Crime file: Priest held for sexual harassment in Karnataka; college girl alleges rape by student, sets herself afire and more

Priest held for sexual harassment in Karnataka

Raichur: The Deodurga police on Sunday arrested a priest at Shambulinga temple near Deodurga town, who was absconding for the past one-and-a-half month, on charges of sexual harassment.

The arrested has been identified as Veeresh. A case had been registered against him at the Deodurga police station on November 1 under the Information Technology Act-2008 and Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 392 (A) and 417 read with 34 of Indian Penal Code.

Read here: Bodos abduct AP engineer

Superintendent of Police M.N. Nagaraj said on Monday that the arrested priest had sexually harassed four women under the guise of offering special pujas.

The priest would ask the women to take off their clothes, while performing the puja. He had also captured the nude puja rituals on his mobile phone.

A complaint had been filed by Ranappa, an eyewitness, the SP said. A team, led by Deodurga circle inspector Ramesh Methi, was constituted to nab the accused.

“Acting on a tip-off, the team arrested Veeresh from the house of his elder sister in Chiragunti village in Muktal taluk of Andhra Pradesh. Attempts are being made to arrest two more accused – Basavaraj Sindhanur and Nagaraj Kambar,” he said.

Next: College girl alleges rape by student union leader, sets herself afire

View the original article here

Crime file: Woman attempts suicide outside Kannada actor Sri Murali's home; PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi’s house burgled, and more

Woman gang raped and thrown out of truck 

Kanpur: A 45-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped by four men in a moving truck and later thrown out of the vehicle in Bhognipur here, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Naubasta bypass here when the woman had boarded the truck which offered to drive her to Bhognipur. Soon, three men joined the driver and took turns to rape her. The woman lost consciousness and was later thrown out on the street while the accused fled from the spot, police said.

The woman was found lying on the road when onlookers informed the police and the victim was taken to a hospital, they said. The police has registered a case against the three accused however, they claim that the woman and the accused have a history of disputes. The woman has been sent for medical examination and further investigations are on, they said. 

Next: Alcoholic father kills infant son by throwing him into lit stove

Trust, of late, has lost its meaning. The only mistake of the 23-year-old software engineer, who was kidnapped and raped in Hyderabad, was that she trusted the cab drivers to take her to her hostel. There is no answer to why India is increasingly becoming a rape capital and why women in metro cities don't feel safe-- whether in cabs, buses, autos or malls. The techie, who had moved to Hyderabad recently, was so terrified to report the gang-rape that she filed a police complaint saying she had escaped the rape bid when she was returning from a mall around 8.30 pm on Oct 18. But the incident came to light after the police arrested the cab drivers. Read full story here The drivers drove her for nearly four hours in Hyderabad on several stretches, including the Outer Ring Road, and raped her at an isolated area near the Open Mind Birla School, Tellapur. They later dropped her near her hostel at around 2.30am. Read full story here In another shocking incident in Hyderabad in September, a 20-year-old polytechnic student was allegedly kidnapped and raped by the college canteen owner for almost 17 months in Hyderabad. Accused Satya Prakash Singh, 34, a native of Bihar, runs the canteen at TRR College of Technology at Meerpet, allegedly drugged and raped the victim in his flat. Read full story hereAfter the horrendous Delhi bus gang-rape on Dec 16, 2012, and the consequent death penalty to culprits, it was felt that the city would be safer for women. It is only far from it. Over 1,121 rape cases were registered in Delhi alone from Jan-Aug this year, the highest in the last 13 years.A 14-year-old girl was raped by a minor boy at knife-point at Gokalpuri in Delhi in October. The boy took her to an isolated place near the Wazirabad flyover and raped her. Based on the complaint, the juvenile was arrested.A 25-year-old woman was drugged and then raped by four persons in the Welcome area of North-East Delhi in May. The victim, who had separated from her husband and living alone, came across one Yashdev while looking for a job. He, on the pretext of introducing her to prospective employers, took advantage of her along with his friends.In Sept, the sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl at Sholavaram near Chennai shocked the state. Four youths entered the house at 4am, took the girl who was sleeping. They raped the girl in a hut and fled. Police arrested two people Mohan and Ram in this connection. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. In September, a court in Bangalore sentenced six persons to life term for gang-raping a law student on October 13 last year on Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi campus. The girl and her friend were sitting in a car when they were attacked by the eight-member gang.There is a concern that Bangalore, the IT capital, is turning into rape capital. On Oct 19, three bar girls were allegedly gang-raped by a group of eight men. In Mumbai, the gang-rape of a 22-year-old photo-journalist when she was on an assignment shocked the nation in September. The culprits raped her after bashing up her male friend at an abandoned mill close to the railway tracks in the Mahalaxmi area. The same month, Santacruz police in Mumbai registered three rape cases in three days. That included the arrest of a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping his four-year-old neighbour. The four-year-old victim was allegedly raped by her neighbour when her mother stepped out of her house to buy milk.On September 23, a woman, who was asleep while travelling in an autorickshaw in Mumbai, was allegedly abducted and taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and sexually assaulted by a group of unidentified men.

View the original article here

Crime file: Minor hits 19-yr-old girl with boulder and rapes her in Karnataka; monk arrested for sexually abusing minor boys and more

Minor brutally assaults, rapes 19-yr-old girl in Karnataka

Davangere (Karnataka): A 19-year old girl was allegedly brutally assaulted and raped at a desolate place here by an acquaintance, a minor, who has been arrested.

The victim's classmate who introduced her to the accused and helped him in the crime was arrested on Wednesday, three days after he went absconding since the incident on Saturday night, police said.

According to police, the victim, a Bachelor of Computer Applications student, was returning home from her dance class when the accused offered her a lift, took her on a bike and raped her after hitting her with a boulder for resisting him. Her classmate who was waiting at the spot also helped him, police said.

The Karate-trained girl fought bravely before she was attacked, causing injuries on her head, eye and mouth after which she managed to reach home.

She was also burnt on her thigh with a lighter after the rape, police said.

