Finch replaces Clarke for Pune Warriors...

Australian top-order T20 specialist Aaron Finch is all set to replace Michael Clarke in the sixth edition of IPL. Clarke was earlier ruled out of the tournament with a back injury and will be out of action for 10 weeks. Angelo Mathews will captain the team in his absence. 

Playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, Finch scored 332 runs at an average of 66.40 in the last season. However, he was plagued with poor form during the T20s in January against Sri Lanka and West Indies scoring only 12 runs in three matches. On the domestic T20 circuit, he averages 36.14 in 58 matches having scored 1699 runs at a strike-rate of 130.49. 

This will be his third IPL franchise after playing for Rajasthan Royals in 2010 and Delhi Daredevils in 2011 and 2012. Delhi Daredevils released him after the 2012 season and he went unsold in this year's auctions at a base price of $200,000. 

Finch is expected to leave for India on the 30th. The Warriors will play their first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5. 

Gambhir ready to resume battle for KKR......

Gautam Gambhir, the KKR skipper, has said that he should be fit in time for Kolkata's opening game against Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens on April 3. Gambhir, who was dropped for the Test series against Australia, recently suffered a bout of jaundice, has resumed training in order to get into the groove quickly. 

In an interview to the Hindustan Times newspaper, Gambhir stated that he did not push himself immediately and he started out slowly as he was still suffering from fatigue. He stated that he will be ready for the opening game against Delhi. "After the end of that match, we have a decent break and that should give me time to recuperate." 

Gambhir was instrumental in helping Kolkata win the IPL trophy for the first time last year. He was the second highest run-scorer for the team as he led by example. He reiterated that he did not have any regrets on been left out of the Indian team that had whitewashed Australia 4-0. He added that his biggest motivation is playing for India but it is not the only thing in his life. "As a sportsperson, my main aim is to keep on performing. It felt great to be back in the Delhi team after a long time. We won the Vijay Hazare trophy after a gap of 17-18 years and that was a great feeling. I want to score runs to help my team win and I ensure that I do not complicate things. I want to keep my life and cricket simple and that can only be achieved by scoring runs. 

KKR Coach Trevor Bayliss, meanwhile, believes that the lack of match practice heading into the IPL will not be a deterrent for Gambhir. Bayliss stated that players like Gambhir and Jacques Kallis would prove their mettle once the tournament starts on account of their experience. In an interview to the Telegraph, Bayliss went onto say, "We have a squad that boasts of highly effective players in the middle order who can handle their responsibilities. There is added pressure upon us due to our achievements in the 2012 edition and we will have to work hard to defend the trophy this time." He added that it was a wonderful feeling to start the tournament as champions and they will look to carry forward the momentum through the competition. 

The squad has slowly started to assemble for training. England batsman Eoin Morgan, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Iqbal Abdullah joined the team in Kolkata on Thursday. 

Daniel Christian rates IPL higher than Big Bash......

Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian on Friday rated the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of his country's domestic T20 Big Bash. 

"Big Bash popularity is massive in Australia, but obviously not like IPL. The viewership for IPL is pretty high for the IPL than Big Bash," Christian told reporters after a training session at the Chinnaswamy stadium here. 

The Big Bash and IPL are fantastic and is a pleasure and honour to play in both the tournaments, he said. 

Christian said he has not played under Virat Kohli, but had words of admiration for the Indian vice-captain. He also said he is excited to play alongside Chris Gayle and Muttaiah Muralitharan. 

"Yeah. I am looking forward to play with Chris, especially after having had to bowl at him a fair bit in the past," he said. 

Replying to a query, Christian said in the next couple of days he would catch up with coach Ray Jennings and captain Kohli to know about his role in the team. 

"More than likely I will be batting somewhere in the middle and offering some overs like I normally do," he said. 

Christian said the team's set-up is very good and was pleased to hear that he had been bought by RCB to play in this year's IPL. 

"Obviously, I admired RCB, when I was playing for the Deccan Chargers. I am very pleased when I found out in the auction that I was picked for RCB," he added. 

World's smallest cell phone charger.........

The Devotec Fuel Micro Charger is the smallest emergency phone charger, and its 220 milliAmp hour battery is designed to give you around 20 - 30 minutes extra talk time, or up to a few hours more standby, depending on how you use your cell phone.

Is the US dollar going to collapse?........

