Music Review: 'Bittoo Boss' songs have desi tadka

Film: 'Bittoo Boss'; Music Director: Raghav Sachar; Lyricists: Kumaar, Luv Ranjan, Aseem Ahmed Abbasi; Singers: Mika Singh, Raghav Sachar, Sonu Niigaam, Shahid Maliya, Master Saleem, Shreya Ghoshal, Tulsi Kumar, Natalie Di Luccio, Neeti Mohan; Rating: *** 1/2

Forget about DK Bose as Bittoo Boss is here to take over. Already, embroiled in a controversy with the censor board having a problem with its double inuendo lyrics, most people still haven't heard the song. Naughty to the core, in this song singer Mika dabbles with the international sound of composer Raghav Sachar.

After a two-year hiatus, Raghav has done just the perfect job of East meets West with the soundtrack with three lyricists at his disposal.

The title track of the album 'Bittoo sab ki lega' instantly hits you. If you are able to adjust your ear buds to the unconventional words and engross in the music, the song is a pure delight. Penned by Luv Ranjan of "Pyaar Ka Punchnama" fame, the song is so likeable that you will keep pressing the repeat button over and over again.

Next on the playlist is 'Kick lag gayi'. Sung by Mater Saleem and Tulsi Kumar, it is tailormade for wedding galas. A heady mix of traditional lyrics like "Latthe di chaadhar" fused with Punjabi beats, the song makes you break free. It even has a reference to pop star Lady Gaga.

The song has another version with Raghav himself taking center stage as the singer. Both of them are equally good, but the former is more upbeat though it's hard to choose the better one in terms of composition.

Relaxing you on the couch is "Kaun kenda", a love song crooned by Sonu Niigaam and Shreya Ghosal. It reminds you a lot of the song "Dekho na" from "Fanaa". The Punjabi lyrics touch you and the duo has done a wonderful job transporting you to the mustard fields of Punjab. Brownie points to Raghav for including a qawaali segment that gives the song a mystic feel.

The song also has a slower acoustic version with Shreya behind the mike along with background intone of Shahid Mallaya.

Love is followed by heartbreak in the form of "Mann jaage". Sung by Shahid, the sad number explores sadness that creeps in when the person you love the most goes away.

But the next number "Kabootar" peps up the mood again and Mika again delivers the right punch. Although it doesn't surpass the title song, one has to admit that every song by Mika these days is a sure shot hit with the desi tadka that he propounds with his majestic voice.

Last but not the least is 'Audi', a signature Raghar song and Natalie Di Luccio joins him in it. Although it has Punjabi lyrics, and the chemistry Raghav creates by enjoining guitar riffs with R&B sounds makes it different.

All and all, the soundtrack is worth a buy and hopefully Bollywood gets to see more of Raghav in times to come.

6 lakh Indians died of cancer in 2010: report

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Mumbai: A landmark study published in The Lancet has found that cancer hits Indians much earlier than Westerners. Cancer claimed 6 lakh Indian lives in 2010 and contrary to popular perception, cancer is no longer a disease of the rich. It killed twice as many as poor and illiterate Indians as their educated, wealthy urban counterparts, according to the new Million Death Study in The Lancet that used research from across 16 centres.

The study is significant because till now all the cancer data available was derived from Cancer Registries and 90 per cent of them are based in big cities. But for the first time, 800 professionals were sent door-to-door across 1 million homes in both the neglected rural areas as well as urban cities. A major finding was that 70 per cent of cancer deaths were in the age group of 30 to 69 years.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Deputy Regional Director, WHO SEARO, said, "The young are more affected with cancer in India whereas in the western countries it's people who are 70 years and above. One reason could be that life expectancy in the west is much more."

In men, the most common cancers are, stomach and lung cancers while, cervical, breast and stomach cancers affect most women.

Jammu and Kashmir has the lowest rates of cancer and Mizoram the highest. Experts say this sort of variance across the country needs an urgent study.

The study also found tobacco to be biggest killer responsible for 40 per cent of male cancers.

Banks warn over latest India tax scare

Hong Kong: Asian investment banks fear that a tax provision in India's incoming finance bill will lead foreign investors to withdraw from the country's stock markets and have written directly to Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister, urging him to intervene.

The letter, sent on Wednesday by the trade organisation for Asian investment banks and its global sister body, says that provisions in the bill could be used to tax investments by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in Indian shares.

The provisions, which relate to the taxation of indirect asset transfers and the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR), are already disrupting the more than $200bn of funds that foreign investors have invested in India's equity markets as they begin to sell out of their holdings ahead of the bill's introduction on April 1.

