Tom Cruise may have been blindsided by Katie Holmes’ divorce papers, but we – the media and the public – were more than ready. Rarely has a Hollywood couple drawn more skepticism, from the moment they revealed their togetherness.Going back to the dawning of their relationship in 2005, the folks at Us magazine polled their readers, you may recall, and found more than 60 percent believed Cruise’s romance with the 16-years-younger Holmes was a fake. Even when the couple got engaged, many simply didn’t buy it.
Perhaps it was the crass, overblown, smells-like-a-publicity-stunt way in which Cruise and Holmes proclaimed their mutual affection on the eve of his ‘n’ hers summer blockbusters — “Batman Begins” and “War of the Worlds.” Remember? The ranks of TomKat supporters have been comparatively slim.
The Cruise-Holmes relationship hit a new level of intensity, even for Hollywood. With unconfirmed reports that Tom was so obsessed and controlling that he gave Katie a GPS-equipped cell phone so he could know where she was at all times, fans began snapping up “Free Katie” t-shirts.
But there were doubting Tom’ers long before Katie came along. Despite his marriages to Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, some – okay, many people refused to believe Cruise was interested in romance for anything other than appearances.
His relationship with Penelope Cruz was met with the same kind of disbelief as his relationship with Holmes. As Us put it in 2001, after Cruise and Cruz were seen dining together at the ultra high profile Spago restaurant: “…There was something about the typically secretive Cruise announcing a new relationship to the world that made some people suspicious.”Some suggested that the sudden Public Displays of Affection between Cruise ‘n’ Cruz were really Tom’s way of throwing the press pack off following the machinations of his and Nicole Kidman’s divorce settlement, which appeared to be becoming contentious at the time.
There’s no such thing as the purrrrfect Catwoman. The character’s background, dating back to her origins on television on the 1960s series Batman as well as her appearances in the comics run the gamut from wiley adversary to a whiney ex-lover who calls Bruce Wayne just to say “Bruce, I’m lonley” in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. There’s not one perfect rendition to aim for. But Anne Hathaway’s complex cat burglar in Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman film The Dark Knight Rises may be the closest thing we’ve seen to a perfect rendition of the infamous and beguiling Selina Kyle.
The first part of her success comes purely from Nolan’s decision to leave off the Catwoman moniker. If anything, we can assume those Gothamites who’d witnessed her work might whisper the name jokingly, but for the entirety of the film, she is solidly Selina Kyle, professional cat burglar and not some acrobatic she-villain in a spray-on leather suit (though her suit of choice is rather curve-hugging).
But it’s not just the costume. Hathaway’s Kyle is not a criminal born out of the usual Catwoman origin. The first film iteration with a significant background is the very memorable performance from Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (before that, fabulous Catwoman portrayers like Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar were simply perfectly executed bad, bad kitties). Pfeiffer's Kyle is a downtrodden, mousy woman, fed up with the way men and the world stomped all over her. And one night, in the privacy of her sad, cat-filled apartment, she gets angry enough to sew together a patent leather catsuit, get her groove back and strike out at Gotham City with all her pent-up womanly rage. Her assault on the city and her partnering with the Penguin are petty and driven by a sense of selfish injustice. She’d been personally wronged, ignored, mistreated, and as such, everyone else is going to suffer her wrath. (Halle Berry’s Stretch Armstrong of a Catwoman suffered from a similarly unflattering origin story.) Even when she sacrifices herself to kill Shreck (Christopher Walken) at the end of the film, she does so in a way most people would file in the looney bin. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is entertaining, and even sexy at times, but she is not a woman for modern viewers to relate to. If anything, she’s the depiction of women most modern ladies are trying to quiet. Let's just say there's a reason that as even as a child and major fan of Batman Returns I chose to imitate the caped crusader, gender be damned, and not his confuddled could-be sidekick with the long, pointy nails.
And then there’s her status as Batman/Bruce Wayne’s perfect match. Throughout the history of Batman, Catwoman/Selina Kyle has been a conflicting presence for Bruce. She’s always been on the wrong side of the law, but their attraction has been unavoidable. There’s something about her confusing morals that give him something he can relate to. She’s ultimately coming from a similar place of wanting to make the world better, but she’s unsure how to do that without causing evil. Still, Nolan's Kyle understand the mistakes she's made, something we can surmise by her remorse in one the final scenes in TDKR when she sees the result of helping Bane turn Gotham into a state of anarchy and stares with regret at one family’s shattered portraits. Her struggle is not unlike the moral struggle that Batman has faced time and again, including in Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
Madhuri joined Punekars in their prayers to God for more rains to the water-starved city when she recited a few lines of a 'rain song' from one of her earlier movies.Madhuri recited the song 'koi ladki hai, jab wo hansti hai, baarish hoti hai....chak dhum dhum...' from the movie 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai', even as her husband Dr Sriram Nene sat in the audience listening to her.
