Mithun Manhas Emerges As Surprise Choice For BCCI President

What an irony that Mithun Manhas, a sub-committee member appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to administrator cricket in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), is to be elected as President (unopposed) of the BCCI itself! Those who call the shots at the BCCI, a financial behemoth, surprised one and all by choosing to back Manhas for the post of President and five more to its three-year Apex Council. The 46-year-old Manhas, born in Jammu and Kashmir, was not lucky to play for India, but he has ticked a handful of weighty boxes; he is a 157-match first class cricketer for Delhi and J& K, turned out in big numbers in limited over matches and Twenty20, was contracted by three IPL teams as player, coached a handful of IPL teams and the Bangladesh under-19 team. He latest role is “Member, Cricket operations and Development” JKCA. The question is “Does he receive any honorarium” from JKCA? Manhas was one among the few, but well-known like Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Raghuram Bhat and Jaydev Shah in the 35-card electoral list and hence eligible to contest elections. And at the residence of a Union Minister in New Delhi on Saturday (Sep 20) some influential members of the BCCI proposed Manhas and five others for different posts. The discerning in the BCCI – past and present administrators- feel that the Supreme Court validated Reforms-in-Cricket incorporated in the BCCI Constitution has eliminated the democratic process of an election. Election did not take place in 2019 and 2022 and when vacancies were created for three posts from November 2024. But with Manhas set to become President on September 28, the trend of cricketers becoming BCCI Presidents continues. (By G Viswanath)

Another Nail In The Coffin Of India-U.S. Ties

Face the stark truth. Every step that Donald Trump takes will be against Latinos or Indians. All this talk about “My good friend Modi” is beginning to grate in the ears. And in one fell swoop, the U.S. President has now hit Indians in the stomach with his punitive annual fee of $1,00,000 (nearly Rs 90 lakhs) on H-1B visas. The move will hit all those who take these visas to work in the U.S. but consider the fact that Indians take over 70% of such visas granted every year in the H-1B visa lottery (Chinese less than 2%) and you know who the worst hit will be. It is becoming easy to see through this good-cop-bad-cop act that Trump was running with his aides like Navarro and Lutnick berating India at every turn while the U.S president speaks lovingly of India and its PM Modi. The trade talks may have been resumed but the U.S. well knows that India will not let two red lines be breached. Opening the agriculture sector is a no-no forever while the buying of Russian oil will go on till everything else is agreed upon and a trade deal is on the table ready to be signed.  No amount of posturing is going to change the fundamental position that Trump has taken against India and with Pakistan, partly because Pakistan played up to him and even invested in his family cryptocurrency business. Trump may not forget in a hurry the image of Vladimir Putin inviting Narendra Modi into his limousine in China even if he himself did share a limo ride with the Russian President in Alaska. If anyone believes things can be sorted with Trump and the U.S. soon, they may have other thoughts coming up. (By Tamil Raja)

Ajey Flops As Manufactured Controversy Fails To Draw Audiences To Theatres

It is striking how quickly lack of marketing leads some producers to resort to manufactured controversy as a substitute for a coherent release strategy. Hindi feature film, ‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi’, a biopic of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath illustrates the risks of that shortcut. The film, directed by Ravindra Gautam with newcomer Anant Joshi in the lead, endured censor delays and repeated postponements, and was released with almost no pre‑release publicity: no sustained trailer campaign, limited social assets, negligible media buying and no visible on‑ground outreach. With no established star, director profile, or promotional momentum, the makers appear to have leaned on controversy to generate interest. Media reports and social chatter suggested that some groups opposed the film and that it faced restrictions in certain overseas markets; those narratives were amplified across news channels and digital platforms, creating a storm of attention that had little to do with the film’s craft or storytelling. By contrast, Jolly LLB 3 benefited from classic, disciplined marketing: franchise recognition, TV integrations, viral short‑form content and broad social amplification. The result was Jolly LLB 3 reported opening day collection of around Rs 13 crore, while Ajey managed barely Rs 20 lakh nationwide. That gulf underlines a simple truth: controversy is not a marketing plan. Manufactured outrage may produce headlines, but it rarely translates into sustained audience trust or ticket sales. The Ajey case serves as a cautionary tale for low‑budget and debut projects. Effective promotion need not be extravagant, but it must be strategic: clear positioning, targeted digital spend, festival and critic engagement, and grassroots visibility. When films are launched without those basics, manufactured controversy becomes an all‑too‑tempting, and usually ineffective, fallback. (By Girish Wankhede)

