Meena now rules the airwaves

By Anjali Singh

GIRL POWER Conceptualised by UNICEF, with help from Hanna-Barbera, the legendary creators of ‘The Flintstones’, this smart character represents ordinary girls in India and voices their dreams. Courtesy: DECCANHERALD.COM

Nine-year-old Meena is in the news once again. This time it’s because the cartoon character who has been educating children across India on issues of gender and health through stories in comic books has now been given a voice.
Every day Meena comes on air on All India Radio (AIR). Launched recently from AIR’s Lucknow and Lalitpur stations, the 15-minute programme is broadcast six days in a week.
‘Hey, that’s who I am’

Reshma Bano (12), from Gosaiganj, credits Meena for inspiring her to become a lawyer. “When I hear Meena speak, I can identify with her completely. That’s why I encourage all those people who don’t send their daughters to school to listen to Meena and understand how important it is for girls to be educated. My parents too love to hear Meena speak and accompany me to the homes of the people who don’t send their daughters to school. Like Meena I tell them that we should help each other lead a better life.”
Reshma is not the only one talking about Meena, who has emerged as a role model for millions of children across South Asia. A spirited nine-year-old, Meena along with her brother, Raju, and a garrulous parrot, Mithu, has been inspiring schoolchildren, their parents and even teachers through entertaining stories.
Speak up, loud and clear

Lalita Pradip, Director, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), says: “Until now children were listening to the stories of Meena in English. The character has been instrumental in ensuring that girls, even in rural India, do not hesitate to speak English. Through Meena, girls are learning to express themselves. We hope to launch the Meena radio programme in regional languages as well.”
Adele Khudr, Chief of UNICEF, Uttar Pradesh, says: “Through this radio incarnation, children, especially girls, in the remotest villages will be reached.”
Conceptualised by UNICEF with help from Hanna-Barbera, the legendary creators of ‘The Flintstones’, this fun-loving child represents ordinary girls in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal. Along with her pet parrot, Mithu, Meena confronts the problem of extreme discrimination that girls in the region face.
Go for it, girls!

Terming the decision to launch Meena on radio a landmark one, Santosh Yadav — a former bureaucrat and the only woman to scale Mount Everest twice — was present during the inaugural broadcast of the show in March.
Citing her own life as an example of how an ordinary girl from a village of four households reached the top of the world, Yadav in her interaction with a large number of schoolgirls who had come from the eight blocks of Lucknow, talked about how Meena was an inspiration to her too.
“There is no such thing as destiny. It is important to aim high and go for it. Society is invariably against the girl. Many families succumb to social pressure and discourage their daughters. But as daughters we (must) persist with determination and march on.
Education through radio is a powerful medium of self-instruction as well. I learnt English listening to the radio and was able to clear the IAS exams. So, I feel Meena is a very apt gift to all the girls who have dreams of becoming something in their lives.”
And, Meena knows her brand value. She declares in one sequence, “I am motivational, I
am inspirational and most importantly I am enjoyable!” Little wonder then that her voice is ruling the airwaves.

Preity Zinta richest Bollywood actress

Is Preity Zinta the richest girl in Bollywood today? It would seem so. The pretty co-owner of the Punjab IPL team, rough estimates say, is worth a whole lot of moolah.

Preity’s stake in her cricket team alone is valued at around Rs 350 to Rs 400 crores. Some cricket experts say the figure is higher. Besides which, the actress is also likely to be the legal heir of Shandar Amrohi, who is one of the co-owners of Kamalistan Studios (that originally belonged to Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi).

This property is also valued at hundreds of crores and is the cynosure of the eyes of several builders. There is a strong rumour that suggests that at some point, the astute business woman that she is, Preity will sell some part of her IPL stake and redevelop the Kamalistan property alongwith a high-profile builder from Pune. Since the perky Bollywood actress is currently travelling with her team and has no time to even breathe, news reports suggest that she will build on her other dreams eventually.

TOI

Elizabeth Taylor denies engagement rumours

New York, Apr 13 (ANI): Elizabeth Taylor took to micro-blogging site Twitter to deny reports that she's engaged to Jason Winters.

"The rumors regarding my engagement simply aren't true," Taylor, 78, tweeted.

A report on UsMagazine.com had claimed that she was set to wed Winters, 49, of Sterling Winters Management.

