Sealing tickles Bollywood

The capital’s residents at the receiving end of the sealing drive may not think it is a laughing matter, but their plight has inspired a Bollywood comedy.

Jugaad (temporary settlement) is a tongue-in-cheek look at the last year’s sealing of shops and other commercial establishments in Delhi’s residential areas.

It portrays Manoj Bajpai as a successful ad-man whose office is put under lock and key.

“The film is about the struggles of the protagonist, played by Manoj Bajpai, to resettle his life and his work. It is a humorous take on the ad-filmmaker’s life post-sealing, how he tries jugaad to get his life back on track,” says director Anand Kumar, who had earlier directed Delhii Heights starring Jimmy Shergill and Neha Dhupia.

Jugaad, however, is no political satire, Kumar clarifies. “Rather, it is a fun-filled journey of the hero, who one fine day finds himself on the road and how he fights back,” he says. “The film is a fresh comedy and has the spirit of Chak De! India”.

No takers for ‘divine’ goat

When Faiz Mohammed laid his hands on Badshah, he thought he had found his golden goat.

He promptly pasted a Rs 5-lakh tag on his “unique” possession. After all, Faiz claims, the 45-kg goat has marks resembling the names of Prophet Mohammed and Allah on its body. Also, behind its ear, the word Mecca can be spotted, he says.

“This is a very unique goat and, hence, the price,” he had said on the eve of Bakr-Id when he had brought Badshah for sale.

But the price put buyers off.

Faiz had tried to seek police protection for the goat but failed to impress the local authorities. The abattoir in suburban Deonar also refused to provide security, saying the goat was a private property.

Faiz had to watch all the other goats being led away for sacrifice on Id, while no one was willing to touch Badshah. But he has not lost hope. “So far, no one has come to purchase him but I am hopeful that there will be someone who will come forward in the coming days,” he said.

Docs breathe flower fire

This is a problem Munnabhai MBBS, or his Tamil counterpart Vasool Raja, would find tough to solve, jadoo ki jhappi (magic hug) notwithstanding.

A row over compulsory rural service for MBBS students is heading to a flash-point.

The Centre-appointed Dr Sambashiva Rao Committee is yet to give its final report, but that has not stopped political parties -— both the ruling DMK and the Opposition ADMK — from raising their voice against the “unfair” order.

Only the PMK, whose nominee is the Union health minister himself, is on the other side of the fence.

The medics have tried out various novel methods of protest to draw the Centre’s attention, besides the conventional relay fast.

Some students at the city main medical colleges recently went on a hunger strike sporting pink flowers on their ears — probably inspired by Munnabhai’s second avatar who taught how to say it with flowers.

Temple tourism

Now, you can pray in luxury.

Tirupati is set to get the country’s first integrated tourism complex comprising a five-star hotel, a convention centre and a golf course among other facilities.

The proposed complex will also have a helipad, a spa, a sports complex, a bowling alley and an open-air cultural auditorium.

Tirupati, the gateway to the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, attracts about two crore pilgrims from India and abroad every year. It is also the preferred place of worship for celebrities, most notably the Bachchans.

Delhi: Before the winter bids goodbye, head to Pragati Maidan on January 2, where handwoven shawls, scarves, stoles and wraps from Kashmir, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Northeast are on exhibition and sale. The exhibition is on from 10.30am to 7.30pm.