Monday, June 07, 2010

Money Madness

Forty-six year old Nicolas Cage is trying to take up a lot of projects, one after another, to come out of the financial crisis that he has been going through. But most of these recent roles taken up by him are slightly wacky. Whether it is the ‘twisted crime fighter’ in a flick titled "Kick-Ass" or a 'drug-addled detective’ in "Bad Lieutenant", he has been heard as saying that all his characters have a 'glint of madness'. Well, signing up for films randomly, without giving much thought to roles and scripts, is no less a sign of madness!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, June 04, 2010

Better treatment for stars

A code of conduct is issued for actors, producers & directors

T he Association of Television Media artists (ATMA) and Malayalam Television Fraternity (MTVF) want serial actors, producers and directors to follow a code of conduct. Of late, the TV industry was rocked by bickering between actors and producers.

And the ATMA is unhappy with the development as it gives a bad name to the industry. Issuing a circular, the ATMA states that it doesn’t want such a situation to arise in Malayalam serials. Besides, it has asked its members to sign an agreement with the producer of the serial in which the guidelines, including the dates, remuneration and working time, are mentioned clearly. Producers have been asked to give second class AC train ticket fare to the artist in case s/he is from other city. For woman artists, fare for the accompanying person should also be offered. Guidelines also talk about giving accommodation to the artists.

The circular asks directors to complete the daily shooting by 9 PM. Artists can be requested to stay on stage only in emergency situations till 10 PM. For the night schedule, artists should reach the location at 4 PM instead of 7 AM for the regular schedule. K.B. Ganesh Kumar, MLA and president of ATMA, says: “We have received complaints from many artists that directors block their dates in advance and cancel work at the last minute. Thus they lose their chance to work for another serial. This should be stopped. ATMA and MTVF have issued notices to the people to avoid such a situation in future.”

The TV industry in Malayalam is going through a hard time. Reality shows are all the rage. Many serials that started well have been shifted to non-peak hours because of their waning popularity and hence the industry is worried.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

There’s a lot about Hrithik Roshan that hasn’t changed with the stardom he’s attained

Anurag says that “Kites” has changed you a lot as a person too. Would you agree?

I think it’s quite true because I have evolved. In fact, the person inside me changes with every film. I’ve been doing “Guzaarish” for the past 8-9 months where I see the world go by through the eyes of a paralysed man. So, all films teach me a lot. It helps me to filter out all the significant things from the trivial issues that would bother me every day.

So has this change helped you become a better actor as well?

Yeah, definitely. I think your work is a reflection of the person you are and how you live your life. You, as a person, are inseparable from the work that you do. So if you want to create anything that has to have a value, you have to live that kind of life to develop those instincts to create that. The experiences that I’ve had in the journey of my life have helped me learn and grow. And your interpretation of life in your work subconsciously travels into the hearts of the audience who are watching you. So it’s always you that will reflect in your work. You know, it’s like, between the painting and the painter, one can’t say which is better. A painting is the manifestation of the painter’s vision of the world that he portrays in the painting. It’s as simple as that.

Which is the most memorable moment that you have of “Kites”?

When Anurag Basu narrated the script was the most memorable moment. It was at a point when I was contemplating not continuing as an actor because of my knee problem. I had given up and was depressed and heart-broken. I didn’t want to continue as a compromised actor, you know. I was at a crossroad of sorts, thinking of what do I do ahead of here. And then came “Kites”. When Anurag narrated the script to me, I could see my face on that character. I had a vision and that the vision was so strong that I knew it had to manifest. I just kept struggling and working on it and imagine that right before the shoot, in fact on the day of the shoot my knee healed, quite dramatically!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Setback to vedanta

Foundation asked to stop all construction works

Anil Agarwal’s plan to establish the Rs. 150 billion Vedanta University in Orissa has hit a roadblock. On May 11, 2010, the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment has kept in abeyance the environmental and Coastal Regulatory Zone clearance that it had granted for the establishment of the proposed education institution near the Puri-Konark marine drive spread over 6,892 acre. Besides that, the Ministry has also directed the Foundation to stop further construction on the site. The Ministry has issued the letter after objections raised during the Orissa Coastal Zone Management Authority Meeting.

