Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Gulshan Devaiah pins hopes on ‘Cabaret’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

GulshanKF05oct2013
“Shaitan” fame actor Gulshan Devaiah says producer Pooja Bhatt has signed him for a two-film deal, which starts with “Cabaret”. He considers it the “biggest break” for him.
The film will be directed by debutant Kaustav Narayan, a Delhi-based ad filmmaker.

“Pooja Bhatt has offered me a two-film deal. We will start with ‘Cabaret’. I think this is a biggest break for me because Pooja Bhatt trusts me a lot. One day she called me and we discussed a few ideas, and then she signed me for two films,” the actor said in an interview.

Gulshan also revealed that the female character of the film is very powerful. However, the team is yet to lock an actress for it.

“The heroine’s character is very strong and powerful. The heroine is not finalised yet, a lot of actresses are being approached. I would not like to name anybody,” said Gulshan.

Meanwhile, the actor will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Ram Leela”, which releases Nov 15.

source: http://www.india-forums.com / Home> Bollywood> Hot N Hapenning / by IANS / Friday – September 27th, 2013

J&K terror attack : Commanding officer from Kodagu amongst injured

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Kodagu :

Twelve persons, including a Lieutenant Colonel, died in two militant attacks on Police and Army formations in Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday.

The Commanding Officer of the unit, Col. Avin Uthaiya, who was seriously injured in the firing by terrorists, was one of the first people in the unit to react to the attack. He was evacuated to the Military Hospital at Pathankot with injuries in his arm and leg.

Col. Uthaiya is the son of Vir Chakra awardee Mandetira Ravi (retired), a resident of Kakotuparambu village in Kodagu district. He is presently recouping in a hospital in Delhi.

It is said that three unidentified militants in combat military uniform, who were believed to have infiltrated through the meticulously fenced international border in the Raj Bagh area on Tuesday, appeared in an interior neighbourhood of Hiranagar, in Kathua district, in the morning. They commandeered a load-carrier at gunpoint, and on sighting a police station at Hiranagar, they alighted and trooped into the premises, killing the sentry. There they killed three more Policemen and injured three others.

The militants also fired upon the driver and left him wounded when he attempted to escape. Thereafter, they hijacked a truck towards the highway after killing its cleaner who reportedly offered resistance. They abandoned the truck on the highway and used another vehicle to reach an Army camp at Samba, on the road to Jammu.

Both the drivers later revealed to the Police that there were three militants. Sources said the three heavily armed militants stormed the military formation and took positions close to the officers’ mess. Two soldiers and a Lt. Colonel died and two more soldiers sustained injuries. The DIG Jammu said that early reports of six fatal casualties were not true. Some officials initially mistook the injured for the dead, he added.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / September 27th, 2013

Obituary : Malettira M. Kaveriappa

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

MalettiraKF02oct2013
Mysore :

Malettira M. Kaveriappa (77), a resident of Gokulam III Stage and President of Deenabandhu Charitable Trust, Mysore, passed away at a private hospital in city last night after a brief illness.

He leaves behind his wife Baby Kaveriappa, son M.K. Ganapathy, daughter Dr. Mulleganda S. Krithika, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grand-children and a host of relatives and friends.

A former Range Forest Officer, Kaveriappa, who retired as Wimco Manager, was the Founder President of Gokulam Kodava Sangha.

He was involved in various social service activities through Deenabandhu Trust.

Cremation took place at Chirashanthidhama in Gokulam this afternoon.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News> Obituary / October 02nd, 2013

The original pin-up girl

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Joshna Chinappa
Joshna Chinappa

Much before Dipika Pallikal swept the squash world with her feathery game and girly charms, there was Joshna Chinappa. Though injuries had taken toll on her career and impeded from achieving the heights she was capable of scaling, Joshna remains the true path-breaker of women’s squash in the country. Dipika only followed the blueprint, and improvised on it later.

When Joshna took baby-steps in the sport, randomly swishing and swiping the racquet in the MCC Courts, squash was still unglamorous, if not obscure. So much so that she winning the Junior British Open in 2005 went almost unnoticed. But when eventually her feats were acknowledged, they thrust unrealistic hopes on her. Credit to her that she lived up to most of it, though the hope-o-meter scale just exploded.

