NATIONAL : TOP NEWS IN 2008

Mumbai attacks: India on edge
2008 witnessed a series of coordinated terrorist attacks across India. On November 26, 10 terrorist strikes in Mumbai left over 180 people dead and over 300 injured. Some of the city's most prominent landmarks, the Taj hotel, the Trident-Oberoi hotel, and the CST station were targeted by terrorists. Only some months earlier, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Guwahati were left reeling after serial blasts hit the cities leaving scores dead and several injured.

Obama scripts history
Barack Obama won, but the real victor was America. The planet's best-loved and often-reviled nation upheld the noble ideals of its founding by electing a mixed-race African-American as its 44th president, redeeming itself in the eyes of the world and its own people. On November 4, 2008, Obama, son of a Kenyan, rode on the American hunger for change and an ongoing demographic makeover to win a stirring election against the all-American war hero John McCain.

Global financial crisis
The financial crisis of 2008 was uncompromising in its destruction of reputations and unsparing in its treatment of investors, many of whom were blown on the rocks by the forces that ripped through markets. The meltdown sent shock waves across the world, with economy after economy gasping for breath. India too felt the impact; people here felt the pain of plunging stock markets. Rise in the number of job cuts will also continue to haunt people in 2009.

Indo-US nuke deal
It was a deal that almost brought about the collapse of Manmohan Singh and the UPA government after the Left decided to withdraw support. A bilateral agreement on nuclear cooperation between the US and India was signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush in 2008. The Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement will address the country's energy needs by enabling it to access civil nuclear cooperation from the US and other countries.

Assembly elections 2008
Considered the semi-final to the 2009 General Elections, results in recent Assembly polls show Congress has an edge. The party can heave a sigh of relief that it has rediscovered its winning touch just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The party won Rajasthan from the BJP, survived Delhi to fetch a third consecutive term in office and also emerged victorious in Mizoram. The BJP, however, managed to retain Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Gold for a billion: Abhinav Bindra
2008 was truly a memorable year for Indian sport. Shooter Abhinav Bindra scripted history by winning India its first individual Olympic gold medal. Bindra totalled 700.5 points to win the men's 10m air rifle title on August 11. The gold wasn't, however, Abhinav's only achievement in Beijing. The Indian, who was out of action with a career-threatening spinal injury since 2006, actually proved that the country had the capability to produce champions in Olympic sports other than hockey.

Floods wreak havoc
Every once in a while, nature reminds humans that it is the boss. The Kosi river, which gathers water from some of the world's highest mountains, changed its course in 2008, going back to a course it had abandoned more than 300 years ago. Its fury struck Bihar with a vengeance leading to one of the worst floods in Indian history after a breach in its embankment in Nepal. Many lives were lost and the state witnessed one of the largest human evacuations in the world.

Chandrayaan: Mission Moon
India on Oct 22, 2008 rocketed into the big league of an exclusive lunar club with a precision launch of its moon mission, Chandrayaan-1. The majestic take-off and flight of the moon rocket was a magical moment that Indians, and in particular our space scientists, had been eagerly and anxiously waiting for. The moon mission marks a new chapter in the history of Indian space programme that takes a giant leap from 36,000 km of orbit around earth to 3,84,000 km away to orbit the moon.

Raj Thackeray vs North India
Raj Thackeray's rhetoric against people from North India started early 2008 and resulted in violence in different parts of Maharashtra through the year, even spreading to states like Bihar. Raj blamed north Indians in Maharashtra as the reason for a shortage of jobs for Maharashtrians. The MNS chief also attacked Amitabh Bachchan questioning his loyalty to Mumbai. The people of India must send a message to all politicians- Rise against regionalism and treat all as Indians.

source : toi

CRICKET : Dhoni's security beefed up after 'underworld threat'

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's family has received an extortion letter threatening to harm them if a demand of Rs 50 lakh is not met from suspected local criminals following which police have further tightened security.

Police said on Wednesday that the letter was sent to Dhoni's family by a person claiming to be a member of the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's gang but maintained "it is actually a letter that has originated locally from a colony which is very much inside Ranchi and not very far from where Dhoni lives".

Suspecting that the letter could be a job of "local criminals," Inspector General and Jharkhand Police spokesman S N Pradhan said, "The perceived threat from the underworld gangs is for the moment ruled out".

He, however, said that "we are taking all precautionary measures and I am sure it will be sorted out quickly". Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Sampat Meena said, "We got information yesterday that they (Dhoni's family) received a letter by post demanding extortion money". She told a press conference in Ranchi that "after premilinary investigation we find that it is the handiwork of one Taslim, a local criminal facing extortion charges". Taslim has been asconding for a long time, she said.

