Madras High Court dismisses petition seeking to ban Madras Cafe

Madras High Court bench in Madurai today dismissed a petition seeking to ban the release of Bollywood film "Madras Cafe" of actor-producer John Abraham for allegedly portraying the LTTE in a bad light.

Justice Manikumar dismissed the petition by advocate Ezhilarasu, stating that he had not substantiated with materials that the film would cause law and order problem in Tamil Nadu.

The petitioner had contended that the film, to be released on August 23, was a political thriller set in the backdrop of the assassination of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

He had claimed that the depiction of the Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka as terrorist in the film raised concerns among the Tamil population in India.

If the film was permitted to be released in the present form, it might affect the law and order situation in the state besides the sentiments of the Tamils, he had argued.

MS Dhoni heads Kapil Dev's greatest all-time Indian ODI team, Ravindra Jadeja included too

   

Kapil All-time XII: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Azharuddin, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan. 12th Man: Ravindra Jadeja.Interestingly, Kapil didn't select a single member of the victorious 1983 squad.

He can walk into any Indian team on a given day but former captain Kapil Dev decided to keep himself "out" of the best-ever Indian ODI line-up which he feels should be led by another limited overs legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The World Cup winning captain's team of 12 has young Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja while Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are the other two spinners.

Apart from Dhoni, the team has legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Azharuddin while Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath are the two fast bowlers.

Interestingly, Kapil didn't select a single member of the victorious 1983 squad.

Asked about the reason behind leaving out members of 1983 side, Kapil said:"I feel this is India's best ODI team. People can disagree with me but that's my personal view."

"Furthermore, I am selecting the side so how can I include myself in it," he said when asked to hand pick India's best ODI team on the sidelines of promotional event here today.

"We won the 1983 World Cup but the fact remains that West Indies were by far the better side. We were just confident of doing well on that given day."

Kapil reiterated that the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team which won the Champions Trophy in England this year is the best-ever team in the history of Indian cricket.

"The team did not have key players like Sehwag, (Gautam) Gambhir, Zaheer but the way they played nobody missed them. West Indies is still missing the likes of Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes," he said.

"I have never seen such outstanding fielding side in the history of Indian cricket. The Champions Trophy title is the ultimate tribute to this team."

Kapil had words of appreciation for India's new batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan and compared the hard-hitting left-hander to Sehwag.

"Shikhar has been outstanding from his very first match. I had never thought there would be someone who can hit the ball better than Sehwag," he said.

With the present Indian team sporting a settled look, Kapil feels it would be tough for seniors like Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Zaheer to make a comeback.

"Nothing is impossible but they need to have patience. The competition would be tough because and the age is also not in their favour," he said.

Mohammad Azharuddin offered role as Jammu and Kashmir coach

Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin has been offered the job of coaching the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team and is considering whether to take it up or not, a report said.

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association President Farooq Abdullah offered Azharuddin the position that has been lying vacant since Bishan Singh Bedi's exit after the end of last season.

"We still haven't reached the final decision," Abdullah was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo'.

Azharuddin's life ban handed by the BCCI in 2000 for his alleged involvement in match-fixing was overturned last year by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Mujeeb Khan, Azharuddin's secretary, said the former batsman hadn't made up his mind.

"He has been offered the post of coach by JKCA but he hasn't decided whether to take it or not. They want to avail of whatever services he could render. He is seriously considering it since he is desperate to give back to the game that has been so close to his heart," Mujeeb said.

The report also said that even if Azharuddin accepts the offer, his return to the cricket field, albeit as a coach, won't be easy.

It quoted a BCCI official as saying that Azharuddin cannot return to cricket in any role without BCCI's permission since the ruling has been challenged.

Delhi government to sell onion at Rs. 50 per kg through mobile vans

With onion prices shooting through the roof, Delhi government will facilitate selling of the kitchen staple at around Rs. 50 per kg at 1,000 points across the city from Saturday morning.

