Pyramid Saimira: Aiming for perfect ten

Pyramid Saimira, the multi-national entertainment company, will produce ten films simultaneously. The movies will hit the floors at a grand function in Chennai on Saturday. Pyramid Saimira, which owns over 100 theatres, has distributed several Tamil films in both India and abroad.

The 10 films will be launched in Chennai in the midst of who's who of the industry including N Narayanan, director, Pyramid Saimira, Rama Narayanan, president, Tamil Film Producers Council, KRG, president, South India Film Chamber of Commerce, Sarath Kumar, president, South Indian Film Artistes Association, S A Chandrasekhar, president, Directors Association, Fefsi Vijayan, president, FEFSI.

The ten projects include a movie to be produced on behalf of Motherland Pictures (directed by Krishna), Deivanai Movie Makers (directed by A Jayaprakash), Meenakshi Arts (directed by S P Rajkumar), Raj Films International (directed by Vishnu Shankaran), Vijaya Movies ('Dhaya' Senthil), Sri Nachiyar Amman Films (Azhagan Thamilmani), Malar Films (Rathnakumar), KRP productions (Manoj Kumar), B R R Art Enterprises (Radha Ravi) and Chinmaya Combines (Praveen Kanth).

1 of Tamil Movie released by Pyramid Saimira

Krazy 4 Preview

Banner: Filmkraft Productions (I) Pvt Ltd

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Dia Mirza, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon, Rajat Kapoor, Zakir Hussain, Juhi Chawla,

Direction: Jaideep Sen

Production: Rakesh Roshan, Sunaina Roshan

The next film that is in the making for Producer- Rakesh Roshan/Filmkraft Productions (India) Pvt. Ltd. is a hilarious comedy flick ‘Krazzy 4’. With ‘Krazzy 4’, Rakesh Roshan hands over the directorial baton to Jaideep Sen even as he revels in the role of producer par excellence!

So impressed was Rakesh Roshan with Jaideep's dedication and willingness to learn, that he has entrusted his next film ‘Krazzy 4’ into Jai’s capable hands. The fact that this is the first film under the Filmkraft banner to be directed by somebody other than Rakesh Roshan, speaks volume for the faith he has reposed in his protégé.

The music for this film is by Rajesh Roshan, another integral part of the Roshan family. He has composed award-winning music for ‘Khudgarz’, ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’, ‘Kishen Kanhaiya’, ‘Khel’, ‘King Uncle’, ‘Karan Arjun’ and ‘Koyla’. His music for ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’ outperformed all his past work and topped every music chart. Now with ‘Krazzy 4’, Rajesh Roshan delivers a thumping, foot-tapping score yet again.

Character Sketches:

As the name suggests, it is a mad, mad, mad world out there. Some are nutty about money, some deranged about power, some of them cracked with stress, some others unhinged by overwork and yet a few others insanely in love, and everyone is worried they are going bananas.

Except the ‘Krazzy 4’, because they are already crazy!

The beautiful Juhi plays Dr. Sonali, a psychiatrist who knows what is wrong with her patients. As a sensitive woman she firmly believes if you really want to make your patients well, you should treat them with your heart, not just your mind. She has faith that all it needs is a little time and lots of patience to make them normal…to make them part of the mad, mad, mad world out there…

Arshad Warsi plays the angry young man, Raja. His blood boils, his fists clench and he's ready to beat the daylights out of anyone who upsets him in some way. Raja's anger knows no bounds, he'll hit out at the slightest provocation or even without. Intermittent explosive disorder is what the doctors call it. 'Sarphira', is what everybody else does!

Irrfan Khan plays Dr. Mukherjee, your perfect doc – clean and orderly, not a pin out of place. . So what's wrong with that? Obsessive compulsive personality disorder, that's what. He has decided that he's the Captain of the team! But so obsessed is he by the need to be in control of a situation that he doesn't realise he has totally lost control of himself and his mind.

Rajpal Yadav essays the role of Gangadhar who is marching to a beat only he can hear; he's fighting for a cause that's long over. But in his muddled mind he's still fighting for freedom, still hobnobbing with the likes of Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. Schizophrenic Gangadhar lives in the past…his mates are Nehru and Gandhi, Tilak and Patel! He's so busy fighting for swaraj, he's lost his sanity!

Suresh Menon is Dabboo. Cute Dabboo is everybody's pet. So what if he hasn't spoken for years? So what if he's frightened all the time? So what if he's autistic? Cute and adorable, when it comes to Dabboo everybody is super protective. Even if he can hear and understand, Dabboo refuses to speak. And nobody knows why!