The United States, a once prosperous country which was praised all around the globe as being the land of opportunities is now saddled with an ever increasing debt. After the sub-prime mortgage crisis, which hit not just the US but the whole world, the Federal Reserve chose to cut interest rates several times to a historic low of 0.25%. Further, the Fed continued to enforce its loosening monetary policy by announcing various rounds of quantitative easing, the latest known as QE3 or QE open-ended, buying mortgage-backed securities to the tune of US$ 40 bn a month and keeping interest rates low in order to encourage consumer spending.

This has led to the increase in the value of the dollar. The Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against six other currencies, has gained 3.3% in the past year, and the same amount so far this year. Budget busting government spending, trillions in Treasury debt and the lowest interest rates on record have many worried about inflation and the damage it could inflict on the dollar once the global economy recovers.

The Federal Reserve and Treasury have flooded the world with greenbacks. Because the dollar is a reserve currency and because US Treasury debt has virtually no default risk, investors have sucked up as many dollars as the US has been willing to provide. But that's sidelined money. Eventually international investors are going to want to sell dollars and buy performing assets.

There are grave consequences if the dollar collapsed. The dollar collapse would create a global economic crisis since investors will immediately start rushing to other currencies or assets, like gold or silver. The dollar collapse will create skyrocketing import prices in the US that will lead to inflation and possibly hyper-inflation. Because of risks, much debate has occurred in recent times whether the greenback deserves its status as the world's reserve currency. Because of the kind of problems that the US is facing and the reckless money printing done by the Fed, dollar is losing value. The question is which currency will replace it? Its counterpart Euro has too many problems of its own to emerge as a serious contender. The same can be said for currencies from the emerging countries. Hence only time will tell whether a dollar collapse is imminent or not.

By Equitymaster – India's leading 'independent' equity research initiative. Trusted by over a million members all over the world, Equitymaster is known for its well-researched, unbiased and honest opinions on theIndian stock markets.

Crazy yet amazing photos.........

top three unbeatable records in cricket....

MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.
TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.
MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

1. MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

   1. MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

   2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

   3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

1. 1. 1. MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

      2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

      3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

      MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

   2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

   3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

   MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

   1. MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH: There have been plenty of 17-fors in First Class cricket, but never an 18-for. Only one bowler has once managed 19. Jim Laker took an incredible 19-90 in the Manchester Test against Australia in 1956: 9-37 in the first innings (7-8 off his last 22 balls) and 10-53 in the second innings in 51.2 overs. No bowler has come within an earshot of this incredible feat, which suggests that the record will stay with Laker for long.less 

   2. TENDULKAR’S INTERNATIONAL RUNS AND HUNDREDS: Sachin Tendulkar has amassed a mountain of batting records. He has 15,837 Test runs with 51 hundreds in 198 matches, 18,426 ODI runs with 49 hundreds in 463 matches, and each of these numbers is unlikely to be topped.

   3. MURALITHARAN’S INTERNATIONAL WICKETS: The Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets. To fully fathom what Muralitharan has achieved in Tests, take the current 100m sprint record and halve it. When Murali started playing Test cricket, the record was a mere 431. With his ruthless efficiency for consuming wickets, he has pushed the record to heights that may not be touched again.

rare pic.....

Two held in Jesse Ryder assault case......

Christchurch: A 37-year-old man has also been arrested and is being questioned regarding his involvement in the assault on New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder.

Earlier, a 20-year old man had been arrested in connection with a late-night attack on New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder.

The two men arrested so far are believed to be related but the police refused to elaborate on their relationship.

The cricketer remains in critical condition after suffering severe head injuries in a brawl outside a bar.

The arrested men will appear in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday.

Ryder was set to represent Delhi Daredevils in IPL season six. The Delhi franchise had paid USD 260000 for his services in the latest IPL players` auction. 

3rd ODI: Bangladesh register first ever win over Sri Lanka in rain-hit match......

SLC won`t stop players from joining IPL, says secretary Nishantha.......

New Delhi: Sri Lanka Cricket secretary, Nishantha Ranatunga, today said it will not stop its players from participating in the Indian Premier League after getting assurances from the BCCI about their safety but made it clear that the SLC will not accept political interference.

"I don`t think Lankan players should boycott the IPL just because of political party and views. The game should be kept away from it. That is the SLC policy. BCCI has no reservations with regard to our players coming in. If they (BCCI) are supportive and want our players to come there, we will be happy to do so," Nishantha told a news channel.

"As long as BCCI is supporting our cricket, we support them. It it is our duty to make sure that if BCCI wants our players, it is our responsibility to provide them the players. In terms of political interference and involvement, we will not accept it. We will keep the relationship with the board and take the game forward," he added.

