Russia arrests 200 as court convicts anti-Putin protesters

Moscow: Two hundred people were arrested on Friday near a Moscow court as it convicted eight defendants of mass riots and attacking police at a protest against President Vladimir Putin, a case widely seen as a crackdown on dissent.

The eight defendants were found guilty of participating in mass riots and hitting policemen at an opposition rally the day before Putin returned to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012.

The guilty verdict came during the showpiece Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, which Putin helped bring to Russia for the first time.

Around 1,000 supporters of the activists gathered outside the Zamoskvoretsky district court ahead of the ruling.

Police did not allow anyone except family members and journalists to enter the court and detained those who unfurled posters and flags or chanted in protest.

Around 200 people were detained over several hours, a spokesman for Moscow police said. A correspondent saw dozens being detained and put in police vans for shouting or even just carrying balloons.

Opposition figures such as protest leader Alexei Navalny and two recently released members of protest punk band Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, came to the trial and stood on the street after being denied entry.

Prosecutors have asked for prison sentences of up to six years for the eight defendants, terms called disproportionately harsh by the defence team and human rights organisations.

"on Friday's guilty verdict against defendants in the Bolotnaya Square protest trial is a hideous injustice," Amnesty International said in a statement, calling it a "show trial".

The trial was adjourned and the sentencing was scheduled to continue on Monday -- one day after the Winter Olympic Games close.

Govt should come out with truth on "distrust" issue with Army: BJP

New Delhi: BJP on Friday termed as "serious" comments by former DGMO Lt Gen AK Choudhary that there may have been "distrust" between the Army and the government in connection with movement of troops near Delhi in 2012 and asked the government to come out with truth on the issue.

"The government should take the people of India into confidence and explain what exactly happened. It is a very sensitive matter concerning the military on one hand and the security of the country on the other. It is a very serious matter. I hope the government will clarify what is the truth," BJP leader M Venakaih Naidu said at the party briefing.
BJP's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said "the distrust between the government and the army is a matter of serious concern. Army protects the nation and assures to protects its citizen. If this type of reports come, it is a matter of serious concern."

Choudhary's comments have triggered a fresh controversy over the movement of army units close to Delhi in 2012.

"There was misconception or there was perceptional difference or there may be distrust," Choudhary was quoted as saying by a newspaper today. He said the then Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma had asked him to send the troops back as the government at the highest level was "worried" over this.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "BJP is proud of the apolitical link of Indian Army. We are proud of its ethics and morals. Therefore, we would not like to comment on reports based on statements of somebody who has just retired because we believe in our armed forces".

Javadekar said he has been a member of the Parliamentary Committee on defence and has seen the armed forces in real sense for the last four years.

"Therefore, I can say that we should not make a sensational news out of something. I don't believe that Indian army has at anytime got politicised," he told reporters.

Divulge details of AAP's funds: BJP to Kejriwal

New Delhi: BJP on Friday hit back at Arvind Kejriwal for his demand that Narendra Modi should make public his poll expenses, saying the AAP leader should first divulge details of his party's funding by "foreign" donors.

BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu also said Kejriwal has no moral right to make such a demand as he took Congress support in forming a government in Delhi despite swearing upon his children.

"Here is the Aam Aadmi Party leader who has ditched his mentor Anna Hazare, who had sworn by his children and made a U-turn about the Congress support and who is not divulging details about the money he receives from foreign countries," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

"Let him give his account to the Home Ministry, because it is accusing him of not giving information. Let him give that first. He has no credibility left. He is indulging into sensationalism. I think people are fed up of his sensationalism," he said.

Naidu said Kejriwal "has no right to ask such a question to Modi as he supported the Congress and formed a government after seeking its support to become chief minister. He even swore on his children not to shake hands or take support from Congress, whom he termed as corrupt and communal.

"Why did he write to Narendra Modi? We will reply to people, why to them? Why did they support the Congress? The manner he adopted in forming a government with the Congress, he lost his credibility. If people will ask, we will reply."

Javadekar asked, "What is the credibility of the one who is questioning Narendra Modi? Somebody who can swear by his children not to seek Congress support but takes it later?"

He said Modi has proved his credibility with years of sacrifice and struggle and governance and performance.

In a letter to Modi, Kejriwal asked him to make the election expenses of BJP public and also the people who fund the party's poll campaign.

Another BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi also attacked AAP charging it with being close to Congress and saying it is losing out its credibility among people.

