Rare Picture/Photos of Sachin Tendulkar Childhood pics School days

Rare Picture/Photos of Sachin Tendulkar

That's a rare picture of Sachin Tendulkar standing in the 2nd row from top, 7th from left. Sachin was in Class 2....,

Sachin Tendulkar Rare Pic

super Exclusive pic - Sachin Tendulkar Brian Lara & Shane Warne at London Yesterday wow 

Sachin Lara & Shane Warne

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'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie Review Latest News film updates Photos/Pics Ram Gopal Varma Ratings

'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie Review.'The Attacks of 26/11' Latest News.'The Attacks of 26/11' film updates.'The Attacks of 26/11' Photos. 'The Attacks of 26/11' Pics.'The Attacks of 26/11' Ram Gopal Varma.'The Attacks of 26/11' Ratings.'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie Updates.'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie Review in detail.

'The Attacks of 26/11' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Direction: Ram Gopal Varma

Actors: Nana Patekar, Sanjeev Jaiswal, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 3.5/5

The good news is that The Attacks of 26/11 is one of the better films Ram Gopal Varma has made in recent years. The bad news is that Varma's last few films were duds like Department and Bhoot Returns so the bar is set very low.

In The Attacks of 26/11, Varma recreates Mumbai's tryst with terror on November 26, 2008 when ten men came over in a boat and laid siege to the city. More than 160 people died and over 300 were injured. It was one of the worst terrorist attacks on Indian soil.

Nana Patekar playing joint commissioner of police Rakesh Maria, narrates the events to an inquiry commission. He recounts the 60 hours of horror as young, brain-washed men walked casually around South Mumbai indiscriminately pumping bullets in to men women and children in the Taj hotel lobby, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe and other locations. The Mumbai police struggled valiantly. Eventually the NSG Commandos have to be called in.

This film tells us little that we don't already know. Like Kathryn Bigelow in Zero Dark Thirty, Varma is trying to give us boots-on-the-ground experience.

'The Attacks of 26/11'

But unlike Bigelow, he is unable to create a visceral feel or provide new insights. The action is broken by the commissioner's deposition to the inquiry commission, where half a dozen men sit impassively. Varma relies too much on bullets in slow motion and gore so we see a man's neck being sliced, another's brain exploding with a bullet and blood spread so thickly that people slip in it.

All of which is based in truth but the fact is that most of us have already been through this harrowing experience via live television coverage and at some point, you have to ask; what do I get in return for putting myself through this again? And the answer is not much.

In a few places, The Attacks of 26/11 is startling. The tragic absurdity of constables fighting heavily armed terrorists with stones and lathis hits you.

Nana Patekar, speaking with unduly affected pauses, has a few moments of power and eloquence, especially toward the end when he explains the real meaning of Islam.

But mostly, the film is plodding. Varma insists on bludgeoning background music and the terrorists remain faceless caricatures.

Even Ajmal Kasab, who is the only one fleshed out to some extent, is sketchy and simplistic.

The Attacks of 26/11 is a powerful subject watered down by ineffective story-telling. This could have and should have been so much more.

Star cast: Atul Kulkarni, Nana Patekar, Sanjeev Jaiswal, Ganesh Yadav

What’s Good: The cinematography, the lucid flow of the narration, all performances.

What’s Bad: The style of narration suits the news-mode more than the movie-mode.

Loo break: None.

Watch or Not?: For reliving the intensity of the attacks and this well retold narration, boasting of power packed performances by all, especially Nana Patekar, this one is definitely worth a watch.

It is not a story being told. Not an accident either. The Attacks Of 26/11 is the set of terror attacks that hit Mumbai on November 26, 2008 being produced into reel with some really appreciable cinematography and mentionable performances.

Some native fishermen trek in to the Arabian looking for a rare fish that is found only in deep water. After a while they realize they might have entered international waters, in this case, that of Pakistan. In the mean time they see a Pakistani trawler in distress. While the Indian fishermen try to find out what is wrong, they’re faced with the terrorists coercing them into helping the 10 terrorists to reach Mumbai. All fishermen are killed and dumped at sea by the time they reach a shabby Mumbai port.

'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie Pics

Here on begins the communication between the terrorists and the commoners. The 10 break into smaller groups and attack pre designed areas. The back grounds of the terrorists are not focused upon much as are the little details of the victims. There is often shown some moments of sanity and human considerations on the part of Ajmal Kasab, played by Sanjeev Jaiswal, which were suppressed without delay by his companion in the ruthless strikes.

The climax shows Kasab’s sentence to be hanged till death in action. Crude scenes of violence make the movie unsuitable for the feeble hearted. By the end of the movie the Joint Commissioner of Police, played by Nana Patekar, Mumbai, passes with distinction in the departmental scrutiny and goes to head the Anti Terrorism Squad.

The whole movie sees the Police in a very glorious light. And the attacks are being narrated by Nana Patekar, giving a concrete feel to the content. For the viewer, it is reliving the shame of religious

Nana Patekar (The Attacks of 26/11 Movie Stills)

The Attacks of 26/11 Review: Script Analysis

It is not much of a script. If you have been watching the news during and post- 26/11 attacks, you probably know it all. Even the case updates with regards to Ajmal Kasab will provide you much of the information that Nana Patekar goes on the reveal. So may be for a movie based on a highly spoken-about terrorist attack, The Attacks Of 26/11 fails to break any ice with the script. But keeping that in mind, the movie has a fresh feel that makes you want to sit through and view the very well sequenced script. Sunil Wadhwani does commendable work at editing.

The Attacks of 26/11 Review: Star Performances

We miss Atul Kulkarni, though it makes sense to say his performance was critically well placed. Nana Patekar, if we can ignore, at times, unwanted voice modulation, does an amazing job of playing the Joint Commissioner of Police to a city that did not even have time to recover from an attack before having to face another one of similar or higher magnitudes.  About Sanjeev  Jaiswal, his expressions are commendable though his lines only match them up pretty late into the film.