The Asian Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association wrote in the letter that FIIs fear the tax rules could subject this foreign investment to double or triple taxation. "Such onerous taxation – or even the risk of such taxation – could threaten this important source of capital for India's businesses," it wrote.

The industry is hopeful that once the government understands the gravity of the situation, the rules will be clarified. If the uncertainties are not resolved then FIIs, which invest on behalf of foreigners who do not have clearance to invest directly in the Indian markets, will decide the tax risks are unacceptable, the industry body fears.

"These investors may then proceed to liquidate their India investments and such a disorderly dissolution of large positions held by these overseas investors could seriously disrupt the Indian capital markets," ASIFMA said in the letter.

Foreign investments of $200bn account for 17 per cent of the total value of India's equity markets. FIIs are also big investors in the local currency government and corporate debt markets, ASIFMA said.

The provisions are the latest tax-related scare for foreign businesses in India following the government's pursuit of Vodafone of the UK in a dispute over a $2.9bn capital gains tax case, which India's Supreme Court recently dismissed on appeal.

However, the Finance Bill 2012, which contains the provisions the investment banking industry is concerned about, is being used to change the country's tax laws to allow cross-border deals similar to Vodafone's purchase of Hutchison Essar to be taxed.

The change will be retrospective, meaning Vodafone's case is likely to be reopened and so raises the prospect of further legal wrangling in a process that has run for five years.

Nicholas de Boursac, ASIFMA chief executive, said in a statement that the financial services industry was concerned that these tax proposals may inhibit the efficient operation of the Indian debt and equity markets. "We believe that many of these consequences are unintended, and we urge the Finance Ministry to clarify the scope of the tax proposals and thereby avert unnecessary disruption to the Indian capital markets," he said.

Indian authorities could not immediately be reached.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012

Champions League: Bayern pip Marseille 2-0

Marseille: Bayern Munich had little trouble dispatching a feeble Marseille team 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, with Mario Gomez grabbing his 11th goal of the competition and Arjen Robben also scoring.

Gomez put Bayern ahead just before half-time, with Marseille goalkeeper Elinton Andrade to blame for letting the ball slip under his body, and Robben added a clinical second in the 69th after a quick one-two with Thomas Mueller.

"We fulfilled our objective, which was to win here without conceding a goal," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said, who was careful to play down the talk of what is now looking likely to be a semi-final against Real Madrid.

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"We have a return leg yet to play, so I don't want to talk about the semi-final and who we will be playing. I don't really have any doubts, but I have respect for Marseille."

Out of form, hampered by injuries and suspensions and jeered by their own fans in a stadium barely half full, Marseille hardly tested Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer at Stade Velodrome as they slipped to their eighth defeat in the last nine games.

"There's still a chance we can go through, but it's a tiny one," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "We're not in the best position and we know Bayern are very strong at home. Players of that quality always punish you."

Andrade, Marseille's third-choice goalkeeper, replaced the suspended Steve Mandanda and looked nervous, spilling an easy catch and hacking a routine clearance away for a corner instead of down the field early on.

When Gomez struck from the edge of the area, the ball came straight at Andrade, yet he let it roll under his arm and into the bottom right corner. Andrade was playing only his ninth game in three years, and it will be one to forget.

"I have nothing to reproach him for tonight," Deschamps said, defending his choice to pick Andrade.

Gomez, who has 23 goals in the league, is just one behind Barcelona star Lionel Messi in the Champions League scoring charts.

Marseille's fans were in unforgiving mood and refused to encourage the players at the start of the game, even holding up one banner, which said: "Ce soir on est comme vous: on ne sert a rien" (Tonight we're just like you: good for nothing). Other banners, bearing the names of supporters groups, were held upside down in protest.

"It's a difficult situation, as everyone knows," Deschamps said. "I can understand their disappointment."

Marseille fans did not spare Bayern winger Franck Ribery, either.

He had hoped for a warm welcome from the fans who worshipped him when he played for Marseille from 2005-07, but his name was jeered as soon as the stadium announcer read it out and then every time he touched the ball.

Marseille had their only clear-cut chance early on when Neuer palmed away Andre Ayew's header and striker Loic Remy, shaking off a thigh injury to start up front, smashed the rebound into the side netting.

Marseille tried their hardest to drag the German side into a physical battle, closing down space well and stopping Bayern from developing any sort of fluency as the midfield battle became heated.

