It must be a proud moment for Indian fans that their team has broken a 20-year jinx of not winning abroad by clinching the Test at Sabina Park. It was a difficult wicket to bat on, especially after the batsmen from both sides had been spoilt by the run-filled flat tracks dished out in the first three Tests. However, I do not think it was the worst wicket ever, and Rahul Dravid proved that runs could be made if one applied oneself. In my last article I had said that the team that adapted to this change would win the series, and since the Indians played better and conducted themselves more professionally, they have the win that eluded them narrowly twice in this series.
Instead of criticising the wicket too harshly, I would venture to say that the wickets in the three earlier venues were far too easy for batsmen. This meant that results were not easy to come by, and the true merit of a batsman was never tested. I am surprised that the West Indian camp was so indignant about the conditions at Sabina Park. Interestingly, I did not hear much unhappiness being expressed when India were bowled out for 200. All the criticism surfaced only when the hosts barely managed half of what the Indians had scored.
Quite simply, the West Indian batsmen did not equip themselves to play on a tricky surface, and therefore they have only themselves to blame. Moreover, though it was the West Indians were victims of the Indian spin twins in both innings, it was not as though the pitch had nothing in it for the quicker bowlers. The West Indians bowled very well in both innings, but their batsmen lost the Test by playing some ill-advised shots in the first innings.
I believe some of the issues that are being raised now are trivial. Brian Lara was given the responsibility of leading the West Indian team because they wanted to set an example and groom the younger players. Unfortunately for us, some old ghosts came back to haunt the team.
While I am not quite sure that the conditions were as difficult as Brian claims, I think he has a point when he demands a greater say in team selection. The captain has to be a crucial member of any selection committee since he is the one in the middle. Not only is he held responsible for the team�s performance, but he is also the man who has to work with each player. I am not sure about what has transpired between him and the selectors, but I hope it gets sorted out. Brian is now considering his future as captain, and I would not like to make any comments on what would be right for him and for West Indian cricket.
The Indian batsmen also struggled when they came across some pace and bounce, with the exception of their captain courageous. I was surprised when Rahul Dravid opted to bat first on a pacy wicket, but fortune favours the brave, and he ensured that his team reached 200 with some superb batsmanship. I have always admired Dravid, and this win will give him some confidence when he leads his side overseas. He is a very serious, committed individual, and the way he handled his young inexperienced bowlers even while not allowing his leadership responsibilities affect was exceptional.
Both Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble were superb in tandem, and I don�t see Chappell or Dravid dropping either for a long time � not even on a green top! Dravid has a young, talented and committed team with him, and I can see India going from strength to strength in the next few years.
I feel sorry for the hosts because they had a good chance of completing a double by winning both the Tests and the one-dayers. While that did not happen, there have been quite a few positives for the team, particularly in the one-dayers. By beating the second-ranked team they have sent the right signals to the other teams ahead of the World Cup. It has also pepped up fans in the Caribbean, who now feel that their team is no pushover. This augurs well for the organisers of the tournament, and we must not let the Kingston loss cloud over these positive aspects.
Wednesday 20 June 2007
Top-10 players can humiliate you - Sania
It was the second time I played Elena Dementieva this year and as in our previous meeting, the Russian got the better of me in a very tight, gruelling battle � this time at Wimbledon.
Any top-10 player in the world possesses the capacity to humiliate you on court unless you, yourself, are playing at your very best. I am glad I did not allow her that liberty in either of our encounters. I think this was a high quality game for most part of the match and the level of tennis at times reached dizzy heights. Dementieva is easily one of the hardest hitters in the game and her serve has improved immensely since I last played her.
It was a proud moment for me to have some of the biggest names in Indian tennis by the courtside when I played this match. This included the likes of Jaideep Mukherjea, Naresh Kumar, C.G.K. and Mahesh Bhupathi, Gaurav and Arati Natekar and of course, my coach, Asif Ismail. It was reassuring to know at the end of the match that they all felt that the improvements in my game over the last few months were headed in the right direction.
The disappointment of a first round singles loss at Wimbledon (albeit to a world-class player) could not, however, compare with the disillusionment and despair I�ve felt ever since I got the news a few days back about the untimely passing away of my first-ever tennis coach, Srikkanth Sir. I started my tennis under him as a six-year-old and though I moved on to play with other coaches in later years, Srikkanth Sir remained my greatest well-wisher and a dear family friend until his death.