The Attacks of 26/11 Review: Direction, Music & Technical Aspects

'The Attacks of 26/11' Ram Gopal Varma

Director Ram Gopal Verma went to the scenes in November 2008 to do some 1st hand research. Well, we can see the effect. The film is well directed keeping in mind it put together a massive number of abstract characters. Cinematography however wins over anything else.  Harshraj Shroff and M. Ravichandran Thevar liven up the shades of the sky and the cityscape to explain the pathos in vivid visuals. Vikram Biswas worked pretty well keeping in mind the sound score of the movie set the theme of a psychological thriller (from the terrorists’ point of view ), in combination with that of an incidental narration.

The Attacks of 26/11 Review: The Last Word

We have seen it too many times, the quotes from the Holy religious texts being explained to the wrongdoer after the deed is done. We see it here again. That said, in the aftermath of the recent Hyderabad blasts; see this just to know the larger picture.

Complete Review:

When Ram Gopal Varma went to visit the site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the history of Indian subcontinent, it was seen as a publicity gimmick from a filmmaker who was going through a rough patch, but Varma was serious about his recce.

The maverick director, who is known for films such as 'Satya', 'Company' and 'Sarkar', hasn't given good stories since many months, so he is under pressure to come up with a well crafted film in the form of 'The Attacks of 26/11', which is the dramatic reconstruction of the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008.

The film features Nana Patekar as the Joint Commissioner of Police while Atul Kulkarni will also be seen as an important character, however all eyes would be on Sanjeev Jaiswal who is playing the character of Ajmal Kasab. The recent death sentence of Kasab has increased the curiosity among the audiences.

Good or bad, RGV is known for his bold and unconventional approach towards filmmaking, so he is expected to throw a new light on the events of 26/11.

10:15 AM: #Attacksof2611 is directed by Ram Gopal Varma and is based on 2008 terror attacks of Mumbai.

10: 18 AM: #Attacksof2611 stars Nana Patekar, Atul Kulkarni and Sanjeev Jaiswal, who is playing Ajmal Kasab.

10: 25 AM: The recent hanging of Ajmal Kasab has increased the spectators' interest in #Attacksof2611.

10: 37 AM: RGV is expected to through a new light on the events of Mumbai terror attacks through #Attacksof2611. What do you think?

10: 50 AM: RGV has tried to give a glimpse of the world of terrorists in some of his earlier films but #Attacksof2611 directly deals with terrorism.

10: 54 AM: Is the film going to feature the docudrama style of filmmaking or will it be completely fictionalised? #Attacksof2611

11:00 AM: RGV's trademark camera angles are at play again. Let's hope for good performances. #Attacksof2611

11:07 AM: You can love or hate him but you can't ignore RGV. Unusual camera work would make this sure. #Attacksof2611

11:15 AM: The opening sequence brings a whole new world to the spotlight. The attacks were planned long ago. #Attacksof2621

11: 25 AM: Sanjeev Jaiswal looks just perfect in the role of Kasab. Metaphors are also working well. #Attacksof2611

11:28 AM: #Attacksof2611 is not for weak hearts. It needs courage to digest such a brutal depiction of terrorism.

11:33 AM: Religious and social paradoxes are portrayed well by RGV in #Attacksof2611. The film is very realistic.

11:35 AM: #Attacksof2611 is turning into a gripping tale. Nana Patekar is doing a fantastic job.

11:38 AM: The narration technique used in #Attacksof2611 is very effective. It generates strong and immediate emotions against terrorism.

11:40 AM: RGV is indeed a brave filmmaker. He has not kept anything in heart, everything is on the screen. #Atracksof2611

11:45 AM: Parallel narratives show the mammoth scale of the attacks in different spaces. #Attacksof2611

11:47 AM: RGV is not objective about violence this time. He has taken a stand in these visuals. #Attacksof2611

11:50 AM: #Attacksof2611 is high on emotions. The terror inside the human mind has been personified in Sanjeev Jaiswal.

11:52 AM: Everything from the strategy to the driving ideology has been focussed in #Attacksof2611 so far.

11: 55 AM: One may miss the proper foregrounding of #Attacksof2611 but the documentation of the events has been done well.

11: 57 AM: RGV is likely to face the similar questions about the depiction of brutality as Kathryn Bigelow, but #Attacksof2611 justifies his approach.

12:00 PM: So here it is. We were waiting for this only. The loud chanting in the background. #Attacksof2611

12:02 PM: Was it the lack of training on part of the police which made it easier for the terrorists? #Attacksof2611

12:05 PM: Clinical precision with which the #Attacksof2611 were done shows the amount of training that has been given to these terrorists.

12:07 PM: Such calm and composed terrorists can't be prepared without the help of resourceful external agencies. #Attacksof2611

12:10 PM: #Attacksof2611 are the blots on the prestige of intelligence agencies. It will remain one of their biggest failures.

12:15 PM: Had we reduced the reaction time, we could have saved a lot of lives. #Attacksof2611

12:17 PM: Kasab to police: Jahannum ki aag se bachna hai toh jihad karna hai. #Attacksof2611

12:20 PM: #Attacksof2611 has become a little dramatic. Kasab goes the Shakti Kapoor way.

12:22 PM: RGV has carefully avoided the parts where he needed to show the NSG operations. #Attacksof 2611

12:25 PM: The last thing the audience would like to see is an abrupt ending after such a good build up. #Attacksof2611

12:30 PM: Avoid controversy and be with the popular notion is RGV's mantra in #Attacksof2611.

12:35 PM: Nana Patekar has used a different mannerism in #Attacksof2611. It is given to Nana to make him emerge as the hero of the story.

12: 40 PM: The film reaches its last stage. The characters take dramatic pauses. #Attacksof2611

12:42 PM: #Attacksof2611 ends as per the expectations. A typical RGV finish.

12:47 PM: The first half of #Attacksof2611 is more engaging than the second half. RGV feels the social pressure in the second half.

12:50 PM: #Attacksof2611 is a good film because it shows the futility of jihad in a convincing way. It's disturbing though.

12:52 PM: The structure of #Attacksof2611 is something to watch out. It is linear but displays a wide range of emotions.

12:53 PM: Nana Patekar is forced to act like a Hindi film hero in the end but the actor makes it look natural. #Attacksof2611

12:54 PM: Sanjeev Jaiswal is average but his face will be recognised even after #Attacksof2611.

12:56 PM: Surprisingly, the camera doesn't act voyeuristic in #Attacksof2611. RGV doesn't go for ambitious shots either.