Bowing to intense political pressure, top Sri Lankan players were withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the IPL after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them due to the growing political tensions in the state resulting from the treatment of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Former captain Arjun Ranatunga had slammed the IPL Governing Council`s decision to withdraw Lanka cricketers from Chennai matches of the tournament and asked the players to opt out of the entire high-profile event beginning April 3.

Nishantha said after talks with their Sports Ministry and the BCCI, the SLC decided to allow its players for the IPL given they did not feature in Chennai games. However, he made it clear that the players are free to make their own decisions.

"I think it`s my duty to explain the process followed. We wrote to the BCCI and in return they gave us an assurance about one week back that they are taking maximum precautions and are evaluating the situation.

"Two days back, we got a communication from them that it is advisable not to sympathise to Tamil Nadu because of happening there and we contacted our Sports Ministry and they also said so," he said.

"From cricket boards point of view, we have told that if players are ready to go, there is no objection and other than TN state, they can go for IPL if they wish to. In case, there is a security issue, we will not allow our players to go. But at the end of the day, it`s their decision to go or not," he said.

Nishantha said most of the people in Tamil Nadu would love to see Sri Lankan players turning up for their respective franchises.

"Look at the people of Tamil Nadu, most of them would love to see Sri Lanka cricketers. Look at the background, we had a TN tournament 15-20 years back and this is how we started developing our game. There is a big relationship between the two countries and the two states. It is because of few people or few politicians....I don`t think we shouls look at that," he said. 

Kohli, Raina in top 10 in ICC T20 rankings.....

Dubai: Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are the two Indians to figure in the list of top 10 in ICC Player Rankings for T20I batsmen, while India continue to hold onto the number three slot in the teams category, issued today.

Kohli with 731 points is at number eight position, followed by Raina (719) in the latest rankings table, which is headed by New Zealand`s wicketkeeper captain Brendon McCullum (810).

Yuvraj Singh (14) and Gautam Gambhir (18) are the other two Indians to have found a place in the top-20 batsmen`s list.

In the team rankings, India are placed third behind Sri Lanka and T20 champions the West Indies.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian to have featured in the list of top-20 bowlers in the shortest format, which is headed by Sunil Narine of the West Indies. 

Swann eyeing swift comeback in Eng team following successful elbow surgery......

London: England off spinner Graeme Swann has said he is feeling great after his successful elbow surgery that ruled him out of the Test series against New Zealand, adding he wants to make a comeback in the team as soon as possible.

Swann is already straining at the leash to take on the Australians again after revealing that his elbow operation was a success.

Swann aims to be bowling back again by the end of April, after going under the knife in the US, and he will then be just a short spell away from the Ashes via New Zealand and the Champions Trophy.

The last time he had surgery on his bowling arm was in 2009, another Ashes year, he was back bowling within four weeks and taking the final Australian wicket at the back end of the summer.

Swann said the surgeon has reassured him that it was a lot more straightforward this time, adding by the end of April he hopes to be bowling.

The off spinner added he doesn`t know if that`s realistic or not, but that`s how his mind works, and he added that he feels great and wants to be back as soon as possible because he is bored stupid already.

Swann further said he thinks it would kill him if he sits down and watch too much cricket at the start of the summer without being an active part of it, adding he wants to play as much as he can.

Swann added in an ideal world he would be fit and proving to the coach and captain that he is bowling well to make the first Test of the summer and that is his aim. 

Sundays no longer a day of rest ......

London: Sunday is no longer a resting day, as the average person carries out up to 15 chores.

One in 10 say that Sunday is now the busiest day of the week, with ironing, washing and cleaning topping the jobs list, the Daily Express reported.

Two-thirds of people use the Sabbath to catch up on tasks they have neglected on weekdays.

It shows that if it wasn’t for weekends, and in particular Sundays, we would all fall behind with domestic chores and admin duties

Beth McDonald of Chef and Brewer, who conducted the poll, said it was startling that even on Easter Sunday so many adults would be doing chores rather than relaxing with friends and family.

“It shows that if it wasn’t for weekends, and in particular Sundays, we would all fall behind with domestic chores and admin duties,” she said.

One consolation was that a third of the 2,000 adults polled said shops opening on Sundays made life easier for them. 

J.P. Dutta to make `Border 2`, `Border 3` and `Border 4` .......

Mumbai: Movie Moghul J.P. Dutta, whose last directorial venture was 2006 release ‘Umrao Jaan’, is all set to direct three back-to-back war films, all biopics on Param Vir Chakra winning war heroes.

