Chiru about to reap mega rewards

The news about Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh joining the UPA coalition has brought cheers to the actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.
As Ajit Singh is all set to take oath as the union minister, it is expected that Chiranjeevi will also get a call soon to join the central cabinet.
The UPA leadership may have shown remarkable speed in wooing Ajit Singh into its fold because of the imminent elections in Uttar Pradesh, the development has come as a blessing in disguise for Chiranjeevi who has been waiting in the wings to get the reward.
Though the Congress leadership had promised him that he would be given a position befitting his status and image, it has been a painful wait for him, so much so that his erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party colleagues expressed their anguish over being ignored by the Congress.
Thanks to UP development, Chiranjeevi will be a collateral beneficiary. It is said that he would be given Minister of State with independent charge. Later, he would be nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh. In tune with the promise made by the Congress leadership, at least two erstwhile PRP legislators would be inducted into the Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet.

Fancy figures put Producers' under IT scanner

Tollywood has often been famous for its star frenzy and the kind of following the star heroes have. More than the following it is the star wars between fans which has become more of a concern. The latest and hottest issue in this category was the clash due to ‘Dookudu’.

While Mahesh Babu fans were riding high about ‘Dookudu’, Jr NTR fans gave their stand that ‘Oosaravelli’ was higher. In between came fans of Ramcharan Tej who said ‘Magadheera’ beats both. Of course, the prime reason for this has been the bloated figures given by the producers.

Now, it appears that the producers are paying the price. With IT authorities casting an eagle eye and the recent raids on producers of ‘Dookudu’ ‘Businessman’ and Mahesh Babu himself, the buzz is that the producers are intending to cut down on their blowing as that will give them some happiness.

Nag decides to get older

It is a very common feature in the Indian cine circuit that we see heroes who are reaching senior citizen age still romancing heroines half their age. Of course, there is always the crowd pull factor but at one point, the pairing looks definitely odd. But here is one man who seems to be changing it all.

He is none other than Nagarjuna. Buzz is that Nag who is known for his suave and sophisticated looks and his reputation among women is all set to shed his glamour. Sources say Nag has decided to grow his beard and this is for his new movie ‘Shirdi Sai Baba’ so that he gives a natural look.

So far, it is heard that Nag was waiting for the completion of his other project ‘Damarukam’. Now, with Nag’s decision like this, many are hailing his move and say that this is one lesson to all big heroes who still crave for romantic and youthful roles. Wonder what the reactions of Nag’s lady admirers will be like.

Jagan continues to hunt Babu&Co.

ABK Prasad

Jagan camp has been carpet-bombing courts against Chandrababu and co with courts as the battlefield. The latest weaponry in its ammo are two petitions separately in Supreme Court and High Court, both aimed at driving Naidu-Ramoji duo against the legal wall.
Y S Vijaya filed a petition in the apex court on Monday with an extraordinary plea to shift the case against the TDP chief to a court in any other state or to the Supreme Court. We have strong reservations about the fairness of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in dealing with this case, the petition argued.
The other petition is also a surprise development. ABK Prasad, a senior journalist, moved in the HC an ‘implead’ petition in Naidu’s ‘vacate’ petition hearing, arguing that he had intimate knowledge of illegal business practices adopted by Ramoji Rao. ABK, who was chairman of Official Language Commission during YSR regime, impleaded along with Vijaya Sai Reddy, Jagan’s auditor and accused in Jagan’s case.
Vijaya alleged in her petition to SC that Chandrababu and others in the case have been trying to create obstacles for a fair trail in the High Court and have been making efforts through ‘not before’ convention to influence the selection of the bench. It may be recalled that Sakhshi and Vijaya’s lawyers objected to a bench consisting of Justice Eswaraih hearing the case earlier.
Presently, the case is being heard by the bench consisting Justice Rohini and Justice Ashutosh Mohanta. Vijaya lawyer Sushil Kumar, in his arguments, has been saying that Justice Rohini had earlier issued orders that were favourable to Chandrababu in some cases.
It would be interesting to see how the apex court will react to this unprecedented move in the history of AP High Court. Vijaya’s petition clearly conveys that the AP High Court is far from competent in delivering justice.
ABK’s case is very curious. The maverick journalist worked very briefly – 1974-1975- in Eenadu. That was a long time ago and too brief a period to know about the businesses of Ramoji Rao in such detail as he claims to have knowledge of. His being drawn into the case is being seen as an attempt to bolster the credentials of Vijaya’s petition.
However, what prompted him to be Jagan’s partner in this case against Ramoji is inexplicable. Jagan has had the credit of drawing Ramoji’s son Suman and the media baron’s co-brother Appa Rao at different stages in the past in his battle against Eenadu.

Top Touch n Type phones for less than Rs 10k!

Top 5 touch and type phones under Rs 10,000

LG Optimus Pro C660

LG recently added this touch and type phone to its line-up. It is a simple and practical device with a 2.8 inch multi-touch screen and Qwerty keypad. The keypad works well.