Dia Mirza plays the role of Shikha the girl friend of Raja (Arshad Warsi). As a TV reporter she controls the news on the channel, but as a woman she is unable to control the unruly and unmanageable rage of Raja - the man she loves.

Rajat Kapur plays R. K. Sanyal who is an Industrialist. Oh, and also Dr Sonali's husband. But in his quest for power and money he takes a step that will have alarming consequences for his wife and her patients – the krazzy 4!

Zaakir Hussain as Srivastav is so neck deep in illegal activities that now he'll stoop to anything – even kidnapping and murder – to keep him ahead.

Watch out! The ‘Krazzy 4’ are coming your way!! If all goes well the film will be released on April 11, 2008.

But are the ‘Krazzy 4’ ready for the world? And is the world ready for them? We have to wait and watch.

And yes...If you think they are crazy, think again! Just sit back tight and get set for an extremely funny roller coaster ride with the ‘Krazzy 4’!

Arshad Warsi in sets of Krazy 4

Mission Istaanbul Preview

Banner: Popcorn Motion Pictures,Balaji Telefilms Ltd

Cast: Zayed Khan,Vivek Oberoi, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Shreya Saran, Sunil Shetty, Nikitin Dheer,

Direction: Apoorva Lakhia

Production: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Sunil Shetty, Shabbir Boxwala

After the immense success of Shoot-Out at Lokhandwala, Director Apoorva Lakhia is all set with his next venture ‘Mission Istanbul’.

The Movie has a huge starcast (mostly from Shoot-out at Lokhandwala) and is produced by Suniel Shetty’s Popcorn and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures.

Vikas Sagar (Zayed Khan), an ambitious and admired journalist, who would go to any limits for a scoop, is asked by Owais Husain (Suniel Shetty), a senior producer at the controversial Istanbul-based news channel Al Johara, to fly to Istanbul for a three- month long orientation programme. Their offer couldn’t have come at a better time for Vikas, who’s undergoing a painful divorce with wife Anjali.

As part of his orientation, Vikas gets hands-on experience in Al Johara’s newsroom.

He finds himself creating news as he steals the secrets from the channel itself.

When Vikas voices his plans to resign from the channel, he is reminded by the Turkish commando, Rizwan Khan (Vivek Oberoi), how other people who had quit had been knocked off because they knew too much.

Will Vikas fall prey to the terrorist’s plans like many other journalists? Or will he survive the assault?

The Bloody mission against terrorism has just begun.

Santhosh Subramaniyam Preview

Banner: AGS Entertainment Pvt Ltd

Cast: Jayam Ravi, Prakash Raj, Genelia, Kausalya, Geetha, Premji Gangai Amaran

Direction: Raja

Production: Kalpathi S.Agoram

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Movies on the father-son bond are rare these days. ‘Santhosh Subramaniyam' will fill the void, says director Raja. Raja has established a name for himself coming out with successful films. The young director managed to hit the bull's eye with blockbusters including ‘Jeyam’, ‘M Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi’ and ‘Unakkum Enakkum’.

‘Santhosh Subramaniyam' is unique for it dwells on a special bonding shared between a father and his son. Jayam Ravi plays the role of the son while Prakash Raj his father. Genelia and former international cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh are also in the cast.

Produced by AGS Films International, the movie is ready to hit the screen. 'The greatest commercial value in contemporary films is love. So, we have depicted it in a different form in ‘Santhosh Subramaniyam'.

Devi Sri Prasad has scored the music. Raja says, 'He is talented and oozes with energy. He has come up with half-a-dozen songs that will top audio charts'.

A huge set replicating a house was put up at AVM Studios where a major portion of the movie was shot. The set was so realistic that those visited the shooting spot appreciated it, says Raja. Speaking on ‘Santhosh Subramaniyam', he says, 'with right guidance from my brother (Raja) and my father editor Mohan, I think I have done my best'.

Santhanam and Premji Gangai Amaran form part of the cast. Both expressed confidence that their humor would be received well.

Genelia, who had average outings in Tamil so far, is optimistic of her fortunes in ‘Santhosh Subramaniyam’. 'I am thankfull to the whole cast and crew of the movie. Shooting for the movie was a great joy and were together like a family'.

‘Santhosh Subramaniyam' will hit the screens this summer.

