Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

Auctioneer Richard Madley could not have imagined the impact of his words on the glittering gathering at the plush Hilton Towers here on Wednesday. Neither could his vast experience at running auctions have prepared him for the frenzy that was to follow his announcement that India one day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had raked in a cool $1.5 million (Rs 6 crore) to top the charts at the auction of players for the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Marking the dawn of a new era in cricket, the bid process saw the Deccan Chronicle's Hyderabad team emerge as the most balanced of the eight outfits, with Andrew Symonds its star buy at $1.35 million (Rs 5.4 crore). The colourful Symonds will be joined by iconic Aussie wicket keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist ($700,000), Pakistan's explosive batsman Shahid Afridi ($675,000) in a team led by the stylish Venkatasai Laxman. Chennai forked out the massive amount spent on Twenty20 world championship winner Dhoni, and he was ...

Berlin: As German fans drooled over Shah Rukh Khan, the German media shed its perceptions of "bullock cart India" and trained its attention on the Bollywood superstar when he landed here, with one journalist even saying "he is as popular as the Pope". Shah Rukh was here for the screening of Om Shanti Om at the Berlin Film Festival. Some German TV channels suddenly turned their cameras from the Hollywood glitterati to Khan as excited fans let out loud shrieks to greet him at the Berlinale on Friday night. Some channels narrated details of Khan's personal life, his wife Gauri and their two children. The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was highly critical about India and Indians until the mid-1990s, when the world began to notice India's economic and technological prowess, said that many people from all over Europe had descended on Berlin to see their favorite star. "He is as popular as the Pope, but he (Khan) has more sex appeal," ...

Jubilant Indian cricket team celebrates with the World Twenty20 trophy after defeating Pakistan in the final at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg on Monday. Indian players shared their ‘Chak de’ moment with Shah Rukh Khan , who had flown in just to watch the match. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young Team India snatched the inaugural Twenty20 world title after defeating archrivals Pakistan by five runs in a rousing final on Monday. The Indians, restricted to 157/5 after electing to take first strike in good batting conditions, fought back to bowl out valiant Pakistan for 152 before a sell-out crowd of 32,000 at the Wanderers. Man of the Match: Irfan Pathan Man of the Series : Shahid Afridi

CHAK DE INDIA CAST: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malavade and DIRECTOR: Shimit Amin Chak De India is a paint-by-numbers sports movie, dozens have come out of Hollywood by now. The formula puts tremendous obstacles in the path of a bunch of underdogs, they overcome all, silence the naysayers and win. Shimit Amin (inspired by Miracle and other similar films) takes a bit of a chance by making a film about hockey in a country that cares only about cricket - a point he makes here too. Then, it's women's hockey, which nobody cares about, not even the authorities who should. Into this he stirs in the masala of national integration and patriotism and it's an almost potent mix - but for the predictability at every step. (Just one exception - the girls' match with the men's hockey team.) Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) , former hockey team captain, hounded out as a "traitor" with accusations of throwing a match to Pakistan, returns seven years later and wants to coach ...

Shah Rukh Khan's bunch of young and fiesty women hockey players are ready to hit the screens on Friday when Chak De India releases all over. The film revolves around the story of an Indian women's hockey team , that goes on to win a World Cup. Real life women hockey players are now hoping that it gives their sport a big boost. There were initial reports that Vidya Stokes, the President of the Indian Women's Hockey Federation was unhappy with the on-screen portrayal of the players. But it now seems that it was a clear case of misunderstanding. "She was asked if women's hockey is zero, and if they're being shown as hero, so she obviously reacted to it. Everyone knows the results, and my girls are doing very well, that's a fact. So neither are we unhappy, nor have we asked for a separate screening. We have no hassles with Yashraj at all," said Amrit Bose, Secretary, IWHF. The much-awaited blockbuster is the tale of a former Indian hockey goalkeeper, pla...

LONDON: A life-size wax statue of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was inaugurated at the world-famous Madame Tussauds museum here on Tuesday. Shah Rukh Khan, also called “King Khan” by his admirers, is the third celebrity from Bollywood to have his replica in the museum. He joins Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and beauty queen Aishwarya Rai who made their wax presence in the Museum earlier. Amitabh Bachchan’s wax statue is reportedly watched by 25 lakh visitors to the museum every year. Among the Indian leaders figuring in the Museum are former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Madame Tussauds was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the major attractions at the museum is the Chamber of Horrors. This features statues of several victims and murderers of the French Revolution. Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London. It has branches in Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Las Vegas.

The one banner that the stars give anything for is Yashraj Films. After all, didn’t Aishwarya Rai agree to kiss Hrithik Roshan on screen in Dhoom 2? The actress is otherwise very particular about the way she is portrayed on screen and stipulates this clearly in her contracts. Now speculation is rife that Yashraj is keen to launch Dhoom 3 and it is none other than Aditya Chopra who will direct this one. “Mohabbatein was the last film Aditya made and he is now looking forward to taking up direction once again,” revealed a source close to the Chopras. The source added, “Also the success of Dhoom 2 has inspired Aditya to make a roller coaster thriller once again. There are talks currently to pen the third part. It has still to take a solid form.” The news that Aditya is keen to cast Shah Rukh Khan is old news. But he is also keen that Aishwarya Rai be a part of Dhoom 3 too. Will Yashraj Films succeed in bringing about a truce between Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai who had parted ways pro...

Dhoom 2 is out next month but the latest buzz around in tinsel town is on the third part of the successful movie. 'Dhoom 3'! The big coup is that the film will star Shah Rukh Khan in the negative role that has been essayed by John Abraham in 'Dhoom' and Hrithik Roshan in 'Dhoom 2'. Could this rumour have started after Shah Rukh's 'negative' shade in last week's release 'Don'? Anyway, while King Khan will play the villain, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will be on the opposite side of the fence, playing the cop and his sidekick in the third part too. There's also reports suggesting Priyanka Chopra being paired with John Abraham for the trilogy. Aditya Chopra (producer) has begun working on the script of 'Dhoom 3'. Chopra is reportedly so impressed by the way 'Dhoom 2' has shaped up that he has watched the movie more than a dozen times.