"What I'm not happy about is the five yellow cards we picked up tonight," Heynckes said.

Ayew broke free down the left and shot into the side netting in the 28th, although it was difficult to beat Neuer from a tight angle.

After a brief spell on top, Marseille fizzled out and Bayern took the lead in the 44th minute after a Marseille move broke down.

Winger Mathieu Valbuena lost the ball to right-back Philip Lahm, who passed it to Ribery, who in turn fed Robben down the right. The Dutchman played in Gomez, who took his chance with a drive that squirmed under Andrade — while his team-mates continued to complain that the ball had hit Lahm's hand in the build-up to the goal.

"Conceding that goal just before half-time really hurt us," Valbuena said. "But when you attack, you leave gaps, and Bayern are very quick up front."

Robben made the game safe after swapping passes with Mueller on the edge of the penalty area and curling the ball past Andrade.

"We put our heart and soul into it, but they were superior to us," Deschamps said.

Ribery turned to applaud the Bayern fans after he came off late in the game to a chorus of whistles from the Marseille fans.

"Franck was very motivated before the game; I thought he did well," Heynckes said. "People have short memories."

Robben blazed over late on, with Gomez better placed. But with one foot in the semi-finals, it was hardly the moment for Gomez to complain.

 

Champions League: AC Milan hold Barcelona to 0-0 draw

Milan: AC Milan held Barcelona to an entertaining 0-0 draw on Wednesday in the opening leg of the quarterfinals, the first time in 30 matches and more than two years that the Spanish team had been held scoreless in the Champions League.

The last time Barcelona failed to score in the Champions League was in the 0-0 draw with Rubin Kazan in November 2009.

"There's a first time for everything," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "Milan are happy with the result and that's a real compliment for us. Not scoring away from home does penalize us a bit, as I think we will have to score twice to go through.

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"They are strong in so many aspects, I don't think one goal will be enough. But the pitch will be better than this one, so there'll be a bit more speed. We're used to playing to win."

Barcelona players complained about the state of the pitch, with lumps of turf flying up with every tackle and players slipping constantly.

"It's a shame the pitch isn't suited to a game of football, Inter and Milan deserve a better pitch," Guardiola said. "In the past few years we've won a lot, we've also lost and drawn. But whatever the result we've never been a team to complain about the referee or anything. To be the best you need to overcome these difficulties."

Milan will find out in the return leg at the Camp Nou next Tuesday how much it will regret Robinho's woeful miss early on, while Barcelona should've had a first-half penalty when Alexis Sanchez was brought down by goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Lionel Messi, who has scored 55 times this season, had a goal rightly ruled out for offside at the San Siro. This is only the second time a match between these two European heavyweights has ended scoreless in 14 meetings.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who spent an unhappy season at Barcelona, was also kept quiet although he should have done better with two opportunities.

"I'm happy," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "The lads put on a good performance, they interpreted the game as they should have done, attacked strongly and defended well when they had to. It's a good result to go to Barcelona with. It will be a difficult game but two out of three results will favor us.

"Next week I want a game like that of four-five months ago when, especially in the first half, we had several brilliant chances which we then wasted. So I want to have the same chances next week."

These teams also played each other in the group stage, with defending champion Barcelona beating Milan 3-2 in November in their last matchup. And the opening stages of this game appeared to promise a similar amount of goals.

Madrid forward Robinho should have scored in the third minute. Milan attacker Kevin Prince Boateng's shot crashed off defender Gerard Pique and the rebound was headed on by Ibrahimovic to an unmarked Robinho just outside the six-yard box, however the Brazilian shot over the crossbar.

Milan were almost made to rue that missed opportunity immediately, Messi drilling the ball low across the face of goal.

Barcelona went close when Abbiati spilled Messi's shot but Antonio Nocerino managed to clear off the line with Dani Alves sliding to try and tap it into the net in the ninth minute.

The Spanish side should have had a penalty after a well-worked free kick came to Sanchez, who beat the offside trap, rode a tackle from behind and was then brought down by Abbiati as he rounded the goalkeeper.

Ibrahimovic had his first sight of goal in the 20th minute, shooting straight at goalkeeper Victor Valdes. But Barca were starting to get into their stride to dominate possession as Milan struggled to carve out opportunities.

A lovely Barca move followed by a one-two between Xavi and Messi finished with the midfielder's shot being parried by Abbiati.

Milan were leaving themselves dangerously exposed at times at the back, and were almost caught out when Sanchez raced half the length of the pitch with Luca Antonini in pursuit. The Milan defender managed to get in a last-ditch tackle in the middle of the box as the striker was about to shoot.

