Friends

these people are just want limelight like a failure actress shows her nudeness
to be in focus.

forgive this seek lady.

pupu


--- On Tue, 11/24/09, Tejas Mankodi <tejasmankodi@...> wrote:

> From: Tejas Mankodi <tejasmankodi@...>
> Subject: [bigb] I PITY YOU
> To: debash@...
> Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 4:13 AM
>
> Ms. Thangevelo,
>
> I won't be rude and harsh to you, coz first thing you are a
> woman and second you said some good things about Mr. Amitabh
> Bachchan at the start of your article.
>
> Let me come straight to the point, please go get your facts
> right before writing anything, patients suffering from the
> disease progeria never look beautiful, if you don't know,
> which I am sure you don't, coz u need to be little educated
> for that,  let me tell you progeria patients age faster
> like at the age of 12-13 they look 5 times of their age and
> they lose all their hair and nerves start appearing on their
> head. So Mr. Amitabh Bachchan cannot look beautiful in the
> movie Paa, got it, I really hope you did.
>
> I am sure you don't have any knowledge about movies, if you
> say why he has to do movies like Bhoothnath and Aladin then
> I seriously pity you, you don't understand movies and you
> are no one to say what Mr. Amitabh Bachchan should do or
> should not do, do you know how much effort and hard work has
> gone behind the making of Aladin, you wouldn't know coz you
> don't understand movies don't know how come you are writing
> about it. Bhoothnath was an AMAZING family entertainer and
> an AWESOME movie, similarly Aladin was also a very nice
> family entertainer with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan at his Vintage
> best, its people like you who spoiled it by giving negative
> reviews, our poor AAM JANTA still reads reviews before
> watching a movie. Sad but true.
>
> As far as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan imparting his wisdom is
> concerned is a good idea I am sure he is already doing it,
> unknowingly, any new actor or even an old enough an actor
> has daily to learn something or the other from him he is GOD
> of acting, and for your kind information, all sorts of film
> makers are dying to make movies with him, he has maximum
> number of movies than anyone in the entire film industry and
> people are willing to do anything to work with him.
>
> So, lastly let me ask you some questions.
>
> Why you people always choose the easier way to success by
> writing bad about some great personalities?
>
> Have you guys sold your soul?
>
> Do you guys have any dignity towards your profession?
>
> Do you guys work only for money or is there something
> called as work ethics left inside?
>
> I PITY YOU
>
> Tejas Mankodi
>
> PS: Your knowledge about cinema is ZERO. Sanjay Dutt is no
> longer associated with White Feather Productions.
> Empower your Business with BlackBerry®
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>                
>      
>
> For all recent AB articles, as well as all the latest news
> on BigB and his upcoming films, check out
> AmitabhBachchan.net
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>     bigb-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>

Ms. Thangevelo,

I won't be rude and harsh to you, coz first thing you are a woman and second you
said some good things about Mr. Amitabh Bachchan at the start of your article.

Let me come straight to the point, please go get your facts right before writing
anything, patients suffering from the disease progeria never look beautiful, if
you don't know, which I am sure you don't, coz u need to be little educated for
that,  let me tell you progeria patients age faster like at the age of 12-13
they look 5 times of their age and they lose all their hair and nerves start
appearing on their head. So Mr. Amitabh Bachchan cannot look beautiful in the
movie Paa, got it, I really hope you did.

I am sure you don't have any knowledge about movies, if you say why he has to do
movies like Bhoothnath and Aladin then I seriously pity you, you don't
understand movies and you are no one to say what Mr. Amitabh Bachchan should do
or should not do, do you know how much effort and hard work has gone behind the
making of Aladin, you wouldn't know coz you don't understand movies don't know
how come you are writing about it. Bhoothnath was an AMAZING family entertainer
and an AWESOME movie, similarly Aladin was also a very nice family entertainer
with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan at his Vintage best, its people like you who spoiled
it by giving negative reviews, our poor AAM JANTA still reads reviews before
watching a movie. Sad but true.

As far as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan imparting his wisdom is concerned is a good idea
I am sure he is already doing it, unknowingly, any new actor or even an old
enough an actor has daily to learn something or the other from him he is GOD of
acting, and for your kind information, all sorts of film makers are dying to
make movies with him, he has maximum number of movies than anyone in the entire
film industry and people are willing to do anything to work with him.

So, lastly let me ask you some questions.

Why you people always choose the easier way to success by writing bad about some
great personalities?

Have you guys sold your soul?

Do you guys have any dignity towards your profession?

Do you guys work only for money or is there something called as work ethics left
inside?

I PITY YOU

Tejas Mankodi

PS: Your knowledge about cinema is ZERO. Sanjay Dutt is no longer associated
with White Feather Productions.
Empower your Business with BlackBerry®

 

Rakes in 19 Crores in India?? I cant understand the Indian Cine goer. Few things are clear:

1. Average Hindi films just cant work anymore(Govinda, Salman, Suneil Shetty etc starrers have to me EXCEPTIONAL!).
2. Multiplex Audience is the ONLY audience that remains now. Single screens are done.
3. Timely advertising is everything.

But...just cause these movies OPEN BIG and are considered "HITS" immediately....are the really BLOCKBUSTERS?

Vakhat

Empower your Business with BlackBerry®

 

Ok...He sound pretty adamant this time. This sucks dude. All good things come in 3s.

A Trinity, The Chinese Triad, Trimurti (Gods, no the Subhash Ghai film),
Blondes.

There as to be a Sarkar 3!!