Pro C660 runs on Gingerbread (Android 2.3), coupled with an 800 MHz processor. It has 3G (at a limiting speed of 3.6 Mbps); it has WiFi with hotspot capabilities, and standard Android features like GPS. The device uses Bluetooth v3.0, which is fast.

There is a 3.15 megapixel camera at the back but none in front. The memory on this phone can be expanded to 32 GB with a MicroSD card and it also has 150 MB of internal storage. The 1500 mAh battery is good for more than a day of medium use. The best part of this phone is its price of Rs 10,000.

Fire XT311 (Rs 8,800)

Motorola Fire is very similar in design to the LG Optimus Pro, with the same screen size, form factor, and Android version. Fire is cheaper than Optimus Pro by more than Rs 1,000 because it has a less powerful processor.

The phone is better to look at, with a glossy finish, and has a new user interface, which Motorola calls Mode Switch, that separates work from play.

The 3G download speed is also better in Motorola Fire with speeds up to 7.2 Mbps. The camera is a 3 megapixel unit, andits 1420 mAh battery is weaker than that of the LG device.

The phone costs Rs 8,800.

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 (Rs 8,900)
 

Galaxy Pro is the oldest and arguably the best looking phone on the list. It has a full Qwerty keypad and 2.8 inch touchscreen, very similar to the two phones above. However, the screens' aspect ratio is different with more width than height.

The phone is powered by an 800 MHz processor and Android 2.2 operating system, with upgrades coming soon. It has a 3.15 megapixel camera with auto focus, a feature that is lacking in the LG and Motorola devices.

Galaxy Pro has 160 MB of internal memory and support for up to 32 GB. The 1350 mAh battery is small compared to the phones above. The device is priced at Rs 8,900.

Nokia X3-02 (Rs 7,600)

Nokia X3-02 touch and type looks really good, especially in white, which is surprising for a Nokia.

Like all Nokia phones, this device has impeccable build quality and good battery life.

X3-02 is the smallest and lightest device in this list because it has a multitap keypad, while the rest come with Qwerty keyboards, and a small 2.4 inch resistive touch unit. The phone runs on Symbian S40 comes with Ovi support for apps and services.

Nokia X3-02 has a music player with dedicated music key. You can flip through albums and enjoy high quality games, listen to the radio, use instant messaging and get the latest numbers from Ovi Music Store.

The phone's 5 megapixel auto focus camera is the best in this list.

The phone comes with 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity. At Rs 7,600, though, it is slightly expensive, as with a little bit more you can get a smartphone with a bigger and better screen with many more features. But this is a good buy for Nokia fans for sure.

Motorola EX119 (Rs 5,600)
 

Motorola EX119 Brea is the cheapest phone on our list, and it has pretty good features.

This dual GSM has a 2.4 inch resistive touchscreen, full Qwerty keypad and separate number keys.

The phone runs on a Linux based OS, which is simple and very user friendly. It also has a 3 megapixel camera with fixed focus.

The device weighs 87 gram and is 9.9 mm thick with silver white finish. It looks quite stylish. Motorola EX119 is powered by a 910 mAh battery which supports talk time up to 6 hours and a standby time up to 680 hours.

The phone has 50 MB of internal memory which can be increased to 32 GB using a microSD card.

The device uses GPRS, EDGE, WiFi and Bluetooth.

At Rs 5,600, the phone offers very good value for money for a person looking at a simple phone that has basic functionalities in a stylish and budget friendly way.

Oops.. Shanker did it again!!

Textiles and Handlooms Minister Dr P Shanker Rao is a maverick, who has been on a rampage for some time now. Shanker created sensation when his letter was treated as PIL by High Court and ordered CBI inquiry agianst Jagan Mohan Reddy. Of late, he has been making allegations against his own Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy as well as other ministerial colleagues openly.

A letter purported to have been written by Shanker Rao is now doing the rounds in the media. The letter is a complaint to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi against CM Kiran, who is described as ‘corrupt, and several other ministers in his cabinet. The sooner they are removed from their posts the better for the Congress Party, the letter advises.
While Shanker Rao vehemently denied that he had written and that his letterhead was stolen and his signature forged, the moot point who was the brains behind the letter since it certainly points to a vested interest. Here is copy of the letter allegedly written by Shanker Rao.

Mahesh is The Businessman

Mahesh Babu’s forthcoming big flick Businessman will have a high decibel release in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam simultaneously. To be released worldwide on January 11, the film has raised expectations to fever pitch, being a Puri Jagannadh-Mahesh combination after the Pokiri mega success.

Completed in record time of 74 days, Businessman will take Mahesh new heights –to peak level- in heroic image, according to the Director. The picturization of songs on Mahesh and Kajal have come out well and the audio in all three languages will be released on December 22, Puri reveals.
While Puri is credited with the story as well as screen-play besides wielding the baton, the film’s music was scored by Thaman, for whom this is second Mahesh movie after Dookudu.
Produced by Dr Venkat on RR Movie Makers banner, Businessman cast includes Prakash Raj, Shayaji Shinde, Raja Murad, Dharmavarupu etc.