Was elephant that scared Abhi-Ash provoked and chained?

Film Unit didn’t have permission to use the animal


By Flynn Remedios – © Futuristic Media Network


Well this news is something that the Animal Welfare Board and PETA must take very seriously.

According to reports in the local vernacular press, and eye witness accounts, the elephant that killed its mahout at Athirappilly on Wednesday evening after it was taken to the site of shooting of Mani Ratnam’s film, ‘Ravan’, was allegedly provoked, chained and harassed, before it ran amuck. In fact, the local press in southern India has criticized Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai for being insensitive to animals and treating them merely as beasts of burden.

Some farmers and onlookers as quoted by local television said that the mahout tried to make the elephant do some tricks – apparently to impress the star guests including Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The elephant was in no mood to oblige though and after being pushed to its tether by the mahout, finally gored him to death.

In an attempt to impress the stars, the production guys and unit wallas, the mahout tried to force the animal to do impossible things – some thing that PETA must find out. Apparently, the mahout went out of his way to impress the production and unit hands to get a better price for his services and for the use of the elephant in the film. Eyewitnesses also said that the unit hands created a huge commotion while the mahout tried to rein in the huge beast. This further frightened the animal, which went haywire.

According to a report in The Hindu, the elephant named Kunju, gored its mahout Aandavan, 51, to death at Charpa during the evening hours. It then ran amok and was brought under control only after midnight after forest officials shot it down with a tranquilizer gun.

“The film crew and tourists watched the incident. Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and the director were shifted to an inspection bungalow of the Forest Department,” said Kanichayi Baby, production manager of the film. “They remained there for a few hours till the commotion that followed the incident died down. Contrary to reports that appeared in the media, no member of the film crew was trapped in the forests or was without water and basic food. Of course, they must have missed the five star food and treatment that is the norm.”

Animal welfare activists alleged that the elephant was used for film shooting, while the production unit maintained it was not.

“The elephant was brought to Athirappilly on Tuesday, but it was not featured in the film. We suspect that the mahout was under the influence of alcohol,” Mr. Baby said.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has asked the Kerala Forest Department on Thursday to inquire into the incident and submit a report. It also served a notice on the producers asking them to explain how and why the animal was featured in the film without the permission of the Board.
“Pre-shoot permission and post-shoot no-objection certificates from AWBI are mandatory for featuring animals in films,” said D. Rajasekar, AWBI secretary.

The Kerala Elephant Lovers’ Association demanded action against the producers for allegedly violating the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules of 2001.

According to veterinarian P. B. Giridas, who examined the elephant on Thursday, the animal was shot with a tranquilizer gun on Wednesday, informs The Hindu.

TOP BOLLYWOOD ACTRESS PREGNANT, SECRETLY ABORTS TWO-MONTH PREGNANCY

By Flynn Remedios © Futuristic Media Network

One of Bollywood’s most saleable, most talked-about and written about actress recently aborted a 2.5 month old pregnancy. We got this information direct from senior and reliable sources at the posh 5-star clinic that conducted the top secret abortion procedure. For obvious reasons and until we get a legitimate copy of the “PROOF” we would not want to mention the name of the actress. All we can say for now is that the actress has been in and out of relationships in the last few years and is currently dating a senior Bollywood actor.

Bollywood gossip mills had rumored that the actress was engaged to the actor and were almost living in. Another report had suggested that the same actress was ‘sporting the actor’s engagement ring’.

Earlier media reports and photographs had indicated that newly-married Amrita Arora just back from her honeymoon was sporting a tell-tale bump suggesting that the actress was pregnant. Just a few months before, Sushmita Sen was also photographed at a Reality Show that she was judging with a similar ‘bump’ giving rise to rumours that she was pregnant. While nothing much came out of Sushmita Sen’s bump – in fact the svelte actress looks ten years younger now after loosing oodles of weight, it is weight and watch for Amrita Arora who has kept mum about the rumours.