Ibrahimovic could have put Milan ahead when he was picked out in a dangerous position by Massimo Ambrosini in the 57th, but the Sweden striker failed to control the ball and Barca cleared the danger.

As the match lost some of its frenetic pace, Barcelona defender Carles Puyol went close with a glancing header from a corner that only just went the wrong side of the post.

Barcelona could have won the match three minutes from time but Abbiati brilliantly stopped Messi's fierce effort, before Antonini cleaned up the rebound to clear the danger.

Messi felt aggrieved not to have been granted a penalty when he was muscled off the ball and brought down by two Milan defenders, but the initial contact looked to have been outside the box.

 

Google doodles Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's 126th birthday

New Delhi: The doodle on March 27 is the 27th Google doodle in the month of March. This marks the 126th birth anniversary of the German-born American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Popularly known as Ludwig Mies, he was born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies on March 27, 1886 in Aachen, Germany. After Ludwig Mies had established himself as an architect and his marriage failed he added his maternal surname van der Rohe to his name.

The building in the Google doodle in honour of Ludwig Mies is the Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago that houses its College of Architecture.

The Crown Hall, constructed between 1950-56, is considered to be one of Mies' masterpieces. The building made of glass, expressed steel frames is said to be a significant example of the 20th Century Modernist movement.

Regarded as one of the pioneers of modern architechture Mies never received any formal architectural training. He apprenticed with several architects and soon developed a style of his own.

A few years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and the Nazis closed down the school he was heading, a disillussioned Mies emigrated to the United States. In the US he headed department of architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology that later came to be known as the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. The popular idom, God is in the details, is often attributed to Ludwig Mies.

In addition to the Crown Hall, other prominent buildings designed by Mies include Farnsworth House (Plano, Illinois), 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments (Chicago), Seagram Building (New York City), Museum of Fine Arts (Houston) and Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin). Ludwig Mies died on August 17, 1969 in Chicago. He was 83.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's 126th birthday Google doodle is the the 1341st Google doodle since the first ever on for the Burning Man Festival back on August 30, 1998.

Wakf Board land scam: Rs 2 lakh crore scam surfaces in Karnataka

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New Delhi: A scam that reportedly threatens to be bigger than the 2G scam has emerged from Karnataka, promising to bring more trouble for the Congress. The State Minorities Commission has reportedly found that over 22 thousand properties owned by the Wakf Board was illegally encroached and sold over the last decade.

The estimated loss to the exchequer is said to be around Rs 2 lakh crore.

The Chairperson of the State Minorities Commission, Anwar Manippady told CNN-IBN that a few top politicians were involved in the scam. Sources say the Commission's report has named 38 Congress leaders.

Said Manippady, "We thought that let us look into other places too and we found mind-boggling figures in the amount of land encroached, took over property in their names or their kith and kin names... by fraud.

"What I've submitted today is a 7,500 page of documents, including gazette notification, registration of documents. Some have registered in their own name, some have sold it in benami names."

"The total value of Wakf properties in Karnataka is about Rs 4 lakh crore plus, and encroachments/embezzlements is Rs 2 lakh crores," he added.

He continued, "Imagine the strength to the Muslims if all this property is recovered. If the property is recovered, people in the community will have no problems. No Muslim will die because of lack of hospitals or medicines. A university can be set up. No Muslim will go without a roof on his head. We have been bestowed with this property. It is gone to the wrong hands.

"What I submitted today is only the tip of the ice-berg. If investigation happens, we will all swoon."

The report was submitted to Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Monday. Reports say it may be tabled in the state Assembly in a day or two.

The report states that the Wakf Board functionaries helped transfer the land to private individuals and institutions over the last 11 years.

It also states that 85 per cent of Wakf board properties that were misused are in Bangalore alone.

Army Chief General VK Singh's letter leak an anti-national act: Antony

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New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony on Thursday said that the three defence chiefs enjoyed the government's confidence while refusing to outline the Centre's position on Army Chief General VK Singh. Antony called the leak of the Army Chief's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the state of preparedness of the Army to wage a war an anti-national act while addressing a press conference at the Defence Expo in New Delhi and added that strict action would be taken against those involved in its leak.

"All the three defence chief enjoy the government's confidence. All the three defence chiefs are working today. I am comfortable, and I am not in an embarrassing situation," replied Antony when asked about the controversy surrounding General Singh.

