Chennai discussions II

[WillyWick]

yeah most call centers are so ....

kannan dint u come across somebody with a fake accents?

[WillyWick]

Why cant the stupid govt keep its noses off private business.

Only Rs 50 for A/c theatre in Chennai

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government fixed the minimum and maximum rates for cinema tickets for airconditioned and non-airconditioned theatres in the state on Wednesday.

An official release here said the Chief Minister M Karunaidhi, announced a minimum ticket rate of Rs 10 and maximum of Rs 50 for A/c theatres and Rs 7 and Rs 30 for non-A/c theatres in the corporation areas.

In the Municipal areas, the A/c theatres would charge a minimum of Rs 5 and maximum of Rs 40,and non-A/c a minimum of Rs 4 and maximum of Rs 30, he said.

In town panchayats, the minimum charge would be Rs 5 and maximum Rs 25 for A/c theatres and Rs 4 and 20 for non-A/c theatres, while in village panchayats A/c theatres would charge a minimum of Rs five and and maximum of Rs 15 and Rs 4 and Rs 10 in the case of non-A/c theatres.

The rates were fixed after representations were received from Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, Chennai Corporation Film Theatre Owners Association and Distributors, among others.

The rates would come into effect from January 1. The release said the Chief Minister declined permission to theatres to hike ticket charges for a period of two weeks when new films were exhibited.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/only-rs-...i/28996-3.html

[Anniyan]

Chennai Not Madras: Perspectives on the City

The book attempts to provide a complete perspective of the city, its people, its culture and its literature.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stor...9000507800.htm

[Anniyan]

Chennai high rises sound like the Tower of Babel

Walk in to any high-rise construction site in Tamil Nadu, and you end up feeling as though you had entered the Tower of Babel. Thanks to the influx of migrant labour, attracted by Chennai's construction boom, and you will hear a Bengali, Bihari, Rajasthani, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam.

What is even more interesting is that Bihari workers, dismissed in their own state for their fabled North Indian laziness, have set the output benchmark in the construction industry.

Says H S Chandrasekhar, CEO, technical, Alliance Infrastructure Projects Pvt Ltd, "Amongst the migrant construction labourers, Biharis are hard working and their output is better than others in the masonary and plastering work."

According to him, gone are the days when construction workers were available in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. "The quality of work and the work culture of the available local labour in these two states is not up to the mark."

Today, labour is brought from states like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Kerala and Orissa for different kinds of construction work. The former head of L&T's construction division, Chandrasekhar says, "For any kind of structural steel work the Bengalis and Keralites are used. For stone and wood work, Rajasthani labour is utilised. And, for masonary and plastering work the Biharis are good. For painting jobs, Tamil labour is good."

While there may not be much of a difference in the labour charges between the local Tamilian labourer and his counterparts from other states, construction companies say they have the advantage of prompt project completion when they use use workers fronm outside the state.

http://www.domain-b.com/economy/gene...1222_rises.htm

[madurai veeran]

The buzz down under

A nice article on TN in general and Chennai in particular

http://www.business-standard.com/lif...o=268935&tab=r

[goldies]

The cinema crazy crowd of Tamil Nadu could not have it better. Not only have the fares in cinema halls fallen but multiplexes here are issuing pre-paid cards to keep your seat booked in the hall for a year.

Why not? Of India's 13,000 cinema halls, Tamil Nadu accounts for about 4,000. Some of the most innovative ones are in Chennai and its outskirts, just as Asia's largest drive in screen is here at an east coast hall.

The year gone by has also seen a dramatic increase in cinema hall crowds as more and more cinemas are upgrading infrastructure, with Satyam Cinema leading the way in innovations for viewer comfort. No matter what picture is showing at Satyam, at weekends viewership is 97 percent. Even Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan catch their 'Mission Impossible' late night show here at Satyam.

Inaugurating the fourth edition of the Chennai International Film Festival here, IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran saidthat though interest in IT-based entertainment was growing, 'still the joy of cinema remains the same. Cinema is a window of past, present and future. Like cricket, it is a passion in India'.

Therefore, little surprise that on a request from the Tamil Film Producers Council, South Indian Film Chamber, Chennai City Theatre Owners Association and Film Distributors Associations, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to reduce taxes and lower fares in cinema halls from Jan 1, 2007.

The cheapest ticket in cinema halls with AC in metros will be Rs.10 while the costliest will be Rs.50. For non-AC theatres, the minimum is Rs.7 and the maximum is Rs.30. In municipality areas, the cheapest AC theatre ticket will cost Rs.5 and the costliest Rs.40. For non-AC theatres the cheapest will be Rs.4 and the costliest Rs.30.

To add to the goodies, the popular Satyam cinema in Chennai has begun issuing pre-paid cards costing Rs.300.