Charging Kejriwal with enacting "Save the Congress serial", she said the AAP chief is coming out with a new episode of that serial everyday and pointed to many of his actions that were taken to help Congress.

She said these included the first dharna that Kejriwal sat on January 20, the day when the post-mortem report of Sunanda Pushkar saying she died of poisoning was out, to help Congress so that it causes no embarrassment to the party.

"Kejriwal has come across as somebody who is not willing to stand by his responsibility. There is a clear understanding between 10 Janpath and Mr Kejriwal. The understanding is so evident that everytime he will spit and run away, that is the kind of politics he is playing," Lekhi said.

Rahul Gandhi blames opposition for non-passage of anti-graft Bills

New Delhi: As parliament session came to an end, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday made a sharp attack on opposition parties alleging there "deceit" had ensured that key anti-corruption Bills could not be passed.

"Those in the opposition have said that they are against corruption and want to fight it. But when the time came to pass the Bills against corruption, they did not support," Gandhi told mediapersons.

He said people were now saying the ordinance route be taken to bring in these anti-graft measures and he had talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard.

"Let us see if the ordinance can be brought or not. But in a way, the opposition deceived. Opposition ka dhokha hai," Gandhi said.

The Congress Vice President said he had said several times that that action is more important than words and the reality was that the opposition did not extend support when it was time to act to bring anti corruption measures.

"I thought the people in the opposition will support these Bills and India will get a strong anti-graft mechanism. But they didn't do so," Gandhi said.

Chit fund scam: Saradha Group head sentenced to 3 years imprisonment

Kolkata: Saradha Group chairman Sudipto Sen was sentenced to three years' rigorous imprisonment by a Bidhannagar court on Friday in a provident fund default case, making it Sen's first conviction in a slew of cases involving a multi-crore chit fund scam.

A Bidhannagar sub-divisional court magistrate convicted and sentenced Sen to three years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.

Sen, whose Saradha Group ran the ponzi schemes under different names, would have to undergo another six months' imprisonment if the fine is not paid, the court directed.

He was convicted under section 406 (criminal breach of trust) for default in depositing provident fund of employees, to which Sen confessed before the court.

He was also sentenced to three years' imprisonment for 'conspiracy' under section 120B of IPC in connection with the PF default.

Both the terms would continue concurrently and the number of days he has already undergone imprisonment since his arrest in April, 2013 would be deducted from his imprisonment term.

Several hundred cases are still pending against Sen, accused of duping lakhs of depositors in West Bengal and other states.

US judge: Gay couples can wed in Chicago

Chicago: A federal judge says gay couples in Chicago don't have to wait until June to marry.

Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman's today order says there is no reason to delay same-sex marriages in Illinois, when the state's law is set to take effect. Her finding applies only to Cook County.

She says no opposition has been presented to the court, and gay and lesbian couples "have already suffered from the denial of their fundamental right to marry."

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed against the Cook County clerk, who supports gay marriage. Chicago is in Cook County. Coleman already ruled in December that same-sex couples did not have to wait until June to marry if one or both partners had a life-threatening illness. Now that applies to all couples.

Syria opposition: Brother of peace talks aide arrested

Beirut: The brother of a member of Syria's opposition delegation to the failed Geneva II peace talks was arrested on Friday at a security checkpoint in Damascus, an opposition source told AFP.

"The Syrian authorities have arrested Mahmud Sabra, the 34-year-old brother of lawyer Mohammed Sabra, a member of the opposition delegation to the Geneva talks," said the source, who asked not to be identified.

"He was detained at a security services checkpoint in the Sayyida Zeinab area. He used to live in Jaramana (southeast of Damascus) but has been in hiding for a long time," the source said.

"We are convinced he was arrested as a way of exerting pressure on Mohammed Sabra, the delegation's legal adviser."

Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says many thousands of people have been held without charge since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime began in March 2011.

A second round of peace talks in Switzerland between Syrian regime representatives and the opposition, dubbed Geneva II, ended on February 15 without result and with no date set for more negotiations.

Russia did not sign Kiev pact but wants peace: Ministry

Moscow: Russia has not signed the Kiev pact which aims to bring an end to the crisis in Ukraine, but welcomes any peaceful outcome, Moscow's foreign ministry said on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said the pact was signed "under the mediation of German, Polish and French diplomats".

But the lack of a Russian signature does not mean that "Russia does not want compromise," it added.

The Russian envoy, Vladimir Lukin, found when he joined in the negotiation that they were "already almost completed," the statement said.

