CWG 2014: Vikas Gowda, wrestlers lead India's gold rush on Day 8

Photo by IBN Live

Glasgow: Discus thrower Vikas Gowda broke a 56-year jinx, to toast with gold alongside wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Kumari as India snaked up to the fifth spot in the medal race at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.

After a day of elusive hunt, Indian sportspersons clinched the shining yellow medal thrice - in a replay of their exploits Tuesday - besides a silver and a bronze, to bring cheers to the team contingent here and to the billion plus supporters back home.

With their kitty swelling to 13 gold medals, 20 silver pieces and 14 bronze medallions, India overtook New Zealand to take the fifth position in the leaderboard after England (42-38-38), Australia (36-34-41), Canada (26-13-22) and marginally behind hosts Scotland (14-12-16).

India had finished second as organisers of the previous edition of the Games in Delhi.

The wrestlers won two gold, a silver and a bronze to wrap up their tryst with the mat at an impressive 13 medals - five of them gold, in addition to half a dozen silvers and two bronze.

Gowda won the country's first medal from track and field in the Glasgow games.

In the early days of the competition, the Indian shooters had given India a rich haul of 17 medals including four gold pieces.

The 31-year-old Gowda upgraded the silver he had won four years ago in New Delhi with a best throw of 63.64 metres, thereby becoming India's only second male athlete to earn the costliest medal at the Commonwealth Games, 56 years after the legendary Milkha Singh's golden run in the 440 yards at Cardiff.

Gowda's best throw came on his third attempt, as he bettered his throw each time from 60.63m to 62.09 to 63.64. But his fourth and sixth attempts were disqualified with the fifth reading 62.17m.

In the wrestling arena. Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt beat Jevon Balfour of Canada in the men's freestyle 65kg category final. The Indian was declared the winner on grounds of technical superiority after he took a 10-0 lead within 1.53 minutes of the first period.

Babita Kumari began the country's gold conquest on the mat Thursday by putting on a stunning show to prevail over Canada's Brittanee Laverdure in the women's 55kg freestyle category summit clash at the SECC Hall.

The 24-year-old Babita, who had bagged the silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, won 9-2 against the 32-year-old Brittanee, who ended up injuring her finger during the bout.

Babita dominated most of the proceedings and it was only in the last 15 seconds that Brittanne managed to open her scoring but by then it was all over.

India's grappler Geetika Jakhar had to settle for the silver medal after she lost the women's freestyle 63 kg final to Canada's Danielle Lappage.The 28-year-old Geetika proved no match for the 23-year-old Danielle, who won 7-0.

Wrestler Pawan Kumar earlier came from behind to win against Pakistan's Muhammad Inam to clinch the bronze medal in the men's freestlye 86kg category. The two wrestlers were tied at 6-6 but Pawan was adjudged the winner since he scored the last point.

It was also a historic day for the nation in artistic gymnastics, as Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman and the second person from the country to clinch a Commonwealth Games medal when she won the women's vault bronze at the SSE Hydro.Agartala-born Dipa got the bronze with an average score of 14.366.

Ashish Kumar, who had won India's maiden gymnastics medals in CWG by scalping the men's vault silver and men's floor bronze fours years ago in New Delhi, ended sixth in the men's floor final.

The men's hockey team moved into the semi final by winning their fourth and final Pool A game 5-2 against South Africa. They will take on New Zealand Saturday. India needed only a draw to make the cut for the last four, but did it in style by thrashing the Africans, for whom it was a must-win contest.

India thus finished second in Pool A with three wins out of four matches behind defending champions Australia.

In the badminton court, Parupalli Kashyap, R.M.V. Gurusaidutt and P.C. Thulasi won their respective Round of 16 matches to enter the quarter-finals.

India went down to England 12-14 in the semi-finals of the men's fours lawn bowls and will face Australia for the bronze medal Friday.

However, road cyclists Arvind Panwar and Sombir finished 28th and 37th in the men's individual time trial,while Anthony Amalraj and Madhurika Patkar lost in the fourth round of the mixed doubles table tennis event.

By IBN Live

Pallikal-Chinappa enter doubles final

Photo by Manaramaonline

India's ace squash players Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa assured at least a silver medal by entering the final of the women's doubles event in the 20th Commonwealth Games.