Prakash Raj and Jayaram add strength to ‘Saroja’

‘Saroja’, directed by Venkat Prabhu, has had the strength of a set of talented and dedicated actors, who offer amazing variety to the fare. Apart from the young brigade of Mirchi Siva, SPB Charan, Premji Amaran and Vaibav, ‘Saroja’ also has the weight of experience in versatile actors Prakash Raj and Jayaram.

Prakash Raj, playing an important role in the film, is quite excited about his character. His dedication and cooperation are simply amazing, says the director. The senior actor reports to the sets before anyone else turns up. He enjoys the role and provides a special touch to it by his inimitable rendition.

So is the case with the colorful Jayaram, who plays another pivotal role as a cop in ‘Saroja’. The actor, who has donned lot of roles in his illustrious career, feels that this film would be a milestone in his entire career.

The director has a word to tell about the hilarious Premji. Though ‘Saroja’ was basically conceived as a thriller, it has now become a sort of ‘serious comedy’ with the inclusion of Premji, says Venkat. Premji’s humor will be a much needed relief to the serious movie, he adds.

Last, but not the least, we have something about the heroine. Since the movie revolves around a girl, it is very important to have a strong actor to handle the role. Venkat Prabhu has boldly chosen Vega, a newcomer to don the role. Vega, who was discovered by the team in Mumbai, was born and brought up in Australia.

‘Saroja’, with a colorful cast and a strikingly different storyline, promises a lot.

Best wishes Anand on your Birthday

On your birthday,

I wish for you the fulfillment

of all your fondest dreams.

I hope that for every candle

on your cake

you get a wonderful surprise.

I wish for you that

whatever you want most in life,

it comes to you,

just the way you imagined it,

or better.

I hope you get as much pleasure

from our friendship as I do.

I wish we were good friends,

so I could have known you

from the beginning.

I look forward to

enjoying our friendship

for some of your birthdays.

I'm so glad you were born,

because you brighten my life

and fill it with joy.

Happy Birthday da Mama..!

Happy birthday to you... May Allah shower blessings on you… Many More Happy Returns of the Day Anand...

With Love Haseem

'Kuruvi' gearing up for May 10 release

Though director Dharani’s ‘Kuruvi’, featuring Vijay and Trisha, is yet to be completed, the producers are planning for May 10 release. While a few portions are being shot, the completed portions have been taken up for the post production work. The efforts to book the theaters for ‘Kuruvi’ have been started.

If ‘Kuruvi’ is gearing up for an early release, ‘Silanthi’, which was expected to hit the halls by April 5, is postponed. The reason behind the change in the schedule is the change in the music department. As we reported earlier, director Aadhiraj had replaced Neil Mukharji with Karthik.

The change was caused by a difference of opinion on the rerecording of the film. The director wanted the rerecording for the thriller in an unconventional manner, which was not acceptable to the music director.

Now Karthik is taking care of the rerecording and doing it in accordance with the director’s view point. Aadhiraj is quite satisfied with the outcome and hence he is planning to add a new song. The song, according to the sources, will be shot in the boat houses of Kochi.

Khuda Kay Liye – Movie Review

Cast: Fawad Khan, Alex Edwards, Angela Williams, Larry Newman

Direction: Shoaib Mansoor

Khuda Ke Liye better known as ‘ In the name of God ‘internationally has been highly acclaimed at several film festivals and has bagged several prestigious awards. The film has been directed by Pakistan’s most renowned TV producer Shoaib Mansoor who has been the mastermind behind the success of the comedy play ‘Fifty Fifty’.

This time around Shoaib gets into a more serious note exploring certain fundamentalist’s false beliefs circling Islam and the state of Muslims in today’s contemporary modern society. The film also dwells into the state of Muslims living abroad post the 9/11 attacks.

The film that had a fatwa issued against it by some radical maulvi’s and had the director of the movie fleeing Pakistan as soon as the movie was released fearing his life finally releases in India courtesy Percept Picture Company.

The movie revolves around two musician brothers – Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fahwad Khan) who have their own popular music group in Pakistan. Music is considered ‘Haram’ by certain fundamentalist groups and thus one day Sarmad is lured by fanatical Maulvi Tahiri (Rasheed Naz) into joining his ranks as a fundamentalist and giving up music and all other things perceived as haram.

Meanwhile UK based uncle of the boys, worried by the prospect of his daughter Mary(Iman Ali) having an affair with a white British, traps her into a visit to Pakistan and sends her into an Afghan village where she is forcefully married off to Sarmad under the influence of Maulvi Tahiri.

