Government rushes relief teams to quake-hit Sikkim

New Delhi: As powerful earthquakes rocked Sikkim, the Central Government swung into action, rushing specialised teams for rescue, relief and medical operations, besides mobilising the Army and Air Force.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling immediately after the quake and offered all possible help.

He directed Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth to urgently convene a meeting of the Crisis Management Group, which took stock of the situation and decided on a series of steps.

After the meeting, Seth said that two IAF planes --C-130J with four teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) -- have been sent for rescue and relief operations in Sikkim. He said five more teams of NDRF are being rushed from Kolkata.

Army units have also been mobilised and field hospitals have been activated in Sikkim, he said.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has also been mobilised for restoring normal traffic on NH-31A which connects Sikkim with rest of the country.

"The Prime Minister himself is monitoring the developments connected to the quake," Seth said after the meeting, which was attended by Secretaries of Defence, Home, Health and Information and Broadcasting, among others.

The Cabinet Secretary said the meeting discussed ways in which help could be provided to the quake-hit Sikkim in the wake of the earthquake.

"The Central Government will do everything that is necessary."

More updates on Sikkim earthquake:

# Road from Pegong to Chungthang tehsil washed away due to landslide.

# NDRF personnel are waiting for the highway to be cleared.

# Sikkim govt confirms 18 deaths. Rescue team of state has reached Mangan area of north Sikkim but they are yet to get input from Chungthang.

# Big landslides all over NH 31A - the lifeline of Sikkim. NDRF forces are still stranded in Siliguri.

# A herculean rescue operation begins as NDRF and Army battalions reach Sikkim.

# Missing vehicle including Army personnel found, all safe: Report

# 10 army Combat Engineers Columns deployed for opening major roadblocks on Siliguri-Gangtok.

Katrina as Dulhan beats Salman's Bodyguard

Katrina-starrer Mere Brother Ki Dulhan dethroned Salman's Bodyguard after its stupendous run. As Kat remains tightlipped about Sallu, both stars maintain that audience response is what matters more than critical acclaim or numbers.

Movie Review: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Movie Name:	Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Critic Rating:
Viewer Rating:	5 1
Star Cast:	Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar
Director:	Ali Abbas Zafar
Producer:	Yash Chopra
Music Directer:	Sohail Sen
Genre:	Romantic comedy

 

Story: The story of ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ revolves around Kush Agnihotri (Imran Khan) and Dimple Dixit (Katrina Kaif). They belong to an upper middle class family of Northern India. Kush’s brother, Luv Agnihotri (Ali Zafar) stays in London and is looking for his ideal Indian bride and wants Kush to find that perfect match for him. In his quest, Kush emabarks upon a journey that comprises of him meeting different kinds of women and finally meeting Luv's perfect match Dimple, who is crazy and wacky. The families meet and decide on the marriage, but Kush falls in love with Dimple, his brother's soon-to-be dulhan. What follows, is a topsy-turvy love story and whether Kush gets his love remains the biggest question.

Story Treatment: This is not a usual Yashraj wedding flick, but one of the better musical romantic comedies from their kitty in which, a guy falls in love with his brother’s dulhan. The title of the movie has already generated a lot of buzz for Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif’s fans. The story is quite predictable and it seems that the title runs till the last scene of the movie. However, the writer and director- Ali Abbas Zafar manages to grab the attention in the first half, making the second half a bit too dragged. The story is based on a simple scenario, that of a guy falling in love with his brother’s fiance, but the twists and turns that are added to the story, make it a somewhat fun-filled experience.

Star Cast: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, is truly a Katrina Kaif film. The actress walks away with the cake and Imran, who portrays the character of a guy-next-door pretty well, does his job to perfection. Kat’s bubbly performance assures the right dose of entertainment and sweetly shocks the audience. The first time on-screen jodi of Imran-Katrina seems promising. Ali Zafar, who made his debut in the critically acclaimed Tere Bin Laden, seems at ease while playing the elder brother of Imran. Ali doesn’t require many dialogues, as his expressions prove his acting prowess. Kanwaljeet Singh and Parikshat Sahni play their part well.

Direction: Director Ali Abbas Zafar knows one thing well and that’s extracting the best performance from all his actors. The screenplay dips down in the second half, which takes away some amount of credit from the director. Also, some comic scenes seem to be deliberately fixed in the script. Ali manages to inject some amount of emotions in a comedy movie, which adds a few points to this YRF film.

Dialogue/cinematography/music: Dialogues are plain and simple, which will definitely make the youth connect to them. Unlike, many Yash Raj Films, there is no larger than life representation of a wedding in this one. Songs surely cater to the current generation and lyrics are situational. Dhunki roughly sketches out the character of Kat in the movie, while Isq Risk clearly indicates the twist in the tale. Rest of the album becomes a pleasing experience too, thanks to the lovely picturisation that emphasises the general appeal. Cinematography is good, which turns the flick into a visual treat.

3ups and Down: Surely a treat for Katrina’s fans, as it will be an experience to witness her talent. Also, for those Bollywood lovers, who enjoy entertainment sans a need to find a story, MBKD will be a perfect watch. A second half, which is a bit too dragged acts as an hindrance and slows down the flick to some extent. Imran-Katrina’s first time on-screen jodi can also be a reason to spend on the ticket. Go grab one, as this one is purely a paisa vasool!