Police arrested the 17-year-old accused, who was charged with kidnapping, rape and attempt to murder, on Sunday and produced him before a juvenile court, which sent him to remand home.

Next: Monk arrested for sexually abusing minor boys in West Bengal

Trust, of late, has lost its meaning. The only mistake of the 23-year-old software engineer, who was kidnapped and raped in Hyderabad, was that she trusted the cab drivers to take her to her hostel. There is no answer to why India is increasingly becoming a rape capital and why women in metro cities don't feel safe-- whether in cabs, buses, autos or malls. The techie, who had moved to Hyderabad recently, was so terrified to report the gang-rape that she filed a police complaint saying she had escaped the rape bid when she was returning from a mall around 8.30 pm on Oct 18. But the incident came to light after the police arrested the cab drivers. Read full story here The drivers drove her for nearly four hours in Hyderabad on several stretches, including the Outer Ring Road, and raped her at an isolated area near the Open Mind Birla School, Tellapur. They later dropped her near her hostel at around 2.30am. Read full story here In another shocking incident in Hyderabad in September, a 20-year-old polytechnic student was allegedly kidnapped and raped by the college canteen owner for almost 17 months in Hyderabad. Accused Satya Prakash Singh, 34, a native of Bihar, runs the canteen at TRR College of Technology at Meerpet, allegedly drugged and raped the victim in his flat. Read full story hereAfter the horrendous Delhi bus gang-rape on Dec 16, 2012, and the consequent death penalty to culprits, it was felt that the city would be safer for women. It is only far from it. Over 1,121 rape cases were registered in Delhi alone from Jan-Aug this year, the highest in the last 13 years.A 14-year-old girl was raped by a minor boy at knife-point at Gokalpuri in Delhi in October. The boy took her to an isolated place near the Wazirabad flyover and raped her. Based on the complaint, the juvenile was arrested.A 25-year-old woman was drugged and then raped by four persons in the Welcome area of North-East Delhi in May. The victim, who had separated from her husband and living alone, came across one Yashdev while looking for a job. He, on the pretext of introducing her to prospective employers, took advantage of her along with his friends.In Sept, the sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl at Sholavaram near Chennai shocked the state. Four youths entered the house at 4am, took the girl who was sleeping. They raped the girl in a hut and fled. Police arrested two people Mohan and Ram in this connection. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. In September, a court in Bangalore sentenced six persons to life term for gang-raping a law student on October 13 last year on Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi campus. The girl and her friend were sitting in a car when they were attacked by the eight-member gang.There is a concern that Bangalore, the IT capital, is turning into rape capital. On Oct 19, three bar girls were allegedly gang-raped by a group of eight men. In Mumbai, the gang-rape of a 22-year-old photo-journalist when she was on an assignment shocked the nation in September. The culprits raped her after bashing up her male friend at an abandoned mill close to the railway tracks in the Mahalaxmi area. The same month, Santacruz police in Mumbai registered three rape cases in three days. That included the arrest of a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping his four-year-old neighbour. The four-year-old victim was allegedly raped by her neighbour when her mother stepped out of her house to buy milk.On September 23, a woman, who was asleep while travelling in an autorickshaw in Mumbai, was allegedly abducted and taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and sexually assaulted by a group of unidentified men.

View the original article here

Crime file: Teenage girl gangraped in Jaipur; IAF sergeant kills wife, attempts suicide and more

Teenage girl gangraped in Jaipur

Jaipur: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by three youths in a hotel here, police said today. In an FIR moved through a court's order, a woman alleged that on November 23, her daughter was taken by Phoolchand Meena (25) in a car to a hotel in Daulatpura where he and two of his friends raped her, Vishwakarma SHO Kishan Singh said.

The accused had threatened the victim of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anybody, the SHO said. Meena's two friends are yet to identified, the SHO said, adding that a case under various sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered against them.

Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by Bunty (23) in a slum area of Transport Nagar on November 28, SHO of TP Nagar police station Babulal Vishnoi said.

The accused also went to her house and threatened her uncle before trying to molest her again, he said. Bunty has been arrested under various sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act, he said.

Next: IAF sergeant kills wife, attempts suicide

1234567891011121314151617181920

View the original article here

Crime file: Ambulance driver rapes minor girl, attempts suicide on remorse; Mother beaten to death by son for not giving money for booze and more

Ambulance driver rapes minor girl, attempts suicide on remorse

Raipur: A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an ambulance driver in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on December 23, police said on Monday. 

However, apparently filled with contrition, the accused, identified as Kiran Kumar, allegedly tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire after the incident, they said.

"A case of rape was registered against Kiran, a driver with Sanjeevani 108 ambulance service, last evening on the complaint of the minor girl in Amabeda police station," said Kanker SP RN Dash. 

According to the officer, the incident occurred on the night of December 23 after the victim's mother, a native of Amabeda village, was shifted to Kanker district hospital in the ambulance driven by Kiran. 

"Kiran Kumar reportedly took the ill woman to hospital in the ambulance and returned to the patient's house. Kiran, who was in an inebriated condition, asked the 10-year-old girl to accompany him saying her mother is serious and needs her at the hospital," Dash said.

However, Kiran allegedly took the minor girl to an isolated place in a forest area and raped her, the SP said.

He said relatives of the victim failed to inform police about the incident even after she confided in them on December 24. 

The incident was reported to police on Friday, following which medical examination of the girl was conducted, which confirmed rape, the officer said. 

When a police team was sent to arrest Kiran it came to know that he had allegedly attempted suicide at his residence on Thursday and suffered minor burns. 

A case under section 376 (rape) of IPC and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offence Act has been registered against the accused, Dash said, adding that Kiran would be arrested after he gets discharge from hospital. 

Next: Mother beaten to death by son for not giving money for booze

View the original article here

Escaped prisoner rearrested by cops

Hyderabad: The city police finally arrested Fahauddin Qureshi, the under-trial prisoner who had escaped from the Erragadda mental hospital prisoner’s ward three weeks ago, from a religious spot at the state’s border near Gulbarga.