Vakhat

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, Rajeev Sharma <rajeev17@...> wrote:
>
> I guess our hopes for a trilogy are gone. :-(
> http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2009/11/23/13509/index.html
> -rajeev
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

Ok...He sound pretty adamant this time. This sucks dude. All good things come in
3s.

A Trinity, The Chinese Triad, Trimurti (Gods, no the Subhash Ghai film),
Blondes.

There as to be a Sarkar 3!!

Vakhat

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, Rajeev Sharma <rajeev17@...> wrote:
>
> I guess our hopes for a trilogy are gone. :-(
> http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2009/11/23/13509/index.html
> -rajeev
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

Rakes in 19 Crores in India?? I cant understand the Indian Cine goer. Few things
are clear:

1. Average Hindi films just cant work anymore(Govinda, Salman, Suneil Shetty etc
starrers have to me EXCEPTIONAL!).
2. Multiplex Audience is the ONLY audience that remains now. Single screens are
done.
3. Timely advertising is everything.

But...just cause these movies OPEN BIG and are considered "HITS"
immediately....are the really BLOCKBUSTERS?

Vakhat

Hi guys....i thought i'd share this article with you .....and perhaps you guys
can give ms thangevelo a few lessons on hindi cinema.  No need to be crass and
rude...all you need to do is to show her that she does not know much on indian
cinema. Its actually a fact, she is pretty much a two bit journalist who only
started reviewing hindi movies a few years ago and this two bit journalist is
giving AB advice....one wonders where these true wonders of the world fall
from.....certainly not from a being!!!  And this very same journo had a whole
write-up on Paa the previous week and then goes on to contradict herself.  And
whilst replying to her...perhaps if someone can find a picture of a progeria
patient who is really good looking because you see, according to her AB looks
freaky.....perhaps ms thengavelo needs to do some research, something which
journalist the world over don't seem to believe in.

Fats

debash@...



Sorry guys, time to move on
November 23, 2009

   By Debashine Thangevelo

Before die-hard fans start penning their hate-mail to me, allow me to explain
myself.

Firstly, I am in no way undermining Amitabh Bachchan (aka Big B), Sanjay Dutt
and Salman Khan's invaluable contributions to the film industry. Nor am I
belittling their work. But, going by their films of late, it feels as if they
are their own worst enemies right now.

Let's start with Big B. His lanky profile, baritone and debonair personality
held him in good stead when he made his debut in Saat Hindustani (1969), a
multi-star film, and bagged a National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

Forty years on, he has made the Bachchans a household name around the globe,
with son Abhishek making unmistakable in-roads in the industry and doing his dad
proud.

Big B's rise to stardom piqued from 1973 until an injury, while performing his
own stunts for Coolie (1982), left him out of commission for a while.

He enjoyed a rather short-lived political career between 1984 and 1987 before a
career slump saw him go into retirement until 1992. He then made a comeback as a
producer and actor in 1996.

It wasn't until the new millennium, though, that the gods of fortune smiled on
Big B.

He stepped in as host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, India's version of Who Wants to
be a Millionaire?, and started to deliver several box-office hits (Mohabattein,
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Baghban, Sarkar, and Black).

That he is a versatile actor, who can slip into any role is a given. But at 67,
does he really want to end his career doing mediocre films like Bhoothnath and
Aladin?


Film buffs will next see him in Paa, but, if I were to be blunt, he looks
frightful in his getup as a 12- year-old boy with a condition that causes him to
age at a rapid rate. Maybe sitting back and imparting his wisdom to upcoming
actors and directors isn't such a bad idea.

In weathering so many legal storms recently, and that's not forgetting his brief
spell in the joint, Dutt is looking the worse for wear. And it shows on camera.
I am not even going to get into his villainous character in Aladin, but the time
has come for him to leave the action roles to the newcomers.

After 28 years in the industry, the veteran actor, fondly referred to as
Munnabhai (after the title of one of his hit films), seems to lack his youthful
agility and gusto to play broody characters. Perhaps, he would better serve the
film industry as a producer under his home banner, White Feather Films.

Bollywood's resident bad boy, Khan attracted a fair amount of ogling for his
shirt-ripping moves in films. But as much as he has been a sex symbol in
Tinseltown, he is fast losing that hunk factor. Aside from his string of flops
of late (God Tussi Great Ho, Heroes and Yuvvraaj), Khan is looking every bit his
43 years. Anyone who saw London Dreams will have noticed his gaunt expression
and receding hairline that's embarrassingly camouflaged by his long locks
(hopefully, he will fire his stylist).

Soon to be seen as a warrior in Veer, a period film directed by Anil Sharma,
perhaps he should give more thought to taking after his scriptwriter dad Salim -
it could be his new niche!


http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5256710&fSectionId=428&fSetId=251


Please read this confidentiality disclaimer:

http://www.durban.gov.za/durban/e_colophon/edisclaimer

I guess our hopes for a trilogy are gone. :-(
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2009/11/23/13509/index.html
-rajeev

Sent from my iPhone

I dont think AB is the sort to make the same mistake twice:)