She took everything in her stride with a rare poise — the glam-bee image, the exaggerated spat with the Squash Racquets Federation of India, a dodgy knee that threatened a premature death to her career, world rankings that seemed forever struck in the mid-30s, the elusive WISPA title and so on and so forth. Her world seemed a peculiar blend of fame and frivolity. And then came the ultra-glamorous Dipika, pushing her almost to the sidelines, though Dipika herself reckons Joshna as her inspiration.

But Joshna just focused on her game so focused that such trivial distractions hardly distracted her. “Well, throughout my career, my focus hasn’t wavered. I have been through bad times and injuries, come across a lot of hurdles, but my passion for the game has never ceased. The sheer joy of getting onto the court keeps me up,” she told TNIE.

Persistence paid. WISPA titles followed. The injury healed. Rank-o-meter rose to a personal best of 25. Arjuna Award ensued. The year has seen an upswing. And Joshna is again smiling. “I think every athlete goes through a phase when you are beset with doubts. But you overcome it with hard work and persistence,” she stressed.

Now that she is almost back to her full fitness and treading a squash player’s perceived peak, Joshna looks forward to her career with a newfound optimism. “I haven’t set any specific targets as such. I just want to focus on my game at hand and do my best to overcome my opponent,” she said.

The Arjuna is a due acknowledgement of her accomplishments, but the world number 26 hopes it would spur more youngsters to pursuing the sport. “You need more youngsters to take up this game. Presently, it is popular only in a few cities like Chennai. But only if it reaches out to more centres will the game really take off,” she said. And not to forget, she is Indian squash’s first pin-up girl, though that’s not a tag she is overtly obsessed with.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by Sandip G / ENS / September 22nd, 2013

Bhansali gives actors freedom: Gulshan Devaiah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Director Anurag Kashyap, actor Gulshan Devaiah, actor Prashant Prakash and actress Kalki Koechlin pose during the photocall of 'That girl in yellow boots' at the 67th Venice Film Festival on September 9, 2010 at Venice Lido.
Director Anurag Kashyap, actor Gulshan Devaiah, actor Prashant Prakash and actress Kalki Koechlin pose during the photocall of ‘That girl in yellow boots’ at the 67th Venice Film Festival on September 9, 2010 at Venice Lido.

Mumbai :

Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who will be seen in a villainous avatar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Ram Leela”, praises the filmmaker known as a hard taskmaster, for giving his actors freedom to experiment with their characters.

Gulshan made his debut with Bejoy Nambiar’s “Shaitan” in 2011.

“It was great working with Sanjay Leela. I worked with great freedom. Whatever ideas I used to have for my character, he used to let me experiment,” Gulshan told reporters Wednesday at the premiere of his film “Prague”.

“It would be wrong to say that one cannot work freely with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Those who say this, they don’t know the filmmaker very well,” he added.

Set in the backdrop of Gujarat, the film is said to be an adaptation of Shakespeare’s epic love story, “Romeo and Juliet”. The film is set for release Nov 29.

Gulshan is also in awe of his co-actor Ranveer Singh who plays the lead in the film opposite Deepika Padukone.

“Ranveer is very energetic. Whatever he does, he does it the best. Perhaps there is nobody like him. He is unique,” said Gulshan.
IANS

Source: http://india.nydailynews.com/ NYDailyNews.com / Home> News> Desi / by IANS / Thursday – September 26th, 2013

A chat with Namma Hudugi Nidhi Subbaiah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

NidhiKF28sept2013
Mysore :
by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

After having found success in the Kannada film industry, namma hudugi Nidhi Subbaiah has landed in Bollywood in search of success again. After having made her debut through Ajab Gazab Love opposite Jaccky Bhagnani, Nidhi is trying to establish herself in the glamour world by signing more movies.

Nidhi was in Mysore after her latest triumph at South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA), where she was adjudged the Best Actress in a supporting role for the movie ‘Anna Bond.’

Star of Mysore caught up with the actress during her visit to the city to attend a private event.

Star of Mysore (SOM): You have found success in Kannada film industry, then why Bollywood?

Nidhi Subbaiah: I have always wanted to try new things. I want to live my life on the edge. In fact, one of my teachers asked me the same question. But, for me to be a part of the industry where you are treated as a newcomer and get to meet a lot of people is what is important. I believe I have the guts to take up new assignments and start my career from the scratch.

SOM: Now that you are in Mumbai, will you continue to do Kannada movies?