After his escape, the police had launched a manhunt for Qureshi, but had failed to nab him. It is believed that Qureshi was on a “pilgrimage” of sorts as he kept visiting one dargahs after another all across the country, apparently in a bid to escape the cops.

Senior officials revealed that Qureshi had visited famous pilgrim spots like the Ajmer Sharif dargah and other holy places in Agra, Delhi and even Kashmir in the past 20 days.

Qureshi, who was imprisoned under the Narcotic Drugs Act case, wreaked havoc for at least five hours in the prisoners’ ward and escaped with 10 other under-trial prisoners after making a hole in the wall.

“He was on the run. In order to hide from the police, Qureshi visited several dargahs. We caught him following a tip-off,” said a senior police official.

The officials of the Commissioner’s Task Force, West Zone, who received the information that Qureshi was spotted at a famous dargah in the state, lay a trap for him and arrested him.

As the investigation is still on, the police did not reveal the name of the dargah. The cops, however, said that he was arrested at the state’s border near Gulbarga. Police caught him by tracking his phone after he sent his photo through Whatsapp.

West Zone DCP V. Satyanarayana said, “We have taken him to custody. We will produce him before the court on Tuesday.” Officials said Qureshi, who fled with his second wife, was found to be mentally and physically fit in the police custody.

In a seemingly well-planned operation, Qureshi and his aides had started a rebellion inside the prisoners’ ward of the Erragadda mental hospital, and made a hole in the wall using an oxygen cylinder on the midnight of December 2.

While a helpless police force was watching, 11 inmates fled the ward. Cops caught nine of the prisoners over the next few days. Qureshi, however, escaped in Tavera car with his second wife. Cops had alerted police forces in other states, and had started a hunt.

View the original article here

Crime file: Newly-wed killed by husband in Hyderabad; Illicit affair drives man to kill wife in Coimbatore and more

Newly-wed killed by husband

Hyderabad: A newly-wed woman was killed by her husband who suspected her fidelity. He strangled her at their home in Shamshabad. They were married only a fortnight ago.

The incident came to light on Saturday morning when the victim’s sister visited the couple’s house.

The victim, Anjali, 20, was married to John Adamson, 25, a native of Amalapuram, East Godavari district. John works as an electrician at the Sumo Foods Company in Gagan Pahad near RGIA.

According to police,  Adamson began  suspecting Anjali’s fidelity  soon after their marriage. On Friday night, the couple reportedly had an argument following which he murdered her.

“He strangled her after his attempt to smother her failed. After that, he fled the spot.”  Durga Prasad, inspector RGIA police station said.

Adamson is absconding. A murder case has been booked.

Next: Illicit affair drives man to kill wife in Coimbatore

View the original article here

DC special: Dad rapes schoolgirl, sires 3 kids

Thanjavur: Like most teenagers, Mala (name changed) too had great dreams but they were shattered when her father raped the schoolgirl and made her pregnant. She is 24 now and recently delivered his third child as he repeatedly abused her over the years after drugging her. Her mother had deserted the family long back and the father had remarried.

The rapist, an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested last month following Mala’s complaint.

Mala and her third child, aged six weeks, are now being taken care of by a kind woman cop and some hospital staff near Thanjavur while the two older kids are with her stepmother.

“I had dreamt of a career in commerce and economics, but fate decided otherwise. My own father destroyed my life and made me mother of his three children. But I am determined to resume studies and stand on my own feet”, Mala told Deccan Chronicle here on Friday. She expressed hope she would get help “from some kind souls, from this society”.

Father warned her of serious harm if she informed anyone

The question that comes to mind as to why Mala (name changed) did not fight back when her father repeatedly raped her and sired three children, and why she did not report him, evaporates when she narrates her scary story.

After the first abuse—she does not want to go into too many details saying it’s “too traumatic to even think leave alone recall in detail”—he threatened her of serious bodily harm if she talked to anyone about it.

On the other hand, he would even allow her to continue studies and pursue her dream of doing a degree in business administration if she cooperated, he told her. And when she resisted, he shaved her head and branded her all over with hot iron, Mala told DC on the sidelines of a ‘public hearing’ on abuse of women and children, organized by All-India Democratic Womens’ Association (AIDWA) here on Friday. “My first child, a boy is now four-years-old. The second is a girl, 2-1/2 years old. He even allowed me to join the BBA course but I had to discontinue when I became pregnant third time.
Throughout my tenure at school and college, I would keep away from classmates and rush back home as otherwise I would be beaten up”, Mala said.

She said her mother had deserted the family and the father remarried. Together, the two subjected her to physical and mental abuse.

To ensure she suffered in silence, her father had even drugged her. After delivering her third child, a boy, last month, Mala left the baby in a church with a note saying she would not be able to take care of the child.

People found the baby crying and saw the note beside him. Police traced Mala at the bus terminus and took the sobbing mother back to the hospital, where she made a detailed statement about her terrible ordeal over the years.

The auto driver was picked up by the police after that and remanded to custody.

A case under various penal sections of law, including rape, physical assault, threat of life and illegal custody, has been registered against the alleged rapist, according to AIDWA officials.
A kind policewoman and some hospital staff are now taking care of Mala and the baby, but they need a better and permanent arrangement.

“It is sad that in this democratic and civilised country, a girl is not safe even in her house”, said AIDWA vice-president U Vasuki.

View the original article here

Crime file: Wife helps lawyer in raping minor girl for 13 days; prostitution racket busted in Bangalore, five girls rescued and more

Advocate rapes minor girl for 13 days, wife helps to tie up victim

Ujjain: An advocate has been arrested along with his wife on charges of raping and holding a teenager girl hostage for 13 days at their residence here, police said on Thursday. 

The 17-year-old who had gone missing since December 12 had gone to advocate Balkrishna Nagar's residence in Sampat Nagar here that day to get her caste certificate made.

Soon after the girl entered his office, the advocate downed the shutters and sexually assaulted her after which his wife Angrooabla helped her husband to tie the victim to a bed. 

Read here: Bahrain diplomat booked for molestation

According to police, the advocate raped the girl for 13 days but on Wednesday when the residents heard the girl scream, cops reached the spot and freed the victim. 