Rock on PAA show them how it should be done

Kishore

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "Tejas Mankodi" <tejasmankodi@...> wrote:
>
> True Kish I seriously wish this movie Paa will turn around everything for AB
Corp. I want his company to be amongst the top.
>
> Tejas
> Empower your Business with BlackBerry®
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "kishore" <herono1uk@...>
> Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:25:13
> To: <bigb@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [bigb] Re: Guys who destroyed ABCL (1999)
>
> These guys should have been responsible for the decisions they made, and asked
to pay back where they were responsible..but its true, AB was a visulant with
his company, he left in others hands to let it progress, which you can not do,
you need to be responsible at nearly all levels of the business, it looks like
they are getting it right this time round
>
> Kishore
>
> --- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "sreeramw" <sreeram_w@> wrote:
> >
> > Sanjiv Gupta-Who made mess of ABCL later on became CEO of Coke.Currently  he
has started his  own  company which manages equity funds.
> >
> > Manohar Arcot- is based in santa clara working with Intel.
> >
> > Haresh Chawla is group ceo of TV18.
> >
> > sw
> >
> >
> > --- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "sreeramw" <sreeram_w@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Manohar Arcot,Sanjiv Gupta,Suku  etc
> > >
> > > The Best of Intentions
> > >
> > > It was just five years ago. The original executive summary, provided by
ABCL's executives to a select group of potential investors at the time of the
company's private placement, read: "The money that the promoters wish to raise
through a private placement is for working capital to pay for acquiring film and
television software rights, production of software, bagging audio rights, and
clinching contracts with celebrities for brand and event management."
> > >
> > > So far so good. Now, take a look at this final sentence: "In time, as
these acquisitions begin to generate revenue, ABCL will build for itself a
glitzy corporate office or entertainment headquarters and expand production and
post-production facilities to take the corporation into the big league of world
entertainment."
> > >
> > > A glitzy corporate office? Entertainment headquarters? The big league of
world entertainment? To dream of such things is one thing. To actually plan
concretely for them, even to the event of including them in the promoter's
prospectus, is stretching it a bit, don't you think?
> > >
> > > After all, some of the biggest producers, distributors, even financiers in
the Hindi film world, function in relatively humble offices. The Barjatyas,
mentioned several times in the same prospectus as a shining example of the kind
of success ABCL aspired toward -- after their Hum Aapke Hai Kaun grossed an
industry record of over Rs 1 billion -- are known for their spartan lifestyle
and for counting every paisa twice.
> > >
> > > Yet there it is in black and white. A "glitzy corporate office". And if
you ever had the pleasure of visiting the ABCL offices at Hotel Ajanta on
Bombay's Juhu Tara Road, you could see what they had in mind. The executives
were very apologetic of their temporary office and frequently referred to the
new office they would be shifting to shortly. After all, some of them were
drawing salaries ranging from Rs 50,000 to 200,000 (with Chief Executive Officer
Sanjiv Gupta said to be receiving an astronomical Rs 500,000 every month).
> > >
> > > The arrogance of those early statements and intentions put into writing at
the formation of ABCL contain the seed of the corporation and Bachchan's own
eventual downfall. Today, the last few members of the ABCL staff function in a
roughly partitioned section of a single floor of Sahara India's multi-storey
Goregaon office complex. There are separate cabins provided for the Bachchans,
Mr and Mrs. But of course, both of them are rarely present there.
> > >
> > > Bachchan himself is busy shooting for half-a-dozen films for outside
producers, trying desperately to raise sufficient funds to make payments towards
the interest on the loans taken by ABCL. This is proving virtually impossible,
with the interest itself amounting to over Rs 10 million a month. And with the
courts quickly attaching any advances he receives from producers, Jaya Bachchan
too is said to have returned to active acting to help meet the same deficit. She
even toured the USA recently with a Hindi play Bai Retire Ho Gayee to help raise
some much needed funds, besides working as programming director of the
forthcoming Sahara satellite television channel.
> > >
> > > And of course, daughter Shweta's in-laws, the Nandas of Escorts, are said
to be chipping in too. That leaves the third director on the ABCL board, brother
Ajitabh Bachchan. His contribution to the war chest was the sale of Ipca, the
pharmaceutical firm that he and the Bachchans jointly owned.
> > >
> > > But even all this firefighting does not seem to be doing much good. Two
months ago, public sector Canara Bank sought the Bombay high court's permission
to attach Prateeksha to recover its dues, charging the Bachchans for the
non-payment of a loan provided in the form of an open cash credit facility
totalling Rs 240 million, and overdraft against book debts of Rs 560 million,
foreign letters of credit worth Rs 250 million and a guarantee facility of Rs
350 million. Two other flats owned by the Bachchans and given as collateral for
loans located at Bhanu Apartments at Ruia Park Road, Juhu were also sought to be
attached.
> > >
> > > Another plot of land located in North Bombay was attached last month in a
separate Bombay high court ruling following an order by a court in the United
Kingdom to Amitabh and Ajitabh to repay a loan of $ 1.46 m (Rs 62.3 million) for
which the brothers personally stood guarantee.
> > >
> > > However, the Bombay high court in a ruling in the first week of May 1999,
ruled that the properties could not be attached at present, since the Bachchans
had applied to the BIFR to be classified as a sick company. This was seen as a
last-ditch effort to keep their debtors at bay, since once the BIFR declares a
company sick, no properties can be attached and a long process of reconstruction
begins.
> > >
> > > However, the court did succeed in attaching the amounts payable to Amitabh
as his fee for acting in the film Kohraam. For those who have been following the
whole story, Kohraam is the retitled film Bachchan had signed with Mehul Kumar
at the time of Mrituydaata's launch. Earlier called Aye Watan Tere Liye, Mehul
Kumar decided to retitle it in a desperate bid to disassociate it from that
earlier debacle.
> > >
> > > But why on earth did Bachchan agree to act in a second Mehul Kumar film?
After all, this was the man who was solely responsible for that hash called
Mrityudaata which almost single-handedly destroyed the Big B's second coming.
> > >
> > > Well, as a source close to the man put it, "You think I wanted to act in
another film directed by Mehul? Am I crazy? The only reason I did it was because
he had paid me ten million (rupees) to sign the film, and would pay me another
20 million (rupees) to finish it." Well, that's as good a reason as any.
> > >
> > > But even a dozen commercial films such as Kohraam can't drum up enough
fees to pay off ABCL's debtors. The total equity of the corporation was Rs 605.2
million, while its accumulated losses during the last financial year alone were
a whopping Rs 700 million. That figure, with interest mounting at the rate of
close to Rs 10 million monthly, now stands at Rs 800 million.
> > >
> > > Remember that glitzy corporate office mentioned in the private placement
prospectus? Well, not only did the executives not get that far, but even at the
Ajanta Hotel premises they were temporarily occupying, they left behind
chaiwallah (tea-supplier) and lunchbox caterer's bills of Rs 700,000 and Rs
600,000 respectively!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