However, the actress denied the report, saying Winters is only a "friend," reports The New York Daily News.

"Jason is my manager and dearest friend. I love him with all my heart," she wrote.

Following the initial report, a rep for Taylor told the News, "We don't process any information on their private lives, since we don't know it," however added, "It has been public knowledge and is well documented for some time that have been very close." (ANI)

I’m no diva, says Jenifer Lopez

New York, Apr 13 (PTI) Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says she gets hurt by claims that she is a demanding diva and is adamant that isn''t part of her personality. The 40-year-old star claims she is not the difficult star many assume she is and admits she gets upset by the accusations, New York Daily News reported.

"I never like stories where people say I misbehave or act like a diva, because I don''t. Or that I make terrible demands, because those are always fabricated stories, and always have been," Lopez said.

"But they''ve become such a strong part of my image that I have no control over it. They''re not true, though, and that''s always bothered me," she added.

Despite her frustrations, the ''Jenny from the Block'' hitmaker tries to ignore the more outlandish claims because she knows she is a good person. "You have to keep a sense of humour.

There''s something that people want about that diva idea, and I don''t understand it and it bothers me because it''s not the type of person I am, but what can I do? "What''s always served me throughout my career is that when people get to know me, or talk to me, and they actually get a chance to see what I''m like, it combats the negative stuff - when they get a chance to see who I am as a person and what I''m about, and that I laugh and giggle and that I''m normal. The truth always comes out at the end of the day," Lopez said.

The star, who has two-year-old twins Max and Emme with husband Marc Anthony, also said her recent break from acting reinvigorated her career. "I feel like it''s a new beginning.

It''s a bit like when I was a teenager about to embark on this career but it''s much more challenging, difficult and harder," Lopez said. "I have so much more experience now but I feel just as fresh as I did back then and I''m excited about my life," she added.

Sania Mirza marries Shoiab

Denials and divorces in place, Shoaib Malik finally married tennis star Sania Mirza on Monday in her hometown of Hyderabad.

The wedding was held at 1 pm at the Taj Krishna, a private function with close family members as invitees. "Sania wore a red saree that her mother had worn 25 years ago for her own nikaah. Shoaib wore wearing a black sherwani which was made by Shantanu and Nikhil," said Sania's spokesperson, Rucha Nayak.

However, Hyderabad, and indeed the rest of India may be forgiven for feeling like they now know way more than they ever dared about Mirza's groom who is a Pakistani cricket. Over a series of press conferences and daily television and newspaper interviews, India has confronted Malik, his first wife, Ayesha Siddiqui, also a Hyderabad resident, and the details of their phone-wedding and quickie divorce. Malik reportedly married Siddiqui in 2002 in a telephonic ceremony.

The couple had dated for several months - whether they ever met or not depends on who you find more convincing. Malik claims he was cheated because the photos that were sent to him by his girlfriend were in fact of someone else altogether.

The identity of that woman remains secret, mercifully, in a story that has given over-exposure a whole new meaning. Siddiqui claims that Malik and she did meet, but with unhappy results. He was embarrassed by her weight, she alleges, and was ashamed of her. Either way, Siddiqui timed her revelations to Malik's arrival in Hyderabad earlier this month for his wedding to Mirza, at whose house he is staying.

After a public press conference where Mirza and Malik, like some unique two-headed creature, firmly nodded their denials about his first wedding, Malik divorced Siddiqui, with community elders mediating. His sentiments about the divorce were also in the public domain, with a unique press release that asked everyone to think of him as a younger brother and forgive him. Mirzas's mehendi is scheduled for Tuesday, followed by a sangeet on Wednesday (Malik and she have been rehearsing a dance performance, one wonders what song best describes their current state of mind and relationship), a lavish reception will be held on Thursday.

NDTV grab image

Kathryn Bigelow to make Indian film?

‘The Hurt Locker’ with ease, has now conveyed that she doesn’t mind working with Indian artists, as Bollywood is the second largest film industry in the world.

Kathryn Bigelow is the first woman ever to have made history winning a Best Director Oscar for her Iraqi war saga ‘The Hurt Locker’.

This film dominated the Oscars by earning six golden statuettes at the Academy Awards. The story that spins around the U.S. bomb disposal squad in Iraq vividly captures the dramatic moments of diffusing a bomb.