Nidhi: Of course. It depends on the offers and also the team I am working with. In fact, director Yograj Bhat is my favourite and there are also few actors with whom I am in constant touch. Just to say, one of the senior actors whom I met recently at the SIIMA awards in Dubai said that I had to stay in Bangalore instead of shifting to Mumbai. But, if I get good script and good director, I will definitely do a Kannada movie. People think I have left Kannada film industry which is not true. I love to do a lot of Kannada movies. (Tapping on the table) Touchwood, I have been getting offers for Kannada movies. Hope, it continues in the future.

SOM: It’s been almost five years since you entered the movie industry. How has your experience been so far?

Nidhi: There is nothing like show business and cinema. It has been wonderful experience to be a part of the film industry. Compared to others, I am very new to the industry. With no God fathers in the industry, I have been able to reach a level where people have recognised me and my talent. But, my ultimate aim is to reach a level where people should say that’s our girl who is topping in the film industry.

SOM: How did you get into glamour world?

Nidhi: Initially, I had never thought of becoming an actress. I was into sports and very much involved in sailing. But, it so happened that during my college days, I happened to participate in a fashion show. The organisers of the show called me for an audition and from then, I started modelling and ads. In fact, my first ad was for ‘Fair & Lovely.’ Later, got offers in the movies and that’s how I entered movies.

SOM: Who is your favourite co-star in the film industry?

Nidhi: This is a difficult question. Every one so far has been good to me. Diganth has been like a buddy, while I had good time shooting with Puneeth and Priyamani during ‘Anna Bond’. In fact, people say that two actresses do not gel with each other. But in me and Priyamani’s case, we gelled with each other and still are good friends.

SOM: What do you have to say about casting couch in film industry?

Nidhi: It is there everywhere, be it film industry or IT sector. People are not bothered to know about the other sectors, but are more interested to know things happening in film industry. It is up to the person, whether he/she wants to use the wrong way to success. But, people also judge a person’s character by their approach.

SOM: Who has been your inspiration to enter film world?

Nidhi: (Thinks for a while)… As a child I used to watch a lot of movies. Especially, movies with Kajol as the lead actress. Though, at that point of time I barely understood the language, I used to pester my friends and parents to accompany me to theatres which screened Kajol movies. She has been my inspiration.

SOM: What do you have to say to those aspiring to enter the film world?

Nidhi: It is important for a person to set priorities right before entering the films. They should not think about short cuts to success and should be a balanced person. The most important is not to get carried away with the success.

SOM: What do have to say about Mysore?

Nidhi: (Gets a little exited)… What should I say about Mysore? It is the place where I grew up. Unfortunately, I miss Mysore a lot since I have shifted to Mumbai. But, still I make sure to visit Mysore once in three months. Earlier, I used to come to Mysore on weekends when I was in Bangalore. There is no city like Mysore where people are soft-hearted and friendly. Love to be here always. (she signs off and heads for the makeup).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / September 22nd, 2013

Have to improve our standard: Arjun Halappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Chennai :

Arjun Halappa did not think twice before taking up the national selector’s job offered by Hockey India secretary Narinder Batra in June.

The former India midfielder thought his association with Air India, who he continues to play for, and his previous experience with the national team will help him judge the players’ performances better . Picking the squad for the Asia Cup was Halappa’s first assignment as part of the nine-member selection panel.

According to Halappa, the Indian players shouldn’t get carried away with the recent success as world-class teams like Germany, Australia, Korea, Holland, New Zealand and England await them in next year’s World Cup.

“I was surprised at the euphoria after India qualified for the London Olympics. It shows that the common people didn’t expect India, who ruled hockey for decades , to make it to the Games. We have to improve our standard. I know we don’t have infrastructure like Holland or Germany but we can do well if we utilize the existing facilities. We need to channelize talent properly,” he said.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Air India / by Krishna Kanta Chakraborty, TNN / September 19th, 2013

New-look Robin gives credit to Amre

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Mumbai :

The revised edition of Robin Uthappa is out in the cricket market. In his first outing of the season, against New Zealand ‘A’, he clobbered the bowlers at will and scored a century. Moreover, there was a marked difference between the Uthappa of old and now.

The stance, the head and the feet are in a better position to meet the ball which now goes in intended directions.

How did this change take place? Uthappa says: “Well, I felt the need to work with Pravin Amre sir as I wanted to exploit my full potential as a batsman. I always believed sir is second to none when it comes to technical knowledge and application. Also, I have known him for 10 years and share a very comfortable working relationship with him as he is also my coach in the Air India
setup”.

