The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| French actor Depardieu in Russia to receive new passport Posted: 05 Jan 2013 07:36 AM PST  Depardieu speaks with Vladimir Putin, then Russian Prime Minister, during a meeting in St.Petersburg in this December 11, 2010 file photo. — Reuters pic On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Russian citizenship to Depardieu, a popular figure in Russia who objected to the new tax on millionaires planned by France's socialist government. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin will hold a private meeting with Depardieu in the Black Sea resort of Sochi this evening. "It is not ruled out that during this meeting Depardieu will be granted a passport," RIA news agency quoted Peskov as saying. Radio Ekho Moskvy said both Putin, a former KGB spy, and his younger protege, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, were in Sochi for Russia's long New Year's holidays ending on January 9. In Russia, Depardieu has appeared in many advertising campaigns, including for ketchup, and worked there in 2011 on a film about the eccentric Russian monk Grigory Rasputin. Depardieu, star of "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Green Card" was also among the Western celebrities invited in 2012 to celebrate the birthday of Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader. Russia has a flat-rate income tax of 13 per cent compared to 75 per cent on income over €1 million (RM4 million) that French President Francois Hollande wants to introduce. Depardieu has bought a house in Belgium to establish Belgian residency in protest at Hollande's tax plans. Hollande's original proposal was struck down by France's Constitutional Court in December, but the socialist president pledged to press ahead with a redrafted tax on the wealthy. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu's decision to seek Belgian residency "pathetic" and unpatriotic, prompting an angry reply from the actor. Since the Cold War, Moscow has often expressed support for Westerners at odds with their governments - a way to counter what Putin says is hypocritical Western criticism of the Kremlin's treatment of its own citizens. Putin, accused by the opposition at home of cracking down on his critics, has in the past spoken of good relations with France. But Moscow suffered a blow in November when it was forced to suspend its bid to build an Orthodox church with five domes in the heart of Paris, whose mayor called the plan "ostentatious". A spokesman for Depardieu in Paris could not immediately be reached for comment. — Reuters |
| Indian minister pens ‘lovey-dovey’ Bollywood song Posted: 05 Jan 2013 06:05 AM PST
Despite his challenging role as a minister and government troubleshooter, Kapil Sibal (picture) took up an offer by actor-director Aditya Om for the film "Bandook" (Gun) and wrote four songs, one of which made it into the movie. Sibal's romantic number "showcases the pangs of separation of two lovers", Om told AFP. "His exuberant knowledge of literature has enabled him to pen beautiful lovey-dovey lyrics," he added. The Hindi lines include: "romantic eyes, admire shyly, declare love silently". The film, releasing this month, looks at gun culture in northern India and the link between crime and politics. "I really appreciate (Sibal's) knowledge of the vast subject that is portrayed in my film, which attracted him more than anything," said Om, an upcoming director looking to break into the mainstream with the release. Sibal, 64, already has two collections of poetry under his belt and has linked poems to politics in the past. The lawyer-politician told The Economic Times newspaper that he normally wrote on his iPad during flights, and that he was very busy with work when he penned the lyrics. "The 'Bandook' song is already available in ringtones, though I haven't got it as yet," he added. In his ministerial post, Sibal has come under fire from free-speech activists after he championed an amendment to India's IT act in 2009, which makes it illegal to post "grossly offensive" comments online. Hackers attacked and defaced his website in November amid protests against the law. — AFP/Relaxnews |
NEW DELHI, Jan 5 — India's communications minister, already a poet in his spare time, has found another outlet for his creative ambitions: penning a slushy love song for a new Bollywood film.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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