Vishwaroopam to release on January 25, finally

Vishwaroopam to release on January 25, finally 

Vishwaroopam was originally scheduled to be first released on DTH today

There's good news for Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan's fans. His next film Vishwaroopam will finally be released on January 25 across at least 500 screens in Tamil Nadu.

Mr Haasan had earlier cancelled his dream premiere of the film on DTH scheduled for today, following opposition from theatre owners who apprehended huge revenue loss.

However, it is not clear yet whether the film will be released on DTH soon.

The statement by Mr Kamal Haasan merely says: "I appreciate the exhibitors and distributors brethren for having understood my vision of creating a new revenue stream for the film producing community through DTH".

The actor also told NDTV, "Yes they are with me, we are postponing the release date not only to facilitate the DTH platform but also to resolve the issue and take my brothers along with me in this sojourn. I seem to have convinced them."

On Wednesday, Mr Haasan had said he was contemplating a simultaneous launch as suggested by a few friends.

The Rs 95 crore rupee project is Kamal Haasan's most expensive film ever. DTH accounts for three per cent of television viewers and by tapping the DTH avenue the actor had planned to generate a revenue of around 150 crore.

A few days ago Mr Haasan had sought police action following threats from a few groups to sabotage his DTH plans. Without naming anyone, Mr Kamal had said "I'm sending legal notice for 13 people on this".

Earlier, Salil Kapoor, COO, of Dish TV told IANS, "We have a communication (from Rajkamal Films) about the postponement of movie release on DTH platform and in theatres."

"In line with the postponement of the release date of the movie Vishwaroopam (Tamil & Telugu)/Vishwaroop (Hindi)' across theatres and on the DTH platform by Rajkamal Films, we have stopped taking bookings for the movie premiere that was scheduled for Jan 10, 2013 at 9.30 p.m. on Airtel DTH," Shashi Arora, CEO-DTH/Media, Bharti Airtel was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the company.

Asked about the money paid by the subscribers to watch the movie on January 10, Mr Kapoor said: "We will go by what our customer want us to do. If they want a refund, we will refund the money."

Both Airtel and Dish TV are silent on the number of bookings they received for the movie. (With IANS inputs)

 

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9 million thanks, Sachin Tendulkar tells his Facebook fans

9 million thanks, Sachin Tendulkar tells his Facebook fans 

New Delhi: Undoubtedly one of the most widely followed Indian celebrities on Facebook, Sachin Tendulkar's fan following on the social networking site has crossed nine million and it's still counting.

"9 million thanks!!! Thank you for making me feel so special," Tendulkar posted on his facebook account.

Tendulkar had joined Facebook last September and within hours, had a staggering four lakh likes to his name.

The cricketer started his Facebook innings with a video message welcoming everyone to his official page.

"I'll like to welcome you to my facebook family. As a child I always dreamt of playing cricket for India and I chased my dream of winning the World Cup for 22 years. It wouldn't have been possible without your support. I wanna take this opportunity to thank all of you for having prayed for me and wish well for me," he had posted the first time.

"I look forward to sharing my experience with you, join me on my facebook so that we both can share this experience and go through this journey together."

The page gives a time line of important events in the cricketer's life right from when he was born on April 24, 1973 to the World Cup win in 2011 to taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member.

The page is managed by Seven3Rockers.

Tendulkar, arguably the greatest batsman in contemporary cricket, recently retired from One-day Internationals, bringing the curtains down on a glorious career spanning 23 years during which he re-wrote record books with his phenomenal feats.

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Kingfisher shares snap 5-day losing streak on Mallya's letter 

Kingfisher Airlines shares snapped a five-day losing streak on Thursday. The stock saw buying interest after chairman Vijay Mallya wrote to employees about a limited restart of the grounded carrier.
Mr Mallya said his UB group has committed funding of approximately Rs. 650 crore for a limited re-start plan aimed for the beginning of 2013 and the company was in discussion with multiple investors to secure a deal for the debt laden carrier.
At 10.15 a.m., Kingfisher shares traded 2.6 per cent higher at Rs. 13.80 on the BSE. Other aviation stocks - Jet Airways and SpiceJet - traded with losses.
Kingfisher shares have lost over 6.5 per cent in the last week even as markets have hit a two-year high. The stock has fallen 12 per cent in the last month since December 11, 2012.
In the letter to employees, Mr Mallya detailed the steps the company has taken to re-start operations.  (Read full text of letter)
Kingfisher's licence expired on December 31, and a request to extend that will not be granted unless the suspended carrier can come up with an "acceptable" revival plan. The airline had submitted a revival plan in December, but that did not provide details of how it will fund operations.
Kingfisher has tried unsuccessfully to raise cash for more than a year, but there has been no breakthrough yet. Kingfisher, once India's second-largest airline by domestic market share, has been grounded by the aviation regulator for its failure to come up with a viable plan of financial and operational revival after a labour unrest in October led to the airline announcing a lockout.
Kingfisher Airlines has an exposure of Rs. 7,000 crore exposure to a consortium of 17 banks, led by State Bank of India, and debts of around Rs. 8,000 crore.

