Monday, September 28, 2009 MIRZAPUR: Young boys climbed trees and villagers crowded rooftops in a tiny dusty village in northern India Sunday to catch a glimpse of Academy Award winner Julia Roberts shooting her new film, "Eat, Pray, Love."Scores of policemen, armed with bamboo sticks, private guards and plainclothes security guards kept curious visitors at bay as the "Pretty Woman" star walked about the sets created at Mirzapur village, 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of the Indian capital, New Delhi. Huge black screens protected the sets from television crews and photographers.Roberts was dressed in a turquoise blue tunic and loose pajamas, the traditional clothes worn by millions of Indian women. In the film, she plays the part of an American woman who leaves behind a troubled marriage and sets out on a journey of self-discovery.Newspapers and television stations in India have been covering Roberts' every move since she arrived in India accompanied by her three children nearly 10 days ago.Security has been tight with about 50 local policemen and security officers guarding the star in the village and in the nearby small town of Pataudi, where Roberts is staying at a former palace converted into a heritage hotel.The shooting of the film began a few days ago, and started with prayers offered by a Hindu priest.A local newspaper quoted the priest, Swami Dharam Dev, as saying he had given the names of Hindu gods for her three children."I have named her twins Hazel and Phinnaeus as Laxmi and Ganesh, while Henry will be called Krishna Balram," he was quoted as saying.The movie, a Brad Pitt production, is directed by Ryan Murphy. It also stars Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins and Billy Crudup.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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