Kathryn Bigelow hopes that Indian audiences would appreciate her work
Kathryn, who has done an amazing job with ‘The Hurt Locker’, is looking forward to Indian audience’s reaction.

When asked about her expectations with the Indian audiences, Kathryn Bigelow replied through an email interview, "I am expecting that the Indian audience will appreciate our work too. I want them to understand that soldiers are acting as nation builders and peacemakers. They have courage and heroism, but fragility under fire too and the effective or ineffective ability to retain composure in a life or death situation."

With her film been acknowledged as a great one, Kathryn now hopes that the Indian audience would love her work.

Starring in the gut tightening war suspense film ‘The Hurt Locker’ is Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Evangeline Lilly, and Ralph Fiennes. The film was released in India on Friday.

Kathryn who has done films like ‘Near Dark’, ‘Point Break ‘and ‘The Weight of Water’, is now presently keeping herself busy by working on pre-production of her yet to be titled drama sequence for television, and is also working on a script for her next film.

"Nothing final for now. But for sure with Oscars has come a big responsibility; so whatever I do next has to be bigger than this because now with appraisals I have also added critics to my audience, who will review my work in more stringent ways," responded Kathryn, when asked about her new film.

‘The Hurt locker’ director might make an Indian-based drama
After making an extremely detailed film on war in ‘‘The Hurt Locker’, 58-year-old may make an Indian-based drama in future, As she stated, "I don't know as of now, but I do have plans. I will certainly think about it and would love to experiment with different subjects, So let's see how it works ahead."

She said that Indian entertainment industry is quite well known in the world, and she believes that Indian cinema is a different journey all together.

“I don't know many (Indian) actors and not much of cinema. I only know of Indian directors in the UK or US making India-based films like Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapoor," stated the filmmaker, when asked whether she knows any Indian filmmakers.

Kathryn adores Indian Culture
Interestingly when asked whether she has seen any Indian film, Kathryn informed that she likes watching world cinema and has seen lots of non-English films like Iranian, Portuguese, Korean but had not seen any Indian films yet.

“However, I have seen Shekhar Kapoor's 'Elizabeth', Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' and Mira's 'Amelia' then 'Bride and Prejudice'... I liked them all. They have done incredible work," added the director of ‘The Hurt Locker,” she said.

The filmmaker who doesn’t know about Indian films and actors conveyed, "Well, I don't know much people there but certainly when things work, you get to know a lot of them. But not thought as of now. But certainly I would plan to be there work wise.”

Kathryn also expressed that she doesn’t mind working with Indian artists, as Bollywood is currently the second largest film industry in the world and is apparently growing at a fast pace.

When asked whether she’s planning to make a visit anytime soon, "I haven't been there, but, yes, I will surely make a visit soon. I adore Indian culture and would definitely love to visit this divine place whenever I get a chance."

Kajol: Indian beauty

Kajol, one of the most successful actress of Bollywood, was born to actress Tanuja and producer Somu Mukherjee. Though she debuted with the flop film 'Bekhudi' (1992), Kajol got noticed with 'Baazigar' (1993) and shot to the top most position with the major hit 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995).

The versatility of her acting can be seen from the various characters done by this natural actress. The movies which she did with Shahrukh Khan were all blockbuster hits. Charming Kajol won the heart of the audience with her simplicity, girl next door attitude and superb acting talent.

She got married to actor Ajay Devgan in 1999 and has a daughter Nysa. Kajol is the brand ambassador of Whirlpool products along with her husband. After a break she has made a comeback with Kunal Kohli's Fanaa (2006). Awards to her credits are Lux Zee Cine Award 1997 for Best Villian and Filmfare Best Actress Award 1998 for 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.

Riya Sen: Indian beauty

Riya Sen, grand daughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen and daughter of Moon Moon Sen, made her Bollywood debut with the film 'Style' (2001). This Bengali beauty with almond eyes, first faced the camera at the tender age of 15 for the Tamil flick 'Taj Mahal'.

After that she did several advertisements and became a familiar face in the Indipop circuit. She has featured in music videos including Phalguni Pathak's 'Yaad piya ki', Jagjit Singh- Asha Bhonsle's 'Jab samne tum' and 'Kahin kahin se'. Residing in Mumbai, this hot gorgeous girl is considered to be following her mothers foot steps.