Neil Nitin Mukesh’s love interest is no longer kept out of view. That the girl in question, Priyanka Bhatia, is very much part of the Mukesh parivar which became evident on the night of November 2 when at the Fame Adlabs at a private screening of Jail. Priyanka was prominently present alongside Neil’s parents and brother Naman.
Neil’s mother and girlfriend sobbed uncontrollably throughout.

“Priyanka and my mom were hysterical with grief. They weren’t looking at just a character being put through a traumatic time. To them it was someone who they both love in pain in front of their eyes,” said Neil.

Neil admits Priyanka is an integral part of his family. “My parents and her parents don’t only know and like one another, we also visit each another’s homes constantly. More than lovers we’re friends first. There’s a comfort level in our interaction that makes us very relaxed with one another. We don’t have to hide anything. We meet openly and are very proud of one another. There’s no pressure for marriage on either side. When it happens, it happens. The marital status on the passport would hardly alter anything between us.”

Priyanka has done a course in fashion designing. Neil is open to the idea of Priyanka designing his clothes for his films. “I’d love that. But it should happen on its own. Neither Priyanka nor I want to pressurize anyone to use her skills. But if it happens, I’d be very happy to be dressed up by her.”

Another happy happening is the fact that Neil’s colleague Ranbir Kapoor’s film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani released on the same day as Neil’s Jail.

Says Neil, “Ranbir and I are of course competitors. But there’s no negative rivalry between us. Our respective fathers would kill us if we behaved like two brats fighting for the same roles. I’m proud that Ranbir’s and my grandfather were very close friends. My father and Ranbir’s father adore each other. Ranbir is like my younger brother.”

So is Neil saying Ranbir is no competition?

“Of course he is!” rejoins Neil. “I’d want Ranbir’s film to do as well as mine. Fortunately, Jail and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani look like the North and South pole.”

Last week, all of Neil’s forthcoming directors saw Jail at Yash Raj Studios “David Dhawan. Abbas-Mustan, Kunal Kohli and Ken Ghosh saw the film. I think they liked what they saw. So I’m safe in their films.”

Weekend collections of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani are out and it is crystal clear that Raj Kumar Santoshi is all set to have the biggest ever money spinner of his two decade long career. Not just that, even Ranbir Kapoor is enjoying the biggest opening ever of his career with the movie continuing its record journey. In the concluding segment of this 2-part interview with Joginder Tuteja, a relieved Raj Kumar Santoshi reacts to the digs taken on him by other filmmakers, delay in completion of his films, failure of Family and Halla Bol and how he is quite sure that Ranbir and Katrina are sure shot superstars just round the corner.

Even though you are sticking by your ethics and passion and are one of the select senior film makers who are still around, doesn’t it hurt that there are digs being taken on the pace at which you complete your films? At times it appears to be harmless fun but sometimes, it is also a little below the belt. Don’t you feel like retaliating?
I am glad you asked this question. Though I won’t wish to retaliate per se but I definitely to want state some bare facts on the records to bring a turnaround in perception of few who feel/believe/speculate/assume that I take time in completing my films. If we go down the memory lane, one of my biggest and most ambitious films till date, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, took mere 120 days from the first day of the shoot till the release date. This included actual shooting, post production, marketing, promotion and release. Tell me how many big films like this have been completed in such speed. Moreover, my involvement with a project doesn’t just end at the sets of the film. I know of so many out there who steer clear of a film once they are through the principal shooting. However, I am thoroughly involved in the background score, editing, mixing etc.

The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, took mere 120 days from the first day of the shoot till the release date

But isn’t The Legend of Bhagat Singh an isolated example of a film being completed so fast?
I can give you a lot more examples. Khakee was completed in 8 months even though Aishwarya Rai had met with an accident during the shoot. Also, there were other superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn as the part of the cast. Still, there were no delays. On the other hand, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, in spite of busy youngsters like Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, was completed in 8 months flat. Sometimes there is a gap between making two films which gives people an impression that a movie is taking a lot of time to be completed. However, the actors with whom I have worked over the years know that I shoot fast and finish the films on time. It’s unfortunate that there is such a wrong perception around my films getting delayed.