Pallikal and Chinappa beat Australian combination of Kasey Brown and Rachael Grinham 2-1 (11-9 7-11 11-4) to seal their place in the gold medal match, where they will face English pair of Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro.

Earlier in the day, Saurav Ghosal and Pallikal crashed out of the mixed double event after being easily beaten in the quarterfinals by Australia's David Palmer and Rachael Grinham.

The India duo lost 2-0 (11-6 11-9) to their Australian opponents who rarely looked in any sort of trouble.

India's Harinder Pal Sandhu and Chinappa also lost a hard-fought battle against the second-seeded New Zealand pair of Martin Knight and Joelle King in the mixed-doubles quarterfinals.

In a see-saw battle, the 10th-seeded pair of Sandhu and Joshana failed to hold their nerve in the third and final game as the duo lost 11-7 8-11 6-11 to dash India's hopes of adding a medal to their tally.

Termed as one of the most well-played squash matches in this edition of the Commonwealth Games, Sandhu and Joshana did not play bad squash but their opponents were just better.

Pairing up with Ghosal, Sandhu had also lost in the men's doubles pre-quarterfinals.

By Manoramaonline

"Ranveer is the most compatible person I’ve met"

Photo by Filmfare

Every man in showbiz wants to work with her. Every woman in showbiz wants to be her. Deepika Padukone has a lot of eyes on her. You could call her the most popular actor in the industry today. It’s a luxury till now enjoyed only by the Khans. That a female actor is getting the same kind of attention speaks volumes about her achievement. But Deepika’s not the one to cash in on the opportunity. Instead of hogging the limelight, she’s taken a much-needed vacation. She’s taken the proverbial step back. Not that she’s in the mood for introspection or career overhaul. She’s simply taking it easy, before she nosedives into the world of exquisite make-up, expensive clothes and 100 crores again. Fact is, big ticket productions like Happy New Year and Bajirao Mastani are in the pipeline. Offbeat cinema like Finding Fanny and Piku are on the cards. Deepika has her long legs planted firmly in all boats. And she’s managing the excruciating task of balancing art and mart with consummate ease. She’s just made showbiz as simple as she makes good looks effortless. It all boils down to the word simple. There’s a consummate ease with which Deepika is passing every test and riding the high wave of top honours. Her success looks natural and therefore as graceful as the beauty of this statuesque young lady. 


So finally a vacation for you!
It’s not a vacation. I’m just taking a break. I just want to be away from all the things… completely cut off. Maybe, I’ll learn a new language or join a cooking class. I’ve been constantly working. I’ve taken a break after three years. Once I return, it’s going to be another crazy year. I’ll begin shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s next then go into Shoojit Sircar’s Piku. And then start work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani.

You had a fantastic 2013. Blockbusters, every possible award… What’s your state of mind?
I’m feeling emotionally relieved. The years 2012 and 2013 were emotionally, mentally and physically taxing. I was part of five beautiful films but I never thought these films would happen back to back. I was working round the clock. I loved it. But it was exhausting. It also gave me a chance to become one with the people who work with me. From my maid, my driver, my managers to my hair and make-up team, I realised how important they are in my life. It’s always the stars who walk away with all the credit and limelight but actually it’s the team, which makes a star. I learnt this during the crazy phase.

How does it feel to be the number one actress?
I’m not a person who looks back. I look ahead. I think what next. It’s great to win awards. It’s a dream to win a Filmfare Award. Every actor aspires to win a Filmfare Award. I won it for my debut film (Om Shanti Om) and six years later I won the Best Actress Award (for Ram-Leela). It’s taken me six years to reach where I am. I worked hard and it paid off.

Has life changed for you?
It’s difficult to step outside and gauge the difference. Actually, I feel liberated. I feel free to do a film like Finding Fanny or Piku. There’s a certain kind of confidence, which has come in.

What made you sign Finding Fanny or Piku after doing so many commercial blockbusters?
It was an instinctive decision. We were working on Cocktail when Homi (Adajania) discussed this film saying it’s not happening. The film’s story stayed with me. The next day I asked him why he was not making it. He told me no one would be ready to do it. I told him I’d do it. He thought I was joking until I seriously started following it up with him. He spoke to Dinesh Vijan (producer) about it. That’s how the film happened. The film had a 30-day schedule in Goa. I didn’t even realise when it got wrapped up. It’s been such a seamless process. Same with Piku. It’s a father-daughter story. I’m working with Amitji (Bachchan). I could relate to the story. When you do a small film after doing big commercial films, people say, ‘Oh now she’s trying to do some offbeat films.’ That’s not true. I had signed Finding Fanny ever before Cocktail released. I believed in the subject. And even when I don’t sign a film, it doesn’t mean the script is bad. It’s just that I didn’t connect with it.