The song, featuring Madhuri and Shahrukh Khan, was a hit when the movie was released in 1997.
Both Madhuri and her husband were attending a blood donation camp organised to mark the birthday of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The camp, in which about 8,000 donors participated, was organised by NCP MLA Anil Bhosale who said the blood collected would be supplied to blood banks in rural Maharashtra.
Lauding the gesture of the donors, Madhuri said, "Since I am a doctor's wife, I fully understand the importance of blood donation."
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is said to be upset with a spoof on his movie "Devdas" in the film "Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum". However, actor Tusshar Kapoor says there was no intention of hurting anyone.
"I don't have any information about whether he is upset or not. But even if he is, when he sees the film, he'll get an idea that we have not made fun of the film," said Tusshar.
The adult-comedy has a scene where the actresses, Neha Sharma and Sarah Jane Dias are dressed as Chandramukhi and Paro, while Tusshar Kapoor is seen as Devdas. It is this scene which has reportedly rubbed Bhansali the wrong way.But Tusshar says the scene is not a mockery of Bhansali's "Devdas" alone.
"It doesn't really connect to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas'. The old ones ('Devdas' movies) also had Paro and Chandramukhi and the costumes were also the same, and Devdas even had a bottle in his hand. So this is no one's copyright.
"But I don't think he is upset. His 'Devdas' was a hit film, that's why we have imitated it. If it not had been a hit, there would not have been any mention of it. He should be happy and I am sure he is," added the 35-year-old.
काममा कतै गइरहेको बेला गाडी दुर्घटना भएर अचानक पतिको आँखा गुम्यो । पत्नीले आवश्यक सेवा सुश्रुवा गरी । पति तङ्गि्रएपछि कमाइका लागि आफैँ काममा जान थाली । ढिलो हुँदा कहिलेकाहीँ कुनै अर्को पुरुषले उसलाई मोटरसाइकलमा राखेर घरसम्म ल्याइदिन थाल्यो । पतिको मनमा शंकाको आगो सल्कियो । सोध्दा पत्नी र्झकन थाली । दिउँसो एकालापमा बस्ने पतिलाई शंकाले जलाउँदै गएपछि उसले बदला लिने अठोट गर्यो । बेलुका पत्नीले आफूलाई बनाएर दिएको चियामा विष मिसाएर उसैलाई खान बाध्य बनायो । बेहोस भएपछि मटि्टतेल खन्याएर आगो लगायो । मरिसकी भन्ने भएपछि छिमेकीहरु हारगुहार गर्यो । अस्पताल पुर्याइएकी ऊ भोलिपल्टै मर्छे । तर मर्नुअघि उसले डाक्टरलाई भनेर पतिका लागि आँखा दान दिएकी हुन्छे । त्यो कुरा उसले आँखा देख्ने भएपछि मात्र थाहा पाउँछ । त्यसपछि उसको मनोदशा कस्तो होला ? सम्झँदा पनि आङ जिरिङ भएर आउँछ ।हो, कथाकार हरिमाया भेटवालको कथासङ्ग्रह ‘मैनका मान्छेहरू’ भित्र यस्तै मर्मस्पर्शी कथाहरु छन् । पढ्दापढ्दै गला भरिएला जस्तो हुन्छ । आँखा रसाउन थाल्छन् । मन कटक्क हुन्छ । सङ्ग्रह भित्रका १८ मध्ये सबै त नभनौं तर सुरुमै शारांश उल्लेख गरिएको ‘आँखाहरु मरेका छैनन्’ कथा साँच्चै स्तरीय छ । नेपाली समाजका पुरुषहरुको आडम्बर र नारीहरुको प्रेमलाई मिहिनपारामा प्रस्तुत गरिएको यो कथामा आर्ट फिल्म बनाउने हो भने साँच्चै ऐतिहासिक काम हुनेछ ।