The advocate and his wife have been arrested and a case has been lodged against them under various sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Meanwhile, the victim has been sent for medical examination. 

Next: Prostitution racket busted in Bangalore, five girls rescued

Exactly a year ago, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang raped on a moving bus in Delhi. That led to a national outrage with people questioning inefficiency of the government to provide security to women. There was such anger with protests across the nation that anyone would have thought it would be the last rape in the nation. That wasn't to be. Safety of women in the national capital was questioned, and in fact that was one of the reasons why chief minister Sheila Dikshit and the Congress suffered a humiliated defeat at the hands of political newcomer Arvind Kejriwal and his party Aam Aadmi Party. Political implications apart, the December 16 gang rape made headlines in international media, exposing how insecure women are in India. Despite the magnanimity of the most brutal rape of the country, very little has changed in one year.The conviction rate for rape is a mere 27 per cent which is why rapists aren't scared.The four accused in the December 16 rape case, gym instructor Vinay Sharma (20), bus cleaner Akshay Thakur (28), fruit-seller Pawan Gupta (19) and Mukesh Singh (26) were awarded death penalty as the court felt it was a rarest of rare cases. Main accused Ram Singh was found dead in jail while another is a minor.Notwithstanding pressure, the Central government in April amended the Anti-rape bill, which now provides life-term or death sentence for rape convicts. According to the new law, an offender can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment that is not less than 20 years. The law also fixed age for consensual sex at 18 years. One thing that has changed is, none will take things lying down. But it doesn't mean that the incidents have gone down. Shockingly, a rape is reported every 20 minutes in India. A young girl's sexual harassment complaint resulted in the arrest of Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal. The girl was bold enough to report against her boss, putting her career at stake. Neither death sentence nor new law has acted as a deterrent. The number of rape cases in Delhi have almost doubled. Till November this year, 1,450 cases of rape cases were registered against 706 in 2012. There is an element of positivity about it, as police say that more women are coming forward to report rapes. But as Indian women are known for, not all aren't comfortable reporting about rape.The only mistake of a 23-year-old software engineer, who was kidnapped and raped in a cab Hyderabad, was that she trusted the cab drivers to take her to her hostel. But she ended up being raped.Unlike the Tehelka journalist, this girl was scared to report it, she filed a false complaint that there was an attempt to rape her. But the incident came to light when the police arrested the cab drivers, who admitted to raping her.Rapes are tarnishing the image of the country as a whole. Internationally, India is perceived as the rape capital with governments of foreign countries warning women against travel to India.A photojournalist was gang raped when on duty in Mumbai. That wasn't the first time for the accused, who thought when others didn't complain why would she? Experts debate if raping is a psychological problem? Most of the rapists won't have any remorse or guilt feeling. In many cases, they deny the crime or feel what they did wasn't wrong.There is a need for a systemic social change and the solution doesn't lie in the law, but in changing the mindset of people.

View the original article here

Crime file: AP man sets engineering student on fire; sex racket in wedding hall busted, and more

AP man sets engineering student on fire

Hyderabad: A man allegedly threw kerosene on a woman and set her on fire in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The victim (aged about 21), a final year student of engineering, and the alleged offender were known to each other, and were having a strained relationship for the last several days.

Read here: Models, Tollywood junior artiste, rescued from sex racket 

The alleged offender (30) is a petty businessman and is married, the police said.

According to the woman, the man called her to his shop in Nalgonda, poured kerosene on her and set her afire, the police said. The woman sustained major burns in the incident, police said, adding that the man is absconding. Further details of the case would be known only after investigation, he said. 

Next - Bribery: CBI arrests Joint Commissioner Income Tax in Odisha

Trust, of late, has lost its meaning. The only mistake of the 23-year-old software engineer, who was kidnapped and raped in Hyderabad, was that she trusted the cab drivers to take her to her hostel. There is no answer to why India is increasingly becoming a rape capital and why women in metro cities don't feel safe-- whether in cabs, buses, autos or malls. The techie, who had moved to Hyderabad recently, was so terrified to report the gang-rape that she filed a police complaint saying she had escaped the rape bid when she was returning from a mall around 8.30 pm on Oct 18. But the incident came to light after the police arrested the cab drivers. Read full story here The drivers drove her for nearly four hours in Hyderabad on several stretches, including the Outer Ring Road, and raped her at an isolated area near the Open Mind Birla School, Tellapur. They later dropped her near her hostel at around 2.30am. Read full story here In another shocking incident in Hyderabad in September, a 20-year-old polytechnic student was allegedly kidnapped and raped by the college canteen owner for almost 17 months in Hyderabad. Accused Satya Prakash Singh, 34, a native of Bihar, runs the canteen at TRR College of Technology at Meerpet, allegedly drugged and raped the victim in his flat. Read full story hereAfter the horrendous Delhi bus gang-rape on Dec 16, 2012, and the consequent death penalty to culprits, it was felt that the city would be safer for women. It is only far from it. Over 1,121 rape cases were registered in Delhi alone from Jan-Aug this year, the highest in the last 13 years.A 14-year-old girl was raped by a minor boy at knife-point at Gokalpuri in Delhi in October. The boy took her to an isolated place near the Wazirabad flyover and raped her. Based on the complaint, the juvenile was arrested.A 25-year-old woman was drugged and then raped by four persons in the Welcome area of North-East Delhi in May. The victim, who had separated from her husband and living alone, came across one Yashdev while looking for a job. He, on the pretext of introducing her to prospective employers, took advantage of her along with his friends.In Sept, the sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl at Sholavaram near Chennai shocked the state. Four youths entered the house at 4am, took the girl who was sleeping. They raped the girl in a hut and fled. Police arrested two people Mohan and Ram in this connection. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. A 22-year-old engineering student in Chennai committed suicide at Chengam, 180km from Chennai, after her cousin E Ezhilarasan, also a student, posted photos of her sexual abuse on the internet. He along with his friends had raped her intimidating her with threats to circulate the clip. In September, a court in Bangalore sentenced six persons to life term for gang-raping a law student on October 13 last year on Bangalore University's Jnanabharathi campus. The girl and her friend were sitting in a car when they were attacked by the eight-member gang.There is a concern that Bangalore, the IT capital, is turning into rape capital. On Oct 19, three bar girls were allegedly gang-raped by a group of eight men. In Mumbai, the gang-rape of a 22-year-old photo-journalist when she was on an assignment shocked the nation in September. The culprits raped her after bashing up her male friend at an abandoned mill close to the railway tracks in the Mahalaxmi area. The same month, Santacruz police in Mumbai registered three rape cases in three days. That included the arrest of a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping his four-year-old neighbour. The four-year-old victim was allegedly raped by her neighbour when her mother stepped out of her house to buy milk.On September 23, a woman, who was asleep while travelling in an autorickshaw in Mumbai, was allegedly abducted and taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and sexually assaulted by a group of unidentified men.