The first war epic ‘Border 2’ will be set in the 1962 India-China war and would tell the story of Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan who led a platoon against the Chinese aggressors.

Next will be ‘Border 3’, to be located in the 1965 India-Pak war and would focus on the valorous efforts of Abdul Hamid who went down fighting the enemy soldiers.

Then there is ‘Border 4’, which would focus on Second-Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who died fighting during the 1971 Bangladesh war.

Dutta, who has just returned from an extensive recce of the border areas where the three films would be shot, says he was deeply moved and impressed by the courage shown by the three soldiers.

"I wanted to make war films on the three major battles that India fought in 1962, 1965 and 1971. But I wanted to root these wars in specific heroes` lives. I chose the three Param Vir Chakra winners - each from the three wars."

The casting of the three heroes is on.

"During my recce I was amazed at how well `Border` is remembered to this day even though it came 16 years ago. I met soldiers and civilians who had seen it over and over again. They all wanted to know if I had more to say on the war front," said Dutta, whose 1997 war epic was a blockbuster.

For the last six years, the filmmaker has been busy researching and writing the three war sagas.

"It`s not easy to get details on the lives of these soldiers. We know how bravely they fought and that they won the Param Vir Chakras. But beyond that, all the biographical details had to be obtained from scratch. Permissions from the relevant departments of the Defence Ministry also took time. But now everything is in place," said the director.

"I`ve been away from the camera for long. Now it`s time to shoot three back-to-back films," said the director whose desert epics ‘Ghulami’, ‘Batwara’ and ‘Refugee’ occupy a pride of place with his war epic "Border".

PM should declare Lok Sabha polls in October 2013: Subramanian Swamy.........

New Delhi: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy on Friday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should declare Lok Sabha elections in October this year in a bid to tackle "economic degeneration" of the country.
In a statement, he claimed that the country's current account deficit had risen to 6.5 per cent. 

He alleged that the UPA government was "now bankrupt of any fresh ideas for ushering in economic reform ". 

"I therefore urge the Prime Minister to end this economic degeneration and instead declare that the Lok Sabha elections will be (held) in October this year," he said

Ryder gives ‘thumbs up’ to neurosurgeon in coma.......

Wellington: Jesse Ryder’s manager Aaron Klee has said the New Zealand cricketer is doing lot better in coma, adding there were some positive signs on Thursday with the Kiwi opener giving the thumbs up to his neurosurgeon as his sedation levels were lowered.

Two held in Jesse Ryder assault case» 

Klee said Ryder’s movement has given his family and friends hope, adding the doctors are assessing his coma at the moment and when the right time will be to bring him out of the coma.

Klee added the support Ryder`s family and friends had received was phenomenal and lots of messages had flooded in from Kiwis and people from all over the world, adding they have had lots of down time sitting around and have been reading the messages of support.

The manager said they have been collating all those messages and trying to communicate them with Ryder.

Ryder is now in a stable condition, but still needs support breathing as his lungs were injured in the assault.

At the press conference, a joint written statement by Ryder`s mother, Heather, and his partner, Ally, was given and they spoke of their gratitude for the amount of support they had received and of their disgust at the heinous crime. 

‘Himmatwala’ review: A trip down the ‘melodramatic’ lane! ....

As the film opens with Sonakshi Sinha grooving to a disco number doing a Parveen Babi and Sridevi, you will certainly be left to anticipate a typical retro-styled film with comedy, action, ‘melo’drama, naach-gaana aroundmatkis and gagris all in equal proportion. 

Sajid Khan’s “entertainer” ‘Himmatwala’ starring Ajay Devgn has all the ingredients of a mindless masala film. But it does jolt you at regular intervals, for sopping up a 30-year-old formula, proves fatal to your contemporary digestive system!

Ravi (Ajay Devgn) is an action master, who earns his livelihood by showing his muscle power at a club run in Mumbai by an ardent fan of Pop Legend Michael Jackson- Michael Jaikishen (Chunky Pandey). And on one odd day, the son of Rampur, Ravi decides to visit his birthplace. He goes in search of his grief-stricken mother Savitri (Zareena Wahab) and sister Padma (Leela Jumani), only to find them in dire straits. And that is when his mother narrates to him the tale of her miseries.

Savitri wants her son Ravi to settle the scores with Sher Singh (Mahesh Manjrekar), the merciless landlord, who has used his position and wealth to suppress the villagers. Sher Singh, the greedy zameendar, is assisted by his brother-in-law Narayan Das (Paresh Rawal). And at his mother’s behest, Ravi is all set to avenge his enemies.