नाटक लेखनमा खडेरी पर्दै गएको नारी उपस्थितिलाई मलजल गर्दै आएका हरिमायाका कतिपय नाटकले प्रर्दशनको रेकर्ड नै बनाएका छन् । २०६३ मा ‘दोस्रो दर्जा’ शीर्षकको कथासङ्ग्रह प्रकाशित उनको पछिल्लो संग्रहमा भने समाजका विपन्न एवम् सिमान्तकृत वर्गका पीडा र भोगाइ समेटिएका छन् । उनी कथामा आफू हावी हुन चाहँदिनन् । बरु बोली नभएकाहरुको बोली बोल्न मन पराउँछिन् ।‘हत्कडी’ बेश्याको आरोप लगाएर बेलाबखत प्रहरीले पक्राउ गर्ने सहरिया यौनकर्मीहरुको कथा हो । कथामा कुन बाध्यताले महिलालाई यौनको पसलसम्म डोर्याउँछ भन्ने मात्रै होइन, ती यौनकर्मीहरुलाई हत्कडी लगाएर उनीहरुसँगै सुत्नेहरुलाई स्यालुट हान्ने प्रहरीको कार्यशैलीको भण्डाफोर नै गरिएको छ । पुलिसले पक्रेर वेश्याका रुपमा अघि सारिएका विवश महिलाहरुको फोटो खिचेर आफ्नो सन्चारमाध्यममा स्कुप मार्नेहरुलाई यो कथाले कठोर ब्यङ्ग्य गरेको छ । यो कथा पढ्ने हो भने वेश्याहरु बारेको समाचार लेखनको वर्तमान शैली नै बदलिन सक्छ ।
‘यात्रा’ आफ्नै कमाइले जहाज चढेको अनुभव सँगाल्न हिँडेकी एउटी बृद्धामाथिको कथा हो । आफ्ना बृद्ध बाबुआमाको इच्छाको वेवास्ता गर्ने छोराछोरीलाई यो कथाले कठोर कटाक्ष गरेको छ । ‘विवाह’ समलिंगी बिहे गर्नेहरुका बारेमा छ । जे होस् हरिमायाको विषय छनोटशैली साँच्चै आरिसलाग्दो छ ।सडकमा बसेर मकै बेच्दै गुजारा चलाउने महिलामाथि लेखिएको ‘फोटोफ्रेम’ अर्को मार्मिक कथा हो । देशमा भएका परिवर्तन र क्रान्तिले निम्नवर्गलाई समेट्न नसकेको तीतो यथार्थलाई कलात्मक बान्की दिइएको यो कथामा सहिदलाई कसरी बिर्सिइन्छ भन्ने पनि देखाइएको छ । रातभरि उडुसले टोकेर सुत्न नसकेकी ती बृद्धा मकै बेचेर आएको कमाइबाट जव उडुस मार्ने औषधि किन्न जान्छिन्, पसले भन्छ- लोग्नेमान्छे लिएर आउनोस् तपाईँलाई दिन मिल्दैन । लाग्छ, यो कथा पढ्दा कुन पाठकको मन कटक्क हुँदैन ?साझा प्रकाशनले पछिल्लो समय निकालेर केही किताबको छनोटस्तर, मूल्य र सजावट हेरर निराश भएको पंक्तिकारलाई यो सङ्ग्रह भित्रका विषयले केही राह्रत दिएको छ । तर संवादहरुलाई कमा भित्र नछुट्याइ व्याख्यान जसरी प्रस्तुत गरिनु तथा कतिपय कथामा सन्दर्भ परिवर्तन हुँदा समेत अनुच्छेदहरु नछुट्याइनुले साझा प्रकाशनका कर्मचारी लापर्वाही गर्न थालेको आरोपलाई पुष्टि गर्छन् । झूर सजावट गरिएको कूल १२० पृष्ठको यो सङ्ग्रहको मूल्य १७६ पनि अचाक्ली लाग्छ ।
यद्यपि विषय छनोटका दृष्टिले हरिमायाको शैली उत्कृष्ट छ । विषय एकसे एक लागे पनि कतिपय कथामा बुनाई-शैली परम्परागत ढर्राबाट गुजि्रएका छन् । विम्बहरु दोहोरिएका छन् । विषय छनोटसँगै प्रस्तुतिमा पनि नयाँ बान्की दिने हो भने हरिमायाले पाठकमा आफ्नो अलग छाप बनाउने निश्चित छ । उनका लागि यो कुरा असम्भव पनि छैन ।
