Friday, November 26, 2010

Goa Blog

Goa Blog

Goa filmmaker threatens IFFI official

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:08 AM PST

Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) Chief Executive Officer Manoj Shrivastava has complained to Panjim town police station that a Goan filmmaker has threatened him in his office.

As per the complaint, Sanjiv Prabhudessai, a Gaan filmmaker threatened him and Information & Broadcasting senior bureaucrat during a meeting on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Deu Benaulikar informed that they have registered a non-cognizable case under section 506 (threatening) of the Indian Penal Code.

Shrivastava said that during the meeting, the filmmaker stood and threatening before walking out of the office.

ESG, a nodal agency by the Goa Government is a co-host for the festival that was flagged off in the state on November 22 at the hands of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The filmmaker's Konkani film 'Sood' was screened during the IFFI 2004.

Courtesy:IB

Beer is cheaper than a cup of tea at IFFI in Goa

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:53 AM PST

In an instance of “if they do not have bread, let them eat cake,” beer is available at cheaper rate than tea at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

While one has to shell out Rs58 for a cup of tea, a glass of beer is sold at Rs25!

The tea stall allotted to a well-known coffee chain is selling tea at Rs58 while a cup of coffee costs even more.

“We do not control the pricing at the festival. If delegates want, they can just walk across the road where tea is available at market rate,” said Manoj Srivastava, chief executive officer of Entertainment Society of Goa.

The ten-day-long festival is being jointly organised by the state government and directorate of film festival.

He said the need to rake in money for the festival forces the organisers to go in for big brands, who usually charge high.

Several state-level women’s organisation have objected to the promotion of beer at the festival.

The organisers have, however, not bogged down to the protests and allowed beer stall at the venue, in abid to get sponsorships.

The state this time has collected Rs1.5 crore through sponsorships as against Rs1.25 crore last festival. The budget of the festival is Rs7.35 crore.

Several delegates attending the festivals have also complained of inadequate transport facilities at the venue.

The organisers this year have replaced the rickshaws with cabs to ply delegates between Inox and Kala Academy, the festival venues.

“The cab service exists but they are not prominently seen. Now, we have asked them to stand in front of the gate,” Srivastava said.

On the absence of 30 cars pressed into service to ferry delegates to the venue from hotels where they are staying, Srivastav said the vehicles were withdrawn as six buses are plying between the hotels and the venue.

Courtesy:DNA

The David Headley Confessions: Part-II

Posted: 26 Nov 2010 12:56 AM PST

'How I waged war on India'

The following is a first-hand representation of what David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American terrorist in a US prison, confessed to the sleuths of India's National Investigation Agency in June this year. It was obtained by Dinesh Sharma of Zee News from highly placed sources in the agency and is being reproduced in a two-part series on the second anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks.

“There is no doubt I am an LeT operative who was a part of the conspiracy to wage war against India.

The following LeT men were involved in the planning of 26/11: Hafiz Saeed (chief of LeT), Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (LeT chief military commander). Middle level commanders like Sajid Mahid, Muzzammil, Abdur Rehman alias Pasha, Abu Alqama, Abu Qahafa, Abu Anas, Abdul Aziz, Abu Hamza (considered to be an India expert who took part in the Bangalore attack of 2005) and Yaqub.

Hafiz Saeed was in the complete know of Mumbai attacks plan which could be launched only after his go-ahead. He keeps abreast with each and every LeT activity, though does not show it in public. Sajid, Alqama and Qahafa controlled the Mumbai attackers from Karachi on GPS and mobiles. Sajid was in contact with the attackers of Chhabad House and told them to kill everybody there while Alqama directed the operations at Taj. Qahafa encouraged the attackers by repeatedly saying that the entire Muslim Ummah looked upon them.

I was also in direct contact with ISI officials Major Iqbal and Lt Col Hamza who have influence and control over LeT's top brass. I briefed Major Iqbal, my ISI handler, about each reconnaissance visit to Mumbai. I carried out certain exclusive reconnaissance tasks for him as well.