Antony admitted that the Army Chief had complained to him about a Lieutenant General and he had told him (General Singh) to take action if there was any specific allegation of corruption against the concerned officer.

"I do not know of the letter General VK Singh has sent to CBI. I do not have any knowledge on the complaint of the Lieutenant General. I read it in the newspapers. The Army Headquarters had sent a proposal to make Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag an Army Commander," said Antony on the Army Chief seeking an investigation against Lieutenant General Suhag.

"My first priority is to find out who leaked the letter. I appeal to you not to demoralise our soldiers. We should maintain the prestige of armed forces. The prestige of armed forces should be protected. Defence has no relation with politics," said Antony while asking the media not to damage the image of the Indian Army.

"The Intelligence Bureau has started the enquiry into letter leak. We will act after receiving the Intelligence Bureau report and strongest action under the Indian law will be taken against the person responsible for the letter leak," he added.

Assuring zero tolerance to corruption in defence contracts, he said that six companies have been blacklisted for 10 years by the government. The banned entities included four foreign companies and two Indian companies and the action against them was taken following recommendations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"If we find anything wrong, we will not hesitate to cancel the contract at any stage. There will be zero tolerance to corruption. We have cancelled many major contracts following corruption charges. We have very strong safeguards on integrity form. For any contract beyond Rs 100 crore integrity pact is a must. In the integrity pact, strongest action will be taken against anybody found to be involved in malpractice. We will protect our interest and money," he said.

"Delays will be there as we have to inquire into complaints of corruption. If there is corruption, then the contract has to be cancelled. We are slow on modernisation as we are aware of corruption allegations. We want to ensure that there is no corruption. We are continuously reviewing our defence preparedness and we are increasing the procurement of ammunition for the Army," said the Defence Minister.

Antony said that almost 40 per cent of the armament and equipments for the military was now being manufactured in India. The Defence Minister stated that India was moving towards indigenisation to meet the needs of the military.

"Indigenisation is gaining speed and will become faster in coming years. We have to move cautiously. Our aim is to encourage indigenous technology. In areas like radars and missiles India is moving forward," said Antony.

Pointing out there has been 18 per cent increase in the Defence Budget for 2012-13, Antony said the military needed more money but there are some constraints too.

He said that private sectors companies were being involved in production of defence equipments but added that foreign direct investment in defence was a sensitive matter and the government cannot increase it at the moment.

"At the moment it is better to confine FDI to 26 per cent," he said.

Antony said that modernisation and procurement of defence equipments could not be taken in isolation and the security scenario had to be looked at while adding that India had a sensitive security surrounding.

He also said that the current offset policy incorporated into defence contracts with foreign companies need to be expanded as the present policy would not be able to absorb the ongoing offset amount.

Rajoana clemency row: 1 killed in Punjab

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Chandigarh: One person has been killed and another injured in police firing in Gurdaspur after two groups clashed over clemency for Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in the assassination case of former Chief Minister Beant Singh.

Curfew was clamped on Thursday in Gurdaspur city following communal tension between Shiv Sena activists and Sikhs.

"Curfew has been imposed in Gurdaspur City after tension mounted between some Shiv Sainiks and other youths, including Sikhs," Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Singh Kainth said.

He said that the Shiv Sainiks had given a call for Gurdaspur bandh on Thursday in the wake of registration of cases against some persons following clashes during Punjab bandh on Wednesday.

During the bandh most of the establishments owned by Hindus were closed whereas those belonging to Sikhs were open, sources said adding that resisting the move of Sikhs the right-wing Hindu activists came face to face with them mounting tension in the city.

In order to disperse the two groups, police allegedly opened fire in which one person died and another was injured, sources said.

However, Kainth said that police resorted to firing to disperse the two groups in which one person was injured.

"We are verifying the facts whether the person was injured during the firing," he said.

The right wing organisations were protesting against the registration of cases against 14 Hindus following a scuffle during Punjab bandh on Wednesday, sources said adding that the police opened fire in air to disperse the mob in Hanuman Chowk in the heart of the border town.

Police also cane-charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob of both the communities, sources said.

During the Punjab bandh on Wednesday 14 Hindu youths had opposed the Sikh organisations to shut down the shutters of their establishments resulting in clash between the two groups.

Meanwhile, Kainth said that the situation was "under control". On Wednesday, normal life was crippled across Punjab which witnessed sporadic violence during the day-long shutdown, called by radical Sikh outfits, to protest the scheduled hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in the former Chief Minister Beant Singh assassination case.

(With additional inputs from PTI)