नेपाली साहित्यमा सम्भवतः सबैभन्दा धेरै स्रष्टाका कलमबाट डोर्याइएकी पात्र हुन् जयमाया । उनी सर्वप्रथम इन्द्रबहादुर राईको कलमबाट जन्मिएकी हुन् । बर्माबाट लखेटिएका नेपालीहरुको कारुणिक अवस्थाको वर्णन गरिएको ‘जयमाया आफूमात्र लिखापानी आइपुगी’ कथाबाट यिनको जन्म भयो । त्यही जयमायालाई जयबहादुरसँग पुर्नमिलन गराउँदै अनि शिवकुमार राईको ‘डाकबंगला’, गोविन्दराज भट्टराईको ‘मुगलान’ र लीलबहादुर क्षेत्रीको ‘बसाई’ लगायतका उपन्यासका पात्रहरुलाई भेलापार्दै कृष्ण धरावासीले ‘शरणार्थी’ लेखे । त्यही शरणार्थी उपन्यासका पात्रहरुलाई पनि विभिन्न कथाकारले आआफ्नो कलम मार्फत् डोर्याउँदै रहे । ती कथाकारहरुद्धारा लेखिएका कथाहरुको संकलन नै ‘जयमाया’ कथोपन्यास हो । यसको सम्पादन गरेका छन् आख्यानकार तथा पत्रकार कृष्ण अविरलले।
धरावासीको उपन्यासको अन्तिम अंशबाट सुरु भएको जयमायामा कृष्ण बराल, दुर्गा विनय, विश्वप्रकाश शर्मा, विनोद खनाल, विवशबलिभद्र कोइराला, लीला अनमोल, सुबिन भट्टराई, उमा सुवेदी, अविरल स्वयम्का गरी १२ वटा कथा छन् । भिन्नभिन्न कथाकारद्धारा भिन्नभिन्न परिवेशमा बुनिएका ती कथाले भुटानी शरणार्थीहरुको समस्याका विभिन्न पाटा र बाटाहरुलाई मिहीन ढंगले उजागर गरेका छन् । मान्छेले भोग्नु परेको जीवनका कटुसत्यहरु बोकेका छन् । केही जयमायाहरु देशको खोजीमा तेस्रो मुलुकमा भौंतारिएका छन् भने केहीले भुटान र्फकन विद्रोहको बाटो रोजेका छन् । त्यससँगै भुटानी राजनीतिक दलहरु भित्रको विकृति, पूर्वी नेपालका नेपालीले भूटानी शरणार्थी गर्ने गरेका हेपाहा व्यवहार र शोषणसँगै समय र कालको पनि राम्रो चित्रण भएको छ ।प्रस्तुत कथोपन्यासमा जयमाया एक छिन् । तर भुटानी शरणार्थीका अनेक समस्या छन् । जस्तो कथाकार दुर्गा विनयले शरणार्थीको पात्र कान्तालाई दोजिया बनाएर एकाएक बेपत्ता भएको चन्द्रप्रकाशलाई दार्जिलिङमा पश्चातापमा जलिरहेको अवस्थामा फेला पारेका छन् भने विनोद खनालले जयबहादुर र जयमायालाई खुदुनावारी शरणार्थी शिविरबाट बगरै बगर हिँडाएर तल कतै पुर्याई जयबहादुरलाई मृत्यु गराएका छन् । विवश बलिभद्र कोइरालाले बिरिङको बगरमा हिँडेको र पानीले प्याकप्याक भएर मरेको कुरालाई सपना देखेको बनाइदिएका छन् । कृष्ण बरालले उनीहरुलाई पथरीमा होटेल चलाउँदै गरेको अवस्थामा फेला पार्छन् भने विश्वप्रकाश शर्माले जयमायालाई नातिनी शान्तासँगै अमेरिकामा भेटेका छन् । त्यसैगरी उमा सुवेदीले भुटानी सेनाबाट बलात्कृत पात्र कान्ताको मनोदशाको चिरफार गरेकी छिन् भने सुविन भट्टराईले अमेरिका पुगेपछिको उसको मनोभाव केलाएका छन् । अनि अविरलले चाहिँ सेनाको बलात्कारपछि शान्ताबाट जन्मिएको पात्रलाई विद्रोही लडाकु बनाएर भुटानी भुमिमा लड्न पठाएका छन् । जयमाया भित्रका कथा मार्फत् भुटानी शरणार्थीहरुका सोचाइ र भोगाइ, जीवनका उतारचढावहरुको समग्र तस्वीर थाहा पाउन सकिन्छ।
जयमाया भित्रका सबै कथाकारले आआफ्नो दृष्टिबाट जीवन र जगतको मूल्य खोजेको भए पनि जीवन हाँसो र रोदन अनि दुःख र सुखको संगम हो भन्ने भाव बोकेका छैनन् । सबै कथाकारले पात्रपात्रसँगै आँसुको तलाउ मात्र निर्माण गरेका छन् । कथा पढिसक्दा सिंगो उपन्यास पढेको स्वाद मिले पनि जयमाया र जयबहादुर दुःख, पीडा र रोदनको प्रतीक मात्र हुन् ! भन्ने प्रश्न पाठकमा उत्पन्न हुन सक्छ । यद्यपि ‘जयमाया आफूमात्र लिखापानी आइपुगी’ कथा र ‘शरणार्थी’ उपन्यासको जगमा यसको निर्माण गरिएकोले पनि यस्तो कथानक निर्माण भएको हुनसक्छ ।