View the original article here

Customs seizes Rs 5 crore worth gold at Hyderabad airport

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Violence against women rise in district

Karimnagar: Despite stringent laws being passed in the wake of Delhi gangrape incident, violence against women is on the increase in the district, suggest statistics.

According to figures available with the District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB), a total of 46 rapes and 240 cases of “attempt to rape” were registered at different police stations in the district from January 1 to November 30 as against 41 rapes and 211 cases of attempt to rape in 2012.

The district has been witnessing increasing number of  crimes against women. Prof. Sujata Surepally of Shatavahana University said, “There are multiple factors that contribute to the violence. Mainly, higher rate of migration, poor surveillance, lack of proper mechanism to address  issues related to  women, insensitivity of concerned officials, apart from significant rate of alcohol consumption among men.”

According to  Prof. Sujata, violence against women is  a socio-economic problem. “With most men migrating  to the Gulf and European countries, women are left behind alone.
“It would have been different if  men were  provided with sufficient livelihood here,” added Sujata.

Apart from sexual assaults, eight housewives were allegedly murdered by their in-laws in the last 11 months, whereas  34 dowry deaths were reported across the district during the period. 
As many as  588 cases of domestic violence were registered, which is lower than the  previous year.

When contacted, superintendent of police V. Shiva Kumar said, “In addition to the new anti-rape Act, we are invoking provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (PCSOF), 2012 against  persons involved in crimes against women and weaker sections.”

V. Shiva Kumar claimed that the police were in touch with public prosecutor in order to ensure convictions, besides launching rowdy-sheets against those booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code.

View the original article here

Ex-convict likes to meet murdered nurse’s family

Kochi: Melvin Padua, who has come out of jail after  spending almost 19 years there  on the charge of murdering a nurse inside a train toilet in December 1994, wants to  meet the victim’s family and console them. Padua told DC that he wishes to meet Kunjumon,  brother of the victim Celinamma, at his house at Manimala in Kottayam but he is unsure what kind of reception he will get there.

“I don’t know if Kunjumon believes that I killed his sister. Anyway, I am the murderer of Celinamma in front of this society as the court had found me guilty.  Whether or not I had a role in the murder, it is natural for him to believe that I killed her as the court punished me. Hence, I don’t know how he would react if I go to their house,” Padua said.

However, Kunjumon and his family had earlier said that they had nothing against Melvin Padua as he has completed his sentence in jail. When the jail authorities asked the victim’s family if they had any objection to releasing Padua, Kunjumon had agreed  for the release. Hence, in all likelihood, Padua and his family would meet Kunjumon’s family in the coming weeks.

Before that, Padua will go to his church on Tuesday (December 24), the anniversary of  Celinamma’s death.

His wife Beatrice said she always prayed  for Celinamma’s soul and had been going to church on her death anniversaries. “We would go to our church in Tripunithura this year. But by next time, I hope I can go to the church where Celinamma is sleeping and pray for her with her family,” Padua added.

View the original article here

Crime file: Girl set on fire by stalker dies; scolded by spouse, woman ends life and more

Girl set on fire by stalker dies

Kakinada: After battling for her life for five days, 17-year-old Keerthi Revathi, who was set ablaze by a stalker just days before her marriage, succumbed to the burns at the government hospital on Monday.

Revathi was set to marry Eswara Sharma of Pensam village in Srikakulam on Sunday at Anaparthi in East Godavari district.

Howver, she was set ablaze by M. Naveen Kumar on December 18, as she had turned down his proposal.

Next: Scolded by spouse, woman ends life 

View the original article here

Crime file: Mentally challenged minor girl raped; Girl forced to take abortion pills dies and more

Mentally challenged minor girl raped, murdered 

Meerut: A mentally challenged minor girl was allegedly murdered after being raped at Rajpura Village in the district today. The 10-year-old girl was strangulated to death in Karkowda area of the village, police said, adding that her family has alleged that she was murdered after being raped. Police, however, said the body has been sent for post mortem and rape will be confirmed only after the examination. A case has been registered against unidendified person in the Karkowda police station, said police

Next: Girl forced to take abortion pills dies

View the original article here

Serial "cyanide" killer sentenced to death by court

The "cyanide killer"Mohan Kumar.

Mangalore: A serial killer known for his alleged modus operandi of using cyanide to kill his victims, was sentenced to death by a court here in three cases of murder.

Mohan Kumar, known as the "cyanide killer", was awarded the death sentence by the fourth additional district and session's court here, which had convicted him on Tuesday last and pronounced the quantum of punishment today.

Judge B K Naik held Kumar guilty of murdering Leelavathi, a resident of Vamadapadavu, and Anitha (22), a resident of Barimar village of Bantval taluk, and Sunanada of Peruvaje.

Naik observed that "this is the rarest of rare cases" and the convict deserves nothing less than death penalty.

During the hearing,Kumar defended himself saying none of the post-mortem reports had mentioned presence of cyanide.

Kumar was arrested on October 21, 2009.The trial of murder cases had commenced in the Fast Track Court in November 2011, and it was later shifted to fourth additional district and session's court here. 

View the original article here

Man from Chennai arrested in Hyderabad for abducting minor girl to Kerala

Picture for representational purpose only.