Pravin Amre, who has made a lot of difference in the approach to batting of Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Sahil Kukreja, among others, was pleasantly surprised when Uthappa asked him to be his professional coach because such a concept doesn’t exist in Indian cricket though players earn in lakhs and crores.

“I have been watching Robin for a long time because he plays for Air India. Perhaps he felt the need to monitor his progress. I applied Achrekar Sir’s formula: Don’t get too much into technicalities, only make fine adjustments and make the batsman comfortable. Never touch the natural instinct of a batsman, as sir used to say. To Robin’s credit, he trusted my methods and worked very hard. I watch him play and from time to time advice him,” Amre says.

As a teenager, Uthappa was an attacking middle-order batsman. The brute strength the boy from Shauntikoppa in Coorg possessed terrified the bowlers in age group tournaments. It was only in May 2003 when coaches at the CCI academy — Nari Contractor, Hanumant Singh and Vasu Paranjape — converted him into an opener that his strike rate began to soar. Later, his game evolved even more to suit T20. It’s a mystery how a performing and talented boy was dropped from ODIs.

How have Amre’s methods helped him? Uthappa says, “It has made a tremendous difference to my game. Technically, today I feel as adept as anyone out there and it has given me a lot of self confidence. I am able to read the swing of the ball much better. It has changed my perspective towards the game too.

“Thanks to Amre sir, I have become a keen student of the game and try to go deeper into its skill. I have developed patience too. Patience for me is a by-product of playing with the right technique and the right shot selection. I focused on these two aspects and the patience developed subconsciously.”

Is Amre happy with his student? “Definitely. What I like about him is he is sincere and hard working. He is totally focused on my methods. He has overcome mind-management issues too. Now on, all that matters is consistency.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Makarand Waingankar, TNN / September 19th, 2013

KBA, PPBA felicitate shuttlers

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bangalore :

The Karnataka Badminton Association on Monday handed out cash awards to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh to top performers in the sub-junior, junior and senior National championships in the past year. KBA also handed Ashwini Ponnappa honorary membership to the association.

Later, the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy too celebrated the successes of its trainees, including national champion Sayali Gokhale, in a separate function with the legendary Padukone giving the young shuttlers valuable words of advice. Padukone added that the academy planned to rope in Indonesian coach Yusuf Jauhari, the brother of noted coach Atik, for a month-long stint in the beginning of February. “This will be of great benefit for the kids and it will help the coaches here upgrade their skills too,” he said.

Awardees:

Senior Nationals (Srinagar): Varsha V Belawadi Rs 10,000; Nischitha GM Rs 10,000; Guruprasad D Rs 5,000; Vineeth Manuel Rs 5,000; Ashwini Ponnappa Rs 10,000.

Junior Nationals (Imphal): Reshma Karthik Rs 25,000; Poorvisha S Ram Rs 25,000; Sankeerth BR Rs 5,000; Sindhu Bharadwaj Rs 5,000; Devika Ravindra Rs 10,000.

Sub-junior Nationals (Patna): Ashwini Bhat Rs 22,500; Mithula UK Rs 7,500; Mithun M Rs 2,500; Raghu M Rs 2,500; Mahima Aggarwal Rs 2,500; Shikha Gautam Rs 2,500.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Badminton / by Shrivathsa Sridhar, TNN / January 09th, 2013

Gulshan Devaiah to play the antagonist in SLB’s Ramleela

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Gulshan Devaiah who received praises for his role in Shaitan, will be seen in an all new avatar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Ramleela’. The talented actor plays the antagonist in the movie.

(Gulshan Devaiah )
(Gulshan Devaiah )

Gulshan essays the character of ‘Bhavani’ in the movie. Talking about his character, Gulshan says, “Bhavani is a prominent member of the Jadeja clan who are of Chandrivanshi Rajput descent living in modern day Kutch Gujarat. The exact attributes of the character and his contribution to the plot is something I cannot divulge in but let’s just say he has enough shades of grey and is nothing like I have done this far in my career .” He further adds, “I am very excited to be a part of the film as I have grown up watching Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films and I am overwhelmed by the greatness of the man.”

Gulshan has already shot for the film. The movie is slated to release on 15th Novembe,2013.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood> Film / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / Septmeber 16th, 2013