In July 2006, the Orissa government signed an MoU with the Vedanta Foundation, later renamed the Anil Agarwal Foundation, for setting up the Vedanta University an par with world-class universities like Stanford, Oxford, Harvard etc. Later on, Vedanta’s proposal to acquire 6,000 acres on the Puri-Konark coastal belt rolled into the rough because of environmental concerns. But the government, after considering the issues, decided to pass a bill in July 2009 to allow the university to be set up.

This led to petitions being filed in the Lok Pal by labour union leader Dwaraka Mohan Mishra. Justice R.K.Patra of Lok Pal subsequently expressed his views over the previous MoU for land allotment to Vedanta University. In a 26 page order, the Lok Pal observed: “The MoU signed by the parties doesn’t constitute a legally enforceable contract.” The Lok Pal’s findings indicated that the 6,000 acres targeted by the Foundation includes 1,300 acres of arable land belonging to the Jagannath Temple and another large stretch of land containing huge quantities of thorium and other rare minerals. This apparently violates the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954.

But the Lok Pal logically also supported the project in a neutral way. Justice Patra has asked the State government to constitute a vigilance cell to monitor the progress of the project. Besides, Lok Pal wants the government to offer land to the foundation in phases to ensure the full educational use of the land. But the recent direction issued by the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment seems to be the toughest one for Vedanta as the environmental and Coastal Regulatory Zone clearance is imperative for the university to come up without future hindrances.

Given that the Foundation still has much at stake in Orissa – and not all this stake commercial – it would be highly pertinent for both the Ministry and the Foundation to get into a mode of resolving the issue rather than keeping it hanging, more so as a positive resolution of the issue would perchance provide Orissa with a university at global standards – something that Orissa direly needs to up its global investment image – and a negative resolution would free up the land for alternative use. Non-resolution of the issue could put a bad light on future investments into the state.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, May 03, 2010

Tipplers left high and dry

Breweries work overtime to meet soaring demand

Beer is in short supply in Kerala. Many outlets of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) are hanging hoardings: ‘Beer out of stock.’ It is a hard time for beer drinkers in the state. However, some 337 BEVCO outlets are working 24 × 7 to meet the demand of the customers.

Kerala banned arrack, the locally-made liquor in 1989. The current Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony, who played an important role in the ban of arrack, was the then chief minister of the state. From then onwards the state took the responsibility of providing safe alcohol through a regulated system. But now, the black marketing of alcohol thrives even as the state provides plenty of liquor through BEVCO. Official statistics show that more than 80,000 people visit BEVCO outlets every day. There are 600 bars in addition to 5,000 toddy (palm wine) shops across the state. The total income through liquor is around 40 per cent of the state revenue. That is why officials are fretting over the shortage of beer.

What is the real cause for this unprecedented crisis? Is it an artificially created problem? These and other questions are being discussed by beer lovers. While presenting the budget, the government announced that beer would cost less. Sources say the profit of margin is between Rs 5 and 10. Most of the experts don’t know the main reason behind the sudden shortage of beer in the state. But BEVCO managing director N.Sankar Reddy has the answer. He told TSI that the sharp increase in consumption has led to the shortage of beer. “Last year, the consumption of beer was eight lakh bottles per day during this time. But now it rose to 13 lakh bottles. Kerala, having a production capacity of about 10 to 12 lakh bottles a day, is working overtime for maximum production,” he said. He doesn’t agree with those people who say that the shortage started only after beer supply from Karnataka was stopped. The state receives only a small quantity of beer from other states, he said. Two new Hyderabad companies are willing to supply beer.

Of late, anti-liquor movements and religious bodies have criticised the state government for its liquor policy. Officials say they are implementing prohibition stage by stage. Sociologists say it would be an arduous task that too in a state where consumption of liquor is the highest in India. There has been a 100 per cent hike in consumption in the last four years. And most of the beer lovers are youths.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)