Hyderabad: A man from Chennai was arrested from the Mallepally area here on Thursday on charges of abducting a minor girl from Old City and taking her to Kerala after making false promises of training her in singing.

Accused Mohammed Mustafa, rented a house in Asif Nagar and allegedly kidnapped a 15-year-old girl staying in his neighbourhood on December 11, took her to Alappuzha and kept her in his friend's house, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) V Satyanarayana told reporters here.

Allegedly, he made false promises of getting her trained in singing and abducted her from the custody of her parents, the DCP said.

Mustafa allegedly prepared a fake 'voter ID card' for the victim with a fake name and showed her to a few people, the senior police officer said, adding the accused wanted the victim to change her name.

Allegedly, he planned to traffick the minor girl to Dubai, the DCP said. Following a complaint, the Humayun Nagar police registered a case under Section 366 (kidnapping) and Section 345 (wrongful confinement)of the Indian Penal Code against Mustafa, rescued the girl from his friend's house at Alappuzha and arrested Mustafa on Thursday.

Besides this case, Mustafa allegedly collected huge amounts from several people telling that his consignment was held up in the airport for customs clearance, the police said.

View the original article here

Movie review: 'Fire In The Blood'

Dylan Mohan Gray?s important award-winning film 'Fire In The Blood' raises difficult questions.

Director: Dylan Mohan Gray

Cast: Yusuf Hamied, George W. Bush, Indira Gandhi, Donald G. McNeil Jr.

The Indian Express rating: ***1/2

That Big Pharma almost always equates to Evil Pharma is something we've always been aware of in a subterranean manner. But to have it said out loud in a documentary backed by solid, detailed research is rare. Dylan Mohan Gray's important award-winning film Fire In The Blood raises difficult questions and finds that the answers are not as simple. Or easy.

Drug pricing has always been a contentious issue. And the majority of pharmaceutical multinationals have been zealous in guarding the price line to such absurd limits that those who live beneath poverty lines have had no access to expensive drugs. Fire In The Blood talks to people affected by the AIDS virus, and those who are engaged in bringing succour to them ? officials, NGOs, and other organisations in Asia and Africa. And comes to the inescapable conclusion: that millions of lives could have been saved if the rampaging greed of the pharma companies, and their cohorts in high places, had been replaced by the desire to save lives.

The hero of the 1.5-hour film is Yusuf Hamied, the chairman of Cipla, a company founded by his father in the 1930s. Gray, who is married to one of Hamied's nieces, gets access (and doubtless, difficult-to-reach information) and shows us how overpriced drugs can kill, and how simple it is to prolong lives if the imperative is humanitarian rather than financial .Cipla's generic inexpensive antiretroviral drugs (priced at a fraction of the branded medicine) were a true game changer in the '90s. Suddenly, lives that were considered lost were being saved. As a bright-eyed AIDS survivor in Tamil Nadu, who caught the virus from her infected husband (who died within a few months of the marriage), says: I was supposed to be dead, but look, I am not!

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie review: White House Down

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Joey King, James Woods

The Indian Express rating: **1/2

Roland Emmerich is back again at what he does best: blowing things up spectacularly and relentlessly. We are in the safest house in the world, shrieks a guy. Uh huh. Not. White House, the seat of the President of the United States of America, is under a terrorist attack. Masked gunmen carrying rocket launchers are rampaging though the grand interiors, with the Prez (Foxx) hiding out with a wannabe secret service agent (Tatum) in one corner, and his daughter (King) being held hostage in another.

For over two hours, we career up and down the White House crevices as Channing Tatum reprises the Die Hard Bruce Willis, single-handedly fighting off the bad guys and staving off World War 3 in a blood-stained singlet, and a singularly set expression. The plot is a marvellous series of coincidences, which would befit a Hindi movie. Cale just happens to be at the White House to interview for a Secret Service post. His sulking little girl is along because he wants to get back into her good books. His tough interviewer (Gyllenhaal) used to know him in college. And of course the attack happens when Cale and kid are still in the building: he has brawn and she has brains, and of course it is a winning combination.

White House Down isn't as bad as I thought it would be, given Emmerich's previous outings, a mix of noisy creature features or disaster flicks (Independence Day, 2012, The Patriot). It has some resonances: Foxx as the Black President who declares, 'I just want to make a difference' could well be an echo of the Obama man. President Sawyer wants to yank American troops from the Middle East. The arms cartels and their moles in the defence machinery in high places in the US administration are mighty cheesed off: what, no more kickbacks? Out comes the resentful father (Woods) who lost his son in Afghanistan, and the guy who gets the biggest cut on arms deals, and the sneering fellows with enough arsenal to bring the White House Down.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie review: Delivery Man

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Cobie Smulders, Chris Pratt

Director: Ken Scott

The Indian Express Rating: **

A sperm donor who discovers he has sired children in the hundreds, a shocked girlfriend, and a reunion with the children bathed in giggly laughters and warm sunlight. We could almost be talking about Vicky Donor, but minus all its insights into Delhi's Lajpat Nagar and what happens when it clashes with the city's Bengali sub-culture just a few kilometres down the road.

Delivery Man, actually a remake of Scott's successful French-Canadian film Starbuck, plays it straight, stolid, sentimental and sanctimonious, to middlingly satisfactory but highly expected results.

David Wozniak (Vaughn) delivers meat for the family's meat business, and is apparently inept at even that, among other things. His girlfriend Emma (Smulders, of How I Met Your Mother) tells him she is pregnant with his child and dumps him for how irresponsible he is. His father and brothers have had about enough of him. And he owes $80,000 to some not-so-nice people. It is in this situation that David comes to know that the 693 sperm donations that he did over four years back in the '90s have resulted in 533 children, 142 of whom want to know their biological father.

The 142 have sent their short profiles and photos, and David starts visiting them one by one, clandestinely. Invariably each of these visits results in him coming across as a warm human being who helps them out in their moments of distress. The children include a gay, a Black and even one disabled teen.