An engineer by profession, Srikkanth Sir got into tennis coaching for the love of the game. Since the last few years, he did not look like a happy man. Perhaps, life did not treat him the way he deserved to be treated and he appeared to be disillusioned with life. But as a family friend and my well-wisher, he was always there for me. He was my dad�s doubles partner in a few tournaments some years back and his boyish excitement and cheerful eyes after beating a few local favourite teams in the tournament is still vivid in front of my eyes.
He never meant any harm to anybody and perhaps, harmed himself more than anyone else by his somewhat erratic way of life when frustration began to set in. He was prone to depressions but tried his best to cover that behind his smiling face. The last time I met him was a few months ago when my sponsor, Mr. G.V.K. Reddy honoured all the coaches, who had worked with me at a grand reception. As usual, he wished me the very best in life.
He was a younger brother to both my parents and someone whom I cared for. But he is gone now forever � at the age of just 34. I will remember you always and my next win, whenever it comes, will be just for you, Srikkanth Sir!
Any top-10 player in the world possesses the capacity to humiliate you on court unless you, yourself, are playing at your very best. I am glad I did not allow her that liberty in either of our encounters. I think this was a high quality game for most part of the match and the level of tennis at times reached dizzy heights. Dementieva is easily one of the hardest hitters in the game and her serve has improved immensely since I last played her.
It was a proud moment for me to have some of the biggest names in Indian tennis by the courtside when I played this match. This included the likes of Jaideep Mukherjea, Naresh Kumar, C.G.K. and Mahesh Bhupathi, Gaurav and Arati Natekar and of course, my coach, Asif Ismail. It was reassuring to know at the end of the match that they all felt that the improvements in my game over the last few months were headed in the right direction.
The disappointment of a first round singles loss at Wimbledon (albeit to a world-class player) could not, however, compare with the disillusionment and despair I�ve felt ever since I got the news a few days back about the untimely passing away of my first-ever tennis coach, Srikkanth Sir. I started my tennis under him as a six-year-old and though I moved on to play with other coaches in later years, Srikkanth Sir remained my greatest well-wisher and a dear family friend until his death.
An engineer by profession, Srikkanth Sir got into tennis coaching for the love of the game. Since the last few years, he did not look like a happy man. Perhaps, life did not treat him the way he deserved to be treated and he appeared to be disillusioned with life. But as a family friend and my well-wisher, he was always there for me. He was my dad�s doubles partner in a few tournaments some years back and his boyish excitement and cheerful eyes after beating a few local favourite teams in the tournament is still vivid in front of my eyes.
He never meant any harm to anybody and perhaps, harmed himself more than anyone else by his somewhat erratic way of life when frustration began to set in. He was prone to depressions but tried his best to cover that behind his smiling face. The last time I met him was a few months ago when my sponsor, Mr. G.V.K. Reddy honoured all the coaches, who had worked with me at a grand reception. As usual, he wished me the very best in life.
He was a younger brother to both my parents and someone whom I cared for. But he is gone now forever � at the age of just 34. I will remember you always and my next win, whenever it comes, will be just for you, Srikkanth Sir!
Over my dead body! Indians enjoy graveyard eatery
Sipping a cup of tea and chatting with friends in a graveyard -- this is what attracts visitors to a well-known restaurant in Ahmedabad. 
Serving Indian cuisine to over 300 customers daily, the "Lucky Hotel" has 22 tombs nestled between wooden tables and chairs.
Visitors eat sitting by an ancient Muslim burial place and waiters jump over the tombs to serve food.
"It is a bit eerie to sit beside a grave for a meal but I have got used to it," said 45-year-old Usman Vora, who has been visiting the restaurant since the age of ten.
"The green tombs make me realise that every bit of life is precious," Vora said.
A visit to Lucky Hotel is part of the itinerary for many tourists and artists.
Many graveyards in India have been reclaimed for development over the years, according to local officials. But the owners of "Lucky Hotel" decided not to demolish the tombs -- some of Sufi poets and saints from the Mughal rule in India -- when the restaurant opened about 40 years ago.
The walls have paintings from the well-known Indian painter Maqbool Fida Husain, a frequent tea drinker at the bustling restaurant.
Every morning, owner Krishna Kutty, a Hindu, wipes the graves with a damp cloth and decorates them with roses.
"I am not aware who was laid to rest here but I know that they are very lucky for me and the visitors," said Kutty, sitting near one of the tombs.
"Many suggest me to destroy the cement tombs making room for more customers but I'm happy with the way it is," he said.
The restaurant offers about 90 vegetarian food items and is most popular for its tea and white butter-buns.
"I am mustering some courage to enter the hotel," said Geeta Khanna, a tourist found standing outside. "I am scared, the burial chambers are everywhere."
