MUMBAI INDIA : Bad scripts, flimsy characters and poor-quality production are hindering Indian cinema as it attempts to capture new global audiences, leading industry figures say.

Top actors, film-makers and executives said India needed to raise its game if it was to replicate the success of “My Name Is Khan,” which recently became the biggest Bollywood movie of all time on overseas revenue.

The movie has taken 39 million dollars worldwide since its release in February, including 17 million dollars outside India, distributors Fox Star Studios said, hailing it as “Bollywood’s first truly global film.”

Its success is now being seen as a possible model for “crossover” films, as Indian cinema looks to recover from a 14 percent decline in revenues to 89.3 billion rupees (about two billion dollars) in 2009.

The overseas market — which makes up seven percent of India’s total film industry revenues — fell 30 percent last year, hit by the economic downturn, poor-quality films and fewer releases after a strike by Bollywood producers.

“My Name Is Khan” actor and co-producer Shah Rukh Khan said that increasing Hollywood involvement in India was key.

The United States accounts for up to a third of Indian cinema’s overseas market and a number of US studios, including Warner Bros, Disney and DreamWorks, have struck deals with Indian production houses in recent years.

“Bollywood is lagging very, very far behind in three areas,” Khan told a media and entertainment conference in Mumbai this week.

Indian film-makers needed to understand the Hollywood format “and not adhere to our own stubborn narratives,” he said.

“The sooner Indian film companies realise that screenplay writing is not an art form but a science, the faster our films will grow,” he said.

Help was also needed to develop the special effects sector and bring the discipline and organisation that was “woefully lacking in the business of films,” he added.

Indian cinema, particularly Hindi-language Bollywood, has a tradition of making highly stylised films involving set-piece song and dance routines, with some actors often working on up to half a dozen films at the same time.

Some 242 Bollywood films were released in 2009, according to an industry report by auditors KPMG, but with few succeeding at the box office, even domestically, there have been calls to favour quality over quantity.

Bollywood has been looking to diversify into more contemporary subjects in recent years but “My Name Is Khan” director Karan Johar said the current standard of home-grown script-writing was still “shoddy.”

“We have the people, we have the infrastructure, we have the mobilisation but we don’t empower writing and that’s of paramount importance,” he said.

Actor Irrfan Khan, who starred in the Oscar-winning hit “Slumdog Millionaire” and “A Mighty Heart,” called for greater depth and better production values.

“I don’t think ‘Slumdog’ would have got the kind of mention it got if the post-production was done here India,” he said.

“Our mainstream films are fantastic and have that unique quality of emotion. But our mainstream doesn’t welcome the complexities of life, it doesn’t welcome complex characters. We need to work on that.”

Vijay Singh, chief executive of Fox Star Studios, which distributed “Slumdog Millionaire,” said seeking “crossover” hits did not mean compromising Indian films’ specific cultural and social themes.

But better content, combined with targeted marketing and distribution, could help raise the profile of Indian cinema, its stars and wealth of backroom talent, he added.

“These are early days for all of us. We have done the best that we can for ‘My Name Is Khan,’” Singh said. “Some of these new road maps that we have laid out will help Bollywood across the board.”

CHANDIGARH INDIA : For Haryanvis, it could well be time to rise and take note, if an INLD MLA’s remark in the assembly is to be believed. During his speech, three-time MLA from Kalayat Rampal Majra said the “sexual rate” of Haryana is falling. And, this has raised the hackles of many women MLAs who asked him to mind his language.

Majra, while speaking on the skewed sex ratio in the state on Monday, had actually mentioned “sexual rate” rather than “sex ratio.”

“Bahut kosiso ke baad bhi state me sexual rate nahi bad raha hai. Yeh chinta ki baat hai aur government ko is par aur dhyan dena chahiye (Sexual rate in the state is not improving despite all efforts. This is a matter of concern and the government should pay attention to this),” said Majra.

State health minister Geeta Bhukal, along with ruling party MLAs Anita Yadav and Sharda Rathore, made strong objection to the use of the term “sexual rate”. “Please, think of what you are talking in the assembly,” Bhukal said repeatedly. But Majra continued to speak, ignoring the objections raised by female MLAs as well finance minister Ajay Singh Yadav.

Majra, 55, a law graduate, is considered a part of the INLD thinktank led by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.