Even though Russia did not sign off on the pact, "we are fully prepared to help the Ukrainians, if they request it, to bring the situation in the country back to normal," it added.

However, the Russian ministry emphasised that "any process as important as constitutional reform must involve all political forces and all regions," and must be submitted to a referendum.

It also called on the anti-government protesters in Ukraine to dissociate themselves from "extremists".

Beijing to reward terror whistleblowers

Beijing: People helping authorities in exposing terror plots in the Chinese capital city will be rewarded, police in Beijing have announced.

According to Beijing municipal public security bureau, those providing extremely important information which contributes significantly to the prevention or investigation of violent terrorist activities, will be rewarded with at least 40,000 yuan (about $6,540), Xinhua reported.

Whistleblowers can call the police hotline 110, send a message or e-mail to Beijing police's official microblog or report to the police face-to-face, it said, adding that the rewarding scheme turns effective from March 1.

However, anonymous whistleblowers whose identities could not be confirmed, whould not be rewarded. But Beijing police will protect the safety of the informants, the bureau said.

Terrorism is a rising risk for Beijing which has a population of over 20 million.

Last October, a group of terrorists from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur region carried out an attack in Tian'anmen, an iconic place in Beijing with high-level security.

Barack Obama meets Dalai Lama, defies China's warning about impact on ties

Washington/Beijing: US President Barack Obama on Friday met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for the third time at the White House, brushing aside China's warning that unjustified interference in its domestic affairs will cause "great damage" to bilateral ties.

The meeting took place in the Map Room of the White House -- Obama's residence -- and not in his Oval Office, where the President usually holds talks with visiting dignitaries.

The meeting was closed to the press and the Dalai Lama left the White House without interacting with journalists.

The White House said Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama was in his capacity as an international religious and cultural leader and in the tradition of previous meetings with him.

The White House' announcement of their meeting yesterday drew a sharp reaction from China, which has long opposed foreign dignitaries meeting the 78-year-old Dalai Lama who fled to India in 1959.

"The United States supports the Dalai Lama's 'Middle Way' approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans in China," said Caitlyn Hayden, spokesperson of the US National Security Council.

The US recognises Tibet to be a part of China, Hayden said. "We do not support Tibetan independence," she said, stressing that the US strongly supports human rights and religious freedom in China.

"We are concerned about continuing tensions and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas of China. We will continue to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, as a means to reduce tensions."

Obama and the Dalai Lama - both Nobel Peace Prize laureates - have met twice before in 2010 and 2011, drawing similar protests from China.

Hours before the meeting, China demanded its immediate cancellation, warning that the unjustified interference in its domestic affairs will cause "great damage" to bilateral ties.

"We urge the United States to take China's concerns seriously and not to facilitate or offer occasion for the Dalai Lama to conduct anti-China secessionist moves," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.

"China is greatly concerned about the meeting, and has lodged solemn representations to the US side," Hua said.

The Tibetan issue is a domestic affair for China and there is no other country which has the right to interfere, she said.

The arranged meeting is an unjustified interference with China's domestic affairs and a serious violation of the principles of international relations, and will cause great damage to China-US relations, Hua warned.

Hua said China is firmly opposed to any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama.

"I also want to stress that any country if it is bent on China's interests then it will find that its own interests can get hurt in the very end. Therefore we urge the US government to immediately cancel the relevant meeting so as to avoid damaging China-US relations," she said.

Asked whether the meeting would adversely impact on the likely meeting between Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Nuclear Disarmament meeting next month, Hua said it is a hypothetical question.

"US President can decide whom he will meet but he cannot meet the Dalai Lama because he is not a pure religious figure," she said when asked why Obama cannot decide whom to meet or not.

"The Dalai Lama is a political figure in exile who is undertaking anti-China separatist activities in the name of religion," she said.

Hua also questioned the Dalai Lama's assertion that he would like Tibet to be part of China and all he wanted was autonomy.

"His so-called middle way proposal should be studied. Actually this middle way proposal is political platform for the realisation of Tibet independence in a step by step manner," she said.

Is Ranbir Kapoor annoyed with Anurag Kashyap?

Rumours mills are churning out the story of the tiff between Ranbir Kapoor and Director Anurag Kashyap.Well Kapoor boy is all set to work with Anurag in his film Bombay Velvet and both have been visiting to Sri Lanka to inspect their sets of Bombay Velvet,the film is based on 60s.

Ranbir and Anurag have always shared a great equation with each other but bonding between the two seems to have strained of late.