12:57 PM: #Attacksof2611 is a good watch this weekend. You will get to see the old RGV in many scenes.

1:00 PM: Thanks for being with us throughout the tweet review of #Attacksof2611. Stay tuned for more.

The Attacks of 26/11 is bloody but asks no tough questions

At around 8.30pm on Wednesday, 26th November 2008, fishermen at Mumbai’s Machhimaar Colony saw ten young men with large rucksack disembark from an inflatable Zodiac speedboat. An hour later, armed with hand grenades and automatic rifles, they had created terror across the city and grabbed the attention of the whole world. By midnight, over a hundred people, including three of Mumbai’s top cops, lay dead. It would be three days before the attacks of 26/11, as they came to be called, were brought to an end.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who infamously managed to gain access to the Taj Hotelthe most well-known site of the Mumbai attacks a mere three days after, has now directed a film that recreates the events of that first fateful night. Varma’s terror-tourism may have been in shockingly bad taste, but as he has repeatedly said, his visit has had no role to play in the making of the film, which contains absolutely no actual footage and relies instead on the dramatic recreation of events.

A still from the film The Attack Of 26/11.

Varma’s last outing, Department(2012), was shockingly adulatory in its approach to its policemen protagonists: two encounter cops thoroughly corrupted by bloodlust and power. Graphic violence, of course, has long been the director’s forte, with its gratuitousness having peaked in recent years: whether he’s making a political drama likeRakthacharitra (2010) or a sex-crime thriller like Not a Love Story (2011). It should be no surprise, then, that The Attacks of 26/11 is both gratuitously violent and completely uncritical in its depiction of the police.

'The Attacks of 26/11' Movie updates 

In fact, Varma leaves absolutely no doubt as to where his affiliations lie: he tells the story not through the eyes of any of the hundreds of victims or survivors, but through those of the Joint Commissioner of Police (the real-life Rakesh Maria, here given a fictitous name and played by the dependably theatrical Nana Patekar). No matter that Maria was not actually witness to any of the events he is “describing” to an enraptured investigatory committee which, conveniently, never asks a single question, allowing Patekar to hold forth in a series of magisterial monologues, interrupted only when Varma shifts to showing us people dying, at Leopold Café, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Taj Hotel. The Leopold segment offers up the bizarre frisson of reenactment, because Varma has managed to get the café’s actual owner Farhad Jehani to play himself during the shootout. This yields one memorable cinematic moment, when the havaldars outside pitch pebbles into the café to check if the terrorists are still there. But at the other sites all we get is the sight of merciless killing, with Varma either focusing on wounded bodies and crying babies or zooming in to the faces of the killers to show how much pleasure they seem to be taking in the act.

The unstintingly gory recreation of these tragic deaths seems especially a pity because Varma was once gifted enough as a filmmaker to be able to grip us without it. Even this film manages a few moments of soundless menace. The opening sequence, for instance, with the fishing boat Kuber tricked into stopping by another boat’s request for help, achieves a sinister sense of foreboding merely by showing the two boats scraping against each other, lashed by the waves. By the time the Kuber crew is tied up and its genial-looking lungi-clad captain forced, at gunpoint, to take the ten young gunmen on board his boat, we are already cringing inwardly at the knowledge of what is to come. But Varma doesn’t  just show us the sight of the four dead fishermen, trussed up and lying in a row he gives us a verbal exchange between the terrorists that is entirely of his own making: “Humne apne bakre kha liye hain, tum bhi kha lo (we have eaten up our goats, you eat yours too)”

Varma has made much of the fact that he does not intend his film to be read as an indictment of Muslims as a community, but this sort of ‘cinematic liberty’plying the audience with references to halaal and a (beeped out) Allah-u-Akbar as they do the deed is dangerously construable as exactly that. Varma’s rather strange way of balancing this out is to incorporate a long homily on the real message of the Koran. This might have been easier to take if it weren’t put into the mouth of our supposed hero, Patekar-Maria, and delivered to the film’s villain, Ajmal Kasab (debutante Sanjeev Jaiswal), as he cowers amid the corpses of his fellow gunmen on the filthy floor of a morgue.

It is not anyone’s case that Ajmal Kasab and his fellows be depicted as anything but the murderers of innocents. But it is not at all clear what we gain from having him depicted as some kind of caged animal, tearing off pieces of food with handcuffed hands, looking crazed and walking with the shuffling gait of some ape-man. Or indeed, what we gain from watching a trite, bloody rehearsal of the events of that terrible night that neither takes us into the lives of any of the ordinary people affected (beyond the desperate moment of their deaths), nor asks any of the difficult questions that need asking about the role played by politicians, the police and the media. 

The police here are uncritically feted as heroes, while the media and politicians do not even make an appearance.

In 2009, a 48 minute documentary titled Terror in Mumbai Dispatches, co-produced by Channel 4 and HBO, and directed by Dan Reed, was released. Consisting of interviews with victims, actual CCTV videos of the terrorists at various sites, video testimony of the captured Ajmal Kasab soon after he was caught and most terrifying of all, actual audio intercepts between the terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan, Dan Reed’s thoroughly disturbing film has never been shown (or excerpted or discussed) on Indian television. Which is no surprise, perhaps, because it contains chilling and irrefutable proof, among other things, of how unregulated media coverage actually aided the terrorists and their Pakistani controllers in stretching the ordeal out further by giving them a clear sense of what steps the Indian law enforcement agencies were taking. 

If you want to watch a gripping film on 26/11 that shows you what actually happened and leaves you with a lasting sense of unease instead of letting us pat ourselves on the back for sacrifice and moving patriotically on Terror in Mumbai is available on the internet. Watch it.

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I, Me Aur Main Movie Review Latest News John Abraham Photos Images Preview Ratings Songs Music

I, Me Aur Main Movie Review.I, Me Aur Main Latest News.I, Me Aur Main John Abraham.I, Me Aur Main Photos.I, Me Aur Main Images.I, Me Aur Main Preview.I, Me Aur Main Ratings.I, Me Aur Main Songs.I, Me Aur Main Music.I, Me Aur Main Movie Updates.I, Me Aur Main John Abraham Photos.

