Big B and John Join "Save Our Tigers" Campaign

Today, Amitabh Bachan and hunk John Abraham were in Madhya Pradesh to be a part of a telethon to create awareness about this cause and raise money so that reserves such as Pench National Park could take care of the tigers in a better way.

John also stripped for PETA ad to appeal against animal abuse. John is often known for his social work over the years.

Though this is a great cause and Big B also wrote on his blog last night, that it is important for him to participate in this telethon for this special cause as tigers need to be saved from poaching and extinction.

However, I also heard a negative news about Big B, that he is silently responsible for delaying the release of a small budgeted movie "Chittagong" so that his son's movie "Khelen Hum Jee Jan Se" does better on the box office. The maker of Chittagong, said that both the movies dealt with the same subject but his movie was low budget film unlike the Abhishek starrer movie. And the man criticized Big B on a social website by saying "Somebody is desperately trying to save his son's career. It is sad that talent is no more appreciated." Well, even if it is true, Khelen Hum Jee Jan Se is a flop. It has just recovered 5 crores while as of now the movie is making a loss of a good 30 crore rupees.

Deepika Plays Kalpana Dutta

After reading the post written on Khelen Hum Jee Jaan Se, I got to know that Asutosh Gowarikar chose Deepika to play the role of Kalpana Dutta in the movie who was one of the key revolionists of the Chittagong revolution. He felt that Deepika had a strong resemblance of the real Kalpana Dutta, whose picture I have put up. I guess, she looks like Deepika's mother.

Chittagong revolution was also one of the difficult times as I have read and heard from a few people. And this movie will show something about that time.

The Chittagong Armoury Raid took place on 18 April 1930 and Kalpana hurried back to Chittagong and came in contact with Surya Sen in May 1931.Kalpana was entrusted with the safe carrying of heavy explosive materials from Calcutta. She also secretly prepared 'gun-cotton' and planned to plant a dynamite fuse under the court building and inside the jail to free the revolutionary leaders, who were being tried in a special Tribunal.The plot was uncovered and certain restrictions were imposed on Kalpana's movements. She, however, managed to visit regularly the village of Surya Sen, sometimes even at dead of night.

In September 1931 Surya Sen decided to entrust Kalpana and Pritilata with a plan to attack the European Club at Chittagong. A week before the action Kalpana was arrested while moving out for a survey work in a boy's attire. While in jail, she was told about the Pahartali action and the heroic suicide of Pritilata. Being released on bail, she went underground at the bidding of Surya Sen and in the early hours of 17 February 1933 the police encircled their hideout. Surya Sen was captured while Kalpana, along with Manindra Datta, escaped.

On 19 May 1933 Kalpana, with some comrades, was arrested. In the second supplementary trial of Chittagong Armoury Raid case, Surya Sen and Tarakeswar Dastidar were sentenced to death, and Kalpana was sentenced to transportation for life. Being released in 1939 she graduated from the Calcutta University in 1940. Soon she joined the CPI and resumed her battle against the British rule. She turned Kalpana Joshi in 1943 when she married PC Joshi, the leader of the CPI.

She went back to Chittagong and organised the Kisans' and women's fronts of the party. In 1946 she contested, though unsuccessfully, in the elections to the Bengal Legislative Assembly. After 1947 she migrated to India and resigned from active politics. Kalpana Datta breathed her last at New Delhi on 8 February 1995.