Will the Gulabi gang leader participate in Bigg Boss? Mystery continues

Published: Monday, Oct 1, 2012, 19:26 IST
Place: Lucknow | Agency: PTI

'Gulabi gang' leader Sampat Pal, who is known for her fight for women's rights, today said that she is yet to decide whether to participate in reality TV show Bigg Boss 6 or not.

"I have not yet said yes for my participation in Bigg Boss. I will be able to take any decision in this regard after October 4," Pal said.

"The organisers of Bigg Boss have approached me and I have told them that I am unable to accept the offer now...," the 65-year-old social activist said.

"I am in a dilemma over my participation in the reality show as I have to attend a World Women Conference in Brazil on October 28 and I give priority to issues related to women's rights," Pal said.

She admitted she did not know much about the reality show but said that she would talk to the organisers of the Women's Conference on October 4 and then decide her future course of action.

Replying to a question, she said that she might join Bigg Boss after attending the conference but it would not be at the cost of her priorities.

Pal, who runs 'Gulabi Gang' — a group of women known for taking up the cause of women facing violence, domestic or social, in Bundelkhand region - had contested assembly polls on Congress ticket from Manikpur in Chitrakoot district.

‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 2 Premiere Review

The Dementors have come to Storybrooke. Well, okay, technically they are un-dead, soul-sucking wraiths with black, tattered robes and gleaming red eyes with a fancy-sounding Chinese name; though, if I were JK Rowling, I’d be calling my lawyer. The wraiths, however, are just one of the new fairy tale characters to be introduced in the season 2 premiere of Once Upon A Time.

Chief among the newcomers are Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Aurora, portrayed by The Tutors actress Sarah Bolger, and better known to little girls everywhere as Sleeping Beauty. Theirs is the story that runs concurrent with what’s playing out in modern world, which makes sense, as Sleeping Beauty is the most quintessential of the “true love’s kiss” tales.

Read More Full Review : http://screenrant.com/once-upon-time-season-2-premiere-reviews/

Anupama Chopra's review: OMG Oh My God!

Anupama Chopra, Hindustan Times  September 29, 2012

Omg oh my God!
Direction: Umesh Shukla
Actors: Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Mithun Chakraborty
Rating: ** 1/2OMG Oh My God! is about something that touches all our lives - religion. It is a film about our relationship with God, how instead of being God-loving, we have become God-fearing. How religion has become a business run by godmen (here aptly referred to as 'salesmen') who aren't in fact very spiritual at all. A note to atheists and agnostics - the film is not an endorsement of those views. It insists on the existence of God.

Kanji Lalji Mehta, played by Paresh Rawal, is an avowed atheist who runs an antiques shop. Kanji is a wily salesman. He weaves tall tales around his wares and sells 200-rupee idols for thousands. The faithful are always ready to pay. As Kanji puts it: "Shraddha ka kaam hai, jitna dalo, utna kum."

One day, an earthquake destroys Kanji's shop. The insurance company refuses to pay, saying it was an act of God. So Kanji, defiant, furious and abandoned by his family, goes to court and sues God.

The story is an adaptation of a very successful Gujarati play, which later became a hit in Hindi and Marathi too. The original template is an Australian film called The Man Who Sued God. Sadly, here, a terrific play makes for limp cinema.

Director Umesh Shukla, who has also directed the play, is bogged down by the burden of Bollywood. So we must have an item number with Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhu Deva. Shukla must also make room for the mega-stardom of Akshay Kumar, who is both producer and God.

Akshay plays God, which would have worked well if the film didn't have to build him up so much. He is introduced with an elaborate action sequence, featuring tacky special effects, in which he rescues Kanji from religious fanatics. This God comes to earth on a snazzy motorcycle and wears, among other things, a long purple jacket. His face is always bathed in a strange, diffused light. And there are scores of frames of him just smiling benevolently or looking wisely into the distance.

Paresh is wonderful as the stubborn, smart and eccentric Kanji. He gets a few fiery scenes in court, but the film sags because the other characters are so flimsy. Mithun Chakraborty, in a hideous wig, plays a weird, fey guru. Govind Namdeo is a godman who constantly eats fruits and shakes with anger almost every time he speaks. Eventually OMG Oh My God! dissipates into a lecture. The intentions are good, but the preaching is boring.

Paresh Rawal, as usual, rises above the material. He is the force in this film.