Panaji, Jan 19 - Anthony Gonsalves, a Goan orchestra maestro and the man to whom the legendary Bollywood song "My Name is Anthony Gonsalves" was dedicated, is dead.

Gonsalves, 84, who was suffering from pneumonia in the last few days, died in his hospital bed at the Goa Medical College Wednesday night.

An orchestra maestro and a capable music arranger, known for his magical violin skills, had worked with well-known composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, who had dedicated the "Amar Akbar Anthony" song to the Goan musician.

Panaji, Sep 21 - The annual feast of Goa's most revered saints is posing to be the main hurdle in the finalization of the dates of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) later this year, an official said Wednesday.

The film festival is held in Goa every year through November and December. Generally, Nov 23 is the day when it kick-starts.

Panaji, Aug 31 - Zuari Industries limited (ZIL), a K. K. Birla group company in Goa, has been temporarily shut due to a shortage of naphtha, a raw material needed to manufacture agricultural fertilisers, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.

The temporary shutdown follows a major accident last week in which leaked naphtha caused a major fire in the port town of Vasco, 30 km from here, resulting in the death of three people trapped in the fire.

"We had to take the decision as there is no supply of naphtha," ZIL spokesperson Anand Rajadhyaksha said.

Panaji, April 21 : The government could go to court against "Dum Maaro Dum" to protect the dignity of women, a Congress MP said Thursday, citing Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni's dissatisfaction with some dialogues in the film.

Goa's only Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik said this in a press statement here just a day before the global release of Rohan Sippy's controversial film.

Panaji, April 19 : A Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Goa has called the producers and exhibitors of controversial Hindi film "Dum Maaro Dum" "anti-national" for insisting on retaining "objectionable dialogues" in the prints released internationally.

"Dum Maro Dum", which is Rohan Sippy's third directorial venture, will be released Friday in 20 countries at 350 international locations and at 1,000 theatres and multiplexes throughout India.

Panaji, April 18 : A high-level panel set up by the Goa government for the pre-release screening of "Dum Maaro Dum", which the government apprehends portrays the state negatively, is delaying viewing the film, the film's distributors said Monday.

Speaking to reporters outside the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court here, Fox Star Studio International Private Limited official Dina Dattani said the members of the screening committee had not given them a commitment on organising a viewing of the film.

Panaji, April 7 : The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court Thursday issued notices to the director and producers of Bollywood film 'Dum Maaro Dum' and other officials, over a petition seeking a ban on the film scheduled to be released April 22.

"The movie is against public order, decency and morality and there is clear violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India to the people of Goa," petitioner Savio Rodrigues said in his plea. (IANS)

Panaji, March 24 : "Three Idiots" star Omi Vaidya, who played the lovable snitch Chatur Ramalingam in the movie, should be funded to make a film on Goa, a ruling party legislator told the assembly Thursday.

Former deputy chief minister and Congress member Dayanand Narvekar said the Goa government should do away with hosting the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and spend the money on producing films by professionals, which showcase Goa and boosts the local film industry.

The Candolim beach in Goa has turned musical destination since last two days as Asia’s leading electronic music festival ‘Sunburn 2010’ started there on December 27. Today is the concluding day of this musical extravaganza.

The event heated up the party scene for the New Year festivities in this beach heaven of India. Percept Ltd. organized the grand musical festival, which has attracted around 18000 music lovers. The ticket for the three days was priced at Rs 4,000 but that did not lower the enthusiasm of the youths, who lined up to get the tickets.

Panaji, Nov 29 - Holywood filmmaker Woody Allen may be old enough to be her grandfather, but when it comes to creativity, he is much younger, says "Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto.

Asked by a reporter Monday how the 26-year-old actress felt being directed by the 1935-born Allen, a Hollywood legend "who was old enough to be her grandfather", Freida first quipped: "He might not like what you said."