If a person pays Rs.300 and purchases his card, he can at any time, for any show, walk into the theatre and get a seat. The card is renewable. So if one has watched Rs.200 worth of movies, he can recharge the card and his seat is assured for all future films.

The cards are proving to be a boon to cash starved college students.

The Satyam Cinema has won several HR awards for 'organisation with innovative HR practices'.

Satyam is a multiplex with six screens and seating for 2,900 people. It has the highest weekly gross collection. It plans to set up a 29-screen multiplex at the Express Estate on Club House Road, in the heart of the city.

The group is planning a shopping mall-cum-multiplex in the Vadapalani area, and on Poonamalee High Road in west Chennai, and going into smaller towns in the state. Everywhere, pre-paid cards are sure to find their place.

Even Prarthana Cinema, on Chennai's southern outskirts, providing a screen tower 100 by 60 ft high, is upgrading.

Mayajaal, another south city multiplex too, is increasing its screens from six to eight. 'Viewership is now back with interest in value addition,' says a hall owner.

Satyam was the first in the city to set up a transit play lounge Magic Hat. It has its own food outlets.

It was the first in India to introduce the Real Digital Experience (RDX) with DLP Cinema technology from Texas Instruments and hosted the worldwide premiere of Star Wars III, using DLP cinema technology-based projectors.

'Satyam Cinemas has always been looking at opportunities to delight our customers,' says Swaroop V. Reddy, Satyam's director.

With Satyam showing the way, other multiplexes in the city too will soon have to come up with pre-paid cards, say viewers.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/i...pre-paid_cards

[Anniyan]

The Chennai government has apparently fixed a ceiling for the upper end for prices in multiplex theaters in Chennai at Rs 50. Is it remunerative, can multiplexes still operate there and make money?

Deepak Asher, Director of Inox Leisure tries to answer the question. He says the new investments in multiplexes are not viable with the Tamil Nadu government ticket price cap.

Excerpts from CNBC-TV18's exclusive interview with Deepak Asher:

Q: You have a property coming up in Chennai, but does this change the equations a bit, the kind of pricing which the Chennai government is talking about?
A: We do have a property coming up in Chennai, in fact it's built and ready to begin operations. We are just waiting for the last leg of permissions to come in.

As far as the notification is concerned, it applies not to just Chennai, but the whole of Tamil Nadu. There are different levels of prices which have been kept, depending on whether it is in Chennai or a smaller town or city and on whether it is an air conditioned cinema or otherwise.

To answer your question, no, I don’t think with this kind of ticket prices new investments in multiplexes are going to be viable at all. In fact, our calculations show that at these price levels, multiplexes will operate at a loss and therefore we are trying to persuade the government to relax this notification at least for new investments in multiplexes.

Q: If you fail to persuade the government, will you want to start the Chennai facility at all?

A: I wouldn’t say that and I think its speculative to assume that we would fail to persuade the government. I believe Tamil Nadu is the torch bearer of the entertainment industry in this country. It has a very strong cinema-going culture and I am sure the Tamil Nadu government will do everything that is necessary to induce new investments and exhibition infrastructure.

[wcgokul]

Why not? Of India's 13,000 cinema halls, Tamil Nadu accounts for about 4,000. Some of the most innovative ones are in Chennai and its outskirts, just as Asia's largest drive in screen is here at an east coast hall.

u know this fact is not known by many in india...they often mix up the number of halls with the number of multiplexes

[ranga]

http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14357656
Now it appears from the above cited news report that mayajaal has to sell tickets at rs15/-. The State Govt appears to be adamant about their decesion. The State Govt acted on the representation of the tamil industry associations.Is is not a foolish act on the part of the tamil film industry?it is a case of shooting its own legs.

[Fusionist]

Originally Posted by ranga

Is is not a foolish act on the part of the tamil film industry?

It is. And the state Govt. as well.

[goldies]

is all this BS is happening since AVM is not ready to sell shivaji film rights to SUN tv ???

[ranga]

Originally Posted by goldies

is all this BS is happening since AVM is not ready to sell shivaji film rights to SUN tv ???

Is it not that the tamil superstar is close to the top DMK leaders? And who r those tamil film association people.I di'nt find any prominent film personality in those groups.

[WillyWick]

Meanwhile the health factor doesnt seem good.......

Chennai most unfit city in India: Study

New Delhi: Chennai is found to be India’s most unfit metro, while Delhi is ruled the fittest one. Mumbai comes second in the unfit category.

These are the findings of the third National Family Health Survey. According to the survey, 4 out of every 10 people in India are unfit.

As far as the metro cities go, every second person is diagnosed to be unfit. The survey also found obesity to be the biggest health concern among Indians just like their Western counterparts.

In the study of metro cities, 55.5 per cent of Chennai’s women and 43.8 per cent of its men fell short of a national ‘fitness index’. In Mumbai, 50 per cent women and 40.5 per cent men were found to be 'unfit'. The ‘fitness index’ generally took into account the height-weight index and both overweight and underweight people are ruled 'unfit' in the survey.