----- Original Message -----

From: Sanjay

To: bigb@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 10:14 PM

Subject: Tejas: Re: [bigb] Adarsh goes GAGA over Kurbaan

 

Flop is written all over Kurbaan.

B.O. update: 'Kurbaan' has below-the-mark start
- By Taran Adarsh, November 21, 2009 - 08:48 IST
Kurbaan The much-hyped KURBAAN opened to a below-the-mark response. The opening was 40% to 50% at plexes, but much lower at single screens. The film has had a wide release and the numbers were expected to be huge, but the opening day business was not in proportion with the stature of the film.

The next two days [Saturday and Sunday] are crucial and the film should show an escalation in business. Meanwhile, the film fetched Rs. 1 crore in paid previews on Thursday night, according to a statement received by this writer from UTV.

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, Viral Mankad <viral_mankad@...> wrote:
>
> Tejas -- 100% agree with you. KJohar does NOT deserve my 8 bucks!!!! I will wait for the DVD. Thanks for bringing me back to my senses.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Tejas Mankodi <tejasmankodi@...>
> To: bigb@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Fri, November 20, 2009 10:36:15 AM
> Subject: Viral Re: [bigb] Adarsh goes GAGA over Kurbaan
>
>  
>
> Viral..you know how TA is...will surely be praising movies coming our of Faggot productions. ...I saw the movie not that great..the way TA has mentioned biggest movie of the year....my foot.....it is yet another same run of ther mill movie on terrorism... like New York and many many more....
>
> dont waste your time in watching this wait for the dvd...watch Aladin instead again...:))
>
> Tejas
>
> --- On Thu, 11/19/09, Viral Mankad <viral_mankad@ yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> >From: Viral Mankad <viral_mankad@ yahoo.com>
> >Subject: [bigb] Adarsh goes GAGA over Kurbaan
> >To: bigb@yahoogroups. com
> >Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 7:22 PM
> >
> >
> > 
> >Boy, what a review he has written up for Kurbaan -- makes me wanna go watch it pronto!
> >
>

----- Original Message -----

From: Amit Sangani

To: bigb@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2009 8:32 AM

Subject: Rajesh - Re: [bigb] RANN pics 3

 

Dear Rajesh,

 

Yaar, PAA ki Fever Nahi Gaye Hein, Aur Aap RANN ki Bhukar Bhi Chada Rahe Ho !!!!

 

Amit

---

From: b u b b l e s <raj.ash@gmail.com>
To: BigB <bigb@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, November 21, 2009 5:15:06 AM
Subject: [bigb] RANN pics 3 [2 Attachments]

 

 

Empower your Business with BlackBerry®

Thanks for that Sahar. where did you get this is there a link??

Kishore

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, sahar gazeran <gzrn2shr3@...> wrote:
>
> Producer
> and cinematographer Nariman Irani was in a
> financial mess when his film Zindagi
> Zindagi (1972) starring Sunil Dutt flopped. He was in debt for Rs12 lakhs and
> couldn't pay it off on a cinematographer's salary. When he was doing the
> cinematography for Manoj Kumar's major hit Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974), the
> film's cast (Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran) and crew
> (assistant director Chandra Barot) decided to help him out. They all
> recommended that he produce another film and that they will participate in the
> film. They all approached scriptwriting duo Salim-Javed,
> who gave them an untitled script that had already been rejected by the entire
> industry. The script had a character named Don. Bachchan would play Don, and
> Barot would direct the film. Aman and Pran would play key roles in the film.
> The film took three-and-a-half years to complete.[3] Before filming was
completed, producer Irani had an accident on the set of
> another film he was working on, and died as a result. Barot faced budget
> restraints but he got help.[4].
> Aman did not take any money for her work in the film. Barot showed it to his
> mentor Manoj
> Kumar, who felt that the film was too tight and needed a song in the midst
> of the action-filled film, and so "Khaike Paan Banaraswala"
> was recorded. The film was released without any promotion on 12 May 1978 and
> was declared a flop the first week. Within a week, the song "Khaike Paan
Banaraswala"
> became a big hit, and word of mouth spread, so by the second week, the film
was
> also declared a big hit. The profits from the film were given to Irani's widow
> to settle her husband's debts
> Sahar
>

These guys should have been responsible for the decisions they made, and asked
to pay back where they were responsible..but its true, AB was a visulant with
his company, he left in others hands to let it progress, which you can not do,
you need to be responsible at nearly all levels of the business, it looks like
they are getting it right this time round