Apparently the two are having little bit of issues and are not in a talking terms.A close source reveals “Ranbir Kapoor is miffed with Anurag, As a couple of months ago Mr.Kashyap in a party had made some unsavory comments on Ranbir’s nature,which is unknown.

Ranbir Kapoor was privy to this information,when someone told Ranbir about Anurag’s comments in the party.Ranbir was surprised and annoyed with Mr.Kashyap as he didn’t expect this from Anurag to frame him in such a bad light adds the source”.

Also recently,when Anurag was on Karan Johar’s talk show Koffee with Karan,he said that one advice he would like to give Ranbir would be to fall in love seriously.

Well on this note all we can say Anurag should sought out the issues with his actor Ranbir

Lyricist Nitin Raikar critical undergoes complicated brain surgery

One of the prominent  Bollywood lyricist Nitin  Raikar who is known for exceuting hit songs in films like Ghulam,Josh and many other successful films.The song ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ from the movie Ghulam is Nitin Raikwar’s most famous song as a lyricist. Nitin has undergone a complicated brain surgery at Kokilaben Ambani hospital on Thursay(20th Feburary) in Mumbai.

The surgery lasted more than 2 hours,Nitin was admiited in the hospital on Wednesday due to complaints of severe headaches and disorientations.He is currently recupareting in ICU of the hospital.

A close source to Nitin says “ Mr.Raikar was suffering from severe headaches and dis-orientations since last week,thankfully he was admitted to the hospital at the earliest and the surgery went successful.He will be shifted to general ward in a couple of days adds the source”.

We wish Nitin Raikar a speedy recovery.

Indian Premiere League season 7: Shah Rukh Khan will watch KKR v/s MI match at home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the wake of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) declining to remove ban on the owner of Indian Premiere League team Kolkata Knight Riders and superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s entry in Wankhede stadium, Srk doesn’t regret it.

 

 

“I am happy watching IPL 7 at my home; don’t want to go to Wankhede stadium,” claimed SRK while talking to a leading magazine.

 

 

It may be noted, here, SRK got in a fight with the security guard who was preventing the actor’s daughter Suhana to play in the private area of the stadium during IPL season 5 . According to the superstar, he was just safeguarding his daughter as guard was misbehaving with her when his team KKR was playing a match with Mumbai Indians.

 

 

Ever since then, a five-year ban was imposed on his entry in the stadium. Last year, during IPL season 6, SRK kept away from the stadium during one of the matches of his team KKR with Mumbai Indians.

 

 

And now, with an announcement that he is pretty happy watching the match of KKR and Mumbai Indians of IPL season 7 happening in Wankhede stadium this year, he has removed the ambiguity over the possibility of whether he will or not support his team against MI in the controversial stadium this season.

First look: Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor in 2 States

One of the most talked about films of the year, 2 States is on the verge of release. Ahead of the release of the official trailer, the makers have launched its first look.

 

 

The leads - Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor - hail from two different states. How the two meet and what happens to them forms the plot. 2 States is a romantic drama based on the 2009 novel of the same title penned down by Chetan Bhagat. The director Abhishek Varman has adapted it to screenplay. It is co-produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is slated to release on April 18, 2014.

Stop spreading lies about me! It's not true, reacts Mallika Sherawat on the news of exit from A Little Heaven In Me

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sexy siren Mallika Sherawat has expressed displeasure ever since the news of her being kicked out of ‘A Little Heaven In Me’ has made headlines all over. “STOP SPREADING LIES ABOUT ME! ITS NOT TRUE !@fenil_seta: Mallika Sherawat kicked out of A Little Heaven In Me? (sic),” exclaimed Ms Sherawat via her Twitter page.

 

 

Mallika has a very pivotal role to play in the film which is being produced by an American company named Bibia Films. ‘A Little Heaven In Me’ is directed by an Indo- Canadian director Keshhav Panneriy who in an interview with a leading tabloid had announced, “She was the producer’s first choice, but due to her lack of cooperation and her unprofessional approach, we decided to replace her and Pragya Jaiswal has now been finalised for the film.”

 

 

The director, in a conversation with the tabloid, had also revealed, “She is perceived as a provocative and bold woman, and this real-life persona is drastically different from the character we wanted her to play.” The plot of 'A Little Heaven In Me' revolves around a woman's exceptional journey from living the life of a small town girl in Rajasthan to becoming a popular writer gaining global fame.