Later, parliamentary affairs minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, who was present during the speech by Majra, told TOI: “It was a slip of tongue and it is best to be ignored. However, the words have not been expunged”

When The Times of India contacted Majra, he said: “Maine to kaha tha ki sexual ratio national average 933 ke mukabale Haryana mein sirf 863 hai (I had stated that the sexual ratio — read sex ratio — is just 861 in Haryana in comparison to the national average of 933). They are launching one after another scheme, but despite that there is no improvement in the sexual ratio,” he repeated.

New York:Campbell hosts fashion show to raise fund for Haiti, Jamaican supermodel Naomi Campbells Fashion for Relief runway show to help raise money for earthquake-hit Haiti, is said to have involved many bigwigs, which won her audience applaud too.
The show, which had taken place in Bryant Park, saw Chris Brown, Kelly Osbourne, Donna Karan and Helena Christensen all walk the ramp for the charity event, which will raise funds for CARE. The show, styled by Rachel Zoe and hosted by Campbell and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, follows the models first Fashion for Relief event in 2005, which raised 1 million dollars for Katrina victims. The show was dedicated to the fashion designer Alexander McQueen who died lately.

New York: A federal jury has ordered US software giant Microsoft to pay 388 million dollars to Uniloc for infringing on an anti-piracy software patent held by the Singapore — and US-based company.

The award was made by a jury hearing the case in a district court in the US state of Rhode Island, yesterday.

The jury ordered Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft to compensate Uniloc, which has its US headquarters in Irvine, California, for infringing on a patent for a security algorithm held by Uniloc.

The complaint against Microsoft was filed by Uniloc Singapore Private Ltd and Uniloc USA Inc in October 2003.

Uniloc had accused Microsoft of infringing on its patent in its Windows operating systems, which power most of the world’s personal computers, and in Office programs.

Microsoft said it would seek to have the verdict overturned.

“We are very disappointed in the jury verdict,” said David Bowermaster, a Microsoft spokesman.

“We believe that we do not infringe, that the patent is invalid and that this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported,” he said. “We will ask the court to overturn the verdict.”

Microsoft had previously won the case but Uniloc convinced an appeals court to overturn the judge’s ruling, arguing that the case was influenced by the testimony of an expert witness who had conflicts of interest.

‘New Moon‘, The ‘Twilight‘ vampire romance sequel ‘New Moon’ remained firmly clamped down on the North American box office top spot for a second week, preliminary figures showed on Sunday.

The second big-screen installment adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenally successful books took in 42.5 million dollars over the weekend, according to figures from Exhibitor Relations.

That brought the movie’s two-week earnings to a whopping 230.7 million dollars after it raked in an astounding 142.8 million dollars in its first three days of release.

Only Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” with 158.4 million dollars and “Spider-Man 3″ with 151.1 million dollars have scored bigger openings.

The “New Moon” release weekend earnings were considered particularly impressive because the film was released in November, outside of the traditional summer blockbuster season.

The “Twilight” franchise follows the fortunes of high school teenager Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, and her vampire lover Edward Cullen, played by British heart-throb Robert Pattinson.

Also showing staying power this week were “The Blind Side,” which hung on to the number two spot for a second week and “2012,” at number three for a second week.

“The Blind Side,” a feel-good film based on the real-life journey from rags to riches of Baltimore Ravens American football star Michael Oher, earned 40.1 million dollars in box office receipts.

“2012,” which makes ample use of special effects to illustrate the end of the world, brought in 18 million dollars in its third week in theatres.

In at number four was “Old Dogs,” a Disney movie starring John Travolta and Robin Williams, which took in 16.8 million dollars in its opening weekend.

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” remained in fifth place for a second week, earning 16 million dollars in its fourth week in theatres, while “Ninja Assassin” took the number six spot, earning 13.1 million dollars.

Down three spots to number seven was “Planet 51,” the animated tale of an astronaut forced to take refuge with a young alien on a faraway planet, which earned 10.2 million dollars.

The acclaimed but harrowing “Precious” took the number eight spot with 7.09 million dollars, while Wes Anderson’s adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic “Fantastic Mr Fox” shot up from number 24 last week to earn the number nine spot with 7.02 million dollars.

Rounding out the top ten was satire “The Men Who Stare At Goats,” starring George Clooney and Jeff Bridges as members of a military unit schooled in psychological warfare. The film took 1.5 million dollars.