Reports published in Hindi newspapers here have said that Dhoni's father Paan Singh had received the letter on December 29 from one Taslim who claimed that he was a member of Dawood's gang.

Meena added that security has been tightened and personnel of Special Task Force have been deployed to guard Dhoni's residence at Mecon Colony. Dhoni has been briefed about the security, she said.

Pradhan said, "In that colony there are two rival groups that tend to trap and expose each other. So we believe this is some kind of mischief going on but we would not like to underplay it."

He said Dhoni enjoyed security cover on par with high "Z" category and that "it has been upgraded". Extra police forces have been deployed in and around his house, he said, adding that "when he moves there is plenty of security".

Meena said names of some people mentioned in the letter have criminal background and were facing charges under the arms act.

"Police have not yet found Taslim having any link with Dawood Ibrahim (as mentioned in the letter). A team has been set up under the leadership of an assistant suprintendent of police to investigate the matter further," she said.

Asked at what time police received information about the letter and whether the family had been reportedly asked to deliver the sum demanded at some shop, Meena said, "time is not of any importance and police are investigating the contents of the letter".

Dhoni, who returned to Ranchi on Tuesday after leading India to a test series win against England, "has been provided escort for his movement," Meena said.

Replying to questions, the SSP said preliminary investigation has not yet established any conclusive evidence on the claim by the sender of the letter that he had links with Dawood Ibrahim.

"Prima facie it appears to be a local criminal gang's mischief, and details will be given once the investigation is completed," she said.

Dhoni's security was enhanced last year after reports of threat to him from naxalites. He has been a regular visitor to Deori temple, about 40 kms from Ranchi, and the road to the shrine passes through naxal pockets.

source : cricket.expressindia.com

ENTERTAINMENT : TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2008 (BOLLYWOOD)

2008 wasn’t perhaps the best year when it comes to storytelling but it still had at least a few films that managed to work well with the audience. If there was an intense ‘A Wednesday’ bringing in wonderful results during those ‘90 minutes’, there was also a no-brainer like ‘Singh Is Kinng’ that went on to be one of the biggest grosser at the box office. Joginder Tuteja brings to you some of the best films that Bollywood saw in the year gone by.

10 - Jodhaa Akbar
After a false start in it’s opening weekend, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ fortunately managed to settle down at the box office due to very good word of mouth and some excellent post release marketing. The movie managed to be excellent in patches but for an epic drama set at such a gargantuan scale, far better cinematic output was expected. Of course the sets and the costumes and the fights were all well placed but it was the pacing of the film that tended to turn sluggish at places. Still, Hrithik and Ash saved the day, hence making it one of the first big successes of year 2008.

9 - Singh Is Kinng
‘Singh Is Kinng’ was one of those films that worked as an instant coffee. You enjoyed the film for the duration it played but at the end of the day were left wondering that what it was all about! A poorly picturised ‘Snoop Dogg’ music video notwithstanding, it was Akshay’s histrionics as a ‘Singh’ that was matched by the photogenic quality of leggie beauty Katrina Kaif that did the trick. Anees Bazmee, after ‘No Entry’, ‘Welcome’ and now ‘Singh Is Kinng’ found himself staring confidently at the throne vacated by the Manomohan Desai years back. Welcome to the zone of no-brainer entertainers that more often that not succeed.

8 - RNBDJ
If not for the uneven pace, ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ could have been a much better film that it currently is. Yes, it is a big success, in fact the biggest that Yash Raj Films or Bollywood has seen in the recent times, but still, there were expectations of something even better with Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra coming together. The film clearly worked in three acts, the first and the third being the best with the middle being just about OK. Nevertheless, the ‘Dancing Jodi’ climax dance sequence is the best finale for a film that one can remember for a long-long time, hence ensuring that Shah Rukh Khan magic continues to charm audience for many more years to come.

7 - Fashion
Madhur Bhandarkar makes a promise and always delivers as per expectations. Same holds good for ‘Fashion’ which was just the kind that one could see coming. No one really expected an explosive; let’s-unveil-the-mystery kind of cinema from ‘Fashion’ and this is what we got eventually. More of a ‘masala’ commercial entertainer than a film which ‘really’ explored the underbelly of the fashion industry, this film also worked as a revival of Priyanka Chopra’s fortunes that were dwindling after 4 successive box office flops. Also, audience whole heartedly welcomed a stunner called Mugdha Godse though Kangna only continued to do what she has been doing ever since her arrival in the film industry.