The film revives a tattered and a bizarre formula that may work at the Box Office but will rattle sensibilities. 

Nonetheless, performances of certain characters make the film bearable. Paresh Rawal as Narayan Das is outstanding. He literally reminds you of comic legend Kader Khan and his witty dialogues, something that has been missing in films these days. Rawal’s impeccable performance in the film proves that characters and artists are either not being used appropriately or rather being abused nowadays.

Filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar has done a commendable job as an actor in the film. Tamannaah Bhatia as Rekha looks very promising. She is pretty, delicate and good at her job. And last but not the least, Ajay Devgn, without whom the film wouldn’t have been possible, will enthrall his fans yet again. He is thoroughly entertaining and looks mighty fit even at 43!

And the one to have made Ajay - the invincible ‘Himmatwala’, Sajid Khan has indeed produced an “entertainer” (a film devoid of cinematic aesthetics). The filmmaker doesn’t really believe in winning applause from critics, for he makes films solely with the intention of entertaining the audiences. And rightly so - to each his own! But one needs to find some sense even in utterly contrived situations…no??

The comedy sequences do their bit and so do the breathtaking action sequences. Fans of Devgn can look forward to his fist fight with a tiger and get swayed into the world of fantasies. But the portions where Zarina Wahab mouths “sentimental” dialogues (though they are meant to make you go teary eyed), you can’t help but burst into laughter. 

The songs ‘Naino Mein Sapna’ and ‘Taki Taki’ are refreshing. But the ‘Dhokha’ song featuring divas from the television world looks forced. 

In totality, the film is a typical masala entertainer, as director Sajid Khan would like to put it. You will certainly get entertained only if you had nursed the desire to travel back in time, especially to an era when cinema revolved around a helpless mother-daughter duo and their life-savior ‘Himmatwala’.

One and half for the film and half a star more for Paresh Rawal. 

Rating: 

North Korea readies rockets to strike US bases......

Pyongyang: In yet another indication of escalating tension between Washington and Pyongyang, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has reportedly ordered the rocket units to be on standby to attack the US bases in Pacific and in South Korea. 

Reports, Friday, claimed that the order in this regard was given by the North Korean leader following an emergency meeting this morning after the US flew its Stealth Bombers in a show of force to Pyongyang. 

According to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, Kim signed off the orders after meeting the top generals early morning and judged “the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists in view of the prevailing situation.” 

The United States administration had on Thursday warned the danger from North Korea is rising and that Washington is ready for 'any eventuality' after flying two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers over ally South Korea. With tensions soaring on the divided peninsula, the United States defied North Korean threats of retribution and took the rare step of announcing that the state-of-the-art jets flew from the United States for the exercises. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, dismissing suggestions that the B-2 mission could aggravate tensions, said the United States was committed to 'unequivocally defend' South Korea as well as Japan. 

“We will be prepared - we have to be prepared - to deal with any eventuality,” Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. 

“We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that,” he said.

The two B-2s flew 20,800 kilometers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and back home without stopping after demonstrating a precision strike by dropping ordnance on a target range in the South. 

The US rarely acknowledges B-2 flights to the Korean peninsula, which remains technically at war. 

The flight came as part of annual drills between the United States and South Korea, which North Korea each year denounces as preparations for war but which have drawn particularly fierce criticism this time. 

The North has cut off the hotline before, most recently in March 2009, but the line was reconnected less than two weeks later. 

With Agency inputs

BSP leader Deepak Bharadwaj's killers identified.....

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday said they have identified the two men involved in the murder of realtor and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Deepak Bhardwaj. 

The shooters were Sunil and Purushottam alias Monu, police said. 

"We recovered a Skoda car which was used by the duo during the incident. It was recovered from outer Delhi yesterday (Thursday)," a police officer told a news agency. He added that the car owner, Rakesh, has been taken into police custody. The car has been impounded. 

"During interrogation Rakesh said that he got Rs 8 lakh from Sunil to buy a car. Rakesh also identified both the shooters from the CCTV footage," police said. 

"No arrests have been made so far," the officer added. 

Bhardwaj, the richest candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Delhi with declared assets of over Rs 600 crore, was shot dead on March 26 at around 9 am by unidentified men in his south Delhi's 35-acre farmhouse in Rajokri. 

The two suspected killers and an accomplice fled in a Skoda that sported a fake registration number. 

A post-mortem examination report revealed Bhardwaj had been shot in his head and chest. 

The killers entered the farmhouse on the pretext of meeting Bhardwaj to book a marriage venue in the farmhouse complex.