A total of 150 mobile vans will be deployed to sell onion across the city and each of the vehicles will visit four places in a locality, which means coverage of 600 points.

Besides this, the vegetable will be made available at a total of 400 stores, including 280 Mother Dairy outlets.

"The onions will be made available at around Rs. 50 per kg at 1,000 points across the city. We are selling onions on no-profit no-loss basis," Food and Supplies Minister Harun Yusuf told PTI.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, facing assembly elections after three months, is concerned about the high prices of onion and has told the Food and Supplies Department to come down hard on those hoarding the vegetable.

BJP was voted out of power in 1998 in Delhi following spiralling onion prices.

Express Daily News

1. Lashkar-e-Taiba's 'bomb expert' Abdul Karim Tunda arrested by Delhi Police
2. Pak troops fire on Indian posts again, 12th ceasefire violation in a week
3. Suspended IAS officer Durga claims innocence in reply to charges by UP gov
4. Sindhurakshak tragedy: Russia says it'll assist India in explosion probe
5. INS Sindhurakshak: five bodies found, DNA tests needed to identify them
6. Independence Day slugfest: Modi "a frog, national embarrassment," says Congress
7. Delhi government to sell onion at Rs. 50 per kg through mobile vans
8. Gold at 6-month high, breaches Rs. 30,000 mark
9. Rs. hits record low below 62/Dollar | Rs. slide triggers 750-point Sensex crash
10. Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, state govts on unhygienic mid-day meals
11. Heavy rains force Amarnath yatra suspension
12. Galaxy Note III with 8-cores coming to India
13. Sony Xperia M listed online for Rs. 12,990
14. Philippine ferry disaster: 24 dead, nearly 300 missing
15. Under-pressure India leave for Asia Cup hockey
16. Sri Lanka turns down Pak request for day-night Test
17. Pak tour of Zimbabwe survives as stand-off ends

Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara! : Opens Good

Gangster drama Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara! has got an impressive opening, but the violence is keeping families away from watching the film, say trade analysts. Chennai Express, meanwhile, continues to entertain families.

Balaji Motion Pictures' Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara! released in approximately 1,600 screens across the country Thursday and collected Rs 14.2 crore from paid previews.

The film opened up in approximately 2,500 screens (including single screens) on Friday, with sustained word-of-mouth and great response in the morning and afternoon shows, said a statement.

"Thursday paid preview saw 100 percent occupancy. Friday also so far it's 80 percent. Expecting to do better during evening. Mostly youth are watching and less families as there is lot of violence in the film," Anant Verma, director and business head of DT Cinemas, told IANS.

"Chennai Express is being watched by families and we are expecting 80 percent occupancy this weekend," he added. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said that the figures of the Milan Luthria-directed film starring Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha, are "very good" considering the limited release on August 15.

Revealed: Aamir Khan's Dhoom 3 body

An ominously stormy sky, skyscrapers, choppers flying in the air and a topless man watching all this standing behind a window - this is the first look of the much awaited film Dhoom 3. It's dramatic and makes you curious.

Although the face is not visible, the man in the poster looks like Aamir Khan giving a glimpse of his well-toned body, something which audiences appreciated in his 2008 hit Ghajini. He is seen wearing a pair of trousers and has teamed it up with a hat.

The film is scheduled for a Christmas release, an auspicious time for Aamir's films, and the poster's tag line proclaims: "This year will end with a Dhoom".

The 48-year-old is playing an antagonist in Dhoom 3, the third instilment in the franchise that started in 2004 with John Abraham playing the villain. Hrithik Roshan played the negative role in Dhoom 2.

It is reportedly said that Aamir has used a lot of acrobatic skills to pull off heists in the Vijay Krishna Acharya directed action thriller that also features Katrina Kaif as his love interest.

Abhishek Bachchan once again returns to play a cop, chasing the super villain with Uday Chopra as his sidekick.