You know where this film is headed. And while Scott makes David's journey back to Emma's heart thankfully short, he takes an even lesser time winning over all those "lost teens" needing their biological father, even without revealing his true identity to them.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Review Man of Steel: The word superman is kept at arm's length

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne

Director: Zack Snyder

The Indian Express rating: * 1/2

There is a reason this film is called Man of Steel, and it's got more to do with the "steel" part. There is so much of the periodic table in this confused blockbuster, despite its desperate attempts at contemplation in the tradition of the Dark Knight trilogy, that you have to scour for the man. But then when he does come on, Cavill fails to inspire or to evoke sympathy for his dilemmas.

A man who has come to help others from a distant land, who may be misunderstood by those who he is selflessly trying to help, is a theory that may hold resonance for American audiences. And that is what Snyder, of 300 fame, is going for here, at great effort. In fact, the word "superman" itself is kept at arm's length, with even the 'S' on his costume explained as a symbol of 'The House of El', meaning hope, from his home planet Krypton.

Krypton itself is a cold, dark, cavernous place with anorexic royals who could have been lifted straight out of 300. Clark Kent is born here as Kal, the first "natural birth" on the planet in thousands of years. For, Kryptonites have taken to artificially propagating bloodlines that are considered superior, to be incubated in genesis hubs. Before Krypton explodes, Kal's father played by Crowe manages to send him away on a capsule.

Crowe, however, continues to play a long and crucial role in the film as the ghost with the power to not just surface inside capsules he designed as Krypton's chief scientist but also to manipulate them. Back on Earth, it's he who explains Kal's destiny to him, when he is pondering over those strange powers he has always lived with.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie Review of 'Thor: The Dark World'

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Stellan Skarsgard

Director: Alan Taylor

The Indian Express rating: **1/2

In India, astrologers will tell you just how rare and momentous and powerful can be the 'convergence' of the 'nava graha' ( nine planets). But given that the people who are invested with any knowledge in 'Thor: The Dark World' are mere Western astrophysicists, all they know is that the laws of physics become 'weaker' when the nine planets are about to be arrayed in a line. From an abandoned warehouse in central London, the beauteous ( Portman) is funneled up into a mysterious space, and soaked with a strange red-coloured element called Aether.

We know this because a Norse-ish alien race and its enemies are in search of that very substance. Both the good guys, whose king is Odin ( Hopkins in an eye-patch), and the bad Dark Elves, lead by Malekith ( Eccleston), want it. The battle for Aether spills out from Asgard, travels to various hot-spots across the universe, and reaches London. Enter the Almighty Thor, the Marvel superhero with the Huge Hammer ( Hemsworth), who shows up to save our planets, (and the world, of course) from the marauding elves.

'Thor : The Dark World' comes two years after the first outing of the crown prince of Asgard, with most of the same faces but with a different director ( Alan Taylor, who has, on his resume , a few episodes of the TV series 'Game Of Thrones'). The time has been spent in ramping up the special effects, some of which are gorgeous. Look out for a panoramic view of Asgard, and the funeral of a noble lady, all glitter and poignance. Some of the inter-galactic chases are quite eye-catching, too, despite the 3D. But what mars the spectacle is the pace ( why do Hollywood superhero flicks have to be so long? ), and the collection of leaden baddies, with no personality. What's a tale like this without a real, solid villain? Eccleston, as Malekith, has no menace, and the fellows who accompany him, strutting about with headgear with horns, are just so much background noise.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Review: 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2'

Director: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn

Voices: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte

The Indian Express rating: **

If A sequel takes four years coming, chances are it will be more cloudy than meaty. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 lives true to that fear, with a riot of colours for imagination but nothing in either the story or the dialogue to match up to it.

Food that has become monstrous had already been dealt with in the first part, and so there is little to startle us here -- if you are charitable enough to discount the fact that the villain named Chester V (Forte) has a wise-Chinese-guy, Confucius-like air around him, strikes yogic postures and greets people with a Namaste. However he does live inside a striking house shaped like a bulb, with its tungsten filament serving as a transportation network.

That's a plus, as is Chester V's sidekick, a delightful purple orangutan with a small pigtail who insists she is an ape and not a monkey and hence superior in the food chain.

However, Cameron's own version of a naughty strawberry is tiresome, while Flint Lockwood (Hader), his dad (Caan) and his group of friends from earlier only play second fiddle to Chester V in situations that trundle out remarkably monotonously. A cheese web may catch your attention, and a Taco dinosaur is particularly impressive, but the sesame eyes on the burger monster are a stretch. The film, a departure from writer Judi Barrett's own sequel to Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, leaves few edibles out of its foodimals (food plus animals) list though, from gherkins (picklish) to bananas (bananastriches) and potatoes (hippos) to marshmallows (own cuddly selves).

But solely because of the straightforward way the film is laid out, these sideshows leave little impression. Despite the sea of food on display -- food that is waded through, sliced, diced and generally treated disturbingly as floatsam -- you may find little to sink your teeth into.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Hobbit! Dwarves! Action!

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch

Director: Peter Jackson

The Indian Express rating: ***

PETER Jackson inhabits the world of J R R Tolkein thoroughly and given the breadth of the exercise, and in his case the length of it, he has to be lauded for the sheer enthusiasm with which he approaches the subject film after film. The Desolation of Smaug must have required particular effort, fits as it does uncomfortably in the middle of three prequels to a three-episode sequel (and how does that sound?). However, Jackson makes no concessions for those catching up midway and jumps straight into the action.

And relentless action it is then on. When the film begins, Gandalf (the wizened Ian Mckellen) is telling dwarf king Thorin (Richard Armitage, regal as ever) to reclaim the land that is his. Soon Bilbo (Martin Freeman, slipping into the role as effortlessly) and the 13 dwarves are being chased by the Orcs on their ghoulish rides. One of the first "creatures" we encounter is a "skin changer", who alternates between a bear and a hulk of a giant (and it's a better transition than any such previously done).

