Bhawana Somaaya

There was a time film folks seldom appeared in the mainstream papers except for a rare occasion like either a National Award or a lapse on income tax issues. These days of course the mainstream papers cannot do without dragging show business into one story or the other, more often negative headlines than positive news.

In just one month there have been four property matters, two death threats, one rape and robbery, one payment denial and one stalker who have been arrested. Read on the following you will understand what I mean.

In a temporary reprieve for Bollywood actor Aditya Panscholi and his family, the Bombay HC stayed a 1995 court order to evict them from their bungalow at Juhu which they had rented out some time ago. The bungalow was owned by the Hatte family and the small causes court in 1995 had ruled in favor of the landlord directing the Panscholi family to vacate the premises. They didn’t and to make sure nothing went wrong the house is being occupied by Panscholi domestic staff.

Dimple Kapadia lived in the Birla house in the early years of her career. That is where she got married and returned after her divorce with Rajesh Khanna. The legal battle on the property began in 1978 when Laxmi Properties, whose managing director is now Yash Birla, moved the small causes court to recover possession of its property. The Birla company said it had given the ground floor premises on a 11-month leave and license for Rs 2,000 per month to Killick Nixon which used it for the residence of its ‘managing director’ Chunilal Kapadia, Dimple’s father now no more. The trial court was told that it was “friendship between the late R D Birla and late Kapadia” that prompted “only a temporary accommodation” of his family and so both sides are gearing up once again for a bitter battle in the court.

Veteran film heroine and superstar Sadhana Nayyar, who had accused builder Yusuf Lakdawala of threatening to kill her if she doesn’t vacate her Santacruz home, approached the commissioner of police, Sanjeev Dayal, on Saturday. The actress had lodged a complaint at the Santacruz police station last month, but despite several visits to the police station, the local police has taken no action. “So she has taken up the matter with the Commissioner.” Sadhna’s lawyer, Vaibhav Krishna told DNA.

Veteran filmmaker Ravi Tandon has lived in Nippon society for decades now. There are stories that he wants to put up his home for sale but Nippon Society is not permitting the filmmaker to carry out any deal because five years Tandon apparently extended the premise illegally to include more space. Nippon Society reported the matter to BMC but nothing came of it. A few years later when Ravi Tandon tried to register Tandon House in his daughter Raveena’s name, Nippon Society filed a court case challenging the illegal construction.

In the olden days nobody received threats but today it is a daily occurrence and most of the time the blackmailer is known to the person. Film producer Rakesh Upadhyay received a threat call from an unknown caller over redevelopment of the building in which he lives with his family at Vile Parle (E). Upadhyays have filed a police complaint at the Vile Parle Police Station. When we such incidents on television serial like Thoda Hai Thode ki Zaroorat Hai we feel it is an exaggeration but truth is stranger than fiction.

The more powerful the post like the IMPAA elections the uglier it gets. After its Vice President Sushma Shiromanee received death threats to withdraw her nomination from the upcoming IMPPA elections, the cops called in Harish Sugandh for interrogation and from what appears Sugandh is a close associate of Shiromanee. Bravo shiromanee for not giving up and fight it through till the election time.

Wonder when our strugglers will learn that casting couch is not the way to success. In the olden days the oppressed strugglers preferred to keep silent but not any longer. Seventeen year old wannabe actor has accused Marathi actor Ramesh Bhatkar, director Ashok Londhe and Congressman Bhagwan Vairat for rape. The trio was discharged by the district and sessions court in a case of seeking sexual favours from the girl by promising her a role in a Marathi movie. In her complaint, the girl has exposed her uncle and aunt for taking her to the director and others involved in the racket.

Thieves think it is easiest to rob film stars because they have in excess but what they don’t realize is that it is easier to nab a culprit at a celebrity home because it makes first page news. Perizad Zorabian who was last seen with Amitabh Bachchan in Ek Ajnabee was in for a shock when sash and jewellery worth Rs 55 lakh were stolen from her home in Seven Apartments, Pali Hill. The police suspect Zorabian’s domestic help Karan, who’s been missing since the incident.

Most of the times when big production houses don’t pay actors the stars choose to ignore it. Esha Deol however has filed a complaint in CINTAA (Cine & TV Artistes’ Association) a year ago against Ram Gopal Verma for not paying her dues. Verma did not respond to the letters. The case then reached the FWICE (Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees) which Ramu once again ignored. So the Federation referred the dispute to ‘Non Cooperation Matter’.

I wonder if it has to do with the kind of roles she plays on screen but a man called Bharadwaj had been stalking actor Kangana Ranaut for some time. She was worried for her safety and took the right step, reported the matter to the police. The man has been nabbed and taken in to police custody. That all these made headlines within a month makes truth stranger than fiction…

One thing is for sure that the media relishes masala more than the readers and this is evident even when they report something as non controversial as festivals. The best example of this is Salman Khan unfairly trapped on an innocent statement on 26/11. Khan is being made to apologise by the Shivsena in exactly the same way they did to Jaya Bachchan before the release of Drona and Karan johar before the release of Wake Up Sid. Had everybody taken a united front the very first time this would probably not happen time and again.

It does make me wonder though that what is it about Salman Khan that every time he touches high professional scales something in his personal life invariably pulls him down.

Bhawana Somaaya
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