As far as Delhi's fitness figures go, only 43.5 per cent of Delhi's women and 34.4 per cent of its men fall in the ‘unfit’ category.

The survey attributed the fitness problems to faster lifestyles and imbalanced diets induced by a rapid economic growth. In the national level, tiny northeastern state of Meghalaya was found to be the fittest state in India with only 20.8 per cent of women and 16.2 per cent of men failing 'fitness test'.

The National Family Health Survey is being held in India ever since 1992-93 in order to maintain surveillance on traditional concerns like maternal and child health. This year, it was expanded to focus on new parameters like obesity, male malnutrition and anaemia.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/chennai-...p/29593-3.html

[wcgokul]

The Tamil Nadu Government on Thursday sued MDMK leader Vaiko for statements that it claimed harmed Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s reputation and caused him mental agony.


Public Prosecutor Shah Jahan filed a defamation suit that alleges Vaiko had accused Karunanidhi, who is the DMK chief, of "hatching a plan to let lose hooliganism in connivance with the state police to prevent MDMK cadres from attending a party meeting."


The allegations appeared in an English newspaper published in Chennai with the headline ‘Vaiko to PM: DMK trying to tarnish MDMK image’, PTI reports.


The complaint said that Vaiko's statement was mudslinging and had Karunanidhi's image. It claimed several people had contacted Chief Minister and asked him if the allegations were true.



DMK treasurer Arcot Veerasamy too filed a similar petition at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court and included the English daily.

[wcgokul]

When 11-year-old Arvind, who went out to play near is house on Tuesday evening, didn't come back past his usual time, his family was worried.

They received a call demanding Rs 5 lakh as ransom later in the evening.

"The boys were playing hide and seek. And when they called out for him he did not come. So they thought he might have gone home,” says Arvind’s relative, S Sudarshan.

Police found Arvind’s dead body with injuries on his head on Wednesday. But neighbours are wondering why a family like Arvind’s should have been a target for the kidnappers.

Arvind’s father works in a private hospital and at no cost could afford to pay the amount asked as ransom.

Meanwhile, the police are waiting for a post mortem report and are trying to establish whether it was a case of personal rivalry or kidnapping.

“The evidence that we have are still vague. We will have a clearer picture once the post mortem report comes in," says Commissioner, Chennai City Police, Letika Saran.

[vs007]

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's order for a cut in the price of cinema tickets with effect from 1 January, 2007 has caused a rift among film producers and artistes.

Senior actors and actress are now siding with the theatre-owners, who are also a concerned lot, after the GO for a decrease in ticket rates. The reason why the artistes are upset is that the producers are asking them to go for a salary cut as the distributors and theatre owners are not ready to pick movies for 'fancy' price tags. The producers now are asking the artistes for a cut-down (in their remuneration) in a bid to match their selling cost.

Already running into problems are the big Pongal releases - Ajit's Aalwar and Vijay's Pokiri. They have been sold at a big price, months before the GO was promulgated. The immediate fall out was the theatre-owners were not ready to part with the money as demanded by the distributors for these films.


http://www.newstodaynet.com/29dec/ss2.htm

[madurai veeran]

Originally Posted by WillyWick

Common Entrance Test abolished in Tamil Nadu

http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/07/stor...0707380100.htm

I came to know that from now on rankings for counselling will be based on the totals and not only on the core subjects like Maths, Phy, Chem for Engg and Bio in addition for Medicine students.

This would make students to learn all the 6 subjects especially languages which students used to avoid before.

If 2 student had same total then their Tamil marks will be compared (Im not sure what would happen if one had tamil and other had say french or hindi). If those were same too then their DOB's would be compared. If that too was the same then it would be heads or tails .

[Anniyan]

Originally Posted by madurai veeran

If 2 student had same total then their Tamil marks will be compared (Im not sure what would happen if one had tamil and other had say french or hindi). If those were same too then their DOB's would be compared. If that too was the same then it would be heads or tails .

This is the normal procedure which was practised even in the past. If two students had same aggregate marks,their english marks will be compared. if still it was a tie, a student who has studied tamil will be given preference, if that too was same then will see the date of birth and someone who is elder will be given preference, if that too was same atlast they'll toss the coin.

[madurai veeran]

Originally Posted by Anniyan

This is the normal procedure which was practised even in the past. If two students had same aggregate marks,their english marks will be compared. if still it was a tie, a student who has studied tamil will be given preference, if that too was same then will see the date of birth and someone who is elder will be given preference, if that too was same atlast they'll toss the coin.

Before when there was a tie, wasn't Maths marks and then science subjects marks compared?. Im not sure, i might be wrong.

But then before we had the luxury to avoid languages and thats not the case now.

[goldies]

i was not knowing this . sounds funny . wonder whether it ever went till toss of coin !!!