I Me Aur Main
Director: Kapil Sharma
Cast: John Abraham, Chitrangda Singh, Prachi Desai

I, Me Aur Main

John Abraham is surrounded by women; all the time. That’s true in real life as well, but let’s just talk about his (not as enviable) situation in debutant director Kapil Sharma’sI, Me Aur Mainfor now.

Mother, sister, girlfriend, boss, friend—all the key people in his life on the reel are women. So you’d think he’d be an ace at handling them, but…then we wouldn’t have a movie about it, would we?

Abraham’s character Ishaan is a self-centered, spoilt brat. He’s been brought up since childhood by his mother (Zarina Wahab) to believe that no matter what, he is the best; indulged through the years by his sister (Mini Mathur), who’s always covered his tracks for him; humoured by his boss (Raima Sen) at the music label company where he works; fawned over by singers desperate for their big break; and tolerated by his hot, successful corporate lawyer girlfriend, Anushka (Chitrangada Singh).

The first time we see her, we wonder if we’ve accidentally walked into the screening of Inkaar 2. Either that, or she had no time between wrapping up the original and starting this movie to even change her hairstyle or nail polish, never mind get a new wardrobe. Ok, maybe I’m nitpicking. But there’s so much time to get distracted during this film that it was bound to happen, and I will generously forgive myself.

I, Me Aur Main Movie 

So anyway, Anushka is in love with Ishaan, who is also in love with himself. That’s about all they seem to have in common any more. They’ve been together three years, and she’s demanding a commitment and meet-and-greet with his parents in Pune. He’s getting drunk at bars, some days even before Happy Hour begins, and avoiding her and the situation. (I heard a girl in the audience hiss the words ‘so typical!’ at this point during the film, so it obviously struck a chord.) Eventually, she can’t stand it any more and kicks Ishaan out of her posh flat, which the two of them have been sharing thus far.

At this point, he’s also been fired from his job and everything in his perfect life is starting to fall apart. He tries very hard to be heartbroken. Except, that’s tough when you’re John Abraham, and only have an adorable half-smile and a beautiful derrière in your entire repertoire (at some point he calls himself a ‘sexy idiot’ and really, I couldn’t have put it better myself). So instead he decides to skip this step and move on, already. He gets a new apartment; has to handle his mother who suddenly shows up from Pune to live with him because they very quickly and vaguely explain she’s tired of her husband/his father’s growing demands; and meets the girl next door, Gauri (Prachi Desai).

Fashion stylist by profession (shocking, considering how badly she’s been styled in the movie herself), bubbly by affliction, Gauri is the stable, carefree, happy sort that everyone likes. However, her act eventually gets so cutesy and upbeat that her character starts to irritate me, which in most Bollywood movies can only mean that we’re merely minutes away from Ishaan falling for her.

Does he? For real? Can she change him into a decent, more responsible human being? What about Anushka? Does his mother ever go back home? All this and more after the interval, if you hang around that long. We can’t promise it’ll be worth it for you; this is a decision you’re going to have to make for yourself.

Despite being disappointed at how it all turned out, I still have a fair share of expectations from the film’s director. Kapil Sharma is clearly happy to experiment with unpredictable, unconventional stories, and that could be pretty fun. I, Me Aur Main didn’t work like it should have; but maybe next time, with a tighter script and sharper performances from his actors, it will.

Movie Review:

On paper, the premise may have looked extremely neat about a commitment phobic guy just interested in having a good time between the sheets. But as the reels unfold, things get so bedraggled that you get distracted easily from what’s going on. You start noticing the protagonist Mr Commitment Phobic’s (John) collection of tees and how many times he squints a smile and crinkles his face his trademark. It could have been fun and maybe the writer (Devika Bhagat) had jotted something but its screenplay and execution by the debutant director makes it lacking.

Mr Commitment Phobic declares to his Ms Live-in Girlfriend (Chitrangda) that he will not pay the milkman as he only has black coffee. Perhaps this declaration should have been for the audience too pay and watch at your own risk! As he is a mama’s boy as soon as Ms Live-In Girlfriend dumps him, his mother (Zarina Wahab) arrives to look after him in his new neighbourhood. No sooner he befriends a Ms Chirpy Neighbour (Prachi).

I, Me Aur Main

Things unfold as you wonder what the characters actually do. Mr Commitment Phobic is part of the music industry, at least that’s clear. While Ms Chirpy Neighbour has something to do with the fashion industry thanks to that one scene of her being at a shoot. She even makes her own statement wearing only one earring! Meanwhile Ms Live In Girlfriend is someone well settled. She realises she is pregnant but does not want to tell Mr Commitment Phobic.

Enter his sister (Mini Mathur) to knock sense into his head as well as of their mother. Suddenly Ms Chirpy Neighbour wants to take off for Paris with Mr Commitment Phobic. But by now he is making amends, rushing his girlfriend to the hospital for delivery and even giving a speech to the newborn (who looks overage).

The only thing worth watching in this trite film is the stylist’s work as the main characters step out in their trendy best. In the credits roll is the name of Vicky Donor writer Juhi Chaturvedi as creative consultant. Perhaps she was not consulted to the fullest to save Mr Commitment Phobic to live up to his ‘I am the best’ lingo he continuously mouths in the film.

Movie review: I, Me Aur Main

I, Me Aur Main Movie Pics

A rom-com about a self-obsessed music producer who loves himself too much to notice that life might be passing him by is anything but oven-fresh. But in the larger context of popular Hindi cinema, a love story that does not culminate in a big fat Indian wedding is certainly a novelty.

Debutant director Kapil Sharma constructs a narrative that, superficially, appears far more interesting than it actually is. Nobody in the film gets exactly what he or she really wants and yet everybody goes home happy.

Unfortunately, the audience doesn’t because I, Me Aur Main is a rather listless drama about grown-ups who still have much growing up to do. Eventually it amounts to much ado about nothing.

The primary problem with the film is that the male protagonist is an outright cheapskate surrounded by at least half a dozen women who deserve much better than this twerp.

He is a thoroughly unlikable bundle of contradictions who is commitment-phobic and self-centered and shies away, despite several protestations to the contrary, from taking his live-in partner to his mom in Pune and talk about marriage until it is too late.

But when push comes to shove, all that the man needs is a gentle verbal nudge from his over-protective mother to see where exactly he is going wrong. The climactic course correction is all very contrived and cutesy to be convincing.