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Rahul Dravid to MS Dhoni: Quit T20I and CSK captaincy, remain Test skipper 

But Dravid believes India does not have anyone to replace the wicketkeeper-batsman, who led the country to the 2007 Twenty20 World title besides the 2011 ODI World Cup. Dravid also said that Dhoni should change his approach slightly. 

New Delhi:  Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has thrown his weight behind the beleaguered Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying that he is the "only man" capable of leading the Test team but should quit Twenty20 captaincy to avoid becoming "stale".

"Not only is Dhoni the only man to lead India in Test cricket, he is still capable of doing the job well. What it will require from him is a change in the way he captains, a recognition that he can't do everything all the time, and the willingness to ask for and accept help," Dravid said.

"Dhoni has got to recognise that he can't continue to captain and play all the time, because it is making him stale... To start with, Dhoni could easily give up the India T20 and Chennai Super Kings captaincies...He needs to take breaks between captaining and keeping and playing," he wrote in his 'ESPNCricinfo' column.

"He should certainly play ODIs and T20s for India, because he is invaluable to the side. Giving up a couple of captaincy roles might give him more time in the main India job and the freshness to keep doing it. It would also give India an opportunity to perhaps give someone like (Virat) Kohli a chance to be T20 captain, break him into the job and see how he goes," he said.

Dhoni's captaincy was criticised after India's recent home Test debacle against England followed by the ODI loss to arch-foes Pakistan.

Even though he is in decent form with the bat, several former players feel Dhoni has shown signs of fatigue as captain.

But Dravid believes India does not have anyone to replace the wicketkeeper-batsman, who led the country to the 2007 Twenty20 World title besides the 2011 ODI World Cup. Dravid also said that Dhoni should change his approach slightly.

"He has had a good run, and will be recognised as India's most successful captain, and he now has a chance to extend it. Other than his leadership qualities, there is the fact that there are no alternatives to Dhoni at this stage," he pointed out.

Dravid said opener Gautam Gambhir could have been a possible captaincy candidate but his lack of form in Tests has put a question mark on that.

"At one point we felt Gautam Gambhir could take over the job. In 2008-09, Gautam showed he could definitely play at the international level and in all formats. His captaincy of Kolkata Knight Riders in the last IPL was excellent.

"Yet what goes against him today is the fact that he has not scored too many Test runs in the last three years, and he averages under 32. Also, unlike Dhoni, Gautam does not have a second skill to back up his batting, even if that skill is being an excellent slip fielder," explained the batting great, who accumulated over 24,000 in international cricket for India.

"Still, Gautam's batsmanship and experience remain very important for the team, and giving him the captaincy at a time like this would be a burden on him. Before anything else, he has to get his Test batting back on track. If he does, he still has age on his side," he said.

As for promising Virat Kohli's chances of leading India, Dravid said the youngster needs more time to evolve.

"Virat Kohli is the only other alternative leader, and he ticks the box of being an automatic selection in all three formats. Yet I believe it's a little early for him. At the moment, he is a growing, developing cricketer.

"I would love for him to get the job after the next overseas cycle is done, with the end of the England tour in September 2014. If he can keep his form and develop till then, it will be a good time for him to take over. He is a long-term prospect as batsman and captain, but giving him the Test captaincy at this stage might be risky," he explained.

Dravid said Dhoni, if he still has the zeal, should continue to lead the side in its transition phase and quit when the side settles down.

"Between the home series against Australia next month and the end of that England tour, there are 15 Test matches.

"At the end of those 15 Tests, if Dhoni can have turned things around for Indian cricket, have had a couple of good overseas tours, and can then hand over the captaincy to the next man, that would rank among his greatest achievements," he said.

"He would have taken the responsibility of leading a team in transition and left it in a better state."

Dravid praised Dhoni for leading by example and showing tenacity in adversity.

"What I like about Dhoni is that he is a leader by example. We saw this in the Nagpur Test match - and not merely from his second-innings 99. In Nagpur, because the wicket was slow, Dhoni came up to the stumps to Ishant Sharma, who was bowling at 140kph.