Kishore

--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "sreeramw" <sreeram_w@...> wrote:
>
> Sanjiv Gupta-Who made mess of ABCL later on became CEO of Coke.Currently  he
has started his  own  company which manages equity funds.
>
> Manohar Arcot- is based in santa clara working with Intel.
>
> Haresh Chawla is group ceo of TV18.
>
> sw
>
>
> --- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "sreeramw" <sreeram_w@> wrote:
> >
> > Manohar Arcot,Sanjiv Gupta,Suku  etc
> >
> > The Best of Intentions
> >
> > It was just five years ago. The original executive summary, provided by
ABCL's executives to a select group of potential investors at the time of the
company's private placement, read: "The money that the promoters wish to raise
through a private placement is for working capital to pay for acquiring film and
television software rights, production of software, bagging audio rights, and
clinching contracts with celebrities for brand and event management."
> >
> > So far so good. Now, take a look at this final sentence: "In time, as these
acquisitions begin to generate revenue, ABCL will build for itself a glitzy
corporate office or entertainment headquarters and expand production and
post-production facilities to take the corporation into the big league of world
entertainment."
> >
> > A glitzy corporate office? Entertainment headquarters? The big league of
world entertainment? To dream of such things is one thing. To actually plan
concretely for them, even to the event of including them in the promoter's
prospectus, is stretching it a bit, don't you think?
> >
> > After all, some of the biggest producers, distributors, even financiers in
the Hindi film world, function in relatively humble offices. The Barjatyas,
mentioned several times in the same prospectus as a shining example of the kind
of success ABCL aspired toward -- after their Hum Aapke Hai Kaun grossed an
industry record of over Rs 1 billion -- are known for their spartan lifestyle
and for counting every paisa twice.
> >
> > Yet there it is in black and white. A "glitzy corporate office". And if you
ever had the pleasure of visiting the ABCL offices at Hotel Ajanta on Bombay's
Juhu Tara Road, you could see what they had in mind. The executives were very
apologetic of their temporary office and frequently referred to the new office
they would be shifting to shortly. After all, some of them were drawing salaries
ranging from Rs 50,000 to 200,000 (with Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Gupta
said to be receiving an astronomical Rs 500,000 every month).
> >
> > The arrogance of those early statements and intentions put into writing at
the formation of ABCL contain the seed of the corporation and Bachchan's own
eventual downfall. Today, the last few members of the ABCL staff function in a
roughly partitioned section of a single floor of Sahara India's multi-storey
Goregaon office complex. There are separate cabins provided for the Bachchans,
Mr and Mrs. But of course, both of them are rarely present there.
> >
> > Bachchan himself is busy shooting for half-a-dozen films for outside
producers, trying desperately to raise sufficient funds to make payments towards
the interest on the loans taken by ABCL. This is proving virtually impossible,
with the interest itself amounting to over Rs 10 million a month. And with the
courts quickly attaching any advances he receives from producers, Jaya Bachchan
too is said to have returned to active acting to help meet the same deficit. She
even toured the USA recently with a Hindi play Bai Retire Ho Gayee to help raise
some much needed funds, besides working as programming director of the
forthcoming Sahara satellite television channel.
> >
> > And of course, daughter Shweta's in-laws, the Nandas of Escorts, are said to
be chipping in too. That leaves the third director on the ABCL board, brother
Ajitabh Bachchan. His contribution to the war chest was the sale of Ipca, the
pharmaceutical firm that he and the Bachchans jointly owned.
> >
> > But even all this firefighting does not seem to be doing much good. Two
months ago, public sector Canara Bank sought the Bombay high court's permission
to attach Prateeksha to recover its dues, charging the Bachchans for the
non-payment of a loan provided in the form of an open cash credit facility
totalling Rs 240 million, and overdraft against book debts of Rs 560 million,
foreign letters of credit worth Rs 250 million and a guarantee facility of Rs
350 million. Two other flats owned by the Bachchans and given as collateral for
loans located at Bhanu Apartments at Ruia Park Road, Juhu were also sought to be
attached.
> >
> > Another plot of land located in North Bombay was attached last month in a
separate Bombay high court ruling following an order by a court in the United
Kingdom to Amitabh and Ajitabh to repay a loan of $ 1.46 m (Rs 62.3 million) for
which the brothers personally stood guarantee.
> >
> > However, the Bombay high court in a ruling in the first week of May 1999,
ruled that the properties could not be attached at present, since the Bachchans
had applied to the BIFR to be classified as a sick company. This was seen as a
last-ditch effort to keep their debtors at bay, since once the BIFR declares a
company sick, no properties can be attached and a long process of reconstruction
begins.
> >
> > However, the court did succeed in attaching the amounts payable to Amitabh
as his fee for acting in the film Kohraam. For those who have been following the
whole story, Kohraam is the retitled film Bachchan had signed with Mehul Kumar
at the time of Mrituydaata's launch. Earlier called Aye Watan Tere Liye, Mehul
Kumar decided to retitle it in a desperate bid to disassociate it from that
earlier debacle.
> >
> > But why on earth did Bachchan agree to act in a second Mehul Kumar film?
After all, this was the man who was solely responsible for that hash called
Mrityudaata which almost single-handedly destroyed the Big B's second coming.
> >
> > Well, as a source close to the man put it, "You think I wanted to act in
another film directed by Mehul? Am I crazy? The only reason I did it was because
he had paid me ten million (rupees) to sign the film, and would pay me another
20 million (rupees) to finish it." Well, that's as good a reason as any.
> >
> > But even a dozen commercial films such as Kohraam can't drum up enough fees
to pay off ABCL's debtors. The total equity of the corporation was Rs 605.2
million, while its accumulated losses during the last financial year alone were
a whopping Rs 700 million. That figure, with interest mounting at the rate of
close to Rs 10 million monthly, now stands at Rs 800 million.
> >
> > Remember that glitzy corporate office mentioned in the private placement
prospectus? Well, not only did the executives not get that far, but even at the
Ajanta Hotel premises they were temporarily occupying, they left behind
chaiwallah (tea-supplier) and lunchbox caterer's bills of Rs 700,000 and Rs
600,000 respectively!
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> >
>