I, Me Aur Main is about a music company executive, Ishaan Sabharwal (John Abraham), who lives in the apartment of his well-to-do girlfriend Anushka (Chitrangada Singh) but refuses to share either the workload or the expenses of the household.

When the milkman is at the door the lady’s name is emblazoned on it he refuses pay up because, as he unabashedly insists, he “does not drink milk and even has black coffee”.

Ishaan is the sort of guy who, when his girl says that she loves him, responds with “I love me too”.

It definitely can’t be easy having a man like him around, so one wonders why the woman takes three years to decide that she has had enough of him.

When he is down, Ishaan stands before a mirror, pretends to be a boxer facing an imaginary punching bag, and mutters: “I am the best, I am the best.” That certainly isn’t the greatest way to confront life.

He is finally unceremoniously locked out of the house by an exasperated Anushka when he stumbles back home after a late night binge.

I, Me Aur Main John Abraham 

Ishaan’s mother (Zarina Wahab) lands up in his new pad to guide him through the low phase.

He also begins to receive the amorous attention of a chirpy fashion stylist-neighbour (Prachi Desai). She describes herself as a “part-time electrician”. The sparks do fly and a love triangle ensues. Ishaan is caught in a tangle of his own making.

It takes the efforts of four women the mother, a sister (Mini Mathur in her first big screen appearance) who happens to be his estranged beloved’s confidante, and of course the two contenders for his love to bail him out of the corner he paints himself into.

Part of the film also meanders through a maze of limpid music industry rivalries involving a boss another lady (Raima Sen) determined to put the cocky man in his place and a couple of new female singers who are looking for the big break. That’s a pretext for a couple of musical numbers.

But like the rest of the film, the songs barely pass muster.

The performances are, however, generally earnest and manage to attain an even quality. John Abraham, hot but not always happening, wisely stays firmly within his limits.

The high point of the star turn is when he takes off his shirt to jump into a swimming pool and Prachi Desai intones: “Wow, striptease!”

Chitrangada strikes the right notes for the most part and Prachi Desai lends a bubbly energy to a few of the scenes. Both Zarina Wahab and Mini Mathur bring a touch of warmth to bear upon an otherwise hopelessly soggy film.

I, Me Aur Main Images 

"I, Me Aur Main has a tight first half leading to an unconventional climax"

The moment you see two heroines plastered on the poster with a hero, there is an assumption the film would be a love triangle. However, debutant director Kapil Sharma’s I, Me Aur Main strives to break the norm as it attempts to tell a contemporary modern day storydealing with issues like live-in relationships, unwed pregnancy and infidelity.

We are introduced to Ishaan (John Abraham) as a child who’s pampered beyond means by his doting mother (Zarine Wahab) at the cost of his elder sister's (Mini Mathur) feelings. He grows up to be this man-child living with his girlfriend Anushka (Chitrangada) having no concern about the gravity her emotions or the pending milk man’s bill! Surrounded by women his mother, sister, girlfriend , the bitchy boss (Raima Sen) who hates his guts, he approaches their criticism with his signature ‘Ishaan’s the best’ self belief mantra where he air boxes his problems out of his head.

When everything seems to be going right, life takes an unexpected turn.Ishaan loses his job, his girlfriend and is faced with challenges beyond his control.His new neighbor Gauri (Prachi Desai) turns out to be a temporary solution to his woes.A free spirited fashion stylist she is an antidote to Anushka’s grim and brooding commitment craving personality.But their flirtatious romance is short lived as Ishaan’s past comes haunting him throwing him in the pits of introspection and perspective. What happens between these three characters and how they deal with each others insecurities and feelings is what the film turns out to be.

Thankfully the dialogues are light and breezy, keeping the conversations seem real. Sharma has a keen eye to create moments that don’t get too serious or dwell upon the dark side of the situation. Ishaan and Anushka’s scenes in the second half are poignant and restrained highlightingthe fragility of their relationship without going overboard with the dramatics. The Saajna track is a lyrical gem and works superbly in conveying the pain of an unrequited love.

John fits the role of Ishaan with ease. His body language and self confidence seems natural. Chitrangda is the underdog managing to leave a lasting impression each time she comes on screen. Prachi has the meatiest role and she sinks her teeth into it with glee. Her transition from the care-a-damn next door neighbor to someone who understands that nothing lasts forever is portrayed marvelously. However, the second half loses steam before the climax kicks in. The sequence where Ishaan launches his musical protege is long drawn. Prachi’s change of heart towards the end could have had a better graph.Raima’s character seems out of place, like a prop used to fill in the loop holes.

I, Me Aur Main has a tight first half leading to an unconventional climax. Watch it if new-age romance laced with a good looking ensemble is what gets you ticking.

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India Vs Australia Second Test Livestreaming in Hyderabad Latest News Photos Scorecard Sachin Pics

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'Spin strategies take centre stage'

Match facts

March 2-6, Hyderabad
Start time 9.30am (0400GMT

Big Picture

The clinical victory in Chennai marked a job well begun by India, but MS Dhoni's side won't be too thrilled yet, having lost the previous series against England despite taking a 1-0 lead. England's fortunes turned with the inclusion of the extra spinner in Monty Panesar for the second Test in Mumbai, and Australia's team management have also been pondering whether to switch to a two-spinner policy, which has historically not worked too well for them in India.

What could prompt Australia to stick to their pace-heavy line-up will be that left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty's Test credentials aren't in the same league as Panesar 's, evidenced by an unflattering first-class average of 44.56.

India Vs Australia Second Test 

India, too, have been wondering about an additional tweaker, though in their case it will expand their spin trio to a quartet. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, was perhaps India's best bowler in the series defeat to England but was surprisingly left out in the first Test. India's quicks had little to do in Chennai, and Ojha could take one of their places.

Though Ojha is the latest in a long line of Hyderabad players to have played Tests for India, the city has not been a traditional venue for Test cricket, having only hosted three matches till 2009. Tests returned to Hyderabad in 2010 at the new Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and the Australia match will be the third in Hyderabad in three years. It is the only Indian stadium to get two Tests this season, benefitting after the Australians complained about the facilities in the original host city, Kanpur. Briefly there were concerns that the match might be moved out of Hyderabad as well, after powerful bomb blasts hit the city just over a week ago. Security has been tightened before the match, with two units of an elite anti-terror squad deployed, and 60 CCTVs being used to monitor the stadium and surroundings.