Then the disastrous 9/11 occurs and Mansoor is detained on the grounds of being Muslim by U.S. authorities who beat and torture him to elicit a confession of his role in terrorism. While Mansoor is held captive by U.S. authorities his younger brother Samrad gets involved in the battle between Taliban, US forces and Northern Alliance. Now Mary too is held captive in the frontier village and can’t break free from the chains of a forced marriage.

‘Khuda Ke Liye ‘is truly a splendid offering to the world of cinema. People may call it a Pakistani film but the film is truly international carrying a star cast which is a mix of Pakistani’s, Indians and Americans. The film also addresses an international subject; the state of Muslims all over the globe. The plot surely stems from within the dynamics of Pakistan and its rigid functional laws and ethos but the film truly makes a global mark.

The director Shoaib Mansoor deserves a standing ovation to firstly dare to make such a film being a resident of Pakistan and secondly for changing our perception about Pakistani cinema being low budget, mediocre quality flicks. ‘Khuda Ke Liye’ has been very well conceived and executed by Mansoor and his team. The film brings about the resurgence of cinema in Pakistan.

Mansoor has combined with Geo TV network to produce a massive and hard hitting film such as this. Mansoor has fused in various controversial issues such as religious extremism, racial profiling, and status of women in Islam, Music according to Islam and cultural contextualization of religion to provide a real hard hitting film.

The direction and screenplay is top notch as the film moves gradually from one character to another. The cinematography and editing too is good. The film captures the beautiful locales of Pakistan, Afghanistan and USA very well. The cuts are sharp and the edit fuses well with the transition in the narrative.

The dialogues of the film are hard hitting and may be objectionable by certain Muslim groups. Like Naseeruddin Shah’s delivery of ‘deen me dadhi hai, dadhi me deen nahi‘ (In religion there is beard, not religion is in beard).

The music of the film is just splendid. Unlike Hindi films, the actors don’t break into a 4 min song or so, rather the songs are played mostly in the background and yet hook onto you. The ‘Allah Hoo’, ‘Bhulla Samjaiya’ and title track are worth listening to over and over again.

On the acting front all actors are effective but it’s primarily Shaan and Rasheed Naz who steal the show. Actor Shaan is just so versatile and even the accents implemented by him as he goes to the US is just smooth. His dialogue delivery too is sleek. Just watch the scene where he is being interrogated by the US officials in the cell constantly. His expressions change from fear to anger and hatred and the way he responds to the threats from the officials is fantastic.

Rasheed Naz brings in the elegant, fundamentalistic , religious maulvi element with ease. He poisons Samrad’s mind in a very realistic manner with debatable issues. His dialogues too are very effective as he describes music to be ‘Haram’ and sends out his troop to fight the war stating it to be ‘Allah Miya’s’ call.

Pakistani model Iman Ali too does a good job at depicting the captivity and turmoil within a woman. Fahwad Khan who came into the film on Pakistani Pop icon Ali Zafar’s refusal to do the role does a good job. He expresses well as the young lad sandwiched between his elder brothers’ thoughts and the maulvi’s fundamentalist views. His delivery at the court sequence really impresses as he argues that he never used to read the Quran but wasn’t a bad Muslim either.

Naseeruddin Shah comes very late into the film as Maulana Wali but delivers some of the best dialogues of the film. He tackles various issues such as music in Islam and other cultural elements which aren’t a part of the religion. He intensifies and argues about the Muslim ‘Huliya’(looks). ‘haraam ki kamai jeb me rakhkar, halal ghosht ki dukaan dhoondhte hain‘ (People look for Halal meat shops with inappropriate earnings in their pocket) are lines that strike gold.

On the whole, ‘Khuda Ke Liye’ does have minor glitches but the storytelling and theme of the film is just so intense that one never tends to dwell on those aspects. The film is definitely a must watch and Shaan’s letter towards the end of the film leaves behind a message to all across the globe that surely helps in clearing the misconception that every terrorist is a Muslim and vice-versa.

Verdict: A fantastic film from across the border

Rating: 4 stars on 5

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbors, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. Traditionally, the jokes only last until noon. If you play a trick on someone after this time you are the April fool.

Recognition

Primarily it is a European custom, but is also celebrated by many in the USA and elsewhere, and it continues to increase in its recognition worldwide. Since Monday 31st March, the custom of April fool pranks has been banned in Zimbabwe, amidst growing tensions in the country's elections. President Robert Mugabe stated at a party rally that "This country has had enough of British and American customs, and if this is the last change I am able to make to Zimbabwe's proud history, I will rest assured that the struggle against British Imperialism is one step nearer to the finish: I will not be Mr Brown's April Fool!"