After Ahana's wedding, Hema Malini performs Durga ballet in Delhi

Hema Malini was recently in Delhi. And this time, it was not for one of the ceremonies for Ahana's wedding, but for her own performance on the stage. After wrapping up her younger daughter's big, fat Indian wedding, the dream girl is back to doing what she does best - classical dance. And this time, it was a special Durga ballet for the Sun Foundation's special annual celebrations which was hosted by Vikramjit Singh Sahney. The actress performed at Ficci Auditorium, New Delhi, along with her troupe.
One hardly gets to see actresses performing on the stage with such an enthusiasm at the age of 65! And this religious theme of her performance was an interesting one too.  Here are photographs from her special performance:
 

What happened to Sunny Leone? Troubled skin & a bulging midriff in her latest video

The name Sunny Leone is synonymous with oomph and sensuality. And that, so far, has been the actress' claim to fame in the film industry. She's been buzzing off late courtesy her upcoming film Ragini MMS 2, and its song Baby Doll. Sunny can be seen lip-syncing to Punjabi lyrcs in the song. But that's not the only bit of the song that's hard to digest. What's apparently more surprising is the fact that Leone is now fuller than before. In the making of the Baby Doll song video, we saw a sexy, but not-so-toned Sunny swaying to the peppy number.

A bulging midriff is apparent in many portions of the song. If that was not enough, a few portions of the making, where she is speaking in front of the camera about her experiences while shooting the song, are surprising too. As the camera focusses on her face, the actress' troubled skin is visible despite the layers of makeup. Even as she breaks into a smile, she doesn't look as pleasing as one expects her to be always. We hope this is just a passing phase and Sunny days are back.
 





The moment the shutterbugs zoom in on her face, her skin shows signs of trouble. Too much of work taking a toll on beauty sleep, perhaps?
 





The moment Sunny begins to speak, she breaks into a smile. While the smile is pleasing, the patchy portions around the eyes are unfortunately not. Nor are the pimples on the forehead.
 





Some portions of the video show that tyre around her midriff. People often associate Sunny as someone with weight on the right places. And these days, with the never-so-tough competition, it always ought to be washboard flat abs for all the Bollywood babes, right?
 




Now, if you closely observe Sunny's golden top, clenched towards the waist, you might be able to spot that layer of fat (not the essential one) below the thick black belt.
 




But then, there's always a flip side of the same story. While a few portions of the shoot reflect her bulging midriff, the other portions somehow show a toned Leone. Here's a quick sneak peek.
 



Sunny Leone adding that touch of her signature style oomph to the song. Here are a few more clicks from the making of the Baby Doll song.
 

Arjun Kapoor is a funny person: Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt got candid over her relationship with 2 States co-star Arjun Kapoor in an interview and praised his sense of humour. She also said that Arjun holds a very special place in her life.

"For me he (Arjun) has a very special place in my life...we were shooting for 'Highway' and '2 States' around same time. He became a good friend of mine. He is a funny person and has a good sense of humor," Alia said.

Alia has been romantically linked with Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor since her entry in Bollywood, to which she said, "It doesn't matter. If it's not true or even true why it should bother me. I will never talk about who I am dating.

"The constant intrusion in my personal life by the media is part of their profession and job. I don't have issues being clicked until and unless I am not looking good. About invasion of privacy you can only let a person invade the privacy if you allow them to cross the line," she added.

According to Alia, the link ups do not affect her father-filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt too.

"I don't think it bothers him. But I think he doesn't want me to date anybody like any other father," she said.

Ask her what she looks for in her dream boy, Alia says, "He should be funny, dedicated and passionate about his work and should be chivalrous."  Alia is often compared to Kareena Kapoor Khan but she thinks they are very different.

"It's ok... it is not like linking me with her. I think the comparisons are not true. I don't think I am like her in any way. I don't think there can ever be any other Kareena Kapoor. I am a fan of hers and hence I feel there is no one like her," she said.

'Highway' is directed by Imtiaz Ali and released on Friday.
 

Hot Bollywood Gossip: Aishwarya Rai & Jaya Bachchan's fights are usual saas-bahu sagas

It is indeed true that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan have been having arguments that do at times culminate in fights but no, the Bachchan bahu isn't walking out of Jalsa.
Jaya Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 'lots of fights reports' might have a grain of truth but the reports are largely exaggerated.Their fights are of the usual saas-bahu variety and the two make-up in no time at all.

However, the insiders do claim that Abhishek or Big B have to step in to cool the ladies down but any which ways the saas bahu do not plan to separate at all.