Form guide

India WDLLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWWL

Watch out for...

In Chennai, James Pattinson once again showed why he's rated so highly by Australia's team management, bowling with ferocious pace to fluster India's batsmen and finishing comfortably the best of the Australia's fast bowlers. Pattinson has a tendency to break down, though, and was used only in two short bursts of three overs each early in the first innings. Can his body handle the intensity of back-to-back Tests?

Pattinson dismissed the opener M Vijay cheaply in both innings. The Chennai Test was Vijay's first chance in more than 18 months, and failure in the second Test could relegate him to the sidelines again. With Gautam Gambhir out of the squad, runs in Hyderabad might open the way to a long run in the side for Vijay. He didn't have the best of Ranji seasons - making only 138 at 17.25 in five matches - but will be hoping to capture the form that brought him centuries in both Irani Cup (a first-class Indian domestic match, which pits the Ranji champions against a Rest of India side) games this season.

Teams news

After the Chennai victory, MS Dhoni had talked about India having found a 'settled' side, indicating that there aren't likely to be too many changes. The only decision the team management will have to make is whether to bring in Ojha, and if so, at whose expense.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 and 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Ishant Sharma/Pragyan Ojha

Unlike Chennai, where Australia confidently announced their XI well before the match, they have yet to name their team for Hyderabad. The batting is unlikely to change, unless David Warner fails to recover from his bout of gastro. Though their coach Mickey Arthur suggested that, in hindsight, Australia should have played two spinners in Chennai, it is expected that they will play only Lyon as the specialist slow bowler.

India Vs Australia Second Test Sachin Tendulkar

Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc/Mitchell Johnson/Xavier Doherty, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

It will be hotter in Hyderabad than in Chennai, with the temperature predicted to be around 35C in the afternoons. There is no rain forecast over the next week. The pitch is expected to provide help for the spinners, though it should have more in it for the quick bowlers than the turner in Chennai as it is a harder surface.

Stats and trivia

In his previous innings, Dhoni moved into the top 10 among six-hitters in Test cricket, going past Kevin Pietersen. He has cleared the ropes 75 times in Tests, and needs 26 more to break the all-time record held by Adam Gilchrist

Peter Siddle's bowling strike-rate of 41.6 is the best by an Australian against India

Quotes

"When you go onto a ground, you have a good feeling if you have done well before over there … [you have] a good positive mindset."
R Ashwin took 12 wickets in his previous Test in Hyderabad 

"Spin formula India's best bet''

An American football coach once had the basic principle of sports writing explained to him by a reporter: "When you lose, we make fun of you. When you win, we make fun of the other guy."

Much fun, therefore, is being made of Australia's bloopers in the Chennai Test and India are spared the pincushion treatment for now. They would hope the respite lasts for another few months at least.

Victory in the Chennai Test has brought relief rather than fist-pumping 'payback' celebration. Three Tests and three months of introspection lay between India's last Test victory in Ahmedabad against England and the Chennai Test. This was a victory they needed as much as they wanted. It was eked out through a fairly simple formula, one that India hopes will keep working through the rest of the series.

India Vs Australia Second Test Photos 

Chennai was dusted and done, in that order, 90 minutes into day five. After MS Dhoni's brutal double-century on Sunday, the Indian spinners brought their brand of business into play on day four. R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Ravinder Jadeja ran through the Australian batting on a track that spat, bit and either leapt with venom or sizzled with zip.

This is the way this series is going to go, in all likelihood. The focus is on pitches that will allow India to successfully play three spinners, including Jadeja. As long as their batsmen can hold out (Dhoni did far more than hold out in Chennai, he led a surge) and the inexperienced Australians keep sweating, India will control the series.

It is, it appears, India's best chance of securing a result that stays true to script and overturns their own overturning by England.

Before Chennai, India's last Test victory had come on a sluggish surface and led to complaints about the man-hours and sweat-buckets required by India's spinners to get 20 wickets. The turner that was demanded, rather openly, backfired on them in Mumbai after England re-grouped, played Monty Panesar ahead of Tim Bresnan and roared back.

The only similarity between Panesar and Australia's Xavier Doherty is that they are quickish left-arm spinners. Doherty is more of a limited-overs specialist and, not surprisingly, Panesar has played over 100 first-class matches more than him. India will be on the lookout for any copycat approaches from Australia which, if unsuccessful, will no doubt be mocked too.

So far so good. Chennai was originally the venue of the fourth and final Test of the series. The venues were switched around to open the series in the south when it was decided that Hyderabad would host the second Test instead of Kanpur (Cricket Australia had expressed dissatisfaction over the facilities in Kanpur). The ideal script for India would be Australia heading into a north Indian spring, in Mohali and Delhi, 0-2 down.

 VVS Laxman's succinct description on television of what the pitch in his home town for the second Test would be was "hard, firm and crumbling". In the previous Test played in Hyderabad, New Zealand were beaten soon after tea on the fourth day, with Ashwin and Ojha taking 18 of the 20 wickets.

Word from the Indian camp is that injury to one quick bowler after another meant that spin became the only 20-wicket option available to the hosts for this series. One tally even has the number of injured at ten but in real terms the list includes Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Vinay Kumar, Irfan Pathan and a fittish RP Singh (who comes with wishful longing for a 2007 version).

The Chepauk track was called 'decent' by Dhoni and 'typically Indian' by Jadeja, while Clarke said it "looked a lot worse than it played". There were 1243 runs and 32 wickets over four-and-a-bit days, evidence, it was said, of its perfectly respectable nature. What cannot be denied though is that - barring Pattinson's manful effort in the first innings - the pitch largely favoured a type of bowler, rather than give both quicks and slow men their moments over five days.

Ironically, the species of bowler Chennai favoured is the kind that is sadly going out of vogue in India to the point that the national selectors couldn't find a surprise newcomer to throw into the mix. Laxman's estimate of the number of quality spinners - and he knew how to play them - in the country numbered at "seven or eight", rather than the "two or three per domestic team" that he remembered running into in the 1990s.