Origin

The origins of this custom are complex and a matter of much debate. It is likely a relic of the once common festivities held on the vernal equinox, which began on the 25th of March, old New Year's Day, and ended on the 2nd of April.

Though the 1st of April appears to have been observed as a general festival in Great Britain in antiquity, it was apparently not until the beginning of the 18th century that the making of April-fools was a common custom. In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk," i.e. the cuckoo, and April-fools were "April-gowks," the cuckoo being a term of contempt, as it is in many countries.

One of the earliest connections of the day with fools is Chaucer's story the Nun's Priest's Tale (c.1400), which concerns two fools and takes place "thirty days and two" from the beginning of March, which is April 1. The significance of this is difficult to determine.

Europe may have derived its April-fooling from the French. French and Dutch references from 1508 and 1539 respectively describe April Fools' Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April. France was one of the first nations to make January 1 officially New Year's Day (which was already celebrated by many), by decree of Charles IX. This was in 1564, even before the 1582 adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Thus the New Year's gifts and visits of felicitation which had been the feature of the 1st of April became associated with the first day of January, and those who disliked or did not hear about the change were fair game for those wits who amused themselves by sending mock presents and paying calls of pretended ceremony on the 1st of April. In France the person fooled is known as poisson d'avril (April fish). This has been explained as arising from the fact that in April the sun quits the zodiacal sign of the fish. The French traditionally celebrated this holiday by placing dead fish on the backs of friends. Today, real fish have been replaced with sticky, fish-shaped paper cut-outs that children try to sneak onto the back of their friends' shirts. Candy shops and bakeries also offer fish-shaped sweets for the holiday.

Some Dutch also celebrate the 1st of April for other reasons. In 1572, the Netherlands were ruled by Spain's King Philip II. Roaming the region were Dutch rebels who called themselves Geuzen, after the French "gueux," meaning beggars. On April 1, 1572, the Geuzen seized the small coastal town of Den Briel. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. The Duke of Alba, commander of the Spanish army could not prevent the uprising. Bril is the Dutch word for glasses, so on April 1, 1572, "Alba lost his glasses." The Dutch commemorate this with humor on the first of April.

Well-known pranks

• Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi to the "Biblical value" of 3.0. This claim originally appeared as a news story in the 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.
• Spaghetti trees: The BBC television programme Panorama ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest the spaghetti weevil had been eradicated. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees. It was in fact filmed in St Albans.
• Left Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side. Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger.
• Taco Liberty Bell: In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell." When asked about the sale, White House press secretary Mike McCurry replied tongue-in-cheek that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
• San Serriffe: The Guardian printed a supplement in 1977 praising this fictional resort, its two main islands (Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse), its capital (Bodoni), and its leader (General Pica). Intrigued readers were later disappointed to learn that San Serriffe (sans serif) did not exist except as references to typeface terminology. (This comes from a Jorge Luis Borges story.)
• Metric time: Repeated several times in various countries, this hoax involves claiming that the time system will be changed to one in which units of time are based on powers of 10.
• Smell-o-vision: In 1965, the BBC purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odor over the airwaves to all viewers. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success. This hoax was also conducted by the Seven Network in Australia in 2005. In 2007, the BBC website repeated an online version of the hoax.
• Tower of Pisa: The Dutch television news reported once in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked people contacted the station.
• Write Only Memory: Signetics advertised Write Only Memory IC databooks in 1972 through the late 1970s.
• The Canadian news site bourque.org announced in 2002 that Finance Minister Paul Martin had resigned "in order to breed prize Charolais cattle and handsome Fawn Runner ducks."

Real News on April Fools' Day

The frequency of April fool hoaxes sometimes makes people doubt real news stories released on 1 April.

The 1 April 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people on Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean area countries. The tsunami in question is known in Hawaii as the "April Fools' Day Tsunami" due to people drowning because of the assumptions that the warnings were an April Fools' prank.

The 2005 death of comedian Mitch Hedberg was originally dismissed as an April Fools' joke. The comedian's March 29, 2005 death was announced on March 31, but many newspapers didn't carry the story until April 1, 2005.

Gmail's April 2004 launch was widely believed to be a prank, as Google was known to include joke pages on their website. However, the introduction of the Paper Archive option on April 1, 2007 is a Gmail hoax. Gmail Paper is a supposed service for Google to send users paper copies of their messages.