Do you fear failure even more now?
Not really. I know it’ll happen sometime but I’m not afraid. My career is based on what the audience likes and what they don’t like. The same audience who disliked my films earlier like them now. Maybe in the future they will dislike some of my films. I would like to believe that I have a sense of reality. I can’t expect my career to be only on the upswing. After a successful debut I had a phase of flops. My career is going to be full of ups and downs but hopefully at the end, it’ll be a memorable one. Hopefully, I’ll leave behind a good body of work.

How have you managed to stay so grounded?
I don’t see what I’ve done as an achievement. It’s just the beginning. It’s definitely a high to be at the top. I feel happy when I walk home and see all the awards. But only I know how much work has gone into that. I can’t sit at home and be happy. I have a lot more to do and a lot more to achieve. I want to do more challenging films and roles. The hunger is there, maybe even more. I want to have more beautiful experiences on a film set, I want to dedicate months to a film and enjoy my time shooting for it.

Do you believe you have silenced the critics who once wrote you off?
I always wanted to prove it to myself more than anybody else. I believe that everyone’s journey is different. Everyone’s career takes its own course. I needed to go through the lull especially after having such a successful debut. It taught me a lot about myself… about my likes, my dislikes, what kind of films I want to do, etc. I’m not from a film background so my whole understanding of cinema happened during that time. I didn’t have clarity earlier. I discovered myself in that process.

How have your parents reacted to your success?
They are also neutral. (Laughs) They are like chalo accha hai but abhi aage bado. Of course, they’re proud to see their daughter achieve things all by herself. They live through so many emotions when they see me go on stage to collect an award. But they also give me the reality check. My dad (ace badminton player Prakash Padukone) has achieved so much and he’s still grounded. He’s at peace with himself. I hope to reach that level. During the years he played, he gave it his all. He retired the day he felt that sense of satisfaction. He did what all he could and moved on to the next level. My parents have had an amazing influence on my life. Now, I have grown closer to my younger sister Anisha too. Suddenly she’s grown up and we have found our groove. We’ve become good friends.

By Filmfare

Shah Rukh Khan to host 'Got Talent World Stage Live'

Photo by IBN Live

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is all set to host "Got Talent World Stage Live", says talent has no competition and a host is as good as the show's content.

"Performing art is a pure act of passion and love. I am glad to associate with 'Got Talent World Stage' as a host. I feel talent has no competition. I feel a host is as good as the show content is and this show is bigger than the host," Shah Rukh told reporters during the announcement of the show.

"Got Talent World Stage Live" is first of its kind global on ground extension of the Got talent franchise premiering in India.

The event will feature performances by 10 Indian and international talents each.

The event, to be telecast on Colors, will be held at Mumbai's Andheri Sports Complex on Dec 6.

Got Talent World Stage Live is a ticketed event with tickets going on sale next week via www.bookmyshow.com.

By IBN Live

Aamir Khan’s nude poster: Lawyer moves court against actor, next hearing on August 7

Photo by Bhaskar

Kanpur/Mumbai: A lawyer on Friday moved court against bollywood star Amir Khan and a hindi daily for publishing an "obscene" poster of his upcoming movie.

 
The lawyer alleged that the film's poster published would incite "sexual violence" and encourage "obscenity".

 
Court of ACMM G K Bharti has set the August 7 as the next date of hearing.
 
Mr. Perfectionist again shocked his audience with his bare bodied look in the first look poster of his upcoming film PK directed by Rajkumar Hirani.
 
Aamir in the poster appears nude covering his essentials with a stereo. The actor who loves experimenting with his films has taken a bold step to go nude for the poster.
 
The film, starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma and Sushant Singh Rajput is set to be released on Christmas this year.  
 
Aamir Khan's nude pose in PK became the centre of attention on Twitter as a number of jokes were cracked on Aamir's nudity. Some compared Aamir's strip tease to that of Poonam Pandey. Some people even made fun saying Aamir resorted to such a thing because he follows Poonam Pandey diligently.

