Neetu says, "Bollywood will be mine"

Neetu Chandra is on a high these days, as the glamorous actress got good reviews for her performance in Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and has an Neetu Chandra impressive line-up of films in the coming months as well.

The girl from Bihar was in a straight-talking mood when we caught up with her in the capital recently, saying, “I am lucky that I got Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. Abhay Deol is cute and I think he is an amazing actor, but according to me, the real star of the movie was director Dibakar Banerjee.”

We ask her what she thinks of her status as one of the ‘glam-babes’ of Bollywood and she gets annoyed with the tag. So what tag would she prefer? She replies, “Happening. I like being called happening, for hot also comes under happening and all the other compliments like cute, sweet and sexy also come under it.”

So, what according to her, is her best feature? She considers the question for a bit and replies,“I think my eyes are my best feature. Once, Priyadarshan told me that my eyes ‘speak’ but, I think my curves and curls are also the other best things about my body.” And how important does she think those curves are to achieve success in Bollywood? She says, “It is the whole package that is needed today in Bollywood. A good body helps of course, but so does acting, dancing skills and sex appeal.” So does she dislike being called a sex-symbol as well? She says,“I think that sex is too hyped a word. Having said that, I can’t wear a lehenga if I am doing a beach scene. The character should dictate what you wear and how you look. Many people have told me that I was looking sexy in a saree in Traffic Signal.”

So, if she hadn’t decided to be an actress, what she would have been? She replies, “I would have been a waste! Luckily my decision has been working out well for me. I truly believe that nothing is impossible to achieve. If that wasn’t true then I, a girl from Bihar, would not have been sitting here today. I would have married a guy who loves me.” So who is the person who has inspired her the most? “My mom is the reason that I am here, alongwith my hard work and everybody’s blessings also, of course. And I have to tell you, I am not as sweet as I look, I have to be really rude and show a lot of attitude to get noticed, which is very important. I think every woman should be like this.” And does this lady have someone special in her life? She answers, “A person who I find it easy to be with is my kind of guy, and I am still waiting for him.”

And finally, where does she see herself a few years down the line, “Bollywood will be mine,” she declares.link

Bihar dental college to pay for ruinous ad

Students aggrieved at misleading advertisements, given by unrecognised educational institutions that their courses are recognised, are entitled to refund of fees and compensation, the Supreme Court has held.

Order upheld

Such misrepresentation resulting in ruining the career of students and loss of academic years will come within the ambit of unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, said a Bench consisting of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and H.S. Bedi.

The Bench upheld the order passed by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directing an unrecognised dental college and hospital in Bihar to refund the fees paid by 11 students who joined the institution believing that it was a recognised college and lost two academic years.

The court directed the college to pay a total compensation of Rs. 22 lakh, in addition to refund of fees and a Rs. 30,000-penalty imposed by the Commission.

Bhupesh Khurana and 10 others joined the college during 1992-93 paying a huge capitation fee.

Later they came to know that the college was not affiliated and their course was not recognised, and so they could not sit for the examination.

Appeal dismissed

On their complaint, the Commission directed refund of fees and payment of compensation.

Dismissing with costs the appeal filed by the college against this order, the Bench pointed out that its wrong claim that it was affiliated to Magadh University and its BDS course was recognised by the Dental Council of India amounted to deficiency in service under the CP Act.

“The appellant-institute, by giving totally a misleading and false advertisement, clearly misled the respondents. We strongly feel that the appellant institute has played with the career of the students and virtually ruined their career and the respondents have lost two valuable academic years.”

The Commission rightly concluded that this was a case of total misrepresentation on the part of the institute which was tantamount to an unfair trade practice, the court said.link

Five workers found dead in Patna iron factory

Five workers were found dead in the premises of an iron factory in the Bihar capital Thursday, police said pointing out that all the bodies bore injury marks.

The bodies of the five workers of Magadh Iron factory were found in a room. "All the bodies bore deep injuries as if they were beaten to death," a police official said.

The five victims had been on duty Wednesday night.

Family members and local residents suspect they were murdered in order to hide something about the factory authorities. "It is a clear case of murder," alleged Malti Devi, the relative of a victim.

The owner and manager of the factory are absconding.link

Students injured as classroom wall collapses in Bihar school

At least 31 students were injured when the wall of their classroom at a government school in Konch in Bihar’s Gaya district collapsed Thursday, police said.

Over three dozen students were studying in the classroom when the wall suddenly collapsed.

'The wall of the old school building collapsed suddenly injuring several students and creating panic in the school and nearby areas,' deputy superintendent of police Harishankar Singh told.

Singh said that five of the 31 students were seriously injured and were admitted to the Gaya Medical College along with some other injured students.link

Hard work always pays: Manoj Bajpayee

He is one of the finest actors that Indian cinema has seen, and the intensity that he brings to his on-screen persona has to be seen to be believed. Be it the unforgettable Bhikhu Mhatre in Satya or police inspector Samar Pratap Singh in Shool, Manoj Bajpayee has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood with his power-packed performances. Whether it’s playing a prince in Zubeidaa or the sophisticated villain in Aks, he can carry off any role with effortless ease.

