Snapshots
Frames 2001
(Posted on 8 April, 6:30 pm)
The vertically-challenged minister for I&B was given a special
devise to stand tall on the dais as she spoke...a stool to help
her gain a few extra inches.
In an otherwise well-organised event, there were frequent disruptions
in sound, with the microphones swallowing most of what ministers
Chhagan Bhujbal and Sushma Swaraj spoke. Said Swaraj to Bhujbal,
“The mikes went silent the moment you began to speak of your government’s
achievements. Now, when I’m ready to talk about my ministry, it’s
doing the same again.”
Yash Chopra, in between addressing symposiums and supervising
rehearsals for the evening’s variety entertainment programmes,
was seen munching popcorns with Sanjeev Kohli and the Metavision
staff.
Dheeraj Kumar sat next to Shaktimaan Mukesh Khanna. While Khanna
was heard occasionally shouting “Well said,” to the speakers,
Kumar continued to chat non-stop into his mobile.
Shabana Azmi spent a quiet afternoon with Sushma Swaraj. What’s
cooking between the thick pals? Well, neither’s telling.
Feroze Khan was seen chatting up the Bachchan, with the FICCI
files and portfolio stylishly tucked under his arm. “I’m in the
mood for socialising, these days,” he winked, before heading straight
for the cocktails.
Amit Khanna, as usual, was a sought-after speaker at the FICCI
event. Given his gift for speaking with rare erudition on a variety
of topics, he was asked to stand in for several speakers who failed
to turn up — from Mani Ratnam to Karan Johar.
Rajkumar Barjatya ambled up to speak with a large black bag.
But as usual, he spoke so softly that few could hear him until
they got closer to him.
It’s a different Subhash Ghai we get to meet these days. In
keeping with his newfound image of a businessman, perhaps, he
rarely speaks unless spoken to, and then he does it in carefully-measured
prose
MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY
MINISTER for I&B, SUSHMA SWARAJ was in her elements on the
inaugural day of Frames 2001, FICCI’s two-day conference on the
entertainment industry. In fact, so was AMITABH BACHCHAN, who
spoke with insight into what went wrong at AB Corp. He also outlined
his plans to revive the company. At the end of it, there was stunned
silence and then, a deafening round of applause. Obviously, the
Bachchan and his ailing outfit have managed to win not just sympathy,
but also support.
It was Swaraj’s turn to speak, next. That, of course, called
for a drastic rearrangement of mikes, given the minister’s stature,
or the lack of it. “See how the Big B harrasses short-statured
women,” she quipped, before launching into a critique of Bachchan’s
speech.
Click below for more on FICCI-Frames 2001:
Key
issues covered in FICCI-Frames 2001
Address by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Union
I & B Minister
Nearly 80 per cent of content on TV linked to films: Bachchan
Legal, Copyright & IPR in Entertainment industry
Entertainment & Media Research
Satellite TV: The future trend
Animation: India the new hub.
Speeches
at the Inaugural address
Star
team conspicuously absent from proceedings