"To do that was gutsy, because it had "break your finger" written all over it. Dhoni was willing to take that chance, and to me, in some ways, that shows leadership. Sometimes he promotes himself up the batting order at critical times - the World Cup final was a good example," he recalled.

"He is willing to play through niggles and injuries. That provides an example for others in the team to follow. When he bats with the tail, he plays his shots, can improvise, and shows he is not there to protect his own runs or his wicket," he said.

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In letter to Kingfisher employees, Vijay Mallya shares revival plan 

Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya has told employees that the grounded carrier is aiming for a limited re-start utilizing seven aircraft. In a letter to employees, the first since Kingfisher's operating license expired, Mr Mallya detailed the steps the company has taken to re-start operations.

Mr Mallya said his UB group has committed funding of approximately Rs. 650 crore for a limited re-start plan aimed for the beginning of 2013 and the company was in discussion with multiple investors to secure a deal for the debt laden carrier.

Mr Mallya said the company was addressing some of the overdues that needed urgent attention, but there was no mention of unpaid salaries. On Wednesday, Kingfisher Airlines employees had threatened the management to pay all their pending dues or they would go to court with a winding-up petition. (Read: Kingfisher employees may move court with winding-up petition)

Kingfisher Airlines shares snapped a five-day losing streak. (Read)

Kingfisher, once India's second-largest airline by domestic market share, has been grounded by the aviation regulator for its failure to come up with a viable plan of financial and operational revival after a labour unrest in October led to the airline announcing a lockout.

Kingfisher Airlines has an exposure of Rs. 7,000 crore exposure to a consortium of 17 banks, led by State Bank of India, and debts of around Rs. 8,000 crore.


Read full text of letter:

Subject: Update

Dear Colleagues

I would like to wish you all a happy new year and take this opportunity of sharing important information with you.

1. Re-Start - we have submitted a detailed restart plan to the DGCA which is in two parts. The first part deals with a limited re-start utilising 7 aircraft ramping up to 21 aircraft in 4 months. The second part is a full scale rehabilitation of our Airline growing to 57 aircraft within 12 months of recapitalization. Both plans contain detailed information on key assumptions and funding requirements including payment of outstanding salaries to employees.

2. Funding - The limited re-start plan which we target for the beginning of the 2013 summer schedule requires funding of approximately Rs. 650 crores which is committed to be provided by The UB Group and associates.

3. DGCA - we have met with the DGCA and are in the process of submitting additional data and no-objection letters from key vendors as required by them. The factual position is that the Civil Aviation Regulations provide for a time period of upto two years to renew an Airline's scheduled operating permit from the date of expiry. We are on safe ground here. We will make all necessary efforts to satisfy the DGCA in order to secure renewal of our AOP.

4. Banks - we are meeting with our consortium of banks regularly and keeping them fully informed every step of the way. They have requested our urgent attention to certain overdues which we are addressing with them. The banks have been very co-operative and patient. There has been no discussion at all on recall of loans, enforcement of securities, etc.as reported in the media. On the contrary, the banks have expressed their keen desire to see Kingfisher fly again.

5. Prospective Investors - we have been in discussion with prospective strategic as well as financial investors for over a year. A large part of any investment decision hinged upon the Government's policy of FDI in Aviation by foreign Airlines. This new dispensation was announced on September 14, 2012 until which time discussions were stalled. The Aviation Industry in India is a seriously complex one including high costs resulting from excessive taxation and monopolies. Investors need to be convinced about the long term prospects of their proposed investment in Kingfisher and this takes time. Please rest assured that we are in discussion with multiple investors and remain confident that we will secure a deal.

6. Media - as you know, the media has continued their negative reporting on Kingfisher. I would urge each one of you to be particularly careful in any interaction you may have with them. Unfortunately, considerable management time is spent correcting or clarifying media reports than in transactional discussions.

I appeal to each one of you to stand together in solid support of your organisation. We need to single mindedly focus on being back in the air and to win back the confidence of our loyal guests.

Best Regards,

Vijay Mallya

Member of Parliament

Chairman and Managing Director

KINGFISHER AIRLINES LIMITED

A UB Group Company

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Narendra Modi's marketing savvy will headline 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit' 

Surat: Turning a single state with a long tradition of entrepreneurship and a solid political majority into an investor-friendly economic powerhouse is one thing.

Replicating that experience across a diverse country of 1.2 billion would be a tougher prospect for Narendra Modi, whose leadership of booming Gujarat state has led to his being touted as a potential candidate to become India's next prime minister.