Women have been molested everywhere, not only in Bollywood : Kangana Ranaut

The queen of Bollywood Kangana Ranaut is leaving no stone unturned to promote her upcoming film Queen.

                                  
The style diva Kangana is happily addressing the  media with all the questions asked to her.
When asked Miss Ranaut, What would she react on the news where women are being molested in Bollywood too.

 Kangana reverted “See not only in Bollywood women is molested everywhere, be it at their own house or anywhere. In Bollywood women are not necessarily physically abused, there are lots of partialities faced by an actress, we are paid very less in what we deserve, we only get 30 percent from the actual amount”.

Well definitely Kangana has shown her courage by answering on such critical  issues, whereas the other B Town actresses mostly avoid talking on such controversial issues.

Hot Bollywood Gossip: Salman Khan is bringing Hrithik Roshan & Sussanne Khan closer again

Just a few days ago, we told you that Hrithik and Sussanne are considering reconciliation. And now, turns out to be it is Salman Khan who is playing agony aunt and peacemaker to estranged love birds Hrithik & Sussanne. Salman ran into Sussanne at a recent store launch in Bandra, Mumbai. They got talking, and Salman, before rushing off for a big awards ceremony, mentioned that he would like to catch up with Sussanne. Here's what Salman advised Sussanne over a cup of coffee.


Later, over a cup of coffee, Sussanne had a heart-to-heart chat on her grievances with Salman.
  The common man's Khan had recently bonded with Hrithik Roshan during new year celebrations at his Panvel guesthouse, a peace gesture of sorts as he & Hrithik were never friends.


Salman advised Hrithik, over great wine, to sort out his differences with Sussanne who he has become very fond of.
  And looks like, the couple are taking up Sallu's advice, one step at a time. This is just another one of those little gestures that prove that Salman Khan, in his own style, remains one of the largest hearted stars of Bollywood.

Movie Review: Highway has good bits and bad bits but...

Movie Name:

Highway

Viewer Rating:

Critic Rating:

(2.5/5)

Release Date:

2014-02-21

Star Cast:

Alia Bhatt, Randeep Hooda

Director:

Imtiaz Ali

Producer:

Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Nadiadwala

Music Director:

A.R. Rahman

Genre:

Romance

Highway is amazing!
It’s a one-time watch!
How boring!

Don’t be surprised if every second person, who has seen Highway, will give you a different opinion about Alia Bhatt’s film. It’s a one-of-a-kind movie, which our Bollywood filmmakers don’t like to produce due to its minimal mass appeal.

You might feel that it’s not a long film with a running time of only 2 hours and 15 minutes, but ideally, the film should have ended within an hour. Highway is like a cricket match where the entertainment quotient is extremely high in the first and the last 10 overs, and the rest of the match is just for a few passionate ones.

Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt have given their best performance till date, thanks to director Imtiaz Ali. In fact, Alia appears to be a completely different actor from what she was in SOTY.

Is Highway a typical ‘Imtiaz Ali film’?
We have seen Imtiaz’s Jab We Met, Rockstar and Love Aaj Kal, and all his fans know what to expect from him. In Highway too, the lead characters fall in love during their journey, but the distance is so long that you might get bored. Also, that fun element often found in Imtiaz's films, is missing this time. The film might also end up collecting less money at the Box Office as apart from Alia and Randeep, there are no other popular faces.

How are Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda in the film?
Imtiaz Ali is known for extracting the best out of his actors. Kareena Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone- many actors have given their best in Imtiaz’s films. You will be surprised to see Alia Bhatt in the film. Nobody would have expected her to turn into a mature actor in her second film. This film will establish her amongst the talented actors of the industry. We can say that she has taken the right ‘HIGHWAY’ to stardom. Don't be surprised if she takes home a few awards for her performance this year.
Randeep Hooda is equally good in the film, but Alia takes away the limelight in the end. The last 20 minutes of the film are better than the entire film.

What about the music?
A.R Rahman’s music comes with a guarantee of ‘super-hit’, but the maestro couldn’t deliver a soulful music this time. Music is a few notches above average, but it is not something which will stay in your playlist forever.

THE BIG QUESTION-Should I watch HIGHWAY?
Take this highway only and only if you can bear the long journey, which has a stunning end. The film doesn’t come under the ‘Paisa-Vasool’ catergory.
If you are thinking to wait till the movie premiers on TV, it might be a bad idea. This film is only for the theaters. It could be a great film for international audience, but Imtiaz could have cut it down by at least an hour.