Sanjiv Gupta-Who made mess of ABCL later on became CEO of Coke.Currently  he has
started his  own  company which manages equity funds.

Manohar Arcot- is based in santa clara working with Intel.

Haresh Chawla is group ceo of TV18.

sw


--- In bigb@yahoogroups.com, "sreeramw" <sreeram_w@...> wrote:
>
> Manohar Arcot,Sanjiv Gupta,Suku  etc
>
> The Best of Intentions
>
> It was just five years ago. The original executive summary, provided by ABCL's
executives to a select group of potential investors at the time of the company's
private placement, read: "The money that the promoters wish to raise through a
private placement is for working capital to pay for acquiring film and
television software rights, production of software, bagging audio rights, and
clinching contracts with celebrities for brand and event management."
>
> So far so good. Now, take a look at this final sentence: "In time, as these
acquisitions begin to generate revenue, ABCL will build for itself a glitzy
corporate office or entertainment headquarters and expand production and
post-production facilities to take the corporation into the big league of world
entertainment."
>
> A glitzy corporate office? Entertainment headquarters? The big league of world
entertainment? To dream of such things is one thing. To actually plan concretely
for them, even to the event of including them in the promoter's prospectus, is
stretching it a bit, don't you think?
>
> After all, some of the biggest producers, distributors, even financiers in the
Hindi film world, function in relatively humble offices. The Barjatyas,
mentioned several times in the same prospectus as a shining example of the kind
of success ABCL aspired toward -- after their Hum Aapke Hai Kaun grossed an
industry record of over Rs 1 billion -- are known for their spartan lifestyle
and for counting every paisa twice.
>
> Yet there it is in black and white. A "glitzy corporate office". And if you
ever had the pleasure of visiting the ABCL offices at Hotel Ajanta on Bombay's
Juhu Tara Road, you could see what they had in mind. The executives were very
apologetic of their temporary office and frequently referred to the new office
they would be shifting to shortly. After all, some of them were drawing salaries
ranging from Rs 50,000 to 200,000 (with Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Gupta
said to be receiving an astronomical Rs 500,000 every month).
>
> The arrogance of those early statements and intentions put into writing at the
formation of ABCL contain the seed of the corporation and Bachchan's own
eventual downfall. Today, the last few members of the ABCL staff function in a
roughly partitioned section of a single floor of Sahara India's multi-storey
Goregaon office complex. There are separate cabins provided for the Bachchans,
Mr and Mrs. But of course, both of them are rarely present there.
>
> Bachchan himself is busy shooting for half-a-dozen films for outside
producers, trying desperately to raise sufficient funds to make payments towards
the interest on the loans taken by ABCL. This is proving virtually impossible,
with the interest itself amounting to over Rs 10 million a month. And with the
courts quickly attaching any advances he receives from producers, Jaya Bachchan
too is said to have returned to active acting to help meet the same deficit. She
even toured the USA recently with a Hindi play Bai Retire Ho Gayee to help raise
some much needed funds, besides working as programming director of the
forthcoming Sahara satellite television channel.
>
> And of course, daughter Shweta's in-laws, the Nandas of Escorts, are said to
be chipping in too. That leaves the third director on the ABCL board, brother
Ajitabh Bachchan. His contribution to the war chest was the sale of Ipca, the
pharmaceutical firm that he and the Bachchans jointly owned.
>
> But even all this firefighting does not seem to be doing much good. Two months
ago, public sector Canara Bank sought the Bombay high court's permission to
attach Prateeksha to recover its dues, charging the Bachchans for the
non-payment of a loan provided in the form of an open cash credit facility
totalling Rs 240 million, and overdraft against book debts of Rs 560 million,
foreign letters of credit worth Rs 250 million and a guarantee facility of Rs
350 million. Two other flats owned by the Bachchans and given as collateral for
loans located at Bhanu Apartments at Ruia Park Road, Juhu were also sought to be
attached.
>
> Another plot of land located in North Bombay was attached last month in a
separate Bombay high court ruling following an order by a court in the United
Kingdom to Amitabh and Ajitabh to repay a loan of $ 1.46 m (Rs 62.3 million) for
which the brothers personally stood guarantee.
>
> However, the Bombay high court in a ruling in the first week of May 1999,
ruled that the properties could not be attached at present, since the Bachchans
had applied to the BIFR to be classified as a sick company. This was seen as a
last-ditch effort to keep their debtors at bay, since once the BIFR declares a
company sick, no properties can be attached and a long process of reconstruction
begins.
>
> However, the court did succeed in attaching the amounts payable to Amitabh as
his fee for acting in the film Kohraam. For those who have been following the
whole story, Kohraam is the retitled film Bachchan had signed with Mehul Kumar
at the time of Mrituydaata's launch. Earlier called Aye Watan Tere Liye, Mehul
Kumar decided to retitle it in a desperate bid to disassociate it from that
earlier debacle.
>
> But why on earth did Bachchan agree to act in a second Mehul Kumar film? After
all, this was the man who was solely responsible for that hash called
Mrityudaata which almost single-handedly destroyed the Big B's second coming.
>
> Well, as a source close to the man put it, "You think I wanted to act in
another film directed by Mehul? Am I crazy? The only reason I did it was because
he had paid me ten million (rupees) to sign the film, and would pay me another
20 million (rupees) to finish it." Well, that's as good a reason as any.
>
> But even a dozen commercial films such as Kohraam can't drum up enough fees to
pay off ABCL's debtors. The total equity of the corporation was Rs 605.2
million, while its accumulated losses during the last financial year alone were
a whopping Rs 700 million. That figure, with interest mounting at the rate of
close to Rs 10 million monthly, now stands at Rs 800 million.
>
> Remember that glitzy corporate office mentioned in the private placement
prospectus? Well, not only did the executives not get that far, but even at the
Ajanta Hotel premises they were temporarily occupying, they left behind
chaiwallah (tea-supplier) and lunchbox caterer's bills of Rs 700,000 and Rs
600,000 respectively!
>
>
>
> >
>