While Modi wins praise even from critics for cutting red tape and making government more responsive and predictable, many ingredients for Gujarat's run of growth were in place well before he took office in 2001."It is like an icing on cake sort of thing. You have a nice cake and Modi has done a lot of good icing," said Rakesh Chaudhary, director of Pratibha Group, a textile manufacturer in Palsana on the outskirts of Surat.

Industry in Gujarat is helped by a long coastline and plenty of barren land that is easy to turn over to factory use.

The power that comes from a long-standing and heavy majority for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state also gives Modi an advantage that he would not enjoy on a national stage marked by fractious coalition politics.

Despite a controversial past - Modi is accused by critics of not doing enough to stop or of even quietly encouraging religious riots in 2002 that saw as many as 2,000 killed, most of them Muslims - he has established a reputation as an economic reformer in part by building on the strengths of Gujarat and marketing them heavily.

Modi's marketing savvy, aided by the Washington lobbying and public affairs firm APCO Worldwide, will be on display at the biennial "Vibrant Gujarat Summit" that begins on Friday.

Initiated by Modi in 2003 to attract investment after the violence and an earthquake in 2001, the event is attended by thousands of corporate officials who pledge billions in investment, although in reality only a fraction has seen the light of day. Of 12.4 trillion rupees in investment proposed at the 2009 event, just 8.5 percent had been spent as of November 2011, according to state government data.

"Under Modi's regime, there has been significant improvement in infrastructure growth, significant improvement in industrialisation, as well as agriculture," said Jahangir Aziz, senior Asia economist at JPMorgan. "But what has been overplayed is initial conditions were actually pretty decent in Gujarat."

Higher office?

The stocky Modi, who favours traditional Indian attire and a clipped white beard, plays down any prime ministerial ambitions.

But his popularity in Gujarat - the BJP won 115 of the state assembly's 182 seats in a December election - has fuelled speculation that he could lead his Hindu nationalist party in 2014 against the Congress party, which has been beset by corruption scandals and overseen a sharp economic slowdown.

"His economic record in Gujarat is obviously something which matters a lot to the middle classes. That, coupled with strong leadership," said Swapan Dasgupta, an analyst with links to the BJP who expects Modi to be the party standard-bearer in 2014.

Critics say that while Modi has indeed encouraged investment and helped bring reliable electricity and law and order, double-digit growth has not been shared broadly enough. In the five years through March 2010, some states - including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka - did better at bringing down poverty levels.

"Big business people get a lot from the government and scheduled caste people (minorities) get a lot, but people like us who are in between get nothing," said Bhupendra Thakkar, 50, who earns 6,000 rupees a month selling fruit near Surat's decrepit railway station.

Friend of business

Modi lured Tata Motors to the state in 2008 after the company's plans to build a factory for its low-cost Nano car were thwarted by farmers in West Bengal.

Ford Motor Co and Maruti Suzuki are also building plants in Gujarat - high profile investments that carry the added benefit of acting as marketing tools.

In the seven years through March 2011, Gujarat's economy grew an annual 10.08 percent at constant prices, against 6.45 percent in the eight years through March 2002 (Modi took office in October 2001), which was still ahead of the all-India average of 6.16 percent. A handful of states, including Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, clocked bigger gains over the same recent period.

By comparison, policy gridlock at the national level has contributed to a drop-off in corporate investment, putting India on track to record its slowest annual growth rate in a decade.

Accustomed to getting his way, Modi, 62, could struggle to negotiate the coalition politics that have become the norm at the national level and have hindered attempts at reform by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led administration.

"Policymaking has benefited from the fact that the BJP has had absolute majority in the state legislature - an advantage it certainly will not enjoy in the federal parliament," said Anjalika Bardalai, an analyst with the Eurasia Group in London.

Modi has also been able to leverage the business acumen of Gujaratis, a group that has long been known for trading and entrepreneurship and includes a prosperous global diaspora as well as billionaires such as Adani Group chief Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, who controls Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company.

"Modi might not be as successful as he has been here because the business mentality is unique to Gujarat," said Chandrakant Sanghavi, chairman of Sanghavi Exports International, a diamond trader and processor. "It could be prevalent in other states but the ratio may be less.'' 

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Two trains collide in Switzerland, several injured: police 

Geneva: Two passenger trains collided at a train station in northern Switzerland on Thursday morning, injuring several people, according to police, as media reported at least 30 had been hurt.

"There are injuries. We are not commenting on the number or severity of the injuries," a local police spokeswoman in the canton of Schaffhouse told AFP. 

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