To say that a dry, slow, crumbling, unpredictable pitch equates to what other sides do - play to the home team's 'strength' - is somewhat misleading. If India had more confidence in the spinners they consider their 'strength', the surfaces would not require, as the Chennai curator delightfully explained in the Indian Express on Wednesday morning, "selective watering". This is more a reflection of India's limited options and the weakness of a new, raw generation of Australian batsmen. And not wanting to be made fun of.

'I missed bowling in Chennai' – Watson

If Shane Watson's commitment to playing as a batsman only on this tour was ever going to be tested, standing in the field for 154.3 overs during India's the first innings in Chennai was the time. As the runs piled up for India and Australia's attack struggled for impact they missed Watson's bowling, and Watson missed being part of it. But he said while the possibility of bowling later on the tour had crossed his mind, he knew that for the sake of his fitness and form, he had to stick to his plan.

Over the past few years in Test cricket, Watson has had a happy knack of breaking partnerships and an unhappy habit of breaking down. His most recent injury, the problem with his left calf that ruled him out of the third Test against Sri Lanka in January and the one-day series that followed, prompted him to declare that he would give up bowling for the Test tour of India to concentrate on his batting, and on stringing together as much cricket as he could.

India Vs Australia Second Test Hyderabad 

Having missed the whole of the previous Australian Test summer due to calf and hamstring injuries, and then the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests against South Africa, Watson decided his best option was to temporarily give up bowling. As India's batsmen put on a series of frustrating partnerships in Chennai, Watson was itching to take the ball and he said the experience had confirmed in his mind that giving up bowling would not be a permanent move.

"That was a time that reaffirmed to me that I do want to bowl," Watson said. "That was a time where if I hadn't have made the decision not to bowl for this tour that I could have had some input on the game at a crucial time in the match. That to me was the first time over the last month since I came back that I missed bowling.

"The decision I made is more a longer-term decision to get some running and conditioning into my legs, so when I start bowling again, my body has more chance of handling it. I do appreciate the decision but it certainly reaffirmed to me that I'm never going to give up bowling. It excites me having some input on the game, especially when what I do could have an influence on a certain part of the game."

For the time being, Watson's plan is to resume bowling during the second half of the IPL with the ultimate goal of being able to contribute with the ball during Australia's Ashes tour of England in July and August. He said while the thought of bowling at some point on the Indian tour was tempting - he has taken 12 wickets at 33.41 in his past six Tests in the country - he was resigned to the fact that his existing plan was a better long-term idea.

"That thought has gone through my mind a few times but I suppose we do have to stay on course," Watson said. "There were reasons why I made that decision - to try and get my body conditioned enough to get back into my bowling.

"I know I've needed two or three months just to be able to get some conditioning into my body, to then hopefully hold together for the next period of time once I get back bowling again. There is a big reason why I'm not bowling at the moment - in between the Test matches to get some running into my legs to continue to build that resilience, so I can hopefully just stay together."

In committing to his long-term plan to stay on the field, Watson took advice from Cricket Australia's medical staff as well as his personal physio, Viktor Popov, and it was made after discussing the idea with the captain Michael Clarke. The bowling issue came to a head after the Hobart Test against Sri Lanka, when Watson bowled 47.4 overs, easily the most he had ever sent down in a game, and he struggled with his calf in the next Test.

"I took a lot of information in at the time, especially through the summer having the same calf injury again and also the amount I bowled in Hobart, that was the most I've ever bowled in my career in four or five-day cricket," Watson said. "I knew my body could handle it, it was more so backing up to handle it again. I had to get the right conditioning in my legs, things like running technique, doing all those things to give myself a better chance to hold together my body when I'm bowling.

"But I also need to be more careful in the future about the overs I do bowl. One, I have the chance to do it more consistently and have less chance of injury but also there were times when it affected my batting, more so in Test cricket over the last 12 to 18 months, especially when I was opening. There were a number of reasons why I made that decision, most importantly is trying to score some runs in Test cricket as well."

To that end, Watson has been working in the nets on his footwork, with the intention of being able to come down the pitch to India's spinners rather than simply playing back as he has on previous tours of India. He made 84 and 60 during the warm-up match against India A and showed encouraging glimpses in the first Test but was unable to build a big score, falling for 28 in the first innings and 17 in the second.

Chennai knock Dhoni's best – Chappell

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has rated MS Dhoni's double-century in Chennai as his best in Tests. Dhoni's knock of 224 tilted the scales in India's favour, according to Chappell, and helped them to a 1-0 lead in the four-match series against Australia.

"He has played several memorable knocks in one-day cricket, but this was the best I have seen him play in Test matches," Chappell told The Times of India.

"I have seen him smack a yorker-length delivery from James Anderson for a six. It requires special talent. His success on a crumbling Chennai track stems from his ability to strike the ball hard on pitches where the ball tends to keep low. Had he scored just 124, the match would still have been in the balance. The manner in which he attacked a tiring Australian attack, shielding the tailenders, truly makes him a match-winner."

This was India's seventh win in the last 21 Tests, five of which have come against West Indies and New Zealand. India lost eight consecutive overseas Tests, and conceded a series at home to England for the first time in 28 years. Chappell accepted that the Indian team looked average on their tour of Australia last summer but maintained that Dhoni's captaincy shouldn't be under doubt.

"It is true that the Indian team under Dhoni looked below par during their tour Down Under, but he has answered his critics in the best possible way. In my book he remains the best man to lead India in all forms of the game.

India Vs Australia Second Test Livestreaming in Hyderabad 

"At a time when players all over the world are struggling to cope with their workload, it is amazing how Dhoni manages to play every game with the same intensity. That he has done it successfully now for five years speaks volumes about Dhoni's fitness, mental strength as well as his commitment. India are lucky to have him."

Although Australia crumbled under Dhoni's onslaught to eventually lose by eight wickets, a few of their players had impressed. One of them was the debutant Moises Henriques, who scored half-centuries in both innings, finishing with an unbeaten 81 in the second dig to help prevent an innings defeat. In Henriques, Chappell saw the makings of a long-term allrounder.

"It was good to see Henriques coming good at last. He has been on the fringe for a while. I hope he can be the allrounder that Australia have been looking for, particularly after a question mark over Shane Watson's ability to contribute with the ball."

Regardless of the result of the first Test, Chappell felt the series wouldn't be one-sided.

"It will be a close series, but thanks to Dhoni, India do have a significant advantage."

