Big B eyes team in Kabaddi Premier League

Patna: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is eyeing a team for the Kabaddi Premier League (KPL), auction of which would start here next week, an official said.

The actor's film production and event management company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) will be among top franchisees besides Mahindra and Mahindra, ONGC, Air India and few other insurance companies to take part in the auction for the KPL, joint secretary of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), Kumar Vijay told PTI here today.

"The ABCL will be one of the franchisees bidding for players for the KPL," Vijay, who is also the secretary of Bihar State Kabaddi Association, added.

He said the ABCL and Mahindra and Mahindra were the new entrants in the KPL. The bidding for the KPL is scheduled during the 61st senior national men's and women's championship to be held in Patna from January 21-24, he said.

The League, backed by corporate franchises, first played in Vijaywada in 2011 with eight teams comprising of ten players.

Meanwhile, the selection committee, AKFI technical director E Prasad Rao and other officials would be present at the meet to select both the men's and women's team for the Asian Games scheduled in South Korea's Incheon in September this year and the World Cup to be held in Tamil Nadu.

Ajith, Vijay, Mahesh Babu set for BO battle

After almost seven years Vijay and Ajith are all set to battle it out at the box-office on Jan 10. Their films ‘Jilla’ and ‘Veeram’, both of which have garnered quite a lot of expectations, are slated to release ahead of the Pongal festival.

Distributors believe the festive season is an appropriate time to release big budget films with big stars as Tamil Nadu enjoys an extended holiday of 10 days. Although makers are hoping to rake in the moolah, trade pundits think otherwise. With simultaneous releases, a major problem that arises is availability of theatres. Adding to their woes is Mahesh Babu’s film ‘1 Nenokkadine’, which will also see a world-wide release on Jan 10.

Sources say ‘1 Nenokkadine’ has already blocked multiplex screens in the UK, US and Singapore where Tamil movies usually enjoy a good run.

With three films fighting head-on, ‘1 Nenokkadine’ seems to be a few steps ahead of the two Tamil films with aggressive promotions and theatre blocking.

However fans of Thala and Thalapathy seem to be unfazed and are ready to celebrate their matinee idols’ releases.

Surprisingly, the fans of the two stars, who are usually at loggerheads with each other, seem to have joined hands this time. According to TOI, Ajith fan clubs across the city are planning a special mention about Vijay's ‘Jilla’ in their banners, while Ilayathalapathy's fan club members are likely to wish ‘Veeram’ in their promotional banners.

The duo’s films have previously clashed at the box office and here’s what happened:

Bhagavathi and Villain:

Bhagavathi and Villain released on November 4, 2002. Both the films turned out to be blockbusters, giving Vijay and Ajith’s then floundering career a big boost.

Thirumalai and Anjaneya:

Both these films released on Oct 24, 2003. Though Thirumalai did well and transformed Vijay into a mass hero, Ajith’s Anjaneya only did average business.

Aadhi and Paramasivam:

Aadhi and Paramasivam which had similar plots, released on Jan 14, 2006, while Vijay’s Aadhi turned out to be a dud, Ajith’s Paramasivam fared averagely.

Pokkiri and Alwar:

Pokiri and Alwar both released on Jan 12, 2007. Pokkiri which was Prabhu Deva’s directorial debut in Tamil became a blockbuster hit, while Ajith’s Alwar tanked without a trace.

The question now is who will win the epic clash this time? Ajith, who is on a winning streak or Vijay, who needs a hit to get his career back on track, or will Mahesh walk home with the honours?