Bounty of 80,000 pounds on Rushdie's head
Never possibly has a knighthood provoked such controversy. After Salman Rushdie was knighted a bounty of 80 000 pounds has been placed on his head by an Iranian group.
This has prompted the authorities to review the security of the controversial India-born author.
The Scotland Yard is reviewing security around Rushdie, who turned 60 on Wednesday, and is all set to get round the clock police protection.
The bounty was offered by the Tehran-based hardliners 'The Organisation To Commemorate The Martyrs Of The Muslim World'.
It said it would pay an 80,000 pounds reward for anyone 'who was able to execute the apostate Salman Rushdie'.
However, Buckingham palace has refused to comment on the growing protests over the decision to award Salman Rushdie.
On Tuesday, Pakistan even summoned the British High Commissioner to register protest at a diplomatic level and on Wednesday Iran followed.
But the High Commissioner Robert Brinkley told Pakistan that nothing could justify threats of suicide attacks.
Fatwa against Rushdie
Rushdie went into hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, ordering Muslims to kill the author because his novel Satanic Verses allegedly insulted Islam.
The Iranian government declared in 1998 that it would not support but could not rescind the fatwa.
The Muslim Council of Britain, the main umbrella organization for Islamic groups in the country, has condemned the knighthood as provocation but urged restraint from ordinary Muslims.
However, the newspapers in Britain have come out in support of Rushdie.
''Incautious or not, no government can allow anticipated hostility to dictate its actions on something as parochial as honours, or as broad as foreign policy.''
''As a cultural figure, Salman Rushdie may or may not deserve his knighthood but we would defend the government's right to honor him and Rushdie's right to accept,'' said the Independent.
The far more conservative Daily Mail has been quoted as saying that ''while it did not like Rushdie's turgid prose, the inflammatory behaviour of the Pakistanis and Iranians is indefensible.''
This has prompted the authorities to review the security of the controversial India-born author.
The Scotland Yard is reviewing security around Rushdie, who turned 60 on Wednesday, and is all set to get round the clock police protection.
The bounty was offered by the Tehran-based hardliners 'The Organisation To Commemorate The Martyrs Of The Muslim World'.
It said it would pay an 80,000 pounds reward for anyone 'who was able to execute the apostate Salman Rushdie'.
However, Buckingham palace has refused to comment on the growing protests over the decision to award Salman Rushdie.
On Tuesday, Pakistan even summoned the British High Commissioner to register protest at a diplomatic level and on Wednesday Iran followed.
But the High Commissioner Robert Brinkley told Pakistan that nothing could justify threats of suicide attacks.
Fatwa against Rushdie
Rushdie went into hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or religious edict, ordering Muslims to kill the author because his novel Satanic Verses allegedly insulted Islam.
The Iranian government declared in 1998 that it would not support but could not rescind the fatwa.
The Muslim Council of Britain, the main umbrella organization for Islamic groups in the country, has condemned the knighthood as provocation but urged restraint from ordinary Muslims.
However, the newspapers in Britain have come out in support of Rushdie.
''Incautious or not, no government can allow anticipated hostility to dictate its actions on something as parochial as honours, or as broad as foreign policy.''
''As a cultural figure, Salman Rushdie may or may not deserve his knighthood but we would defend the government's right to honor him and Rushdie's right to accept,'' said the Independent.
The far more conservative Daily Mail has been quoted as saying that ''while it did not like Rushdie's turgid prose, the inflammatory behaviour of the Pakistanis and Iranians is indefensible.''
Teenage surgeon triggers outrage in TN
The craze to set a new record has touched a new low.
In a shocking incident, 15-year-old Dhileepan, a Class X student, has allegedly performed a Caesarian operation successfully on a 20-year-old woman.
Dhileepan's only qualification is that his parents are doctors who run a hospital at Manaparrai on the outskirts of Trichy.
And the boy was allowed to perform the surgery under their supervision three months ago.
At the weekly meeting of the IMA Trichy Chapter two months ago, the boy's father had reportedly played a video clip of his son's surgical performance, claiming it to be a world record.
The mother and the newborn girl are doing fine. The girl's father says no prior consent was obtained before the surgery.
''The doctor and his son were present in the operation theatre,'' said the woman's husband.
The medical community is outraged. Doctors say this is illegal, unethical and a breach of trust and could have been risky for both the mother and the child.
''Not all Caesarians are same. In some cases the uterus will have to be removed and there could be profuse bleeding. It's difficult even for qualified doctors. This could put both lives at stake,'' said Dr Kamala Selvaraj.
Vanishing act
With criticism mounting against this shocking lapse, the incriminating video has disappeared.
