Director disowns Paoli after watching Chatrak's sex clips

The director of 'Flop-e' doesn't want Paoli to promote his movie
Is this a publicity gimmick too? Pritam Sarkar, the director of "Flop-e" starring Paoli, has officially disowned the actor from any promotion and publicity activities surrounding his movie. The reason cited for taking this stand is the circulation of some sex clips from "Chatrak" that had Paoli indulging in explicit acts with Anubrata Basu. "Flop-e", which will be premiering in London at an event organized by Panchamukhee, will see a post-Diwali release.

Says Pritam, "I have watched that clip on YouTube and am thoroughly disgusted. There is a difference between nudity and vulgarity. I know for a fact that sex and poverty sell when it comes to anything to do with the third world countries. "Chatrak" might be a great movie and viewers of world cinema might be appreciating it. But I refuse to accept any excuse for having a scene like that in a film."
Acting, Sarkar says, is all about showing what is not true. "By the logic used in the movie, one has to actually get raped to do rape scenes. How can any actor subject herself to such acts and then use the alibi that it is only for cinema? Even if she does, my producer certainly doesn't want it her to promote this movie. I am shocked and this scene has left a very bad taste in my mind. I can neither drop her from my movie nor can I stop the publicity material that has already gone to print with Paoli's photos. But, I certainly wouldn't want her to promote this movie now."

But doesn't Pritam realize that by making such an announcement before the release of his film, he is only trying to use negative publicity to garner more interest in his film? "I have had my share of struggle while entering this industry. My film is about a corporate guy whose ambition is to make a flop movie in life. Neither the subject of my film nor my own take on life matches with anything that Paoli has done on-screen recently. I don't want this kind of publicity for my movie. Paoli is a great actor and she has done justice to the role of a lady working in the corporate section. But it's our collective decision of Team Flop-e not to involve her in any this kind of publicity at all."

Navjot Singh Sidhu joins Congress-calls himself 'born Congressman

Cricketer-turned-politician and former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu joined Congress on Monday.
Sidhu termed the move his "homecoming" and dubbed himself a "born Congressman".
Congress announced his candidature from his wife's constituency of Amritsar East.

Cricketer-turned-politician and former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu joined Congress on Monday and blamed the ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine for the drug menace in Punjab while vowing to oust the Badals from power in the coming assembly elections.

Bhag Baba Badal Bhag... this is my pledge," he said, referring to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, as he addressed his maiden press conference at the Congress headquarters with AICC managers.
Sidhu took Congress membership after meeting party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday. Calling it his "homecoming" and dubbing himself a "born Congressman", Sidhu recalled his father's long innings as freedom fighter and legislator and also the senior Sidhu's appointment as advocate general of Punjab by the Congress government.

He blamed the Badals for the drug menace in Punjab and targeted deputy CM Sukhbir Badal with barbs such as identifying him as Oxford educated who had built a "luxury villa on the misery of the state". "You trade. You trade by killing the state. I will tell people where all you sold the state. I will expose you. I will open the tomes detailing your deeds," Sidhu said.
While sounding the battle cry against the Badals, he accused BJP of siding with its ally while "I picked the state". Having left BJP on bitter terms, he refused to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi but repeatedly referred to "Manthra" and "Kaikeyi" in the context of the saffron party for pushing him out of Punjab so that the state was left to the Badals.

The former Amritsar MP did not betray any discomfort in sporting Congress colours, given the backdrop of Akali criticism that he had joined the party which had carried out the genocide of Sikhs. Within hours of his press conference, Congress announced his candidature from his wife's constituency of Amritsar East. Sidhu refused to comment on who would be the party CM by saying the question was premature.