RAKHI SAWANT: "RAKHI KA SWAYAMVAR IS JUST ANOTHER REALITY OR GAME SHOW"

By Flynn Remedios – © Futuristic Media Network

Speaking to journalist Flynn Remedios, Rakhi Sawant Bollywood’s most enigmatic and unpredictable personality said that she was NOT going to marry.

“This is just another Reality Show or Game Show. It’s just like any other TV program. I am not going to marry now. Maybe I may date the winner in real life. But it doesn’t mean that I am bound to marry the winner of the show if there is any one.”

When further queried, she shot back, “There is a possibility that there may not be any winner. Yes I may decide I do not eventually like anyone from this lot of suitors,” quipped the drama queen adding and hinting that there may be a Rakhi ka Swayamwar Part II or Season II.

Rakhi insisted that she would definitely want to get to know the contestants in real life. “Yeh toh Reel Life hein. Real Life to alag hein na. I have to get to know them inside out. Barabar se tatolna hoga. I can not make the same mistakes I made earlier.

Apparently, Rakhi has been married twice before according to unconfirmed media reports and should she get married this time, it would possibly be her third marriage. In fact, one of her former beaus had raised a ruckus saying that legally Rakhi Sawant was still married to him and how could the actress and item queen get married again.

Earlier Shradha Sharma and astro-numerologist Sandhiya Mehta had raised doubts about Rakhi’s intention to marry. Sandhiya Mehta had asserted that the show was a farce and just anotherTV soap.

Salman Khan leaves photographer with a bloody nose at music launch

By Flynn Remedios – © Futuristic Media Network

Salman Khan and his entourage - though unintentionally and unknowingly - left a photographer with a bleeding nose at a music launch function at the J W Marriott on Thursday.

According to eye witnesses, Salman Khan was the chief guest at the music launch of the film Shadow. About 50 photographers and another 50-60 TV cameramen were jostling for space on and around the dais to get exclusive or good pix of Sallu bhaiya. The media crowd was getting difficult to handle as there was a lot of pushing and shoving.

When it was time for Sallu to leave, his bodyguards began creating a way for him to move out without being mobbed by the paparazzi. Suddenly Salman and his bodyguards moved out of the podium, accidentally injuring a photographer M Surayakant in the process. The shutterbug was hit on his nose by the elbow of one of the burly bodyguards when he moved his hand behind to shield Salman from the aggressive photographers.

Though this was completely unintentional and a genuine accident, the shutterbug has vowed never to attend a Salman event again.

Spectra Multimedia drops starlet Apsara Soni due to “attitude issues” in Karina flick

Signs on Megha Narkar for the role

By Ashwin Salian – Futuristic Media Network


Starlet Apsara Soni who was signed on by Spectra Multimedia Films (I) Inc to play the lead female role in the controversial film, “The Secret Life of Karina” has been ‘dropped’ from the project within two days of being signed.

Spokesperson and publicist for Spectra Multimedia, Flynn Remedios said, “Apsara Soni had a lot of attitude problems and wasn’t on the same wave length with the producers vis-à-vis the script. Within one day of being signed on, she began to dictate terms to the producers. She was not comfortable with several other issues and hence we had to take a decision to drop her within 48 hours of signing her for the film. We have now signed on Gladrags Mega Model 2009 finalist Megha Narkar as the female lead in the film.”

The Bollywood flick “The Secret Life of Karina” has been mired in controversy from the moment go. The Rs 20-core flick features a female super star who is a prostitute in real life and the male lead called Saifee who is brigand and smuggler.

Sources also said that there are 40 kissing and bedroom scenes, 5 murders and 3 rape instances in the film. However, Spectra Multimedia spokesperson Flynn Remedios refused to comment, saying that the script, plot and scenes are yet to be finalized.

According to unconfirmed reports the film is loosely based on the life of Bollywood super star Kareena Kapoor and has some very controversial scenes which deal with the love life of the characters in question. It also features a rogue character called Saifee and another called Shaheed – subtle, but apparent references to Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor.

According to sources, Shradha Sharma was offered Rs 50 lakh to play the role of Karina in the film but she turned it down as “she didn’t want to offend Kareena Kapoor and was not comfortable with the 40 kissing scenes.”