With no evidence left, it is difficult to question the doctor couple's claim that heir son was allowed only to watch the surgery, not perform it.
But even then, it is illegal for a 15-year-old to be present inside the operating theatre during the procedure.
''We allowed to watch the surgery only to motivate him to pursue medicine after his school,'' said Dr Murugesan, Dhileepan's father.
Shocked colleagues of Dr Murugesan who had seen the video had complained to the Chennai chapter of the IMA a month ago.
But the body that is meant to regulate ethical practices of the medical community is yet to react.
While the craze to set records has begun to put innocent lives at stake, the big question is why the Indian Medical Association has not taken any action even after a month after this was brought to its notice.
Despite NDTV's best efforts IMA office bearers remained completely unreachable.
In a shocking incident, 15-year-old Dhileepan, a Class X student, has allegedly performed a Caesarian operation successfully on a 20-year-old woman.
Dhileepan's only qualification is that his parents are doctors who run a hospital at Manaparrai on the outskirts of Trichy.
And the boy was allowed to perform the surgery under their supervision three months ago.
At the weekly meeting of the IMA Trichy Chapter two months ago, the boy's father had reportedly played a video clip of his son's surgical performance, claiming it to be a world record.
The mother and the newborn girl are doing fine. The girl's father says no prior consent was obtained before the surgery.
''The doctor and his son were present in the operation theatre,'' said the woman's husband.
The medical community is outraged. Doctors say this is illegal, unethical and a breach of trust and could have been risky for both the mother and the child.
''Not all Caesarians are same. In some cases the uterus will have to be removed and there could be profuse bleeding. It's difficult even for qualified doctors. This could put both lives at stake,'' said Dr Kamala Selvaraj.
Vanishing act
With criticism mounting against this shocking lapse, the incriminating video has disappeared.
With no evidence left, it is difficult to question the doctor couple's claim that heir son was allowed only to watch the surgery, not perform it.
But even then, it is illegal for a 15-year-old to be present inside the operating theatre during the procedure.
''We allowed to watch the surgery only to motivate him to pursue medicine after his school,'' said Dr Murugesan, Dhileepan's father.
Shocked colleagues of Dr Murugesan who had seen the video had complained to the Chennai chapter of the IMA a month ago.
But the body that is meant to regulate ethical practices of the medical community is yet to react.
While the craze to set records has begun to put innocent lives at stake, the big question is why the Indian Medical Association has not taken any action even after a month after this was brought to its notice.
Despite NDTV's best efforts IMA office bearers remained completely unreachable.
Roles changed, goal the same: Ganguly
It seems like life has come a full circle for Sourav Ganguly [Images] as he left the Indian shores for the twin tours of Ireland and England [Images]. Eleven years ago he made his famous Test debut in England, when he scored a century in his first two Tests.
In 2002, under his captaincy, India earned plaudits after they drew the four-Test series 1-1.
And, now, five years hence, in what could probably be his last visit to England, he will need to prove that he still has a few years at the top left in him.
"It's a good place to tour," he told rediff.com hours before the team's departure from Mumbai. "It's a good opportunity for anyone because when you perform in England it gets noticed."
Even though his century on debut was more than a decade ago, Ganguly still cherishes that knock, a sparkling innings of 131 in the second Test at Lord's. "That century was a long time ago, it has been nearly 11 years," he says.
Ganguly, who will turn 35 on July 8, points out how the roles have changed for him on every outing to the Blighty. After his amazing comeback in South Africa last December, he has emerged as India's most reliable batsman. He had been dropped from the Indian team early 2006 after a string of low scores; he also lost the captaincy to Rahul Dravid [Images].
"The last time I was captain, but the goals are the same. I hope I can do well and the team can do well," he says.
Ganguly insists he has no regrets on not being the captain on this tour of England. "Obviously it's different, it means less responsibility," he adds.
He refuses to compare the current Indian team from the one that last visited England and believes this team has the potential to do well.
"Every team is different. I don't think you should compare teams. The important thing is to do well everytime you go," he says.
India's last Test series victory in England came in 1986 when they won a three-Test series 2-0 under Kapil Dev's [Images] captaincy.
Ganguly must hope he can sign off his last outing in England with a Test series victory, something Indian cricket fans have been waiting for 21 years.
India eye second place
The Rediff Test rankings doesn't look very different after India's 1-0 away win over Bangladesh and England's 3-0 home win against England. This is because the series outcomes were quite similar when these teams clashed last time (India had won 2-0 and England 4-0).
The forthcoming India-England series could return a more interesting verdict, especially if India improve on the 1-1 series result in 2002. An away series victory could well take India to the second place.
