Photo Gallery : Uday Kiran ( Telugu Cinema Hero )

Uday Kiran

Gallery: Spicy Curves and Buxom Babes

Rains, Flash Floods In Andhra Claim 45 Lives

Heavy rains and flash floods in Andhra Pradesh have claimed 45 lives in the past two days, with the situation still grim in coastal areas Saturday.

Some 70 soldiers Saturday joined civil authorities in rescue and relief operations in the worst hit Kurnool district. Helicopters were also pressed into service.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who reviewed the situation and relief measures at a high-level meeting here Saturday, told newsmen that the rains had receded in the coastal districts over the last few hours but Kurnool and parts of Rayalseema and Mahabubnagar district continued to receive heavy rains.

According to weather officials, a low-pressure area that crossed the Andhra coast early Friday triggering the heavy rains was moving towards Karnataka and Maharashtra. They have forecast heavy rains in parts of Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states.

Dozens of towns and villages remained inundated. Local authorities rescued about 40 people trapped in vehicles in swirling waters. District authorities evacuated hundreds from low-lying areas along Krishna and Godavari rivers.

Two helicopters have left for Kurnool and Guntur districts for relief operations. About 4,000 food packets and 140,000 water sachets would be air dropped in the inundated towns and villages.

A helicopter is looking for eight missing people in East Godavari district.

The authorities have opened 95 relief camps in the affected districts to provide shelter to 56,000 people, who were evacuated from low-lying areas. The chief minister said 51 camps were opened in Kurnool district alone.

Kurnool district accounts for 21 deaths. Five people were killed in Guntur, four in Prakasam, three each in Kadpa and Karimnagar and two in Hyderabad. The remaining deaths were reported from Srikakulam and East and West Godavari districts.

The incessant rains since Thursday and flash floods damaged paddy nurseries in the fertile coastal region while strong gales uprooted trees, electricity and communication poles snapping electricity supply to many towns and villages.

Hundreds of trucks and buses were stranded on waterlogged highways. The Chennai-Kolkata highway was cut off. Train services also came to standstill in Kurnool and Guntur districts as railway tracks were submerged at a few points.

Several parts of Macherla town in Guntur district, Kurnool and Nandyal towns in Kurnool district and Ongole town in Prakasam district and dozens of villages were water-logged as rivulets, streams, irrigation channels and tanks were overflowing.

Rajasekhara Reddy announced compensation of Rs.200,000 for the kin of each of those killed. He said houses that have destroyed would be rebuilt.

Photo Gallery : Exclusive Sangeetha in Bahumathi

Sangeetha

Anuskha: 'Hyderabad is a cool and calm place'

Anushka is in awe of the city where she has bought a flat.

“Hyderabad is a cool and calm place. When I miss my parents, they come here to see me or I go to meet them. I love this place and the film industry has taught me to be open minded and professional.

“More than anything, I have learnt that there is more to life than hits and flops. I consider success as a bonus and take life as it comes,” she says.

Before she faced the camera in her debut film, she used to go to the shooting spot everyday. “Nagarjuna told me to watch shooting before I faced the camera. I also got trained a few months in acting,” she says.

“I’m not a party animal. I have a select group of friends. I think it’s extremely important to have some time for yourself where you can sit back and relax,” she says.

She has no complaints about food and likes Andhra food too. “I do yoga everyday and it’s part of my life,” she signs off.

Telugu Film News 23-06-2007

Controversy: Who styled Rajnikant?

Mumbai-based designer Neeta Lulla, asks for her due credit for the Southern star’s look in his new film

Rajnikant, the people’s hero, is now turning into a style icon as well, if his new avataar in his latest film is anything to go by. But strangely, leading designers Manish Malhotra and Neeta Lulla are squabbling over the credit for his look in the film. Manish claims, “I dressed up Rajnikant and his heroine Shreya for the film, barring the songs. Why has someone else been given the credit.” Neeta has got rave reviews for her work on Rajnikant. She defends, “I have put together Rajni’s look for the title song. It is a dream sequence in which Rajni changes his look six times.

Director wanted Heroine to rehearse kissing scene!

She’s a relative newcomer — and she’s already witnessed the bad side of Bollywood. Ask Sherlyn Chopra about her experience shooting for Vinod Pandey’s Red Swastik, and the actress sounds hurt.

“I was given a very different picture of how the film would release,” says Sherlyn. “In fact, I am really disappointed in director Vinod Pandey. He kept saying it was a good role and a great film, but when it came to the film’s promotion and release, he let me down. The film was released in a few theatres and has disappeared. What has irked me even more is the fact that he has changed my name in the credits to Maneka, when I kept insisting that I wanted to stick by ‘Sherlyn Chopra’. I have an identity of my own, and he has totally diluted it. It is very unfair to me.”

Was it true that he wanted her to rehearse for a kissing scene with her male co-star, by actually showing the male lead how to kiss the actress? “Can you imagine? He wanted rehearsals for a kissing scene. Who does that?” says a disgusted Sherlyn. “I put my foot down and told him that I would only kiss the actor during the take, and that’s that.” With such a bad experience, Sherlyn says she will definitely be more careful in future!

Gossip: Nallapusal Srinu Needs A Climax!

Nallapusala Srinu, a writer is after the Producer, C.C.Reddy to see his script approved. He worked in ‘Jananatyamandali’, a frontal organization of the erstwhile People’s War. He made his dent into film Industry as a writer. As C.C.Redy always looks for the subjects on teenagers, he got the script by name ‘Navataram’ ready. C.C.Reddy okayed the entire subject, barring the ‘Climax’. Srinu has submitted more than 30 alternatives for climax but Reddy has not approved one. Srinu, in turn, is asking every small time writer for a climax.

Babu turns 'charitable', eyes on NRIs

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is now donning a new avatar. From a tough-looking and never-smiling politician, Babu wants to transform himself to a "caring philanthropist" and "mobile physician" to provide the much-needed healing touch, not only to the Telugu Desam but also to its cadre at the grass roots level.

With State Assembly elections fast approaching, Chandrababu Naidu has jumped into service activities. He believes that the best way to win over the hearts of people (read voters) is to give them something. And what is this "something" that will fetch more votes? Providing healthcare and medical facilities to people living in rural areas.

On Saturday morning, Chandrababu Naidu launched the Telugu Desam's first-ever Mobile Health Clinic. He plans to have such clinics for all the districts.

He also wants to keep Telugu NRIs in good mood. So he has also launched a website for NTR Trust. So we have now three websites manned by Chandrababu Naidu. One for the Telugu NRIs, one for the local Telugus and one for those who want to donate to the Telugu Desam.

And that is the inimitable Chandrababu Naidu.