Panaji, Nov 29 - Indian actress Freida Pinto, who made it to Hollywood after the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire", says women are not treated like dolls in Bollywood and she is certainly game for a Hindi movie if a good one comes along.

"Women are not treated like dolls in Bollywood," Freida said addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where her film "You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger" directed by Woody Allen, is being screened.

Panaji, Nov 28 - B. R. Chopra could well be called the Nostradamus of Bollywood. He dwelt on issues like capital punishment long before there was a debate on it and even made a song-less film at a time when movies without songs were unwanted, says his biographer.

Vinay Vairale, 45, who currently works with the Films Division of India (FDI), said Chopra's films knocked on the doors of greatness not because of their commercial success but because they were predictive visual documents of the time to come.

Goa has always been a favorite holiday destination for many Bollywood stars and it has always been the venue of International Film Festival of India (IFFI). This time also, the festival is being organized in the this beautiful place and the state wants to take full benefit out of it by promoting Goa as a film destination place.

A senior state bureaucrat was quoted saying that Goa will be promoting itself as destination for shooting films.

Panaji, Sep 8 : Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn was puffing cigarettes in close vicinity of regulation-size "No Smoking" sign boards, officials in Goa said Wednesday.

Manoj Srivastava, the chief executive officer of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), which conducts the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), has countered Devgn's claim to the media Tuesday that smoking was permissible in the ESG complex.

The actor was found smoking in the ESG complex in May this year and subsequently fined Rs. 100 for violating the provisions of the Control of Tobacco Products Act (COPTA).

Panaji, Sep 1: Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn has been fined Rs. 100 for smoking in the courtyard of a multiplex in Panaji, police said Wednesday.

"The notice will be issued today (Wednesday). We are acting on a complaint filed by the state health department (Directorate of Health Services, DHS)," Deputy Superintendent of Police Deu Benaulikar told IANS.

A police official said the complaint was filed by the DHS director Rajnanda Desai after the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), an anti-tobacoo watchdog NGO, submitted photographs to her office showing the Mumbai-based actor smoking at the INOX multiplex premises.

Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi has bought a home at his favorite place in the world, Goa.

The 'serial kisser', who has purchased a four storey, fully furnished penthouse in Goa, is not shifting from Mumbai.

But, he makes sure that he will spend his 'shoot free' days in Goa.

The new house is equipped with an exercise room, swimming pool, private garden and a terrace.

The attractiveness of the house is the clear view of the sea, which is what impressed Emraan a lot.

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan again fell into trouble owing to his smoking habit.

Devgan, who had already been penalized in Chandigarh because of public smoking, was again found smoking openly in Goa while shooting for his upcoming flick 'G3'.

A complaint has been lodged to the State Tobacco Control Cell and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to punish Ajay with graver penalty.

This is not the first time a famous person has been caught smoking in the public.

With a view to get its leadership back in the Indian market, Mercedes Benz is certainly getting very active to get all the pieces of its strategy together to make it count.

According to a recent development, the company recently inaugurated ALCON which attains the distinctive tag of being the first luxury car dealership in the region of Goa.

17 Maoist activists have been arrested in Goa. A 25-year-old guy, who is the leader of a Maoist group has been arrested along with his 16 other Maoist friends. The Goa Police has arrested them on Thursday.

As per the Police, all of them have been arrested and soon to be forwarded to the court. It has also informed that Shambhu Beck is the leader of this group. He is a resident of Sundargarh district, Orissa. The name of this Naxalite group is Maowadi Trishul Manch or MTM. There has been warrant against him before. He was involved in several kidnapping, dacoit and murder.

Panaji, April 28 - Tobacco watchdog National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) has filed a police complaint against Bollywood actors Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor for smoking in a college campus in Goa.

In his complaint to the district Superintendent of Police Allen D'Sa and officials of the state tobacco control cell, NOTE general secretary Shekhar Salkar said the actors, who are shooting at the Chowgule College campus in Margao, about 35 km from here, were caught smoking in campus Tuesday.