DGCA Cracks A Whip On State Govts Over Air Safety Issues

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has finally cracked a whip on several state governments to comply with airport safety measures which is often taken for granted, particularly one relating to the bird-hit menace. In 2024, bird hit cases in the country rose to 1,278 cases compared to 528 cases in 2019. DGCA’s new resolve is to strengthen India’s respective airport director’s repeated safety warnings often taken casually by most state governments. DGCA now wants to regulate critical safety measures to eliminate bird hit possibilities in and around the airports. DGCA has requested all state Chief Secretaries to ensure strict time bound enforcement of rules which prohibits activities that attract birds and animals. To ensure “real compliance” Kidwai has asked respective Chief Secretaries to set up a compliance monitoring mechanism and send him quarterly reports. This means Odisha and other states will now have to seriously start mapping and take actions on unauthorised slaughter houses, meat shops, dairies, garbage dumps, tree pruning, lamp post removal obstructing flight path and unauthorised civil constructions next to the airport in and around 10 km radius of the airport. For Odisha, DGCA’s intervention is rather God sent because for long this issue was never addressed seriously. Sources say, the recent DGCA initiative to institutionalise a compliance monitoring mechanism with quarterly reports to DGCA is now having a cascading effect on respective state’s chief secretaries, commissioners and district collectors.  (By Sangram Mohanty)

Four Tollywood Biggies Battle For Screen Space This Durga Puja

Controversy continues to dog Tollywood, this time over the release of four much-awaited films that are set to clash during Durga Puja, the industry’s most lucrative season. Directors Nandita Roy-Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay, Anik Dutta, Shubhrajit Mitra and Dhruva Banerjee have lined up their big-budget movies — Raktabeej 2, Joto Kando Kolkatatei, Debi Choudhurani, and Raghu Dakat. Despite a recent intervention by a state-appointed committee, industry insiders confirm that disputes have emerged over screen distribution and prime-time show slots. Speculation is rife that Dev’s Raghu Dakat, co-produced with SVF, has secured an edge in theatre count and timings. Writer Jinia Sen (Raktabeej 2) and producer Firdausal Hasan (Joto Kando Kolkatatei) admitted they had heard “market buzz” about Raghu Dakat cornering a good number of theatres. The speculation gained momentum when Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson and actor Kunal Ghosh publicly questioned why an “influential” film had been given extra slots. Though he did not name anyone, many in the industry viewed it as an indirect swipe at actor-MP Dev, his party colleague with whom he has sparred earlier on social media. Dev’s recent release Dhumketu’s co-producer Rana Sarkar hinted at a deeper game. Exhibitors Naveen Chokhani and Jaydeep Mukhopadhyay, along with distributor Shatadip Saha, dismissed claims of preferential treatment for Raghu Dakat, saying no final decisions had been made. Still, several single-screen owners admitted the real pressure would fall on them, as unequal slot allocation during Puja season often sparks discontent. Ghosh also added a political edge, claiming Raghu Dakat owed thanks to TMC for the backing Dev reportedly received from local leaders during district promotions. (By Tanya Bagchi)

Newly Built Infra Projects In Maharashtra Already Showing Cracks, Raises Red Flags

India’s longest sea bridge, the 21.8 km long Atal Setu has started showing signs of wear and tear within 20 months of its inauguration. Following viral videos showing potholes on the Rs 17,000 crore bridge, senior officials visited and levied a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Daewoo-Tata Infrastructure Projects, the contractors for the project. The contractors have also been asked to redo the entire distressed stretch between 14-16 km with Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM) and asphalt concrete post-monsoons at their own costs. Though the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has attributed the stress to “weather extremities due to monsoons” and “continuous traffic flow”, it raises questions about the quality of India’s infrastructure growth story. Another landmark project, Mumbai’s coastal road costing over Rs 14,000 crore, which was inaugurated in March 2024, has also started showing up uneven patches even as flooding has led to closures on its underpasses during heavy downpour, which it was supposed to withstand. Incidentally, the potholes on the regular Mumbai roads have been registering a tale of corrupt practices that led to over 6758 potholes registered during monsoons this July including on its cement concrete roads. The BMC spent over Rs 154 crore this monsoon just to fill up potholes including its costly cement concrete roads. The BMC had pushed for cement roads as a solution to prevent potholes but now with even cement roads throwing up potholes in Mumbai, citizens are in a fix. Mumbai’s shoddy infrastructure has been attributed to corrupt practices. (By Hepzi Anthony)