The current Rediff Test rankings appear in Table A.
Check ICC Test rankings
| TABLE A: Final Rankings (as on Jun 20, 2007) |
| Country | Performance index (RBI) | Difference 1.2.07 --> 20.6.07 | Rank |
| Australia | 77.69 | +0.16 | 1 |
| England | 53.29 | -0.07 | 2 |
| India | 52.23 | +0.07 | 3 |
| South Africa | 46.62 | +0.18 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 43.40 | +0.27 | 5 |
| Sri Lanka | 39.25 | +0.17 | 6 |
| New Zealand | 35.99 | +0.32 | 7 |
| West Indies | 28.99 | +1.49 | 8 |
| Zimbabwe | 13.81 | +0.14 | 9 |
| Bangladesh | 4.80 | +1.37 | 10 |
Bangladesh's Test record is still very poor; that's why even a drawn match against India sends their rating up.
The current LG ICC Test rankings (as on June 20, 2007) are: Australia (135), England (114), Pakistan (108), India (107), Sri Lanka (102), South Africa (102), New Zealand (93), West Indies (72) and Zimbabwe (28) and Bangladesh (1).
The current home-away points tally of Test-playing teams is shown in Table B.
-- How the rankings work...
| TABLE B: Test Score Card (as on June 20, 2007) |
| A W A Y | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aus | Ban | Eng | Ind | NZ | Pak | RSA | SL | WI | Zim | ||
| H O M E | Australia | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | 2 / 5 4 / 5 | 2.5 / 4 2 / 4 | 2.5 / 3 2 / 2 | 3 / 3 3 / 3 | 3 / 3 2.5 / 3 | 3 / 3 1.5 / 2 | 3 / 4 3 / 3 | 1 / 1 2 / 2 | |
| Bangladesh | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | - 0.5 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | 0.5 / 2 0 / 2 | 0.5 / 2 1.5 / 2 | ||
| England | 1 / 5 3 / 5 | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | 1.5 / 3 2 / 4 | 1.5 / 3 3 / 3 | 0.5 / 3 3.5 / 4 | 3 / 5 2.5 / 5 | 1 / 3 1.5 / 3 | 3.5 / 4 3.5 / 4 | 1 / 2 2 / 2 | ||
| India | 2 / 4 1.5 / 4 | 1.5 / 2 2 / 2 | 2 / 4 1.5 / 3 | 0 / 2 1 / 2 | 1 / 3 1.5 / 3 | 1 / 3 1.5 / 2 | 1 / 3 2.5 / 3 | 2.5 / 4 2.5 / 3 | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | ||
| New Zealand | 0 / 2 0.5 / 3 | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | 0 / 3 1.5 / 3 | 1 / 2 2 / 2 | 0 / 1 0.5 / 2 | 0.5 / 3 1.5 / 3 | 1 / 2 1 / 2 | 1.5 / 2 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 0.5 / 1 | ||
| Pakistan | 0 / 3 0 / 3 | 2 / 2 3 / 3 | 0.5 / 4 2.5 / 3 | 1.5 / 3 2 / 3 | 1.5 / 2 1 / 1 | 1 / 3 1.5 / 2 | 1.5 / 2 1 / 2 | 1 / 2 2.5 / 3 | 2 / 2 1 / 3 | ||
| South Africa | 0.5 / 3 0 / 3 | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | 2.5 / 5 2 / 5 | 0.5 / 2 2 / 3 | 1.5 / 3 2.5 / 3 | 0.5 / 2 2 / 3 | 0 / 2 2 / 2 | 3 / 4 3.5 / 4 | 1 / 1 2 / 2 | ||
| Sri Lanka | 0.5 / 2 0 / 3 | 2 / 2 2 / 2 | 1.5 / 3 2 / 3 | 0.5 / 3 2 / 3 | 1 / 2 1 / 2 | 1 / 2 0.5 / 2 | 0 / 2 2 / 2 | 0.5 / 2 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 3 / 3 | ||
| West Indies | 0 / 3 1 / 4 | 2 / 2 1.5 / 2 | 0.5 / 4 0.5 / 4 | 0.5 / 3 1.5 / 4 | 0.5 / 3 0.5 / 2 | 0 / 2 1 / 2 | 0.5 / 4 1 / 4 | 0 / 2 1.5 / 2 | 1.5 / 2 2 / 2 | ||
| Zimbabwe | 0 / 2 0 / 1 | 0.5 / 2 1.5 / 2 | 0 / 2 1 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 2 | 0.5 / 1 0 / 2 | 2 / 3 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 0.5 / 2 | ||
Table C summarizes the home-away series win record of all the ten Test playing countries.
| TABLE C: Series 'win-draw-loss' record (with 'home'-'away' break-up) (as on June 20, 2007) |
| Country | No of home wins | No of away wins | Total wins | No of home draws | No of away draws | Total draws | No of home losses | No of away losses | Total losses |
| Australia | 8 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| England | 6 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| India | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Pakistan | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| South Africa | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| West Indies | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
We now await the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh series in Sri Lanka.