I arrived in India for the first time on September 14 in 2006 at the Mumbai airport. I stayed at Hotel Outram and never called my Pakistani contacts from my new cellphone. This was done for me by Tahawwur Rana in Chicago. Here I submitted a form with RBI to open an immigration office for which I even appointed a Parsi woman as my secretary. This was a cover for me as I was super secretive – no one in India could imagine what I was up to.

I made extensive photographs of places like the Brihan Mumbai Corporation building, Haji Ali, Gateway of India, Hotel Taj, State police HQs, Azad Maidan, Marine Drive, VT Railway Station, Mumbai Central Railway Station, Leopold Cafe etc. My reconnaissance videos were appreciated by ISI and LeT and were crucial in carrying out attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Qahafa and I did a serious study on Google Earth to conduct the reconnaissance of Hotel Taj. We plotted the entire route and spot that the attackers would use through GPS and Google Earth.

I have also made videos of targets in Delhi, Pune, Goa and Pushkar and these too will be used by LeT and al Qaeda to attack India in future. Even the Kumbh Mela is a target. I shot some things on a camera given to me by my Pakistani mother-in-law. But I mostly used my mobile's camera to do the recordings from April to June 2008 as well as in 2009 in India and Denmark. It has of course been seized by the FBI when they caught me from the Chicago Airport.

I think the LeT and ISI plotted the Mumbai attacks to shift the interest of the world from Afghanistan and to instill a new spirit among their own cadre which were getting restless to join jihad in that country.

Mumbai attacks were financed and supported by the ISI, pretty much like every other plan of the LeT is. Every important LeT member is handled by ISI officials. My handlers were Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali. Similarly Lakhvi was controlled by Brigadier Riyaz who is based in Muzaffarabad. Major Iqbal provided money for my surveillance in Mumbai. In fact the Rs 25 lakhs used to buy the first boat used to reach Mumbai was ISI money. This boat was used in September to reach Mumbai but that attempt failed and the boat was destroyed. Yes, there was a failed attempt by the LeT in September 2008. It was Ramzan and Lakhvi had gone to Mecca to pray for the operation's success but the boat hit a rock and the attackers had to be brought back in another one. The clearance of this boat at the end of the Pakistani government and was arranged by Sajid.

Courtesy:ZEE

IFFI 2010 Day 4

Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:30 PM PST

“I am Kalam”, a children’s film based on former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is aimed at inspiring the poor to educate their children, director of the film Nila Madhab Panda said at the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here.

The film will be screened at the festival Thursday.

“The aim is to ensure that even under privileged people are inspired to educate their children even the most backward, poorest of the poor areas,” Panda told reporters at a press conference here Wednesday.

The film celebrates the survival of the human spirit against overwhelming odds and highlights the need for underprivileged children’s education.

She said they were trying to engage the Unesco and the central government to take the film to the rural masses of India.

“We have also engaged moving theatres which are a feature in rural India to screen this film. They charge Re.1 or Rs.2 per person to screen these movies on DVD all we have to do is give then a DVD free for screening. The message of the film has to percolate,” Panda said.

“I am Kalam” has won a host of awards including the best feature film at the Lucan International Film festival, “Don Quixote” prize at of the Federation Internationale des Cine-Clubs in Germany and a special mention at the Cinekid international film festival at Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The scary and funny IFFI street is attracting people from all walks.

The noted bollywood director Rajkumar Hirani and Screenplay writer Abhijat Joshi seen putting their thoughts forward during the Knowledge Series at the Film Bazaar on the fourth day of the ongoing 41st International Film Festival of India in Panaji on Thursday.

Screenplay writer Abhijat Joshi seen during the Knowledge Series at the Film Bazaar on the fourth day of the ongoing 41st International Film Festival of India in Panaji on Thursday.

The cast and crew of the Marathi film ‘Vihir..The well’ seen interacting with the media at the media centre on the fourth day of the ongoing 41st International Film Festival of India in Panaji on Thursday.


Bollywood character actor Nana Patekar seen at the Inox multiplex on the fourth day of the ongoing 41st International Film Festival of India in Panaji on Thursday.

Noted actress Mrunal Kulkarni at the Inox courtyard.
Courtesy:Daijiworld
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