The merger of Square and its rival company, Enix, took place on April 1, 2003, and was originally thought to be a joke.

People obeying hoax messages to telephone fictitious people such as "Mr. C. Lion" and "Mr. L. E. Fant" at a telephone number that turns out to be a zoo, sometimes cause a serious overload to zoos' telephone switchboards.

The announcement of the anime version of the Powerpuff Girls, Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, was on April Fools Day causing many to think it was a joke.

The game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was announced only a couple days before April Fools Day so many thought that Mario and Sonic together for the very first time was a joke.

On April 1, 2007, employees at Google's New York City office were alerted that a ball python kept in an engineer's cubicle had escaped and was on the loose. An internal e-mail acknowledged that "the timing...could not be more awkward" but that the escaped snake was in fact an actual occurrence and not a prank.

Other prank days in the world

In Iran, people play jokes on each other on April 3, the 13th day of the Persian calendar new year (Norouz). This day is called "Sizdah bedar" (Outdoor thirteen). It is believed that people should go out on this date in order to escape the bad luck of number 13. "Sizdah bedar" is the oldest prank-tradition in the world still alive today, which has led many to believe that the origins of the April Fools Day goes back to this tradition which is believed to have been celebrated by Persians as far back as 536 BC.

The April 1 tradition in France includes poisson d'avril (literally "April's fish"), attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. This is also widespread in other nations, such as Italy (where the term pesce d'aprile (literally "April's fish") is also used to refer to any jokes done during the day).

In Spanish-speaking countries, similar pranks are practiced on December 28, the Day of the Holy Innocents. This custom also exists in certain areas of Belgium, including the province of Antwerp. The Flemish tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.

In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the April 1 tradition requires jokes to be played before midday: if somebody pulls an April Fools' Trick after midday, then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool.

In Denmark the 1st of May is known as "Maj-kat", meaning quite simply "May-cat", and is identical to April Fools ‘Day, though Danes also celebrate April Fools' day ("aprilsnar").

Some Jewish communities have a traditional event called a Purim spiel, which is similar in many ways to April Fools' Day. Fake newspaper articles are common.

April Fools' Day in media

• The 1986 horror film April fool’s Day is themed around the holiday (akin to Halloween).
• In the film The French Connection, the opening scenes take place on April 1 and show children in Marseille running around pinning poissons d'Avril (April fish) on each other.
• The birthday of the mischievous twins, Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series is April 1st.
• O. Stock, C. Strapparava & A. Nijholt (eds.) The April Fools' Day Workshop on Computational Humour. Proc. Twente Workshop on Language Technology 20 (TWLT20), ISSN 0929-0672, ITC-IRST, Trento, Italy, April 2002, 146 pp

Quotes about April Fools' Day

"April 1st: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three-hundred and sixty-four." — Mark Twain

The music of ‘Sultan The Warrior’

‘Sultan The Warrior’, the hi-tech and novel attempt on celluloid by Superstar Rajinikanth’s daughter, is growing in a fast pace with 20 per cent of the movie is completed.

More exciting news about the first ever 3D animation feature film in India is that the music wizard A.R. Rahman has so far composed two songs for the movie. As director Soundarya informed earlier, the film has all the ingredients of a Superstar flick, including the intro song for the Superstar. The song, penned by veteran lyricist Vairamuthu and sung by S.P. Balasubramaniam, is all set to enthrall the Rajini fans.

The other song is a duet song, which is again penned and sung by Vairamuthu and SPB respectively.

It is worth recalling that most of the intro songs in Rajini films, sung by SPB have become huge hits. The combination of ARR, SPB, Vairamuthu, and Rajini has rocked in films like ‘Muthu’ and ‘Padayappa’. We hope that the combination would recreate the magic in the animation film as well.

Islam & Animals

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

"Reciting Salawath on our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is an activity that will be accepted by Allah, even if we don't have Ikhlas (piety)".

The Qur'an assigns an inferior status to animals in comparison with humans and has a tendency towards anthropocentrism. It nevertheless strongly enjoins Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them. The animals, together with all the creation, are believed to praise God, even if this praise is not expressed in human language.

The Qur'an explicitly allows the eating of the meat of the animals. Although some Sufis have practiced vegetarianism, but to date, there has been no serious discourse on the possibility of vegetarianism interpretations. Certain animals can be eaten under the condition that they are slaughtered in a specified way. Prohibitions include swine, carrion, and animals slaughtered in the name of someone other than God. Carnivorous Land animals and birds with talons are forbidden. This prohibition does not extend towards marine animals.