Manohar Arcot,Sanjiv Gupta,Suku  etc

The Best of Intentions

It was just five years ago. The original executive summary, provided by ABCL's
executives to a select group of potential investors at the time of the company's
private placement, read: "The money that the promoters wish to raise through a
private placement is for working capital to pay for acquiring film and
television software rights, production of software, bagging audio rights, and
clinching contracts with celebrities for brand and event management."

So far so good. Now, take a look at this final sentence: "In time, as these
acquisitions begin to generate revenue, ABCL will build for itself a glitzy
corporate office or entertainment headquarters and expand production and
post-production facilities to take the corporation into the big league of world
entertainment."

A glitzy corporate office? Entertainment headquarters? The big league of world
entertainment? To dream of such things is one thing. To actually plan concretely
for them, even to the event of including them in the promoter's prospectus, is
stretching it a bit, don't you think?

After all, some of the biggest producers, distributors, even financiers in the
Hindi film world, function in relatively humble offices. The Barjatyas,
mentioned several times in the same prospectus as a shining example of the kind
of success ABCL aspired toward -- after their Hum Aapke Hai Kaun grossed an
industry record of over Rs 1 billion -- are known for their spartan lifestyle
and for counting every paisa twice.

Yet there it is in black and white. A "glitzy corporate office". And if you ever
had the pleasure of visiting the ABCL offices at Hotel Ajanta on Bombay's Juhu
Tara Road, you could see what they had in mind. The executives were very
apologetic of their temporary office and frequently referred to the new office
they would be shifting to shortly. After all, some of them were drawing salaries
ranging from Rs 50,000 to 200,000 (with Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Gupta
said to be receiving an astronomical Rs 500,000 every month).

The arrogance of those early statements and intentions put into writing at the
formation of ABCL contain the seed of the corporation and Bachchan's own
eventual downfall. Today, the last few members of the ABCL staff function in a
roughly partitioned section of a single floor of Sahara India's multi-storey
Goregaon office complex. There are separate cabins provided for the Bachchans,
Mr and Mrs. But of course, both of them are rarely present there.

Bachchan himself is busy shooting for half-a-dozen films for outside producers,
trying desperately to raise sufficient funds to make payments towards the
interest on the loans taken by ABCL. This is proving virtually impossible, with
the interest itself amounting to over Rs 10 million a month. And with the courts
quickly attaching any advances he receives from producers, Jaya Bachchan too is
said to have returned to active acting to help meet the same deficit. She even
toured the USA recently with a Hindi play Bai Retire Ho Gayee to help raise some
much needed funds, besides working as programming director of the forthcoming
Sahara satellite television channel.

And of course, daughter Shweta's in-laws, the Nandas of Escorts, are said to be
chipping in too. That leaves the third director on the ABCL board, brother
Ajitabh Bachchan. His contribution to the war chest was the sale of Ipca, the
pharmaceutical firm that he and the Bachchans jointly owned.

But even all this firefighting does not seem to be doing much good. Two months
ago, public sector Canara Bank sought the Bombay high court's permission to
attach Prateeksha to recover its dues, charging the Bachchans for the
non-payment of a loan provided in the form of an open cash credit facility
totalling Rs 240 million, and overdraft against book debts of Rs 560 million,
foreign letters of credit worth Rs 250 million and a guarantee facility of Rs
350 million. Two other flats owned by the Bachchans and given as collateral for
loans located at Bhanu Apartments at Ruia Park Road, Juhu were also sought to be
attached.

Another plot of land located in North Bombay was attached last month in a
separate Bombay high court ruling following an order by a court in the United
Kingdom to Amitabh and Ajitabh to repay a loan of $ 1.46 m (Rs 62.3 million) for
which the brothers personally stood guarantee.

However, the Bombay high court in a ruling in the first week of May 1999, ruled
that the properties could not be attached at present, since the Bachchans had
applied to the BIFR to be classified as a sick company. This was seen as a
last-ditch effort to keep their debtors at bay, since once the BIFR declares a
company sick, no properties can be attached and a long process of reconstruction
begins.

