring. “Shilpa proudly showed it to almost everybody who was around. She was the centre of attraction all evening,” added the source. The revelry ended on an unpleasant note when an irate neighbour complained about the loud music reverberating from the building’s 10th floor where the party was on in full swing. A few cops reached the venue but failed to take stock of the situation. They had to call senior police inspector Sawant who asked Hrithik to mellow down.
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Currently in Cape Town, South Africa, for a shoot, Neetu Chandra was in for a terrible shock on Sunday night as a drunk threw himself at her car, injuring himself gravely. Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty, her co-stars in the film, No Problem, rushed to the spot to sort out the matter and soothe Neetu’s frayed nerves. Our source from the unit of No Problem said, “Neetu was on her way back from the sets to her hotel room on Sunday night when suddenly this drunk lunged in front of her speeding car, crashing against the windscreen. He was severely injured. Neetu and her driver were in a complete state of shock and she didn’t know what to do. As a crowd started gathering, a crying Neetu called Sanjay to handle the chaos. Sanjay rushed to the spot with Sunil in tow and took stock of the situation. They spoke to the cops and had the injured man sent to the hospital.”
Anees Bazmee, the director of No Problem confirmed that the accident took place, while Neetu said, “Sunil and Sanjay handled the situation well. I am really thankful to the two. If it were not for them, I wonder what would’ve happened to me. I was so scared on Sunday, that recalling the incident still gives me goose bumps.” The injured man is currently recuperating in the hospital in Cape Town. |
SUBHASH K JHA (Mid-Day; August 7, 2009)
Unable to gather sufficient funds for five different films, filmmaker Onir has decided to merge the five films and release it as one. The film’s budget is approximately Rs 1.5 crore. He made My Brother Nikhil four years ago at the same budget.
Own your film
The filmmaker is using unconventional funding to make this film. He announced on Facebook that anyone could own their new film called I Am. There was an avalanche of volunteer producers. At last count, they had 300-350 producers. The entire crew will be paid only when the film gets sold.
Says Onir, “It started with my determination to make a film called You & I on child abuse. No producer or corporate house was willing to back the project. They didn’t find it a ‘safe’ project. Sanjay Suri came up with the idea of doing five different films in one, all financed by different people.
I decided to go for an unusual form of funding and extend the ideas of identity and the fear of sustaining that identity in a world of cynicism and intolerance. Five different stories will be released as one film in India.”
The most interesting part of this cinematic experiment is that they’re all based on the brutalisation of true characters who will make an appearance at the end of each segment. Each film will be shot in a different city Mumbai, Delhi, Srinagar and Kolkata. Each character is culture-specific to the city. Every story has a contemporary resonance.”
Hum 5!
1. I Am Omar
Starring: Rahul Bose, Abhimanyu Singh, Saahil Saigal, it’s about article 377, the nexus between sex workers and cops. To be shot in Mumbai from August 15
2. I Am Afia
Starring: Kalki and possibly Arjun Mathur. About misappropriation of NGO funds. To be shot in Delhi
3. I Am Abhimanyu
Starring: Sanjay Suri, Radhika Apte, Anurag Kashyap, Rahul Bose, Pooja Gandhi. About child sexual abuse already shot in Bangalore
4. I Am Megha
Starring: Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri. Story of two women in Kashmir, one a Kashmiri Pundit, the other Muslim. To be shot in Srinagar from Oct 1
4. I Am Rudra
Starring: Purab Kohli. About the Maoist movement. To be shot in Kolkata
18 Jun 2009, 0514 hrs IST, Bharati Dubey, TNN
UNITED WE STAND: Shiney Ahuja’s wife Anupam (R) with some of her neighbours who had come to express support at the press conference on Wednesday
The media is after her husband’s life. And rape, after all can be committed by a woman too (remember Disclosure’s Demi Moore or closer home,
Aitraaz’s Priyanka Chopra?) That was what Anupam Ahuja had to tell the world on Wednesday. At a press conference in Juhu to defend her `soulmate’ and the doting father to their daughter, the wounded wife reiterated what she had been saying from day one-that Shiney was innocent and was being framed. “Rape is a very heinous crime and in today’s time it can be committed not just by a man. Even a woman can do it and we all know,” an aggressive Anupam stated, adding, “I know there will soon be a law that will be formed to protect both the genders in rape cases. I really don’t know why he is being framed. It is also possible since he is a celebrity and all celebrities are soft targets.”
Reminded that the medical reports indicate injury marks on the victim, Anupam turned her ire towards the media: “Who has seen the medical report and where is that medical report? Have you seen it? There are contradictory reports in the media. The case has to be fought in court and not the media.”