Rajni: The man with the Midas touch
The country's highest-paid film star is also its most famously reclusive one. Rajnikanth's [Images] latest blockbuster Sivaji: The Boss released this weekend across 760 screens to hysterical audiences as India's most expensive film.
Preceding its box-office debut, the lead actor addressed his fans from Tirupathi, prints were carried on elephant-back accompanied by a traditional band in Kerala's [Images] Sultanpetta to the local Vadakkunthari temple to be handed over by the priest to the theatre manager, and bookings closed a record three weeks in advance.
Star-struck fans flew from across the globe for the screenings for which companies like software giants TCS [Get Quote] and Cognizant had blocked seats. The serpentine queues at cinema halls was akin to that of waiting for darshan at a deity's sanctum sanctorum.
At the centre of this mass adulation is an actor known less for his histrionics than his ability to spin cigarettes in the air, split bullets into two and flip his sunglasses in a way that appeals to frontbenchers.
Yet, the 57-year-old thespian of southern cinema commands audiences that would be the envy of Amitabh Bachchan [Images] or Shah Rukh Khan [Images]. He does one film in two years, is perversely reclusive, has an unexplained following in Japan [Images], and has been churning out hits with regularity. Famously, his roles have remained the same -- the hard-drinking, hard-smoking, street-smart anti-hero who plays an impossible 20-something in his films.
Inexplicably, South India's greatest star, and possibly Asia's second-highest paid actor after Jackie Chan [Images], is Marathi by birth and started out as a bus conductor. Shivaji Rao Gaekwad -- popularly known as Rajnikanth, or Rajni -- whose Sivaji opened on Friday with breakthrough technology being used for the first time in India, has rewritten the rules of celluloid history.
Not only is Sivaji AVM Productions's most expensive film, it has given the star a lighter skin tone in the film. Costume designers from Bollywood, including Manish Malhotra, were specially flown in to create costumes for the actor. French hairstylist Sandrine Verrier Seth worked on different hairstyles to make him look younger.
Completed over 18 months, Sivaji's Super 35 format makes the cinemascope broader and provides a panoramic vision to the viewer. But the technology and razzmatazz has come at a cost -- AVM isn't ready to share how much it has spent, but estimates vary between Rs 60 and Rs 80 crore -- that analysts would normally find difficult to justify.
Yet, the film is not just likely to recover its costs, it could end up making a whooping Rs 150 crore in the first three weeks alone. And Rajni is using the hysteria around Sivaji to promote his next film, Sultan: The Warrior, in the form of a 45-second teaser in screens screening his film.
In fact, Adlabs [Get Quote] is producing its second animation film based on the character of Rajnikanth, the first-ever animation film to be made on a film personality. Being made in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English and directed by Rajnikanth's daughter Soundarya, it is likely to be the most expensive animation film ever made in India.
Also, Hutch-Essar has tied up with AVM on an exclusive deal that includes caller tunes, wallpaper downloads and even contests around the movie. "It's the biggest deal we have done in a regional language around a movie," says a senior executive.
In a record of sorts, 20 percent of Hutch subscribers in Tamil Nadu have downloaded one of the songs from the movie as their caller tunes.
For a mega-movie, Sivaji has spent very little on marketing and promotions -- the 1.5 million fans in over 15,000 fan clubs across the country have done that through word of mouth themselves. In AVM's Rajeshwar theatre, the Rajnikant Fan Association has already booked the cinema hall for three days.
Of Sivaji's 760 prints, 300 have been released in Telegu, 303 in Tamil, 145 have been reserved for foreign shores, and 12 for North India. It is this dichotomy that is hard to understand. For the vast majority of north, west and east India's cinema audiences, Rajnikanth's name rings few bells.
Yet, filmmakers dream of working with him, distributors swear by him, co-actors find it hard to match his screen presence, and frenzied fans refer to him as 'thalaivar' or leader. Though he starred in 1980s Hindi films alongside stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha [Images] and Sridevi [Images] -- and an aberrant Hollywood film, Bloodstone -- he made no inroads into Bollywood's popular culture.