With new funding from India, Oscar winner Steven Spielberg is ready to move ahead with production and we all shall be able to see six-plus foot invisible rabbit “Harvey” in the near future.

Indo-American Rajan Zed says they were glad to see the legendary director back in filmmaking. Spielberg has not reportedly produced after Transformers since separating from Paramount Pictures. Deal with India’s Reliance on Monday breathed life back into Spielberg’s dormant DreamWorks Studios and he can now start directing “Harvey”.

Spielberg’s directorial project “Harvey” is remake of Oscar winner James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) starring 1950 film based on Mary Chase Pulitzer Prize-winning play, about amiable and eccentric bachelor Elwood P. Dowd and his friendship with imaginary Harvey. Oscar nominated Henry Koster (The Bishop’s Wife) directed the 1950 Harvey, which won an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

It is reportedly a co-venture between the new DreamWorks, Disney and 20th Century Fox. Spielberg and Don Gregory (Fire in the Dark) will be the producers. While casting and pre-production is expected to begin immediately, the production will begin in early 2010.

As Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) has reportedly said no to the role of the polite Dowd, Spielberg will be looking for another likable top-notch leading actor who can convincingly talk to the invisible rabbit.

Superstar Bruce Willis and his wife are busy searching for a multi-million dollar apartment, according to reports.

The actor and his model wife Emma Heming have been spotted visiting Los Angeles” exclusive Carlyle Residences, a 24-storey building with apartments priced between 2.9 and 15 million dollars, reports the China Daily.

The couple are reportedly looking for a three-bedroom, four-bathroom home with a gym, library, dining room and wine cellar. This may cost them around 5.1 million dollars.

The 54-year-old Willis married Heming in Turks and Caicos in March this year. The marriage was attended by his three daughters, Moore, and Kutcher. The couple got legally wed six days later, in a civil ceremony at Beverly Hills.

DUBAI: Resolving the World Cup row with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to payback PCB the host fees and additional 10 million dollars as ‘reasonable compensation’ money over stripping Pakistan of ICC World Cup 2011 matches due to security reasons, said Ejaz Butt on Friday.

Major decisions over the dispute came during the meeting held here in between President ICC David Morgan and PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt on Thursday.

Disclosing the details of meeting, PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said we tried to settle disputed issues through legal advisors which did not cost PCB too much but still, I am content with outcomes of our struggle, terming the results of meeting 101 percent victory of Pakistan.

“PCB will suspend cases including Lahore High Court (LHC) case within 15 days”, he added saying, “Pakistan is still one among hosts of World Cup 2011 matches but we are not practically associated with WC matches because had it been so, we would not be paid even single penny”.

According to ICC spokesman, PCB to retain host fees of 14 World Cup 2011’s matches besides additional ‘reasonable compensation money’ over PCB’s acceptance of withdrawal from hosting 2011 WC matches owing to security fears.

No obligations will be resting upon PCB in connection with host of WC 2011 matches while Pakistan, on acceptance of PCB’s conditions by ICC, it will completely withdraw legal actions against ICC, meeting also decided.

“The meeting of the Central Organizing Committee (COC) of WC 2011 will be held on November 2 in Mumbai which will be attended by Subhan Ahmed and Waseem Bari while all matters are being settled through government’s trust, Ejaz Butt said”, hoping, “Government will allow Pakistan team to fly to India to partake WC 2011”.

Meanwhile, ICC president David Morgan termed PCB’s consent in vast favor of sport.

‘District 9’ has topped the weekend box office after raking in 37 million dollars.

According to studio estimates, ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ came second with 22.5 million dollars, reports E! Online.

‘The Time Traveler’’s Wife’ landed the third spot with 19.2 million dollars ‘Julie & Julia’ stood fourth with 12.4 million dollars.

‘G-Force’ rounded off the top five with 6.9 million dollars.

The weekend’’s top-grossing films are:

1. District 9, $37 million

2. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, $22.5 million

3. The Time Traveler’’s Wife, $19.2 million

4. Julie & Julia, $12.4 million

5. G-Force, $6.9 million

6. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, $5.4 million

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, $5.2 million

8. The Ugly Truth, $4.5 million

9. Ponyo, $3.5 million

10. (500) Days of Summer, $3 million