However, not many of his films have managed to hit the jackpot in recent years. Is it because he has always consciously tried to play unconventional and realistic roles? “I agree that almost 90 per cent of my films have seen me play roles that are different from the run-of-the-mill movies. I love doing such films. But at the same time, I have been a part of commercial films like LOC: Kargil, Bewafaa and Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. Nobody can guarantee commercial success. I just try to be a part of good projects that I believe in and make value additions to them. I am extremely proud to have won two national awards (for Satya and Pinjar). As for film critics, there are one or two whom I hold in high regard, but the rest don’t matter to me,” he avers. His future projects include Acid Factory and Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti.

Interestingly, this versatile actor was rejected thrice by the National School of Drama, but never gave up and fought on to reach where he is today. “Hard work always pays. I have done a lot of theatre too and really enjoyed the medium because it offers so much scope for an actor. Our film industry is so star-driven that it’s very difficult for an outsider to survive. Apart from hard work, you also need lady luck to smile upon you. Here, unless you don’t ensure hits, nobody runs after you. Also, it’s quite true that there are no permanent friends or foes in B-town. In fact, I keep making friends every day,” he says. Manoj doesn’t want to talk about his much-publicised spat with ace director Ram Gopal Varma. “It was a great relationship which went sour and I am over and done with it.”

Given that he hails from Belwa, a small village in Bihar, city life has been a kind of necessity with which he had to adjust accordingly. “I have kept changing my house almost every year and like anyone else, I never feel at home living so far away from my roots. But then, in today’s world, everyone needs to move out to pursue professional dreams,” he says.

Being married to Neha (his actress wife) has certainly made things better. “I feel so glad to have married my dream girl, who means the world to me,” he tells us. While he would like us to believe that he is “an extremely lazy person”, Manoj is an active blogger and even writes plays. “I use my blog to vent out my frustrations about relevant social issues that draw my attention. As for my writing skills, you never know; an idea can trigger off my instincts and see me writing a script some day!” he says before signing off.

Run For Development-2009 being organized on Feb 22 in Patna

The annual Run for Development being organized by the Bihar Industries Association (BIA) on February 22 from Rajendra Chowk near Raj Bhawan to Gandhi Maidan would be more than a ritual. It aims to arouse consciousness among the people for development of the state.

Efforts are on to usher a festive spirit for development of the state among the Armymen, NCC cadets, BMP jawans, college and school students, girls and boys, men and women, old persons, administrators and people from all walks of life and politicians from all hues, said Run for Development organising committee convener C M Saxena.

The run is being organized for the fourth consecutive year this time with the earlier three runs having created a positive atmosphere for development in the state which is likely to pace up gradually. Saxena said that the BIA had envisioned and organized the run for the first time in 2006 with a hope that a tattered economy of the state would gradually be brought on the tracks once the pace of development is achieved.

But the development process is still slow while it is needed to run the economy on a fast pace for refurbishing the industrial fabric and close the loose ends of the economy, he said. For this, contribution of every person of the state from all walks of life is necessary and keeping this in view the run has been organized, he said.

This time also CM Nitish Kumar will inaugurate the 5.5 km long Run For Development-2009 by flagging off the runners and participants from Rajendra Chowk. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi will be the chief guest. Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary would receive the people participating in the run at Gandhi Maidan.

On the 5.5 km stretch of the route there would be five kiosks where drinking water and medical facility would be available. Two-three ambulances with doctors would also be pressed in service by the state government and some private organisations, Saxena said, adding that people numbering more than 5,000 are expected to join the run. The number may cross even 10,000, he added.

The run would be completely non-political and its only agenda is to enthuse and arouse the people from all walks of life to run shoulder to shoulder for development of Bihar, said BIA members and captains of industry.link

No wildfire in Bihar tiger reserve, says official

A senior official of Bihar’s forest department Wednesday refuted allegations that a wildfire had damaged portions of the core Project Tiger area in the state’s Valmiki reserve, even as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said they had sought an urgent report on the extent of damage.

“This is a false report. I don’t know what was the intention behind it,” B.N. Jha, additional principal chief conservator of forests and Bihar’s chief wildlife warden told. He was referring to reports of a fire raging for 10 days in the Valmiki reserve in West Champaran district.

However, Rajesh Gopal, the NTCA’s member secretary, said an urgent fax had been sent to the forest department to ascertain if the fire had indeed caused damage and if there was threat to wildlife.

“We have not got a reply yet and hope to receive one soon,” Gopal said.

The wildfire, suspected to have been ignited by poachers and the timber mafia, was reportedly finally doused Monday.

However, Jha denied the news, saying it was a “regular ground fire” and it was natural for such occurrences especially since the reserve was populated by deciduous trees.

“This is not like the wildfires of Australia. The damage here is to dried grass and weeds that is negligible or insignificant. And as far as I know only a 12 hectare patch caught fire three four days ago in Madanpur Range.”

Jha admitted that parts of the forest could have been damaged but there was no disturbance to wildlife.

The 900-sq km sanctuary is home to about 35 tigers according to the tiger census two years ago.link