However, the court did succeed in attaching the amounts payable to Amitabh as
his fee for acting in the film Kohraam. For those who have been following the
whole story, Kohraam is the retitled film Bachchan had signed with Mehul Kumar
at the time of Mrituydaata's launch. Earlier called Aye Watan Tere Liye, Mehul
Kumar decided to retitle it in a desperate bid to disassociate it from that
earlier debacle.

But why on earth did Bachchan agree to act in a second Mehul Kumar film? After
all, this was the man who was solely responsible for that hash called
Mrityudaata which almost single-handedly destroyed the Big B's second coming.

Well, as a source close to the man put it, "You think I wanted to act in another
film directed by Mehul? Am I crazy? The only reason I did it was because he had
paid me ten million (rupees) to sign the film, and would pay me another 20
million (rupees) to finish it." Well, that's as good a reason as any.

But even a dozen commercial films such as Kohraam can't drum up enough fees to
pay off ABCL's debtors. The total equity of the corporation was Rs 605.2
million, while its accumulated losses during the last financial year alone were
a whopping Rs 700 million. That figure, with interest mounting at the rate of
close to Rs 10 million monthly, now stands at Rs 800 million.

Remember that glitzy corporate office mentioned in the private placement
prospectus? Well, not only did the executives not get that far, but even at the
Ajanta Hotel premises they were temporarily occupying, they left behind
chaiwallah (tea-supplier) and lunchbox caterer's bills of Rs 700,000 and Rs
600,000 respectively!



>

1997 ARTICLE


ABCL, the name itself stands for dynamism, afte all it carries the name of a
legend - a star oops! sorry a super-star Amitabh Bachchan. The name which sent
political stalwart, the late Hemavati Nandan Bahuguna, crashing at the hustings
- the face which made hysteric crowd bring down an imposing wall of the district
Court just to get a glimpse at. Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited first came
to light when they took over the publicity and distribution rights of the most
controversial film of 1995 - "The Bandit Queen", then came Miss World Pageant
and rest is history - literally.
Vijay, the angry protagonist of Deewar and Agnipath was a hero in a hurry.  So
were Amitabh Bachchan and his band of young professional managers at ABCL, their
dream venture. The management team worked overtime to leverage the mega stars
brand equity and get into every business related to films and film-making. And
two years from its inception the whole executive management is a demoralised
lot. Rumours abound: intefearance of the Bachchans in day-to-day affairs, a
near-total lack of professional management and a dormant, almost snoring, board
of directors has led to the present state of affairs.

ABCL - what does it do? What is it all about? The answer is very simple -
anything and everything to do with the entertainment business - for eg:- Make
films, once you make films you distribute them, you sell the music of the film,
you manage the actor who act in the films, and you have an event management
group that could leverage on the actor's brand equity as well. Then in related
areas you get into television production, as also in the lucrative area of
selling commercial time on television.

  In keeping with the vision the group moved fast, recruited 150 people, launched
15 films with cost per film ranging from Rs 3 to 8 crores, got distribution
rights for Bombay and Bandit Queen - both of which were successful at the box
office - got into music with Aby Baby, Diljale, Rakshak, Tere Mere Sapne etc,
and ofcourse on the event side the Miss World Pageant & and the BPL Dandia.

This rapid and ambitious growth however created a problem in the area of
capital. Two years ago, when ABCL made its private placement, the interest rates
had been moving up and the money market was turning illiquid. Despite Amitabh's
impressive presentations the bankers were not impressed and ABCL recieved less
premium than expected. But the company's ambitious young managers did not see to
cut back on their plans to suit the prevailing market condition. They went ahead
full throttle.

The first year the company did achieve its target turnover of Rs 65 crore and
made a profit of 15 crores. But in the depressing market conditions, that growth
was not substantiated in the second year, as against target of 200 crores only
115 crores is expected and profits are expected to be lower. Trouble started
between Bachchan and their professional managers when AB agreed to do stage
shows in North America in May and June this year. The professional managers
became upset that the booking were not done through ABCL. "We are the managers
of his personality. If he signs contracts outside the company that is against
any standard business practice", says a company source. Then the board of the
company, comprises largely of Bachchan friends like Chakor Doshi, Surinder
Kapoor and others, backed the Bachchan strategy of sealing back, while the
professional managers held on to their position of expanding and going. The
impasse finally resulted  in the CEO Sanjiv Gupta, putting in his papers on 31
March. He was soon followed by Harish Chawla, general manager for film
distribution, Makrand Bhambrey, vice-president for television, Manohar Arcot,
general manager for HRD and S M Suku, vice-president for marketing. The entire
top team had been decimated.

However, the industry is optimistic about the future of the company. "It will
bounce back probably scaled down version is the quote of the company. Bachchan
has brought in an old friend and confidante, Gautam Berry to take over the
operation. Berry was responsible for the Bachchans making their successful
investment in IPCA laboratories. Berry with his no nonsense attitude and Amitabh
with his film Mrityudata together look forward for making ABCL a hit. He has
adopted a different kind of a campaign for this film by launching the first-ever
interactive package called "Mrityudaata Touch Screen - Game of Death". All one
has to do is touch the make-shift screen attached to the computer to be involved
in an ingenious "Game of Death" with the Bachchan himself. This package would be
installed at Eros Theatre in Mumbai for 10 days from April 25. The whole idea
was put forth by Raja Interactive - a Mumbai-based firm - to merchandise the
film through "Touch Screen" technology. Another publicity gimmick by the big B
to be a contender in the rat race or is he having the honourable intention of
making his fellow desis computer literates is what everyone is thinking about.
Come one more flop, and that could well ring the curtain down on his one-stop
shop

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