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

Israelis and Palestinians, who differ on almost every issue, have a common love superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who rules over their hearts. The popularity that Bachchan enjoys here will be envied even by Hollywood stars. Walking through the streets of Jerusalem, one can hear songs from Bollywood movies, especially those starring the Big B. DVDs of Hindi movies are available in most video shops here, with films starring Amitabh Bachchan a big hit among locals. A single DVD costs 50 Shekel (Rs 500). The challenge Bachchan faces here is only from Gabbar Singh - the character played by late Amjad Khan in the classic film Sholay - who is equally popular among people of all ages, from teenagers to the elderly. "I like watching the movies of Amit (Bachchan) and Amjad, I love their action movies," said 22-year-old Yassar, who runs a small shop near the church of Sepalca, where, according to Catholic beliefs, Jesus Christ was crucified. "My friends and I wa...

Noted director Buddahdeb Dasgupta's Bengali movie Kaalpurush-Memories in the Mist has been chosen as the best feature film in the 53rd National Film Awards for 2005, while the best child artist award has been given to Sai Kumar for the Telugu movie Bommalata-A Bellyful of Dreams , which was announced by the government on Tuesday. In the best popular film category, the award has gone to the Hindi movie Rang de Basanti . It has also walked away with the awards for the best audiography and the best editing. The award for best actor has gone to Amitabh Bachchan for the Hindi movie Black for his "dramatic rendition of a a reformed alcoholic who struggles to give a physically handicapped child a new life." Black has also won the award for the best feature film in the Hindi films category. Actress Sarika has got the award for the best actress for the English movie Parzania "for her rendition of a crusading mother who fights for justice against all adversity in a commun...

The Bachchans are a religious lot as has been proven time and again. First it was the temple trail before the wedding and then the newlyweds - Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan - along with dad Amitabh Bachchan, mom Jaya Bachchan and close friend Anil Ambani were visiting the Tirupati temple seeking blessings of Lord Balaji. The two were flown to Tirupati in Anil Ambani's private jet , with the tycoon's wife and former actress, Tina Ambani in attendance. The newlyweds visited the temple on April 22, two days after their wedding. The VIP group spent nearly 20 minutes at the Ranganayaka Mandapam. Devotees at the Tirupati Balaji temple had to wait for almost one-and-a-half h ours before they got admission into the temple last Sunday as VIP treatment was given out to Bollywood's first family during their visit. Almost a kilometer of the walk was cordoned off for the Bachchans when the norm is to cordon off simply a few meters when the President or the Prime Minister are vi...

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is a happy man, now that he has finally got Abhishek Bachchan to make an appearance in his film Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay. Abhishek was to play the role of Veeru, played by Dharmendra in the original, but unfortunately had to opt out of it. The immensely popular Mehbooba Mehbooba number rendered by R.D. Burman and filmed on Amjad Khan and Helen in the original, will now have Amitabh Bachchan, Urmila Matondkar and Abhishek dancing and crooning to it in Ramu’s venture. Choreographer-turned-singer Ganesh Hegde, who for the first time has also scored the music for this number, said, “When Abhishek heard my track of Mehbooba Mehbooba, he was impressed and told Ramu that he also wanted to be a part of the song along with Amitabh and Urmila. To have Amitabh and Abhishek on a song that I have scored music for, is like an honour for me. What more can I ask for?”

Expressing gratitude to Amitabh Bachchan for his “stunning” performance in the yet-to-bereleased Eklavya, the film’s director Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Wednesday gifted the actor a Rolls Royce Phantom worth Rs 3.5 crore. The silver car was presented by Chopra at Mr Bachchan’s Juhu office.