However, the film moves too fast despite its 161-minute length to dwell over any of these impressive creations. We enter a dangerous forest inhabited by the necromancer in minutes, where giant spiders wrap our 14 in webs, and in a couple more, they are imprisoned in the elf kingdom. It's here that Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel make an appearance and the film takes a semblance of emotions as Tauriel falls for the dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner). Lilly (The Lost) is a welcome addition to the franchise, pretty and honourable without being too cloying.

Jackson builds up quite a spectacle as he conjures up different lands, particularly the Lake People. However, as was the case with The Unexpected Journey, his eye appears to have moved from the characters to the circumstances they find themselves in, and you often long to care for some of them. Take the chase down a stream where the dwarves and Bilbo hidden in barrels are giving the fight to the relentless Orcs. It's a scene exploited for both its ingenuousness and its comic potential but, given that most of the times you can't make out what's happening, it could have done with some cutting.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie Review: The Hunger Games Catching Fire

This second part of the successful Hunger Games trilogy manages to carve itself a notable space. (AP)

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci

Directed: Francis Lawrence

The Indian Express rating: ***1/2

THIS is one of those rare films where the character, the actor and the movie treatment all develop together in tandem to signify a maturing that mere words won't do. Devoid of both the adrenalin-fuelled action of the first film as well as the satisfaction of a climax, this second part of the successful Hunger Games trilogy manages to carve itself a notable space.

A large part of it has to again do with Jennifer Lawrence. Though several years older than the heroine of the books, Katniss Everdeen, she has that air of wounded innocence that one would expect from someone in her shoes. Plus now that the Games and their horror/rush are behind her, Lawrence is really in her elements as a reluctant rebel and fleeting celebrity caught between some very difficult choices. The fact that in real life too she has seen her career graph veer in quite the same direction perhaps helps.

Suzanne Collins's series with its obvious political overtones, starting from the name of the land, Panem -- Latin, conveying superficial appeasements -- also doesn't have to try very hard to establish its dystopian credentials here.

Catching Fire so has an easier, less jarring progression where it captures well the simmering undercurrents of rebellion against the Capitol here -- often going beyond the book. Led by the mocking President Snow (Sutherland), the Capitol continues to rule Panem and its impoverished 12 districts with an iron hand.

Francis Lawrence, who charted similar ground while directing I Am Legend and salubrious romance while helming Water for Elephants, particularly impresses in how he conveys the effect of two different worlds cohabiting in the singular form of Effie Trinket (Banks). Her outlandish clothes (the costumes overall deserve a special mention), her elaborate get-ups, her fuss, her seeming attention to non-essentials, her stress on "We are a team, isn't it?" are revealed to a whole new meaning here. The screenplay has been co-written by Simon Beaufoy, of Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and The Full Monty fame.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie review: Paul Walker's last outing 'Hours'

Director: Eric Heisserer

Cast: Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez

The Indian Express rating: ***1/2

IT'S tempting to watch this film and wonder what could have been. Paul Walker, who died last month in a car crash, ventures as far away as he can from his Fast & Furious roles for this film about a father trying desperately to keep his newly born daughter alive, stranded alone in a hospital as Hurricane Katrina strikes.

Walker also produced this film while it's the debut directorial venture of Heisserer (the screenplay writer of films such as Nightmare on Elm Street and The Final Destination 5). They could have been pardoned for feeling the need to prove something. But creditably, they don't, letting the events speak for themselves.

Nolan (Walker) has walked into a New Orleans hospital with his wife in premature labour at 2 am just as Hurricane Katrina is gathering full strength. Within five hours, his wife has died and his child has been kept in a ventilator. Within the next few, the hospital has been evacuated but for those that can't be moved. A few more hours and Nolan realises he is practically the only one left in the hospital with his child. The power goes, so does the back-up, and as the battery starts running out, Nolan manages to discover an old one that needs winding every 2 minutes or so.

He will spend more than 42 hours in that situation, without power, cranking up the battery every 2 minutes, filling up his daughter's saline drip, and somehow managing to sustain himself on dwindling supplies and creeping witness. Any options he hunts for also have to be structured around that two-minute window.

Heisserer, who also wrote Hours, keeps the film engrossing despite the confines of the story, putting Nolan in risks of different forms. And of course we can't get the picture of that helpless baby wrapped in just a towel and a cap out of our heads. The lives of the two are intrinsically linked and the film knows that, and plays on it well.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here

Movie review: 'Walking with the Dinosaurs 3D'

Director: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale

Voices: Charlie Rowe, Karl Urban, Angourie Rice, John Leguizamo, Justin Long, Skyler Stone, Scowler, Tiya Sircar

The Indian Express rating: **

CAN Walking With Dinosaurs have the prattle of Happy Feet? You would think not, and not the least because the two films involve wildly different creatures. However, watching the first, you wouldn't know the difference. A short story about a Pachyrhinosaurus with a difference, who is small in size, has a hole in his sort-of ear, goes on to save his herd, falls in love and has babies of its own -- ring a bell? -- is bathed in cuteness completely disproportionate to the dangers crawling in that world.

Presumably dinosaurs in the dinosaur era (70 million years ago) were confident fellows with no inkling of the wipeout ahead. However, they still lived in inhospitable times of scarce food, forest fires, ferocious predators, and few friends. Shouldn't writer John Collee, who also wrote Happy Feet, not treat it with the same breathless tone of barely concealed giggles and smart-alecky asides? Particularly as they are not even a patch on the original Happy Feet.

And if that isn't enough, Walking With Dinosaurs, involving computer-animated dinosaurs in live-action settings, is also faux documentary-like in how it pauses to explain us the numerous awesome details of the dinosaurs filling its screen. A child reads out the scientific names, the meaning, and where that particular creature is placed in the food chain. In the case of one particularly ferocious dinosaur, there is a whole animation explaining all that it can do.

Obviously, Walking With Dinosaurs 3D, produced by BBC Earth and named after a BBC TV documentary miniseries, takes its dinosaurs seriously. And given the detailing and the variety, they did go to great length to get it right. It's sad then that such magnificent creatures have been laid unnecessarily low by the dialogues humans have saddled them with.

... contd.

Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s).

View the original article here