6 - Dostana
This movie should get credit for making the ‘gay’ word almost cool and even a sort of fashion statement to flaunt. Yes, the film did manage to get an alternate relationship out of a closet and almost suddenly, every person, whether straight or gay, was seen debating about ‘right to be a gay’! The film was fun for most of it’s duration, in fact almost riotous in the first half, though an unnecessary angle of drawing a child (Bobby Deol’s son) into the entire mess was really uncalled for. Still, Priyanka’s golden swimming costumes, John’s yellow trunk and Abhishek’s naughty antics made sure that there was no dull moment in Tarun Mansukhani’s ‘Dostana’.

5 - Ghajini
This is what the hype and marketing gimmicks can do i.e. form a ‘great’ perception of a movie that was just about ‘good’. Seriously, at it’s very inception, who would have expected a movie about a man seeking revenge for the murder of his girlfriend as great cinema. Still Aamir Khan and company left no stones (or even heads) unturned as they went around the town and made sure that there was no other talk in the town this Christmas than ‘Ghajini’. Add to that some genuinely excellent moments in the film that resulted in ‘Ghajini’ turned out to be THE most ‘violent’ success in decades gone by.

4 - JTYJN
It can be comfortably claimed that it was Aamir Khan’s superb marketing campaign that set the stage for Abbas Tyrewala, Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza and company to create such a massive impact in this romantic outing of theirs that goes by the name of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa’. Of course this is no breaking news per se but the fact still has to be acknowledged that in JTYJN, Aamir certainly brought back the memories of the young romantic hero who made such a massive impact 20 years back. Still, when JTYJN released, even when Aamir and Imran dominated all entertainment channels, one wasn’t expecting such a delightful story which was there in the offering. And the thing that delighted most in this rather longish affair (we didn’t mind that at all) was it’s naturalness. JTYJN is easily the QSQT moment of 2008. In addition, it also made one recollect the times when ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ became a rage. A movie which sustained the best amongst the audience this year (’Jodhaa Akbar’ was another), JTYJN was easily the most liked and followed film amongst the youth in 2008.

3 - Race
Not just in the recent years but perhaps even in a few decades gone by, ‘Race’ would go down as the film that has the MOST number of twists ever. So much so that this 150 minutes tale had at least half a dozen twists which, by simple mathematics, makes it a one every 25 minutes. RACE was one ‘masala’ entertainer which stayed on to be the biggest money spinner of the year so far. This is also perhaps the only film of 2008 which not just met the sky high expectations that one had from this multi starrer but even exceeded them. Slickly shot with some great visuals and chartbuster music by Pritam, RACE wouldn’t have been the same without it’s two most solid pillars - Allan Amin’s action and Salim-Sulaiman’s background score. A solid entertainer which engaged it’s viewers from start to end, it deserved special marks for director duo of Abbas Mustan who went ahead with a holds-no-bar approach to establish the falling moral values of the current society we live in.

2 - Rock On
Now this is one film which really-really surprised. Frankly, not many out there were optimistic about the film’s run till the day of it’s release. The promotion was relatively low key, the (rock) genre unexplored, the hype around a debutant actor (Farhan Akhtar) being subdued, the music (Shankar Ehsaan Loy) meeting with a mixed response, not many aware about the subject of the film, the director coming with a ‘flop’ tag (after ‘Aryan - The Unbreakable)! The odds were pretty much against the film. And then the first show of the film commenced and everything just changed about ‘Rock On’. The entire perception factor went for a toss and the very same factors which were seemingly against it turned added on to the list of the positives. ‘Rock On’ is a film that clearly stands today as one of the best films to have come out of Bollywood in the year 2008. A film which was pure, unadulterated, came with wholesome entertainment quotient and yet wasn’t frivolous at all, ‘Rock On’ brings with it sheer class that has been abandoned by many a film makers in pursuit of mega bucks.

1 - A Wednesday
‘A Wednesday’ clearly stands as THE most topical movie of 2008. When half a dozen movies with terrorism as it’s theme (Mission Istanbul, Contract, Black  White etc.) were released in the year gone by, the only movie which actually spoke from the point of view of a common man was ‘A Wednesday’. It didn’t get into pseudo intellectual talks about how a terrorist is born, it didn’t propose a solution, it didn’t hit on politicians or cops. Instead, it plain and simple raised the voice of a common man and asked a few plain and simple questions - ‘How a man on the street should react with all the bombs and bullets around him? What is his fault? Whom does he look at?’ In Bollywood, we have complained quite a number of times that we tend to go off tangent when it comes to handling a subject and loose our way somewhere down the plot. This doesn’t happen even once in ‘A Wednesday’ that sticks to it’s plot and never looses focus. 20 years down the line, it would be showcased as a classic from Bollywood.

read original article at www.realbollywood.com