Bollywood heads back for Bhopal

CM doublespeak

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s opinion of Jawaharlal Nehru,or at least what he says about him in public,depends on the occasion. On the first Prime Minister’s birth anniversary last November,the Chief Minister had praised him at a function,calling him a legend and an architect of modern India. Two months later,Chouhan blamed Nehru for the Kashmir problem,which he called the result of a historic mistake. This time,Chouhan was addressing BJP Youth Morcha workers preparing to unfurl the Tricolour in Srinagar. But for Nehru,he said,all of Kashmir would have been an integral part of the country.

Sholay revisited

Hariram,the prison barber who spied for the jailor in Sholay,will have real-life counterparts across Madhya Pradesh jails. Rather than barbers,however,it will be prison barbers who will take the place of the character Keshto Mukherjee played in the blockbuster. They will collect “intelligence” on anything from possession of mobile phones to fights,and pass it on to the jail authorities. What remains to be seen is not only whether this will work — it looks a tough task by any standards—- but also what will happen to the chosen Harirams if they are ever found out.

Loans too cheap

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s populist announcement that agriculture loans would be provided to farmers at a nominal interest rate— one per cent — has added to the worries of the finance department. The department has already been struggling with its calculations since the rate was last reduced,to three per cent. Financial analysts have cautioned against the introduction of such a low-interest regime; at the same time,they are also wondering if the announcement would remain a promise. This is what the finance department’s babus,too,are hoping for. As of now,they are keeping their fingers crossed.