Lifetime award for Sarojadevi

Thespian Dilip Kumar’s ill health has delayed the government’s plans to honour him, singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, Bengali director Tapan Sinha and south Indian actress B. Saroja Devi. “Dilip Kumar is not keeping well, so he is not able to come to Delhi.

We will have the ceremony whenever he is fit enough to travel,” said Neelam Kapur, additional director general of the Directorate of Film Festivals. The information and broadcasting ministry has chosen the four artists for lifetime achievement awards for their contribution to Indian cinema.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi had announced the honours at the opening ceremony of the 38th International Film Festival Of India (IFFI). He said the ministry had decided to honour film artists and technicians for their contribution to the industry in view of the 60th anniversary of India’s independence. Referring to the National Awards, Kapur said: “After a week or so we will start calling the entries for the 2006 films. And then the announcement will be made after two or three months.

CM throws surprise to veteran actors

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa played a perfect host to a group of veteran artistes, who were her colleagues and friends when she was an actress, at her Poes Garden bungalow in Chennai on Thursday. Actresses Anjali Devi, Sowcar Janaki, Saroja Devi, Rajashree, Jamuna, Sukumari and Sachu, actor-dramatist-journalist Cho Ramaswamy and veteran playback singer P Suseela attended the luncheon meet hosted by the CM "It was a memorable day for all of us. The Chief Minister has a graphic memory and recalled every incident of those days," said a happy Sachu. "The Chief Minister was very happy to see us. So were we. A grand variety of delicious vegetarian food. The meeting went on for nearly 90 minutes," said P Suseela.

A Grand Reunion

Who's who of yesteryear Tamil filmdom gathered under one roof to offer felicitations to veteran actress B Saroja Devi who is a recipient of the National award for her lifetime achievement. The stalwarts of Tamil cinema who left an impact on screen etching out memorable roles attended a grand dinner hosted by Saroja Devi in Chennai on Friday.

Vyjayanthimala, S Varalakshmi, Manorama, Anjali Devi, Raja Sulochana, Sachu, M N Rajam, Saradha, Manjula, Deva Sena (director Sridhar's wife), Kutty Padmini, S S Rajendran, Vijayakumar, Y Gee Mahendran, Nadigar Sangam president Sarath Kumar, actress Suhasini, Anu Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan's sons Ram Kumar and Prabhu along with their family, director S A Chandrasekhar and dialogue writer S A Chandrasekhar among others took part. Playback singer A L Raghavan Dr Kamala Selvaraj (daughter of Gemini Ganesan) and Latha Rajendran of MGR family.

Start KCAA soon - Dr Devi

The prominent actress of yesteryears Dr.B.Saroja Devi hoped that the Kannada Cinema Artists Association would come up fast. She also expressed her wish that she wants sit in the office of cinema artists of its own before her death. Pointing to Dr.Jayamala for convening such a memorable event Dr.Devi felt immensely happy for such a glorious function even before other institutions took up to honor her for achieving the lifetime achievement award from government of India.

Dr Devi urged for the unity of all the 28 divisions of film making and she made a humble request to solve the differences without going to media. Receiving her best friends from cinema actress Kanchana and Krishnakumar there was down memory lane moment on the dais. Kanchana lauded Dr Devi for her acting prowess and said how she was told by AVM and Gemini producers in the yesteryears to follow Saroja Devi in acting. Dr.Devi is a unifying force of South India said Kanchana in her address at the KFCC felicitation function.