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Union Budget 2013-14 of India Highlights Live Rail pdf Income Tax Latest News Images Photos New

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Budget 2013: No tax slab revision, new taxes on super rich; SUVs, mobiles costly

The government unveiled new taxes on the rich and large companies on Thursday to fund higher-than-expected spending for the next fiscal year, in a budget that aimed to revive growth amid the country's worst slowdown in a decade ahead of a 2014 election. 

Stocks, bond prices and therupee all fell despite finance minister P Chidambaram's vow to cut next year's fiscal deficit to 4.8% of GDP, which some watchers said counted on ambitious revenue assumptions given hefty spending targets.

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There had been widespread expectation, fuelled in part by comments by finance ministry officials, that Chidambaram would present an austere budget in line with the spending cuts he forced on government ministries in recent months.

But the spending plan appeared to have been drawn up with a looming general election in mind, some economists said.

"With a general election not much than a year away, political pressure from within the Congress Party may well have had an influence on the make-up of the Finance Minister's budget," Credit Suisse said.

Union Budget 2013-14 of India Highlights 

Chidambaram, a three-time finance minister seen as a candidate for prime minister in 2014, has staked his reputation on cutting swollen fiscal and current account deficits that have alarmed credit rating agencies and triggered warnings that India's sovereign bonds could be downgraded to 'junk' status. There was no immediate comment from the agencies.

"Fiscal consolidation cannot be effective only by cutting expenditure," Chidambaram said in his speech, seen as a balancing act to stave off a credit rating downgrade while meeting demands for populist spending heading into an election year.

Hefty revenue growth assumptions

Total budget expenditure will rise by an unexpectedly high 16% in the 2013/14 fiscal year that begins on April 1 to 16.65 trillion rupees.

Next year's fiscal deficit target is in line with expectations but assumes hefty revenue growth, including 558 billion rupees from the sale of government stakes in companies, or more than double the 240 billion rupee target for the current year, which falls short of the initial target.

"From a macro perspective, the budget is disappointing in our opinion as it lacks any expenditure control," Nomura analysts wrote.

The budget also assumes revenue of 408.5 billion rupees from telecoms sector fees, more than double what it will generate this year, with its next auction of mobile airwaves poised to flop after attracting just one bidder.

"The government may fall short of its tax and disinvestment targets and end up cutting spending closer to the end of the year to attain its fiscal deficit target," said A. Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Ltd.

Net market borrowing of 4.84 trillion rupees for the new fiscal year met investor hopes that the figure would not top 5 trillion rupees, but the gross figure exceeded expectations.

The budget included several measures to spur investment both in markets and by corporations, including an incentive on investments in plant and machinery exceeding 1 billion rupees and extending tax breaks for small companies that grow larger, and an expansion of tax-free bonds for infrastructure.

Chidambaram has focused on winning back foreign investors unnerved by proposals of his predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee, to tax merger deals retrospectively and clamp down on tax evasion. Since September, he has implemented a spate of investor-friendly reforms, including allowing entry of foreign supermarkets.

"India, at the present juncture, does not have the choice between welcoming and spurning foreign investment. If I may be frank, foreign investment is an imperative. What we can do is to encourage foreign investment that is consistent with our economic objectives," he said.

Fending off 'junk'

India's fiscal and current account deficits have alarmed investors and ratings agencies, triggering warnings that the country's sovereign bonds could be downgraded to 'junk' status if urgent steps are not taken to rein in spending.

Chidambaram has staked his reputation on hitting a fiscal deficit target of 5.3% of GDP this year and 4.8% in 2013/14.

A no-nonsense, Harvard-educated, lawyer who commands both respect and fear in government, he squelched opposition from cabinet colleagues worried that spending cuts could ignite a backlash among voters.

Chidambaram has focused on winning back foreign investors unnerved by proposals of his predecessor, Pranab Mukherjee, to tax merger deals retrospectively and clamp down on tax evasion. Since September, he has implemented a spate of investor-friendly reforms, including allowing entry of foreign supermarkets.

Dozens of corporate executives, watching a telecast at an industry event, exchanged nervous smiles as Chidambaram introduced the surcharge on the rich.

"In the larger scheme of things, I guess that is one way of reducing his deficit. Am I going to lose sleep over it? No," Ganesh Natarajan, CEO of IT outsourcer Zensar Technologies, told Reuters by phone.

A flagging economy left Chidambaram with little room for big-bang populist measures without raising revenue, with economic growth for the current fiscal year on track to hit just 5%, nearly half of what it was in 2007/08.

"This country must not lose any time - India must get its act together to accelerate the tempo of growth," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a TV interview after the budget speech.

The budget also reflects the realities of a country of 1.2 billion people, many of them poor.

"On the one side is the economic policy, on the other side is economic welfare. We are a developing country. The link between policy and welfare can be expressed in a few words: Opportunities, education, skills, jobs and income," Chidambaram said.

HT Poll: 

Hey, big spender

While the added spending included capital investment that many have said is sorely needed, including a 29% increase in funding for infrastructure and development, it also included a 46 percent jump in funding for development programmes in rural areas, the core voter base of the ruling Congress party.

An added surcharge on local firms with incomes of more than 100 million rupees and a 10% surcharge on individuals with taxable incomes topping 10 million rupees - a level of earnings currently declared by just 42,800 people - will be put in place for one year.

Dozens of corporate executives, watching a telecast at an industry event in New Delhi, exchanged nervous smiles as Chidambaram introduced the surcharge on the rich.

"In the larger scheme of things, I guess that is one way of reducing his deficit. Am I going to lose sleep over it? No," Ganesh Natarajan, CEO of IT outsourcer Zensar Technologies (ZENT.NS), said by phone from Pune, where the company is based.

Indian economic growth for the current fiscal year is on track to hit just 5 percent, nearly half its level in 2007/08.

"This country must not lose any time - India must get its act together to accelerate the tempo of growth," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a TV interview after the budget speech.

The budget also reflects the realities of a country of 1.2 billion people, many of them poor. "On the one side is the economic policy, on the other side is economic welfare. We are a developing country. The link between policy and welfare can be expressed in a few words: Opportunities, education, skills, jobs and income," Chidambaram said.

Budget 2013: What's Cheaper, What's Costlier

 

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