Yet, "he is a complete star," says film analyst Taran Adarsh, "So why should he play the numbers game in Bollywood when he was already a major hit down south?"
Ravi Chopra, managing director of BR Films, insists, "It isn't that he was a flop in Bollywood, it's just that he has his own unique style of acting and dialogue delivery."
Like Adarsh, Chopra finds Rajni the quintessential entertainer, "a total legend whom no star comes close to".
Many compare him with Amitabh Bachchan: after all, he has starred in several remakes of Bachchan films, among them Don and Laawaris, yet he gets paid nearly three times what the Big B [Images] gets. Even in non-southern markets like Mumbai, Sivaji has created records, opening at PVR Cinemas with seven shows at two of its properties and '75 percent advance bookings' over the weekend.
Surprisingly, PVR isn't the only theatre chain that has witnessed such a response. Adlabs, Cinemax India [Get Quote] and Inox [Get Quote] are all in the race. Cinemax India, which is running eight shows across four properties in Mumbai, expects to earn over Rs 6 lakh over the weekend. "We are hoping to buy an additional five prints in the second week," says Devang Sampat, vice president (marketing and programming), Cinemax India.
No wonder Rajni commands the subcontinent's highest price among actors. For Sivaji, his 100th Tamil film (he has acted in a total of 170 films), he is estimated to have been paid about Rs 15 crore, plus commissions, taking the total to around Rs 18-22 crore.
Nor does he lend himself to endorsements. In film after film, he has caricatured himself -- earlier it was through his mannerisms alone, but in recent years, it is through a clever positioning of himself vis-�-vis the supplicant politician, the political party asking him to join them, or his patriotism for Tamil Nadu.
Does he have political ambitions? There are many precedents of stars-turned-politicians in South India. Rajni -- a neighbour of Jayalalitha in Chennai's Poe's Gardens -- has provided support to political parties and issues in the past, but does not seem in any hurry to turn his popular support into open canvassing for himself -- yet.
But his punchlines from his films do contain political advice and conviction, sometimes as double entendre. He might say, "I will do what I say, I will also do what I don't say", in one film, and in another, "When I will arrive, or how I will arrive, nobody will know, but I will arrive when I ought to."
No wonder carnival-like scenes were witnessed on June 10 in Chennai when advance bookings for Sivaji opened -- and not just to suss out Rajni's latest "punch" dialogues.
With advance booking for all shows now closed, the state government directive that any film with a Tamil title cannot be sold for a price over Rs 50 in single screen theatres is suffering a huge setback (though some see it as Rajni's victory) with reports filtering in of tickets being sold in black for anywhere from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.
Apart from Rajni, what is so special about Sivaji? The movie has assembled some of the biggest names in the Tamil film industry. Produced by AVM, one of the largest and oldest film production houses in India, it has been directed by S Shankar, who has given record hits at the box office to the lilting scores of A R Rehman.
If Sivaji's production cost have scaled new benchmarks, the sale of film rights are the highest in the industry. Abhirami Ramanathan, owner of Abhirami theatres in Chennai and president of the Chennai Theatre Owners' Association, and GV Films, has bought the film rights for the Chennai circle at a whopping Rs 6.25 crore. The film rights are distributed region-wise in other parts of Tamil Nadu.
Already, estimates are that the screening rights in theatres have been sold for Rs 60-70 crore in Tamil Nadu, and overseas rights for an additional Rs 18 crore. Satellite rights for Sivaji have been sold for Rs 4 crore to the yet-to-be-launched Kalaignar TV, a Tamil television channel being planned by the DMK in association with Chennai-based Raj Television network [Get Quote]. Riding on great expectations, AVM Productions is expected to clock revenues of over Rs 150 crore before three weeks are out.