In Muslim culture some animals such as hyenas, bats, geckos, snakes, and other reptiles as well as insects are considered to be ugly, dangerous, vicious, and powerful. Sometimes, the stances on them are ambivalent.

Animals in the pre-Islamic Arabia

Arab Bedouin, like other people, attributed the qualities and the faults of humans to animals (e.g. generosity was attributed to the cock, perfidy to the lizard, and stupidity to the bustard and boldness to the lion).

Based on the facts that the name of certain tribes bears the names of animals, survivals of animal cults, prohibitions of certain foods and other indications, W. R. Smith argued for practice of totemism by certain tribes of Arabia. Others have argued that these evidences may only imply practice of a form of animalism. In support of this, for example, it was believed that upon one's death, the soul departs from the body in the form of a bird (usually a sort of owl). The soul flys for some time around the tomb and on occasion crys out for vengeance. Although Muhammad (pbuh) rejected this belief but it lived under Islam in various forms.

Qur'an

Although over two hundred verses in the Qur'an deal with animals and six suras (chapters) of the Qur'an are named after the animals, animal life is not a predominant theme in the Qur'an. The Arabic term for the "animal" (i.e. haywan) in its only one appearance in the Qur'an means "the true life" and refers to the life in the next world rather than to "animal". On the other hand, the Qur'an uses the term dābba which is not typically used in medieval Arabic works on zoology.

The Qur'an explicitly allows the eating of the meat of the animals. Although some Sufis have practiced vegetarianism, but to date, there has been no serious discourse on the possibility of vegetarianism interpretations.

The Qur'an applies the word "Muslim" not only to humans but also to animals and the inanimate world. "The divine will manifests itself in the form of laws both in human society and in the world of nature. In Islamic terminology, for example, a bee is a Muslim precisely because it lives and dies obeying the "shariah" that God has prescribed for the community of bees, just as a person is a Muslim by virtue of the fact that he or she submits to the revealed shariah ordained for humans in the Quran and Sunna.

Although the Qur'an considers humans to occupy the highest place, it nevertheless strongly enjoins Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them. The Qur'an states that all creation praises God, even if this praise is not expressed in human language. In verse Qur'an 6:38, the Qur'an applies the term "ummah", generally used to mean "a human religious community", for genera of animals. Encyclopedia of the Quran states that this verse has been "far reaching in its moral and ecological implications."

There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end. Qur'an 6:38

Sunnah

Sunnah refers to the traditional biographies of Muhammad (pbuh) wherein the examples of his conduct and sayings attributed to him have been recorded.

Treatment of animals

It is forbidden to cage animals, to beat them unnecessarily, to brand them on the face, or to allow them to fight each other for human entertainment. "They must not be mutilated while they are alive."

The historian Montgomery Watt states that Muhammad's kindness to animals was remarkable for the social context of his upbringing. He cites an instance of Muhammad (pbuh) posting sentries to ensure that a bitch with newborn puppies was not disturbed by his army traveling to Mecca in the year 630.

Views regarding particular animals

Dogs

The majority of Muslim jurists consider dogs to be unclean (Jurists, particularly from the Maliki school of thought disagree).

Islam usually cast the dog in a negative light by emphasizing its impurity. The stories of the seven sleepers of Ephesus in the Qur’an (and also role of the dog in early Christianity) are the striking exceptions. Muhammad (pbuh) didn't like dogs (and most Muslims do not have dogs as pets).

According to one tradition attributed to Muhammad (pbuh), black dogs are evil or even devils, in animal form. This report reflects the pre-Islamic Arab mythology and the vast majority of Muslim jurists viewed it to be falsely attributed to Muhammad.

A tradition attributed to Muhammad (pbuh) commands Muslims not trade or deal in dogs According to El Fadl, this shows the cultural biases against dogs as a source of moral danger.

In Hadith literature, it is reported from Muhammad (pbuh) that he issued advice to kill the sinful (fawasiq) animal even within the holy area (haram) of Mecca.

According to one story, Muhammad (pbuh) is said to have informed a prostitute who had seen a thirsty dog hanging about a well and given it water to drink that all her sins were forgiven.

Another tradition attributed to Muhammad (pbuh) states that the company of dogs voids a portion of a Muslim’s good deeds.

Dogs, outside the legal discourse, were often portrayed in the literature as a symbol of highly esteemed virtues such as self-sacrifice and loyalty or on the other hand as an oppressive instrument in the hands of despotic and unjust rulers.