By Bhaskar

Google brings 76 more Indian heritage sites, rare archives online

Photo by Jagran

The new historical sites include the Safdarjung Tomb, Ellora Caves, and Purana Quila, a statement said.
    
These panoramas, collected using Street View technology, are available for viewing on the Google Cultural Institute site.

    
The Google Cultural Institute, an initiative by the search giant, in an effort to make important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations.
    
Starting on Thursday, people from around the world will now also be able to virtually explore over 1400 cultural objects from India on the Google Cultural Institute.
    
This launch of 76 new ASI sites brings the number of ASI locations now online to over 100, including the heritage sites launched in February such as the Taj Mahal and Humayun's Tomb.
    
Rare vintage images and paintings sourced from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Daricha Foundation, Parzor Foundation, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research would also be now available for an immersive virtual exhibition on the Insitute's site, the statement said.
    
Five institutions who are already on the Google Cultural Institute will be launching new content, and these are - Delhi's National Museum, Delhi's National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Archive of Indian Music, Jana Natya Manch, and the ASI.  

By Jagaran

CWG 2014: Discus thrower Seema Punia earns silver, boxer Pinki bags bronze

Photo by First post

Woman discus thrower Seema Punia grabbed a silver, boxer Pinki Jangra brought home a bronze, while pugilists and paddlers assured the nation of at least three more silver medals on day eight of competition at the Commonwealth Games here Friday.

India remained fifth on the leaderboard with 49 medals comprising 13 gold, 21 silver and 15 bronze pieces. England, Australia, Canada and hosts Scotland are in the first four places. The games would draw to a close Sunday.

Seema, who had had won the silver in the 2006 Melbourne Games, repeated the feat by hurling the disc to a distance of 61.61 metres. She had bagged the bronze in the 2010 Games where India clinched all the three medals from the event. However, defending champion Krishna Poonia finished a disappointing fifth.

India from track and field, a day after men's discus thrower Vikas Gowda won the historic gold at the Hampden Park Stadium.

Pinki won India's first boxing medal from the current Games, though she lost her women's 48-51 kg semi-final bout at the SECC Hall. The Haryana pugilist gave a tough fight to Michaela Walsh but the Northern Ireland woman's height and better reach helped her win all the four rounds of two minutes each.

Former world champion L. Sarita Devi and her state-mate L. Devendro Singh came out with stupendous performances in their respective bouts to enter the boxing finals.

Mozambique's Maria Machongua was no match for Sarita who won all the four rounds of two minutes each in the women's 57-60 kg category semi-final.

In table tennis, veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal led from the front. Sharath partnered Anthony Amalraj to a facile 11-7, 12-10, 11-3 win over Singapore's Zi Yang and Jian Khan in the semi-finals to enter the men's doubles final.

Later, the 32-year-old Sharath recorded an easy 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 win over Nigeria's Segun Toriola in the Round of 16 followed by a 11-7, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6 quarter-final win over England's Paul Drinkhall to enter the men's singles semis.

However, it was the end of the road for other Indian paddlers Soumyajit Ghosh, Harmeet Desai and the women’s doubles pairs Shamini Kumaresan and Madhurika Patkar and Ankita Das and Paulomi Ghatak.

Squash pairs Saurav Ghosal-Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Sandhu-Joshana Chinappa also bowed out after losing their respective mixed doubles quarter-finals at the Scotstoun Sports Campus.

India narrowly missed on a medal in lawn bowls losing out to Australia 14-15 in the men's fours bronze medal play-off match.

However, leading Indian shuttlers Parupalli Kashyap and P.V. Sindhu entered the semi-finals.

In the absence of top seed Saina Nehwal, No.2 seed Sindhu routed New Zealand's Anna Rankin in straight games in the women's singles quarter-finals to enter the last four in her first appearance at the games.

Earlier, men's singles second seed Kashyap also had an easy 21-13, 21-14 victory in 38 minutes to proceed to the semis.

India's artistic gymnast Ashish Kumar had a disappointing finish at the Commonwealth Games as he ended eighth and last in the men's vault.

The Indian women's hockey team defeated hosts Scotland 2-1 in the 5-6 position classification match to end fifth at the Commonwealth Games here Friday.

Indian athlete Sahana Nagaraj came out with a disappointing performance to finish eighth in the women's high jump.

By First Post