Swaroop Reddy, director, Satyam [Get Quote] Cinemas, says the purchase price for the Chennai city rights is a record figure. For the first time in the history of Tamil cinema, a film will screen simultaneously on 18 screens in Chennai, against an average release on six-seven screens. Satyam Theatre Complex will exhibit the film on two screens and tickets for the first 10 days have been sold out. "The response has been fabulous," Reddy says, adding that expectations in the corporate sector are also high with a number of companies requesting bulk bookings for their employees -- in vain. Chennai-based movie theatre chain Pyramid Saimira Theatres has acquired the distribution rights for some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well as the Malaysian market. The total exposure of the company to these three markets is about Rs 25 crore and Rajnikant is set to get pulses racing in 200 theatres. P S Saminathan, managing director, Pyramid Saimira, says the company is expecting returns in the first few weeks and hopes to reap bumper profits. "The Rs 1,100 crore Tamil film industry is much more streamlined than Bollywood. The concept-to-finish chain is much shorter in the Tamil and Telugu film industries." Reddy says Rajni is the most saleable actor in south India and no other star can hold a torch to him. His movies run successfully not just in Tamil Nadu but also in all the southern states. Though Chiranjeevi [Images] is the leading star in Andhra Pradesh, he has not been able to spread his popularity across other states. Rajni is on par with top stars in Andhra Pradesh, while in Karnataka, in terms of box office appeal, he is undeniably powerful. Popular in Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia, Rajni's movies enjoy a minimum guarantee all over the world and almost always notch up huge profits. No wonder, says AVM's CEO Babu S C, "not a single distributor backed out or had an iota of doubt about the returns on their investment." Sivaji (and Rajnikanth) appear to be laughing all the way from the box office counters even before the projector lights were switched on. The spate of advance bookings has by itself created history in cinema-crazy Chennai. Sivaji has beaten all previous records and could write a new chapter in the annals of the Tamil film industry. Of course, it would be a corollary to that most viewed chapter of all -- the master actor himself who once famously 'punched lined': 'My way is the unique way.'
Kingfisher to buy 50 Airbus aircraft
The Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines has agreed to purchase up to 50 aircraft from Airbus.
A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed by Vijay Mallya, chairman, UB Group (the parent company of Kingfisher Airlines), and John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer (customers), at a ceremony at the 47th International Paris Air show at Le Bourget on Wednesday.
The agreement is for 15 A350-800 XWBs in addition to the five converted from their original order for the A350, 10 A330-200s, five A340-500s and 20 A320 family aircraft.
"Our strategy at Kingfisher is to open new long haul routes and expand existing ones. With the A340-500 and then the A350 XWB we will be able to offer direct routes between India and the United States for example. The A330 will allow us to expand services to Europe and the A320s will help us to meet demand in our home region," said Mallya in a media release.
"Kingfisher has reaffirmed its faith in the A350 XWB and we are delighted with this. Kingfisher Airlines have ordered Airbus aircraft covering nearly all our product range, and our partnership could not be better. This agreement is further evidence of the confidence dynamic airlines such as Kingfisher Airlines are showing towards our modern family of aircraft," said John Leahy.
Kingfisher is a rapidly growing force in Indian civil aviation and has already become one of the country's largest airlines. Including the latest MoU, Kingfisher Airlines and its partner airline Air Deccan, now have a commitment for a total of 176 Airbus aircraft covering the single aisle, widebody, including the A380 and the Airbus corporate jet.
The A320 family, which also includes A318, the A319 and the A321, is recognised as the benchmark in the single-aisle aircraft market. So far over 5,070 A320 family aircraft have been ordered, making the aircraft the fastest selling commercial jetliner ever.
The A350 XWB, is Airbus' newest aircraft and will be the world's most technologically advanced. It is designed to increase productivity, offer unparalleled levels of passenger comfort in its class whilst reducing operating costs. Addressing environmental concerns, the A350 XWB will set new standards in fuel-efficiency. Airbus is an EADS company. -- PTI
(Above) Aerial View of the Bourget airport during the 47th Paris International Air Show in Paris.
Box Office Collection of Sivaji till Tuesday
Once again Super Star has proved that he is the Badshah of Box Office as his latest release Sivaji continues to reverberate in collections all over the globe. The world seems to be hypnotized by his magical spell and no one is complaining.
According to an unofficial source, United States recorded a hundred percent opening in all the screens during the weekend and the collections have been an all time high for any Tamil film.
According to an unofficial source, United States recorded a hundred percent opening in all the screens during the weekend and the collections have been an all time high for any Tamil film.
| The Telugu version of the film has also been receiving an impressive response. As per Prityush Jain, trade analyst of US Box Office, the high pricing of the tickets ($20-25) did not deter people from thronging the theatres and the colossal response of this kind is something that is unheard for any Indian film in American soil. In the United Kingdom, the collections stand at US $320,497. (Converted to dollars) and Sivaji is sitting pretty at the 9th position in the list of top ten movies. Meanwhile the weekend per screen average stands at an impressive US $ 27899.19 which is much higher than some of the Hollywood films in the chart and also Bollywood's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. In the Middle East area, Rajni World Welfare Trust, a non-profit organization had arranged for a free screening of Sivaji for thousand laborers and house maids in Dubai. The screens in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah report that they are fully booked for the next two weeks. The same trend continues in Bahrain too. In our very own Chennai, Sivaji has fetched a whopping Rs 1,38,43,860 (1.4 crore approximately) as on Tuesday. Needless to say, super star is shining luminously… | |
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