Date:06/03/2013
A star and his followers have always had a storybook affair, until social networking empowered the latter with an open platform and a mask of anonymity. To follow a star does not necessarily translate into exchanging terms of endearment. 'Followers' now tweet to berate, bully, abuse or heckle the stars. As Deepa Mehta had said in an interview to this newspaper, it gives the anonymous, armchair critic a sense of empowerment. And no one knows this better than Shah Rukh Khan, who has quit Twitter again, after a fresh surge of attacks brought on by his views on being a Muslim superstar in India.
This is SRK's second boycott of the popular medium after being hounded out by trolls under similar circumstances last year. But the star showed just how vulnerable he still is, when he tweeted: Sad, i read so much judgements, jingoism, religious intolerance on the net & i use to think, this platform will change narrow mindedness, but no!
TOI has learnt that SRK is now putting together a strategy to handle his online presence. He will no longer take the virtual punches on his chin, but his media managers will do the needful.
"Shah Rukh is distraught with the negative energy on Twitter.
The abuses and the vicious attacks on him after every tweet have made him very cynical about the medium," explained a friend of the star. "You can see from his last tweet that he is disillusioned with the medium."
But SRK is not alone. Aamir Khan, who is perhaps not subjected to such intense scrutiny, seems to have taken a break from Twitter because of similar reasons.
"It's been over six months since Aamir has actually updated his Twitter account. He occasionally posts on Facebook, which is linked to his Twitter handle. No one knows about it, but he has actually stopped checking his Twitter account," said a friend close to the actor, adding, "This way he is immune to the negativity of trolls." We believe his team monitors the rest.
Apparently, Aamir's nephew Imran Khan has taken a leaf out of his book. "Imran was being attacked by trolls who were unsparing in their comments on his acting abilities. Imran has not just stopped checking, he has deleted his account," said a source close to the actor.
One could argue that social networking is a double-edged sword. As Ranvir Shorey says, "Stars live in a bubble. The medium grounds them." There are some who use the medium to 'deny' unflattering stories that appear in the media or even settle scores with those with a so-called agenda. There are also others, who are yet to figure out how to deal with the self-styled virtual vigilantes - masked, anonymous and very, very powerful.
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Date:05/03/2013
After staying away from the small screen for nearly 15 years, actress Anita Raj is all set to make her comeback.
Raj, who featured in popular films in the ’80s like Naukar Biwi Ka, Clerk, Masterji and was last seen in Char Din Ki Chandni will be seen in Anil Kapoor’s upcoming TV series.
A source says, “Previously Anita has been a part of TV shows like Aashiqui and Eena Meena Deeka. She will be seen in a meaty role in Anil’s programme.”
Apparently the makers of the show roped her in given her top shape. The source adds, “Anita rigorously works out every day. She is expected to do some action sequences in the show.”
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DATE:05/03/2013
Insiders say that among the first would be Sajid Khan’s Himmatwala, which is produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Vashu Bhagnani. A source adds, “The next is Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha followed by an action film with Prabhu Deva and a sequel to Rohit Shetty’s Singham. Besides Devgn’s upcoming films, the network already has 18 of his earlier films including Singham, the Golmaal series, Zameen and Gangaajal.”
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Date:04/03/2013
A star and his followers have always had a storybook
A star and his followers have always had a storybook affair, until social networking empowered the latter with an open platform and a mask of anonymity. To follow a star does not necessarily translate into exchanging terms of endearment. 'Followers' now tweet to berate, bully, abuse or heckle the stars. As Deepa Mehta had said in an interview to this newspaper, it gives the anonymous, armchair critic a sense of empowerment. And no one knows this better than Shah Rukh Khan, who has quit Twitter again, after a fresh surge of attacks brought on by his views on being a Muslim superstar in India.
This is SRK's second boycott of the popular medium after being hounded out by trolls under similar circumstances last year. But the star showed just how vulnerable he still is, when he tweeted: Sad, i read so much judgements, jingoism, religious intolerance on the net & i use to think, this platform will change narrow mindedness, but no!