Malaika Arora Redefines Herself — From Bold Beauty To Daring Icon

Twenty-four action filled years have passed on in 49-year old Malaika Arora’s life, since she lassoed global fame for her dance Chaiyya Chaiyya with Shah Rukh Khan atop a moving train in Dil Se. Nothing much has changed for this feisty and fast fashionista…her love for undiluted publicity, fashion statements and boundless energy have only grown along with her passion for fitness. Oh! yes, her liaisons do make for high voltage news, not surprising that after her divorce from Arbaaz Khan (brother of Salman Khan) social media chatter made her every link, newsworthy, especially her long standing relationship with Arjun Kapoor. Now the same ‘GRIPE VINE’ is trumpeting a break with Arjun Kapoor. Recently HT carried an interview with Malaika about her past state of mind and her present transformation, a weighty self-assessment and certification. “Till now my style quotient, dress sense, fashionista status and relationships determined my personality in the eyes of others”. Pardon us, but celebrities are scoped for this very reason, if this scrutiny and projection stop, the celebrity is no longer a celebrity. What was Malaika conveying? Others cannot influence what I should do. “But when I stopped justifying my actions and appearance, I felt a lot more free”.  She concluded forget what people think, it’s important what you think of yourself. She justifies her boldness, openness and going that extra mile which has put her on top. For added measure she states that people who contain her in a narrow perception cage are not her well-wishers. Is Malaika down to earth honest or is she styling for her next move? Best to be an enigma and baffle the curious. (By Padma Ramnath)

Cement Industry’s Balancing Act: Satisfying Govt And Consumers Alike

It is a politically-sensitive commodity. Not surprisingly, it has often found itself in the spotlight? Over the last week, almost all newspapers carried flashy advertisements from cement majors such as JK Cement, Adani Cement, Ultra Tech Cement and the like wishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his birthday. Not just that. These ads also lauded him for the GST cut — from a heavier 28% to a lighter 18% — which will go a long way in benefitting people across the canvass. The tax reduction, they argued, will not only benefit consumers but also industries as it would boost cement demand and beef up the distribution network. Sounds like a win-win situation? There is a catch, however. Cement in India is never known to be sold at the MRP (maximum retail price)!  Several summers ago, an ad was circulated by a company claiming that it was selling cement with no ash content in it. Upon verification, it was found that none of the cement carries ashes in it! Marketing can play the perfect tool to make or mar a perception. Well, we are talking about the GST cut. Enterprises have the uncanny knack of turning any situation to their advantage. Grapevines have suggested that the cement makers have quietly upped their prices so that they are ready to bring them down when the GST 2.0 kicks in on September 22. What do we make of this? Well, more the changes, things look — nay remain — the same! (By Aadhi Jayaprabha M)

Dhanush’s Movie Title ‘Idli Kadai’ Raises Curiosity Factor

People are justifiably wondering about the movie title Idli Kadai, featuring popular Tamil star Dhanush with Nithya Menen as a leading lady. Perhaps the movie may just prove that titles don’t matter as long as the content is gripping. Strangely enough Dhanush seems to have that innate trick of marketing his film through the curiosity factor. In a recent promo event Dhanush talked about his childhood when his family couldn’t afford even idlis, how he yearned for them and hence centrifugaled his plot with a well fermented storyline, soft, spongy and sentimental. Like all mid-level heroes, Dhanush is at the crossover crossroads …which option to jump to the next level? Especially after Vijay pole-vaulted to politics and his bête noire Sivakarthikeyan inching to top slot, though Madharaasi fell flat despite the hype. But Dhanush has a leg-up which many don’t have; he can multi-task as an actor, director, singer and scriptwriter. His female lead Nithya Menen is a dependable lead, talented and fearless …though her film Thalaivan Thalaivi was rejected both in cinemas and OTT. In that too Nithya romances a Kothu Parotta seller …food is the rocket to a man’s heart, head and bank. (By Padma Ramnath)

BCCIbusinessDurga PujaMalaika AroraMithun ManasTollywood