It is said that angels do not enter a house which contains a dog. Though dogs are not allowed for pets, they are allowed to be kept if used for work, such as guarding your house or farm, or when used for hunting purposes.

Camel and Cat

Muhammad (pbuh)'s camel, Qaswa, was very dear to him. Cats were especially loved by Muhammad (pbuh), he himself is said to have had least one cat called Muezza. It is said he loved cats so much that "he would do without his cloak rather than disturb one that was sleeping on it."

Muhammad (pbuh) is reported as having reprimanded some men who were sitting idly on their camels in a marketplace, saying "either ride them or leave them alone". He is also reported to have said: "There is no man who kills a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but Allah will question him about it [on the judgment day]," and "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself."

Hyenas - Bats - Geckos - Reptiles and Insects

In Muslim culture some animals such as hyenas, bats, geckos, snakes, and other reptiles as well as insects are considered to be ugly, dangerous, vicious, and powerful. Sometimes, the stances on them are ambivalent. In Hadith literature, it is reported from Muhammad (pbuh) that he issued advice to kill the sinful (fawasiq) animal even within the holy area (haram) of Mecca. It is reported that Muhammad (pbuh) commanded geckos to be killed and called them 'little noxious creatures'.

Pigs

According to many verses of the Quran, (Qur'an 2:173, Qur'an 6:145) the consumption of pork is forbidden.

Conversation with Animals

In many Shi'ite accounts of Muhammad (pbuh) he is said to have conversed nonchalantly with camels, birds and other species. In one account, a camel is said to have come to Muhammad (pbuh) and complained that despite service to his owner, the animal was about to be killed. Muhammad (pbuh) summoned the owner and ordered the man to spare the camel.

Hunting and slaughter

Muslims are required to sharpen the blade when slaughtering animals. Muhammad (pbuh) is reported to have said:” For [charity shown to] each creature which has a wet heart (i.e. is alive), there is a reward." Muhammad (pbuh) opposed recreational hunting saying: "whoever shoots at a living creature for sport is cursed." He is also reported to have said: "There is no man who kills [even] a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but Allah will question him about it [on the judgment day]," and "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself."

The Islamic method of slaughter has been classed as inhumane by government-funded animal welfare authorities in the UK who have found that it "causes severe suffering to animals." Cattle require up to two minutes bleeding to death when such means are employed and in the words of the Chairperson of the Farm Animal Welfare Council:" This is a major incision into the animal and to say that it doesn't suffer is quite ridiculous." A study was done by Professor Wilhelm Schulze et al. at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany. This study is cited by the German Constitutional Court in its decision regarding dhabiha slaughtering.

Dogs in Islam

Traditionally, dogs have been seen as impure, and the Islamic legal tradition has developed several injunctions that warn Muslims against most contact with dogs. Unfortunately, many Muslims have used this view to justify the abuse and neglect of dogs, even though cruelty contradicts the Qur'an's view that all animals form "communities like you." We are pleased to present several articles examining the place of dogs in Islam.

• It is NOT haraam to own a dog, though it is not hygienic to keep a dog in the house.

• It is NOT haraam to touch a dog or any other animal. If the saliva of a dog touches you or any part of your clothing, then it is required of you to wash the body part touched and the item of clothing touched by the dog’s mouth or snout.

• It is incumbent upon all Muslims who own animals, whether for farming or work purposes or as pets, to provide adequate shelter, food, water, and, when needed, veterinary care for their animals. Arrangements must be made, if one is going to be away from home, to have one’s animals taken care of as well.

• It is haraam to keep a dog or any other animal on a short lead for long periods without food, water, and shelter. Dogs need exercise and are social creatures that form organized “family” structures in nature. Dog owners therefore need to spend time daily with their dogs.

• It is cruel, and therefore haraam, to keep any animal in a cage so small that it cannot behave in a natural way.

• Fireworks cause untold suffering to most domestic animals because of their acute sense of hearing.

• It is haraam to participate in any blood “sport,” like dog fighting and trophy hunting.

No animal has been cursed in any way. Animals are referred to in many instances in the Qu’ran. In Surah Kahf, mention is made of the companions of the Cave and their dog.

We would love for Allah to bestow His mercy upon us, so let’s show mercy and compassion to all His creation. This will also give non-Muslims a true reflection of Islam, aiding da’wah.

There are many Muslims who care well for their animals, and this article is aimed at those who are misinformed.

The appeal goes out to those Muslims: Please do not abuse or neglect any animal. This gives a distorted picture to others who are not Muslim.