TOI has learnt that SRK is now putting together a strategy to handle his online presence. He will no longer take the virtual punches on his chin, but his media managers will do the needful.
"Shah Rukh is distraught with the negative energy on Twitter.
The abuses and the vicious attacks on him after every tweet have made him very cynical about the medium," explained a friend of the star. "You can see from his last tweet that he is disillusioned with the medium."
But SRK is not alone. Aamir Khan, who is perhaps not subjected to such intense scrutiny, seems to have taken a break from Twitter because of similar reasons.
"It's been over six months since Aamir has actually updated his Twitter account. He occasionally posts on Facebook, which is linked to his Twitter handle. No one knows about it, but he has actually stopped checking his Twitter account," said a friend close to the actor, adding, "This way he is immune to the negativity of trolls." We believe his team monitors the rest.
Apparently, Aamir's nephew Imran Khan has taken a leaf out of his book. "Imran was being attacked by trolls who were unsparing in their comments on his acting abilities. Imran has not just stopped checking, he has deleted his account," said a source close to the actor.
One could argue that social networking is a double-edged sword. As Ranvir Shorey says, "Stars live in a bubble. The medium grounds them." There are some who use the medium to 'deny' unflattering stories that appear in the media or even settle scores with those with a so-called agenda. There are also others, who are yet to figure out how to deal with the self-styled virtual vigilantes - masked, anonymous and very, very powerful.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Date:05/03/2013
Anita Raj back on TV after 15 years
After staying away from the small screen for nearly 15 years, actress Anita Raj is all set to make her comeback.
Raj, who featured in popular films in the ’80s like Naukar Biwi Ka, Clerk, Masterji and was last seen in Char Din Ki Chandni will be seen in Anil Kapoor’s upcoming TV series.
A source says, “Previously Anita has been a part of TV shows like Aashiqui and Eena Meena Deeka. She will be seen in a meaty role in Anil’s programme.”
Apparently the makers of the show roped her in given her top shape. The source adds, “Anita rigorously works out every day. She is expected to do some action sequences in the show.”
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DATE:05/03/2013
Ajay Devgn inks Rs 400 crore deal with a channel!
Now, that’s a lot of moolah! Buzz is that Ajay Devgn has now inked a staggering Rs 400 crore deal with a leading GEC for exclusive satellite rights of all his upcoming films until 2018. This five-year deal comes close to Salman Khan’s five-year deal with the same channel for satellite rights.
Our source says, “After Salman’s deal, Devgn is the next superstar to sign such a huge deal. The agreement is for five years and will roughly have around 10 of his films. Ajay is one of the most popular guys in satellite business as some of his recent films have done tremendous business. Films like Bol Bachchan, Singham, Son Of Sardaar and the Golmaal series have not only crossed the Rs 100 crore mark but have also generated huge TRPs on satellite channels.”
Insiders say that among the first would be Sajid Khan’s Himmatwala, which is produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Vashu Bhagnani. A source adds, “The next is Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha followed by an action film with Prabhu Deva and a sequel to Rohit Shetty’s Singham. Besides Devgn’s upcoming films, the network already has 18 of his earlier films including Singham, the Golmaal series, Zameen and Gangaajal.”
Ajay, who is currently in Bhopal shooting for Jha’s film says, “Business is becoming increasingly open and clear, so it’s easier to deal directly. I am securing the producer a higher value, so he benefits eventually, as they often depend on satellite rights to garner a substantial amount of the cost of production. But I am also ensuring a certain amount for myself. For the rest, like actors’ fees, etc, all depends on the relationship between an actor and the producer.”
After dominating the big screen, looks like Devgn is all set to make his mark on television too.Hemal Jhaveri from the channel says, “We are extremely happy to have partnered with Ajay, whose movies have consistently performed at the box office and on television. It’s also a special association since we relaunched the channel with Singham.”
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Date:04/03/2013
Now that the queen bee, Kareena has settled down with her nawab, who would be her worthy successor? Two young hot actresses have been strategically climbing up - Anushka Sharma and Sonakshi Sinha. But who among the two should be crowned the next queen of Bollywood?
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