Asked who could possibly want to frame her husband and why, she retorted, “Why does a robber rob a bank? I can speak for my man and I am not a girl madly in love with her man, but we have been together for 15 years. There were reports that Shiney and I am divorcing, but here I am in defence of my husband. He is my soulmate and I know he is not capable of doing it.” Quizzed further on what could be the maid’s motive in trying to frame Shiney and if money could be one of the reasons, she added: “It could be anything but I don’t want to speculate at this point.”
Did Anupam think that those trying to frame Shiney would try to influence the medical report and does she want the tests to be conducted in some laboratory outside Mumbai? “I cannot say anything other than the medical reports and examination will be conducted in a lab where it has to be done. Besides, my lawyer will take decisions regarding the case. All I can say is I have complete faith in the judiciary,” Anupam said.
Probed on what she thought about the role of the police, she was calm: “Someone went to the cops and complained and they are only doing what they have to do.” But told that Shiney has made a confession, Anupam shot back, “It is all rubbish. I repeat, Shiney is innocent and not capable of this.”
Anupam, who last met her husband on Monday in court, refused to divulge any information about where she was on the day of the incident. “I cannot reveal anything as I don’t want to influence the case in any way. I respect the law of the land,” she reiterated.
Supporting the `wife on the warpath’ were at least 20 neighbours, who vouched for Shiney’s good character. There were reports that the Ahujas’ next-door neighbour had heard some screams from the actor’s house on Sunday afternoon, but Ruchika Marwah, the actor’s neighbour who was present at the conference said, “I have not given any such statement to anyone in the media.” Asked if she knew the maid in question and if her maid and Ahuja’s maid were known to each other, she simply looked at Anupam and said, “I will not say anything, adding, “The incident came as a shock.” She parroted what Anupam had to say about Shiney: “I know Shiney as a loving father and loving husband, those are the roles I have seen him in.”
Satish Kapoor, treasurer of the society said, “I have been hearing and reading reports about Shiney’s character. But all I have to say is that he is a gentleman and was often seen in the compound taking his daughter around in a pram.”
But there was no visible support from the film industry
. Anupam brushed that aside saying, “The film industry is on our side. I have proof in the form of SMSes from people like Sudhir Mishra and Anurag Basu saying that they are with us.”
Cops probing Shiney’s past
Posted on: June 18, 2009
 Mumbai police is now extending its probe against filmstar Shiney Ahuja to check for a similar such misdemeanour in the past.
Shiney was arrested on Sunday by Oshiwara police for allegedly raping his 18-year-old maid. “We have come to know that there is an earlier non-cognizable complaint of sexual harassment against the actor and I have asked for the record,” said joint commissioner (Law and Order) KL Prasad. The actor’s behaviour when the police team went to his Tarapore Towers flat to question him on Sunday evening also roused suspicion, say cops. “We were shocked to see Ahuja sitting comfortably with his friends and enjoying a TV show. He was very calm and comfortable until he saw police and the maid’s relative at his door. He probably, never thought that the matter would go to the police,” said an officer privy to the investigations, on condition of anonymity. “An ordinary man will be terrified right after the incident and will be ill at ease constantly thinking what if the victim goes and tells someone. He will try to do many things to make sure that the victim doesn’t squeal. But Ahuja seemed pretty comfortable watching TV with no fear whatsoever. However once he realised why the police had come to his house he started trembling,” the officer added. Additional CP (Western Region) Amitabh Gupta said, “We are checking his record. Until now we have not found any complaint on record against him. But our investigation is on and we are interrogating various people.” Ahuja’s wife called for questioning
On Monday afternoon, Ahuja’s wife Anupam was called to the Oshiwara police station for questioning but had not turned up till the time of going to press, while his father Col (retd) SP Ahuja came to the police station to meet his son. Police said that the allegation against Ahuja had been strengthened with the medical report of the girl which noted forceful sexual intercourse and also made a mention of injuries on her body apart from her private parts. Based on this, police said, they would seek Ahuja’s further custody on June 18 as he may influence witnesses whose statements are still being recorded. Witness statements recorded Police have till now recorded four statements, apart from the victim’s, in the case. DCP (Zone IX) Niket Kaushik said, “We have recorded the statement of the victim’s aunt (Rekha), who first met her after the incident. The other maid in the house (Sangeeta), Ahuja’s cook (Mohan), and the watchman of the building have also given their statements. All statements fit with the circumstances of the case.” A police officer said the statement of Sangeeta, who stays in the house 24/7 but had gone to Church at the time of the incident, and of Mohan, who had left in the morning after cooking lunch, establish that both Ahuja and the maid were in the house all day. “The watchman has seen the maid coming and going, while Rekha has given us a statement on how she rang Ahuja’s door bell at 5 pm on Sunday and a visibly upset victim came out. She later narrated the entire incident to Rekha at their Virar residence,” said an officer. Shiney’s lawyer Shrikant Shivade refused to comment on police investigation. |