I am happy that other than great looks, Katrina also has an inherent quality of being a good and honest human being that reflects in her performance

Have you ever looked back on the box office failure of Family - Ties of Blood and Halla Bol?
Whenever I look back, I become surer that poor marketing killed these films. In today’s times something like that is so important for your film to make it’s presence amongst in the audience. People make choices based on what is made available to them. Neither Family nor Halla Bol reached out to audiences. Moreover, in case of Family, Amitabh Bachchan had fallen ill before it’s release and hence there was a lot of uncertainty around the film’s release. Moreover, no one was in the right frame of mind to talk about the film. What is ironical though is that till date I get compliments from people who watch it on satellite or DVDs. These films were far better than the rubbish which is churned out today.

Well, the story telling of your latest release was indeed comical. However, it must have required quite some thinking on your part to rope in someone like Katrina Kaif in a role like this, right? After all before New York, she was being billed as just Ms. Beautiful.
I know her for last 2.5 years and have closely followed her progress as an actor, star and a professional. I had been hearing stories about her sincerity, discipline, punctuality and hard work. I saw it all for myself when she was roped in for the film. She was quite enthusiastic about the subject even though it required her to do something that she has never attempted before. Not many actors can carry off a role like this with ?lan but she did that. I am glad that my judgement paid off. She was very convinced herself that she could crack it well. I am happy that other than great looks, she also has an inherent quality of being a good and honest human being that reflects in her performance.

Ranbir too has given an altogether different account of himself…
It was such a pleasant experience to be directing this young boy; He too hadn’t done anything like this before. Years back, I had enjoyed so much working with Rishiji in Damini. I still believe that the industry hasn’t given him his due. Now Ranbir has played a role so well which required him to come up with an all around performance where he was required to display a wide variety of emotions. He is a definite star on way to be a superstar.

Ranbir is a definite star on way to be a superstar

There has been a considerable gap between Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani and your last release Halla Bol [Jan 2008]. Will there be an equally large time span before your next film arrives?
That should not be the case (laughs). I was just waiting for the response to Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani. Now I can start putting together my next film in place which is pretty much in the pipeline.

KARACHI: Corruption in the provinces of Punjab and Baluchistan has declined while it has increased in the provinces of Sindh and NWFP, according to a recent survey conducted by Transparency International.

A press release issued by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) said that the survey carried out June- July 2009 in the four provinces regarding the citizens’ perception as to the level of corruption in the four provinces.

Compared to 2006, corruption perception in 2009 indicates that Sindh Province had surpassed Punjab Province as the most corrupt province. Corruption in the NWFP has perceived to have increased by 13%, Sindh by 5% while Punjab corruption is perceived to have decreased by 9% and Baluchistan by 10%.

On NRO, TI Pakistan has already said on 7th October 2007 that this ordinance was against the fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan, and is a negation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) ratified by Pakistan in August 2007.

The NRO has not only damaged the Pakistan image, but and the constraint of the NRO still damaging the credibility of Political Parties is the provision of the National Reconciliation Ordinance – 2007, “No sitting member of Parliament or a provincial assembly shall be arrested without taking into consideration the recommendations of Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics or Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics, before which the entire material and evidence shall be placed by the chairman NAB.”

The National Assembly has formed 41 Committees, but since last 17months, the Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics or Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics have not been formed, which is harming the image of political parties in general.

LOS ANGELES: She was the world’’s oldest mother when she gave birth to twin boys at the age of 66 on 29 December 2006. Less than three years on, Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara has died, her family announced yesterday.

The former shop worker, who travelled from her home in Spain to the US for fertility treatment, had been diagnosed with cancer shortly after the birth, her brother told the media.

She was admitted to a hospital near Cadiz and died on Saturday, he said. The exact cause of death has not been confirmed by the hospital.

Her two-year-old sons, Christian and Pau, will be left in the care of her family. The birth provoked condemnation in Spain and led to debate around the world over the ethics of helping elderly women give birth.

Ms Bousada de Lara defended her right to have children late in life, saying there was no reason she should not live as long as her mother, who died at the age of 101. She joked that she might even live to see her grandchildren.